A MESSAGE OF LOVE

- Megan Reddix

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Has a particular song ever grabbed ahold of you, and you feel as if you’re transported somewhere completely different than where you actually are? How about a whole album or playlist? You spend hours with your eyes closed hearing nothing but the music; how the chords seem to effortlessly change, how the lyrics speak to a place so deep in your soul that you never knew it existed.

You don’t care if anyone else is around,

What you look like,

How you sound when your start singing along,

Or if you’re being too loud.

All that matters in that moment is the music.

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            I feel that way a lot. Sometimes it’s the first time I’ve heard a song or maybe I’ve listened to it a thousand times over. I lose myself, and at times it’s hard to reign myself back in. I become so overwhelmed with emotion that my heart aches to sing louder, and I have this uncontrollable urge to throw my hands in the air. You’ve probably watched me do this a time or two.

            Every time I worship I get caught up in the meaning of each song. There is so much passion, love, and fellowship within the verses. There is an incredible beauty and fluidity in the instrumentals. I am reminded every time I hear a worship song that God is so good! How could anything sound so perfect and stir my heart so much if it wasn’t created by Him?

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 Here is a song that encourages me and gives me the comfort of God’s love and grace.

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            I was eight years old the first time I stood on a stage to sing in front of a crowd…

We were in New Hampshire, visiting the beach as we had done so many times before, but this time I felt drawn to “the Shell.” The Shell was a stage right on the boardwalk that we had sat at watching people perform for years. I never had a desire to actually get on the stage until that day. For the first time in my life, a song actually drew me in so deeply that I wanted to share it with as many people as I could. At eight years old, Shania Twain’s “From this Moment On” told me that there was love in this world beyond all I could imagine. From a little girl’s heart who ached for love, I finally had faith that it was out there. The moment came and went, and all I remember was a trophy half my size being placed in my hands as the other contestants of the talent show and the hundreds of people in the crowd smiled at me and cheered.

            I had participated in talent shows, competitions, and musicals every year since standing on the Shell stage. I sang what my vocal coaches told me would fit my voice. Occasionally that passion to share the message of a particular song would come back and I would melt into the music, forgetting that a crowd even existed, but most of the time I walked up to the mic with my knees shaking. It wasn’t until I was sixteen that I consistently stood on stage without fear.

            In the terrifying moment that I was asked to share my “talent,” I belted out “Summertime” from Porgy & Bess while my then-boyfriend-now-husband, Zach, faced a wall. I opened my eyes to see his mom standing in the doorway and Zach slowly turning around with his mouth open;

“I play guitar for teen worship team on Wednesday nights. You should try out.”

I had been a believer for a couple of years and had just started going to church regularly with his family, but Zach’s suggestion pulled at my heart. I didn’t know any worship songs well, but I was willing to learn. It wasn’t long until I started singing with the teen, then the adult, worship team at our church. Each song I learned, every time I sang, I got lost in the best way possible. I got lost in God’s message of love, and I knew it was something I needed to share.

It has been 11 years since I started worshipping, like REALLY worshipping, on stage With the Fellowship Team. I almost always forget the words but they somehow come out right. I sing each song with every ounce of my body, putting everything I have behind the words because they’re something I truly believe in. I’ve been told I can sing, and I don’t really know much about that, but I can tell you that I worship.

Whatever anyone else sees and hears me do when I’m up there with the Praise Team, it’s all God. I’m not afraid to belt out the wrong lyric or come in at the wrong time. I’m not concerned that I’ll hit a sour note.

My only goal when I walk onto that stage is to convey a message of love beyond anything we can comprehend!

Now, I won’t say that singing or worshipping is necessarily my spiritual gift. It’s something I feel drawn to do, just as I feel drawn to connect with others and share the powerful message of God’s grace through teaching yoga, photography, and writing. I know I’m not the best at communicating, I’m not the most talented musician, and I have an extremely difficult time finding comfort in social situations. However, God has given me the unlikely gift of supporting others through some of their most difficult moments. That’s where we can lean on God’s promises and put our full trust in Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.”

— Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

He has given me a passion to mother and a talent to share (in a variety of ways). Somewhere in the intersection of my deepest desires and the places I am the most uncomfortable, is the spiritual gift that God has trusted me with.

What gift has God given you to use?

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My prayer as I sing, teach, and share is that, whatever you are going through, you hear only the words that God graciously chose for me to speak and you feel supported and encouraged by His message of faithfulness and love.

As I left for work this morning I noticed the neighbors across the street still had an icy walkway. Mine has melted nicely. My house gets more sunlight. Although a small thing, I was thankful.

Today my heat works. Although it works pretty consistently, I am thankful.

It’s near March and we haven’t really gotten beat up with snow yet. (I know, I shouldn’t say anything!) So thankful.

For so many years I have heard great men and women encourage people to be grateful, to journal all your blessings and to appreciate the small things. It’s fascinating all we take for granted (especially here in America!).

I read this great quote from Charles Spurgeon, a preacher from back in the 1800’s. He said, “It is not how much we have but how much we enjoy that makes happiness.” So true. I enjoy not chopping ice on my driveway. I enjoy sitting in my heated house. I enjoy no snow.

I believe the awareness of all we have shapes us much better than seeing all we don’t have. If you feed your child ice cream every day for a month and neglect to give them any after, you’ll hear it from them. If you never gave your child ice cream (I am not suggesting this, just making point), they will never complain about not having it. When we get all we want, we want more. There’s a lot to be said about ‘too much too soon’.

I remember the first time Vicki and I stayed at a nicer hotel…..it’s now hard to go back to the less nicer ones. I wouldn’t have missed it if I never had it. But I did, and I don’t know how I will ever spend a night at the “Dew Drop Inn” ever again.

“God has promised to supply all our needs. What we don’t have we don’t need now.” Elizabeth Elliot, Christian Author and Speaker

It feels as though our needs and wants have been confused as of late. I remember when iPhones, cable television, video games and coffee makers were wants……doesn’t feel like that today.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Perspective starts with you. Be grateful today.

GUEST BLOGGER: Trevor Charles

“Life is a journey, not a destination…” This is a well known quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that many are familiar with. It’s about living in the moment, not getting caught up with what you have yet to achieve, but enjoying the experience.  However, I think this aptly can be applied to our spiritual life as well. The journey is as important as the destination. When it comes to spiritual growth, one might argue that there is no final destination, at least not in this life!

Not long ago, Rich (Connections Pastor at Fellowship Church) wrote about how when it comes to spiritual knowledge, we all have more to learn.  None of us have reached the “destination”. I have always considered myself to be “spiritual.” I grew up in the Catholic Church, was confirmed, taught catechism school for 3 years to elementary kids, and was an altar server.  I initially thought it was important to know all the stories, know all the prayers, and know all the routines as a means of demonstrating my religious prowess. As I got older, despite having my list “checked off”, I still questioned what I believed.  I knew that I believed there was something more out there, but entering middle school and high school, I was also trying to check off the lists in science and history class; Darwin’s Theory, archeology’s revelations of human development, carbon dating, Big Bang Theory, cro magnon ancestry, and more.  As a young man, all the way through college, I was inundated with the pressure to prove my opinions with evidence, research, expert citations, and evaluate my sources. In fact, as a high school history teacher now, it is still one of the critical skills my department is tasked with ingraining each student with before graduation.  However, while going through my adolescence, at the same time I felt the need to research my spiritual life as well. I thought I could do this by seeking out other religions. I spent a couple years with Jehovah’s Witnesses, then attended Lutheran services, after that I popped into Unitarian services, buddhist temples, a synagogue, and even went to a few Mormon services.  By the time I went off to college, I had come to the conclusion that I was spiritual, but didn’t buy into any mainline religion. Each time I got involved with one, I would research the religion, find perceived faults, and move on to the next option.

Two years ago, my family moved back to the south side of Middletown and we were invited to come to Fellowship.  I initially was as interested in the family babysitting services as much as I was looking to renew my faith. However, the friendliness, the devotion, and over abundance of seemingly happy people peaked my interest again.  I have to admit, that despite the fact that I had been taking my family to catholic services for the past 5 years, it was because I wanted them to learn about religion and be spiritual, much like I had. Although, initially a bit uncomfortable at first, I was quickly disarmed by the powerful, positive, and relevant message of the weekly service, and the church community.  So, back to my research routine I went.

Perhaps it was Bible based messages, perhaps it was the growth groups, and perhaps its the fact that I’m 15 years older… but I realized I had made a grave error in how I was looking at the spiritual journey.  In my past, I was looking for the “evidence” for religion in the dogma, routines, and history; yet for a majority of the time had ignored perhaps the most obvious piece available: The Bible. I started reading the Bible, writing down quotes, and asking questions, much like I do for a textbook or article I’m trying to learn and analyze.  When I came up with questions, I asked church leaders and family members what their thoughts were. I read multiple books on the evidence for historical accuracy regarding Jesus, much like I would George Washington or Julius Caesar. The more I read, the more I analyzed, the more I questioned, the more I believed.

Coming from and working in the world of academia, we constantly regard religions as something that is faith based, whereas science and history are something that has to be proven empirically and researched.  This creates a dichotomy that implies faith isn’t researched or inherently not fact based. But when put to the same tests, held by the same standards, and analyzed to the same lengths, I have been hard pressed to find any document that passes with more flying colors than the New Testament, especially when given its antiquity.  

To circle back to Emerson, my journey has never been more rewarding than it is right now.  I’m currently working on my second read through of the Bible, and without surprise find so much more to connect with the more I read.  My challenge to those exploring faith is to read, and do the research without making assumptions, the same you would any article or book in question.  When you start equitably applying the benchmarks of credibility, bias, and content (the 3 pillars we teach for evaluating a source), I have found it incredibly rewarding to know my faith built on the buttress of high historical standards and research, not a “leap” or presumptions.  

I have been pretty excited lately in seeing all that God has been doing inside of our church. A month ago we challenged FCer’s to read the Bible in one year. 172 people took on the challenge! This will change every one of their lives forever. It has certainly changed mine. Scheduling time with God each day is a ‘game changer’. What you’re scheduling each day in your life communicates to others what’s most important. Exercise, hobbies, Netflix binge watching, video games, prayer, reading the Bible or a devotional, getting together with other believers in a group? No matter what it is, it tells others a lot about you.

As of late, I have had this thirst to be extremely authentic in my faith….the real deal. I’m not there yet, but I’m trying! As I claim to be a Christian, I want to live it out. The ‘proof is in the pudding’…..what does that even mean?!? Just thought it fit there.

If I want to be all that Jesus has for me, I better spend time with Him. The same can be said if I want to be an astronaut, I’d probably want to be spending time at NASA. To be what we wish to be takes being in the right places. My faith has grown immensely by being in church on Sundays, having quiet time daily with God and even attending groups throughout the week. Being with other like-minded people who are trying to grow in their faith as well has really helped my journey. It also has given me a bunch of close friends who I can go to for encouragement.

Our FC Groups are starting next week. These are usually an hour long and meet once a week for 10 weeks. These groups really change the week! Check them out here. Many of us leave Sundays at church and enter toxic environments at work. It’s great to get another serving of sanity and love on a weekday. I highly recommend these groups. The leaders are incredible people that love Jesus and love people. They also love the church and understand the importance of making disciples.

It’s your decision. It’s been said that we are ridiculously in control of so much more than we think. We can decide today to be a ‘game changer’, a ‘difference maker’ and most importantly, a true Jesus follower. It’s your move.

It’s interesting how often we ‘tiptoe’ into each Christmas. Most of you have heard the ‘offensive’ greeting of saying “Merry Christmas” before. One may rebuke, “It’s Happy Holidays!” We are in a fascinating time where a kind gesture can be misinterpreted as offensive. As a Christian, if someone was to come up to me and say, “Happy Hanukkah!”, I would not get upset……in fact, I may not even correct them. It was a nice gesture, I’ll take it. 

For me, Christmas and Easter are opportunities to really celebrate my faith, not to offend. The fact is, we don’t celebrate these two holidays without this faith. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ while Easter celebrates Him raising from the dead. So I would say if any two holidays were ok to talk about Jesus, these may be them. Can St. Patrick’s day really be celebrated without mentioning St. Patrick…….ok, bad example….not sure if he’s ever mentioned. Could be the alcohol intake. 

This Christmas (less than 2 weeks away), I will again go into the holiday feeling extremely blessed and joyful that I get to celebrate a God who loves me and you unconditionally. A God who will never leave you or forsake you. A God who gives me an overwhelming sense of peace in an absolutely crazy world. A God who has blessed me with so much that I want to tell the world of His saving grace. A God that is just waiting for you to say YES to Him.

On Sunday December 23rd(9:00 & 10:30AM) and Sunday Christmas Eve (5:00PM) Fellowship Church will have a one-hour service celebrating Jesus. We’ll start with some upbeat music, a skit, a story for all the children right on stage, a candlelit rendition of Silent Night and a short relevant message on the hope of Christmas. There will also be coffee and cookies. This has been the start to my families Christmas for almost 20 years and I wouldn’t change a thing. I really hope you’ll join us. 

I’ve been involved in the church for almost 20 years. I’ve seen a lot. In those years I’ve seen so many people take great steps in their faith. I have seen hundreds of people accept Jesus Christ into their heart, many go public with their faith and be baptized, and many serve in many different capacities. 

I’ve also seen people come into our building with more of a ‘what’s in it for me?’ attitude. I get it, it’s how we enter most buildings – movie theaters, restaurants and stores. We want to leave satisfied and happy with the way everything went – for us. The thing is, church was not created for ‘me’, it was created for ‘you’. The more ME you bring into church, the less you understand what the church was supposed to be. Yes, it’s a place to be ‘fed’ and to learn more about Christ. That’s the consumerism in it. But it’s not conditional feeding. We can’t go into a church each Sunday in hopes of them talking about what we want to talk about (most people like to talk about the stuff they’re not struggling with). It’s a big crowd and everyone is in a different place. The remarkable thing that God continually does each Sunday is to ignite people to take next steps. I cannot tell you how often so many people on Sunday swear the Pastor was talking directly to them! God does that. 

Here is my ask for all of you who read this and attend a church. These are some great ways to help the cause and build the church…..the church that Jesus died for:

1.    Come with an open mind and open heart. Leave the ‘junk’ at the door. Don’t allow anything to distract you from what God wants you to leave with.

2.    Go each week. Don’t allow the world to keep you from growing in your faith. Don’t allow children’s coaches to have a say in your child’s faith. Don’t allow that extra hour of sleep to keep you from the much needed one hour of God. Make it a habit. You won’t regret it.

3.    Get to know others at your church. Don’t wonder why no one is introducing themselves to you, you introduce yourself to them. There are great people in churches today (there are also some that are a bit different) Love them all. Stop taking the easy road by hanging out with the same ‘clique’ each Sunday. When first time guests come into a church full of pockets of people so consumed by their conversations, enough not to even look up, chances are they’ll go elsewhere looking for churches less ‘cliquey’. 

4.    What works for you may not work for others. The message you loved may not have had as much of an impact on someone else. The song that brought someone to tears may have no effect on you. What wasn’t meaningful to you may have been profoundly meaningful to others. God is doing things each week, trust that.

5.    When you feel as though you’ve shown enough grace, show more. People are broken. We’re all some sort of messed up. Let’s stop knocking each other down. Let’s start assuming the best in others instead of assuming the worst. Let’s understand that until we walk in other’s shoes, we really have no clue. People are a certain way because of a certain upbringing, their surroundings, their previous hurts, and all that’s happened along the way. Our role is to help them. We, as a church, welcome everyone here in hopes they get introduced to the ONE, Jesus Christ, who can take care of all the baggage they’re carrying, all the hurt and pain they’ve been through and all the mistakes and sins they’ve made along the way. 

I see a bright future for the church. I’ve seen all it has done for so many. In fact, there really is nothing like a church family. So how about you?

•  Are you coming with an open mind and heart?

• Are you coming each week? If not, what is the reason and is it something you’re ok with. (I get it, some of you work on Sundays, some kids sports ‘promised’ no Sundays, etc) 

• Are you getting to know different people at church or are you a bit guilty of staying in your comfort crowd? 

• Showing an abnormal amount grace?

Sunday I shared a message about the importance of serving called, “Flip Flops”.  My desire was to convey that we as followers of Jesus were saved to serve.  That in order to live and love like Jesus, we need to engage in serving. 

I’m so thrilled at the response of so many at Fellowship who decided to take a step in service!  I know that your lives will be different because you did.

One of the the mindsets we battle most when it comes to stepping into service is our own feeling of inadequacy.  Can I really make a difference?  After all, we deeply know our weaknesses and shortcomings better than anyone.  We can see others who appear more talented and outgoing stepping up, but maybe not ourselves.  

What if God wants to shape your significance through your service? I want to encourage you to trust God to step into service here at Fellowship.  God knows and understands your potential more than you do.  He loves you and believes in you and has placed you in this local church for a reason.  

So if you don’t trust yourself, trust God and see where He can take you. How He wants to write your story, and uncover gifts and talents you never knew you had.  

You can do this!  Check out the opportunities we have HERE and join the team today! We also have many opportunities to serve at our LAST BLAST. You can click HERE to sign up that. 

Every single one of us are on a journey. Some are on the 'fast-track' while others are 'pacing themselves'. 

What I’ve learned along the way is that I really am the ‘pace car’. I control the speed of my own journey, not anyone else. In my effort to grow closer to God throughout the years I’ve seen my pace change too often. 

But here’s what I learned along the way that changed me:

• What I put in I get out (reap what you sow) If I want to grow closer with God, I need to spend time with Him. In any relationship (marriage, friendship, dating), in order to get closer, you have to spend time with them. James 4:8 says, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” Spending time with God comes in different forms. We pray to Him. We read His Word (the Bible). We spend time with other believers either on Sundays at church or a small group or coffee with a friend. Whatever it is that you do, it’s all important. 

• Church can only do so much– If our connection to God is only on Sundays, we may be in trouble. When we put that type of pressure on a church or a pastor to be the only “God” we’re getting weekly, we will fail miserably. The staff of the church hope that we are inspiring you to follow Him on your own as well. We are praying that you are scheduling your time with Him daily. Don’t just ‘fit Him in” when you can. I've never just found extra time at the end of the day. Put your daily time with God on your calendar. If you need to, set an alarm to go off to remind you. Get an accountability partner to push you to read scripture with them. Do a plan on YouVersion.com with a friend. Pray each night with your spouse or family. Make Him part of your routine. 

• Get involved– God has created you to be a doer. James 2:17 says, “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. He has created in you a divine potential. Too many of us are a bit too comfortable. But being uncomfortable leads to growth. Every time I have to lead a group, speak on a Sunday, meet with someone I don’t know that well, or learn some new system, I’m completely uncomfortable. But when it’s over, I’m different. God teaches you most in these uncomfortable moments. 

How’s your journey going? Are you moving up and to the right, or are you ‘flat lining’? What will it take for you to truly get closer to God?

It'll take you. It starts with YOU. As we’ve said so often here at FC, you are ridiculously more in control of your life than you think. Today, decide to allow God to shape your journey by spending time with Him.