VOLUME ONE Westwood Community Church SPRING 2021EASTERER at WESTWOOD EASTER SERVICE TIMES MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE TIMES SATURDAY, APRIL 3 Chanhassen: 4:00 & 5:30pm Online: 4:00 & 5:30pm THURSDAY, APRIL 1 Bush Lake: 6:00pm Chanhassen: 6:00 & 7:30pm Online: 6:00 & 7:30pm SUNDAY, APRIL 4 Bush Lake: 9:00 & 10:30am Chanhassen: 8:15, 9:45, 11:15am Chanhassen Chapel Service: 7:30am Online: 8:15, 9:45, 11:15am Let us know you’re coming! For more info and to RSVP, go to westwoodcc.org2021 Theme Calls Us to Press Onward Toward Jesus FORWARD is our word for 2021 accompanied by our theme verses, Philippians 3:13-14. The Message version says: “…I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.” It’s time to focus on what lies ahead without looking behind us. 2020 is over, and while 2021 has its own set of challenges, we need to focus on our ulti- mate goal—Jesus. Pastor Joel Johnson said the following about our 2021 theme in his LifeGivers message on January 10: “’FORWARD, straining toward what lies ahead’ won’t be easy. It will require eyes that see and faith that believes, courage that will do, and then the hope to endure. At the heart of it is this ques- tion—in what direction is your life moving? Where are you giving your energy? Are you moving back toward what was with the hope that we will have some semblance of normalcy concerning what was? I would say, make that history. Strain toward what is forward, ahead of us, what is and what can be in Christ Jesus. That’s what he’s saying here: Christ redeems the reality of our present and our future for his purposes. Let’s welcome that. Let’s lean forward into that. Let’s memorize those words and make it part of our hearts and minds and trust God to help us and our nation.” Amen. straining toward what lies aheadPHILIPPIANS 3:13–14 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead , I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Spring Cleaning for the Soul Spring cleaning offers a fresh start for a new season. Clearing out the cobwebs and clutter can renew one’s outlook and enjoy- ment of home. Just as spring cleaning improves the appearance and ambiance of our homes, an internal spring cleaning can renew our souls. Editing the clutter in our hearts and resetting our spiritual lives helps us return to the basics of what really matters—to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Luke 10:27). If we need a strategy to tackle spring clean- ing for the home, we also need action items to accomplish spring cleaning for the soul: Take inventory of your mind, emotions, and will—three parts of the soul. What thoughts dominate your mind? Are negative emotions weighing on you? Which choices hold you back instead of lifting you up? As part of your plan, schedule a time to sit down with your Bible and a notebook to record the areas that need attention and “cleaning up.” Successful spring cleaning involves cleaning things out, room by room. Review your inventory and let the cleaning begin. Clear the clutter from your mind, heart and will: • Confess your sins to God, seek forgiveness from someone you’ve wronged, or offer forgiveness to someone who has wronged you. • Bring your feelings to God: anger, sadness, fear, etc. What is behind your feelings? Have you asked God to help you process them? • Review your choices, or actions of the will: Are you choosing to spend time with God each day? Are your daily choices moving you closer to God, or away from him? • Clearing clutter can also involve removing tangible things from your immediate sur- roundings that draw you away from God, for example: electronic devices that keep you absorbed, or anything that distracts you from pursuing God. “…dear friends, let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.” 2 CORINTHIANS 7:1 ( MSG ) 1. START WITH A PLAN 2. CLEAR THE CLUTTERIs there one habit you can add to your life to replace the clutter and draw you closer to God? Below are important disciplines for Christ followers. Choose one to develop in a deeper way this spring season: Bible Study Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 TIMOTHY 2:15 Worship Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. PSALM 103:1 Prayer And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. EPHESIANS 6:18 Fellowship And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglect- ing to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. HEBREWS 10:24-25 (ESV) Giving Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, run- ning over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. LUKE 6:38 (ESV) Just adding one new habit can positively influence all other areas of your life. Springtime ushers in new growth and life all around us. Let this spring be a time to build new habits that spark fresh growth and draws us closer to Him. LET’S GROW! If you would like to jump start your spiritual growth—join us for Let’s Grow, a 2-session class taught by Westwood pastors. For more info and to register, go to: westwoodcc.org 3. ESTABLISH NEW “CLEANING” HABITSMany of you know Jim Theis as West- wood’s Director of Facilities and Secu- rity. You’ll often see him enjoying a laugh with others as he makes his rounds at the Chanhassen campus. On the sur- face, he appears low-key and easy-go- ing, but underneath it all is someone keenly attuned to all that’s going on around him. He doesn’t miss a thing— a great quality for someone overseeing facilities and security! What you may not know is that Jim has had a tough journey to get where he is today. Jim grew up in a small town (Chaska) and was part of a large family (five brothers and six sisters). He attended church in his younger years but stopped going as he got older. Instead, “I went about my own merry way,” said Jim. He was a bit wild in his youth and described his life before encountering Jesus as one of chaos. He drank a lot, did drugs, and had some run-ins with the law. The choices he made in his youth caused a lot of turbu- lence that was hard to overcome. Along the way he got married, had kids, and amid some difficult, life altering experiences, he was drawn back to God. He started attending a small church recommended by friends. When he sobered up, he realized that there is a higher power, and that higher power is Jesus. Jim recalls that his journey in faith involved a lot of wandering on his own. “Jesus was constantly calling me and chasing after me. He has continuously called on my heart and has been my steadfast companion, even when I was blind to His presence.” JOURNEY THROUGH LOSS On April 1, 2015, Jim’s life changed forever when he received news that every parent fears. He learned that his 25-year-old son, Zack, died in a car accident early that morning. Jim’s world came to a sudden halt and the year following Zack’s death went by in a blur. Jim buried himself in his work and spent his spare time in his garage doing auto body repair. He didn’t want to deal with the pain and agony of his loss. Jim says that “God stayed by my side throughout this time.” God’s presence, “Jesus was constantly calling me and chasing after me. He has continuously called on my heart and has been my steadfast companion, even when I was blind to His presence.” Jim’s Journey: Pressing on Toward the GoalNext >