Our Thinking Begins With The Reality…
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Where does your thinking begin as you look out on the situation we are facing with the Covid-19 Pandemic and the impact it is having on our society? What is the starting point, the point of departure, for your understanding in the face of the seemingly endless stream of new information flowing in from around the nation and the world? What is the launching pad for your response, both emotionally and practically, as you evaluate all that information and what it suggests about what the days ahead may look like?
The answer to these questions is, “It is the same as it always is.” Our thinking begins with the reality of an infinite and eternal God; a God who is absolute and infinite and perfect; absolute[1] and infinite and perfect with respect to every aspect of His being, every property of his nature and character; every one of His works. Our thinking begins with the reality of a God who is the perfection of goodness and wisdom and power—Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14; Psalm 119:68; 1 Timothy 1:17;
Our thinking begins with the reality that this infinite and eternal God, this God who is absolute, infinite and perfect is the Creator of heaven and earth; that all things in creation are by Him and for Him; all things in creation are from Him and through Him and to Him; they are the works of His hands; by the breath of his mouth all things were made and by that same breath all things remain. Our thinking should begin with the reality that this Creator preserves all things it, providing for all the works of His hands and governing everything that transpires within them, in the material realm as well as in the realm of mankind’s affairs, both nations and individuals—Psalm 33:6; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:3; Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 44:24; Daniel 2:1-49; Jeremiah 10:12-13; .
Our thinking begins with the reality that this Creator God works in all the works of his hands; that he is righteous, He always does what is right, always does what is best; whose ways are perfect; a God who is faithful and true, who showers his goodness on all that He has made, both those who do right and those who do not; whose steadfast love rest upon all those who hope in his goodness; on all those who trust and obey him, who wait on him, who rest in him; all those who fear him—Exodus 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 103:1-18; 145:8-20
Our thinking begins with the reality that this God is sovereign over all that He has made; that he has established his throne in the heavens and his rule governs all things; that like a potter with the clay He forms it as He is pleased to do and uses it likewise; that everything that comes to pass does so under his absolute sovereign control; nothing transpires apart from his will; nothing just “happens”; nothing is random, but all things are by design, both good and evil (including Covid-19 and its collateral impact); that all things are ordered by One who knows the end from the beginning and from before the beginning of the world established his purposes in creation; that He works all things for His glory, for the praise of His name—Psalm 103:19; Isaiah 44:24-28; Isaiah 46:8-10; Jeremiah 10:6-7; Daniel 4:17, 34-35; Exodus 4:11; Job 2:9-10; Isaiah 45:7; Amos 3:6; Isaiah 64:8; Romans 9:21; Ezekiel 36:22-23, 32; Romans 11:33-36;
Our thinking begins with the reality that this God is full of mercy; that he is good and kind; that He sees and knows all things, including each and every person on the planet; that he knows them; that he knows everything about them; He knows their heart; their mind; He knows their hopes; their fears—Deuteronomy 4:31; Nehemiah 9:31; 2 Corinthians 1:3;
Our thinking begins with the reality that this God is intimately involved with the lives of his creatures; that He cares about them; that He hears them when they call to Him; he is always present to them at all times in the perfection, the fullness of his being; that every person lives in his presence—Psalm 139:1-16; 145:9; Acts 17:25-26;
Our thinking begins with the reality that this God is the giver of all good gifts; that he delights to do good to his creatures; that he has perfected his goodness to them in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ in that, by Jesus Christ, he has provided everything required for His creatures to be redeemed and restored to right relationship with him—Acts 14:17; James 1:17; John 3:16; 1 John 4:10
This is where our thinking begins. This is the foundation, the cornerstone of our understanding; these are the realities that underlie our thinking as we look out on our present situation and assess what is going on. These realities form the launching pad for our response , both emotionally and practically. These are the cornerstone realities on which everything in all creation is built.
In the Love of Christ,
Pastor Guy
[1] To speak of God being absolute is to speak of the independence of God. It is to speak of the reality that God has not received anything, any aspect of his being or his nature and character, from outside himself; from beyond himself. It is to speak of the reality that God is what He is, in and of Himself; that He is what He is because He is what He is. He has being (existence) in and of Himself. It is His nature to be. God is the One for who it simply is—that He is. God is the One for who it is impossible that he not be. Every aspect of his nature and character is absolute. God does not become. He simply, is God is Absolute.
Sunnyside Community Church– Covid-19 Update
Dear Sunnyside Community Church Family,
In light the latest developments and, in particular, the Governors mandate limiting gatherings to 25 or less the board will be meeting tomorrow evening, Tuesday, March 17, to formulate a plan for handling our church’s ministries for the next 4 to 6 weeks. Please pray for the Lord to give us wisdom to make prudent decisions to guide our church family through these challenges.
We rest in the conviction that God is sovereign and rules over all things with wisdom and power and goodness; that his ways are perfect; that He always does what is best. And, what is more, not only do we have confidence and the abiding peace that this truth promotes, in Christ we have a confidence to step forward, to extend ourselves to help those in need; those who don’t have the confidence that arises from this conviction of who God is and how He works. Rather than drawing back, we can reach forward in a visible demonstration of the gospel.
May the Lord continue to encourage your mind and heart with His truth. We will be in touch in the next couple of days with updates.
In Christ,
Pastor Guy
At The Mid-Point
Monday, August 12
Sorry we are a bit behind on updates. Going back to Friday evening we had the opportunity to take a group of kids from the drop in center to dinner and a movie (Lion King). It was the first cinema experience for many of them. They dressed in their best and we all had a wonderful time.
On Saturday we got together with Mike and Natalie Bucher. They arranged for us to go to another church and assist with a gospel film and feeding. On the way there we stopped and saw the second largest display of the 10 Commandments in the world. What a sight! At the church we played games with around 60 kids for a long time and then they watched a Jesus film. After the film we fed them a spaghetti dinner. Because it was dark outside, we drove the kids home in our vans and the leftover spaghetti was shared from the back of the truck throughout the neighborhood. Everyone was so grateful!
On Sunday we attended church with the Buchers, stocked up on supplies at the store, and met up with Robbie and Deanna Nichols to make arrangements for the upcoming week.
On Monday we went to Redemptio Christian School with the Nichols. Our team divided into two groups to clean their school building and clear the lot where they will be building. It was a lot of hard work but again, they are so grateful for the extra help to tackle tasks they just don’t get to. We were able to relax a little later in the day and prepare ourselves for the busy days ahead.
For the next four days we will run a VBS in the morning and basketball camp in the afternoon. Those not helping with basketball will visit families in the community. Please pray for all the kids who will be attending and hearing the Good News. Also pray for our team, specifically for strength and health, as several have been hit hard with colds but are continuing to serve.
Change of Plans…
Friday Afternoon
God is always in control and knows our plans before us. We have learned that flexibility is key on Mission trips. We awoke at 2:00 am to drive a couple hours to catch a ferry to the island of Mindoro. Our team of 16, with luggage and many boxes of food supplies piled into a large truck and set off. Upon arrival to the port, we were informed that it had closed down due to weather. So we turned around and drove several more hours back to the guest house. You get creative with games to play in very tight conditions for six hours!
While we were disappointed not to visit Threads of Hope, we quickly realized that being on the ferry in a bad weather or being stranded on the island for days wouldn’t be ideal either!
Upon our arrival back at the guest house we were told we could help with a feeding. Half of our team piled back in another truck and set off on a rough ride to a nearby neighborhood. The kids brought any container they had to the truck where we dished it full of a rice/protein soup. Many took large containers back to their families. We then joined in a small Bible Study for the women in the area. About ten ladies came. We had the chance to briefly share testimonies, scripture, and song with the ladies. It was a precious time.
Tonight we are planning to meet up with Mike Bucher and some of the kids from the drop in center for a fun evening with dinner and a movie. (Something that is a real treat for them!)
Even when plans change, another opportunity arises. Fatigue has set in, as our nights are short and the days are long and tiring. Pray for strength and health for all in our team.
Facelift
Once we arrived in Manila, Tuesday evening, we were picked up by vans from Kids International Ministries (KIDS) and taken to their guest house in Rizal. This would be out home base for the this trip.
Wednesday morning we met with Norm Denler to learn about KIDS and take a tour of some of their facilities. During the tour we visited their children’s home, birthing center, Christian elementary and middle schools and the site for their new high school.
It was amazing to see how God is working through this ministry and to see Norm’s passion as he explained the things KIDS is involved in and how God has blessed their work.
The last two days (Wed and Thurs) have been spent at Push Cart Community Ministries Drop In Center with Mike Bucher, one of the ministries GROW is involved with. Our main project was painting the inside of the facility. It is amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do.
We also served lunch to the kids in the community, enjoyed the kid’s music concert, shared devotions, played games, and showed the love of Christ to the kids. These kids flock to us and desperately want love and attention. Our team spent hours playing basketball in the street, letting the kids climb and hang on them, and having fun together. The kids’ joy in playing with our team is indescribable. A highlight was the kids singing How Great is Our God, with us joining in, and then we sang the Salvation Poem song in Tagalog and they joined in singing with us! So cool!
Tomorrow we head to the Island of Mindoro to visit Threads of Hope which means a 2am wake up call to catch the ferry to the island.
Getting There – Monday, 8/5/2019
Fifteen members of the team arrived at PDX at 6:00am to begin our trip to the Philippines (Sky had to catch an earlier flight to PDX and would meet with the rest of the team there for our flight to Tokyo). Check-in and getting through security was pretty uneventful and before we knew it we were at our gate waiting for our 9:09am flight. Starting at about 8:00, one by one our team members stated getting text notifications that our flight was being delayed until 10:20am which wasn’t good considering our connecting flight in Seattle was scheduled to depart at 11:15am. There was no way we were going to make it in time. After a brief feeling of panic and disbelief we came back to the reality that God is good and even this was happening according to His plan.
After about an hour and a half on the phone with Delta and working with the agent at the boarding gate, we were able get everyone another flight directly to Tokyo that would arrive in time to make our connecting flight to Manila. What a miracle!
Once on the plane, several team members noticed that every seat was full from the front of the plane all the way to the very back row (where three of our team members ended up sitting). How could 15 people make it onto a plane so close to capacity at the very last minute? More evidence that God is in perfect control.
All this just helped to strengthen in us the truth of our total dependence in God and the fact that He is totally in control!
To God be the Glory!
We all met up with Sky in Tokyo and arrived safely in Manila.
Now the adventure begins!
Team Retreat
We had our one-day team retreat on Saturday, June 22. We all met at the Church at 9:30 Saturday morning for a time of prayer, study and preparation for our trip in August. Part of the prep was making song boards for the songs we’ll sing at the VBS in Floodway and other outreach events.
After lunch we did a team building activity which involved about two hours of hiking around taking group pics at various locations. It gave everyone a chance to hone their geo-tracking skills and to just get out and enjoy a bit of fresh air and exercise. The hike was similar to the hiking we’ll be doing into the villages on Mindoro. Of course it will be a bit hotter and more humid on Mindoro.
After the hike we had a BBQ back at the Church and enjoyed and evening of games and fellowship.
CALLING ALL KIDS!!!
Come to Vacation Bible School at Sunnyside Community Church. Join us July 22-24 from 6:30-8:00p.m. for a fun evening of games, music, and Bible lessons. All kids ages 3-12 welcome!
No Sunday School Or Worship Service Sunday, February 10 Due To Snowy And Icy Conditions
All services have been canceled for this Sunday, February 10 due to snowy and icy conditions.