God's Grace Provides All You Need

Do you ever think, "No way I can pull through this situation" or "this is hopeless and totally impossible"? Somedays I see things through my eyes and they look impossible, hopeless. What I want to do is start looking through eyes that look through the lenses on trusting God. Jesus said "with God all things are possible". He also said, "My grace is all you need. My strength is best in your weaknesses." My hope is to really begin looking at all situations through the sufficiency of Christ, believing that their aren't hopeless situations, only opportunities for me to trust God to do the impossible. Sometimes the impossible is for God to show me why things didn't work out the way I wanted them to. God always is faithful to work in our lives even in hard circumstances. This week, I hope you will look through the lenses of trust and see God working in your life to do the impossible.

See you Wednesday morning at 7:30 am for communion and prayer. I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments, so comment here or e-mail me at jim@orchardchurch.com.

Season of Grace Begins!!

So we have entered into the Season of Grace at Orchard Church. as we start, my thoughts this week are dominated by how many lives I have witnnessed the incredible power of God's grace heal and restore.

God's grace heals us through Christ's death on the cross and the sacrifice paid for our sins. But not only did Jesus pay for our sin, God used that payment to purchase us as His very own children. That is amazing.

What do you think about when you think of grace? Jesus' death on the cross; God's forgiveness of sins; the new life you were provided? This week I have been thinking a lot about forgiveness. I think of the offense I take when someone commits a "sin" against me and how difficult I find it to forgive and let go of the hurt. But God forgives ALL of my sins and never looks on them again.. He removes them and separates my sin as far as the east is from the west. Amazing!!

So those are my thoughts as we begin the Season of Grace. What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment here or e-mail me at jim@orchardchurch.com.

Don't forget to join me for Communion and Prayer every Wednesday at 7:30 am at the office, 818 Salem Street.

Season of Grace is Coming February 18

Season of Grace is a time of preparation for Easter, a collective time for us to better understand the incredible gift of God's grace, a time to pray for our friends who need Jesus, and a time to seek Jesus with greater passion.

Season of Grace will begin on February 18 and go for seven weeks, culminating with our Easter Celebration on April 8. There will be weekly times of prayer and communion, a Season of Grace devotional booklet, and opportunities to grow in your understanding and love of Jesus.

So check back weekly as this blog will updated every Tuesday. E-mail me at jim@orchardchurch.com if you'd like more information about Season of Grace.

Spring Time Bible Study and Recovery Groups

**Sunday - Study in the book of James at 6:30 pm. Meets at the Mathers' House, 776 Cleveland Ave.

**Monday - The Jesus Habits; Study in Spiritual Disciplines. Meets at the Culps. Dinner is at 6:30 pm, the study is at 7 pm.

**Tuesday - The Jesus Habits; Study in Spiritual Disiplines. Meets at the Culps. Dinner is at 6:30 pm, the study is at 7 pm.

**Wednesday - "Let's Follow Jesus" meets at 8:30 am at the Jesus Center, 1297 Park Ave.

**Wednesday - Women's Recovery Meeting at 7 pm. Held at the Orchard Women's House, 987 Ellene Ave.

**Thursday - Open, Christ-Centered Recovery Meeting @ 7 pm. Meets at the Orchard Men's House, 642. W. 4th Ave.

**Friday - Open, Christ-Centered Recovery Meeting @ 8:30 am. Meets at the Jesus Center, 1297 Park Ave.

**Friday - Boundaries, Christ-Centered, Co-Dependency Meeting @ 7 pm. Meets at the Orchard Church Office, 818 Salem Street.

Please call 342-7692 or e-mail Clyde Baker, Dir. of Recovery @ clyde@orchardchurch.com.