Hey HB, it’s Jairus!
I am so excited to be back with you from all of my travels! It was great to be able to see the world, to see how God is doing amazing things and raising up amazing leaders in Africa, but being here and worshipping with my church is where I love to be! The summer is a time for so many of us to travel and get away from our daily routines and recharge for the fall. If you are anything like me it is great to get away, but it can leave you feeling a bit disconnected. I know it did for me!! I felt disconnected from friends, church and even my own family. We always want you, our HB family to feel connected to God, each other and to the community around us. So, I wanted to make a couple suggestions as the summer is winding down. There are two words that can help us ALL in this arena….BE INTENTIONAL!!
1. First, be intentional to connect with God. Whether it is on a walk at the beach or somewhere else in nature, surfing, listening to good music, finding a few quiet minutes during your day to read the bible or even setting an alarm at a certain time of the day to pray to God for certain people and situations in your life, FIND A WAY TO CONNECT! 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “pray without ceasing” so if that’s the case, maybe its small prayers, like a conversation with God, all throughout your day. There is always something to bring to talk to God about!
2. Be intentional to connect with those around you! Your family and friends need time with you! Maybe there are people on your street or close friends that you have been meaning to talk to but you have not found the time. The summer is a perfect time to roll out the grill, BBQ some burgers or chicken and spend time with people and get to know each other better. We believe in this so much that we are asking Life Groups and any groups of people at Mariners HB to throw a house party or BBQ for people at work, or in your neighborhood, or school…WHATEVER!! If you do, we will kick in gift cards to help with the cost of food. We just took away a big excuse people! Get out there and connect!! Contact Ericka for more info!
3. Be intentional to connect in worship! Now you knew something about worship was coming right? Worship at Mariners HB is something we do with PASSION!! People who visit from other campuses ALWAYS comment on how much this church loves to sing, praise, and worship our God!! But it does not stop on Sundays! Worship on Sundays should simultaneously be the cap on top of a great week of worship and the beginning of worship for the next week. What do I mean by that? We should not only pray without ceasing but worship without ceasing!! Intentionally look for ways to worship. Look up at the stars and worship Him for his creativity! Look at the wind and waves and praise Him for His power! Look at children playing and laughing and praise Him for His gentleness. Look at all we have and praise Him for His provision!! Worship is a lifestyle that you should come in on Sunday READY to do because it is something you do continually. When those weeks come where you just don’t feel like singing, and they will come, bring your pain and hurts to Him honestly in song and watch Him connect with YOU through the words you sing.
I can’t wait to see you Sunday! One of my favorite people at Mariners, Christian Mungai, with be teaching us this week. He is a powerful speaker that you will NOT want to miss… I PROMISE!! Get there early and meet someone new and get connected! That way your will not miss ONE NOTE of the journey we have planned in worship either! LOL! See you there!!
Jairus