Friday night, April 18th, we held our Dedication Service at Joyful Life Ministries.  It was also our 2-year anniversary, so the night was cause for celebration! It was great to see our building filled to near-capacity.  We used every spare folding chair we had available :)  My former pastor, Rev. Tom Simison from the Bible Church in Indianapolis, ministered that night.  The JLM Almost-Mass Choir also had its debut.  Thanks to Becki for putting the choir together and getting us ready for the event! Thanks to the choir members who helped make this vision a reality. 

It was awesome to get together with so many people who have helped support the Vision of JLM in Richmond! I know some weren't able to make it; if you're reading this blog, we missed you, and we appreciate the role you've had in building God's Kingdom in Richmond, Kentucky.

Thanks for your dedication!

A couple of weeks ago a young lady in our church reported an urgent need for healing in her body. Her doctor found a mass on her ovary that was cause for serious concern. The church responded to the need with prayer and fasting: every person in the church committed to praying and fasting until we received news of a miracle. We weren't alone in this response; other friends and family members at other churches also joined in praying for this need.

One week later our friend received a call from her doctor: The mass was gone! The doctor reported that what she had seen and felt was not there anymore.

We celebrated the news of this answered prayer, and faith is building in our church as a result! We are committing to more prayer and fasting for other needs. We understand that prayer and fasting aren't methods of earning the blessings and miracles God has for us. But we do know that Jesus called us to sacrifice and pay the price to see some of the things He wants to provide. I'm so excited to see everyone coming together to meet others' needs!

Someone once said, "Choose your rut carefully you're going to be in it for a long time." 

I know we get stuck in routines and rituals in our churches that become the norm and before we know it we're cruising through weeks and months (and years) on autopilot.  Last night at Joyful Life Ministries it was refreshing to go against the grain and go beyond the typical service. 

When God wants to move who are we to stop Him? In fact, because of who we are we ought to be working to help God move more often.  I don't have God all figured out and never will, but I do know this:  Our God, Jesus Christ, is not stuck in a rut.  He's on the move and He wants the Church to move with Him.

Thanks to everyone at JLM for responding to the presence and power of God last night and allowing God to move us forward, closer to the great things He wants for our lives!

 

 

 

The Word on Life gave us an opportunity on Wednesday to hear from each person in the group as we discussed "God's Customer Service Department."  It's always great to draw from the unique insights of each person as we have our Bible study discussions.   

I appreciate the input and the wisdom apparent in the comments.  It's obvious that the people of Joyful Life Ministries have a love for their church and a vision to see greater things accomplished by the hand of God.  I'm looking forward to continued labor in the harvest field with each of them.

Most of them do, really.  With verbal communication being a good portion of their job description I guess it comes with the territory, but... 

Someone once said, "A good leader asks the right questions then listens."  I aimed at being a good leader/pastor last night and asking questions during our Bible Study/Discussion that prompted responses.  As always, I was grateful for the amount of insight we gained from the group's comments.  In the setting of our Bible Study Group I would rather hear thoughtful discussion and sharing of ideas on a few verses than to cover an entire outline and not provoke a single response.  Our group has always been called "The Word on Life."  By definition then, we need to cover topics that touch on where we are.  When we do, the discussions come more easily.  Last night's study of "Forgiveness" was no exception.   

It's amazing what you hear when you listen.

Pastor Rick McGee  

What an amazing time we had together on Sunday! It was so good to feel the presence of God as the people of Joyful Life Ministries came together for worship, Word, and fellowship.  Thanks to everyone who helped create an Apostolic atmosphere that allowed God to move like He always wants to!

I'm remembering the words of a college professor who told our class, "Once your mind has been expanded it will never go back to its original state."  While you might be thinking of someone right now who seems to disprove that statement, I happen to believe it is absolutely true.  I think our minds were expanded yesterday as we saw what's possible every time we meet as believers.  Now that we have seen how God can move we won't settle for less than His perfect plan for us each time we meet again.

Thanks again for your sacrifice in our quest to find Christ more completely!

We're only one week away from moving to our new location! Everyone at JLM is excited about the direction we're headed and it's awesome to see that we're all on the same page as we move forward with God's vision and purpose for us. 

The new location on West Main Street has so much potential and offers us some great opportunities to expand our impact in the community.  We've seen good, steady growth and progress over the last year in our current location and it's time to move to the next stage of God's plan. It's always nice to outgrow where you are when you know that God has something bigger and better in store!

We're planning some great events to celebrate the new location and the surge of God's Spirit that we are experiencing together.  We'll keep everyone informed and hope to see you there!  

Just wanted to put my thoughts down in writing before life speeds forward and covers the moment and the memory in its dust. 

I am so thankful for the great people who are coming together at Joyful Life Ministries.  Last night was a perfect and inspiring example!  There was such a sense of unity that I felt like we could take on the whole world.  And we can! Even the crazy Lego Sculpture Event allowed us to grow together and get a vision of what lies ahead for us :) 

I shared my favorite Shakespeare quote with everyone last night: "There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries."

We're experiencing that tide and flood right now at JLM.  I'm so glad to see each person sharing in the same vision and moving forward to catch the wave of opportunity and promise that's building for us.  The people and events God is putting in the same place at this moment are a great indicator of things to come.  I look forward to seeing the spiritual fortune that God has in store.

Dedicated to the Vision for Richmond,

Pastor Rick McGee

It was great to see everyone at our Word on Life Bible Study Discussion last night! We had a great time discussing prayer and getting into the history of why we do some of the things we do, in prayer and in church services in general.  Everyone had excellent comments and really added to the discussion.

Afterwards, it was fun staying later than usual and just talking about relationships.  We're really growing as a church family and the relationships we're building when we come together give us something to look forward to each service.