Hi Saddleback Corona!

What an exciting time it was to have Pastor Rick visit the Corona campus. Check out Corona's Facebook page for pics http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saddleback-Corona/232215959916?ref=ts 

This weekend (2/28) we will be doing Baptisms after the 10:30 service at the Harrison's home. Get directions at the small group table before or after the service.

Exciting things continue to happen at our campus, we launched "The Herd" Men's Ministry at the beginning of the month and it is growing!

The Women's Connection at Corona has also launched. Beth Moore bible study, choose from Thursday's 7pm-9pm or Saturday's 9am-11am. Check out event's calender for all the "Happenings" at the Corona campus.

We also have a special performer next weekend!! Sarah Kelly will be performing at both our 8:30 or 10:30am service.

See you this weekend!!!

 Belinda Williamson

Hi Everyone,

I just got off a conference call tonight and Pastor Rick is visiting all 4 campuses tomorrow (February 14, 2010).  He will be at the Corona Campus at the end of the 10:30am service to say a quick HI to everyone and then back on the road. 

Please let everyone you can know, so we can show our Sr. Pastor how much we appreciate him and his Ministry. 

God Bless & Happy Valentines Day.
Pastor David Williamson

Happy Valentines Day Everyone,

What a great Holiday Valentines day is!! It reminds, us to be nice to each othe and to Love one another.  What if we lived everyday like it was Valentines day.  We all know when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.   The second most important is similar: Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself."  Imagine if we treated everyone with "Love".  Now, I know that this is one holiday that is set aside to show someone special in your life just how much you love them.  This is the night that many go out to a special dinner where you get charged more than usual. Many buy flowers, and candy just to say how much that wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend means to them.  But imagine if we treated everyday like it was Valentines and if we showed the kind of "Love" that Jesus asks us to everyday to everyone.  How incredible that would be. 

God Bless you all have a Happy Valentines Day. 

The 2010 Saddleback Church Men's retreat at Murrietta Hot Springs this year was a great reminder of how important it is for men to come together to lift each other up, encourage one another, keep each other accountable, to share the love of Christ, the grace and forgiveness that only Jesus can offer.  I heard story after story that what was being said was exactly what that person needed to hear.  Lives were changed.  Soul's were saved, marriages renewed, and Dad's returned to their children with new life on what it truly means to be a Father.  We had fourteen guys that we went up with and three of those men were baptized to renew there faith with God.  God is at work in Corona and has mighty plans for those who are called according to his purpose. 

This past Friday, a group of us attended "Girls Night Out" at the Lake Forest Campus! What a night of encouragement! Sarah Kelley lead our worship and did an amazing job! Debbie Eaton was a great source of encouragement and setting the vision for Womens Ministry.
Debbie shared a wonderful verse with us, Isaiah 43:18,19- "But forget all that- it is nothing compared to what I'm going to do! For I'm going to do a brand new thing. See, I have already begun! Don't you see it? I will make a road through the wilderness of the world for my people to go home, and create rivers for them in the desert!"
What a great verse. It was such a great reminder of not only what God is going to do in Womens Ministry but also at Saddleback Corona.
God is already doing amazing things and we are planning on relaunching the Womens Ministry at Saddleback Corona. We will keep you informed to upcoming events.
Blessings,
Belinda Williamson

Merry Christmas, Saddleback Corona!!

 

Join us for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, 5pm, at Citrus Hills Intermediate School.
This is not going to be just another service! We want to celebrate the birth of Jesus and have a party! Please plan to come early (4:30pm) so your entire family can enjoy the experience on the worship patio. There will be hot cocoa and cider, cookies, awesome music... it is going to be fantastic!
Please invite your friends, neighbors, & family - this is a wonderful opportunity for you to reach out and bring them to our church and learn how we love one another and our Lord Jesus Christ!

 

Also, if you would like to help with decorating our campus, you can arrive as early, as  3pm. If you have any questions please contact the church office at (951) 239- 6633.

 

We hope to see you Christmas Eve.

 

 

May you know His faithfulness, His promises and blessings, that only He can give at this Christmas season and for the years ahead.

         

                                             

Love The Williamson Family

Pastor Dave, Belinda, Jacob (11), Brandon (10)

 

“Choose you this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Josua 24:15

Winter Warmth was put together because of so many people, caring people that wanted to do something for the less fortunate in our community.  We also wanted a way to say hello to neighbors in the neighborhoods around Saddleback Corona.   

 

With it being an El Nino year and so many homeless in Corona, we decided a community outreach asking for gently used coats and blankets to distribute to the homeless would be a great program. 

 

People not only donated gently used, but many bought new items.  We gathered our church families (kids included) and hung door hangers annoucing the program, pick up and an invite to Saddleback Corona.  We met and picked up the coats and blankets, sorted and sized and held the event on December 20th, 2009.

 

The event gained momentum because the City of Corona was thrilled that we would do this and gave us The City Park as the ideal location.  The volunteers rallied and wanted to give out hot dogs, drinks, and cookies. 

 

The event was a huge success supporting between 50 and 60 homeless.  Our prize story was the mom that ran with her daughter asking if she was too late (we were packing up).  She didn't care about herself but if we could give her daughter something.  Well, we had the perfect pink coat, vest and scarf.  We loaded them up with food and love.  We will never forget the little girls giggle, laugh and thank you for her "presents".

By Sara Silfvast 
Saddleback Corona Local Outreach Cordinator

Operation Christmas Child Update

Thank you Saddleback Corona, for each of you who packed a gift-filled shoe box to bring joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through Operation Christmas Child.  The Corona campus collected 124 shoe boxes and had 55 volunteers signed up to serve at the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center in Orange County this year.  Volunteering at the Processing Center was an awesome experience. It was filled from wall to wall with colorful shoeboxes where each box was carefully inspected and prepared for overseas shipment.

As of Friday, December 4^th, the Orange County location had processed over 315,000 shoeboxes which were being shipped to the following countries:

Philippines

Mongolia

Indonesia

China

Peru

Thank you for your support in reaching these children all around the world for Christ.  Since Operation Christmas Child began in 1993, more than 65 million shoe box gifts have been hand delivered to children in more than 130 countries.  If you have never volunteered at the Processing Center, we would invite you to consider going next year. 

On October 10, 2009 Saddleback Church Corona enjoyed an awesome day on motorcycles on what was promoted as "The Ride".  We met at our Corona ministry center office, rode to Julian for lunch and then back down Hwy 76 to Corona.  Check out the short video of our Ride.  If you are interested in participating in our next ride please send us an email and let us know that you ride and we will add you to our motorcycle email list. 

Hello Saddleback Church Corona,

I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know that Pastor Rick will be preaching this weekend; continuing the message series "Life's Healing Choices." This has been an incredible last few weeks, as we have been learning more about living a "blessed" life, based on the lessons taught by Jesus in the book of Matthew chapter five, also known as the "Beatitudes." 

Also, this weekend marks six months since my wife, Belinda, my two boys, Jacob and Brandon, and I have been at Saddleback Church in Corona. We have thouroughly enjoyed getting to know so many of you at church and the various events that we have had since Easter. This weekend, I would love to share a little with you as we look towards the future for our Church, God's Church in Corona. 

One of our theme songs this past few weeks at Saddleback Corona, that I feel says it all, is the song "God of this City" by Chris Tomlin.  Click on the following link to listen to it, or you may need to copy and paste to your web browser:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk

I want you to know that I am constantly praying for all those who attend our church and all those who are still lost in and around our community.  Please join with me as we pray to love one another like Christ loves us.   

Pastor David Williamson

Exciting things are happening in All STARS at Saddleback Church Corona!

 

We loaded our schedule this summer with some fantastic summer events. In June, we had our first-ever Family Movie Night Under the STARS. It was a hit!  We enjoyed popcorn and red vines while watching the movie “Bolt,” an entertaining animated film. Next, was the Water Olympics at the Park in July.  Everyone had a blast, as we all got drenched with water balloons, soak bombs, and water guns.  Prizes were awarded to everyone who attended. Later in July, we had an Indoor Bounce Party at Air Zone in Corona.  We had a huge attendance at this event and packed the place! Our last two events, were in August, a BBQ Swim party and Bowling at Norco Lanes. Summer ended up being a great opportunity to invite friends to check out our All STARS summer events and to get to know the families that attend our church.

Now here is the amazing part - where we can truly see God working in our city right now... Two weeks ago, Saddleback Corona re-launched with the return to 2 service times, 8:30 am and 10:30 am. Our first week was so exciting, with a total attendance of 66 children in ALL STARS. This was more children than we have seen since last spring!  Yet God was and is not through with the blessings he is pouring out on Saddleback Corona... Last weekend, only our second weekend with two services, we had a record breaking attendance in All STARS! Praise God for bringing 90 children to our campus to be loved, encouraged, and taught about Jesus by our fantastic All STARS volunteers!  This attendance blew away our previous high of 84 children from March of 2008.

 

Exciting things are happening in our church and in our city! God is not done and I am excited to see what other exciting things God has planned for Saddleback Corona and for ALL STARS!

 

Blessings,

Cari Burnett

Corona All Stars Children’s Ministry

carib@saddleback.com

Saddleback Corona Friends,
With the recent move to our new church offices, we are making a change to the MANNA food distribution program.  Saddleback Corona will continue to support and promote the MANNA food program, however, we will not be considered a distribution site.  You may still review the current month’s menu and place your orders directly on-line at www.TheTreasureBox.org.  Rather than select the Saddleback Corona distribution site, you would select the distribution site that is closest to you for picking up your food boxes each month. 

We greatly appreciate all of the various volunteers who have served in this ministry over the past year, and hope and pray that this ministry continues to provide blessings to our Saddleback Corona families.

Many blessings to each of you!

Manna Ministry Leader,
Cathy King

What in incredible kickoff weekend we had for our 2009 Fall Campaign!!

For weeks, we had been praying for our Community.  The parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14 was a passage that we had focussed on and were praying that we could fill God's house.  "Then the master told his servant, "Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full." Luke 14:23 

This last weekend, along with the launch of our fall campaign "Life's Healing Choices" we also re-launched our Church Campus to TWO service times on Sunday 8:30am & 10:30am.  The energy and excitement from our staff, volunteers, members, attenders and visitors is one that I will never forget.  Our Worship Team also knocked it out of the ballpark with an incredible worship set.  As our Worship Leader Maila sang "God of this City" by Chris Tomlin I couldn't help but think this is the theme of our church and for this City.  One of the lines says something like great things are yet to come in this city.  I believe this is true for our Church and for our Community. 

I can't wait to see you all again next weekend.

God Bless,

Pastor David Williamson
Saddleback Church
Corona Campus Pastor

Saddleback Student Ministry's Summer 2009

 

We just finished our 2009 summer and had an incredible time. We had events that were a lot of fun for our students. We went to the movies, went out to lunches, took a trip to Pole Position Raceway, attended 2 summer camps, served at Work Day in Compton, and threw a pool party. We had a fun summer series and I was able to talk to a lot of students about how God was changing their lives.

 

The biggest thing going on in SSM Corona is how God is challenging our students to own their faith and not simply believe because that is what they have been told all of their lives to do. They are being taught how to get to know God for themselves and have a relationship with Him, regardless of what others are doing. We want them to know God is real and wants to be a real part of their lives.

 

It is hard to deny the reality of God in a life that has been changed by Him to have the character and likeness of Christ. We all love ourselves and it comes easy, but what about loving our enemies? There is nothing natural about that, though it is what God has commanded us to do. When God asks us to love others, even when it hurts, we do it because it makes us look more like Christ than anything else, and it sends a message to the world that it is missing something. We want to be light in a dark world, knowing we are not the source of the light but it is Christ living in and through us.

Hello Saddleback Corona Family,

 

This past weekend I shared some exciting news, GREAT NEWS!!!  We are in the process of moving into a new Church Ministry Office; we will be getting computers, desks, phone system, etc. in place hopefully this week.

Our new Church Ministry Office not only will serve as a place for our staff to work out of but more importantly as a location for Classes 101-401, Small Group Host trainings (LT1/LT2 classes), “Marriage Essential” classes, Career Coaching with Chris Goulard, and other ministry activities through its multipurpose room. 

We are praying that our new office positions us to have a stronger and more visible presence in the city of Corona. The office is located in the Corona Mall Professional Center - 400 S. Ramona, Suite 120 Corona, 92879.

 

MORE GREAT NEWS!! 

On September 13, 2009, we are re-launching Saddleback Church Corona back to two services, 8:30a.m. and 10:30a.m. We have finally satisfied the requests of many of our volunteers who have been waiting for this to happen so they could serve at one service and attend another. This will also be the same weekend that we launch our new Fall campaign, “Life’s Healing Choices.” Many exciting things are coming to Saddleback Corona.

 

In the month of August, we are going to be ramping up our evangelism efforts in and around the Corona Community to spread the word about our Fall campaign and the re-launch of our two service times. We would love for you to be a part of the re-launch of Saddleback Church Corona this Fall!

 

I just want to reiterate how much my wife, Belinda, and I have enjoyed getting to know so many new friends at Saddleback Corona. We honestly care for each and every person at our church and look forward to getting to know more people through our meet and greets on the weekends, our monthly Pastor Chats, our visits to various small groups, and our awesome phone conversations with members. I also want you to know that our entire Saddleback Church Corona staff is here for you if you have any questions, concerns, or anything at all.

 

Part of our Vision for Corona:

As long as there are people who are not connected to a church or people who are lost without any relationship to Jesusm we will continue to reach out to the community. We believe that Saddleback Church Corona offers an incredible weekend message that is Biblical and relevant. We are a Church that continues to reach out with current Christian worship music, which draws people in and prepares them for a great message. We are a church that loves on people, from the moment they step onto our campus to the moment they leave. We care about helping people connect throughout the week in Small Groups and ministering to their needs. We are a church that cares about you spiritually and individually. We look forward to partnering with all of you who are excited about reaching out to Corona and beyond. 

 

This last weekend, I read from Proverbs 2:1-10, “Every young man who listens to me and obeys my instructions will be given wisdom and good sense. Yes, if you want better insight and discernment, and are searching for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure, then wisdom will be given you, and knowledge of God himself; you will soon learn the importance of reverence for the Lord and of trusting him. For the Lord grants wisdom!  His every word is a treasure of knowledge and understanding. He grants good sense to the godly—his saints.  He is their shield, protecting them and guarding their pathway. He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time.  For wisdom and truth will enter the very center of your being, filling your life with joy,” 

This is the wisdom and direction that the staff and I seek as we lead Saddleback Church Corona.  As always, be praying for our Church and for our Community. 

 

Hope to see you this weekend!

God Bless,

David Williamson

Corona Campus Pastor

Saddleback Church

 

What a great weekend!

 

The Saddleback Corona Park Day was a blast; we had a great turnout despite the heat! My wife, Belinda, my boys, Jacob and Brandon, and I really enjoyed getting to know everyone, and the water fights were my favorite highlight! My family and I feel so honored to be at Corona and look forward to getting to know the congregation more and reaching the community alongside each and everyone of you. So, save the date for our next church event. Our “End of Summer Luau” will be on Saturday, August 29^th at Huntington State Beach.

 

We will also be doing baptisms this next weekend immediately after the service, please register online at www.saddleback.com/corona

 

This weekend if you would like to get to know your pastor and family please join us from 1:00-3:00 at our July Pastor Chat in Corona immediately following Baptisms. 

 

We would love to see you there!

 

Pastor Dave Williamson

Grace and Peace To You!!

 

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus." 1 Corinthians 1:3-4

 

I love the way that the Apostle Paul addressed the church in his letters.  I feel the same way when I think of each of you that attend our church at Saddleback Corona.  I thank God for each and every one of you.  Each week, I look forward to seeing each of you and I pray that God uses our church as we share the "Good News" of hope, salvation, grace, love, forgiveness, encouragement, and a purpose for living in our community locally and globally.  

 

Make sure you save the date for our Church Family and Friends Park Day on July 19^th at Skyglass Park in Corona.  We are planning to have a great time after church with hotdogs, hamburgers, inflatable bouncers, etc. 

 

Also save the date for August 29^th - you will not want to miss our Beach Luau at Huntington State Beach!   Again, invite everyone you know – family, friends, neighbors, etc.  We are going to have food, fun, live music from Ohana, and more!

 

May each of you have a blessed day and may your life be a blessing to others!  

 

God Bless,

 

Pastor Dave Williamson

I shared some great news last Sunday, for those of you that knew our lease was coming to an end at Citrus Hills Intermediate. Last week, we found out that we are going to be able to extend our contract at Citrus Hills Intermediate. Our prayer is that Saddleback Corona Church is in the best location to continue to serve the community and to reach as many people for God as we can. 

 

I know that for many of us, this week represents the end of the school year for our children. As parents, we often feel like event coordinators for three months until our children go back to school. In my house, the question every morning in the summer seems to be, “What are we going to do today?” – as if we all get three months off! The good news is Saddleback Corona has planned and are planning some fun things to do with families all throughout the summer. We have some events planned already for children and teenagers, which are listed on our website under Calendar and Events. We also have some July and August events for the whole family that are going to be on our website soon. Remember to check back each week or at our weekend service for further details.

 

Have a great week!

 

God Bless,   

 

Pastor David Williamson

What’s up, Saddleback Corona?

 

A lot has happened at our church since our last update. 

 

Let me jump right in and give you a little update on what’s been going on over at the Corona campus.  On April 26^th, Pastor Dave Greene and I announced from the stage at Saddleback Corona that I, Pastor Dave Williamson, was going to be the new Corona Campus Pastor and Pastor Dave Greene was transitioning back onto the Pastoral Care team at Lake Forest. 

 

Over the last few weeks, the Corona team Mike Bearden (Associate Campus Pastor), Maila Factora (Director of Music) , Cari Burnett (Children’s Director), Mandy Taylor (Team Associate), Brian Shwanbeck (Youth Director) and I have been getting to know each other and looking into how things are being done currently at the Corona Campus.  Our desire is to continue to reach out to those in our community that are lost or hurting, and to grow and equip those who are currently attending.

 

I also had a chance to schedule a dessert night at Polly’s where I was able to meet with the lead volunteers of our Tech Team, Worship Team, Greeters, Parking, Info Table, Café, Follow-Up, and PICS.  The only teams that couldn’t make the dessert night were the Set-up/Take Down (for Childrens), Ushers, and Accounting.  I have met with these other team leaders on weekends.

 

I am excited to be a part of such an incredible team and an incredible church. I look forward to getting to know each of you over the next few weeks, hopefully at one of our new monthly “Pastor Chats.”  For more info on Pastor Chats, come by our Small Group Life table at our weekend service or check the Calendar & Events on our website.

 

I would like to close our blog this week with sharing a verse that I shared with our Church when Pastor Dave Greene and I transitioned on April 26^th. 

 

1 Cor.3:5-7 “What after all, is Apollos?  And what is Paul?  Only servants, through whom you came to believe-as the Lord has assigned to each his task.  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” 

 

What an exciting journey we are on!

 

Blessings,

 

Pastor David Williamson

On Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008, Saddleback Church Corona had it's first public services at Centennial High School in Corona, CA.  Yesterday, we had a party - a church potluck dinner - after our regular service to mark the occasion and to say a big thank you to God for all he has done for us in this first year.  It was an awesome time and I want to send out a big thank you to all who helped!

As we begin year number two there are a couple of things that I pray are the hallmark of who we are becoming.  One is that we continue to be a church that accepts all comers with warmth and a smile.  I have had many people comment to me about what a friendly group of people we are and how welcome they feel.  This is a mark of strength for any church, especially one in it's infancy.

The other thing that I pray we will be known for is being a group of people who care for our communities.  We are not just doing this for ourselves.  We want to be a part of making a difference where we live and work.  To do this we will strengthen our outreach to the local communities through local peace events.  Currently we serve once a month by preparing a meal for those who live in Hope City in Ontario.  They are still in tents and look forward to a warm meal served by friendly people.  This Thursday, is the next day we will serve at hope City.

We have also begun to provide frozen food at a very discounted price through Manna Ministry.  You can order a large box of frozen food from the church and it will be delivered to the church storage warehouse in Corona one Saturday morning each month.  The cost is only $30 and the food sells in the grocery store for more than twice that price.  Order for your own family, or for a family that you know could use the help.

We will be looking for and letting you know about additional opportunities to let our communities know that Saddleback cares.  Join with us as we seek to tell others about Christ through our actions.

Blessings,

Pastor Dave  

This Sunday we will celebrate one year of growing ministry at Saddleback Church Corona!  I am excited to share this day with you as we remember what God has done in and through us.  He has been at work growing his family.  There are so many good things that have happened in the process of doing our weekend services together.  Not only have people made first time commitments to following Jesus, but people have renewed their commitment to following Christ, marriages have been brought back together, and people who felt overwhelmed and ready to give up have found the support and hope they needed to trust God and keep going.

We know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who are called according to his purposes and we want to continue to spread the message of his love in our communities here in the Inland Empire.  Come this weekend and help us celebrate God's goodness.  You won't want to miss out on this milestone event in the life of our church.

Pastor Doug will be starting a three week series called "Refuel."  To see a promo video on this new sermon series copy and paste this url into your browser: http://saddleback.com/mc/m/CEA3 

Why not take a moment and "add a comment" about what God has been doing in you since you started attending Saddleback Corona.  Just type your comment in the form below.

See you at 10:00 on Sunday!

Pastor Dave

This year, Corona held its first-ever Leader Summit at Backwoods BBQ in Corona on Friday, March 6. The summit is an annual event with the focus of sharing the ministry theme and emphasis for the upcoming year. The food was great and it was exciting to have so many of our dedicated volunteers together in a setting where we could have fun, hang out a bit, and enjoy each other's company. 

 

The theme for 2009 is “Inside Out”. We studied the life of David and how God recognized the inner qualities that he could use to grow David, a common shepherd, into a great leader.  In the same way, God can and will build us from the inside out. The verse that we will focus on throughout the year is Psalm 78:72: “He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands." This is the mindset that we want every All Stars volunteer to hold in their heart as they teach the children of Saddleback Corona.

 

Another highlight of the evening was when we took a look back at some of the accomplishments that the All Stars team in Corona had been a part of:

5 Children have been baptized

4 Children have accepted Christ as their Savior

4 Children have been dedicated

 

Finally, we took the time to recognize a few leaders who have been with us since Day One of the Corona campus. I want to take the opportunity to again say thank you to the following people for one year of dedicated service to Saddleback Corona All Stars: Cherry Macalino, Daun Howard, Anna Mitchell, Faith Thomas, Emilie Thomas, Dana Fordham, Scott Burnett, and Kristina Crabtree.

 

All Stars has a fantastic team of dedicated volunteer leaders who love and minister to the children of our campus every week. God continues to bless this ministry and it is an honor to be a part of such a great team!

 

Blessings,

Cari Burnett

Corona All Stars Children’s Ministry

So, it has been over a month since I wrote the blog on willingness from Paris.  Maybe you forgot about it!  Maybe you have never heard of it!  Let me remind you that I asked our family at Saddleback Corona to spend some time thinking about WILLINGNESS.  I asked, "What are you willing to let God do in and through your life?  What are you willing to let go of so that God can give you something better?  Are you WILLING to receive God's very best for your life and the lives of those around you?

I encouraged you to pray something like this to God:
"God, I know that I don't always listen to you or do what you are asking of me.  I know I have this tendency to go my own way and "do my own thing."  Today God, I want you to let you know that I am WILLING to have you help me be the person you created me to be and do the things that you are calling me to do.  Help me to let go of whatever slows me down or holds me back as I learn to live more effectively for you in my home, my community and my place of work.  Thank you for your patience with me.  In Jesus name, Amen."

So I am wondering what God is saying to you.  I am convinced that if we make ourselves available to God that he will guide us.  I am experiencing this in my life right now, today!  If you are seeing this, click on "add a comment" and let us know what God is doing in your life.

Blessings,

Dave

Happy New Year!  We are already a week into this New Year and this moment finds me "stuck" at the Marriott - Charles De Gualle Airport in Paris.  I say stuck because - since we were only passing through the airport on our way to mid 80s temperatures in Gabon, Africa - I only have a light jacket with me.  Our flight was canceled and so I am in 20 something degree temperatures in Paris with snow on the ground!  The locals tell me that snow is not all that common and that the city goes into panic mode when they do get snow.  Traffic snarls to a slow crawl, etc.

I am on my way to Bongolo, Gabon on the continent of Africa to work at a missionary hospital where we are improving their facilities - expanding their X-ray lab and moving offices to create more examination rooms.  This involves removing the roof of the building and adding a second story and we have two weeks to do it!  AND the want us to put a new roof back on as well!  Yes!  This is how I am spending my vacation days!  ;o)

It is currently 4:55 a.m. on Wednesday morning and I should be sound asleep since the last time I got to lay down was 3:00 a.m. Monday morning.  However, after 6 hours of sleeping like a rock, I am wide awake and thinking about how God might want us to be reaching out to the people of the Inland Empire.  The question I ask myself is whether this is God speaking to me or sleep deprivatoin at work!

My reading this morning has directed me to the idea of WILLINGNESS and I was reminded of how much God is able to do in my life when I am WILLING to let go of my plans and let Him be God.  (like I can actually keep him from being God, right?!)  You see - and this is a bit of a confession - sometimes I think that I am in charge!  I think that my plan is the right plan and I forget that God has a better plan!  At other times, I just get caught up in the pace of life and I forget to talk to God about his plan for my life, for our church, and for the people that live and work around us.

So what I am asking of our famliy at Saddleback Corona is for you to spend some time today or this week - maybe right now! - thinking about WILLINGNESS.  What are you willing to let God do in and through your life?  What are you willing to let go of so that God can give you something better?  Are you WILLING to receive God's very best for your life and the lives of those around you?

I encourage you to say something like this to God:

"God, I know that I don't always listen to you are do what you are asking of me.  I know I have this tendency to go my own way and "do my own thing."  Today God, I want you to let you know that I am WILLING to have you help me be the person you created me to be and do the things that you are calling me to do.  Help me to let go of whatever slows me down or holds me back as I learn to live more effectively for you in my home, my community and my place of work.  Thank you for your patience with me.  In Jesus name, Amen."

Now, if you are like me, maybe you need to say that you are willing for God to make you willing to be willing (add as many willings in there as you need).  The idea is to invite God to show you his plan for your life and to ask him to help you get out of His way!  We have so many distractions that keep us from really living for God.  Let's help each other set those things aside!

I pray that you have a great day.

Dave