We’re having a Visioning meeting at Point Hope UMC Saturday from 9 am – noon. God led me to call it that based on the Acts 2:17 verse that’s echoing the Joel 2:28 verse.
“‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.”
It’s not supposed to be intimidating at all. I hope it will be fun. I, in fact, promise it will be fun! You can come dressed however you want. There will be snacks and other goodies. It may not even take the full time. We’ll see how the Spirit leads. This is meant to start a conversation that will be ongoing as our broader story is still unfolding. In terms of story, we have to know where we have come from in order to fully know where we are and where we’re going. So one of the things we will do as a church at this Visioning meeting is create a timeline that will tell our story and we will leave it up so that people who can’t be there on Saturday, can also add to it. All are invited. I don’t want it to be an exclusive thing at all. If you’re excited about the possibilities, you’re invited. If you want to dream God-sized dreams, you’re invited. If you want to bring the love of Christ to the world outside of the church walls, you’re invited. If you want to foster a deeper sense of community right here at Point Hope, you’re invited. It doesn’t matter if you have crazy outreach ideas, or if you’re a numbers and bottom line person, or if you’re a pragmatic realist, you’re invited.
Any time we come together as the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit is there in our midst inspiring creativity, collaboration, and collective action inspired by the Word made flesh. As Rich Mullins says, “A faith that moves mountains is a faith that expands horizons, it does not bring us into a smaller world full of easy answers, but into a larger one where there is room for wonder.” Let’s wonder together. Let’s dream dreams together. Again, don’t worry if you can’t be there on Saturday, there will be places for you to give your feedback as well! If you can make it, I promise, you will not regret it.
I am praying for our whole big “c” Church to have a Great Awakening. We, now more than ever, need to seek God in prayer, knowing and trusting that God will answer. We all need to be like the father in Mark 9, “3 Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out,“I believe; help my unbelief!” We need to believe in God, all things are possible. God is going to be faithful and true and if we believe who knows how God will work through us. Let these words from Ephesians be an encouragement to you as you face challenges near and far, journey through mountaintops and valleys.
Ephesians 3:14-20, “14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.“
Blessings on the Journey 