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In the Reach phase of the Abundant Life there are two perspectives.

There are those of you who may not realize that an Abundant Life is possible. You have been searching for answers in anything or anyone. You are reaching for a hope, a relationship, a thing, a person, a philosophy, a hook upon which to hang all of your thoughts, beliefs, values, and faith. However, you have found nothing within your reach. A void. An emptiness. You are reaching. You are in need of the Abundant Life.

There are others of you who have seen a need for the Abundant Life by knowing God and being connected with other believers. It is important for you to remember that you too were once looking for answers in anything or anyone. You know someone who is where you once were—not experiencing the Abundant Life. Reach to them in a way that will help them to see the Abundant Life in you. Reach and show them a hope, a relationship, a person—make an impact on their world. Reach and show them the Abundant Life in Jesus.

Northeast Christian Church provides opportunities for you to REACH others for the Abundant Life through activities, classes, events, seminars and/or sessions.

If you would like to learn more about REACH, contact Logan Murphy at 212-5244 or e-mail him at logan.murphy@necchurch.org.

THE RIGHT FLY

The water is cool and clear as it passes. The smooth sound of the river traveling over the rocks perfectly placed. The feeling of the current against the legs and gently pulling on the line with each cast keeps the focus on the task. The smell of the fresh air is more crisp with each inhale. The goal for the day is to patiently cast the right fly into the river in order to capture the most beautiful trout. The most difficult decision is choosing the right fly. Once the decision is made, there must now be complete trust in the decision. Trust that as the fly hits the water above the trout four or five times that it stirs enough interest for the trout to strike & be reeled in.

The details & art of fly-fishing could be examined to no end. However, there is something about it that raises a question – Why does the trout strike the fly?

If I have done my job correctly in casting the fly in the trout’s area, then it believes that the fly is actually something worth eating. I will have successfully caught a trout because I successfully imitated food.

We just finished a sermon series about fishin’ – fishin’ for people. A helpful reminder for me as I fish for people is what Paul shares in Ephesians. He says that we need to, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” In other words to successfully capture people for Christ, then we need to successfully imitate God. Trust God to use your life as ‘the right fly’ for those in your life for whom you are fishin’.



LIFE LESSONS FROM A FOUR YEAR OLD

The summer is full of fun and excitement and rarely a time for extensive learning and continued education. However, there are three lessons that I learned from time spent with my four-year-old daughter that you too may find beneficial.

Lesson #1 – Who Needs One Snake When Two Are Better? There was a hole in our yard that needed to be filled. As my fouryear- old daughter helped me gather fill dirt for the hole, she noticed that with each scoop of the shovel worms would squirm to find solace in the dirt. She quickly reached for a worm knowing that she must share the joy of finding what she thought was a snake with her mom. With great compassion she tore the worm in half so that mom was able to experience the joy of holding one of God’s creatures in her hands. The smile on their faces revealed the lesson that it is the experience of sharing that allows others to receive joy with us.

Lesson #2 – A Fish Eye Not Only Looks Slimy, It Is Slimy. We sat on the bank of the lake watching the bobber and slowly reeling in the line. After nearly twenty minutes about life’s toughest topics (fish, water, naps, trees, God, and snacks) the bobber disappeared. We jumped up with excitement and began to reel in the line. The three-foot long Barbie fishing pole began to reshape itself into the letter ‘U’. The fish put up a great fight, but my daughter’s determination, strength, and Barbie fishing pole were victorious. As we worked to remove a little girl asks me, “Can I poke it in the eye? It looks slimy!” Being aware of the possible disease and gruesomeness I reply, “Absolutely! Touch away!” The excitement of touching a fish eye revealed to her that it really is slimy. She thought the eye was slimy, but would never have known the experience had she not put her thoughts into action.

Lesson #3 – No Matter How High The Steps Are To The Slide, Gravity Always Pulls Us Down Full Of Excitement. The fearless fouryear- old realized that once she arrived at the pinnacle of the slide that her only option was going to be to travel down the slide. After minutes of coaching her and letting her know that it was safe, and I was not going to let anything happen to her, she let gravity do what it known for doing – pulled her down. As she stood on the ground at the bottom of the slide, she looked up at me with a big smile and said, “That was awesome!” For the next thirty minutes she made the trip up the ladder and down the slide with a spirit of pure excitement growing. Here is what we can learn from my four-year-old daughter. When we share the joy of Christ with others, they too will be filled with joy. We may think about sharing Christ with others, but need to know that it means nothing until we act upon those thoughts.

Finally, no matter how many steps it takes to share with someone about a relationship with Christ, there is excitement in Christ that keeps you going.

The first two followers of Jesus – Peter & Andrew – were fishermen. Jesus told them that if they would follow Him that He would teach them how to fish for people (Matt. 4:18-20). Jesus asks us to do the same. Out of obedience to Jesus we need to impact our world by reaching people for Christ – fish for people.

Don’t forget to invite your friends to Independence Celebration Saturday, June 30 . . . an easy way to share your excitement about Christ!

Restaurant Review = Evangelism

One of my favorite things to do is to go out to dinner with my wife. It is a rare occasion for just the two of us to enjoy a meal without our three-year-old daughter. Don’t get me wrong, we love the joy a chicken nugget brings along with the age-appropriate toy. However, there is something about taking the conversation beyond PBS programming, how to clean the melted crayon from the space heater, or the eternal implications on the theological impact of a snowman’s life when he melts.

It is just good to have someone else prepare and serve us our meal. The routine is the same at the restaurant as it is at home except our only responsibility is to pay for the service upon completion of the meal.

Upon completion of the meal there is a tendency to provide a commentary about the service, the timing, the ambiance, the price, and the flavor. It is with great joy that I share with anyone, and possibly everyone, the delight or disgust of the meal. No matter what our experience was, we tend to share it with others.

The more time we spend with Jesus – reading the Bible, praying, serving others, and being in community with other believers – the more we are going to experience God’s abundant love, joy, and eternal fullness. The challenge for each of us is to recognize that our lives are the greatest evangelism tool available.

I want people to know the peace that comes from meeting with a small group of guys each week that hold me accountable. I want people to know the joy that comes from studying the Bible and applying it to my daily life. I want people to know the love that abounds when I give my resources – fiscal and physical – to others. Jesus tells us that we need to be examples for others to see so that they may worship God (Matthew 5:16 paraphrase).

Your next restaurant review could also be the tool by which God allows you the opportunity to share Abundant Life found in Jesus. If you would like to learn more on lifestyle evangelism, then be sure to attend the four-week session of Just Walk Across the Room beginning April 22!

Resolutions for Eternity

It is that time of year again. Time to begin thinking about your resolutions that you want to make for the upcoming year. Will it be to lose weight? To work out three times a week? To attend church all year? To be a better person to the family? To smile everyday? To share and give to others? To quit a habit? To seek reconciliation on a broken relationship? To read the Bible? To read a novel?

Whatever the resolution, we hope that you are able to achieve it. We would like to encourage you to take part in a resolution that has influential impact beyond yourself. Are you ready for it? Here you go – Love God & Love Others. If we all resolve to do those two things this next year, then our lives will be changed. Lives of family and friends will be changed. The world will be changed.

Be sure to invite your unchurched friends or family to our series which begins in January entitled “I Resolve!”