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Happy Wednesday, FCC! It’s almost Sunday, and I can’t wait to see you and worship God together! Until then, here’s the UpDate!
Last fall I was able to take our oldest son, Levi, to Lambeau to watch the Packers take on the 49ers on Monday night. This opportunity was delightful for several reasons. One is that this was an answer to a simple prayer request I had. Levi has always wanted to go to a pro game, and it just so happened that the last fall before he heads off to college, we were gifted tickets to go.
The other is that the game was spectacular. It was a crisp Wisconsin night. The Packers came back to win in the final moments of the game, and the brats were especially delicious. But even more than all of this, I was given fresh insight into a biblical command.
You see, because the Packers won--and I was cheering for the Pack!--I left that game feeling victorious. My heart experienced joy, and because of that win, I felt like everything was right with the world. In that moment, I was experiencing in a small scale what our hearts are made to experience when we boast in the Lord.
Our hearts are made to boast, but so easily our hearts turn to boast in ourselves, in our achievements and victories. Boasting in our own victories and accomplishments shapes our identities, as we build our sense of self and worth on our accomplishments. But we are not made to build our identities on our own accomplishments. We are made to build our identities on Jesus and his accomplishments.
This is where we replace boasting in ourselves with boasting in the Lord. To boast in the Lord is to trust him. It’s to build our lives on Jesus and his victory. It’s to celebrate him and his accomplishments. This is one of the reasons we sing worship songs as we gather together on Sunday morning. A worship song is a boast in Jesus. He is king, he is victorious, he is great! He has won!
Are you building your identity on your achievements? Are you telling yourself that you have worth and you have what it takes because of what you have accomplished in life? That’s boasting in yourself.
Today, turn your heart to boast in Jesus. Turn your heart to build your identity on Jesus and his victory. Let your heart cheer for the Lord, who has already overcome.
To know more about boasting, why it’s essential and how to move from boasting in yourself to boasting in Jesus, check out this sermon.
We’re in a series right now called “Every Human Heart.” Because we are made in the image of God, every human heart has desires. These desires drive us. They are always active, and all ofour decisions are tied to trying to satisfy these desires. We desire purpose, victory, love, belonging, approval and many more. This Sunday, we will be investigating our heart desire for justice.
This Sunday, we will also have the great opportunity of participating in child dedication together. FCC, thank you for seeking to notice, welcome and care for others on Sunday morning, because every Sunday we have guests with us. Your hospitality is massively significant to guests experiencing belonging on Sunday morning. With child dedication Sundays, we usually have even more visitors, so please be extra special welcoming on Sunday morning! One kind word can change the trajectory of one person’s life.
Practicing Spiritual Conversations | Sunday, Jan. 20
Facilitated by Glenn Herschberger, Converge Great Lakes Executive Director of Church Planting
Workshops take place after both services in the Refuge Room. Find more info at fcchudson.com or at Events/Registrations on the FCC app.
Ephesians 4:31-32 (Forgiveness)
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Go to the App Store or Google Play, then search for the “Faith Community Church Hudson” app and download it to your device. You’ll find quick links to discipleship resources, plus FCC news and event information.
With the new FCC app, we now have new ways to share prayer requests and care needs.
We are excited to announce that in 2019, we will have some new courses offered on Thursday nights at Faith Community Church, including a course about life’s most important questions, called “Christianity Explored.” It is a seven-week class designed to create space for us to think through our biggest questions about Life, Meaning, Faith and Jesus. We will also be offering a new marriage class, called “Marriage on the Rock.” The “What Did you Expect” course by Paul Tripp is a prerequisite for “Marriage on the Rock.”
For many years, Thursday evenings have been called “ALPHA Community Night” because ALPHA was the first class offered. Since Christianity Explored will be replacing ALPHA we thought this would be a good opportunity to update the name to “FCC Community Night.”
After 18 years as the ALPHA Community Night team leader, Gary Nourse will be stepping down from that role in the fall of 2019. To prepare for the transition, Rick Gimpel was invited to serve under Gary’s leadership last year. Rick will be teaching Christianity Explored this winter and then transitioning into Gary’s role this fall. (Read more about Rick and FCC Community Night in the latest FCC blog post.)
