Not Thankful Enough

Perhaps one of my greatest flaws is the fact that I do not express my gratitude nearly enough as I should. Whether it is writing a thank-you card for a gift, shooting an email to a colleague, or spending enough time in prayer, thanking God for His goodness, I seem to fail more often than I give thanks for blessings in life.

The Psalms are filled with songs of thanks, because God has provided for us and protected us in ways we cannot imagine. The theme cannot be ignored. One contemporary praise song jumps straight out of the Psalms, opening with "Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King; His love endures forever" (Ps. 136.1). Perhaps the very first scripture memory passage of my entire life contained the words, "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise" (Ps. 100.4). You'd think I'd remember to be thankful.

The apostle Paul was perhaps the one authority on giving thanks, as he was imprisoned and persecuted for the sake of the gospel, yet he chose to set his mind on giving thanks for God's goodness. If anyone was to be given permission to forget to be thankful, it would have been him!

Perhaps we as God's people could learn to be more thankful on a regular basis. But, it would require a shift of thinking, a change of perspective. It would be a choice. God got on Israel's case all the time, because they FORGOT what He had done for them - getting them out of Egypt, providing for their every need, etc. Surely we can learn from their mistakes, right?

By the way, thanks for reading this blog!

Creative Arts going digital...?

The OSM Creative Arts Team did great leading in worship with the song "Made to Worship" yesterday morning during both services. The team, who has mostly been working on drama and comedy sketches, stepped out on a little bit of faith with only 4 members up on stage, but they did an awesome job of leaving their nerves on the side and focused on worshiping Christ!

The team's next project will likely be putting all the sketches they've been working on into digital format. Some of the team members' schedules have been getting quite hectic lately, so they're exploring the possibility of turning the live-action skits into videos to be shown in worship services. It may feel like a small taste of the filming arts, but hey, we never said that we were confined to just skits and songs! :)

Using digital video cameras and video editing software, we'll be able to be a little more flexible in working around people's schedules. This is also a great opportunity for others who want to learn the technical aspect of the creative arts, such as audio, video and computer multimedia! If anyone's interested, tell them to talk to me!

New Logo & The Not-so-Extreme Makeover

Trying to get back into the groove after my vacation has proved to be harder than I anticipated! Having been sick for the past couple of weeks and gearing up for the holidays, I was starting to wonder if we'd get this Vision Blitz project off the ground! But, it looks as though it's still going to happen!

We've already settled on the new OSM logo, designed by Angela Kawamae and inspired by a photograph that she took on her recent trip to Okinawa. Her contest-winning design earned her a gift book from Consolidated Theatres, good for a couple admission tickets, some drinks, and some popcorn! Congratulations! The new logo will be make its public debut at the launch of the Vision Blitz, which will hopefully take place early next year.

The Vision Blitz, a project aimed at spreading the word about the student ministry at Cornerstone was originally concieved alongside the possibility of an Extreme Makeover of the youth room. However, after much searching and earnest prayer, it seems to me that we'd make much better use of God's things if we focused on reaching out, rather than building ourselves up from the inside. We are still looking toward cleaning up the youth room and equipping it better for youth discipleship, but it will come at a more gradual pace.

Meanwhile, for 2008, we'll start to shift our focus toward making a significant impact on our community for the cause of Christ. This means gut-level praying for our youth and helping to raise up students that grow into godly adults who are on fire for Him! It's a task that is bigger than any of us, which means that God has room to work and do awesome things! After all, if we could do it ourselves, what would we need God for? One of the first noticeable changes will be in the direction of Wednesday Nights, which could possibly turn into a youth worship night that spurs students to look for ways to impact their world.

So, students and parents and others... keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to witness, serve and grow, 'cuz that's what we're here for. Already, there is the Zip-Love project coming up (which we're doing in conjunction with CFMM's homeless ministry), as well as a slightly different twist to our Christmas Progressive Party this year (details later). So, we can start right now!

So, though we won't have an Extreme Makeover of our youth room, we'll be working toward an extreme makeover of our community, all done in the power of the Holy Spirit. What an exciting time it will be!