New Hope Headlines
Movie Night -- Sunday, July 19
Join us in the gym @ 6:00pm for movies, popcorn and soft drinks! Invite your friends & neighbors!
Submit your favorite wholesome movie on DVD to Greg. Pastor Bryan, Greg and Tim will be reviewing the movies prior to showing them.
(No Regular Evening Services that night)
From the Desk of the Pastor
July 2, 2009
Getting Off the Wave
As I prepare to go on vacation with my family, I was reminded of this spiritual principle, "getting off the wave." It comes out of a great book called Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordeiro. Let me explain it to you:
Hawaii is one of the great surfing capitals of the world. You can spot amateur surfers from the veterans within seconds. The amateurs fight the waves rather than working with them. They work harder than necessary to catch a wave, and when finally surfing, their balance betrays them and they find themselves gulping some seawater under the wave.
Veteran surfers, on the other hand, know the ocean's currents and how waves behave. They know which waves to catch and ride, and which ones to let pass by. They seem to be able to discern which waves will carry them in and which ones will do them in!
But one of the true marks of a veteran surfer is not how he catches a wave, but whether he knows when and how to get off the wave.
Life can sometimes pick you up like an ocean wave and it will be thrilling for a while. Ministry, business, and life itself can fool you into thinking the ride will last forever and that there are no coral reefs in your future... just soft sand, beach umbrellas and fairy dust.
The trick is to know when to get off the wave. Every one of us needs that time in our lives when we can get off the wave for a little while and rest, reflect, and re-evaluate our lives. Whether that is going somewhere on vacation or simply staying at home for a few days with no T.V. or computer, God wants us to refresh ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Jesus knew how to do this. After taxing seasons of ministry, the Bible says in Luke 5:16 that Jesus "often withdrew to deserted places and prayed."
Don't wipeout in the ocean of life because you failed to get off the wave. God does not want you to crash and burn. Get away for a while. Reenergize yourself. Then you will be able to tackle any wave that comes your way. Until next time...
Expecting Great Things,
Pastor Bryan Cox