August 13, 2014
Dear Eastridge Family,
What is the first thing you do after waking up? Be honest.
I’ll admit that I reach for my smartphone—mostly because it’s my alarm
clock, but also to see if Vladimir Putin killed anyone overnight. (I like to
check the headlines.) It turns out I’m
not alone. 79% of us reach for our
phones within 15 minutes of waking, and 62% go for it immediately. Among 18-24 year olds the numbers are even
higher.
Occasionally I’ll wake to a
genuinely important headline or valuable email from a friend, but usually my phone
greets me with news stories or photos of my friends on Facebook that really are
not very important. For the most part
the kind of stuff I see and read first on my phone I can just as easily live
without.
As I start my normal day, I turn
off the alarm, check my email while getting some water boiling for a cup of hot
tea, and then when the tea is ready I make my way to “my chair” for a time of
prayer and reading the Bible. This is
how I plan to start each day but if I’m not careful my phone can get me sidetracked. I will read an email that I need to give an
immediate reply and if I’m not careful I will find myself wrapped up in the
busyness of starting the day without waiting to hear from God first.
Let me encourage you to make every
effort to start your day with God instead of your phone. It will take serious effort because the enemy
loves to see us sidetracked in other things.
This will not be easy but it will be well worth the effort!
I want to say, “Thanks” to those of
you who prayed for me this week as I officiated and preached my Uncle’s funeral
on Monday. My uncle Steve was not a
perfect Christian but he did raise three kids who all served God and are active
in their local churches. His oldest son
Steve Jr. died unexpectedly 8 years ago while working as an associate
pastor. His youngest son, my cousin Ryan,
is pastoring a church in Missouri. I
remember when our church was robbed a couple years ago and my uncle Steve sent
a check to help us replace the equipment that was stolen. That is the kind of generous heart he had for
God’s work.
·
Free Movie Night – God’s Not Dead
How far would you
go to defend your belief in God? Find out college student Josh Wheaton’s answer
to that question in God’s
Not Dead at
our free movie night this Sunday, August 17th, at 6:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. God’s Not Dead (rated PG) weaves together multiple
stories of faith, doubt and disbelief, culminating in a dramatic call to
action. The film will educate, entertain, and inspire moviegoers to explore
what they really believe about God, igniting important conversations and
life-changing decisions.
We will have a
time of fellowship with cookies in the Fellowship Hall following the
movie. If anyone would like to brings
some cookies to share that would be great.
Please let one of the Stewards know: Faith Shimko, Carmen Vargas or Lucy
Vargas.
·
James and Judy Boggs
Pastor James and Judy had a new grandbaby August
9th...a boy Ziggy Alexander Davies 8.5 lbs and 21 inches. Heather and baby are good. Congratulations Pastor Grandpa and Grandma
Boggs!
·
Church
Matching MNU Scholarship Offering
Anna, and Sarah will be going back to Olathe to attend our
regional school we support as a church, MidAmerica Nazarene University. Anna and Sarah plan to continue pursuing
their degree in nursing. We will miss
the twins and their work in children’s church and with the youth
department. We are always looking for
volunteers and maybe there is someone who may want to help fill their spots on
the schedule.
MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) offers a Church Matching Scholarship for
each student. For every dollar the local
church gives to that student (up to $500 each) the school will match and apply
towards their tuition. We will receive a
love offering on Sunday August 24th so if you would like to
contribute towards this in the next couple of week you can simply mark your
check or offering envelope “MNU or MNU matching.”
I look forward to seeing you in Worship this Sunday and don’t
forget the movie night and to bring a friend.
Pastor Andy
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