Good Grief

Greeting Impacters,

'Grief'

It's a beautiful week so far here in sunny Florida. Last weekend I attended my best friend, Andy Escobar's bachelor party. It brought me back to so many of the good times that we've shared over the last 10 years since we've been friends. It also made me realize that not all the memories are full of happiness, excitement, and adventure but that some are sad, painful and even devastating. 'Grief' is a process that an individual goes through after an emotionally devastating event occurs in their life. I've personally dealt with such emotions - since graduating in 2006 I've witnessed the burial of at least eight of my friends. Not all memories are happy so the real question is - How do we handle 'grief' when the tragic times come? Is there a method to deal with it? Ultimately, we should look into God's word to see what He wants for us.

Friday, we'll be in Matthew 14 looking at the story of Jesus as he feeds the five thousand. We'll focus on the events leading up to this great miracle to see how Jesus dealt with 'grief' after the loss of his beloved cousin John. Don't miss this opportunity to dive into God's word and uncover the truths of scripture.

Join us this Friday in the Student Center.

Praise the Shepherd,

Mike Sanders

Bay Life Church

1017 Kingsway Rd.

Brandon, FL 33510

(813) 661-9636

Here&Now

It's Friday Impacters,

We all know what that means don't we? - it's time for us to worship and seek the Lord at Impact tonight. We should be doing this regularly anyway, apart from Friday nights - we always say, "God cares more about what happens outside of the building than what happens inside it." Now for all of you who might come at me with a theological standpoint and say, "Jesus wants us to be in Church" this is for you...you are absolutely correct! I 110% agree with you that Christ no doubt calls us to be in community with believers and to constantly be encouraging one another but I also know that our calling is to go into the world and make disciples of His name. We can't do that if the only time we are being intentional with people is at Church. A good percentage of the people in the church are already going to be believers, but again this doesn't negate our responsibility to sharpen one another either. We are to continually challenge one another and keep each other accountable. Paul commanded Timothy to train himself in Godliness - are you doing this? Better yet, are you training others the same way? That's what we're going to be looking at this week - now that we are saved, believers, disciples, chosen ones or whatever you want to call yourself, what does God expect of you - what are we called to do now?

I'm tired of a generation where the heathen, fallen, and evil world has more boldness than believers who bear the name of the most powerful being in the universe - He who is the supreme example of courage, Jesus Christ. We'll be studying Hebrews 10 tonight, it says, "Therefore, brothers, since we have 'confidence' to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God." We can be 'CONFIDENT' in the sacrifice of our Savior and the power of his death and resurrection. This event holds the greatest significance for us as followers of Christ and it's the center of our theology. Without it, we are no better than any other pagan religion.

So, don't miss out as we finish our series Then&There/Here&Now week 2 - Here&Now. I'm excited to share what God's been working on in me this week. I know it's something we all need to hear, whether you have been a believer for 20 years or 6 months.

I'm blessed to be able to share my weekly thoughts with you all - I love you all very much.

Bay Life Church • 1017 Kingsway Rd Brandon, FL 33510 • baylife.org

Michael Sanders
Impact Intern
Bay Life Church
813-661-3696 ext 227

Happy Friday Impacters! First day back ...

Happy Friday Impacters!

First day back in the office from visiting my brother Brandon in Seattle, WA. It's been 9 years since I've seen Brandon or his wife Michelle and my nephew Hayden who I'd never met. It was exciting to get away from the heat & humidity of Florida and go where there is cool and normal weather. Plus, the 'Salmon Days' festival was on so I got to indulge in some of the best salmon I've ever tasted. *Note - if you want to go somewhere to eat salmon, go to Seattle.


But enough chatter about how awesome my week was, let's get to the point of this blog. At Impact this week, we're starting a series called Then&There/Here&Now to talk about the issue of who we were prior to Christ and our need for a savior - about how we're His chosen ones - see Colossians 3:12. Then&There is this week - we're looking at why Paul had to address these issues with the Church in Colossae. I often wonder if we're like that church, made new creations but continually going back to our old ways and not striving toward what Christ has or wants for us as His chosen.

Join us this week at 8pm in the Student Center to hear and learn from God's Word - to look at the ways He wants to challenge us to be more like His Son, Jesus Christ. Come out at 7 pm if you'd like to join us as we seek God in prayer for His Spirit to move on the evening and for guidance in our walks with Him.

Dont miss out on what God wants to do in your life and through your life. Hope to see you there!


Praise the Shepherd,
Mike