Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Matthew 11:28 ASV

This Bible verse says come to me…..I will give you rest.  Jesus wants us to let Him take our burdens. 
When He says come to me, I think of the words return to me instead, as in come to me again….It’s like the one day at a time concept- every day we have to return to HIM. 
​
We lay our cross down at His feet and we ask Him to take it for us.  I don’t know about you, but I often find myself picking it right back up.  That’s why this resonates with me….He knows that we will come, but also that we will go away. He welcomes us to daily return to HIM. -Meghan 

Whenever you pray, be sincere and not like the pretenders who love the attention they receive while praying before others in the meetings and on street corners. Believe me, they’ve already received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your innermost chamber and be alone with Father God, praying to him in secret. And your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly. 
Matthew 6:5-6 TPT

One of the things that struck me from Pastor Vicky’s sermon this week was this concept:  We can trust that Jesus is the Bread of Life and He can save us, but He is a gentleman and He will not force it.  If we ask Him to intercede, however, He will do so and it will be for our good and His glory.  What was something you took away from the sermon that stuck with you?- Meghan ​

​Why would you strive for food that is perishable and not be passionate to seek the food of eternal life, which never spoils? I, the Son of Man, am ready to give you what matters most, for God the Father has destined me for this purpose.
 
John 6:27 TPT

It's been a rough 11 months or so and I have no intention of rehashing why.  Let's just say there's a number 19 involved and leave it at that!  Anyway, one of the things we have discussed in the various small groups I'm a part of, that is when we were able to be together, is the amount of extra down time, or free time we have been afforded over the past year.  So many of us have said we'd pray more, or be in God's word more, or serve more, if we just had the time.  Well guess what, we've had it.  So I ask, how have you spent that extra time?  Typically, this is where you would get some words on self-improvement, spending your time wisely and just making yourself a better person doing all the things you said you'd do when you had more time.  Well I'm not going to do that.  Though I hope we'll all pray more, read more, serve more and just work on our relationship with Jesus more, I'm going to give you one and only one suggestion.  Use your time to encourage others.  That's it!!
 
When you see someone going above and beyond, let them know.  Maybe right at the moment, maybe with a card, or email, or text or phone call.  Even a few brief kind words can go a very long way.  I believe one of the best and fastest ways we can make the world around us a better place is by just encouraging others.  Think about the good deeds you see over the course of a week, big and small.  Some may be at work, or at home, or maybe you've seen some on local or national news, in the newspaper or on line.  How many times do we stop and pass a word of encouragement on to that person, whether we know them or not?  Can you imagine if for one week, just one week, we built up all those around us doing God's work with a word of encouragement?  And what if it started to become a habit, something we became intentional about every day.  That would completely turn our world upside down.  So I'm challenging us all to focus on encouragement for one week.  And maybe one week will lead to two and before you know it, encouragement may just be a part of our everyday lives.  Give it a shot.  It can't hurt and I know it most definitely will help in many ways, seen and unseen. 
 
And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.  Hebrews 10:24.
 
Dave DiBernardi

​Pastor Vicky had us do this on Sunday and I found it so powerful. 
Put your name in the blank:
 
____ is patient,
____is kind,
____ isn’t jealous,
____ doesn’t brag,
____isn’t arrogant,
____ isn’t rude,
____doesn’t seek ____ own advantage,
____isn’t irritable,
____ doesn’t keep a record of complaints,
____ isn’t happy with injustice,
but ____ is happy with the truth.
____puts up with all things,
trusts in all things, hopes for all things,
endures all things.
 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

​Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag,
it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude,
it doesn’t seek its own advantage,
it isn’t irritable,
it doesn’t keep a record of complaints,
it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth.
Love puts up with all things,
trusts in all things, hopes for all things,
endures all things.
Love never fails.
 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

​Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength! 
Nehemiah 8:10

Do you ever have to fight for your joy? Do you ever have to dig deep to really have the joy that people talk about? What does this joy really mean? 
In this verse, Ezra is talking to the people of Israel who came to restore the temple.  They spent some time in sadness and tears, discouraged by the time they’d wasted as a people in running from God - Ezra told them to stop crying and leave their sadness behind. What matters is now. You have chosen to serve Him now. Your joy should come from this and knowing you are on the right path.  So, when you begin to feel discouraged, know that God wants us to share in His joy.  Ask Him to give it to you.  Seek the joy in your day. Do not lament over what has happened in the past. 

Meghan DeGregory

​The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.  John 10:10

Are you stuck in a rut these days? Most of us, if we are honest, would admit that we are enduring what is deemed as “pandemic fatigue”.  Honestly, whether  you are someone who believes the pandemic is every bit as bad as they say or someone who is skeptical, we can all admit we are OVER it…..Tired of the impact on our daily lives, finances, plans, moods and relationships that it has had. 

​Jesus says that He came to give us life abundant. What this means is that He did come to save us, but He has another gift that comes with it. EVERYTHING that makes you free, is yours through HIM.  He is the key to deliverance.  We often accept the salvation part offered and stay stuck in the chains that bind us.  Begin to think today about what it might look like to be truly FREE.  Is there something during this pandemic that has come to light? Is there something that you have always needed to address, but it’s much more glaring now? Let your leaders know if you want us to walk alongside in this process with you.  Deliverance and Freedom are parts of the ABUNDANCE God has in store for you. Beth Moore has said too often Christians have sought Jesus as savior but ignored Him as deliverer. Does this mean anything to you? Meghan