DIGGING DEEPER DEVOTIONAL NOV. 22, 2024
#notesfromthevicarage
THE REGION CELEBRATES
The holidays are upon us, and with the holidays comes holiday preparations and celebrations! Our region is becoming more and more like a Hallmark movie every year.
Gardner is hosting a special Thanksgiving market this coming Saturday. I think I shall have to go and take a peek.
Meanwhile Winchendon is hosting its annual Festival of Lights on December 7th. Here is a list of all the events happening.
Don’t Miss The Festival of Lights: Saturday 12/7! 
Kick off your holiday season with a day full of family fun and festive cheer! Here’s what we have planned for you:
Pictures with Santa by Rustic Lens Photography:
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM & 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Breakfast with Santa:
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Suggested donation: $8 per person
Holiday Craft Fair:
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Come support local vendors
Gingerbread Man Decorating:
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
$8 per kit
GNOME PAINTING
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
$8 per gnome
Letters to Santa:
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
$10 per kit
Tree Lighting at Grout Park:
5:00 PM
(The park with the big metal bicycle near the bike path!)
Mr. & Mrs. Claus Appearance:
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
“The Night Before Christmas” Reading:
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Old Murdock Senior Center
Caroling at Grout Park:
With Mr. & Mrs. Claus
Also on December 7th is……..
Yippeee! I love the cookie crawl.
WHAT FUN THINGS DOES YOUR TOWN DO FOR CHRISTMAS?
DIGGING DEEPER DEVOTIONAL NOV. 21, 2024
STRENGTHEN THE CONNECTION
As I was heading into church on Sunday, the Lord was speaking to me about effectiveness.
Here is what I am sensing in my spirit about effectiveness in the journey ahead:
Effectiveness will flow out of the strength of our connection to God in the days ahead. All of our natural ability, talent and giftedness will not be enough to meet the crises of the coming days. The mission God has for us will require His supernatural power and glory and that can only come through the health of our personal and community’s relationship with Him.
Salvation itself only requires the beginning of a connection with God through Jesus. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
This is entry level faith. But kingdom effectiveness will be determined by the strength of our connection to God.
If we focus on our programs and methodology, our talents and our human abilities all we will accomplish is a striving after wind and burnout. We will never accomplish God’s great plan for our personal lives, our family lives, our church or community.
If we focus on the strength of our relationship with God, though, then all of God’s plans will flow through that relationship into our programs, plans, talents and abilities and then out through those supernaturally empowered conduits to accomplish His divine purpose.
WHERE WE PUT OUR FOCUS IS UP TO US.
DIGGING DEEPER DEVOTIONAL NOVEMBER 19, 2024
MONDAY MORNING KICKSTART NOV. 18, 2024
DIGGING DEEPER DEVOTIONAL NOV. 18, 2024
BACK TO TRAINING
It has been a wonderful week, and a very full week.
The last two weeks have been my first attempt at living the new rhythm of life I prayed into during sabbatical. It has also been two weeks of catching back up with my congregation. I have been doing a lot of visitation. Also, I have begun the next tour of our DLT (Doing life together) groups to begin the journey of discovering God’s word for our congregation in 2025.
HERE IS ANOTHER WORD I GOT FROM THE GROUP I WAS WITH LAST NIGHT, THE DLT BOOK CLUB
Get rid of the old, that which does not look good on your spirit anymore and don’t be afraid to put on the new thing. Clean out the closet of your life to make room for what is coming.
Today I returned to leadership training. This is an opportunity for the leadership (deacons, staff, DLT group leaders, and new and aspiring leaders) to come together to sharpen the saw.
Today’s discussion was around leadership style. We are using the Assessme.org program to help our leaders learn their giftings and leadership styles. We had an incredible conversation about what it means to work as a team and about how God is the one who chooses the team of people….the family of people….the platoon of people that is each church.
It was a great morning followed by the moving of furniture to my son’s house. Today we moved a couple of side tables and a dresser. My son just left with several items including my grandson’s bed frame. It is almost complete!
HOW DOES YOUR CHURCH OR CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION DO LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT?
DIGGING DEEPER DEVOTIONAL NOV. 16, 2024
DRY
One of the reasons that the leaves here in New England were so brilliant this year was because we have been cool and dry. We are currently in a level 3 drought here in Winchendon MA which means we are in critical drought. We are also in a severe fire threat. With 518 fires in the state having burned 1500 acres so far, outdoor burning of yard waste has been banned through January 15th here in MA.
That means here in the forest garden my growing pile of brush is not going anywhere at the moment. It’s Ok. I am still putting plastic on the windows inside just now. I don’t really have time for a fire in the fire pit.
Notes From the Vicarage 