Begin Reading on January 1

Beginning January 1, our congregation will begin reading through The Story together!  Please read the following by Sunday, January 8:

• Adults & Teens, read pages 1-12 (if you don’t have the book, simply read Genesis 1-8).
• Elementary Students, read pages 10-27
• Preschool Students, read pages 10-13

If you are a parent, I encourage you to read WITH your child.  Don’t be intimidated!  This is your opportunity to pastor your child!  As you read, pay attention to what you learn about God: who He is and what He has done!

Writing Your Life Chapter

If you think Genesis is just a band from the ‘80’s . . .
If you think it was Dr. Dolittle who took two of each animal into a big boat . . . If you think an epistle is a woman married to an apostle . . .

. . . you may need to know more of The Story.

You may be a bit intimidated by the Bible. You’re not alone; many people are. And no wonder, its pages mention odd names and contain accounts from places you probably never heard of.  And it seems to be made up of a lot of different, seemingly unrelated stories. But it really is one big, exciting story.

You can see it easily if you open your Bible to the beginning and then flip all the way to the end.

The first words found in Genesis 1:1 read: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  Then, if you turn all the way to the back of the book, Revelation 21:1, you find, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away . . .”

In the beginning God is creating the heavens and the earth. At the end he is creating a new heaven and a new earth.  So the big question is this: “What on earth happened between the beginning and the end of the Bible?”  If you can answer that question you will have uncovered the one seamless story of God.

Why not read God’s story with your family this year?  Studies indicate if the extent of your child’s exposure to things of the faith is only a weekly visit to church or Sunday School, the likelihood is very great that when she graduates and leaves home her relationship with the Lord will turn cold.

However, if you as a parent engage your children in the experience of reading and discussing the Bible, chances go up astronomically that they will remain strong in their faith after leaving home.  You don’t have to be an expert or have all the answers.  You just have to be willing to experience it with them.

Get involved in The Story of God.  It will forever transform your life and your family’s life.  Every day God is seeking to guide you, forming sentences that flow into paragraphs that over time write the chapter of your life––a life committed to knowing him better.

Will you choose today to take your life chapter and make it a part of the Big Story of what God is doing on earth?

Devotional Books Now Available

A huge part of The Story experience is reading through the devotional book.  We will begin reading together as a church family on Sunday, January 1.

Devotional books for adults, teens, elementary school students, and even preschoolers are now available at the church (or contact Pastor Ken to obtain your copy).  Our prayer is that whole families will be able to read through these stories together!  (Wee Adventure, Kid Adventure, and Shift Student Outreach will all be going through the same materials in their weekly gatherings.)

Join us on a Journey through The Story

On January 1, 2012, Journey Church will be embarking on a journey through the Story of the Bible.  We believe that “the greatest story ever told” is more than just a clever cliche.  The Story is all about God going to great lengths to rescue lost and hurting people.  In the coming weeks, check back to this site for helps in reading through the story.