A BIG WEEKEND

This was a great weekend of ministry at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene. On Saturday we gathering in the church parking lot for the Community Yard Sale sponsored by our Women's Ministry of NRN. The turn out was fantastic. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

The children especially enjoyed the face painting provided by Danielle Shannon. The inflatables provided by our Children's Ministry were also a big hit. All the proceeds are going to assist in our benevolence ministry at NRN.

Sunday was a beautiful time of worship and celebration at NRN. As the worship experience was about to begin John Watson came to my side to share with me that several children had accepted Christ as Savior during Sunday School! Our worship experience included the baby dedication of Devon Joslin; a special time of prayer around the altars of the church for Joesph Solomon as he prepares for deployment to Iraq serving in the US Marine Corp.; then we celebrated communion together.

I preached on the topic of Discovering True Friendships. On our worship folder we printed the following: Today we conclude the two part series on "FACEBOOK: Seeking Authentic Community" as we discover the meaning of true friendships.

How can we find true friendship in this often phony, temporary world?

True friendship involves action: doing something for someone else while expecting nothing in return; sharing thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or negative criticism. True friendship involves relationship. Many people say, "Oh, he's a good friend of mine," yet they never take time to spend time with that "good friend."

Friendship takes time: time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth. Trust is essential to true friendship. We all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will end up on the Internet the next day! Failing to be trustworthy with those intimate secrets can destroy a friendship in a hurry.

True friendship requires certain accountability factors. Real friends encourage one another and forgive one another where there has been an offense. Genuine friendship supports during times of struggle. Friends are dependable.

God's Word tells us that a friend sticks closer than a brother, and that in order for one to be a friend, one must show themselves friendly (Proverbs 18:24). The question is: what type of friend do you desire to be? Do you need a friend? God wants to be your true friend. Are you longing for companionship? God is always with you (Hebrews 13:5). Who do you know who needs a true friend today?

God wants you to befriend others. He calls us to be His hands and feet in a world starving for true friendship.

If you would like to hear this message just click HERE

Sunday evening we held our farewell for Pastor Drew and

Adrienne Robinson - and - Pastor Kevin and Julie Todd.

There was an excellent turnout as we gathered to express our appreciation to these couples for their service and ministry to NRN. We are excited for Drew as he soon begins his ministry at Mosaic Church of the Nazarene in Washington, DC. We want to continue to encourage Kevin as he pursues his graduate degree from Duke Divinity School.

This is a time of transition and growth at NRN. New families are visiting the church each week. People are making life changing decisions. God is at work in our midst.

Several times today I quoted the words of Jeremiah 29:11 " For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

These are truly TRUSTWORTHY SAYINGS...