TVCC Students,
Last night was our last night before Sonny and I take our Sabbatical for October. Please be praying for us that the Lord will use this time to refresh us in Him. Our hope for this time basically has 3 parts that we would love for you to be praying over when we are gone...
1. We hope to be able to gain a lot of encouragement from our meetings with other ministry leaders from around south Texas (and even some in California). We will be visiting other churches in Austin, College Station, Katy and Tomball (and one in California =)) to see different methods of ministry and pray about any ideas that we feel might be useful in ministering more efficiently to the TVCC students.
2. We hope to be able to spend a lot of time as a family strengthening our family. Working in full time ministry is an absolutely incredible gift that we cherish and for which we prayed but at times it can be hard to be "off." It is good for us to take a step back during the Sabbatical to make sure that our little ones are getting ministered to and loved on, We also hope that this Sabbatical will be a refreshing time for our marriage as we spend time together in His Word and in prayer for our church and family.
3. Lastly (and most importantly) we hope to be able to rest in the Lord and meditate on His Word a lot. Believe it or not, it is sometimes easy for those in full time ministry lose sight of their first love, Jesus. We both have a reading list of encouraging books that we hope to read along with our time in the Word. We hope to really spend time diving into His Word and letting His Spirit draw us closer to Him.
We cannot thank you all enough for supporting us during this time. Please know that if we are unable to answer facebook messages or texts during this time, we are still praying for you all and are excited to start November fully refreshed. Please pray for us! If you have any encouragement from the Lord that you would like to share with us for our Sabbatical, we would love to hear from you (facebook is great and we also LOVE getting letters in the mail from you all).
With all of that said, we WILL be having our regular worship service every Wednesday led by Shane Mylius, Brian Smelek, and Nathan Ramirez. We will also be having our regular small groups every Sunday nights at the home of Jackie and Kevin Castrow. Here are some contact numbers for while we are away:
Brian Smelek (for questions regarding Wednesday worship service): 281-733-9362
Jackie Castrow (for questions regarding Sunday small groups): 281-507-5901
Kevin Castrow (for questions regarding small groups): 713-882-2088
Janet Fosdick (for questions regarding the youth fellowship event on Oct 12): 713-907-3740
Okay, sorry that that was so long. Last night we spent some time diving into Philippians 3. It was wonderful to be reminded of who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and what we have in store for us after death. Here is a recap...
Philippians 3:17-21
~3:17: Paul calls them brethren. Even though dealing with the body of Christ can be messy at times, we are still a family and are called to love and endure with one another. Paul understood that and loved the body with the steadfast love that he knew Christ loved him with.
Q: Are you someone who loves the body of Christ with a steadfast love or is your love for the body conditional? Are you able to love and forgive when you have been wronged? What encourages you to have a steadfast love for the body?
~3:17: Paul encourages them to join him in making much of Jesus. He encourages them to observe the character of other believers and follow that. Just as we have role models in the world that we like to model our talents after (like a great football player or even a businessperson we look up to) so also should we be looking for examples in the faith that we would like to imitate as they imitate Christ.
Q: Do you have people in the body of Christ that you are observing that you might gain wisdom from in hopes of following their example as they seek to follow Christ?
~3:18: Some that were once with Paul had fallen away and were now considered enemies of the Cross. Here are the 2 ways that Paul said made one an enemy of the Cross...
1). Thinking that the work of Christ isn't enough to justify someone before God makes one an enemy of the Cross. Jesus plus anything else is WRONG. We cannot add anything to the work of Christ on the Cross. He alone makes us blameless and acceptable to the Father.
2). Saying that Jesus' work on the Cross doesn't have enough power to transform lives makes one an enemy of the Cross. Jesus came so that we would have new life and be brought back to our perfect state before the fall. Though we will never be without sin in this life, Jesus came that we would continually be transformed by His Spirit into His image. To "accept" Jesus and then continue living without any changes from the Holy Spirit is not what Jesus wants for us.
Q: Have you been guilty of either of the above mindsets regarding the work of Christ on the Cross? If so, we encourage you to confess this false belief and return to the full hope that is offered in the death of Christ on your behalf.
~3:19: Those whose hope is not in Jesus have only eternal destruction in their future after this life. The hope of the believer can be seen in John 16:33. Jesus has overcome this world! Though we will have trouble here- Jesus has overcome for us and we are co-heirs in His victory! Praise God for this.
Q: Do you realize that this world really does offer tribulation and that the hope of the believer is not here? What encourages you to cling to this truth?
~3:20: We are waiting for the return of Jesus when He will take us to our new, eternal home free of all death, sin, and darkness! We can find much encouragement from Revelation 21 as we see the future that awaits those whose hope is fully in Christ. How amazing to be united with Him forever in a place not stained with sin and darkness!
Q: How often are you meditating on the hope that is yours in Christ? What does it look like for you to live believing that Jesus is coming back to take His children with him to their forever home?
~3:21: Only Jesus has the power to transform both in this life and once this life is over. He is transforming His children continually as they pursue Him here and He will also transform us for eternity when He returns for us. What a great hope we have in Him!! Thank you Jesus!
Q: Are you letting Jesus transform you on a continual basis through His word and Spirit? What does it look like for you to continually be changed by Him?
Dear Students,
We are always so encouraged to see you all pursuing the Lord and loving one another. We pray that this week you will be able to slow down and really let His word transform you as you meditate on it. We love you and are praying for you!
With hope,
~Sonny and Casi
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