May 2022 Newsletter
We had our first softball night of the year! It's a fan favorite so if you missed it be sure to join us for the next one coming up this summer!
Upcoming Events
Vespers
May 13 // 7:30 pm
Belong Room (Basement level in the new wing of the Collegedale Church)
Social Event
Picnic and Park Activity Day
May 21
Location TBD
Pack a picnic lunch and a swimsuit and join us for an afternoon of hammocks, paddle boards, and fellowship. Don't forget to bring a friend!
Sabbath School
Weekly // 10:30 am
Belong Room
Please note that on the first Sabbath of each month we will participate in outreach in lieu of discussion
Women's Group
Weekly // Wednesdays // 6:30 pm for dinner, 7:00 pm for Bible study
Location subject to change, monitor updates on Facebook and weekly newsletters
Men's Group
Weekly // Wednesdays // 8:00 pm
Focus room in the South Atrium of the Collegedale Church
Announcements
Devotional Authors
Do you enjoy the short devotionals shared here in our monthly newsletters? Do you have a story to share? Do you enjoy writing? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we'd love to feature your short devotional in one of our upcoming newsletters! You've heard from many of our leadership team members in these monthly devotionals, but we also want to hear from you! Submit your story here.
Devotional Thought
God is Able
I went to a prayer conference last Sabbath hosted by Connect church featuring Pastor Rick and Cindy Mercer, who authored the book “Pray Big”. During the last session of Cindy’s testimony, she pointed out that Jesus specifically mentioned the word “ask” 7 times in the following verses: John 14:13-14, John 15:7 and 16, John 16:23-24 and 26.
John 14:14, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
Cindy said that one of the biggest reasons that people stop praying was that they did not believe God was able.
I resonated with Cindy’s comment and agreed with her. Surely, there are many good reasons we don’t prioritize prayers: busyness, distractions, insecurity, feeling unworthy, shame, self-sufficiency, fear, frustration with God, and the list goes on. But the fact that we don’t believe God is able, is probably the biggest lie Satan injected in our heart. We don’t take it to our heart.
God is able. And Jesus urged us to ask, keep asking, keep asking in God’s name, keep believing, keep praying, keep seeking God’s face every day, and He will do it. He will do it with the best way you could ever imagine, not the way you desired or assumed, but exactly the way you need.
God is the way maker. God is the creator. God is our best friend. God listens. God cares. God cries. God loves you no matter who you are, what you did, and where you are right now.
Mathew 14:27, “Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid.”
This morning as I was reading Matthew 14 and the story of Jesus walking on the water penetrated my heart. We probably all know about this cool story. Jesus walked on the water in the midst of a great storm. God was able. Peter asked Jesus to command him to walk on the water during the great storm. Jesus did and Peter walked on the water and went to Jesus. God was able. When Peter saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink. Peter cried out to Jesus and asked Him to save him. He asked: “Lord, save me.” And Jesus did it. Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of Peter. God was able.
John 14:14, “if you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
This verse penetrated my heart.
Matthew 14:31, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
God is able.
Raymond Liu, Collegedale Post-collegiate Small Group Coordinator