“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Weekend of October 7+8
Grace & Knowledge
“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Weekend of September 30 + October 1
Living Hope
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope though the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Weekend of September 23+24
Be Strengthened
“Be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Three ways you can navigate the transitions you’re facing this fall
As we stood in our driveway sipping warm coffee, our next door neighbors pulled into their driveway having returned from the airport after dropping their daughter off for her first day in the military. They walked straight over to our driveway and joined us. Their emotion was raw, full of the same questions, concern, and excitement that we all had, but on a very different level.
For the second year we invited our neighbors and their kids to meet in our driveway for doughnuts, juice boxes, and coffee before walking up the street to school. The neighbor kids span the full spectrum of transition, from kindergarten to post-high school enlistment in the military.
New phases with new challenges, new classrooms, and new routines. Regardless of the age of our kids, our feelings and concerns were similar:
Where does the time go? We remember setting up obstacle courses in the basement for the kids to run through; now life sets up its own obstacles for them. What if they struggle? It’s hard to get to the other side of the worry to look on with anticipation and say, “Yes, they will struggle, and there will be setbacks, but what if they fly?”
Transitions are hard. We all need a good neighbor, a good friend, and a good plan.
Our connection to each other is an integral part of our connection to God. Whatever transition you find yourself in the midst of, here are three ways you can embrace the transition:
- Good Neighbors
Plan a bonfire with s’mores, doughnuts before school, or simply walk across the street and introduce yourself to your neighbors. You need them as much as they need you. This past year, we explored The Art of Neighboring, an insightful book underscoring the power of being a good neighbor. Read it, and let it lead you.
- Good Friends
Get connected to a small group here at Five Oaks. Walk together and grow together.
- Good Plan
Attend one of our milestone classes this fall: Family Dedication, Baptism, Navigating Middle School & High School. Each of these is designed to partner with you and equip you for a life of deep relationship with your kids that leads to bringing the story of God to life.
-John Eiselt
Family and Discipleship Pastor
Weekend of September 16+17
Spirit of Unity
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Weekend of September 9+10
Awe
“Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Weekend of September 2+3
Holy
“Just as he who called you is holy, be holy in all you do.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Weekend of August 26+27
Unseen
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Weekend of August 19+20
Trust in the Lord
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Weekend of August 12+13
Don't rush the rain
There’s something about the rain that can remind of us his presence.
There’s a peace that comes in the quiet of it.
The rain brings a hush, a stillness.
A whispered reminder of contentment.
If you didn’t stop to see it or listen to hear it, you might miss it.
But it’s there, falling gently-every drop sent to nurture, to quench, to satisfy.
Without the rain, there is no growth.
Life cannot be sustained without it.
Sometimes we want to rush the rain. We’re too busy. We don’t have time.
Not so with nature. Nature never rushes. It remains.
Nature waits to absorb every nutrient the rain will bring.
Somehow nature trusts the rain and its goodness.
Like the rain brings the nutrients to nature,
His presence brings the nurturing our souls long for.
Every drop of his presence is meant to sustain us.
There is no substitute that can satisfy.
Don't rush the rain. Be still.
Trust his timeliness and rest in his goodness.
There is beauty in his perfect provision.
His presence is life.
Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No. It is you, O Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.
Jeremiah 14:22
May He come down like rain upon the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth!
Psalm 72:6
One morning last week, I was watching and listening to the rain gently falling
and it reminded me of God’s presence. While there are certainly times that we feel God’s presence, there are also times when we have to stop and remind ourselves that we can also KNOW his presence.
Encountering God’s presence isn’t just an experience. Experiences are not bad things, but they
generally come with expectations that are often tied to emotion and circumstance.
For this reason, experiences can become misleading if we aren't careful.
His presence is not confined to a particular church building or service. It is not dependent on a certain worship song, sermon or prayer.
Biblically centered worship reminds us that his truth stands secure whether we feel it or not.
The truth and promises of his word are not dependent on our circumstance or location.
His truth remains long after feelings and emotions fade.
His presence is something to KNOW. (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 43:1-3; Matthew 28:20)
As a Christ follower, you can be assured of his presence because he lives within you.
He is always with us, so he is everywhere we are.
Knowing that can change everything!
At Five Oaks, our services are Biblically-centered. Each service is formed around specific movements that prepare our hearts to listen and respond to God’s word, so that we can live our lives on mission by bringing the story of God to life. These movements translate to our every day lives and equip us to find our place in God’s story as we seek to worship him with our whole lives by learning to be disciples who make disciples.
-Aimee Thornton
Worship Team