There is no "I" in Team!

In January, many of us at Engaging Life began reading the Bible through in a year based on book genre (literature style). Here is the genre chart, if interested. One of the great things about reading the Bible through in a year with a specified plan is that it causes you to read sections that you don’t normally gravitate toward. Case in point, today’s reading; Exodus 37-40. Moses goes to great pains to intricately detail God’s precise blueprint for the building of the Ark of the Covenant. He specifies exact measurements, what kind of wood to be used, how many rings of gold, how many cherubim; what they were to be made out of and how each were to have their wings positioned, how the poles were to be inserted, etc. He lays out God’s instructions for making the table, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offerings, a basin for washing, and the courtyard. Whew! Riveting stuff I tell you! There is no narrative of a man stepping out in faith against all odds or God parting the Red Sea in this passage of Scripture. It is very arduous to read. But, God still speaks!!

What really jumped off the page to me was Exodus 39:42-43. It says, “The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.” When God reveals a plan to me, He very often gives detail of process. Many times I will feel overwhelmed, thinking I need to get to work doing each and every step. Notice what this says though about the Israelites and Moses. Each had a role to play in the work. It did not all fall on Moses. They made a good TEAM, functioning well together. Moses had the responsibility to cast vision (from God), oversee the project, and inspect it. Moses’ job was to prepare God’s people for works of service, in which they accomplished. See Eph. 4:11-13. One of Engaging Life’s core values is working on God’s plan as a TEAM. Every member is encouraged to connect with a team and serve while focusing on what they do best. There is no “I” in team!

Caring to be the very best

If you are currently involved or are interested in being a part of taking care of people's needs during our Sunday morning worship services, we'd like for you to come to a special meeting for the Care Team at Engaging Life at 9AM this Saturday. The Care Team has two main focuses or "legs". One is the hospitality team; greeting people, getting info from and to visitors, coffee + donuts, etc. The second is the serving team; taking care of offering, communion, set-up, and clean-up, etc.

One of Engaging Life's core values is Team Service: To engage in a team-based culture by encouraging and empowering everyone to be involved in worshipful action. We must develop our strengths and spiritual gifts in order to work efficiently and gracefully together. Every member is encouraged to connect with a team and serve while focusing on what they do best.

1 Corinthians 12:25-27 (MSG): The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. You are Christ's body—that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything.