September 30, 2011

This weekend, Evalyn and I are going to Southern California to participate in the Celebration of Life service for my only uncle who died recently. As you lose family members (though I should add he is not lost, because we know he is with Jesus), it makes you reflect on the way people have influenced and impacted your life that you never really thought about before. In my growing up years, we lived relatively close to my uncle (though in those days the trip from Long Beach to Garden Grove seemed like quite an excursion) so we were able to see him regularly. His death has caused me to wonder how my life might have been different without his contribution. It was my Uncle Dick who got me my first “real” job working at the produce market in the heart of Los Angeles during a couple of summers. It was my introduction to the world that had not previously been a part of my sheltered growing up experience. I had to join the union, get up in the middle of the night to go to work, unload semi trailers that brought in the fruit picked the previous day, work around a pretty rough crowd of truck drivers, learn to wheel a hand-truck stacked high with fruit boxes up to a couple of blocks to load the fruit on a delivery truck, sometimes drive the trucks to make deliveries, and often work overtime – which resulted in the unbelievable time and half wage of $3.75/hour! If I hadn’t been inclined to go to college before, this experience certainly would have done the trick. A few summers later, my Uncle Dick also got me my first full-time ministry position. He was very involved in the Garden Grove Community Church, and they needed someone to lead their youth ministry for the summer…and Uncle Dick had an “in” that got me the job! Both “firsts” were important in shaping my life direction.

Why all this nostalgia? His death has reminded me of how important people are in our lives…and thus how important we are to the lives of others! Especially family. Uncle Dick was no one special in my growing up years because he was always just part of our family. But as I have reflected on his impact, and how important he was at critical points in my growing up, I realize that because he took an interest in me, and reached out to help me in very special ways, significant parts of my life have been forever shaped by those experiences. So what’s the lesson? Invest yourself in someone’s life today – it may make a difference for all the years of their life!

Pastor Mark

September 23, 2011

The new fall season also reminds me of the new fall start-ups of ministries at SBC. Are you getting and giving all you could through the various ministry opportunities? Are you faithfully in attendance Sunday mornings? Are you in a Discipleship Partnership? A LIFE Group? Serving other with the gifts God has given you? Are your children involved in children’s or youth ministries?

Now is the time to set the pattern for your Christian growth and impact for the coming months (probably the next time you think about this will be January, 2012!)…so let us know how we can help you maximize your life in Christ. See you Sunday morning!

Pastor Mark

September 16, 2011

This week, I have started rereading the biography “Bonhoeffer-Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.” I was grateful today to see that it is #19 on the Best-Selling books list for this past week. This surprised me because: (1) It has been out for quite a long time; (2) It is a substantial book of 575 pages; (3)It is about a Christian leader. If you are looking for a challenging and moving read as we move back into the fall/school season, I highly recommend it – the second time is even better! Don’t forget, this Sunday we return to three services (after two full services last Sunday!) so invite a friend and fill up our Family Life Center at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00. See you Sunday!

Pastor Mark

September 9, 2011

As we approach this 10th Anniversary Weekend of the terrorist attacks on our country, it is important to remind ourselves to pray for those in leadership in our land. The promise still remains true:  If my people , who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Certainly we are a nation in need of God’s forgiveness. We desperately need His healing. How do we receive these blessings? Be humble. Pray. Seek His face. Turn from wrong. The formula is fairly simple. The execution is incredible challenging. How do we start? On our knees. Make this a prayerful weekend that we would do what God desires of us in order that He may do what He promises to us. An important part of doing this may be by your attendance at the county-wide remembrance memorial at the fairgrounds on Sunday evening sponsored by the Tuolumne County Ministerial Association…and being in church Sunday morning when we join our hearts in prayer for our land.

Pastor Mark

September 2, 2011

Thinking about thinking…that’s the focus of Paul’s instruction to live a “Rejoice Always” lifestyle. Sounds basic. Seems simple. But have you ever thought about the fact that a lot of other people are thinking a lot more about what we will be thinking about than we think about what we think about! (May want to read that sentence again and reflect on it a bit.) Think for a moment about how much of your thinking is a response to other’s thinking about what you should think about (think TV, advertisements, newspapers, people pressing their thoughts on us, radio, billboards, ads, etc., etc., etc.!). If my life and attitude is in large part the response to what is on my mind, this means it may be very likely that other people are more significantly shaping my very own life and attitudes that I am!…unless I am following the instruction of Philippians 4:8-9. Join us this Sunday to discover what to think about to live a “rejoicing always” life.

Pastor Mark

August 26, 2011

It has been delightful having new people sign up for our three fall priorities: Discipleship Partnerships, LIFE Groups, and Ministry Teams. If any of these are missing in your life, you’re missing out! Let us know how we can meaningfully link you up with others to learn God’s Word, grow in Christ, and serve others. See you Sunday!

Pastor Mark

August 19, 2011

One wonderful answer to prayer in our family this last week centers around Ev’s promising return to First Grade for her final year of teaching. It did not look so hopeful in the beginning: class sizes have pushed the limit of how many desks you can have in the room (let alone how many you can effectively teach!); special needs children seem to multiply while people available to truly meet their needs diminish; new children are enrolled by their parents just hours before class begins, challenging being ready adequately for them. But Ev prayed, and we prayed, and the first day went great! One bonus for her is the number of Christian administrators (all three are committed Christians) and teachers (many!) that are colleagues at Soulsbyville. Maybe all this is a reminder to pray for our children and teachers who returned this week to huge missions fields and places of opportunity and challenge – take a moment and pray that your favorite teacher will have a great year!

 

Pastor Mark

July 22, 2011

This Sunday will be exciting for several reasons:   great fellowship at the Food Court; 140 of our youth and counselors leaving for Hume Lake Christian Camp early Sunday morning (can I hear some parents celebrating?!); Family Services at 8:45 and 10:30am – we’ll have all of our first grade and older children in worship with us for a great time learning about how to live a life of joy.

Come join us!

Pastor Mark

June 17, 2011

Here are a couple of things you don’t want to miss:

(1) This Sunday, we begin our summer schedule with services at 8:45 and 10:30 with an extended time of food and fellowship for everyone between services to meet new people and get better connected – so stay a little after first service, come a little early to second service, and make the summer extra special at SBC;

(2) Monday, “Surfs Up Beach Bash” (VBS) begins – a great time of growth for our children, and a significant outreach to our community. Please be praying once again for God’s special blessing on this week, and don’t forget to round up your neighborhood children for this wonderful experience.

Pastor Mark

May 27, 2011

Sunday is Faith In Action Sunday at SBC!  There are lots of ways to still get involved this weekend…or beyond.  Many of our projects this year can be completed in the next few weeks if you are away this weekend, so please let us know how we can help you put your Faith In Action this year, reaching out into our community.

Pastor Mark

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