Blended Worship - 11:00 am
Sunday School - 10:00 am
Traditional Worship - 8:45 am
Sunday School - 10:00 am
Traditional Worship - 8:45 am
Drawing Closer to God:
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13
Sometimes we need to doodle before we do something. Research has shown that doodling significantly increases a person’s ability to remember and to focus. A study published in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology indicates that doodlers are able to recall more than non-doodlers. Occasionally, I will find church bulletins in the pews with doodles on them. Nothing in particular, just random drawings that are seemingly unimportant. It would concern me that maybe people were not exactly paying attention during the service. But that is not necessarily true! Professor Jackie Andrade has found that people
who doodle are able to focus by doodling and retain 29% more than those that don’t. That is the reason you may want to doodle before you do something.
The bible says that we can do all things through Christ. I believe that means we can do anything that God wants us to, but to do “all things” we need to remember to focus on Christ’s strength. Jesus described the strength he gives us in this way, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5. Philippians 4:13 and John 15:5 provide quite a contrast. Through Christ we can do all things and apart from Christ we do nothing of lasting value. As branches we need to remember we are connected to the vine and focus on the strength that we draw from Christ.
Sybil Macbeth is a doodler who has incorporated drawing into her prayer life. In her book, “Praying In Color”, she introduces an active, visual and meditative way to pray. It is active because we are invited to draw our prayers, it is visual because we can see our prayers, and it is meditative because we can revisit our prayers throughout the day. Our February Message series will explore creative ways to activate our faith. Join us in worship as we “draw” closer to God and begin to imagine all the things we can do through Christ who gives us strength!
In Christ,
Pastor Jeff
Sometimes we need to doodle before we do something. Research has shown that doodling significantly increases a person’s ability to remember and to focus. A study published in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology indicates that doodlers are able to recall more than non-doodlers. Occasionally, I will find church bulletins in the pews with doodles on them. Nothing in particular, just random drawings that are seemingly unimportant. It would concern me that maybe people were not exactly paying attention during the service. But that is not necessarily true! Professor Jackie Andrade has found that people
who doodle are able to focus by doodling and retain 29% more than those that don’t. That is the reason you may want to doodle before you do something.
The bible says that we can do all things through Christ. I believe that means we can do anything that God wants us to, but to do “all things” we need to remember to focus on Christ’s strength. Jesus described the strength he gives us in this way, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5. Philippians 4:13 and John 15:5 provide quite a contrast. Through Christ we can do all things and apart from Christ we do nothing of lasting value. As branches we need to remember we are connected to the vine and focus on the strength that we draw from Christ.
Sybil Macbeth is a doodler who has incorporated drawing into her prayer life. In her book, “Praying In Color”, she introduces an active, visual and meditative way to pray. It is active because we are invited to draw our prayers, it is visual because we can see our prayers, and it is meditative because we can revisit our prayers throughout the day. Our February Message series will explore creative ways to activate our faith. Join us in worship as we “draw” closer to God and begin to imagine all the things we can do through Christ who gives us strength!
In Christ,
Pastor Jeff
February Message Series
February 5th
Drawing Closer to God
John 8:1-11
February 12th
Praying in Color
Romans 8:22-27
February 19th
Refuse to DOodle Nothing
Philippians 4:10-13
