Recently, TJ shared a reflection on personal disciplines. He started by reminding us of “the immense power in the reality of God entering his world as a human. That is the central truth the Christmas season celebrates. And if God lived a human life, he had daily habits”. We can find the habits of Jesus recorded in the four Gospels.
Jesus’ habits included praying (in solitude and with others), meditating on scripture, practicing hospitality, fasting, being generous with his time and all he had, practicing the Sabbath, and paying special attention to the poor and social outcasts.
TJ asked, “Have we really taken seriously that Jesus was God in human flesh? That he, like us, had daily habits? How are we, his students, doing at learning his daily habits?”.
The Christmas season is a great time to reflect on our daily rhythms and TJ gave a few suggested habits following the example of Jesus:
– Committing to spending daily time alone with God in prayer by blocking out time on your calendar.
– Committing to creating space for daily time in scripture where our hearts and minds can be nourished.
– Committing to paying special attention to the poor and social outcasts instead of retreating to our comfortable circles. We volunteer to care for the hungry and homeless in our city, reach out proactively to those in our own lives who we see suffering, and invite into our homes and lives people who we ordinarily wouldn’t.
“If this all sounds daunting or even convicting, hear me in saying that I’m right there with you. Following Jesus is a high calling that requires more of God’s grace to us than we can ever understand or deserve.
So may prayer form presence in us, may scripture form wisdom in us, and may hospitality form love in us”.
You can listen to TJ’s full LOCAL Story on our podcast.
It’s a request for intervention – for God to step into the mess with His presence and power. It’s the promise of a voice that will somehow cut through all the noise. It’s the announcement of good news for the broken-hearted and disenchanted. These ancient prophecies, spoken by Isaiah, reveal the longings of every human heart of every generation. In poetic fashion and with colorful imagery, Isaiah gives us promises of intervention to hold onto.
What do these ancient promises have to do with the longings of our own hearts today? How have those promises been fulfilled? That’s what we’ll explore starting December 3rd.
Join us on Wednesday, December 24th at 3p, 4:30p + 6p for a candlelight service as we sing our favorite songs and celebrate the wonder of Christmas. All are welcome. Whether you’re exploring faith, returning to church, or have been following Jesus for years – we’d love to celebrate with you!
Childcare provided for ages 3 and under. Invite your friends and family!
We recently enjoyed hearing a Foreign Mission update from Fidel and Charito Corrales, Directors of Casa de Esperanza in Caranavi, Bolivia. Casa de Esperanza is an orphanage that has been sharing the never-failing love of Jesus with abandoned children for more than 30 years.
Each child is discipled to find their true identity in Jesus and fulfill his good purposes for their lives. This work not only restores the life of the child, but also the next generation as they grow, go to college, and start families of their own. We are so thankful to partner with Casa de Esperanza as they faithfully continue this work and provide long-term investment and care that transforms children’s lives.
To learn more about Casa de Esperanza, visit our website under Community > Foreign Mission. If you missed it, check out the update on our podcast.
If you’ve recently started attending Local, plan to join us for our upcoming Newcomer’s Party on Saturday, May 2nd @ 5:30 PM.
We love seeing all the new faces here at Local Church St. Pete and we want to take some unhurried time to get to know each other better.
We will meet at the Tavern @ Bayboro at USFSP for a great time of food and fellowship.
Please REGISTER HERE for this free event so we can know how many people to plan for.
On Sunday, September 29th, our church family was blessed and encouraged by the Local Story of Marty Sorenson.
Through his journey’s with Parkinson’s Disease and a subsequent loss of speech, Marty has truly learned what it means to live out 2 Corinthians 12:19…
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Despite the challenges, God is teaching Marty to daily rely on Him like never before, and through that he continues to learn more about Him every day. “God is good, and His grace is abounding. God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness.”
You can listen to Marty’s full story on our podcast: HERE to get started
2️⃣ Find a group at a location/night of the week that works for you.
3️⃣ Contact the group leader to get the details.
4️⃣ Go and see!
We know the first group you visit might not always be the right fit, and that’s okay. Check out as many as you like until you find the right one.
A Women’s Discipleship Gathering is coming up on Saturday, September 19th from 9:30a-12p. Join us for a sweet morning of fellowship, brunch, worship, and a brief talk from scripture.
This will be an opportunity to slow down, spend intentional time together, and meet other women in our community who will encourage you in your walk with the Lord. It’s also a great space to find others who are interested in forming an ongoing Discipleship Group (smaller groups of 2-4 that meet throughout the month).
All ladies are welcome and encouraged to invite a friend or neighbor.
Emails will be sent to members of the Women’s Discipleship Group on the Church Center App that include details on what to expect and general reminders about this event.
Click HERE to register!
Two years ago, Katie and her husband began their journey to becoming foster parents. They started with a program called Safe Families, which allows parents to place their children into a home for a short period of time while they are in crisis or experiencing an emergency. After some time, they became a respite family to support foster parents needing a short-term break.
They witnessed the constant need first-hand as their friends and family in foster care received endless calls to take an additional child. Not to mention, hearing stories of children sleeping in caseworker’s offices because there weren’t enough foster homes available. They went all-in and became a licensed foster care home.
“Quite candidly, we were not looking to say goodbye to our child-free life. But, after witnessing the intense need, and having the opportunity to get licensed through a local Christian agency, we both felt that this was one of the most practical ways we could live out the Lord’s call in James to care for the widow and orphan in our community.”
Katie shared many ways that you can support the foster care system, including:
She then gave us some parting encouragement.
“I encourage you to prayerfully consider saying yes, even if you don’t feel ready, no matter what role he’s calling you to. His grace will be sufficient.”
You can listen to Katie’s full Local Story on our podcast.
Recently we heard a LOCAL Mission update from Billy Babbino with A Door of Hope.
It’s a privilege to partner with, pray for, and learn from this organization which recruits, licenses, and supports foster parents. With approximately nine children entering the foster system daily in our region, A Door of Hope’s goal is to provide Christian homes for every child.
If you’re interested in learning what’s involved in becoming a foster parent or how to support foster families, you can reach out to A Door of Hope.
If you missed it, check out the A Door of Hope’s update on our podcast HERE.