(Camp Machindoh's Fun Beach - Pastor Mike's Photo)
WEDNESDAY CHURCH
on the Internet
(This is your mid-week Christian power
surge with Pastor Mike Fonfara, D.Min.)
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Pentecost Season, Week 10
Hello, Mid-Summer Saints,
Some of my favorite pictures are like this one of a happy Jesus.
(Google Images)
Too many Christians worship a Savior who sternly proclaims
rules and disciplines. What type of Jesus suits you best?
This Wednesday Church on the Internet lifts high the side of Jesus' ministry that encourages each of us to worship a positive, joyful, and fun Christianity. So, let's put on our happy faces and praise God together!
Pastor Mike
OPENING THOUGHT ...
"The best worship services I have attended were the ones
that made me feel better when I left than when I arrived."
- Pastor Mike
WORSHIP ...
THE GATEHERING
Be with us today, Almighty God, and receive our praise for your mighty acts of love for the whole creation. Amen.
WE CONFESS OUR SINS AND RECEIVE NEW LIFE
Gracious God,
You have invited us into your faith family. It is our joy to love Jesus. It is our privilege to obey the Holy Spirit. As hard as we try, we fall short of being fully Christian. We sin. Have mercy upon us. In the name of Jesus, please forgive our sins and restore our souls to a state of purity. This gives us new life with a fresh start. Thank you for your grace!
Amen.
(Google Image)
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE Psalm 150
Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
MESSAGE "How can anyone enjoy church services?"
Have you ever heard someone say, "I didn't get anything out of that church service!" How sad. Whose fault is it for that attitude, anyway? Go ahead, blame God for your lack of enjoyable church experiences.
Many curmudgeon Christians do not know how to enjoy their worship. Here are a few suggestions that I have gleaned over a lifetime of being Christian and four decades of being a pastor. If one or more make sense for a better worship experience, try it.
1. Before you go to church, pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you to a meaningful and enjoyable worship service.
2. Enter the worship area with a positive attitude.
3. Make friends in the congregation. Greet them with great gusto away from the sanctuary and out of hearing by praying congregants.
4. Smile. It becomes contagious.
5. Don't expect worship perfection. Accept the service for what it is, a time of praising God by imperfect people doing the best they can do.
6. Stop the day dreaming. Listen carefully to the service!
7. Don't vegetate in the sanctuary, participate! Get involved in worship, and it will transform you.
8. As the worship transform you, you will find yourself "getting something out of the service."
Amen? ... Amen!
Pastor Mike
CLOSING PRAYER
Creative God,
Create in me healthy attitudes about my faith. Keep me positive, wholesome, and happy in my faith journey. As you work on me, I will work in me to enjoy my church.
Amen.
BENEDICTION
"Go forward into this day with a hymn
in your heart and a smile on your face."
(Google Image)
SACRED MISCELLANY ...
It is my prayer that all Wednesday Church visitors leave our social media sanctuary feeling better now than when they arrived. Therefore, today's Sacred Miscellany are simple one or two sentence sermons served with a smile from me. Enjoy!
- Dairy Queen isn't the only place with awesome Sundays!
- iPod or iPad? Try iPray!
- Choosy moms choose Jesus!
- Staying for eternity? Smoking or non-smoking?
- For heaven's sake, what are you doing?
- Get rich quick. Count your blessing.
- Got Jesus?
- Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet him!
- Hungry? Soul food served in church.
- Don't worry. You only have to pray on days that end in "y."
- If God is your co-Pilot, you better switch seats.
CLOSING THOUGHT ...
Your attitude about worship and preparation for the service help you to "get something out of the service."
- Pastor Mike
("Lake Hernando Church of Nature Congregation"
Photo by Pastor Mike)
Once again, Wednesday Church comes to an end. Please visit again next week when I publish another Wednesday Church
If you have some worship prayers, poems, short messages, and the like that you would like to contribute, please e-mail them to me and I'll see if I can use them. (Of course, you'll get the credit.) Also, tell others about this social media church. It is available any day of the week at the blog's address, www.wednesdaychurch.blogspot.com. Let's grow this ministry together. Most of all, thank you for being part of the family this week.
Pastor Mike Fonfara, D.Min.
(Google Image)
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