New Joy Church

This morning Craig and I visited New Joy Church in Rogers, MN. We were greeted at the door by not only the greeter but another gentleman who welcomed us and gave us a business card for the church and a new pen. The sanctuary was very full, and the worship was great. After the worship a man got up to recite Ephesians 2:19-22 from memory. He talked about what he had learned while he was memorizing these verses and shared a couple of choruses. I was touched by his willingness to get up in front of the congregation and try to recite verses from memory.
The pastor's sermon was the first in a series about the book of Daniel. Pastor Rich was very direct in his approach, and both Craig and I came away from the service with something to think about, and feeling challenged to become more like Daniel. I liked the way the pastor organized his sermon. First he gave some background on the book of Daniel. Then he went through the first chapter and explained the verses. Next he presented 3 Principles of Life:

1. God's sovereignty is in every circumstance of life - look for it!
2. God's people refuse to compromise their faith - stand for it!
3. God's blessings come to those who are loyal - wait for it!

Finally, he asked us a question to think about, pray about, fast about:

What is the specific circumstance or situation in which God is calling you to wait on Him?

So, Craig and I will be going back to New Joy Church. The only thing I would say that the church needs to work on is being more friendly after church. The only ones who greeted us were Pastor Rich and a couple that we already knew. Maybe that's a lesson for me too - I need to reach out and say hi to those around me, not wait for them to make the first move.

I will be reading the book of Daniel this week!