Sunday Services: 10:30 AM
505 South Sixth St. Burbank, CA
91501

FaithView, For Storm Riders:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”—Isaiah 55:8

This Scripture puts us in our place.

So often the church—the church universal—goes through stretches where it believes it is the sum of all things. That its wisdom, its love, its compassion is so superior to everything and anyone else it often forgets the source of all of that, “goodness.”

How do we put our thoughts in-sync with the Lord’s thoughts? How do we make our way his way?

First, you start by not trying to make his thoughts conform to your thoughts. You don’t attempt to make his ways fit your ways. It has to be the other way around. We have to prune, alter and shape our thoughts to fit his. We have to course correct to the direction he is going.

Until we do those things, we will only—and always—be displaying a form of godliness but never the true nature of God.

So, how do we align our thoughts and direction with God’s?

Well, the desire to do so shows something. It confirms a belief in God, a desire to serve him. However, before we can truly serve the Lord, we have to make him Lord.

I realize this sounds academic but more often than not we overlook the clear, the obvious, the elementary. We do this because it pleases our vanity to have the world see how “holy” we are by our actions. How progressive we can be and how talented we are at treating the Scriptures like a can of play-dough, sculpting it to fit our vision and our desires.

NewsFlash: Your actions will never bring you in line with God. Your actions will only be “a form of godliness” until you relinquish your will for his will. Until you understand that your “acts” of goodness have to be motivated by him and not yourself.

There used to be this great teaching that was passed on to prospective ministers and people entering the Nazarene denomination—I don’t know if it is anymore—But it’s the concept that you cannot grow into grace…Impossible…Your works earn you nothing. You can never do enough to earn God’s grace…That’s why it’s called, grace.

We cannot grow into grace, but we can grow in grace.

This growth in grace comes when we stop attempting to contort the Holy Spirit into what we want it to be, and we submit ourselves to let it contort us.

In another day and age, there was a time when it was palatable to call this, “A Second Work of Grace.” It’s been called, “Sanctification.”… “Holiness.”

Growth will come when we can honestly say; “Not my, but thy will.”

When we go from Jesus just being our savior but being our Lord as well.”

…And then, oh what havoc we can bring to the world when our thoughts and our ways…Are his.

Boom!

***

A VBS Unlike Any Other:
Our VBS director Seana Zilbert ran her first “official” teachers/workers meeting this past Sunday. We say “official” because Sean’s has been putting together VBS for 2017 since last August.

Breaking News: You can sign up your child and their friends here on our website. Look the button up top, click, and follow.

***

Burbank Faith now has a Twitter account. You can follow us at; @BurbankFaithNaz

***

Eric Canto has posted a digital recording of Sunday’s service on the church’s Facebook page.
The music is great…the speaker…might be a little hard on the eyes.

***

Note:
VBS Goes to Rome: The theme for Vacation Bible School this year is “Rome: Paul & The Underground Church”
The dates are June 26-30…Look at your calendar…share with your friends…Pray for Seana Zilbert, who is directing…Make plans to volunteer.

July is Camps Month: Remember July is camps month…Junior High, High School & Kids.
District Assembly is July 12-14
(It is one month later this year due to General Assembly (Indianapolis) being held June 21-30.)

***

Did You Know?
On This Date…

…I 1936, Bill Gaither, contemporary Gospel songwriter and vocal artist, is born. Together with his wife Gloria, he wrote some of the most popular Christian songs of the 1960s-1970s, including “Because He Lives,” “The King is Coming,” “The Longer I Serve Him” and “Something Beautiful.”

…In 1961, English apologist C. S. Lewis wrote in “Letters to American Lady”: “The main purpose of our life is to reach the point at which one’s own life as a person is at an end. One must in this sense “die,” relinquish one’s freedom and independence… “He that loses his life shall find it.”

***

Church Calendar:
March 28: Women’s Bible Study—7:PM
March 22:
All Church Prayer Time: 7—to—7:30 PM
Worship Team Practices: 7:30 PM
Adult Bible Study—Judges 13—7:30 PM
April 1: Men’s Breakfast at Harry’s, 8:00 AM
April 2: Sunday Service, 10:30 AM…Sunday evening “Prayer Hour” from 6-to-7:PM April 16: Easter Sunday
April 3: “Riders On The Storm”—7:PM
April 29: March For Autism
May 13: Ladies Tea
May 14: Mother’s Day
May 21: VBS planning meeting, following morning worship.
May 29: Memorial Day
June 26-30: VBS Week

As believers, we have to remain in continual prayer for all of our first responders…all our leaders…not a political party but for those carrying the heavy burden of leadership in our country and communities.