In his recent book, Missional Renaissance, leadership specialist Reggie McNeal suggests that the church is called to join God in His redemptive mission in the world.  Even more specifically, he asserts that the primary mission of the church is to be an agent of blessing to the world.

McNeal traces that blessing back to the beginning of His people, when He called a pagan nomad chieftain named Abram to be uniquely His:  “The Lord said to Abram…’I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'  (Gen. 12:2-3)  God chose to embody His blessing in a people who were to show the world who He is and what He wants them to enjoy.”

The point of our mission, from the very beginning, has been to bless people who are not yet God’s. Over and over the pattern of God is to use His people to spread blessing to the most unlikely people. To reveal His heart through love and service to others.  To be a channel through whom His blessing flows.

Of course, this blessing finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus.  Jesus came “that we might have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)  That’s a blessing. He described the best of Kingdom life by saying “blessed are…the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the peacemakers, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, etc.( Matt.5:1-8) He said we, His people, were salt and light—spreading the preserving and protecting power of His blessing to the world.

McNeal says, “…when I’m with congregations… I call on them to quit evangelizing….the church has turned evangelism into some kind of activity or program that we train people to engage in rather than recognizing evangelism as a natural by-product of a Jesus follower’s life….Instead of having an evangelism strategy, I urge congregations and people to develop a blessing strategy… I challenge them to ‘bless three people this week’. Then to drive home  a truth, I add, “and make sure one of them doesn’t deserve it!”  Of course, none of us deserves it!  That’s the good news of the Good News—that we get the undeserved blessings of God.” 

In other words, we live our days to give away the grace and gospel of Jesus to everybody. We ask people we meet, “How can I ask God to bless you today?” and then pray for that.  We can find ways to serve without being asked.  We can listen well to people’s pain.  Our God is always at work blessing people and he does it in ways we don’t expect.  It shouldn’t, but it may shock us how much God wants to make himself known through us and around us—and with people who have previously not even given God a thought.

I think I’m going to give this blessing thing a try.  Want to join me?  I’d love to hear your stories of how we may see God at work around us. Let’s make it a point to be a blessing to people wherever we go.

Glad to be blessing with you,
Pastor David

(Join the conversation at www.ponder/anew.wordpress.com)

SUMMER EVENTS

• July 4, 8:00 pm
  Family Fourth Celebration
  Our gift to the community, complete with fireworks, homemade ice cream and more!

• July 22, 7:05 pm
  Victory night @ the Legends
  We’re going to take ourselves out to the ballpark for a night of fun together. Box seat tickets are only $6. Please sign up in Victory Central by Sunday, July 19.

• August 6, 8:00 pm
  Pack-A-Backpack
  Your chance to provide backpacks and supplies to provide for at-risk children.  Supply lists will be available soon!

• August 8, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
  Victory Leadership Retreat
  Join us for a time of praying, sharing and dreaming and planning together as we get ready for a new ministry year. 

• August 14, 8:30 pm
  Walk-up Family Movie
  Bring your blankets and coolers for an outdoor movie on the lawn

THANK YOU, VBS WORKERS!

G'day, Mate!
The Boomerang Express was full this year with over 70 kids participating. We couldn't have done it without all the help - we had almost as many leaders as we had kids! A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make VBS a success.

• Will & Anna Downs have been selected from Lexington Christian Academy for a leadership seminar that will take place in London, England this fall….
• We take vacations!  So far this year, we have folks who have been to Florida (Orlando, Destin, Ormond Beach), Gatlinburg, TN; Myrtle Beach, SC; Minnesota (guess who?); Hilton Head, SC; Kiawah Island, SC; Phoenix, AZ,; Houston, TX: Washington, DC—and a whole bunch of other places, including the Dominican Republic, where Patrick & Caitlin Smith spent their honeymoon
• Dale & Norma Perry are cruising with Chuck Swindoll off the coast of Alaska.  Cool!
• Katie Ormsbee is headed back to England for a summer course at Cambridge University
• Beverly Baker was featured on the "My Hero" page of Skirt Monthly magazine

PRESCHOOL FOOTPRINTS

New King on the block
Dan & Heather King joyfully announce the birth of their son, Aidan Charles. He was born on May 31, 2009 and joins big brother, Payton.

You are invited to join Tim Stokes in the sanctuary Thursday mornings at 6:00 am for a time of prayer.

Secret Soul Sisters Summer Social
Join other Victory women for fun and ice cream from 6:30 to 8:00 pm on Sunday, July 26. Just bring yourself and a girlfriend - the fun and ice cream are provided.

JUST FOR WOMEN

Scrapbooking/Craft Night
Summer is the perfect opportunity to gather all the photos and craft projects you've put on hold since Christmas and make them into something wonderful to display and share with others. Join us Thursday, July 16, 6:30-9:30 pm, in rooms 7 & 9. Please bring your own supplies. Contact Paula Head for info (523-4101).

STUDENT MINISTRY (grades 6-12)

Welcome, Patrick & Caitlin Smith!
Patrick and Caitlin Smith are finished with their honeymoon and ready to dig into life at Victory! Patrick is our new Minister to Students; you can reach him at 273-8428 or patrick@vbclex.org.

FLiP Kids (K-5th grade)

We're going swimming!
Come on in, take the plunge with us! All K-5th grade Flip kids are invited to join us at the Tates Creek Aquatic Center on Wednesday, July 15th from 8:00pm-11:00pm. Feel free to invite friends!! The pool will be closed to the public during our time that night.  We will have certified Lexington Parks & Rec lifeguards, but we are asking that all K-5th children be accompanied by an adult for the entire swim evening. For questions, please contact Joyce Watts at the church, 273-8428 or joyce@vbclex.org.