As part of our "Love Jesus, Love Ringgold" theme for the year, this Sunday we will be honoring our police and firemen for their service to our community. As public servants, they affect the conditions we live in and have an impact on our families, our workplaces, our city, our county and ultimately our church. We are mandated by Scripture to pray for those in authority, (I Timothy 2:1-2), "...so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." It should be with urgency that we pray for them considering what they face each day. They are often targets of criticism even though they are the go-to-people in a crisis. We want to honor them because we recognize the greatness of their task and because we are grateful for their willingness to serve and protect our community. Sheriff Gary Sisk will be speaking and sharing his hopes for the future of Catoosa County.

Have you ever wondered what is going on in heaven right now? The Apostle John was able to get a glimpse into heaven in the Scripture we will look at as we end the series, “The Lion and The Lamb.” John sees millions worshipping Jesus: ‘the Lion’ who is also ‘a Lamb” for He is found worthy to open the book. We can only imagine how John’s heart filled with joy beyond description. Can you imagine his amazement as the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down in worship and began playing their harps, singing the new song? Then suddenly he heard additional voices, the voices of hundreds of thousands of angels as they sang more songs of praise, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” . Like a “wave” at a football game, the praise fest spreads to all creation as John writes “And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” This week we hope you get a grasp of two things: Your great need for a savior and what Jesus endured so that could happen and God’s overwhelming grace in Revelation 5. If you put yourself into the scene this week, you too will succumb to the heart-felt desire to worship the Lamb who is worthy!

The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as the pivotal point of history! On one side of Christ’s resurrection it’s dark, dreary, and defeated—the power of evil still reigns. Death still has the final word. On the other side is a blessed, beautiful life, with the assurance that Christ has won the battle. Death has been defeated—HALLELUJAH! But what does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to you personally? Is Easter just a procession of pageantry--a symphony of word and song—an arrangement of flowers and decorations—fussy sentimentalism of bunnies and eggs? OR has it changed your attitudes about death—and Life? Has it changed the kind of life you live-the hopes you cherish? The Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ were more than events in history. There was a spiritual conflict—and Jesus Christ won and because of this we have VICTORY. The fact of Christ’s resurrection has made possible “resurrected living” not just once a year but everyday…. Because Christ faced and conquered death, not only did He make available “Life” for the hereafter, but “Life” for here and now!

As we continue our series on the Lion and the Lamb, we will pick up this week where the Israelites were leaving Egypt and the angel of death passed over the houses of the Jews and Egyptians, killing the firstborn son in any house that did not have lambs blood painted on the mantle of the door. It is truly incredible how God’s plan mirrors perfectly that of the Passover lamb. Just as the first Passover marked the Hebrew’s freedom for Egyptian slavery, so the death of Christ marks our release from the slavery of sin. Won’t you join us this week as we remember and worship Jesus Christ whose body was broken for you so that you could experience the ultimate Exodus if you will take shelter under the blood of The Passover Lamb?

What's in a name? Names take on particular importance in the Bible. Often they were used to signify circumstances around the person being named. For example, Sarah named her son, Isaac, which means "laughter" because she laughed when she found out she was having a son in her old age. Eli, the priest's son, Phinehas, named his son, Ichabod, which means "the glory has departed" because it was at the same time that the Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines. Sometimes names were changed when life-altering circumstances were experienced. God changed Abram's name to Abraham when He called him out of Ur, He changed Jacob's name to Israel when He chose to bless Jacob, and He changed Saul's name to Paul when Paul was converted. The names of Jesus are also of particular importance in the Bible, and in the newest series from Pastor Drew, we discover the diverse excellencies in the names Jesus is called in Revelation chapter 5. He is called a Lion and a Lamb. This week, Pastor Drew deals with Christ being called the Lamb. Find out what the significance of Christ as our Lamb is to our everyday lives this Sunday in the first part of this amazing series.

It is evident in our culture that families are under attack. Voddie Baucham says, “A family without a commitment to the God of the Bible has no hope of stemming the tide of cultural onslaught. If we mix a little biblical truth, a little secular psychology, a little romance novel ideology, and a little eastern mysticism, we will get a deadly mixture of lies. Unfortunately, this is exactly what many Christian families do. We do marriage according to Dr. Phil, raise our children according to Dr. Spock, govern our personal lives according to Dr. Ruth, and only run to Dr. Jesus when things have gotten so bad we can’t find another doctor to help us.” The conclusion, according to George Barna research is, “Religious congregations are losing out to school and the media for the time and attention of youth. They know details about television characters and pop stars, but many are quite vague about Moses and Jesus…Many parents also clearly prioritize homework and sports over church or youth group.” Is it any wonder that between 70 and 88 percent of Christian teens are leaving the church by their second year in college. Pastor Aaron, our family ministry director, will take us to Deuteronomy this week for help in this area as we see what takes place after the first generation of Israelites has died and right before the new generation is-- finally—going to enter the Promised Land. Here, Moses restates God’s instructions for this new generation. It’s here that we will find the key for parents in making our homes ministry centers for the spiritual growth of our children. Join us on Sunday for “How to Raise Your Kids in an Election Year”.

Have you ever faced those times when God felt distant? Most often these times come after we have been suffering or hurting for long periods of time. But, they can be emotional as well. In those times we feel as though God has abandoned, forgotten, or isolated us. We often ask the same question that David asked in Psalm 13, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? forever?” We wonder when is this all going to end? We silently say to ourselves: “Why isn’t God answering my prayer?” And soon we develop a complaining spirit. If this is where you are, hanging on to faith, but weary of waiting, you need to be here on Sunday morning. The Psalms give us great hope and teach us how to process even our deepest emotions.

What is love? Is it defined by having everything your heart desires or could imagine? Is it the sentiment expressed in the 1970s movie, “Love Story: Love means never having to say you’re sorry?” Or in this quote by Robert Frost: “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired”? Or this one from Oscar Wilde: “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance”? None of these ideas come anywhere close to what love really is. One man said, “They are about as impressive in describing love as a paper airplane is in describing flight. Or ‘twinkle, twinkle little star’ is in describing the expanse of the sky.” What, then, is love? Who better to express what love is than the One who is love: God. There is no place on earth where love is more on display than it was at Calvary, on a cross outside of Jerusalem, 2000 years ago. This week Pastor will take us to the cross. Here we will behold a little of the vastness of that love which cannot be measured, and which cannot be told. We will see our Savior bleeding on the cross, bleeding from every pore, that our sins might be washed away in the flowing stream. The Savior’s love met death itself face to face, and triumphed over the grave. This is love – immeasurable and infinite. Be in your seat this week to celebrate the length and breadth of God’s love towards sinful man…..then you’ll know that God truly loves you.

“All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill to the boundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love God. Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father. ‘ (Author Unknown) Even the scripture writer, John, has no words to express the worth, height, and depth of God’s love. He just describes it this way, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us…” John 3:1. This week

Pastor will draw us to the love of God through the ministry of Jesus on earth and we will see how God manifested His love to us through His Son

February has been set aside as the month to celebrate those who we have special feelings of love and affection. We often recognize them by giving red heart shaped boxes of candy, beautiful “I Love You” cards, and bouquets of American Beauty long stemmed roses. But true love is not merely a sentiment or an emotion. It is a living principle, a principle that is manifest in action. True love, wherever it exists, will control the life. Thus it is with the love of God. “God is love,” and in all His works, in all His dealings with mankind, His character is revealed. This week Pastor will deal with how God manifested His love in the work of creation. When the earth was created, it was holy and beautiful. God pronounced it “very good.” Every flower, every shrub, every tree, answered the purpose of it’s Creator. Everything upon which the eye rested was lovely, and filled the mind with thoughts of the love of God. Every sound was music, in perfect harmony with the voice of God and it testified to God’s long forbearance and His great love. If you are feeling alienated, lonely, or forgotten, be in your seats this week to soak up words of love from the Father.