I saw this earlier this week and just had to pass it on. I dare you not to smile…or flat out lol.

Now go help someone else smile today. They might just really need it!

When we began our RELENTLESS journey in January, we said there were two things were were going to be relentless about:

1-RELENTLESSLY pursue God

2-RELENTLESSLY pursue those who are far from God

Pursuing God starts with spending “Every Day With Jesus”, but where do I start in pursuing those who are far from God?

Here’s a couple of key reminders for you routine.

First, make a list of people in your life (family, friends, co-workers, classmates, neighbors) that don’t seem to have a connection to Jesus. Pray for them by name…every day!

Next, as you pray each day, watch for opportunities to serve, love, be their friend and then invite to come check out Community.

Finally, don’t miss the opportunities. Lean in. Take advantage of any and all moments where you can be the visible expression of God’s love in the midst of their day.

Now…let me say THANK YOU! You are doing this! We just passed our all time record in baptisms for a single year (136). Yes, we now have had 138 baptisms this year…and we’re still in the middle of October!!! Way to go!

Stepping In: Getting things started!

1 – Share something from the weekend message that really helped you.

2 – Have you ever felt “judged” by others? What happened? How did it make you feel and how did you respond?

3 – How is confronting a friend in love different from what we typically think of when we talk about judging?

Watch the video

Building Up: What is God Saying? 

Read Matthew 7:1-2: The WAY we judge and WHAT we judge is something Jesus addresses in the following verses. What do you think He is specifically addressing in verse 1? What do you learn from verse 2?

Read Matthew 7:3-5: How do these verses reveal a serious issue in our culture when Christians come across as judgmental? How have “judgmental Christians” negatively affected your ability to share your faith with others? How can we keep from perpetuating the problem?

Read Matthew 7:6: What is Jesus saying here about judging?

Read Psalm 1:1-6: What do you learn here about the value of making good judgments? What is the downside of making NO judgments, especially regarding the people we allow to invest into our lives?

Read Galatians 6:1: What does this verse teach us about calling SIN, SIN and helping someone who is caught up in it?

Living Out: How do I obey?

1 – What are some things you could do to help you become more loving in your approach to those who are far from God?

2 – What are some things you could do to help a brother/sister in Christ get back on track if you see them going down the wrong road?

This Sunday night from 5-6pm at West Valley High School people from around the Valley will be gathering to honor the life, service and sacrifice of Officer Lesley Zerebny.

All are invited to come and take some time to honor a very special young lady, wife and mother.

Hey Community! We’re planning on sharing some great news about our plans for Phase 1 this coming weekend in all of our services. You don’t want to miss this weekend for a few reasons:

First, we’ll be continuing our GET SMART series with a lesson regarding “judging” and what the Bible actually says about it.

Second, we already have people lined up to be baptized again this weekend. Come celebrate this new life with them and, if you’ve never taken this huge step yourself, why not this weekend!?!?!

Finally, like I said, we’ve got some great news to share with you this weekend. I just know, while we’ve had to wait a while on this, God is doing something really special with the whole process. Relentlessly pursuing God and those far from Him is about to get even better!