29 January 2017 - ENCS

In closing, Pastor Josh challenged us to be like fruit trees

Giving out new fruit and blessings as often as we please

Let your light shine, per Matthew chapter five verse sixteen

So that your good deeds that glorify God will by all be seen

Per First Peter chapter two verse twelve, lead a life so good

That even pagans see and then glorify God as they should

This should be our desire until the day that we eventually die

With that, here’s wishing everyone a blessed Gong Xi Fa Cai

22 January 2017 - ENCS

Today Pastor Josh continued on the theme of “Clarity”

In Genesis one, God’s creation plan was plain to see

He had clarity of purpose and followed a logical plan

He created the earth, water, animals, and then man

Pastor then provided us with a piece of sage advice

That sometimes we may need to be not entirely nice

We need to say ‘no’ at times, for a variety of reasons

So we can be more fruitful and happy in all seasons

God saw everything He had made, per Genesis one

 ‘Very good’ was His view in terms of all He had done

That result came from steps aligned with a clear vision

There were daily objectives, all achieved with precision

It is very important that per verses twenty six and seven

Man was made in the image of the triune God in heaven

And as Josh said, it is very difficult for us to comprehend

But having a relationship with us is what God does intend

Matthew twenty eight refers to the Father, Son, and Spirit

God’s pleasure with His Son was evident for all to hear it

God was well pleased before Jesus even began His work

Likewise, not based on works, His love for us is not a quirk

The nature of our relationship with God and others is trust

Josh highlighted five elements that he considers a must

The acronym Truth, Reliability, Unity, Standards, and Time

(That last one makes it relatively easy to develop a rhyme)

Josh pointed to John fourteen verse six in regards truth

McDonalds is reliable although often targeted at youth

The reliability point also made in Hebrews thirteen eight

Everything moves at the speed of trust, Covey did state

Per James one, unity will never change on God’s part

In Psalm eighty six, David asks for an undivided heart

We must avoid relationships with those of standards low

Per First Peter one, in holy obedience we should grow

God is faithful throughout time, per Psalm thirty seven

Isaiah forty says forever stands the Word from heaven

And while human maturity leads to more independence

A mature Christian sees reliance on God in ascendance

The key to every relationship we have is therefore trust

Something we must work on but God never has to adjust

In summary, Pastor highlighted key actions to take four

To pray, to meditate, to proclaim, and to fellowship more

8 January 2017 - ENCS

As ENC globally heads into a prayer and fasting week

On the topic of fasting Pastor Joshua Harris did speak

With a look at Matthew nine verse fourteen he did start

With a reminder that Jesus’ answers focus on our heart

That passage says to be relational rather than religious

For getting closer to God is obviously more prodigious

That should be our purpose of fasting from whatever

For by freeing up time to talk with God, we are clever

Proper fasting can turn a perceived duty into delight

Some effort may be required but the result is alright

Remember that whatever we do for God does pale

In comparison to what He did for us in gory detail

That is evidence of His infinite love for every person

When we do not love others, we therefore incur sin

Pastor Josh then turned to Psalm sixteen for advice

It states that God does not delight in our sacrifice

Rather, God takes delight when we do listen to Him

For then we do God’s will and the result is not grim

By letting His Word take its rightful place in our heart

Our lives will illustrate His glory as we all do our part

Fasting’s focus changes from deprivation to desire

And from desperation to devotion we should aspire

Per Joshua three verse five, in order to aptly prepare

We should focus on God so that He can show His care

Josh said that by fasting at the beginning of the year

It is like rebooting a computer when problems appear

We should thus move from religion to relationship

And remember we have nothing to fear on life’s trip

Per Psalm sixteen, God provides counsel for the heart

Peace and pleasures forever is what He does impart

Joy means having positive expectations all of the time

Hence what God is doing in our lives becomes prime

In summary, as we fast from things that get in our way

We should focus on the eternal, not temporal, each day

1 January 2017 - ENCS

Pastor Larry spoke about “The Slingshot Effect” today

As we start a new year, encouraging words he did say

Per First Corinthians fifteen verses fifty seven and eight

We are to give thanks to God, Paul did resolutely state

For no matter what struggles or obstacles we may face

Our work for God is never in vain thanks to His grace

“Do not fret” in Psalm thirty seven King David did write

Nor should we envy those who act in ways not upright

For per Psalm one hundred and eighteen verse seven

We will triumph over enemies thanks to God in heaven

In Ephesians four, Paul repeated a similar exhortation

We should let Christ, not our worrying, be our foundation

Pastor Matsuwaki's first message for us we did then hear

For twenty seventeen, remember “this year, crush fear”

Returning to Psalm thirty seven, in God we should trust

By committing our ways to Him, His actions will be just

None of God’s promises ever fail, per Joshua twenty two

All enemies will be defeated for the Lord's Word is true

Pastor Larry’s second message to us was no less bold

“This year, determine to trust in God” we were told

And per Psalm thirty seven verses twenty three and four

If God delights in our ways, He will uphold us for sure

Pastor Matsuwaki then told us to do something different

“This year, build a closer walk with God” with intent

For in order to grow our faith, Pastor Larry did state

We must focus on our walk with God to reinvigorate

In conclusion, struggles and troubles we will all face

Like Apollo Thirteen and its challenges in outer space

The astronauts, like David, used a slingshot approach

We should see God working in our lives like a coach

Pastor said that last year’s hardships did us prepare

To experience greater things this year - if we dare!