{"id":8925,"date":"2021-03-13T07:36:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-13T13:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jfbelievers.com\/?p=8925"},"modified":"2021-03-13T07:36:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-13T13:36:00","slug":"happy-spring-from-believers-church-duluth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/13\/happy-spring-from-believers-church-duluth\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy Spring from Believers’ Church – Duluth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Up here in the Twin Ports, our February flew by. It came in like a lion with a mean spell of finger-freezing, face-numbing, below-zero temperatures. We\u2019re talking more than -20 degrees below zero, for multiple<\/em> days in a row (yikes!). We bundled up, muddled through and reminded each other that suffering builds character. Then, just like the sisters sang in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers<\/em><\/a>, \u201cYou\u2019re about to forget the whole thing, but one day, all at once, it\u2019s Spring!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sorry to start a blog post jabbering on about the weather, but it\u2019s what we Midwesterners do best. On top of that, springtime in the North has got to be the most hopeful time of the entire year — it\u2019s hard not to talk about! Our snow is finally melting, the birds are singing and after enduring a year of COVID-19 safety precautions, we\u2019ve been able to be together as a church more than ever (still six feet apart, of course). Here\u2019s what we\u2019ve been up to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we\u2019re learning<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On Sundays, we\u2019re deep into our Anatomy of a Christian<\/a> series. Here\u2019s a fun trailer we made<\/a> to promote it. Throughout this month, we covered the Tongue<\/a>, the Heart<\/a>, the Stomach<\/a> and the Lungs<\/a>. They\u2019ve all been really helpful, but my personal favorite was the sermon on the Lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Lungs sermon, Justin talked about how the Bible describes Christians as being athletes. We\u2019re running on a race course that we didn\u2019t design, like an Ironman race. It\u2019s crucial that we accept what God sends our way as a spiritual workout and let it develop the endurance in us that He intends it to. How else are we going to get the spiritual equivalent of rock-hard abs? It was a great reminder and seemed to be exactly what a lot of us needed to hear that week. I recommend giving it a listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesdays, we rotate between three different topics: Tony Evans\u2019 Horizontal Jesus series, men\u2019s and women\u2019s groups, and the book of Jeremiah. When we split into gender-specific groups, the women are going through a series by Lauren Chandler called Steadfast Love, and the guys are going through a series that draws on the Navy Seal experience to further explore the Christian life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we\u2019re getting to serve<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With the start of the new year, we were able to start up a few new ways to serve on Sunday afternoons. Throughout February, we continued this and are getting more comfortable with the new schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of us are in Community Group. These folks go out into the community, talk to people, give away treats, pass out flyers and more. Others are in Media Ministry. This group produces print materials, hones in our social media game, updates the website, makes videos and works on Burning Dog Radio. Last, but certainly not least, is our Maintenance Crew. These gentlemen fix anything that needs fixing and make sure our church building stays ship shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun and fellowshipping<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Members have been able to reserve RavenFed for hangouts, which has been really helpful. This means we get to do things together indoors (remember, -20 degrees below zero outside!), knowing that everything is disinfected, safe and COVID-free. Recently, we took advantage of this perk and I learned how to play pandemic-friendly rummy with three separate decks. I did very well for a first-timer, thanks for asking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve continued serving lunch on Sundays after church. It has been nice to have the time to talk to each other without getting hangry. (That\u2019s when you get angry because you\u2019re so hungry, for those of you who don\u2019t know.) We were even able to pick a sunny Sunday and go on a hike together as a church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Street Level front, Monday meetings in the garage continue on. We\u2019ve even been able to meet a few new faces. We hosted a retro video game night, and I found out that Tony Hawk\u2019s Pro Skater is definitively not <\/em>as fun as it was in the 7th grade. Also, we\u2019ve started having Friday Movie Nights complete with pizza and popcorn in hopes that we can reach more students. Even when nobody shows up besides us, they are a great way to end a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please keep praying for us<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you feel so inclined, we\u2019d love it if you\u2019d pray for us. Particularly for help with staying connected with each other, meeting new people in our community and enduring to the end of this pandemic well. It\u2019s easy to get crabby and ungrateful because things aren\u2019t \u2018normal\u2019 yet. But God is still doing very cool things and I don\u2019t want us to miss them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Thanks for spending the time to catch up on what we\u2019ve been doing! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Claire<\/p>\n\n\n\n