Fairview Community Church

Hi Fairview!

It seems like its always Thursday and I feel like I’m always writing Thursday’s Thoughts!  So… what am I thinking about today?  Well, I am in awe of how quickly time moves –do you realize we are coming onto the fifth Sunday in Lent?  I’ve been essentially cheese free this Lent- but do wish I had taken more time to reflect and re-connect with God. How have you fared on your Lenten journey?  The good news is –we still have two and a half more weeks of Lent to go, there is still time to stop, re-focus and be intentional about walking towards Easter.  If you ask me, that is a relief, because I’m tired of running to get there!

I hope you enjoyed our guest preacher, Brian Foxworth, last Sunday.  I listened to his sermon on our podcast http://www.ocfairviewchurch.org/node/579 and enjoyed his reflection about how God loves us and wants us to act on behalf of the world just as Jesus did.  I personally had a wonderful visit back to United Church of the Valley, the congregation I served prior to my arrival at Fairview Community Church.  It was so much fun to see all the familiar faces and to see how the church has continued to grow and change since I’ve been gone.  It’s great to be able to step back and get perspective.  We should all try and step out of ourselves and see our lives from a different angle every once in awhile.  I enjoyed the chance to see where I came from, and acknowledge how I’ve grown to where I am now.  Sometimes, we just don’t notice we’ve changed until we see people we haven’t seen for awhile.  I think both UCV and I had that experience last Sunday.  How about you?  When do you take time to view yourself from a different angle?

This week we have a very special worship service planned!  As you know, your leadership has committed to “The year of of the child” and we instituted a 5th Sunday Kids Worship.  This is our first 5th Sunday of 2009 -and I know I’m looking forward to experiencing the Wonder of Worship as we look through the lens of our children.   We will have the opportunity to experience some of what our kids do in “Worship and Wonder”  -engaging in the Biblical story, singing sacred songs, learning sign language, and interacting with each other and objects of worship.   Our children will be performing in a children’s choir and we’re going to have a special signer!  This is going to be an incredible service –one you won’t want to miss as we experience the wonder of God through the eyes of thh child together this Sunday!