Shawn's Weekly Newsletter List

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:12:00 GMT

Last weekend Kendal Hommes wrapped out our "Do It Now" series with a message from James 5 called "Pray In Faith". If you missed it, we will have it up on our website a bit later in the week. In fact, you will be able to find all the messages from the series there. Just go to <a href="http://www.ehills.org">www.ehills.org</a>. I hope James challenged you to act on your faith. His main point is that the faith we claim in Jesus needs to be turned into action. Where in your life were you challenged to do something? Are you doing it? As we head in to the weekend, let me tell you about some special stuff that is going on as a part of "Step Up And Serve" Weekend. These are some ways you can help those in need. <ul> <li>On Friday evening, September 10, there will be a spaghetti dinner at the church from 5-8 pm. Suggested cost is $5 per person or $15 per family; all proceeds will go to the Benevolence Fund, a fund that helps people in our church with special financial needs.</li> <li>Also on Friday evening, we will assemble the Africa "Caregiver Kits" and Delores toiletry bags, and collect layette items for Alternatives Pregnancy Center. All of these are great opportunities to serve those in need and are also family-friendly service projects, so come with the whole family.</li> <li>On Saturday morning, you can also eat and serve. Men's Ministry will be offering breakfast at 8. It will be followed by a trip to the World Vision Warehouse where you can help pack up items that will again go to those in need. Men will be leaving church about 8:30 and be at the warehouse from 9-12.</li> </ul> Then, as you head to worship this weekend, come and enjoy what we call "GO Weekend". It launches us into the fall program. We will have food at all the services as well as inflatables and balloon animals for kids. In addition, we will have our now famous Chili Cook-Off after the 10:45 service. This is a great weekend to invite some friends to church. This weekend we will also launch a new sermon series that will set up our theme for the year. It is called "Consumed" and will be about the consuming love Jesus has for us and the consuming love he asks for in return. For this weekend, read Romans 5:6-8. Meditate especially on verse 8. What does it teach you about the love God has for you? On the family news front, we want to extend sympathy to Arch and Linda Herrema in the death of Arch's brother and to Steve McGill and his family in the death of Steve's brother. Pray God's peace and blessing on them. I am looking forward to the weekend and all that is planned. Hope you can join us. Blessings, Pastor Shawn PS: One last thing. We have been pretty crowded at 10:45, both in the parking lot and in Children's Ministry. Remember that there is extra parking in the corner lot. Also, it helps if some of you who are normally at 10:45 make use of either the 6 pm Saturday service or the 9 am Sunday service.

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:58:00 GMT

It is almost Labor Day! That likely means you are looking forward to what feels like the last weekend of summer. I hope you will find time to relax and enjoy it. It always seems odd to me that we celebrate work (Labor Day) by relaxing. But I am not going to complain. Can you imagine if we celebrated Labor Day by doing more work? That would be a bummer. Given that I am in holiday mode, let me just give you a couple of brief items as you head into the weekend. Last weekend's message was called "Trust God For The Future". If you missed it, you will be able to watch it online, but will likely have to wait until Saturday for that. We are working behind on getting that posted to the website. Kendal Hommes is preaching this weekend. He will wrap up the "Do It Now" series by teaching on intercessory prayer. The message is called "Pray In Faith" and is based on James 5:13-17. Take some time to read through those words and reflect on them before the weekend. The following weekend will be what we call "GO Weekend". It will launch the ministry year. We will have food and fun stuff for the kids. It is a great time to invite someone to church. If you are heading out of town for the weekend, travel safely. If you are in town, we hope to see you at church. Blessings, Pastor Shawn

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:19:00 GMT

Most all of us have played "tug of war" at some point. The premise is pretty simple. One person (or a bunch of persons) grabs one end of a rope. Another person (or group) grabs the other. They each pull to see which one is stronger. The side that is stronger imposes its will on the other side. In an odd way, we often get caught up in a tug of war with God. Sometimes it is conscious, sometimes not. Either way, the same principle is at work. We want to go our own way and rely on our own strength. That prideful approach to life always puts us at odds with God. God is pulling one way, we are pulling the other. It is, of course, silly. We can never win; God always prevails. All we can do is wear ourselves out and rob ourselves of the joy of being where God wants us to be, doing what he wants us to do with the strength he provides. The discipline we need to develop in our lives is pretty simple. We need to submit to our Heavenly Father and his will for us. We need to acknowledge his greatness. We need to embrace the plan he has for our life. We need to seek his strength to carry that plan out. You could almost say that our job is to drop our end of the rope. We just need to let go. In the act of letting go, the act of submitting, we open ourselves up to God's plan for us. We open ourselves up to his strength. And, rather than wearing ourselves out, we find energy and vibrancy to live the life he has for us. Let me ask you these questions: Are you submitting to God? Are you letting go of your end of the rope? Are you looking for his will? Are you looking for his strength? To do these things is the only pathway to obedience and joy. All that was the core of last weekend's message, "Submit Yourself To God". James is pretty blunt in his assessment of this issue. He just calls us to submit. I hope his words and the sermon really challenge you to think about the level of submission in your own life. If you missed the message, you can find it at our website, <a href="http://www.ehills.org/resources/resources_sermons.html">www.ehills.org</a>. We want to extend our sympathy and our prayers to the following families as they grieve the loss of a loved one: <ul> <li>Len & Mary Harcourt in the death of Mary’s mother, Karen Fisher</li> <li>The Duncan Family in the death of their daughter/sister, Taybor</li> </ul> This weekend we will move on to James 4:13-17. James challenges us to think about the future and how we approach it. The message is called "Trust God For The Future". It would be worth your time to read these verses and reflect on them a bit before you come for worship this weekend. Blessings, Pastor Shawn

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:40:00 GMT

About three years ago I became a motorcycle rider. After spending most of my life with no interest in motorcycle riding, something changed. What once only looked dangerous now looked exciting and enjoyable (while still looking dangerous). Part of the challenge for me was a simple fact of my driving habits: Up to that point, I had not been the most attentive driver of the four wheeled vehicles I used. I started driving early. I think I was 13 the first time I drove a car. And, I have driven for a lot of years. But my mind is often elsewhere when I am driving and when I have people in the vehicle with me, I am often engaged in talking to them. Here is what I discovered when I started riding a motorcycle. When I am not as attentive as I should be in a car or van, I have the stability of four wheels and the protection of thousands of pounds of material. On a motorcycle, there are only two wheels, so stability is an issue. And, there is virtually no protection if someone hits you. This is the lesson I learned. If I was going to ride a motorcycle, I needed to be way more attentive to the dangers around me. I needed to ride with great focus on my riding and on the potential dangers in the form of vehicles, pedestrians, and animals that were all around me. I learned to drive defensively. I learned that the only way to avoid crashing on a motorcycle is to live with a constant awareness that danger could come from any direction at any time. Here is why I share this: That principle of living with an awareness of a threat at all times is a good model for our relationship with the world. Last weekend, in our "Do It Now" series, we looked at James 4:4-5 where James warns us to not fall in love with the world around us. In other words, if we are followers of Jesus, we need to recognize that the world system is a threat to us. What the world believes about money, stuff, success, relationships, sexuality, etc is radically different than what Jesus calls us to. And, if we love all of that in the place of God, it will lead to a crash in our life. How do we avoid loving the world in the place of God? We live with a constant awareness of the threat of the world. Just like I ride my motorcycle (and increasingly my car) with an awareness of danger, I need to be aware of the danger of the world. When my heart is captured by the world, I am in trouble. There is, however, a difference between the motorcycle analogy and what James is talking about. On my motorcycle, danger looks like danger. A car turns in front of me; a pedestrian steps out when they shouldn’t; a rodent dashes across the road. I know those are trouble. But the world rarely presents itself as danger. Instead, the world tempts us. Whether it is money, stuff, success, sex, or something else, it presents itself as something we should love. At first glance it looks appealing, not dangerous. But hidden behind it is great danger. So ask yourself this: Are you living with a healthy awareness of the dangers the world presents to you? Are you resisting them? Are you investing yourself in deepening your love for Jesus? I would challenge you to spend some time reflecting on that. Allow God to challenge you and speak to you about resisting the world and loving him more deeply. If you missed the message, you can catch it at the website: <a href="http://www.ehills.org/resources/resources_sermons.html">www.ehills.org</a>. This weekend's message is called "Submit Yourself To God" and is based on James 4:6-10. Read through the passage before you come this weekend and begin to reflect on how those words intersect with your life. Blessings, Pastor Shawn

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:51:00 GMT

It is great to be back with you after a couple of weeks of vacation. Diane and I and our three younger daughters (what we call our new little family after marrying the two older girls off in the last half-year) went on a road trip. We drove from here to St. Catharines, Ontario to visit Diane's family and celebrate her parent's 55th wedding anniversary. Then we stopped in Michigan to visit my sister before we came back home the end of last week. We had a great time. It was a lot of driving (3600 miles) but we are thankful for our families and thankful for safe travels. We were nearly in an accident just outside of Detroit when a car spun out in front of us, but felt like God protected us then and for the duration of the trip. But as good as the trip was, it is better to be back home and back to the normal routine of life. Thanks for your prayers as we were on the journey. From all I have heard, it sounds like Mark and Kendal did a great job with preaching the last two weekends. If you missed their messages, you can find them on the website at <a href="http://www.ehills.org/resources/resources_sermons.html">www.ehills.org</a>. This weekend I am going to continue our study of James in the "Do It Now" series by looking at James 3:1-12. James challenges us to think about the way we use our tongue. Take some time to read through the passage and reflect on it before the weekend. Ask yourself some tough questions about the way you use your tongue. Do you use it to praise God? Do you use it to bless other people? Or do you use it in ways that bring damage? The message is called "Redeem Your Tongue". On Thursday and Friday of this week, 28 of our staff and other leaders will be at Cherry Hills Community Church for the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. Pray for us while we are there. This is an annual event and most years we send our leaders to it. It is a time when we are moved and challenged in what it means to follow Jesus and be the church in our local community. Pray that God will speak to us through the speakers we hear. I am really looking forward to seeing you all this weekend! Blessings, Pastor Shawn

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:59:00 GMT

Last weekend was a time for us as a church to remember and celebrate what God has done in bringing us to this point in our ministry. On July 1 we wrapped up our four year Stewardship Campaign that allowed us to move to this new location. Because of that, we wanted to stop and thank all of you who gave financially to make that happen. We received over $4.8 million for the campaign and are deeply grateful to all of you who gave. We also used the time to thank God for what he has done, not just in this campaign, but over the entire history of Eastern Hills. We did a bit of a tour of the history of the church and how we got to this point. It was a great time of celebration. If you missed it, you can catch my message online and join in the celebration that way. Just go to <a href="http://www.ehills.org/resources/resources_sermons.html">www.ehills.org</a>. I came away from the weekend with a deep sense of thankfulness to all of you who make EHCC such a great place and a deep sense of thankfulness and wonder at what God has done in our church. I also came away with a deepened sense of commitment about the road ahead of us as a church. God has done great things in our past, but I believe that there are even greater things ahead of us. We simply need to follow his lead. This weekend we will again pick up the Book of James as we continue in our "Do It Now" series. We are going to look at James 1:22-24 and what it teaches us about hearing and doing. Take a few minutes to read those verses and then spend some time reflecting on them. Where in your life are you prone to hear but not do? You could also read Jesus' words in Luke 6:46-49 and notice the image he uses to talk about the difference between obeying and not obeying. Just a quick note on the two weekends after that: I am preaching this weekend but will be on vacation the following two weeks. Mark DeNooy has the first of those two weekends and Kendal Hommes has the second. They will continue in the series. Mark will talk about James' challenge in 1:27 to care for the needy. Kendal is going to talk about the second half of chapter 2 where James challenges us to line up our action with our faith. I am sure they will both be challenging messages. Since I am on vacation, there will also be no email from me for the next two weeks. I look forward to seeing you this weekend! Blessings, Pastor Shawn

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:15:00 GMT

Do you have a hunger for wisdom? As you go through your life, are you regularly trying to figure out the wisest course of action? Whether you are in a moment where you are confused about a next step or whether you are simply caught up in the day-to-day process of living life, do you long to do all of that in a wise way? I love these words from Proverbs 16:16: "How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!" The writer here is pretty direct. It is better to have wisdom than to be rich. Because of that, we should have a life-long, passionate desire to get wisdom. Let me define wisdom for you: Wisdom is God's practical knowledge for us that helps us live life well in a way that honors Him. This is not the wisdom of the world; it is the wisdom that comes from our Heavenly Father. Last weekend's message was about how we get wisdom. We continued in our "Do It Now" series by looking at James 1:5-8. James is just as direct as the writer of Proverbs. In 1:5 he says this: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." The challenge of the weekend was pretty straightforward: We need to ask God for wisdom. So let me ask you a series of questions about that process. I hope you chew on these as you think about the pursuit of wisdom: <ul> <li>Do you have a regular habit of asking God for wisdom? If not, why not and what do you need to do to establish this habit?</li> <li>Do you understand that God's wisdom is different than the wisdom of the world? Do you make sure that you are seeking God's wisdom?</li> <li>When you are confused about a decision or about how to handle an area of your life, do you see that as an opportunity to ask God to give you wisdom? Or do moments of confusion simply frustrate you?</li> <li>Then, do you listen for the voice of God? He promises it to us. Do we listen expectantly to hear what he has to say to us? When we have heard, do we apply that truth to our lives?</li> </ul> One of the great experiences we can have in life is when the wisdom light-bulb goes on and we are clear on what God wants us to do and be. Life simply gets better when we live in that wisdom. But in order for us to receive, we need to ask. Are you asking? This weekend we are going to focus on a special time of celebration for the wrap-up of our four year, "It's About People" Stewardship Campaign. We are going to set James aside for a week and are going to look at Joshua 4. That passage gives us a great model of how to remember and celebrate what God has done. I think it will be a special weekend and hope that you can be there for one of our services. Take the time to read Joshua 4 as you prepare to come for worship. There is also an All Church Picnic this Sunday afternoon that will provide a chance to continue the celebration. Even if you have not rsvp'ed, you are welcome to come. Here are the details: <ul> <li>Where: Aurora Reservoir</li> <li>Time: 1PM—5PM; food will be served beginning at 1:30</li> <li>Cost: $10/car</li> <li>Burgers, hotdogs, plates, napkins, plastic-ware provided by EHCC</li> <li>Bring: Your own drinks; Last names A-H bring a dessert to share; Last names I-Z bring a side dish to share; Lawn chairs, water toys...</li> </ul> I hope to see you this weekend. Blessings, Pastor Shawn

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:41:00 GMT

Do you know that one of the worst things that could ever happen to you is that your life would go amazingly well all the time? I know that sounds odd. Most of us long for a life that would go well all the time and grumble when it doesn't. But when that is our attitude, we miss one of the great lessons of the Bible: Hard times help us grow in a way easy times never can. Here is what happens when things always go well: We tend to get lazy; we think we are amazing; we don’t have to struggle; we stay at the maturity level we currently have; we take our walk with God for granted. Here is what happens when life gets hard: We get humble; we have to struggle; laziness goes away; we grow; we cry out to God and he comes near to us. In other words, hard times deliver some things to us that good times never can. One of God's best strategies for our growth is to allow hard things into our lives so that they can shape and mold us to be more than what we currently are. That was the theme of last weekend's message. We started our new series on the Book of James. The series is called "Do It Now" and the first message was called "Accept Hardship". It was based on James 1:2-4 where James teaches us this principle. We can accept hardship and even rejoice because God uses it to help us grow (If you missed the message, you can catch it at <a href="http://www.ehills.org/resources/resources_sermons.html">www.ehills.org</a>). I hope this principle challenges you. Look carefully at the hard parts of your life to see how God is using them to shape and mold you into something more than what you are right now. Don't fight the hard times. Embrace them as growth opportunities from a Father who loves you. This weekend we will look at James 1:5-8. The message is called "Ask For Wisdom". Think about the places in your life where you are struggling with confusion right now. James will challenge us to use those places as a motivation to ask God for wisdom. Read and reflect on those words before you come to church this weekend. Just a reminder that the weekend after this one, July 10-11, we will use our regular worship services to celebrate the end of the Stewardship Campaign and to thank God for bringing us to this new location where we have a chance to help people take steps toward Jesus. Make a point of being there! I look forward to seeing you this weekend. Even though Sunday is the 4th of July, we are on our regular schedule this weekend with worship on Saturday at 6 pm and on Sunday at 9 and 10:45 am. Blessings, Pastor Shawn

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:42:00 GMT

It is good to be back with you after a week away. As most of you know, our oldest daughter, Darrah, got married last Saturday. We had a wonderful day celebrating with her and Jeff as they begin their lives together. Thanks for all the prayers. After a short honeymoon, they will be back in town this coming weekend and will then move to the southeast corner of Washington. We will miss having them close by, but are excited for their adventure together. Last weekend Mark DeNooy wrapped up the LoveU series with a message called "Love Perseveres". I have heard it was a really good message but haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet. If you missed it, you can do what I am going to do which is go to <a href="http://www.ehills.org/resources/resources_sermons.html">www.ehills.org</a> and catch it there. As we reach the end of this series, I want to issue you a challenge that is an extension of what Mark had you do at the end of last weekend's message. Take some time yet this week to sit and read through the two key passages we looked at in this series, 1 Corinthians 13:1-7a and Ephesians 5:21-6:4. Think about the specific things we have covered in this series. Evaluate how you are doing at applying those things in your relationships. Prayerfully ask God to guide you as to the changes you need to make. Then, ask God to work through you to love the people of your life better than you have before. Here is what I believe about relationships. If we learn how to love the people in our life in a way that is rooted in biblical wisdom, it will bring only good. Loving other people well will bless and help them. It will make their lives better. Not only that, it will make our life better. And the relationship you have with them is likely to become healthier and more fruitful. All from an investment in loving them well. Next to loving God through Jesus, there is nothing else in life that is as important as loving the people in your life. Make it a life-long priority to keep growing in doing that well. This weekend we launch into a new series, called "Do It Now!" We are going to study the Book of James over the course of the summer. James was written by the brother of Jesus. He was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. His book is filled with crisp directions and commands that challenge our behaviors and our life-style. We are calling the series "Do It Now!" because you get the sense from the book that James is a no-nonsense kind of guy who doesn't want us to spend a lot of time sitting around thinking and talking. He wants us to act. Over the course of the summer we are going to look at 10 specific directives that James gives us. We will start this weekend with a message called "Accept Hardship". It is based on James 1:2-4. Take the time to read and reflect on those words as you come to worship this weekend. I look forward to seeing you! Blessings, Pastor Shawn

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:27:00 GMT

Can I make a suggestion? Can I suggest that you take a tour back through the chapters of your life with the goal of forgiving anyone and everyone towards whom you have some unresolved resentment? Here is the context of that suggestion: Last weekend's message was on Paul's challenge to us in 1 Corinthians 13:5 that we "keep no record of wrongs". In other words, love forgives those who hurt them. In the message we looked at a number of things—the cycle that leads us to un-forgiveness, the cost of it, what forgiveness looks like, how we can do it, the challenges that come along with it (if you missed the message you can catch it at <a href="http://www.ehills.org/resources/resources_sermons.html">www.ehills.org</a>). Most of all, we were all challenged to forgive. We had time at the end of the service where in the quiet, before God, we could take people off the hook. When we did that, I expect that each of us had someone who quickly came to mind as a person we needed to forgive. It may have been a situation that was so painful that it was at the forefront of our mind. But before we let go of this lesson on forgiveness, I want to challenge you to do a scan of your entire life. Are there some people who have hurt you over the years whom you have never forgiven? Maybe the events are in the dusty recesses of your mind somewhere, but if you haven't yet forgiven them, you are still paying a price for that. Here is what you do: Find some time to yourself over the next few days to simply sit and do an inventory of your life. Take whatever time you need to do this, but think through the events of your life and find any places where you haven't taken someone off the hook. Then, in the quietness of prayer in the presence of the Father, forgive them. Be done with it so that you can fully get on with your life. Think of it as a house-cleaning. Once you clear your life of bitterness, resentment and un-forgiveness, you will have a feeling of freshness and energy as you step forward into the rest of your life. This weekend we will continue in the LoveU series by looking at 1 Corinthians 13:6 where Paul calls us to be truth-tellers in our relationships. I will do my best to help us understand how the biblical principle of honesty in relationships is the doorway to health and intimacy with the people in our lives. There will be no email next week as I am taking the week off to get ready for the wedding of our oldest daughter, Darrah. She and Jeff are getting married on June 19. Say a prayer for them and us as we go through this celebration. Mark De Nooy will be preaching that weekend and will wrap up the LoveU series. The weekend after that we will start a new series on the Book of James called "Do It Now". I look forward to seeing you this weekend! Blessings, Shawn

Shawn's Weekly Newsletter

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:57:00 GMT

Some of the biggest problems we have with anger boil down to a simple reality. We stay angry too long. And the longer we stay angry, the worse things get. I will explain that in a minute, but let me give you the context. Last weekend's message in our LoveU series was on managing anger (you can catch it online at <a href="http://www.ehills.org/resources/resources_sermons.html">www.ehills.org</a>). We looked at a variety of things that tie into that—how destructive anger is, inner issues that make us susceptible to anger and practical steps to take when we are angry. One of the steps came from Paul's words in Ephesians 4: 26-27 where he tells us to not let the sun go down on our anger. In other words, get through your anger fast. Here is why that is important. When someone hurts us, it is relatively normal that we experience the hurt and respond with some anger. It is one thing if we deal with that right away, let it go and get on with our lives. The problem happens when we stay angry. We replay the event that happened and every time we think of it, our anger deepens. Then, our anger begins to harden. The longer we stay angry, the more resentful we get of the person. The more resentful we get of the person, the more bitter we are towards them. The more bitter we are towards them, the more certain it is that we will end up in the land of un-forgiveness. Our hearts will inevitably become hardened towards the person who hurt us. In other words, the longer we stay mad, the bigger our problem. In fact, that helps make sense of Paul's sequence of characteristics in 1 Corinthians 13. He moves from anger to forgiveness when he tells us love keeps no record of wrongs. That leads me to two thoughts, one a follow-up on last week's message and the other a preview of next week's. First, are you paying attention to how quickly you get through your anger? There are other things to think of with anger, but concentrate on this: Do you have disciplines that make sure that the sun doesn't go down on your anger? If you don't, be aware of the price you will pay through increasing anger, bitterness and resentment. Make it a priority to deal with your anger fast. Second, are there places in your life where you have landed in the land of un-forgiveness? Are there people who have hurt you badly who you have not forgiven? This weekend we are going to tackle the topic of forgiveness in relationships. What does it mean to forgive someone? What is the price if we don’t? How do we actually forgive someone? In the message, I am going to try to give you practical help in dealing with this topic as we reflect not keeping a record of wrongs. I hope you can be there for the message. And, if you have a friend or family member who is struggling with this issue, invite them to church this weekend. I hope to see you at church! Blessings, Pastor Shawn