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COS Worship Word by Janie Ott
The ReVitality Survey deadline has been extended until March 8th.
Our Mission:
Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church's mission is to Strengthen faith, Build hope and Share love in Christ our Savior. It's at the top of every newsletter and also on the website. So if that's the mission then the purpose of this congregation is to preach and teach the Word of God and to rightly administer the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. And to do this we have to have a starting point.
I would ask that every member pray for the "ReVitality" journey. Take the survey! Send texts/emails/make calls/help other members take the survey. Encourage visitors to take the survey. Think about someone you haven't seen at worship recently, reach out and ask them to take the survey.
(You know I had to start by plugging the survey, it is without a doubt the most important piece of work we have before us...)
"Be careful how you live: you may be the only Bible some people will ever read."
My Mom would say this to me all the time. As any good mother, her bluff on me was that I was being watched from everywhere. As I grew she really stressed to me that some people may never read a Bible, so how I behaved, how I interacted with people, how I carried myself, all were ways to share the gospel. This thinking became a ministry for me. The ministry piece that resonated with me is choose joy.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.
--1 Chronicles 16:27
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.
--Psalm 5:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
--Psalm 16:11
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating
and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
--Roman 14:17
Joy is mentioned many, many times in the Bible which really resonated with me personally. When I became a Mom, the lesson I wanted to teach my kids was to "choose joy". Every morning when we wake, we can choose our attitude. Why not choose joy? Any given day we will face heart break, sickness and challenges of every kind and degree of severity. If we choose joy, it makes the challenge easier to face.
When I became a leader, I stressed choosing joy. I have worked many Bible verses into leadership training. I have mentored many young professionals and I stress the importance of choosing joy. If we have our attitude in check we can handle anything.
Emotional Intelligence is a big buzz word these days and companies are spending a lot of money educating the workforce on how to manage emotional intelligence. While there is a lot to this, a portion of it comes down to our attitudes and choosing joy. Which I find some humor in....
Today we see people chasing joy. Looking for things that give us a "high", but things don't last. They might fulfill us for a short time but they don't have a sustainable meaningful impact on our lives. Choosing joy and being grateful that I am a child of God, gives meaningful, long-term purpose to my life. All because I made the decision when I woke up this morning to choose joy.
At the end of my life, I hope people, especially my family can say, "She walked with God. That was her game changing strategy."
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