Outreach Training this week!

This week at Freedom Valley, there are many opportunities to stretch your faith! This being the Year of Aggressive Faith, we have created an event just for you--to help you understand how to create faith conversations with your friends!

Our Outreach Training kicks off tonight! Don't miss it!  Click here for all the event details!

Thoughts on playing catch-up...

Anybody out there struggling a little to keep up with our 40 Day Bible reading plan? Don't give up! I hope you'll be encouraged by the fact that you're surely not alone.

I've done a one year Bible plan for the past few years. This year I decided to do something a little different...unfortunately I never solidified a plan for myself and didn't do well keeping up with my vague idea of what I wanted to read. So I was out of the habit of following a plan when we started this challenge as a church.

Needless to say, getting back into the habit is taking a little time. Here are a few ways I keep myself from getting discouraged and giving up.

~If I'm REALLY behind, I don't put pressure on myself to catch up all in one day. Instead I'll do two days, or one and a half if I don't have time to do two.

~I'll “schedule” some time in for extra Bible reading. Usually on my day off, I'll designate the morning or afternoon my reading time....put on some worship music, and just read for a few hours. Instead of being stressful or just an obligation, it's a wonderful time in God's presence!

~I remember the reason I'm doing the plan in the first place. It's not homework, and it's not something I'm doing so God won't be angry with me. I'm disciplining myself to read the Bible because I want a greater love for God's Word. I want my thoughts to become more like His thoughts, and my ways to be more like His ways.

What about you? Do you have any tips for pushing through discouragement?

Week 5 Prayer and Fasting Focus

Prayer for this week of Prayer and Fasting

2 Corinthians1:3-4: "What a wonderful God we have-He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does He do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us."

Let us be motivated to pray this week from a heart of compassion for those who have suffered loss or are walking through trials at this season of their life.  Pray for those families who have lost children and loved ones to feel God’s comfort and strength. Pray specifically for the children and young adults in Adams County to come to know Jesus Christ personally and have a living relationship with him. May God give every one of us opportunity to invite someone to the upcoming services with Johannes so they would have the chance to hear the Gospel personally.  Pray for divine appointments to invite others and for boldness to fill us to ask those who need Jesus.

Week 4 Prayer Focus

Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. For everything, there is a season...

As we enter this week of prayer and fasting let’s focus on seasons of life and ask God what season he would have us in and what He would have us learn from it. Remember that God is present in every season of our life – birth and death, planting and harvesting, weeping and laughter, war and peace – and gives us the power and grace to deal with each one.

God, as we prepare for Johannes to come this month, we pray that we would prepare for a season of harvesting souls by sowing time and love into the lives of those we have contact with. In Jesus name.

Week 3 Prayer and Fasting Focus

2 Corinthians 2: 1-5

"And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power."

Lord, we pray for those who will come to hear Johannes preach that they would encounter the living God in a dynamic, fresh and real manner. That the new visitors would walk out of our church not caring about our Church's name, but would know the name of Jesus and His power. We pray for the Word of God to be proclaimed in power and with signs following. We ask that those present would know that they had an encounter with God this weekend.

Week 2 Prayer and Fasting Focus

2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent."

Lord, give us the strength and determination to believe for extended periods for those in our lives who are slow about repenting. Help us to see your plan for them and not too quickly write them off as lost or not winnable. As the time for Johannes approaches, we pray and cry out for those friends, family members, and co-workers who are lost and trapped in sin. May their heart soften, may their heart long for peace, purity and forgiveness;and  may they be willing to admit they are lost and in need of a Savior. Give us opportunities this week to be in contact with them and may we have compassion, love and kindness for them when this time comes.

Fasting, week one.

How is your fast going?

Don't forget to encourage yourself by staying in the Word and prayer! Today, try reading Hebrews 4:1-12.

From Candace:
I will share with you a little about my own journey through this fast...and maybe it will encourage some of you!


I have been studying about the Word of God....And interestingly enough, this new devotional that I got from Kenneth Copeland's ministry was labeled "Addicted to the Word" for yesterday. I feel like God is leading me through a season of deep love and respect for the Word of God.  I LOVE it! I am getting so much out of it these days...to the point where, I can't live without it....which is exactly what this day was about.

1 Corinthians 16:15, "Ye know the house of Stephanas...and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints."

So many things I love about that verse...

• first of all, the house of Stephanas was known for being Godly people.  They had a REPUTATION for being Godly, and that is something that is built by consistent actions!  I want to be known that way!  
• 2nd, they have addicted THEMSELVES. Addictions are a powerful thing.  And it usually takes some decision-making toward the addiction.  There is a knowledge beforehand that I could get addicted to this...but we do it anyway.  Kenneth wrote, "All you have to do is make a decision to give yourself to it. To focus your time and attention on it. The more you give yourself to it, the more your desire for it will grow. Eventually, it will consume your thinking."  I want to be a person addicted to the Word and ministry!  God, help me become that way.

Weekly Prayer and Fasting Focus

40 Days of Fasting and Prayer Focus for this week -


New Living Translation, 2 Cor 4:4:
"Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God."

Lord, we pray that the minds of those held captive would see the Glorious Gospel of Christ. That they would be open to your Holy Spirit's prompting, that they would not turn away from loving out reached arms, but that they would respond to our and the Holy's Spirit's invitation to come to the meetings with Johannes. We pray that those blinded would desire Good News and that our outreach would be received as a fresh opportunity to connect with God. Now in Jesus name, we bind the Satanic influences that have held (enter name) in captivity, and we declare their minds free to receive the Light of God's Good News.

83 Fast-ers and Pray-ers!

Hello!
This past weekend Pastor Gerry challenged all of us to fast and pray together for 40 days! Johannes Amritzer will be with us in that time, and we will be praying together that we can bring people to hear him speak and give their lives to Jesus!  Thank you for signing up to join with us!  We had people sign up to fast one meal a day, refined sugar, coffee (God bless them!), facebook, bread, you name it!  SO many of you--83 to be exact!

We're going to be sending out occasional verses of encouragement between now and then, and if you'd like to be part of that you can do so in one of a few ways:

• Send me an e-mail (pringle.candace@gmail.com) with your mobile number and provider.  We'll send out texts having to do with our Year of Aggressive Faith!
• Send me an e-mail and request to be put on the Year of Aggressive Faith e-mail list!
• Go to freedomvalley2012.blogspot.com to follow our posts and catch up on previous posts.
• "Like" Freedom Valley Church on Facebook! 

Thank you for partnering together to believe God and have Aggressive Faith together!

Faith Stories: A Post from Charity

A post from Charity, our Worship Pastor at Freedom Valley:

Stories are powerful. God chose to reveal Himself in the Bible mostly through story.

One of the best tools we have in sharing our faith with the people around us, is our story. You can argue topics like creation vs evolution, pro-life vs pro-choice, and absolute truth vs relativism until you're blue in the face. But arguments don't change people. I used to argue a lot when I was in high school. I remember one argument I had with a friend online. We went back and forth about whatever we were discussing for hours. I had compelling facts and statistics, and my logic thoroughly defeated his. But it didn't end quite like I had hoped.

Friend: "Yeah, ok...I guess you're right."

Me: "So you agree with me?"

Friend: "No, not really."

He couldn't beat my argument, but that didn't change his mind.

Arguments don't change us, but stories do. Revelation 12 describes in vivid imagery the war between good and evil. Verse 11 gives us a powerful truth: "They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony" (NLT). Not only can nobody argue with your story....your story, along with the blood of Jesus, has the power to defeat evil! 

Stories motivate us, give us hope, and inspire us to action. Sharing with a friend who has no interest in God the healing you received, the change you've seen in your teenager's life, or the way your church family was there for you when you needed them most, does far more to persuade them than any argument ever could.

Sharing your story with the believers around you who are fearful or discouraged is such a powerful way to breathe new life into them!

We need your stories! If you have a great Aggressive Faith story, will you share it with us? Maybe you stepped out in a new way that you never thought was possible. Maybe a teaching series totally changed your life or brought restoration to your relationships.

Everyone has a story to share, and we would love to hear yours! Here are a few ways to get your story to us:

~Email Charity at cjlandis09@gmail.com.

~Write/type it out and put it in my mailbox at the church.

~Send me a message on facebook!

*Please note: if you'd like to remain anonymous or don't want us to use certain names, be sure to include that in whatever you send us.

Let's encourage each other in our Aggressive Faith journeys!

Vaughn Crago sent me an article this week, which led me to an awesome website about Personal Evangelism! The Year of Aggressive Faith is ALL about personal evangelism!  Check it out here: www.evangelismcoach.org!


If you have any success stories from YOUR Year of Aggressive Faith, let us know by posting on the Facebook!



I can tell you my own personal success story!  I have been praying for a friend to come to FV for a few years now.  I invite her, usually, by inviting her two little girls to our Kids Ministry events...which she always expressed interest in, and then didn't show up.  This year, however, that changed! I ran into her at Harley Davidson's Egg Hunt (to which we took our Kiddie Pillar inflatable) and invited her out again! She came Easter Sunday and has been back every Sunday since!  Makes me hungry to invite more people to church and see them give their lives to Jesus!


UPDATE: Today my friend posted this on her Facebook wall: "I just recently started going to and taking the girls to chuch, (embarrassing but true) and I have to say that it really got a hold on me.. I'm excited to go tomorrow morning bc today has been such a miserable, idk, I just feel like it will be a better day in God's house.. or something like that, not getting the right words out but i know what i mean :) Good night fb :)" 

Want to reach out to your neighborhood, but you're unsure where to start?

Here are a few ideas for Mother's Day coming up!

• Reach out to your community the Saturday before Mother’s Day by visiting the local Laundromats. Cover their washer and dryer fees, take snacks and water for the kids and present the Mom’s with a special Mother’s Day giftbag, with an invitation to church!
• Host a Mother-Daughter Tea at your house for a few of your neighbors. Have everyone bring a teacup and do a teacup exchange (have a few extras for those who forget). Take pictures and print them on a photo printer and hand them out. Then invite them to church for Mother's Day!

Anyone else have ideas for outreach around Mother's Day? Post them in the comments below or on the Facebook Page!

If someone they knew asked...

"41% of the formerly churched said that they would return to the local church if a friend or acquaintance invited them. Younger adults are even more influenced by the power of the invitation. Approximately 60% of those 18-35 would consider returning to church if someone they knew asked them to come back."

If we're serious about inviting people to church this year -- The Year of Aggressive Faith -- let's get serious about knowing why they aren't coming in the first place!

Read this article from Outreach Magazine for some insight.

Easter Weekend!

Easter Weekend at Freedom Valley is going to be a blast!  

Saturday, April 7th @ 6:30pm (Baptism Service)

Sunday, April 8th @ 7:30am (no childcare provided)

Sunday, April 8th @ 9:15 & 11:15

For the kids!

We'll be celebrating before and after services with all our big toys! The Kiddie Pillar, Bounce House, Barrel Train, Bubble Machine, and more! Come celebrate with us!

You can help us by:

• Inviting your friends!
• Go to the Easter Facebook event and share it with your friends!
• Tweet about our Easter services using the hashtag #FVEaster
• Pick up invitations (they look like the above red graphic) at services this weekend!
• Spreading the word!
• There are exciting extras happening during the weekend that you can tell people about! Like, baptism Saturday night after service, and for the kids: the Kiddie Pillar, Bounce House, Barrel Train, Bubble Machine, and our Air Swimmer!

Are you tired of being aggressive?

Hey Everyone!


I have been learning so much this year -- The Year of Aggressive Faith!  Have you?  I would love to hear your stories! Write them on the wall of the Facebook Page and join the conversation!


This week and last, God has been speaking to me about his precious Word. I found out last week (as stated in my previous blog) that the Word of God is refreshing! Where I had no vision, it gave me a path forward and then some!  Where I saw lack, it helped me see plenty! Where I had no energy, I was energized! Where I had fear and doubt, it gave me excitement and strength!  Just studying the Word of God, listening to the Word of God, and thinking about the Word of God did that!  We can't be aggressive and strong and energized all the time...but God's Word can help us revitalize and strengthen ourselves!

Hebrews 4:12  says, "For the Word is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.  It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."  

The Bible isn't just a book.  It's not just words on a page.  It is ALIVE! It's active.  It's powerful.  Don't short-change yourself by NOT reading it!

John 6:63 says, "The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life."

Pastor Bob Landis spoke in our staff chapel this morning about God's Word.  He says there are 3 ways that we connect with God: prayer, worship, and the Word.  God speaks to us through His Word everyday!  He uses it to teach us, make us realize the wrong in our lives, and helps us to do what is right, as we can see in 2 Timothy 3:16-17:

"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do."

Learn to love the Word of God.  It doesn't take much, I promise! You'll start seeing results in your life quickly!

A NOTE FROM CHARITY:

Hey prayer people,

God has been putting a lot of songs on my heart lately that are full of aggressive faith. I want us to sing songs as a church that reflect what God is doing in and through us, as well as empower us to step out even more in this Year of Aggressive Faith!

Here's one that we'll be singing over the next couple of weeks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2exW2cUdC4

It's called God is Able, by Hillsong. It reminds me of Ephesians 3:20, which Gerry has been talking a lot about lately. I feel like this song is the answer to every excuse we try to give ourselves not to step out. Our strength, our abilities, our knowledge (or lack in any of them) is completely irrelevant. Because GOD IS ABLE to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine!

I love it when you all learn the songs I post so that you can sing them out with us on the weekend. But would you go a step further with me this time? We're intentionally introducing this song in the Easter season. We have a lot of people that don't know Jesus walking through our doors this time of year. I'm praying specific things for this song...for that matter, all of the songs that we sing or words that we speak in any of our worship experiences. I would love for you to join me.

~Pray for our people who are afraid or making excuses not to share their faith. Pray that they would be empowered and emboldened to step out and take those risks.
~Pray for the people feeling discouraged or hopeless during this time, that God would touch their hearts and renew and restore them.
~Pray for those who don't know Jesus who will hear us singing and saying these words. Pray that the words would be very real to them and that they won't be able to forget them!

I am loving how God is working through each of us right now. I am so grateful to be a part of this church, and I can't wait to see what else God has for us this year!!

~Charity

God has been showing me personally so much this year so far about how to spend time with Him, and how He speaks to us!  Just this past weekend, I had a breakthrough!  Allow me to explain...

It was the week of what was sure to be a crazy weekend.  A lot of staff members were out, and I only had one teacher for our elementary classroom for 3 services.  I had been brainstorming a way to fix it, where I didn't personally have to do everything, but I already used all my substitutes this month, and I wasn't about to ask them again.  So without any other options, I decided to go for it.  I picked up my lesson and started praying and seeking the Lord for a word for the kids.  I decided on Thursday that I wasn't going to watch any TV until the weekend, and spend all of that time with God!  My family and husband were also out of town, so I knew I was going to have plenty of time to myself!

What happened was better than anything I could have imagined.

I GOT my word from God AND some! He also gave me a new song for the kids, and so much out of my lesson that I learned a ton from it! It was one of the best weekend's I can remember.  And the word that I got was so good, that I even called the one teacher that was on for the weekend, and asked him if I could teach his spot too! So I taught all three services!

It just goes to show that when you set aside extra time to spend with God in prayer, reading the word,  and worshipping him, He'll give you the answers that you need and then some!  I learned that instead of sitting around complaining and dreading, I should be doing something! I should be seeking God's face and looking for my answers from HIM!



During this Year of Aggressive Faith at Freedom Valley...I'd like to challenge you.  Set aside some time this week...away from distractions, and focus on Him.  I'm sure you'll be surprised at the results!

Hey Everyone!

Having an Aggressive Faith Year so far??

A HUMONGOUS opportunity is coming up to invite your friends to church...anyone know what it is?

See this funny video from Church On The Move (from last year) for a hint!

Can you imagine a better future?

Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

This being the Year of Aggressive Faith, let's start asking and thinking of BIG things!

Sam Masteller showed us one way to get started on this on his website, freedomlife.tv.  He writes, "If you'll give me 10 minutes a day for the next 7 days, I will help you get started in planning the next 10 years of your life!" Read that first post, and I'm sure you'll be hooked! I'd like to challenge you all to go through the 10 for 10 challenge!  

Update from Pastor Gerry

The Year of Aggressive Faith is Heating up in every way!

For example, 10 new church are burgeoning out of our Padre Las Casa, Dominican Republic trips! This is a very exciting development. God is sending us 10 sponsors at $200 monthly to help get them started. You and your family still have time to get in if you want.

And our building project is once again ready to move! Today I got a verbal confirmation that our bond has been approved! As soon as we get it in writing, we go to the township to get the actual building permit!! Then we move dirt, add lumber and steel, and watch our Therapeutic Learning Center get built! This church has a sweet spirit for so enthusiastically bearing the burdens of those with mobility challenges, and we are getting new, world-renowned-quality-tools to do it.

And you will have opportunity to leave your own permanent mark on the parking lots, buildings, and exciting new greens areas of this church. Stay tuned for these exciting plans as well!

Most importantly, a LOT of you are regularly bringing friends to church, and sharing your faith! Our new Alpha class for new or pre-believers has over 50 people registered (the goal was 40!) and we are constantly being asked when the next baptism is! God is definitely teaching us how to connect our friends and neighbors to Jesus better than ever before, and we are growing! We are in great need of more children's ministry helpers, and more musicians because of all God is doing to expand us.

And there is more! This week we got our outstanding mortgage refinanced for 2% less interest, saving us $20,000 per year! We are just starting the process of negotiating with the man across the street for 22 acres over there. God willing, one day (5-10? years) we just might be able to move across the street with a much bigger, more functional campus.

Our new church (sites) are doing wonderfully and there are about 4 new ones being planned!

It's only February! This is going to be our most exciting year ever!

Gerry

It's "Show Your Love" weekend at Freedom Valley!
Don't miss all the fun ways you can show love!

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. (Thessalonians 3:12)

• Chocolate fountain! Bring some goodies to dip and share!
• Pictures in the lobby for couples, friends, or families.
• Kids Ministry party & Face Painting!
• Couples Date Night (Friday night - see Wendy Kadish for more details)

Come for any of our three services:

• Saturday 6:30pm (dinner starts at 5:30)
• Sunday 9:15am
• Sunday 11:15am

Most importantly, bring your friends! Give them an opportunity to experience the greatest love of all, the love of Jesus! There are invitations that you can pick up at Freedom Valley anytime.

Have you ever tried to talk to someone about God and they totally shut you down?  Or you poured and poured into someone, and then seem interested, but then never follow through?  It can be frustrating, especially if it's a family member or loved one.  Sometimes we just want to make the choice for someone, or force them to believe!

Jeff Deitrich shared with us in chapel this morning (which you-all are welcome to come to any Tuesday morning at 9am), John 1:19-23:


The Testimony of John the Baptist


19 This was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, "Who are you?" 20 He came right out and said, "I am not the Messiah."
21 "Well then, who are you?" they asked. "Are you Elijah?"
"No," he replied.
"Are you the Prophet we are expecting?"
"No."
22 "Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?"
23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:
"I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,
    'Clear the way for the LORD's coming!"'


One thing he said that really connected with me was, John the Baptist recognized who he was. He knew he wasn't supposed to BE the Messiah, he was supposed to clear the way for the Messiah! Jeff said, "You are not here to do God's job. You are to prepare the way for him. God does the inside work." He quoted the old adage, "You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."


It is the job of each and every one of us to prepare the way for people to come to Jesus. We do the leg-work, Jesus does the heart-work! We need to remember to cover our efforts in prayer, that God would work through us and in the hearts of those we're trying to reach.  For each of us, our efforts could look very different! Each one of us has different gifts and talents, and we use them in very different ways, but with the same goal.  So what's your mission?  What's your passion? And how are you going to use it to prepare the way for Jesus?

If you're in need of some encouragement this week, go check out Jenn Vintigni's blog to read about her experience in the DR last week!   

Hello Freedom Valley!  I hope you are all doing well this week, and believing God for BIG things! Come share your stories with us on the Facebook page!

As you live out your Year of Aggressive Faith, keep these opportunities in mind! We'd love to have you come share your journey with us!

• This weekend, Saturday, February 4th after service and Sunday the 5th, after the 11:15, we're having Baptism at Freedom Valley! If you have recently committed your life to Jesus and haven't made that public declaration of faith yet, invite your family and friends out to service this week and come get baptized! We'd love to celebrate that step of faith with you! 
• Our Alpha Class starts Saturday, February 11th, during service!  We need 6-8 mature believers (if you've been a believer for 10 years or so) to be table hosts, and LOTS of people to attend the class!  If you would like to be encouraged in your faith, looking for a way to go deeper with God, or if you aren't sure if you believe yet, this is a great place for you to get plugged in! 
• February 11th & 12th is a BIG DAY at Freedom Valley! This is an opportunity for you to invite your friends and family! We'll be starting our series 5 Relationship Killers, and celebrating LOVE! All kinds of love! We're calling it "Show Your Love" weekend, and we'll be celebrating with photos in the lobby, a chocolate fountain (bring yummy stuff to dip in it!), and a Kids Ministry party! Like Pastor Gerry said in the video this weekend, if you'd like to "heal, grow in the Lord, and become the person with a powerful future you always wanted to be," nothing helps you do that faster, than sharing your faith with others!  And it is what the Year of Aggressive Faith is about after all!

Remember our theme verse for the year: "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely MORE than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20

This year, we'd like to see every single one of you bring someone to Jesus!  Doesn't matter if you've been saved one week or one decade, YOU can affect your world and make a difference in the lives of your friends and neighbors by sharing your faith with them! 

This week, why don't you try loving on someone?  I found this list online based on Micah 6:8, which says, "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God."  Get involved in the world around you! I want to encourage you to pick one or a few of these items to try this week!  

Some of my favorites are:

• "Number 20: Bake some cookies for a neighbor that you haven't met as a means to introduce yourself."
• "Number 27: Help a neighbor make repairs to their property or home that they are unable to do themselves."
• "Number 33: Look at your city's community events calendar, pick an event, and find out how you can serve at it."
• "Number 37: Get permission from city officials to paint a community mural."

The point is, do something for the people around you! LOVE on them! Getting involved in church is amazing, and something we all definitely should do, but Jesus said in Mark 16:15, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone!"  Surrounding yourself with people who will lift you up and encourage you is awesome, and we should do it often, SO THAT we are filled to overflowing and can love on the people around us in the world. Who will you love on this week?

Hello Freedom Valley!

We all started studying our year's theme verse this weekend (we did in Kids Ministry too!): Ephesians 3:20, which says, "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."   I love this verse so much because it means no matter how much I might ask for or think of, God is still able to accomplish MORE than that!  He made the world and everything in it, so though I ask for things of this world, he is able to think up things so much bigger than that! That just opens my mind up to so many possibilities...and makes me realize how small my faith is sometimes.

There's a second part to that though...did you catch it?  The verse says that God is able to do infinitely more than we might ask or think, yes...but it also says THROUGH his mighty power at work within US!  It sounds like it requires an action from us, we have to be the leg work for God's mighty power!  

So, what step are you making this week toward your goals for 2012? How are you allowing God to work within you?


In Kids Ministry this week, we picked 4 friends to pray for over the next 4 weeks.  We picked 4 that we have not invited before, and do not attend church regularly already. We made something to remind us to pray every day that those 4 friends can find a way to Jesus, and that we can be an example to them! Join us? Pick your 4 today!

Welcome to Freedom Valley's Year of Aggressive Faith blog!  Here we will post weekly ideas, tips, and encouragements about how to reach out and invite your friends and neighbors to have a relationship with Jesus and attend church with you! 


We believe evangelism is so important!  Afterall, Jesus sent us out in Matthew 28:19 by saying, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."


He was speaking to each and every one of us, and we should take that directive seriously!  What are you doing this week to obey Jesus?  




In this blog, we will be studying together what it means to be a follower of Jesus, why followers of Jesus should reach out to others, and how to do so!  Come join us in having the best year ever!

2012 - Freedom Valley's "Year of Aggressive Faith"