According to the Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of a 40 day journey [excluding Sundays] we call Lent. We set aside these days each year in the life of the Church to focus our hearts and minds again on the road that Jesus walked towards the cross, the sacrifice given for the world on that fateful Friday, and the joy that was found on Sunday in the Resurrection of Jesus.
The first day of this journey is referred to as Ash Wednesday because on this day we focus on the places in our lives where God is calling us to “repent” of our sins. To some, “repent” might sound like a strange word. It is best understood as not only acknowledging our wrongdoing, but also committing to living in a whole new way. To repent is to turn away from living life on our terms while turning towards life on God’s terms.
The “Ashes” of this Wednesday come from the ancient practice of dusting oneself with ash to not only signify mourning, but also sorrow for our sins and shortcomings. In churches across the world today, Christians will gather to receive the “imposition of Ashes,” where Ash is place on the forehead in the sign of the cross, and in our service this evening, these words are shared.
“In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.”
The marking of Ash Wednesday may be a new practice for you, but I want to strongly encourage you to begin the Lenten journey with us in this holy and humble way. We will be having our Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m. in our Sanctuary this evening, but if your schedule does not allow you to attend, consider stopping by our chapel between the hours of 6 a.m. - 8 a.m. or 11 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. One of our pastors will be there to help you mark this holy day.
Grace and peace to each of you brothers and sisters. Today, we begin a special journey together.
Just before the snow hit North Texas last weekend, my new Macbook Pro computer arrived. The exciting part of that for our family was that I was able to give my Macbook to my wife and while our kids were away for the weekend with my parents, I got to train her on how to use it! [My wife is full of grace and patience by the way!]
Yesterday while she was home for the President’s Day holiday, we spent some time working with iPhoto [her favorite] and I showed her how to create albums in Mobile Me and how to upload pics to Facebook.
Which brings us to her first creation… A Mobile me gallery of our family playing in the snow.
Here is the link and one of my favorite shots from the snow fun!
This weekend we begin the season of Lent, and we will be kicking off our “24 Hours that Changed the World” message series. I am really excited about sharing with you over the next six weeks an in depth look at the last 24 Hours of Jesus life… 24 Hours that Changed the World.
Here’s a clip I would invite you to watch and share with your family, friends and neighbors you might be considering inviting to join with us in worship over the next six weeks.
Due to a crazy weather weekend here in North Texas, we have had to reschedule “The Songs we’re Singing.” I was pretty disappointed that we had to postpone because I have really been looking forward to this night.
We have not set another date yet, but until then, I wanted to share with you another bite size piece of the great work that is going to be shared at this event.
The following is one of the latest songs written by Doug, our worship leader at The Well. Stephanie, Doug’s sister and our 9:30 worship leader, is singing.
This Friday night we will be having a special event we are calling, “The Songs we’re Singing.” This special concert which will be held in our chapel will feature all of our worship leaders sharing with you their extraordinary musical talent as well as a little of their own faith story that has led them to serving our church in this important way. I’m excited about the opportunity to interview each of them as a part of this event.
Tickets are $5 and all the proceeds benefit our new Spanish speaking worship service which is currently meeting on a monthly basis. Very soon, we hope to make this a weekly opportunity, and this event will go towards that goal.
As a sneak peek, I’ve posted below a new original piece of music by our very own Jason Nix. Jason has been leading our Saturday Night worship service for about 6 months now, and is really doing an outstanding job! Seeing people like Jason flourishing in their role and growing in their faith is one of the great joys of doing ministry.
I’m blessed to work with him!
I hope you will join me this Friday night for “The Songs we’re Singing.” You too will be blessed by these gifted leaders!
Our 2010 Confirmation class kicked off this weekend, and we have a great group of kids signed up! I think we have about 65 young men and women who will be a part of this year’s class. These 6th graders will be gathering each Sunday afternoon for lunch, a time of teaching from one of our pastors, and small group discussion with their peers and our confirmation mentors. Confirmation will conclude with a weekend retreat and the Confirmation service where they will be baptized if they have not already been baptized, profess their faith in Christ, and become full members of our church family.
It’s an exciting time in their lives and in the life of our church.
This weekend in all our services we distributed cards that had a special prayer we are encouraging every member of our church to pray over the next 10-12 weeks for these students. If you were not able to be in church this weekend, here is that prayer. Thanks for lifting up these special young men and women during this important time!
Lord, I thank you for the young men and women participating in Confirmation. In this time, I pray that you would reveal to them your love and grace at work in their lives. Guide them, Lord, as they confirm their faith in Christ and commit their lives to membership in your church. AMEN.
One of our church staff members, Charlene McKinzey will be having surgery today in Dallas. Last Friday, Charlene was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Today, they hope to remove that cancer.
Charlene is one of our longest tenured staff members serving our church in multiple ways. Currently she works with our 5th & 6th grade program which means that Confirmation, something she cares very deeply about, will have to start this weekend without her. Charlene has helped lead our music program and for a very long time gave direction to our youth choir.
Charlene is a servant, a spirited and committed follower of Christ, and a dear friend and mentor to many in our congregation.
Today, I will be praying for her and I want to encourage you to do so as well.
If you find yourself searching for the words, here’s a sense of my prayer for this family today.
Lord, I pray your blessings upon Charlene today and ask that your peace would surround her in this hour. May your grace calm all her anxiety and remind her of the many who gather around her in prayer today lifting her up. We give you thanks God for the hospital that provides her care and the doctors and nurses who will serve Charlene today. Lead them Lord as they seek to bring healing to Charlene.
Bless her husband Kyle and their two children as they support Charlene. Surround them with your presence in this difficult time. God, we thank you for this family, for their faith and life which has served many, and their dedication to one another in all seasons of life. Bless them Lord, in Jesus Name. AMEN.
