Bigger than ourselves...

A month ago I was listening to a podcast about churches and individuals making a difference in the world. I listened as pastors chronicled their experiences in being a part of something bigger than themselves. Congregations were challenged and churches made impacts that were far bigger than they could have ever imagined! I was encouraged and challenged as I listened to their reports. Later that week I realized that three out of four days I had heard people speaking about Compassion International and the ways that the organization was meeting the needs of children all over the world. My last wake up call was from, Janet Stearns who approached me on a Sunday morning wondering if we, as a church, would consider talking about the organization and encouraging people to sponsor a child. I took the information to staff and we unanimously decided that it was something we wanted to be a part of. We couldn't stand by and not play a part.

Steve, Brent and I talked about how many kids we could sponsor as a church. On an average Sunday, we have about 45 kids that attend our Base Camp and First Look ministries. We have the chance to impact those kids, for Christ, each and every week. Brent suggested that we think about matching the number of kids attending our weekly programs with sponsorships of kids. This determined our goal of sponsoring 45 kids!

The preparations were under way, Janet ordered materials, we recruited people to help in facilitating a table, we talked about it as a staff and Steve decided to highlight the needs and organization in his sermon. This past weekend, we were able to present to you the opportunity to sponsor a child for $38/month. Included in the monthly payment is:

• Food and clean water
• Medical care
• Educational opportunities
• Important life-skills training
• The opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God.

I am thrilled to report that we are on our way to our goal. We had 30 kids sponsored and we are 15 away from matching the kids we get to minister to each and every week. The pamphlets we received are good through October 10th and so we are still accepting sponsorships for the next two Sundays. I pray that you will consider being a part of something that is bigger than us! We can celebrate lives that will be forever changed because we gave to a cause with no expectation of receiving anything in return. Thank you for your part in making that a reality!

Don't forget, FUSiON is kicking off this weekend and our parking lot will be teaming with activities and excitement! We use this ministry and outreach as an opportunity to connect with those in our community and to help people in discovering the beginnings of a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ! I hope you will join us and bring your friends!

God Bless You!
See you Sunday!
Elizabeth Volz

I've been profiled

It's a soul searching moment when one realizes that they have a habit or pattern that is so obvious to others that profiling takes place. There's a group of people in the Lynnwood area that have been watching me closely and have reached some conclusions regarding who they think I am. I'm now forced to wrestle with how I feel about this, if I'll allow it to continue, or if I'll stand up for myself and not be labeled.

Four months ago Starbucks introduced a new flavored syrup to there line of offerings, Dark Cherry. It would be a stretch to say that I dream about enjoying that flavor but I actually don't dream much any more because I'm always awake from all coffee I drink with Dark Cherry added to it. There is not currently a drink I order at Starbucks that I don't include Dark Cherry. It's brilliant in an Americano, regular old drip and on a hot day a Passion Tea Lemonade with Dark Cherry is pretty much a cup of vacation.

The barristas at a nearby Starbucks now great me, with "Hello Dark Cherry" or "what will it be with Dark Cherry" or "You're back for more Dark Cherry". I don't feel like they really know me as a person, they don't see all of my other qualities, they've labelled me and now that's what I'm known for. Excuse me for just a second, my drink is ready at the counter. You guessed it, venti drip refill with dark cherry.

I've probably earned the treatment I get at Starbucks. It got me wondering. What do other people that I run into, during life, label me as? Am I known by my neighobrs as friendly, considerate and generous? The clerks at the grocery store, do they think of me as courteous, patient and grateful? Do my kid's teachers recognize me as caring, dedicated and loyal? Is it possible that the barristas actually also think of me as kind, authentic and good-natured?

Whether we like it or not people are going to label us with qualities they think fit us. I can't force them to think one thing or the other but I can be aware that it happens. I can think about the way I present myself, the words I use, the expressions I display and my responses to peoples actions and words. When I compare how little I'm actually in a church service, a bible study or planning meeting to how much I'm in our community interacting with people, I need to remember that people are profiling and labeling me.

I can let this scare me or I can choose to let this be a challenge and encouragement. What will you do? What will people think when you come to mind? It's your label, decide what's going to be on it.

Hope to see you this weekend,

Brent

It was a Football weekend

Last February my good friend Lynn Moore was in a terrible motorcycle accident. I got the call on a Tuesday evening when we were setting up for our Fusion family service at the church. When I got to Harborview Medical Center, where most of the serious trama accident patients in the northwest end up, my worst fears were realized. Lynn was in serious condition. The first few days we didn't know if he would survive or not. On about day five in ICU Lynn began to recognize some of the people who were coming to visit him and support the family. Lynn and I have had a football rivalry going on as long as we've known each other. He is a died in the wool Tennessee Vols fan. He grew up in and around Vols football all his life until he moved to Seattle. I on the other hand am an avid Oregon Ducks fan. We would go back and forth on who had the best team year after year but since they never played each other neither of us had any proof. This year for the first time ever the two teams were meeting in Knoxville on September 11th. It was going to be the first time we would have "proof" concerning how good the teams were.

One night when I was in his ICU room and he was alert I said, "Lynn if you get out of the ICU and into a regular room in 15 days I will take you to the Oregon vs Tennessee game this fall. You will have to walk on your own power". That gave Lynn 7 months. Well, he made it out of ICU in time. The first day I went to see him in his regular room he greeted me with his trademark huge grin.

The last 7 months Lynn has been in rehab. He is gaining his strength and getting back to normal. As I stood outside the Vols stadium last Saturday night with Lynn we both hugged each other and walked into the game. And what a game it was! I'm not going to tell you the score - you can find that out on your own. On this night it was a win for God and His faithfulness to Lynn and his family. I will say that I have a picture of Lynn wearing my Oregon cap however. It was a great night.

When I knew I was going to be in Tennessee I called a good friend who had moved there years ago to let him know I was going to be in the area and see if he had time to get together for coffee. Richard said, Coffee?! I've got Tennessee Titan tickets. Do you want to join me at the game"? I have two favorite Pro Football teams; the Seahawks and whoever is playing the Oakland Raiders. You guessed it! The Titans were playing the Raiders. It was a hot and humid afternoon and Richard and I sat there enjoying the whipp'n the Titans gave the Raiders and reconnected.

As Lynn and I returned home early this morning (Tuesday) we talked a lot about God's faithfulness and His goodness to us. I can't tell you what a joy it was to spend time with two of my good friends. Isn't God good?

Well, on to other things...

The Financial Peace class we are offering this next Sunday only has one person signed up. We thought it may be a scheduling thing so we have decided to delay the start date and move the meeting time to Sundays after the second service. If you are still interested go to the website and sign up. We will announce it again this Sunday and you can let me know at church. The cost is $93. It just may be the best $93 you'll spend this year. Give it some serious thought.

I am looking for a great Sunday with you in church!

As always, I am expecting God's best!

Steve

Fall is here...already?

School is back in session, kids are lined up with their new shoes as they wait for their school buses, the temperature has dropped at least 15 degrees, people are lighting fires in their fireplaces and Fall is in the air. September and October have always been a bit of an extension of summer around here but we will see what 2010 will bring.

The reality of summer being nearly over is definitely bitter sweet at the Volz house. There are parts of me that love the routine of the school year and Fall is one of my favorite seasons, I seem to accomplish way more now then I ever could during the summer. As much as I enjoy this season, there are other parts of me that are already mourning the loss of days for sleeping in, vacations around every corner and the opportunity to spend endless hours with my three boys, doing whatever we wished. That being said, school is here and its time to adjust!

We are really excited to be getting back into our fall programming at Silver Creek. We are going to be refocusing our energy on INVITE. We are working on a number of different opportunities to invite your friends to come and see what we have going on at SCFC.

October 3rd we have our big FUSiON kickoff. We decided that the gym setup, last year, left us with a bit of a sound engineering nightmare. Our room was way too deep and our sound was either too loud, in the front, or low energy, in the back. We wanted our actors and singers to be able to connect more effectively with EVERY person in the audience and so, as a result, we have decided to turn the entire room sideways! Ron Sund has been rebuilding our set, Rick Poole has been putting out fires with the technical side of things and we have countless people scrambling to put everything in place for a successful launch on October 3rd! I hope you are planning now to invite your neighbors, bring your friends and pack the place! The parking lot will be filled with all kinds of fun activities for our KidFest event and you won't want to miss out! Stay posted as we get closer to launch! We hope to have things in place, in the gym, to be previewed the week of September 23rd. Pray that details continue to be resolved and plans fall into place! We are also going to need your help in order to make that day a success! Sign-ups are available starting September 12th and we will desperately need anyone willing to pitch in.

We are also welcoming back the Taproot Theater on October 16th. There will be two different shows at 5 and 7 pm. "Remember Being Born" will be a great night and an opportunity to connect with other adults. The cost is $10, which also buys an additional ticket for a friend that doesn't attend a church. The adult council will be providing dessert for the evening! Mark your calendars, invite a friend and plan to attend.

Youth group for our 5-8th graders starts back up tonight (Wednesday) from 7-8:15 pm, High School youth group starts up on Sunday from 6:30-8:00 pm, SWAP officially kicks off on Sunday from 5-6 pm, our Women's Bible Study "Battlefield of the Mind" starts up tomorrow night and there is room still available if you are interested. Lots of things are happening at Silver Creek and we hope you and your family will take advantage of the opportunities to invite and plug in!

I'm looking forward seeing you all on Sunday!
Elizabeth

Things you can count on

Football in the fall, kids getting messy when eating ice cream, long lines at the Department of Licensing and free samples at Costco on Saturdays. These are just of few of the things we've learned to count on in life. They may not always be something we like, or find helpful (lines, messy faces) but we know that we can plan on them happening. Anytime we can plan on something or anticipate a result there is incredible security in that.

We've just wrapped up our message series looking at the meaningful contradictions of the beatitudes. If you missed a week or want to hear a message again check out our media page. Starting this Sunday we roll into our new series, Tried & True. This will be our focus through the month of September and then continue during the regular worship service on FUSiON mornings. We will be looking at promises from God that we find in the Bible and what we can anticipate from those promises in our life.

As I reflect on the last series and think about the one ahead, they tie into each other way better than we had even intentionally planned. All of the beatitudes, which are themselves a promise of blessing can radically change our lives when we live them out. I hope that as you think back on the meaningful contradictions we've looked at, you'll see just how much God truly wants to bless each of our lives. How much He desires for us to sense His presence, love and provision.

Moving into the fall our church wide focus will move to our core value of Invite. While you think about and experience God's promises and blessings in your life, ask God to bring people into your life and give you opportunity to Invite them to Silver Creek. My guess is that they too could truly benefit from the Tried & True promises of God that we will be looking into.

I hope you have an fantastic Labor Day Weekend. If you're in town, we will have one service at 11am, please join us.

Take care,
Brent

You gotta love the things kids say...

You have got to love the things kids say. Some of the following are statements that kindergartners made;

"Dear God, instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't you just keep the ones you've got?"
Jane

"Dear God, thank you for the baby brother but what I prayed for was a puppy."
Joyce

"Dear God, I bet it's really hard to love everybody in the world at the same time. There are only four people in my house and I can never do it."
Nan

"Dear God, if you give me a genie lamp like Alladin, I will give you anything you want except my money or my chess set."
Raphael

Dear God, the teacher said that Edison made light but I heard in Sunday School that you did it. I bet he stole your idea."
Donna

Dear God, please send Dennis Clark to a different camp this year."
Peter

"Dear God, Maybe Cain and Able wouldn't kill each other so much if they had their own room. It works for my brother and me."
Larry

Dear God, please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter. There is nothing good in there now."
Ginny

"Dear God, if we come back as something please don't let me be Jenniffer Horton because I hate her."
Denise

"Dear God, if you watch in church on Sunday I'll show you my new shoes."
Mickey

Sometimes I love day dreaming about great childhood memories. I grew up in a good family with 38 cousins and at last count over 80 second cousins. We stopped counting the third cousins because it felt like we were taking the federal census. We would have a family reunion every Labor Day. Most times we would have to reserve the entire park. I can remember the kids all over the place and all the excitement that came with the energy of a big crowd. Everyone was safe because we all watched out for each other. Even to this day when our family gets together we have a blast. The things kids say reminds me of the innocence of those times and the expectations we all had that everything was good and there was no prospect for that to ever change. Well, we all had to grow up and face the rest of what life had for us. For the most part it was good. There were a few tragedies, a couple of young cousins died as children. That still hurts a little even though we know they are with God. Out of 350 some Stricklers I can think of less that 20 divorces. That says something these days. I feel blessed to be part of great family traditions.

One of my favorite childhood stories was when my mom and I were at odds with each other. I thought she had been unfair about a number of things. I don't remember what they were now but I can remember hearing a line on TV where the Actor said, "This place isn't big enough for the two of us! One of use are going to have to leave.!" In the heat of the moment I said to my mom, "This house isn't big enough for the two of us! One of us is going to have to move out!" When my Dad got home that evening he made it very clear who would be moving out if he didn't behave. Mom and I laugh about it now but I don't think she enjoyed the comment much the day of. Kids say and do the darnedest things. I remember a few choice things my girls said when they were little. I'll spare them the embarrassment here but talk to me later.

I sit here this sunny day reflecting on God's goodness to our church and to our families and friends. Take a moment this week to write a note or a text or an email or twitter or whatever it is you do to communicate with a family member or a friend about how much you appreciate them.
See you in church.

As always, I am expecting God's best.

Great days ahead!

Steve

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Have you ever noticed that some people respond to bad news better than others? I can't recall when it happened but I clearly remember a time when I decided not to let what life throws at me to determine my attitude. I discovered that most times the most powerful tool I have at my disposal is the choices I make when something unexpected happens that isn't all the pleasant. Such was the case on the morning of August 6th a couple of weeks ago. Ruthie and I had left the day before on a much anticipated car trip in our little convertible Mazda Miata. The car was a recent purchase for the purpose of relaxation and fun drives in the country. Emily, our daughter recently married to Jeremy, was having a reception in Nampa Idaho where Jeremy grew up. Jeremy's family all live in Nampa and so they were planning a fun gathering of family and friends to celebrate the recent wedding. Ruthie and I were really looking forward to the trip which we were sandwhiching in between seven days of our road trip. Looking forward to the vast and beautiful parts of Montana and Idaho we were going to be driving through we set out on the morning of the 5th. The first night we stayed at a nice new Holiday Inn in Lewiston, Idaho. After an evening diner it was back to our room and a good nights rest. The next day we would travel through Grangeville, Riggins, New Meadows, Macall and then down into Boise and the Treasure Valley. A beautiful drive of about 280 miles. I got up at about 6:30 Friday morning and started getting ready for the day. I went out to the parking lot where I had parked the car the night before and to my shock, found that someone had taken a knife to the cloth top. My first response was, "Are you kidding me! That's going to be expensive!" The next thought was,"I wish I would have caught the rascals in the act!" My next thought I've already asked forgiveness for so there is no need to post it here. Now if the car was an old beater it would have been one thing, but this was a beautiful 20 year old car I found sitting in a teacher's garage for the last 12 years with less than 34,000 miles on it. It was like brand new. I was very proud of the purchase. As I stood there looking at the top cut into pieces I knew I had a choice to make. Will I let this destroy our vacation or will I be glad for the low deductible on my insurance policy and just go buy some gorilla duct tape patch the top together for the rest of our drive. I decided a long time ago to hold onto things losely and people tightly so the choice was actually pretty easy. It is only a piece of cloth I would need if it rained. We moved on and, by the way, had one of our best times ever!
The point? We all have choices to make as life throws us curve balls. At Silver Creek Family Church we are constantly vigilant to help people live life to the fullest and honor God at the same time. That means occasionally we have to turn lemons into lemonade. Good thing most of us really like lemonade.
As you face your week, be thankful for the people God has placed in your life. Remember the relationships you have are for life, the things you possess will fade and wear out. I continue to expect God's best for all of us.

Great days ahead!

Pastor Steve