There'll be no weekend edition today, since we seem to behind a day anyways...so this'll correct it. Don't forget, we do have a meeting tommorrow (May 1)after lunch, because May 8 is Mothers' Day and I know you want to have lunch with yous mums. So here's today's installemnt from Aaron!


John 2:1-11

water to wine-what a crazy concept

For one, I think that its great that Jesus does these great miracles to below average people. If you were Jesus' mom, could you go up to him and say, "Hey Jesus were out of wine what do youu think about helpin us out here?" I think that its good that she knows that he can help but I dont know if I would ask for more wine from him, thats for sure, maybe the cure for cancer would have been good...but anyways. And then Jesus talks back to his mom, "Why you get me into these things?" - crazy. Then he makes the servants fill the buckets up with water and turns them into wine, and just not any old wine but the best. You always use to drink the best first then when everyone was tipsy you get out the cheep stuff, but no, Jesus makes it the best. If you could make wine wouldnt you make the best also? Even though its not a major thing, he didn't heal anyone sick or fly somewere or something huge like that, he kept it low key and then the bridegroom thanked him for what Jesus had done. I think its great!
How Jesus didnt go braggin and say, "Hey you! See me change that water to wine!" that would have been bad on his part, so good him. It says that it's the first miraculous sign so you know there is only more to come and that the fallowers put there faith in him. I think this is a great passage.

¶ 4:12 PM //

Sorry for the latness - I was out all day on Wednesday - but here it is...


John 1:35-42

i actually laughed while reading this passage because when Jesus turned and saw the three he said What do you want? i thought that was funny. it reminds me of Dory in finding nemo. (in a way)

but what really stuck out to me in this passage is how easily the disciples followed Jesus. they just said look there he is. and followed. if you read in the passage before it you will hear the testimony of john but the other disciples also. i don't know maybe im totally getting the wrong thing out of this, im not the brightest. thats just what i saw first and foremost.

i want to be like that. i wish i were. it took me years to finally dedicate my life to God. but im glad i did. lets go to canada and make disciples.

~Lacy

¶ 3:35 PM //

note: apparently the title links are not operational...it's because this blog set-up is imported and not complete. So now, each devotional will include a link like this:

John 1:10-14

Jesus comes into the world! WooHoo! How exciting. A bit confusing at first. Talking about Jesus being in the world but the world not recognizing it and not welcoming Him, even though he created the world. I think that has as much meaning now as it did when he was actually here. Jesus is all over the earth- but people just don't see it, don't recognize it.

It goes on to talk about how the people who did accept him were called Children of God. How awesome is that? That always makes me feel valued... So in Vancouver- so far we'll be walking around in a "dark" land where they don't recognize Jesus, and we'll be the light filled children of God!

The next verse is so significant- "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." Flesh for describing God was a strong word. That single word stresses the reality of Christ's humanity. This verse might also connect us to Vancouver. Will people tell others that we come and "made a dwelling" with the local "outcasts"...will we be remembered for our just being there and doing some things for them?

I hope so.

¶ 2:14 PM //

In preparation for our mission (from Jesus to Vancouver) we are going to spend time reading and reflecting on the gospel of John. This book shows Jesus as a radical/revolutionary who turned the world on its perverbial ear.

John 1:1-5

The beginning of the gospel of John starts with a quick description of the creation of the universe, but it really quickly turns to the spiritual realities instead of the physical creation. There is these huge word turns that happen within the Scripture, but I think the overtone that is in these first five verses comesin verse 5. Light = life, then darkenss = death. So when it says that the light shines in the darkness, it means the life shines in the death, but the death has not understood it.

What on earth does that mean?

I think it means that things that are dead don't desire life. Like once you're dead you cannot fight to live any longer. You no longer even desire to live. You are dead.

I think that speaks tons aobut how God loved us while we were still sinners (read:dead). Before knowing that light/life exists, dead/dark people don't even have a desire for it. For us, this should prompt us to praise and worship to a Savior who came to us way before we came to Him. Jesus chose us long before we chose Him. Jesus believed in you (and me) way before you (and I) beleived in Him.

If you aren't feeling warm and fuzzy by now.....

Also, this has implications for us on the mission. We will be the bearers of light to many people who don't even know that this light/life exists. As stunning to some of you as that may be, many of the people we will meet don't even know Jesus as a swearword. They have no concept of Him. No concept of life.

Reflect: How is the light shinning in? How is the light getting rid of your dark spaces? How is your light doing the same for the world around you?

¶ 2:33 PM //

Here's the schedule for the online quiet times.

You can click on the links that are available below in order to go straight to the devotional. This will be helpful as you are doing all of the devotionals. As a reminder, all of the devotionals up to June 10th must be completed by June 17th.

If you don't know what to do, check what others are doing, but don't just replicate someone else. The easiest way is to read your Scripture, pray about what it says and then write what you think God is showing you. There is no right/wrong way....

April 25 - James - John 1:1-5
April 26 - Theresa ~ John 1:10-14
April 27 - Lacy ~ John 1:35-42
April 29 - Aaron ~ John 2:1-11


May 2- Kacee ~ John 2:12-25
May 3 - Mandy ~ John 3:1-8
May 4 - Chelsea ~ John 3:16-21
May 5 - Joyce ~ John 4:4-14
May 6 - Logan ~ John 4:19-26


May 9 - Michelle ~ John 5:2-15


May 16 - Heidi ~ John 6:61-69
May 18 - Logan - John 7:14-20
May 19 - Kayla - John 7:25-44
May 20 - James - John 7:45-53

May 23 - Brianna - John 8:1-11
May 24 - Theresa - John 8:12-19
May 25 - Mandy - John 8:23-30
May 27 - Lacy - John 8:48-59

May 30 - James - John 9:1-17
June 3 - Joyce - John 10:22-42

June 6 - Lacy - John 11:1-16
June 7 - Mandy - John 11:17-36
June 8 - Heidi - John 11:36-44
June 9 - Chelsea - John 12:1-11
June 10 - Cassie - John 12:12-19

June 13 - Joyce - John 12:20-25
June 14 - Kacee - John 12:26-36
June 15 - Michelle - John 12:44-50
June 16 - Logan - John 13:1-12

June 17 - Tim - John 13:13-17

June 20 - Eric - John 14:1-7
June 21 - Kayla - John 14:15-21
June 22 - Brianna - John 14:22-24
June 23 - Luke - John 15:1-8
June 24 - Theresa - John 15:20

June 26 - Amber - John 15:21-27

¶ 1:31 PM //

Here's the schedule of who signed up to work the hunter safety class candy bar - you'll want to show up 10 minutes early and check in with Steve Bumgartner, he'll be leading the class. Do a great job!!

4/25 (mon)6-9pm - Eric McAnulty, Logan Swank
4/29 (fri)6-9pm - Joyce Roth
4/30 (sat)6-9pm - Brianna Trower, Kayla Goldman
5/1 (sun)2-5pm - Cassie Allen, Chelsea Moreau (note earlier time)
5/3 (tues)6:30-9:30pm - LAcy Fox, Tim Machado

J@<><

¶ 10:14 AM //

This Saturday night is the practice for our leading of the worship service. We will meet in the Worship center at 6:30 pm - we will go through some things with both the missions team and the music team and then split off to work on our own individual things. We're looking at 1.5 to 2 hours of practice.

I'm pretty excited about this weekend - I hope that you are too. Please remember to be in prayer for the 2 services, for us as a team and for the people coming.

Then on Sunday you will all need to be at the church at 8 am. We'll go through some last minute details and then get to work.

Lokking forward -

J@<><

¶ 11:34 AM //

One of the forms you were required to fill in was your individual financial commitment sheet.

This page was to decide how much you were going to personally contribute, so that we coudl gage how much group fundraising was going to be required. Many of you have not turned in that sheet yet, and that is crippling fundraising planning.

This sheet MUST be turned in by our Saturday night practice this week. If you need a new copy you can either get one on Wednesday night or email James (james@sacchurch.org) and I will send you one via email.

Drumroll please - I know all of you are wondering if you have/ have not turned this in...so, at the risk of naming names - I don't have them from Aaron, Cassie, Eric, Kacee, Kayla, Logan, Mandy and Michelle.

Let's get these in, please.

¶ 1:03 PM //

Here are some massive improvements to the site!!

Using a new template, I lost the tag board, but will try to recover one. Also, if you want a link to your personal blog, you'll need to email me. I lost all the links when changing templates. I'll put up some, but if yours is not here, then email me.

J@<><

¶ 10:46 AM //

April 17 - Mandy, Brianna, Michelle, Eric MAC

April 24 - Kayla, Lacy, Logan, Cassie (This week is also the youth service)

¶ 12:02 PM //

Had to make some major changes so that the code for the site will work.

I'll try to bring back more stuff as we go.

James<><

¶ 11:41 AM //

This is our now famous Vancouver website!!

It will be a place to post updates, announcements, devotionals and all sorts of stuff!!

Hope you have a great Thursday!

¶ 1:45 PM //

This is the training schedule for the Vacnouver Missions trip.

April 23 - evening - prepare for youth service on Sunday

April 24 - 8am - 12:00 pm >> youth service presenting Vancouver to the congregation
April 24 - 12:30 - 2:00 pm >> after service lunch and training

May 1 - 12:30 - 2:00 pm >> training meeting

May 15 - 12:30 - 2:00 pm >> training meeting

June 5 - 12:30 - 2:00 pm >> training meeting

June 18 >> all day retreat and training

June 26 >> training and parents' meeting

July 3 >> after church training meeting

¶ 2:44 PM //