Pastor Paul's Paragraphs

      Wow! Will someone please tell me what day it is? What month is it? I think I know the year. Was it Pastor Ben who wrote last month concerning the feeling of being "totally drained"? Things have been a little crazy around here lately. There have been normal church and school activities, weddings, family schedules, trips, unexpected events, illnesses, and the list goes on and on. One more, don't forget we just finished Vacation Bible School. And now it is July-the middle of the summer. Our recent staff meeting included discussions concerning summer camp and getting facilities ready for the new school year. I spoke with a mother today concerning her fast-growing first grader. Our daughter, Jill, was in the first grade and Kristi was in the beginning of Junior High when we moved to Yuba City-just a short time ago. Wow, how time can fly by in the midst of our fast-paced lifestyle!

      In the midst of the busyness of life, I have determined to stop......and spend time with the Lord on a daily basis. The old hymn goes like this;

     The Psalm writer said it this way;

     Psalm 42:1: "To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.

     As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.'"

     Psalm 63:1: (A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah) "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is." Psalm 84:2: "My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."

      As you contemplate your busy schedule, why not determine to make time with the Lord on a daily basis a real priority in your life? In the midst of our busyness and warm summer days, may we be reminded of this simple principle... "Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord." Colossians 3:15-16

      Pastor Paul

Kids Korner - Pastor Greg

      It's hard to put into words the appreciation I have for all the people who took part in our Vacation Bible School program last month. When we first started putting the pieces together in January, it was hard to imagine the amount of momentum and excitement we would see generated. Over 100 people from our ministry partnered together to make this summer's VBS a great success. I am humbled by your generous support.

      We ministered to over 300 children in this year's VBS and had over 70 daily workers. That's incredible! Just stop and think about the impact that will have in our church and in our community for years to come!

      To those who prayed, brought chips (bags and bags of chips!), contact paper, candy, tissue paper, lemonade, and more (the list seems endless!) - thank you. To those who were able to be here through the week, serving as crew leaders, leading games, doing crafts, teaching Bible stories, and much, much more - I can only hope that you were as impacted as I was as we touched the lives of children and families with the message of God's love. VIVA!

      With the week of VBS behind us, we now look ahead to our time at Word of Life's West Coast Camp! We will have several children and adults from our church attending at Lassen Pines Christian Campground July 17-22 (I'm still working on the numbers). The theme this year is "Such a One as This," looking at the life of Joseph. What an example to learn from that week! This is always an extraordinary time to "get away" from the distraction around us and focus

     on God and His Word (with water slides, paintball, archery, crafts, go-carts, beach volleyball, and more - it's pretty fun too!) Please be in prayer as we get ready to make the trip and that life-impacting decisions would be made for Christ. It is an awesome opportunity we don't want to miss! We are also still in need of scholarships for those with financial needs.

      "What will be available to the kids this summer?" This is a question I'm frequently asked as we draw nearer to the summer months. While the primary focus in the month of June was to prepare for VBS, we are now looking forward to a great time on Wednesday nights for the kids in Pre-School through 6th Grade. Summer J.A.M. (Jesus and Me) will begin on July 5th and run through the rest of the summer. This will be a great time of praising, praying and playing!

     We will be building upon the foundation laid during our VBS for a summer-long season of impact! It will be wonderful to revisit the themes, Bible points, verses, and music from FIESTA (we may even get a visit or two from Chadder the Chipmunk)!

     Be in prayer that a number of the children who attended our VBS will also be a part of this summer ministry. Summer J.A.M. will meet at 7:00 PM every Wednesday night.

      What a thrill it is to serve here at Grace. As our family enters our fourth year of ministry here, we are mindful of the Lord's promise to us. "I will never leave you nor forsake you." It is His hand of guidance, love, care and protection that gives us strength day by day. And, so often, it is through your kindness and generous support that we see His hand in our lives. Thank you so much, may He bless you all richly!

      Pastor Greg

The Month in Focus with Pastor Ben

      The Western culture is very selfish by nature. At its very core, it has caused us to look inward, seeking to fulfill whatever desires our heart may have. It's even written in our Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator by certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." I am sure that God never gave us the right to mortal life, liberty to do as we please, or the right to find happiness however we may. God did give us the gift of eternal life and with that we have some Christian liberties. Romans 14 says we will find joy when we are obedient in serving our Creator but there is no promise of constant happiness. I call this mentality selfish because what makes me happy will not make you happy. What I do to preserve my life may in fact destroy someone else's. Liberties that I take may infringe upon someone else and their liberties. The whole concept is about "Me". God calls us to a higher standard than that. (Philippians 2:3-4)

      I bring up this mentality of selfishness because I see it all around. It's not the overt "me first" that you see in some two and three year olds: it's much more of an engrained way of life. In the past, some have called it a compartmentalized life where we have our "church" life, "school

     life, "work" life, "vacation" life, etc. You cannot separate these. When we try to separate them, two things become very clear: first of all it's selfish to think you can keep some parts of your life to yourself and, secondly, the first thing that will fall off the list when the compartments get full is church. This is the last thing God wants. In 1 Corinthians 6:20 it tells us that we were bought at a price, we are not our own but we are God's. We ought to be doing things that please Him first and foremost.

      Often the idea of "Well, I don't NEED to go to church", comes out. On the contrary, we do NEED to go to church. If we didn't, God would not have inspired Hebrews 10:23-25 which basically tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. I think that because of our American "rights", we end up taking church and it's ministries for granted. We get overly focused on all of the other activities that can make us "happy" or give us a "better life". We neglect the institution set up by the very One that gives us life. That is selfish. Although I'm here at least 3 times a week for services, I'll be the first to say that I'm guilty of this. If not physically, at times spiritually and mentally I'm guilty of not valuing our mandate of serving and worshipping together. In times past when I was not "required" to be at church, I was definitely guilty of physically neglecting the body. But I am changing. I am growing and trying to be holy as God has called us to be. Walk with me, grow with me, have fun with me. Selfishness is dumb. Just don't do it.

      Pastor Ben

Church Work Day

Saturday, July 29.

A work list will be posted on the
bulletin board by July 15.
We need volunteers.

Please consider lending your support to help with the maintenance of the church.

Baptism

Sunday - July 9th

If you are interested in being baptized, please see one of our pastors.

August Events

Youth Group Announcements

SUMMER CAMP UPDATE!

Just a reminder that registration for summer camp is due by Sunday, July 9. Cost for camp is $185.00. If you are interested in attending camp at Pilot Lake but need some financial assistance, speak to Pastor Ben regarding our Scholarship Fund.

JULY 4TH UPDATE!

All teens are welcome to meet at the church from 1 to 5 PM for our "AQUA EXTRAVAGANZA". Snacks provided. Bring your towels and appropriate attire (no white t-shirts allowed!) No evening class.

Rick & Mick Ministries

Sunday, July 16, 2006
10:30 AM

Twice The Laughs...
Twice The Attitude!

"If we can get a student to laugh, we can get them to listen"

For more information visit www.rickandmick.com

Grace In Action

Who: Grace In Action
What: Hawaiian Luau
Where: Seibel Home
3148 La Mantia Drive, YC
When: July 29, 2006 - 6:30 PM

More information to come!

1. Wonderful Fellowship!
2. Live Entertainment!
3. Great Food & Atmosphere!

All adults 50 years of age and over are welcome.

Calendar of Events

Click on the highlighted dates - the events are shown on the right.