Moving Up (May 31, 2012)
It is a season of change in RevKids, as the beginning of summer always indicates our big “move up day”. This change sparks a number of emotions in kids, parents, and teachers. In the past, I found it funny how it affects the parents of 5th graders going into 6th grade just as much, if not more, than the Pre K parents whose children are moving into elementary. This year, not so funny as my sweet “little” girl makes this step into an adult world of “big church” and serving. She can’t be this old, she was just 4 yesterday! And this is why we, as parents are so deeply affected by move up day. It isn’t the new environments, it isn’t the new roles, it is the signal of time passing. And passing too fast, at that. But for the kids, it is much bigger.
They spend so much time working their way up to the top, yet they can’t wait to take that next big step that puts them at the bottom of the chain. The kids leaving RevKids elementary are the 5th graders, the top dogs, the “big kids” in the class. But they can’t wait to move to middle school, where they will be the smallest again. If only we as adults could be so anxious to take a leap of faith that God calls us to, even if it means being at the bottom again for a while.
I think these kids see the pipeline that Pastor Jason spoke about, they don’t know what to call it, and they don’t even know why they are excited to “move up”. I know though, they are excited to GROW. We as adults should catch a little of that excitement. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus says “Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. The kingdom of Heaven belongs to people like them.” When I think of the kids, I see a desire to learn and grow. To be people like them, we need to find that same desire. When we desire to grow closer to God, sometimes it means stepping out of our comfort zone, into a new place that we may have a hard time seeing ourselves in. But that new place offers us growth and a chance to learn that we cannot get if we stay comfortable.
Kids are excited to grow up, they see the freedom and responsibility and they want it. But as adults, we sometimes assume we are already there. I assure you, growing up is never a finished product. There is always room for improvement and somewhere to grow, for each and every one of us. So, as our kids move up, I hope we can each ask God where He wants us to move up to also. Congratulations to all the families celebrating a Pre K or 5th grader moving up to the next level!
Contributor | Jennifer Vaughn (Pre K Director)
Getting baptized? (May 22, 2012)
Hi everyone!!
Sunday is almost here and I can’t tell you how excited I am for our current baptizees (people who are signed up to be baptized)!! Sitting here, praying over the names, I am getting all choked up at the enormous step they are about to take in their walk with Christ! As I was reading my Bible last night, the title of Romans 6 jumped out at me….”Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ.” Paul tells us that we are “buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” A new life!!!! For me, one of the most amazing feelings I’ve ever had was sitting up out of that water knowing that I had been given a new life!
We can’t wait to celebrate Sunday with you. Baptism is the first step in your obedience to The Word of God and as a church we are here to walk with you as you grow in your relationship with Christ. So please don’t hesitate to contact me or anyone else on the Grow Team with any questions you may have going forward. As always, if you or someone else you know has decided to follow Christ, then we would love for them to sign up to get baptized too.
Here are some logistics for Sunday:
~Please arrive by 9:30AM and look for me or one of the other Grow Team members (in grey t-shirts and in front of the stage or near the RV) and check in so that we know you have arrived and can give you a run-down of the service. It would be helpful if you wear the clothes you will be baptized in and then bring a change of clothes for after.
~Don’t forget the service is at 10AM at our new building which is still under construction. You may want to bring flip-flops or sandals for the baptism part, but also an additional pair of shoes to wear for the cook-out.
~We do have clothes and towels available or you can bring your own. We will keep everything up front near the RV so it is ready for you.
Know that we are praying for you and are very excited to celebrate Sunday with you!
See you Sunday!!
Contributor | Natalie Deviez (Grow Team)
natalie@therevolution.tv
Vision Sunday (May 19, 2012)
I am excited about this coming up Sunday (Vision Sunday) and what Jason is going to share with our church! As we prepared for this Sunday, I came to the realization that Vision does not come without preparation and examination. Here are a few thoughts I had:
1. If we don’t examine where we have been, we will never know what needs to change:
Over the last month we have been compiling all the data from 2011 for our annual report that will come out this Sunday. It is interesting to look at hard numbers and celebrate all that God has done at our church in the past year. It blows me away how people have given and how people have sacrificed to see God’s kingdom grow in our community. However, as we looked at the numbers from last year. it also allowed us to set goals that will help to fulfill the vision God has given us.
2. Vision is worth fighting for:
I love our Vision at Revolution. It is “Love Jesus GROW People.” The word “GROW” expands to the following process. At Revolution we focus on preaching the Gospel through our Sunday morning services, get people connected in Relationships through our groups, lead people into Obedience through Bible study and resources, and Work to serve our church through our serving teams and mission partners. Anything outside of our vision is not what God has called us to. We want to fulfill His calling to us and not get distracted by every “good” thing that comes along.
3. It has to be bigger than you:
God’s vision is always going to be bigger than what you can do alone. If it’s not, then it’s probably not from God.
See ya Sunday as Jason shares where God is leading us!
Contributor | Chad Elliott (Executive Pastor)