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!