Becky Henry

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The Dress Rehearsal

Rick Warren said:  “People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond:  In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.  One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body -- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.  God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.  We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.  The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.  God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.  We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.”

Sharing God’s ultimate purpose with our children is the greatest gift of love we can give them!  The “Dress Rehearsal” makes sense of life when it doesn’t make sense; it offers a beacon of light in the midst of problems and makes life, no matter how tough, worth living!  In a day where teen suicide is rampant because life has no purpose, kids desperately need to know His purpose and plan for their lives!

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There are many authors that God uses to edify & bless my heart just when I need it most!  One of those is Ron Walters featured with "The Pastor's Corner" an online service for churches.  Coming off an extremely exhausting week, it's easy to lose focus.  Life's that way for all of us.  But his article reminds me of just how important it is!

Focus
Ron Walters

fo-cus (fo-kus) noun, [Latin, hearth] 1. A focal point. 2. To concentrate. 3. A center of interest or activity. 4. To sharpen or clearly define. 5. The point at which an object is most clearly seen.

To the casual observer it might appear that Jesus was nomadic, wandering the dusty roads from village to village, dispensing his humanitarian miracles and pithy sayings. A first century Johnny Appleseed who scattered goodness seeds and golden rules like confetti. A kind of half-Houdini, half-Gandhi. A utilitarian genie who attracted disciples like stray cats.

But nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus was the most focused leader and strategic planner of all time. He was a genius in organizational development and human resources. He specialized in visionary management. The world has never known a better synergist, the church being exhibit A. His methods, though ministerial, have been the model for industry and commerce for hundreds of years.

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Vacation Bible School begins June 21st....or does it?  Actually, it began last fall with much prayer, planning and preparation, then watching God provide!   Curriculum came in January, workers began to sign up in March by the dozens,  a total of 80 at this point with all our needs covered!  God provided!   April brought planning meetings and then came Canvassing Day in May!   We prayed and planned for 40 helpers to spread the word to our nearest neighbors and cover at least 20 zones.  Then reminiscent of Gideon's army, 14 showed up and 24 zones were covered!  God provided!  We've already heard from several of our neighbors responding to the flyers!  Requests were made for supplies and snacks...God provided through His generous people at IBC, all needs were met with the help of many gifts!  We're praying, planning and preparing for 300 precious children to share the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord.  We know that if you aim at nothing, you're sure to hit it!  Though we've passed our highest number for enrollment of the last 6 years, we're not at 300 yet....   Should we be dismayed?   Never!   Whether it's 300 children or 150, lives will be impacted and influenced for eternity.  The final number remains to be seen, but we know, in His time and His way...God will provide!