TIME: Living a Full Life vs. a Busy Life
Lessons from 38 minutes in Hawaii
Psalm 39

Knowing the incredible shortness of this life and the absolute certainty of the eternal kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ gives a perspective, which is the total influence on daily life:

I live aware that the length of life in this world is almost immeasurable as compared to God and eternity, vv. 4-5.

I will not let the noise of evil and the wicked and the limited time of adversity lead me to have an unbalanced concern or focused obsession, vv. 1-3.

I will not let acquiring the possessions or the things of this life become my purpose in life, I will pursue Christ and His Kingdom, vv. 6, 12.

I will put all my hope for the future in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ that is coming soon, v. 7.

I will work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit on the deep and settled sins in my life, as I live with God’s help in a life pursuing holiness in character and actions, v. 8.

I will live realizing God is overseeing the circumstances of my life and He has a passion that I know Him and become like Jesus and live a life significant for His kingdom, vv. 9-11.

I will walk in daily life with Jesus as a sojourner and guest in this world, v. 12.

Last weekend our Elders and Ministry Team went away together on a retreat. We do this to fulfill the call of Jesus to get away together with Him in a time of rest and relationship. As our Time series has indicated, we as Elders and the Ministry Team have found the issue of the press of time so prevalent in our lives. We realize how important it is that we share our lives together as well as oversee ministry together. If we only know each other in the business and the “busyness” of ministry, we don’t have the relationships that make for a good spiritual life, good decisions, and growth. There is a sense in which the church is an organic body, and health in the church body depends on our loving, trusting, and working together as a leadership team. That takes time and our retreat is intended to help give us that time.

I have been on several trips that have traced the footsteps of the Apostle Paul and his missionary team through parts of his three missionary trips through Turkey and Greece. What has struck me is how much time Paul and his team spent just traveling together and then ministering together when they got to the next city. They had time together on long journeys by foot and on ships that sailed at the speed of the wind. They ate meals together and found lodging in new places together. They dealt with the adversity of weather, hunger, riots, imprisonment, and were chased out of towns together. All of this time of doing life together formed a bond that enabled them to encourage each other. They gained wisdom in reflections from one another as they began ministry new again in the next city the Holy Spirit led them. They experienced the Holy Spirit guiding and resourcing them as they ministered.

That closeness of living bound together in Christ overflowed into their ministry together. I love how, in 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the Apostle Paul tells the church in Thessalonica that his letter is from him, Silvanus, and Timothy. He describes their shared memory of the church at Thessalonica this way in 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” The leadership team of our church feels that great love for you and the great privilege we have in serving you. As a leadership team, we hope that our love and unity grows stronger so that it may more powerfully reach each of you.

The theme of our retreat this year focused on how unique each of us are. We are each special creations of God in both those things that shape us as a person and how the grace of God has reached us and is changing us. We live in one of the most diverse communities in the world. We are diverse in age, in ethnicity and nationality, and in economic resources. Yet out of such great diversity the Lord Jesus Christ is seeking to build a church family vitally linked together in love, truth, mission, and building each other up. He wants to build a community that so loves each other that the world will know we belong to Jesus by that love, John 13:34-35.

We also know that Jesus is seeking to reconcile us both to God the Father and to each other. We know that not only has our diversity shaped us differently but culture, customs, perceived differences, and the work of sin has built walls between us that make our coming together in love challenging. We know that Jesus has come to tear down all those walls of division, Ephesians 2:14-16. Part of our retreat was spent seeking to discover some of the walls that divide us and learn how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and work together in overcoming those, and truly build a community rich in its diversity, yet becoming one in worship, in growth, and in mission to the world. We think we need to be more intentional in truly embracing our uniqueness and diversity and making sure that is reflected in our worship, preaching, leadership, and joint service. Thank you for praying for us.

Senior Pastor Byron MacDonald

Pastor Byron welcomes your questions/comments at bmacdonald@rhcc.net

Following each worship service, members of the prayer team will be available in front of the platform to pray with you and minister to your spiritual needs. You may also submit prayer requests to Vicki Hardin at Chaplain_Vicki@aol.com, (310) 612-7832, by yellow card or on our website.

We're here for you! The pastoral staff at RHCC is available to help you with your marriage, finances, parenting, emotional issues, or if you are in need of prayer. We can also provide recommendations for Christian counseling services in the South Bay. Contact Pastor Nate Aanderud at (310) 521-2565 or naanderud@rhcc.net.

Welcome to Rolling Hills Covenant Church—a caring community of people who believe the Bible is the Word of God and choose to live by its truth. Our mission is to know Jesus intimately and to share His love and truth passionately.

Maybe you’ve been here a while and want to learn more about RHCC. We invite you to come to our Connect lunch on Sunday, February 25 at 11:15 a.m. in the Loft. You will be welcomed by our staff, learn about the church’s purpose and priorities, and connect with others who are also exploring the church. Come to the Connect tent on the patio for more info.

For information about what else is going on at RHCC this month, pick up What's Happening in the blue boxes or a copy of our Ministry Catalog.

The following families will be dedicating their children to the Lord this weekend:
9:30 a.m. - Justin and Jennifer Stuler with Paisley Jane, Hailey Grace, and Laila Rose.
11:15 a.m. - Jonathan and Danielle Pfahler with Autumn; John and Kathrine Mason with Hannah Elizabeth and Isaac Marvin; Peter and Cara Johnson with Eli Beau Stone.

It takes hundreds of volunteers every weekend to help our children learn about Jesus. We are currently in need of the following volunteers:
• Saturday - 4/5th grade volunteer
• Sunday - K/1st grade volunteers (3 needed)
You can sign up for these or any other position in Children’s Ministries by contacting Shannon Magaña at smagana@rhcc.net or 310.521.2540.

Women are encourage to join us at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, February 9 at the RHCC Community Center (735 Silver Spur Road, RHE) as we build a deeper connection with God and one another. Bring a sweet or savory dish to share. Childcare available by reservation.

• Mom’s Day Out is now offered every Monday from 9 a.m. to noon for children birth-5 years.
• Parent’s Night Out is offered the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month from 6 to 9 p.m. for children up to 12.
Get more information or make reservations by contacting Natalia Dover at ndover@rhcc.net or 310.521.2539.

Giving goal (6/1/17-5/31/18): $8,100,000

Budget Needs YTD: $5,556,087
Received YTD: $5,289,168
Over/Under YTD: ($266,919)

Needed last week: $116,355
Received last week: $97,103

Text any amount to 310.307.3661 to give.