Worship team testimony, part 1

Back in October, the worship team had all of the worship team members write out a testimony. It may be a bit complex for some students to understand, but I thought you guys might find this interesting and helpful.

The following is the first part (of approximately five parts) of what I wrote:

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I fell in love

Growing up in Ohio

I grew up in a Christian family going to church in Ohio. I'm thankful that I grew up in that environment. I heard about Jesus and His cross, and I gave my life to Christ there. I served in our local church in many ways, and I had a soft heart for God. After I graduated from high school, my family moved out to California, and I went to college out in the Bay Area.

Going to school in California

My spiritual life took a serious turn in my second year of college. That's when I settled down in a church, and I fell in love with it. The pastor was preaching through the book of Romans, and I came to love it. I loved seeing how our pastor would show how the text meant one thing and not another. He taught me new things. Because they were new, I stubbornly resolved not to believe anything that he (or anyone else) taught me unless I could see it in Scripture. But the sermons were academically sound; they were Biblical; and they blew my world apart.

I loved the church's appreciation for the Bible. Truth was revealed in a Book; Truth was to be academically found; these truths were Biblical and precious. God had revealed Himself in a Book, and He could not lie; these words were so solid you could rest your whole weight on them. This was so precious.

I loved listening to the deacons pray. They prayed to such a great God, and we were so small. Their God was bigger than I knew Him to be; their God was as big as (bigger than, actually) anything I'd known.

I loved singing the songs. They were songs about God's greatness. Songs about the punishment we deserve and the punishment that Jesus absorbed. Songs about God's justice and mercy. Songs that knew my sinfulness but reminded me that I don't stand before God by my own righteousness; God's given me a perfect righteousness that gives me a right relationship with Him. I cannot add to this. I was so aware of my sinfulness those days in college. But greater still was God's mercy and grace that triumphed over my sinfulness.

Grand Theft Auto IV: guard your soul

Grand Theft Auto IV just released, and it's supposed to be a "better" (technically, not morally), more impressive game than any of its GTA predecessors.

Apparently Grand Theft Auto is the most popular game among boys age 12 to 14 and the second most popular game among girls age 12 to 14. That's scary, considering the spiritual dangers of playing the game.

Is theft, violence, and sexual immorality with your fingers really so far removed from theft, violence, and sexual immorality with your heart?

Let's have Spring Celebration every week!

Last night I said that we want every week to be Spring Celebration. What did I mean when I said that?

As I said last night, I don't mean that we're going to give away free iPods every week. We're not going to have a ridiculous amount of chow mein every week and have #2 Pencil Man and the Ballistic Bubble Girl show up every week [although that would be pretty neat...maybe that's something to bring up in the next sponsors' meeting ;). Actually, maybe we should bring the Dynamic Dimsum Woman to the sponsors' meetings! Then we would have something to snack on :). I liked Tape Boy, too. Slick move, taping the pooper scooper. ;)].

What I do mean is that every week we want our friends to become worshipers of Jesus. Every week we want our friends to hear the gospel. Every week we want to bring our friends into the goodness and the growth and the fun that we have at TIGS. This is God's glory, and this is our friends' good.

So let's let every week be Spring Celebration. Keep on inviting your friends to TIGS!

(By the way, it has been encouraging to see you guys invite your friends out to TIGS/Spring Celebration. Keep up the good work!)

SC08 bulletin concept art

I'm finishing up the Spring Celebration 2008 (SC08) bulletin tonight. Here's some concept art for it. Feel free to add comments or suggestions!

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Draft 1:

Draft 1, front

Draft 1, back

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Draft 2

Draft 2, front

Draft 2, back

SC08 flyer

Spring Celebration is coming up in only eight days! Please pray that God would bring many people to this event and that many would come to love and trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through this night!

Here's a digital copy of the flyer. You can click on the image to see it at a bigger size.