MESSAGE NOTES
Suffering and God’s Plan
Colossians 1:24-29
Kreg Kastelz
Big Idea: We are called to something so important its worth suffering for.
Paul’s Perspective
The Calling
Our Perspective
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Quick Review: Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything that particularly caught your attention, challenged or confused you?
My Story: How do you think about Christianity when it relates to your identity and life story?
Digging Deeper:
1) Think of a time where living life with Christianity “on your sleeve” so to speak cost you socially or otherwise. Contrast that experience with a time where openly living as a Christian led to something positive.
2) What are possible steps we could take to make our faith and relationship with God the Core, non-negotiable, aspect of our identity? What might make this hard?
3) Looking at American society, how do you envision living like a Christian might look like in the years to come? How might your Christian walk look different in 5 or 10 years?
Taking it Home: There is a real temptation to make Christianity / faith / your relationship with God just another aspect of your identity instead of the core of who you are. Take some time this week to think about these questions: Is your faith important enough to you to face persecution for it? How much persecution? Do the people in your life think of your core identity as a Christian, or something else? What situations or experiences in life might change if you looked at them from Paul’s perspective?
NEWCOMERS RECEPTION
We welcome Kreg Kastelz as our speaker this weekend. Kreg is our Associate Pastor of Student Ministries, and we are excited to hear his message. We would love to meet you at our Welcome Center in the lobby and share a gift and available opportunities. Our Pastoral team would also love to meet you and will linger in the front after the services to this end. You may let us know you were here by using a Communication Card found in our worship folder. We receive these in containers on tables in the Celebration Center.
BABY BOTTLES IN THE LOBBY
Yearly, during the weeks that separate Mother’s Day from Father’s Day, (May 14 – June 18) Life’s Options, one of our ministry partners, makes baby bottles available for your donations. Just fill the bottles with the pocket change each day and return the filled bottles to church by Father’s Day, June 18. Your small change makes a big difference!
IDRAHAJE UPDATE
This weekend Aspen Ridge Church will hear an update from our ministry partner IdRaHaJe. We will hear from Justin Woodside, Camp Development Director. In the meantime, please pray for the upcoming opportunities for the gospel through summer camp.
NEWCOMER’S EAT & GREET
Are you interested in getting to know more about Aspen Ridge? Pastor Jeff and Mary will host this informal gathering at their home on Sunday, May 21 at 2:00 PM. The address is 7183 Pinewood Drive in Evergreen. We would love to connect with you and hear more about your interests/desires.
SUMMER SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR NEXT WEEKEND!
Memorial Day weekend begins our summer schedule. We will adjust our service times, with Saturday services remaining the same and Sunday services combining into one 10:00 AM service. We will resume our regular schedule in the fall.
UPCOMING BAPTISM
Are you new to a faith commitment in Jesus Christ? Are you ready to take a public step to identify with Jesus Christ? Aspen Ridge Church plans on celebrating baptisms this summer during the weekend of July 29/30. If you are interested, attendance at a baptism orientation meeting will be a necessary step. Pastor Jeff Clark will host an orientation meeting on June 17 at 4:00 PM. Pastor Kreg Kastelz will host an orientation meeting June 21 at 5:00 PM.
SONGS FROM THE WEEKEND
Hallelujah Anyway – Rend Collective
In Christ Alone – Hymn/Getty
King of Kings – Hillsong Worship
Magnificent Marvelous Matchless Love – Matt Boswell
Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me – CityAlight
MISSIONS PODCAST
Aspen Ridge Church elders have heard a podcast recently which is visionary and stretching. If you would like to hear such, you may access it at the following link – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-coworkers-podcast/id1524333653?i=1000512031033.
MEMORIAL DAY
On Memorial Day weekend Aspen Ridge Church will spend concerted time praying for the welfare of our great nation. Further, Pastor Jeff will bring a message entitled “Political Expectations” from Psalm 110.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
Aspen Ridge Church invites children to this year’s VBS as we teach about Jesus in our Food Truck Party, On A Roll With God VBS, June 12-16, 9:00 AM–noon. Online registration is open on our website or use AspenRidgeChurch.org/vbs-2023 for a direct link. Be a part of the summer’s biggest party in our mountain community! Volunteer training is Sunday, June 4 after the morning service.
LOOKING AHEAD
As the school year comes to a close, Aspen Ridge Church leaders are prayerfully considering how to increase the effectiveness of our ministry for the next year. If you have ideas on how to improve things, could you please write down such ideas on a communication card? We seek to gather all these ideas by mid-June. Thanks for your input.
LIFE OPTIONS
Aspen Ridge Church will hear an update from Kelli Dixon, Executive Director of Life Options, on the weekend of June 10 & 11. Life Options Pregnancy Center is a local ministry partner promoting the sanctity of human life. If you would like to know more about Life Options, you may connect with them at lifesoptionspc.org.
ROYAL FAMILY KIDS
Aspen Ridge Church is partnering with Royal Family Kids (RFK) to bring 40 foster kids to camp from July 30-August 4, 2023. Please contact Bethany Van Mill at [email protected] to learn more about being a counselor for the week of camp and the many other ways to help.
DID YOU KNOW?
All people are on a spiritual quest even if they might not expressly affirm such. An intellectual believer is someone who believes in God but who is not committed to God. Someone indifferent has ceased caring about the issue of God. Someone contented has it all and doesn’t think he or she needs God. Do you know people in these kinds of places? How can you love and serve these?
GIVING SUMMARY AS OF MAY 14, 2023
GENERAL FUND LAST WEEK THIS MONTH FISCAL YTD
Actual $ 9,597 $ 22,813 $ 606,884
Budget $ 16,634 $ 33,268 $ 611,974
Difference $ (7,037) $ (10,455) $ (5,090)