From Margie Bonner (Outreach & Small Groups)

While I passionately pursue God during the week by making time in the morning with Charles Stanley's In Touch devotional; later in the day with the Insights for Leaders (A.W. Tozer) devotional on-line; and late at night (under the stars) listening to the (I call it "my") Daily Audio Bible podcast on my iPod, I really look forward to Fridays. That's when God meets me on the business end of my vacuum cleaner and through my iPod earbuds. I've really been loving hearing God's word through the insights of John Piper in the Desiring God podcast. That usually takes me through the quieter tasks of cleaning the bathroom. Lots of times from there I have a strong desire to praise God - often the sermon text will bring to mind a song or album loaded on my iPod and I'll play that, singing at the top of my lungs (the vacuum cleaner is running by then!) and with a thankful heart praising God through the dusting, vacuuming, and laundry of our home and family. I've always tried to be thankful as I cleaned - you know - thankful for a home to live in, furniture to sit on, beds to sleep on, but somehow now I actually look forward to what has become an intimate time with God - thanking Him for His son Jesus - thanking Him for the privilege of knowing, loving, serving, and sharing Him. And thanking Him for the next day and time in His presence - SATURDAY at the beach! But that's a story for another blog topic!

Great Commitment and the Great Commission (from Pastor Tim)

As I've been challenging the church family to live out our mission this month - the passionate pursuit of a vibrant relationship with God... - its been encouraging to hear stories of how God has kept His promise to draw near to us when we draw near to Him. I've been so proud of our church staff and their kindred spirit in stepping up our habits and intentional pursuit of a deeper walk with Christ. One thing I'm learning is that I find that the closer I am to the Lord, the more passionate I am about the Great Commission. The better my devotional times are and the more time I have to reflect on what's really important in life, the more I wind up at being a part of God's solution to what's wrong with the world, aka, the Great Commission (where Jesus said "go into all the world and make disciples"). And vice versa, I find that the more I immerse myself in Great Commission related work (promoting the Great Commission Fund for CMA missions, planning local outreach, preparing for a missions trip, etc.) the more vibrant my relationship with God seems to be. This week Pastor Kyle ordered the plane tickets that Karen and I need for our ministry trip to Senegal in March, and I've been reading a book about the beliefs and values of people in that part of Africa. Even in these things, there's the sense of being closer to the nerve center of what God is passionate about. And you've got to love a God who, when you draw closer to living life obediently and sacrificially, gives you a greater sense of significance and satisfaction than any purchase or vacation can match.

From Pastor Kyle McQuillen (Member Care & Missions)

I’ve thought a lot about how I passionately pursue a vibrant relationships with God. While I continue in a discipline of prayer and study, for me a vibrant relationship with God has always come with the greatest impact through my relationships with other people.

For the past seven months God has opened up for me, once a week, the opportunity to teach and counsel inmates at the Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach. This blog does not afford me the opportunity to share in depth the wonder of God’s grace and the joy I receive from being able to minister to those who are on the periphery of acceptable society.

I share only one of dozens of encounters He has allowed me to experience recently. Some weeks ago I met with a young incarcerated man who was doing twenty years for a violent crime he had committed. During our time together I asked him “what kind of relationship do you have with God?” He said “I’m an atheist.” But he asked me to share my faith because he had heard me on several occasions during my teaching refer to my deep routed faith in God. At the end of my “testimony” he looked at me and said, “Kyle, would you pray for me?” Of course I did.

The following week, I saw this young man again when I went up to teach. He came over to me, took my hand, tears in his eyes and said, “Kyle, I cannot stop thinking about what you shared with me last week. Will you help me on the journey that leads to faith in Christ?”

On my trip back to Edgewater that night, tears in my own eyes, I heard again the words of our Lord Jesus, “I was in prison, and you visited me…” (Matthew 25:36)

From Pastor Kevin Dean (Student Ministries)

One of the most difficult things in my Christian walk has been to maintain a “vibrant” or “deeply passionate” daily connection time with God. It’s not because I don’t want to. It just seems like so many days I’m simply checking off a box of what I should do rather than being excited and eager to spend time with Him. Several years ago this came to a head in my life and I really went searching for what “Connecting with God” even meant. And one of the things I came across has changed my time with God like no other. An author asked the question, “If you’re bored with your time with God, do you think that the Creator of the Universe is?” It really made me pause and think. Is my time with Him creative? Is it something I’m anticipating and keyed up for? For those of you who don’t know me very well yet, I’m not big on routine. I’m not wired to do the same thing every day, day after day…..I just don’t like that. So I decided that I would give God my best by being creative and imaginative in my time with him. Depending on the week you may find me reading scripture, praying scripture, memorizing scripture, drawing pictures of things, journaling, taking a walk and thinking, listening to music, sitting silent, and so on.

Currently, I’m coloring in one of my daughter’s Bible coloring books. I know that sounds weird and strange but it’s true. Each page communicates a simple truth from scripture. As I color I’m replaying the story in my mind. I’m thinking about why He even included that story in scripture. I’m praying for people who may be lost, hurting or confused just like the people in the story. I’m wondering how it applies to our world today and how I can live this truth out in the community of New Smyrna. I spend quite a bit of time each day preparing messages, counseling and doing other adult stuff when I’m in the office. This time has consistently reminds me what it means to be a child of God and to have a child–like faith. Who knows what next week will bring……but I can’t wait.

From Patti Earl, Church Secretary

I have spent a lot of time lately wondering if there was something wrong with me. I watch people who have a way of speaking about their faith that left me feeling inadequate at best. Not being one to pretend to fit in, I found myself withdrawing from conversations that centered around God.
To come to terms with my perceived inadequacies, I started, again, from the very basics. I believe that God created all things. I believe He loves me and is in control of my life. I believe His Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins. I believe He instilled in me certain traits, skills, and gifts that make me who I am. I, also, believe I can not even begin to understand Him or who He truly is in his “wholeness”.
I am awed by God. I see his creation and am dumbfounded by the beauty of it. I can not put that feeling into words. I am confused by things that happen that seem unloving and unkind. I can not simply accept them without questioning why. I find comfort and hope in the Bible but I can not pretend I completely understand it and the history behind it.
Does God know all of this about me? You betcha! Does He love me less because I am not a gifted communicator or have these questions? Absolutely not! I believe in the words of the song, “Just as I am….O, Lamb of God, I come.”

What I"m Learning About Drawing Near to God (Jamie Sulle, Children's Director)

After the Crown Financial Seminar, a suspicion of ours became clear, cable would have to go! Shawn and I decided no more DVR and 200 channels. We even kissed internet, goodbye. We figured we could use the extra couple bucks to chip away at some debt and less TV equals some flex time for reading and family time. Seems I don’t have extra time for laundry and dishes, but hey, priorities. I’m currently reading Pursuit of God, in which chapter 2, confirms just how little I need cable TV or high speed internet and how much I need God at the center of my life. I trust him with my son and my marriage. And I know He has plans for me. I love how He reveals little pieces along the way through His Word and events in my life. If patience were a spiritual gift, I don’t think I would have it. Maybe that’s thanks to fast access and high speed on demand living. I used to use DVR to record a half hour show called Ace of Cakes. It’s a cool reality show about a bakery that makes unique cakes. Not only do you get a little preview of fresh cake designs at the beginning of the show, but they skip all the planning and baking and jump right into the fun stuff, decorating! And to top it off I would fast forward through commercials. So in the course of 22 minutes I would see the final result of 5-7 cakes. I trust that someone called to order the cake and that recipes have been tested to ensure quality and that the cake was paid for. My faith in God’s word tells me that I’ve been called, tested and paid for by the blood of Christ. I trust in God’s promise to never leave me, even when I can’t fast forward through life’s commercials.

Solitude (Pastor Tim)

I seem to connect to God best when I'm alone, so I've tried to build time for solitude into my routine. There's something peaceful and spiritual about quiet, focused, leisurely time for reading the Bible and other inspiring literature, prayer, journeling, or at times reflecting on my life's direction, the things God has called me to do, and my next steps at growth and Christ-likeness. I'll mix up my routine, but in the end, solitude - aka "peace and quiet" - helps me most by providing the time and mental space that deeper spirituality seem to require.