Be patient, my friends, until the Lord comes back. Remember how patient farmers are as they wait for their valuable crops to mature and ripen. They also wait patiently for the spring and fall rains to do their work. You too must be patient! Don't give up, because the Lord could arrive at any time!
James 5:7-8
Dear Saddleback Family,
Learning to wait patiently is one of the most difficult lessons to learn in life. It's a mark of maturity. And James shows us when, why, and how to develop patience when things are taking longer than we think they should take. Now, all of us have spent a great percentage of our lives waiting, and there are many, many things that test our patience.
This past weekend we jumped over to James 5, which contains the classic passage on being patient when things take longer than you want them to take.
Here are three things to remember while you're waiting:
1. Remember God is in control.
2. Remember God rewards patience.
3. Remember this is not the end of the story!
So what do you do in your situation? You need to remember these three wonderful truths. God is in control. Nothing's beyond his power. God is bigger than COVID-19. His purpose for your life is greater than your problem. And God is still on his throne! You need to remember that God will reward your patience, if not in this life, then in eternity. And you need to remember that God is working behind the scenes, that this is not the end of the story.
So be patient. And even when you can't see what he's doing, while you're waiting he's working.
Love you and miss you all so much!
Pastor Rick
P.S. Many of you have been asking for the 10 steps that I shared last week, so we've put together a PDF of "10 Biblical Steps for Diffusing a Tense Situation." Click here to download it!
Watch This Weekend's Message
Talk It Over
Talk It Over
Has your small group used the "Talk It Over" sermon discussion yet? This weekly tool includes Scripture excerpts and thought-provoking questions to help your entire group apply the practical truths of each weekend message to your life.
Learn More
Hope for Mental Health
Hope for Mental Health: Confronting Racism and Mental Health Disparities
Watch Kay Warren's interview with Dr. Hankerson, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University, from our recent online Hope for Mental Health event. We discussed the topics of race and mental health, particularly in the African American/Black community.
Learn More
CHURCH NEWS
Church News
Church News
Church News
Saddleback Yorba Linda Hosts Grocery Distribution Event at Nixon Library
Every Saddleback campus has been blessed with a unique group of leaders and volunteers to help meet the unique needs of their community. God has been using our campuses in powerful ways throughout the COVID-19 crisis to make a difference in their surrounding areas.
This past weekend, Saddleback Yorba Linda hosted a drive-thru grocery distribution event at the iconic Richard Nixon Presidential Library. With just over a week to plan the event, campus leaders had no idea what to expect but trusted God to supply an army of volunteers and plenty of resources.
Sure enough, the event was wildly successful, and almost 100 volunteers showed up to help. Throughout the course of the day, more than 400 people who live in the Yorba Linda area came to the event in need of groceries and other essential items. Most of those people found out about it after seeing our volunteers waving signs on street corners.
Saddleback's grocery distribution events are not just about giving food to people; they are about giving hope and healing to those who are hurting. Our Prayer Team had the opportunity to pray over several people suffering from physical ailments, and many of them reported feeling healed from ongoing issues. Additionally, 98 people decided to put their faith in God and begin a relationship with Jesus for the first time.
"We are blown away to see what God is doing at our campus of just roughly 500 [people] on an average weekend," said Santos Swamidass, Saddleback Yorba Linda Campus Pastor. "Now we're on to the next step to try some new creative ways to really engage these new believers so that they will truly become part of this local church family."
This event led to a lot of open doors with city leaders as well as those who operate the Nixon Library. The entire Yorba Linda City Council and mayor attended the event and expressed amazement by the display of God's love through our church.
While the Nixon Library often hosts high profile events, including one recently with the Second Lady of the United States, the library's director told our staff he was blown away by the organization and operation of our drive-thru event. They hope to partner with Saddleback again in the future.
SPREAD HOPE, NOT FEAR
Share these images on your social media channels to help spread hope to your followers using the hashtag #spreadhopenotfear!
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