Hello ICC Family!
The annual church picnic is this weekend. Are you looking forward to it as much as I am?… I hope so. But that said, I understand that it might just be another thing at the end of a busy and tiring week that is on your to-do list that just needs to be checked off. Or perhaps you are an introvert and would choose to stay home every time over having to be with a group of people and having to that dreaded thing called “chatting”. If that is you, know that you are not alone. I often have had both of those thoughts over the years. And that is why I can honestly tell you that you should come anyway…
During my first week of college at Kansas State University, I ran into an older guy from my church youth group and he invited me to the Baptist Student Union kickoff event on Thursday night. While the invitation was sincere, he said it in passing, and I didn’t think much of it because I didn’t know him well. And… I wasn’t Baptist. We had been part of a non-denominational church. But a couple of days later he tracked me down and invited me again. I didn’t have anything else to do, so I went. Little did I know that one invitation would change the entire course of my life. I ended up getting involved with that student group, through which I was discipled, ended up joining a Southern Baptist church, went overseas as a missionary after graduating college, giving me a heart for the nations and eventually leading me to ICC many years later. I don’t think I would be your pastor except for that invitation.
Years later I was in Wake Forest, North Carolina starting my 2nd semester of seminary. I lived in a double-wide trailer with 3 other guys, all preparing to go back overseas as missionaries. I had been invited to a party by somebody that I really didn’t know, and I had no plans to attend. That evening one of my roommates was getting ready to leave to go to this same party. He and his girlfriend started razzing me about never doing anything, and they sort of bullied me into going. I reluctantly agreed. When I got to the party, I realized that the only person that I knew in the house was my roommate, so I quickly went over to him. He was talking to a young lady that I had seen on campus but didn’t know. That young lady turned out to also be interested in missions. Her name was Laurel. Less than a year later we were married. Another invitation that changed the entire course of my life.
I think I have two points in telling these stories… The first is that it is good to get out of the house. It is a little risky, because there are times when you could go to the party and it turns out to be boring and nobody talks to you. But it’s still worth the risk because the potential reward of having the opportunity to bless others and be blessed is great. The second point is that we should not underestimate the impact of a simple invitation. Neither of the people that invited me to those two parties have any idea that God was using them to change the course of my life. They probably wouldn’t remember me at all, let alone inviting me to those parties.
All of that to say… come this Saturday to the picnic. It will be great to see you there. To play some games together (although you can just watch if you would rather). To eat some good food together. To laugh and worship together in a beautiful place in the midst of God’s beautiful creation. But don’t just come yourself… invite somebody to come with you! They might not be interested. They might not accept. That’s ok. Invite them anyway, because we never know how God is at work in someone’s life. Your invitation could change everything for them!
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)
I hope to see all of you there Saturday. And many of you at church tonight as well!
Blessings to you all. And know that I’m praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
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