Serving

If you are an American, hope you had a wonderful celebration of our nation's birthday. If you didn't take time yesterday, be sure to thank God for placing you in a country where you currently have the freedom to worship Him! At the same time, pray for those nations that actively persecute Jesus-followers, that God would protect those who follow Jesus as well as call the leaders of those nations to follow Him.

Serving Up More
This past Sunday, I talked about the spiritual discipline of serving. One of the Scripture passages we looked at together was Galatians 6:10, which reads:

"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

However, because this verse was not our "key" verse for the morning, I did not take the time to put Galatians 6:10 in context. But if you go back and read the verses surrounding it, you'll see that shortly before verse 10, Paul writes this famous quote:

"[F]or whatever one sows, that will he also reap."

Paul's point is that if you "sow" your FIST (finances, influence, skills, & time) into your selfishness, you will "reap" corruption. But if you "sow" into the Spirit, you will "reap" eternal life. And part of "sowing" into the Spirit, according to Paul, is to serve others.

And as we saw Sunday, you are to serve two groups of people, those inside the church family and those outside the church family.

So here are some ways you can "sow into the Spirit" through serving...

Inside the Church Family

• Be a teaching assistant in the Kids Creek Elementary Class
• Be a preschool teacher in the Kids Creek Preschool Class
• Hold and play with babies in the nursery
• Do some admin help during the week
• Join a new finance team we are starting
• Greet and/or Usher on Sunday mornings
• Play or sing in the band
• Put out signs at 9:00 am on Sundays
• Drive the Wartburg shuttle during the school year
• Volunteer with the Overflow Middle School Group
• Become a Growth Group apprentice to learn how to lead your own Group
• Edit and post the Sunday message podcast online

There are so many things you can do. Whatever you are interested in, let me know and we'll do what we can to find a way for you to serve the Riverwood family.

Outside the Church Family

• Volunteer at the Waverly Community Gardens on a Tuesday evening and/or Saturday morning
• Mow your elderly neighbor's lawn
• Donate some items to the United Way's "Christmas in July" hygiene-product drive (link is to a Word .doc)
• Volunteer at the Waverly Community VBS
• Deliver food to shut-ins through Meals on Wheels
• Serve at the monthly Waverly Food Bank (we are serving this coming Tuesday!)
• Give some time to a child through Big Brothers Big Sisters
• Volunteer at your children's school this fall
• Make friends with the residents at a local care center
• Plan a neighborhood BBQ

I think you'll discover that when you "sow" into people's lives through the giving of your time, energy, and presence, you will "reap" far more than you ever imagined. So enter into this spiritual discipline of serving!