July/August 2015
640 Grosvenor St. London Ont N5Y 3T4 519-858-4123 churchalcc1@gmail.com
Twitter:AbundantLifeChurch@LifeALCC website: alccnet.com What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who He is or what He’s up to 1 John 3:1 The Message Bible
Week at a Glance 10am Café 10:30 Service Nursery & The PlayRoom KidMin 10:30 Home Groups (Sept.—April) Tues: Ladies Coffee Hour (Sept) Wed: Ignite Youth Group Thurs: Celebrate Recovery 7pm
Sermon Series for July/August discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
I have felt the “aloneness” that comes from being separated from Bill over this past little while. Although we are still connected via the internet, it is not the same as being together. This is just the smallest taste of what Jesus must have felt while He spent 33 years walking amongst us and yet longing to be with the Father. I look forward to our daily conversations (usually at 7:30 am), but it is the spontaneous texts and Facetime moments that make me smile. Again, how God must just delight when we are connected with Him throughout the day; and aren’t we strengthened and encouraged when He reminds of that verse we read today, or that song that brings us right into His Presence? “Honor His holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for His works; be alert for signs of His presence. “ Psalm 105:1-6 I am not alone, and I am not lonely because the One True God lives inside me and Jesus is enough! Filling in for Bill, Kathy! We are on a bus going to the best place ever! On the bus, a guy gets on, he is dressed in short shorts, tank top, wristbands and a headband (Richard Simmons lookalike). While the bus is going, the guy is running from front of the bus to the back and from back of the bus to the front. Over and over again. We ask him, “what are you doing?” He says while huffing and puffing, “I’m trying to catch up to the bus!” We tell him, he is on the bus, the bus driver will get him there, take a seat, rest! On the next stop, there’s this guy with atlases, encyclopedias, compasses, roadmaps, GPS and a helmet with all these weird antennas. We are perplexed and ask him why. He answers, “I gotta make sure we are going the right way, on the right path, on the right direction! I want to make sure we make it to the best place ever!” We’d tell him, don’t worry, the bus driver takes this route every day, He knows how to get us there and He will get us there, take a seat and rest. A third guy gets on the bus and he brings an engine hoist, a massive mechanic tool box and the bus manual. He drags it all on the bus and we ask him, why. He says, just in case the bus breaks down. We tell him, thanks for being prepared but the bus driver has this handled, take a seat, rest! In reality, we can be like some of these characters . . . Jesus being our bus driver would say, “Take a seat because you can rest in the finished work that I have done! You don’t earn this ride, you’ve accepted this ride! You won’t get lost because I am the Way, the Truth and Life. I am faithful and will get you there! You don’t need a manmade manual of where you or people think you need to be, let me guide your life. No manual is better than Emmanuel! Enjoy the journey to the best place ever!” Rest in Jesus, enjoy the ride and Let God be God: Matthew 11:28-30, Hebrews 4:9-11 & John 19:30
Welcome! We are glad you are here, and we trust that are feeling at HOME. It is our hope and prayer that you will join in as we share our lives and celebration of faith together. We believe our life is about discovering who God is, using this faith to live out His purpose and His plan and to live it with passion. We call ALCC our HOME. We are intentional about relationships with God and each other to bring the message of HOPE to our community.
10 –10:30 am
Having one of those days?
Our Leadership team is available to pray with you
discovery| connection| re-
Newborn—4 years
10:30—noon Please sign your child in & out
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
Jeff & Tamara Neely Samuel and Jaela
Phil & Donna Williams
Consultant and Facilitator
Servant’s Heart Ministries
of Unreachednations.org
Dominican Republic
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
Since 2003
STEP TEN : PERSERVERANCE We continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” 1 Corinthians 10-12 Recovery is a lifelong process. There will be times when we grow weary and want to throw in the towel. We will experience pain, fear, and a host of other emotions. We will win some battles but lose others in the war to achieve wholeness. We may get discouraged at times when we can’t see any progress, even though we have been working hard. But if we persevere through it all, we can maintain the ground we have gained. The apostle Paul used three illustrations to teach about perseverance. He wrote to Timothy: “Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. And as Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army. Follow the Lord’s rules for doing His work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. Hard working farmers are the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Think about what I am saying. The Lord will give you understanding in all these things” (2 Timothy 2:3-7). How many times do we look in the mirror each day? Suppose we looked in the mirror and found that we had mustard smeared around our mouth. Wouldn’t we immediately wash our face, wash and clean up the problem? In the same way, we need to routinely look at ourselves in our “Spiritual mirror,” the Bible. Then if anything is wrong, we can take the proper steps to fix it. James uses a similar illustration to show how God’s Word should be like a spiritual mirror in our life. He said, “And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law, the law that sets you free and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it” (James 1: 22-25). !!!Remember faith without works is dead!
Pot Luck July 30 and August 27
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
Student ministry 11– 18 years
Tuesday August 25-Saturday August 29 September Sept 9: Life Lunch Sept 20: Back 2 Church Sunday Party Sept 27: Not A Fan Groups
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity