Christ UMC Family,
I want my life to matter…and not in some materialistic, self-inflated sense.
I want the breath that I breathe, the energy I expend, the money I make, and the actions I take to find their confluence in something monumental—something transformational, something indelible, something that transcends the temporal and points to something eternally valuable.
I want my life to matter. Moreover, I want my kids to know that they count and that their lives count for something. Beyond the final score of the sports arena (though team accountability is important) and beyond advancement in the classroom (though academic excellence is standard), I want my kids to be inculcated within a community of people who equip them to be countercultural, who dare them to be extravagantly generous, who challenge them to take risks that require them to not only sacrifice but shows them that self-sacrificial love results in something life-altering, joy-filled and generative for the world. Accordingly, I want my family’s life to be a function of the fulfillment found in an empty cross and a risen Christ who calls us to be part of building a richer story—the Good News of God’s kingdom coming and God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.
I want my life to matter…and not just matter, but to mirror Jesus: to model his grace, mercy, truth, provision, peace, and resurrective power in the world. I can think of no greater call, no more worthy a pursuit, no more meaningful an expenditure of resources, through no greater channel than the church, for no more critical a time than now. Please hear me: I’m not writing for flair or hyperbole. Consider this a personal ministry manifesto and thereby an invitation to make it your own.
If any of what you’ve just read resonates with the deep desires of your heart and mind, if it aligns with the values you seek to espouse in your family and expand in the world, then join me and my family in committing to the coming year to mirror Jesus and to make an impact that matters in the world so that those in the world might come to know that they matter too.
Bathe your commitment card in prayer (if you would like a physical card and did not receive one, please call the church office at 304-242-2455). Consider all the saints—past and present—who played a part in preparing a place for you to know the goodness of the Gospel and the grace of Christ Jesus. Next, join me and others (during worship on Nov. 19th) in committing to be faithful to do the same. If you cannot make it in person that Sunday, please either mail it to us in the care of Belinda Austen, our Financial Secretary to Christ United Methodist Church, 1232 National Rd., Wheeling, WV 26003 or you might consider systematic contributions through our secure, in-house online giving feature.
We’re building a current and future generation of Jesus followers. Come and see! Give and live!
In Christian Devotion,
