Excelling in Giving [From Matt Evans]

Some exciting stuff from Matt Evans blog:

Last year our church approved a faith-based budget of $3.2 million dollars. This budget was born out of prayer and a vigorous pursuit of wisdom. We doubled the amount of money we invested in local and international missions. We sought to wisely and adequately fund our own ministries for worship, children, students, discipleship, and day-to-day operations.

Even with the troubles in our local economy, we have seen our weekly giving increase this year! However, we are still falling short of our budget by around $2000 per month. Because we have some reserve funds and some built-in margin, we are not in a crisis. We can easily adjust our spending to handle this shortfall, but that means cutting back on some investments to which we believe God has called us.

We believe this is an opportunity for us to “excel in the grace of giving” as Paul encourages churches to do in 2 Corinthians 8:7. So rather than back down and reduce our budget for the remainder of the year, our Elders believe we can rise up and exceed our budget by finishing strong in this last quarter of 2011! Here’s how:

The $10-$50 Plan

Our church currently has about 1400 giving units (a giving unit could be one person or an entire family). If each of those giving units increased their monthly giving by $10 to $50 we would easily meet and even begin to exceed our budget goals!

So we are asking anyone with an income to prayerfully seek to raise your current monthly giving by between $10 to $50.
Think about it this way: over 30 days that represents about 3-5 gallons of gas, 3 Starbucks’ coffee drinks, or 1 movie ticket!!

If you have never given consistently to God’s church, then would you prayerfully consider starting to give around $10-$50 per month? This is a simple way for you to begin giving regularly and begin to experience God’s leadership over your finances.

Remember: it is simple and easy to set-up online giving directly from your checking account (called “E-Give”). You can sign-up directly from our web site by clicking here.

If we as a church take this step together, a few things will happen:

1-We will meet and could even exceed our 2011 budget!!

2-We will be more like Jesus by becoming more generous (2 Corinthians 8:9).

3-We will resist the pull of complacency, instead experiencing the thrill and joy of being open to God’s direction and leadership in our lives (2 Corinthians 2:14).

4-God will be more glorified as we invest in His Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and kingdom work locally and globally.

Thank you for being a part of what God is doing at Rock Bridge! We know God is moving and we know that He is providing through the generous hearts of His people!

**If you have no income, are unemployed or under-employed and need assistance, please allow your church family to help. Financial counseling and/or assistance with groceries or other basic needs are available and part of our budget to minister to those in our church family who are experiencing tough times.

Update on Beth Evans - from Matt's Blog

From Mattevans.cc:

Been great to be back home and at Rock Bridge!! I love our church! Yet my heart is so with Beth in NYC, and as y’all have again shown me, your prayers are with her and our family in a “big” way. Thank you so much!!

Beth just finished “Skype-ing” with our boys and she is looking great and feeling stronger. She has had several good days in a row both in how she feels and what the doctors are observing. The mucus problem in her throat (which is making eating difficult) seems to be a result of a fungus that took root in the dead Epstein-Barr virus tissues (that thing causes problems even after it dies!). Thankfully, some infectious-disease specialists were able to pinpoint this likely culprit. So with some changes in her medicines, we are hopeful this latest challenge will be overcome soon. While we wait, the G-Tube is doing its job so Beth is getting nutrition and feeling better.

So we are cautiously optimistic that she is turning a corner. Her counts are very strong and there are new signs (from her latest labs) that her immune system is maturing and getting closer to full capacity. However, we are not there yet, we must remain careful and vigilant … but we are very thankful for where we are today.

Update from New York

The last few days have been indescribable. They are wrapped around two weeks containing several 'anniversaries' related to the last month of my mom's life... It was a year ago last week, after learning mom was sick, that Gail and I spent a week with Mom and Dad and my brothers and sisters. It was a year ago Sunday, the day after we returned home to Georgia, that mom went into the hospital for what ended up being the last month of her life and it was a year ago today that Gail and I returned to NY to spend our last days with her. On that day we met Dad and brothers/sisters at a local diner and the last few weeks have had me reflecting a lot on losing mom but also reflecting on her amazing life and my amazing family. I remember so clearly sitting in that diner, so scared and yet finding peace with this amazing group.

That said, I must return to my initial statement: "The last few days have been indescribable." In part because of the memories of last year, but sadly, it is made worse because of what happened THIS weekend. As I was walking into church for our 9:15 service, I happened to check my cell phone, which I rarely do any time after 8:00am, and I saw that one of my sisters had called. The timing scared me as I knew she'd not likely call at that time unless something was wrong. I tried to check the message and due to the limited service in the building, the message was cut off. I was out of time so I headed to the stage to make some announcements and then ran outside to check the message. "Dad has had a major heart attack" was the message.

I got my sister on the phone, got some details and informed her that I did not know how to respond, so I'll go ahead and freak out. I informed Gail and eventually the church and soon Gail and I were on the road, again rushing to NY to visit a parent in trouble. I began to wonder which of my brothers/sisters was having this nightmare and why did I have to be included in their terror, reliving the worst moments of our lives. I even pinched one of my brothers to try and wake him up to end this horror.

It did not work.

So here I am, sitting in a hospital waiting room with many emotions and realize I've left a bunch of amazing friends in Georgia with little information so here is where we are:

• Dad is very strong and fighting a good fight.
• He is in an induced coma to help him rest while on a ventilator
• There is an infection that NEEDS to go away
• His Blood pressure is good without medicine - a BIG DEAL!

A few prayer needs:

• His oxygen levels to rise
• His infection and fever to be ELIMINATED
• His blood sugar to get where it needs to be
• For him to get free of medications that are affecting his kidneys
• For me and the brothers/sisters to have strength and wisdom

I'm out for now.

Is love blind?

Today is valentines day and this morning my daughter asked the following question on Facebook: "If love is blind, then why do so many people buy lingerie?" I sarcastically commented that 'lust has 20/20 vision'. Well, Valerie's question wasn't as sarcastic as my answer which got me wondering... is love really blind?

The idea behind 'love is blind' is that love doesn't see our faults, that it ignores them and sees only good in us. But that isn't love, it's positive thinking. I think of my wife Gail. We've been married since September of 1993 and are more in love than ever - but not blindly. She knows where I'm weak, what scares me, what makes me sad and what angers me. She knows I'm a picky eater, she knows I need to lose weight, that I don't brush my hair and that I NEVER tuck in my always wrinkled shirts.

She knows all this - and more - and she loves me anyway. She'd probably like it if I had a more imaginative appetite and kept my hair a little neater and even lost some weight but she isn't in love with those things, she's in love with who I am, with my character and as it happens, sometimes that isn't easy and it is not blind.

So if love isn't blind, what is it? I've seen/heard lots of comparisons; higher than a mountain, deeper than the ocean, like a rose etc... but check out these thoughts:

• "Love is patient." Not talking about easy patience here, like the patience of a parent as their child falls while learning to walk - but difficult patience. Patience when it is not deserved, but given anyway.
  
• "Love is kind." Wash the dishes, vacuum, mow the lawn, write a poem, laugh together, share a hug for no reason.
  
• "Love is not proud." Admit you're wrong, admit you have needs, don't gloat when you're right, meet the needs of the other person even when it's outside of you own comfort zone.

There's more to it but this is a good sample of how the Bible defines love, and an important part of this list is that everything requires conscious effort, a choice to do them... and that is love. Like I said, Gail loves me in spite of my failures, and I her. Our love is passionate, it's strong, filled with joy and that's not because our love is blind, no, our love has perfect vision. We have pain, we fight, we hurt but our love endures through it. By choice and smart behavior.

Maybe you're not a Bible reader, but the rest of the definition is amazing, go check it out, you can find it in First Corinthians chapter 13. It's easy to find in a Bible or online at this link:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2013:%204-7&version=NIV

So is a 'sexy nightie' an appropriate gift? That's for you and yours to discover for yourselves, but what is sure is that true love sees beauty wrapped up in that outfit no matter what anyone else sees... because love has perfect vision.

Latest on Beth Evans from Matt...

The Following is an update on Beth, from Matt:

We just spoke with Dr. Boulad today ... another good report. They continue to wean her off the IV meds and replace them with pills. She should be completely off morphine early tomorrow (they have to wean you off morphine b/c of its addictive effects). They give you a special drug to stimulate your white blood count. Beth is no longer taking that so her counts are leveling off. Her new marrow is now making red blood cells and platelets. She is still getting an occasional platelet transfusion during this transition as the new blood cells keep up and then build up. She has not had a red cell transfusion in quite some time.

So ... counts are looking good and getting better, organs look good, pain is under control and almost gone, and all IV meds are being either eliminated or replaced by pills. The dangers remain infections and Graft Versus Host Disease but the doctors are very vigilant and proactive in prevention.

As of now, Beth should be released from the hospital sometime late tomorrow (Tuesday). She will then be in outpatient status for quite some time (and would be readmitted in the event of a fever, signs of infection, or any sign of Graft versus Host Disease).

Please keep praying for Beth to regain strength, for her counts to continue to strengthen, and for protection against infection & Graft vs. Host Disease.

Thanks so much!!

Matt

24 Hours of Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says simply: Pray continually - and that is exactly what we're going to do as a church this Wednesday from 6pm Wednesday to 6pm Thursday at Stage 123 in Dalton. Here is more information from Matt's blog:

How we need what only God can provide!! How Satan quakes at united, corporate prayer! How God longs to hear His children call out to Him! Let’s give God no rest for 24 hours …

One of the most important prayers we can pray right now is: Lord, make us hungry to pray! And then as we pray …

• We will know His power
• Unbelievers will be converted
• Sinful habits will be broken
• Families and marriages will be restored
• Boldness for Christ will increase
• Hardened hearts will become tender and sensitive to God
• Prodigals will return home
• Giving will be joyful and generous
• The sick will be healed
• Worship will be intense and passionate
• AND, CHRIST WILL BE GLORIFIED!!!

Live worship is scheduled to go on the whole time and Rock Bridge Staff are signed up to be on hand for the entire time - I look forward to seeing you there as we "Pray Continually".

UPDATE ON BETH FROM MATT EVANS

This is from Matt's Blog @ Mattevans.cc

Update from NYC

First of all we want to thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support. They have lifted us up and increased our confidence in our awesome God.

Today we met with Dr. Boulad, a pediatric oncologist who also specializes in adults with Fanconi Anemia. He confirmed Beth’s diagnosis of MDS. He outlined our treatment plan:

1. We fly home tomorrow
2. Because of the risk of infection (Beth’s white count is very low), she must remain at home and relatively isolated.
3. Beth has another bone marrow biopsy in 2-3 weeks to determine the rate of MDS progression.
4. We are moving to have a bone marrow transplant in 6-8 weeks.
   1. The donor search starts now.
   2. Once Beth is matched with a donor, the transplant process will begin.
   3. This process will require Beth to be in the hospital here in NYC for 2 months and remain in the New York area for 4-6 additional months to be closely monitored.

Prayer Requests:

• For God to be glorified in ALL of this!!
• For miraculous healing!! That the biopsy in 2 weeks comes back NORMAL!!!
• For Beth to stay free from infections.
• For Edwin who is an FA patient who started the transplant process today … pray for his healing.
• For John, another FA patient fighting mouth & throat cancer … for healing & recovery.
  • We were blessed to meet both John & Edwin today and pray with them and their families.
• For the donor match process to go quickly and smoothly.
  • We can only be matched with someone already on the registry.
  • Many people have asked about being a bone marrow donor for Beth. While this is not possible, you can still become a donor and help save someone else’s life. Go to BetheMatch.org to find out more information.