Do you have any plans for the weekend?
Holy Week is a time of dreams (ok, God’s plans -even better) fulfilled. Somewhere in eternity God had a (dream) plan to be punished in place of the guilty, to set free the slaves, to redeem the unredeemable, to forgive the unforgivable and to love the unlovable, to die for those who deserved to die. Only God, right?!
That is all pious enough until I realize that I am the guilty, the slave, the unredeemable, the unforgivable, the unlovable the one who deserved die to eternally. Then, these truths make me perk up. Truths without application lead to ignorance at best and at worst a dead faith which is no faith at all.
During Holy Week two thousand years ago, people were preparing for the Passover, mini-vacations, big meals, family time. It was the a time of excitement and at the same time a time for the usual - been there, done that routine.
How is your week setting up? Big plans for the weekend end? The usual Easter fare perhaps?
I want you to know that what we Christians celebrate this week is anything but usual. In fact it is so unusual, that this is an “only God” week. Is your heart pumping a little faster now? This is an “only God” week.
Only God could in some mysterious/miraculous way give us his body and blood together with the bread and the wine. Only God would sacrifice his body and blood on the cross to set free the guilty, redeem the unredeemable, forgive the unforgivable, to show his love for the unlovable. Only God could mock death by becoming alive again!
Don’t’ get lulled into the same old, same old. This week is anything but usual. This week is anything but been there, done that. This week changes everything.
Searching for an Easter basket, as old as you are - it’s called forgiveness fresh and new all the time. Looking for an Easter dress or suit - it’s called Jesus’ robe of righteousness just for you. Wondering what the table is going to look like - it’s called a wedding banquet. Only God!
Friends, don't miss anything these next few days. Don't miss private promptings from God regarding what He wants you to reflect on this Holy Week. Don't miss a single opportunity to ask additional friends and family to come with you to the worship. Don't miss the sharing moments with friends, roommates and associates that this season affords.
March Madness continues Thursday at 6:30 pm with Jesus offering up his body and blood with the bread and the wine as he institutes the Lord’s Supper. Good Friday at 6:30 pm, the madness continues, as the people ask for the son of the father to be released instead of the Son of the Father. And then on Easter, the day that Jesus left the tomb empty, don’t leave your body or soul empty: Easter breakfast 9 am and worship at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm.
See you in the living room! Deal?!
Bill
]]>Can you believe it? It is February already.
If you are in the middle of the winter doldrums come take part in any or all of the following:
Friday the 5th 10:30 Women’s Bible Study - Dating
Sunday the 7th 10:30 am Worship
Sunday the 7th 5:00 pm Super Bowl Party
Sunday the 7th devotion at half-time of the game
Monday the 8th New Friends for more info call Abby 963-2047
Monday the 8th 7:00 pm Bible Class at UWM
Tuesday the 9th -8:00 pm Bible Class at MU
Wednesday the 10th 5:30 pm English as a Second Language
Wednesday the 10th 7:30 pm Bible Class at MSOE
Friday the 12th 10:30 am Womens’ Bible Study - Dating
Friday the 12th 6:00 pm Murder Mystery Dinner
Just a reminder - Ash Wednesday is February 17th Worship at 6:30 There will also be a congregational voter’s meeting on 17th after worship.
In addition to the above, the Olympics begin on February 12th and then Valentine’s Day is on Sunday the 14th!
It’s great to have all the students back in school. We are going to be throwing a few curves this semester as we strive to reach more and more college students. Thanks to all for your involvement and support.
God is good all the time! See you in the living room,
Bill
]]>Was the Christmas concert amazing or what? Talk about a celebration! Thanks be to God for allowing us this time to be in awe of him. Thanks to Em and Mike and the whole choir and instrumentalists for a special evening!
Tomorrow evening we also have a wonderful opportunity to join in the mystery and majesty of the Advent and Christmas season. The Candlelight Worship will begin at 6:30 pm.
After the Candlelight Worship the congregation and voters will meet to decide on whether or not to purchase the building. The majority of this work was done by our two committees that did a great job this past summer. The congregation has anticipated this day’s coming and now it is here.
It’s almost Christmas. Are you excited? I am. This weekend , the 20th, will be our celebration of Christmas worship time. As you are reading this music is being prepped and the message is being tweaked. It is going to be a great weekend as we celebrate the birth of the King. It will be a weekend to remember. Bring your family, friends, and strangers off the street. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, is born.
On behalf of my family, the ministry staff and the leadership team at The Point, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Christ-filled Happy New Year!
Celebrating Christ with you,
Bill
]]>I love it. The Advent and Christmas season is just amazing. I love being in awe of what God was planning to do and seeing it come to pass. You know the same is true today. God is at work in his ministry of love and salvation. I know from time to time things can get horribly rough and that is when we could be so glad that this world is not all that there is. We can celebrate that Christ is coming again!
Tonight, Thursday the 3rd, there will be cooking and church decorating taking place at The Point. The decorating will begin around 7 pm, so if you need a break from studies and want to have fun you know where to be!
A few things to make sure we are all up to speed.
Did you see it? It is finally snowing (ok flurries). Out with the drab and in with new. It reminds of Christ taking away our sins and graciously giving us his garments of righteousness.
Have a great week with Jesus. I’ll see you in the living room.
Bill
]]>What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Do you have a special memory from growing up? Or are you beginning to make memories that your children will reflect on in the years to come?
One of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving happened when I was in college. I went to a friend’s house in Menomonee, WI. It was snowing outside on that Thanksgiving Eve. The flakes from became beautiful shapes and sizes as they fell from the heavens and became visible in the porch light. Having grown up in the desert southwest – this was too cool.
But the memory of that Thanksgiving that I remember even more vividly and with awe happened the next morning in worship. The typical hymns were sung: Now Thank We All our God and God Bless our Native Land among them. The message and special prayer were given. Then it was our turn to walk individually or as a family up to the altar and offer up a portion of what God had given to us. How exciting it was to go and give back to God and realize that God was allowing each of us to be involved in his ministry. How encouraging it was to sit and watch fellow Christ-followers fall into line and communicate their thanks to God in a tangible way! That was amazing – seeing God’s people loving God and in effect saying, “I’m all in God. I love you. I serve you. You are my all in all.”
It’s my prayer that this Thanksgiving we will be “all in” and truly comprehend that Jesus is our all in all.
Thanksgiving worship at The Point will be on Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, at 6:30 pm. Out of thanks, come and offer your hearts and lives anew to Jesus our Savior.
A couple of quick reminders:
A special Thanksgiving meal will be held this Sunday (Nov. 22) after the 6:30 pm worship service.
Wednesday Advent worship will be held on Dec. 2, 9 and 16th at 6:30. The 16th will be a special candlelight worship service.
The Christmas Concert will be our worship service on Dec. 6th at 6:30.
Thank God for you and all you do in His name! See you in the living room!
Bill
]]>How’s your walk with Jesus going? If your stuck, in a rut, ready to break out, or on top of the world feel free to stop by and we can pray about it! You can share your pray requests with at pray@tpog.net.
Thanks to all of you who participated in the food drive in any way. The drive was a tremendous success. God led us to beat the odds again. How can a campus ministry care so much and love so much that so much was food was shared with the needy of our community . . . only God!
Some of you will be getting calls or e-mails in the next week or two. We are a part of a pilot leadership project with Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. The whole goal of this program is to assure you and others that we love you and care you. We want to learn how we can best serve you and your friends!
This weekend we will be in our third installment of the “We Need To Talk About” series. Our topic will be Abortion. If you, or someone you know, has had an abortion or is considering an abortion, please whatever you do be here this Sunday because God has a very special message for you.
We will hold our normal Bible class schedule from the 16-18th of November, but there will be no Bible classes the week of Thanksgiving. Be sure to mark your calendars.
I don’t know about you but I’m getting antsy. I’m ready for the holiday season to begin. Thanksgiving is just two weeks away from today and the Christmas concert is just three weeks from this Sunday, on the December 6 at 6:30).
God bless you!
See you in the living room,
Bill
]]>This week went by fast. I hope you enjoyed the extra hour of sleep last weekend. I know I did.
I hope, if you haven’t already, that you take a moment to see the fingerprints of God in your life. He is pouring his blessing down on you and me and The Point in only a way that God can do! At our staff meeting today, we had the privilege of reviewing some of these fingerprints of God in action. Changed hearts. Motivated lives. And that is just inside of the staff! Thank you for all you do to the glory of God here at The Point and in the world!
This weekend (Nov 8 ) is the last weekend for our fall food harvest. So you can still bring your non-perishable food items to The Point this weekend! What a neat way to share God’s blessings with others. If you can’t bring the food items this weekend do keep in mind that the Hunger Task Force is always eager to receive donations.
Things are really going to speed up over the next month and a half. So here are some highlights for you to keep in mind as we go forward.
November Teaching Series – We Need to Talk About November 22 Thanksgiving Dinner after the 6:30 pm service November 25th Thanksgiving worship service 6:30 pm
December Teaching Series – Beyond Imagination December 3rd – Cookie Decorating 7 pm December 6th Christmas Concert 6:30 pm December 2,9 and 16 are Advent Wednesday with worship at 6:30 (The 16th is the Candlelight worship service) These worship services will “play” off of some of our favorite Christmas songs.
See you Sunday in the living room,
Bill
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A lot of fun stuff (you can call it ministry if you want) going on this week.
First the Food Drive. This one is actually going on until Nov. 8. I am urging you and me to have one less soda or water every few days and use that money to purchase a nonperishable food items. Then bring that item or those items to The Point. All donations will go to The Hunger Task Force. Thanks to all who helped with getting this off the ground, especially Kelsey – GREAT JOB!
Bible Classes. This week at our UWM and MU sites we will begin a new Bible Class, “The Life and Ministry of the Messiah.” Talk about an insider view to the Savior of the world! Cool! At MSOE we will be wrapping up The Prodigal God. Women’s Bible study will meet this Friday and continue on looking at how God made us with our distinct personalities. Times and locations are on the web at tpog.net.
ESL meets this Wednesday from 5:30- 7pm at The Point. Feel free to come and just check out this dynamic ministry and see if you would like to be a part of it.
Servant Evangelism is also this Wednesday in the UWM union! We will be giving out candy and encouraging students to Taste and See that the Lord is good! Stop by and just say "hi," or stop by and help us meet people where they are at!
This week I will be in Aurora, IL for a conference. I’m looking forward to be lifted up and stretched. I’m sure this conference will have immediate dividends for the ministry God is allowing you and me to do!
A number of people have commented and asked about the video that was shown last night in worship. So here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA
Speaking of worship last night: WOW! It was so awesome to see so many involved in so many different ways.
Have a great week with Jesus. And I will see you in the living room on Sunday!
Bill
]]>I’m really fired up because many of you have stepped up to the plate of serving in Jesus name. It is so cool when we all use our gifts and talents to make a difference. And . . .
We are going to have an amazing opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives beginning this weekend. Our annual fall food drive begins this Sunday, Oct 25 and runs through Nov. 8. Now I know a lot of you as college students don’t have a lot of money but what if you gave up drinking just two bottles of water or soda per week. I’m not asking you to give it up altogether. I’m just asking you to give it up twice sometime throughout the week for the next couple of weeks. Then use that money you were going to use to buy a water or soda and use that money to buy a canned food item. Together, we will make a huge difference. Join the challenge and find the joy of serving.
This weekend we wrap up our Bedtime Stories series. Our final story is entitled, “The King has one more move!” It will give us a fresh perspective on our life and encourage us with hope! You don’t want to miss it.
The menu for the two dollar dinner this weekend is spaghetti. So plan ahead to enjoy friendships and a meal.
A heads up: I will be at a conference next week Wednesday and Thursday.
I’ll see you in the living room!
Bill
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