God wants our hearts

This Sunday in Covenant (11am, Rm 311), we will be watching a 12-minute Nooma video about what we do as Christians and how it's congruent (or sometimes incongruent) with what we believe. Discussion will follow.

From the DVD cover: "Why do we do the things we do? Why do we go to church or give money away? Because we're supposed to or because we think God needs it? Do we honestly put on our best clothes for an hour once a week, stand and sit at all the right times, and sing all the appropriate songs for God's sake, or because it'll make us look better to the world around us? We're tired of all the empty rituals and routines. And so is God. God hates it when we call ourselves Christians but ignore the things he really cares about. He hates it when we go through hollow religious routines out of some feeling of duty or obligation. God doesn't want the meaningless rituals. God wants our hearts."

Here's a preview:

Turning Toward

This week in Covenant, I plan to lead a discussion of what helps and hinders our ability to glorify God in our marriage. The Bible speaks quite a lot about the relationship between a husband and a wife, and a consistent theme is that we are to honor, love, and support each other. While that's all well and good, the Bible is not always specific in how we should go about doing that in the midst of the normal stressors of our culture, our families, our jobs, and our lives. It certainly is not always as easy as we think it will be when we say "I do".

John Gottman's book, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, will serve as the primary practical basis for the class, but we will also look to the Bible for the general themes that should dictate the direction of marriage. One of those themes is Turning Towards. Gottman describes this, which is number three of his Seven Principles, as the moments when one partner makes a bid for connection to which the other partner positively responds. This is what Jesus modeled for us throughout the Gospels. By following His example in our marriages, even during times of conflict and hurt, healing can occur and the relationship grows. Covenant will explore this Sunday (11:00 AM, Rm. 311) how this process works or fails to work in our marriages.

This Week at Covenant

Visitors:
Please join us on Sunday mornings at 11am in the Elrod Building, room 311. We're always happy to have newcomers!!

Lesson Schedule:
Feb. 17: Marriage - Jason
Feb. 24: Nooma video - Anitra
March 2: Prayer - Larissa
March 9: Guest Speaker - Amanda G
March 17: Guest Speaker questions - Anitra
March 23: Easter
March 30: begin Church-wide Book Study, Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation

Social Events:
Monthly lunches and outings... More info to come...

Any questions??
Contact the church office at 281-488-5111, or visit us online at http://www.clearlakemethodist.org/.