Ready to Get Engaged?

     In 2018, our Liberty Hill family accepted the challenge to live as creators more than consumers. A consumer acquires and then uses whatever is able to meet a desire or craving. Some form of self-satisfaction is the driving force behind being a consumer. A creator is the exact opposite. A creator looks to add or multiply what is good, for goodness sake. Even if a creator benefits from being good, the ultimate goal is still to simply increase the amount of goodness in the world.
     This is what God has called us – created us – to be: multipliers of His goodness. Scripture teaches us this: "We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
     A good God has created us to do good. We multiply His goodness in the world when we are faithful to that call. He has given us both the capability and the responsibility to create and promote goodness.
     We accepted that responsibility, and agreed to faithfully pursue this challenge for 2018:

My Pledge to Create:
I am more than a consumer.
God has created me in His image for good and beneficial purposes.
He has given me both the capability and the responsibility to create and promote goodness.
I pledge to use His gifts to benefit others by what I will create, accomplish, and share in this life.
When challenged by problems, I will be a creator of solutions.
When met with negativity, I will promote what is honorable and true.
When faced with words that discourage and harm, I will choose to speak life.
I will notice where goodness is missing, and will do my part to create what is needed to fill that void.
I will pursue progress rather than offer excuses.
I will honor God by transforming this ideal into reality.

     2018 has come to an end, and our church family has so much to be thankful for! God has certainly given us an abundance of good to work with! Our church is growing, and our ministries as well as our facilities are expanding. We’re sharing God’s word in new and exciting ways, and we’re being blessed to experience Him in ways we haven’t before.
     So 2019 is the year for us to take the next steps.
     We’ve expanded our children’s ministry operations, added a second Sunday morning worship service, and are in the process of renovating and expanding our facilities.
     We are looking to make a greater impact in our region than we ever have before, and are working hard to share the grace and truth of Christ in an effective and meaningful way.
     Our 2019 vision is for us to be people who engage: with God, His word, one another, and the world around us. Our vision for 2019 is about becoming people who look for opportunities to make a difference, and then turn an idea into a reality. It is a call for us to be men and women of action; of obedience to God.
     Our key verse for 2019 is James 1:22, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
     We don’t simply want to hear and learn truth: we want to apply it and live it out. Throughout the year ahead, we will be doing our best to encourage one another be active followers of Jesus Christ, learning His teachings for the clear purpose of applying them to our words, our relationships, and to every aspect of our lives.
     This isn’t a commitment to be perfect: it’s a commitment to be better.
     Our lives will still show the occasional marks of our humanity, and we will still say and do things that show why we need a Savior in the first place.
     But those are the reasons why we pursue obedience to God. We believe that His ways are better than anyone else’s, and we’re learning to follow Him.
     It’s practice, not perfection, so don’t worry about feeling like a hypocrite, or rose, a failure. The greatest failure is not even try! We believe that God’s words are not only worth hearing about, but also worth living out. Believe it enough to become a doer!

Grace Received,
Joe Payne