Commercials are the Best Part!!

So this past Sunday, for those of you living under a rock, was Superbowl Sunday. The day that normal people paint their faces, spend $100 on a jersey of their favorite team, invite all their friends over and eat 10 pounds of buffalo wings. It is the event that everyone watches, even people that don't know the difference between a fumble and a field goal. Because of the amount of viewers many companies spend millions of dollars writing, casting, directing, and shooting commercials to be aired during the game. This year the cost of a 30 second commercial was $3,000,000.00. That is $100,000.00 per second. But these companies know that their efforts will pay off. Why? Because the population of the United States of America are consumers. We consume 1.5 billion pounds of hot dogs, 7,358,400,00 barrels of oil (42 gallon), and 3,153,6000,000 reams of paper each year. The culture is pushing us to buy the lastest car, clothes, and cell phone and we are responding by putting ourselves in debt to make sure that we are keeping up with the Jones'. (Sorry Bob and Carolyn) The really scary part is that we no longer have any idea who the Jones' are. We live closer together than any other generation in history and we would rather text, or email our neighbor than walk next door and ask them about their day. I say "enough". It is time for us to stop only caring for ourselves and how we can make our life "easier" and start asking what can I give to this world not just take. The American Church has become a place where people look to come and take what "works" for them and they miss the fact that the joy of Christ is serving others. We are called to do Good Works in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." We are called to be more than just the people that fill the seats, we are called to give up everything and follow Jesus. We do not teach or believe that works "earn" you a place in heaven, but instead we believe what James says in chapter 2 that faith is made complete by our actions. We want you to know that serving others is a command of following Jesus. That includes serving the people that are around us as well as those inside our church family.

The opportunities to serve at our church are abundant and growing everyday. John and Lynn and I are not tired of serving, we are just trying to allow all Followers of Christ to join the service of their Lord.

My prayer for you is that you will allow yourself the be used by God and find a place to use the abilities He has given you.