Hi, I’m Maggie Mobley from Sherwood Oaks Christian Church with a Minute Message.

These statistics support what many of us feel – that people play an important role in our life and in our faith.

People matter, relationships matter, and the church matters. Amazing things happen when we gather together with family, friends, and our church. When we are together we can experience the hope of Jesus and we can encounter God through the love and encouragement of others. Hebrews 10:24 says, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.”

When we are with others we can encourage each other, learn from each other, and help others feel joyful. Booker T. Washington once said “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”  Today, find someone to spend time with, to encourage, and together you will experience the joy of Jesus.

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There was a meme going around the social internet a few months ago asking, “what is something you could give a 30-minute talk on without any preparation?”

My answer? Friendship. There is nothing more precious in this world to me than knowing I have a community of people around me who will fight with me and fight for me. Friendship isn’t just about having someone to hang out with, or even shared interests. It’s about being willing to risk being truly seen—and to truly see people as they are. It’s about holding people up, yes. But it’s also about holding people accountable. It’s about surrounding yourself with people who will challenge you to be the best version of you. It’s about having people in your life who will, as one of my favorite quotes on friendship says, know the song in your heart and sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words. Friendship takes work. They take sacrifice and they take time. They require a part of us. And they are always, always, worth it.

- Emily

Hi, I’m Shawn from Sherwood Oaks Christian Church with today’s Minute Message.

In the Fall of 1863, during the heart of the Civil War, President Lincoln issued two landmark statements. The most famous is the Gettysburg Address. The other, made just two weeks before, declared Thanksgiving an official holiday.

In his proclamation, Lincoln addressed the painful reality of war. But he coupled this hardship with hope, recognizing the gracious hand of God that would guide America through this “valley of the shadow of death.”

It’s interesting that, in the midst of the worst war our nation had ever seen, President Lincoln emphasized the importance of gratitude and set aside a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our Heavenly Father.

So, how do you respond in the hardships of life?

God invites us to give thanks in all circumstances. Not because we’re always thankful for them, but because of how gratitude takes the focus off our troubles and puts it on the goodness of God and the hope we can have in Jesus.

Feeling overwhelmed today? Practice gratitude, and watch your attitude be transformed.

In Exodus 17, Moses is standing with arms raised, leading the Israelites to victory. When his arms falter, the enemy advances. But instead of ridiculing or being angry at Moses for not having enough strength or faith to keep his arms high, Aaron and Hur join him, holding his arms aloft when he is too weak to do it himself.

May we always be willing to lend our faith when it’s needed, our strength when someone feels weak, and ourselves to our church family when they call.

-Emily

However, it took 6 months. It took 6 months to realize how important community was and how it doesn’t always come naturally. But praise the Lord that I didn’t give up and that I finally put myself out there. I started attending the Christian Campus House at Ball State University. The more I attended, the closer I grew to God, and the more serve opportunities I found, the easier the connections came. I found my community in that church. I found people I could ask hard questions to, I could celebrate with, pray with, and just get dinner with. To this day, I am very close with a few of them and know I could call on others, and they’d pick up the call. Your community is out there, too, no matter where you find yourself today.

What is causing the “me” to outweigh the “we” in our daily lives? When the world is telling me what I need/want and what I should think, I lose sight on what is most important. I lose focus and I don’t put Jesus at the center of my life. The church can find unity when all of its members can have a “we” mentality and build each other up. The church cannot function properly when each part is moving in a different direction. Take this week to help unify the church by focusing on the needs of others.

Isn’t that the same thing we’re called to now? Faithfulness. Enduring Faithfulness. Joshua 24:14 says, “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness.” What we do now will shape the future of not just Sherwood Oaks, but our city, our state, and our world. When it all seems overwhelming, it’s the enduring faithfulness of this generation, of this church, of this people, that will keep God’s word spreading and His story being told. Who we are today will affect the future in ways we cannot yet understand. Maybe someday, generations from now, someone will stand before the Sherwood Oaks faithful and read another list of names – of men and women who were faithful to Him when the world felt upside down – and how, because of those names, because of your faithfulness, God is still being glorified.