Thoughts on a Tuesday about Sunday:

1. There are a lot of sounds that are awesome, but there is NO SOUND AS AWESOME AS PEOPLE WORSHIPPING AS ONE!  I couldn’t help but catch myself smiling as I stood and heard our church raising their voices literally as ONE VOICE to exalt our God.  And as much as I loved it, don’t you know that GOD LVOED IT EVEN MORE!

2. It isn’t every Sunday that the application of the message is as obvious as this week.  Simply put, OPEN UP!  For many of us, that means a first visit to one of the area Community Groups.  Get more info about them on our website.

3. BAKE A DOZEN COOKIES!!!  Take them and give them to someone near you and see how that simple step to open your home will help them open their heart!

4. I’m already STOKED about the messages over the next 2 weeks!!  UNCONTAINABLE GROWTH and RADICAL EVANGELISM!!  Palm Sunday and Easter will be fun at The Gathering.

5. If you’re a teenage girl or the mother of one, be sure to take advantage of the “Revolutionary Love Girls’ Conference” taking place THIS SATURDAY at First Assembly here in Albemarle.  It’s free and will be a great 3 hours!  9:00 am until noon!

6. One of the coolest things happening at our church is that the LIST OF WAYS TO SERVE OUR CITY keeps getting longer!!  I ? MY CITY is quickly moving from a “once a month” event to a “here’s a lot of ideas – pick some” type of movement. Be on the lookout for some changes on the website about how we get that information to you!

7. I’m still bummed that NC STATE lost in the tourney, and my bracket is busted up BIG TIME!  But, all of us are still winning THE BIGGEST GAME OF ALL when we make the decision to follow Jesus.  If you’ve been attending The Gathering for awhile and have decided that Jesus is the REAL DEAL, don’t wait until Sunday to respond to Him.  Tuesday is just fine! Simply confess your sin to Him, decide to give Him full access to your life, and then call someone and let them know what you just did! Oh, and BE SURE TO LET US KNOW Sunday that you did. It’s great to be loved by Jesus.

Thoughts on a Friday about The Gathering:

1. I HEART MY CITY is more than just once a month, and there are tons of opportunities coming up for you to get PLUGGED IN as a servant!  One specific way is through the BBQ FUNDRAISER for the Community Inn.  Come Sunday prepared to get your tickets.  Good food. A greater cause.

2. “@ our core” has turned into one of my favorite teaching series!  I love how FOCUSED it has helped us become as a church about WHAT MATTERS MOST!!  This week’s message will open your eyes even more to how simple and powerful sharing your faith can be. We’ll be learning about GENUINE HOSPITALITY and how open homes can lead to open hearts! Don’t miss out!

3. Hurting people are everywhere.  I keep thinking over and over about the truth of this statement: IF YOU LOVE HURTING PEOPLE, YOU’LL ALWAYS HAVE WORK TO DO.  It doesn’t meant that loving people who are hurting is work, but that you’ll never run out of people who are hurting.  I think of Jesus’ own words in John  4:35 – “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” No one likes to be cramped, uncomfortable, and confused about where to sit, but if we follow Jesus’ words, it means that we can’t wait to harvest.  We can’t wait for more space, more money, more chairs.  The time to harvest is NOW. Hurting people are all around you, so OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK AT THEM and when you see them, INVITE THEM TO CHURCH!  Statistics say that most people will come to church if they are simply asked.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better church to invite them to. I LOVE MY CHURCH!!!

Thoughts on a Thursday about Sunday:

1. I’m running in my SIXTH half-marathon this Saturday.  Have I not learned my lesson YET???!!  I need to be in much better shape before I do these things. :/

2. The fact that I’m running it does have something to do with what we’ll be learning Sunday, but of course I can’t tell you until then, SO DON’T MISS IT!!

3. FIRST TUESDAY was incredible this week.  As you know, we take the first Tuesday of every month and spend it fasting and praying, and this month we specifically asked our church family to pray about OUR NEED FOR MORE ROOM!  All I can tell you is that God is up to something good, and He has started somethings in motion THIS WEEK that I know are a direct result of your prayers.  THIS IS GETTING GOOD!!

4. If you’re a man, we need you at I HEART MY CITY this Saturday morning.  You can get more info about the time and place on the website.

5. SECRET CHURCH happens April 6.  We’re starting to fill up fairly quickly, so if you’re interested, we need your name, contact info and $5 to reserve your spot.  There are only 99 spaces available, and over 30 are already gone.  YOU NEED THIS!  Check our site for more details.

6. KIDS CAMP DEPOSITS are due by APRIL 1.  Remember, you pay the deposit and The Gathering pays the rest.  We want to make sure we get as many kids there as we possibly can.  If you need more information, email us and we’ll get you the forms you need!