Images From A Sunday At Victory Life Christian Ministries

Here are some images I shot that I wanted to share from our Sunday (Aug. 29) service at Victory Life Christian Ministries in Big Rapids.

Check out a little slice of V-Life:

















Pastor Razel fires up his Overcomers during service on Sunday at Victory Life Christian Ministries in Big Rapids.

















Here is a photo where we see the full spectrum of the sounds as we have a chance to see the instruments being played by Brother Jake, Brother Langston and Brother Brian (it's kind of hard to see him, but he is back there on the drums).

















Lady C, Sister Tracey, Sister Vedra and Sister Vanessa lead us in song during Sunday service in Big Rapids at Victory Life Christian Ministries.

















The sweet sounds of Lady C leading us at the start of Sunday's 1 p.m. service at Victory Life Christian Ministries in Big Rapids.
























Here is a sample of deep worship being experienced at Victory Life Christian Ministries during our Aug. 29 Sunday service in Big Rapids.

CONNECT

Connect was awesome as usual. I am extremely grateful for Abraham's obedience! To love God so much that he was willing to do one of the hardest things a parent could be asked to do and sacrifice his child. Thank God for the ram in the bush at the last minute, but because of Abraham's obedience, God made a covenant with him that He would bless his lineage and that Abraham would be the father of many nations.

We are a part of that lineage. Imagine what kind of state we would be in today if Abraham had not obeyed the Lord. Do we love the Lord enough to do what Abraham did? Do we have enough faith in our situations to do the hard things that the Lord has asked of us while also having faith that everything is going to be alright in the end? Do we have that Abraham kind of faith and obedience?

Looking forward to Connect next week!

Connect Revelations

Connect August 25, 2010

KID'S KONNECTION was taught by Brother Mike. The theme for the activities was "Love God by Trusting His Care". The elementary/preschool memory verse was found in Matthew 22:37 where "Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. The Bible study focused on David and the concept of shepherding. The children learned that we need to trust God as our shepherd, just as David did. They enjoyed puppet play, a craft and snack!

YOUTH CONNECT was facilitated by Brother Jake. Their discussion centered on the grace that is extended to us. One example presented involved the dinner that the pharisees had in which they invited "a-list members". Jesus explained that the crippled, poor, etc. should be invited instead. (Luke 14) The grace that should be extended to these is similar to the grace that God extends to us "non-a-list members". What a timely discussion to help our youth guide their interactions in light of peer pressure that they may encounter when returning to school.

After a time of warm worship, Pastor Razel led the ADULT CONNECT session, which focused on the "Portrait of Jesus Christ". The time together started out with attempts to describe "why Jesus is such a big deal". We discovered Jesus as the Messiah and the Christ: the anointed one; the expected deliverer. We began to explore Jesus in both the old and new testaments of the Bible. The discussions got extremely animated at times; what a great time!

Thank God for the wonderful teachers who volunteer their time and resources to this wonderful ministry. Don't miss your blessings; join us at Connect!

Connect Announcements

• Connect is cancelled for September 29, 2010 for quarterly staff training.

• Staff training will be held at Victory Life Christian Ministries on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. We will learn about personalities, ours and our students, which will help us to facilitate discussion and activities in our Connect classes.

Images From A Sunday At Victory Life Christian Ministries

Here are some images I shot that I wanted to share from our Sunday service at Victory Life Christian Ministries in Big Rapids.

Check out a little slice of V-Life:

















Overcomers take time to express their love and appreciation for God during a moment at V-Life during Sunday service.

















Here is another image of V-Life Overcomers showing their love for God.
























The great sounds we hear at Victory Life Christian Ministries are all part of the atmosphere that helps us strengthen our relationship with God.
























Pastor Razel leads us during service on Sunday at V-Life in Big Rapids, Michigan.

Check the blog throughout the week for more photos, video, thoughts, announcements and more related to Victory Life Christian Ministries.

Go Out And Learn More About Victory Life Through Facebook

Just a reminder that you should remember to check out the official Victory Life Christian Ministries Facebook page.

Yes, we're definitely on Facebook, too.

If you're into social networking you're probably on Facebook and if you're not on social networking then you should definitely check it out right here. Who knows, you might get hooked on a little social networking and find out more about V-Life at the same time.

Check us out on Facebook, here. Also, check the bottom of this blog site for more ways to interact on the Web with V-Life.

Come Join Us For Worship At Victory Life Christian Ministries

We're looking forward to a great day at Victory Life Christian Ministries this coming Sunday at 1 p.m.

We hope that you will join us at V-Life as we all strive to strengthen our relationship with God by learning more about his words.

You're invited to come worship with us beginning at 1 p.m. as we enjoy the words of Pastor Razel Jones at V-Life.

Here is our location:

Victory Life Christian Ministries - 430 N Third - PO Box 1022 - Big Rapids, Michigan 49307

Connect Revelations

Isaiah 43:25 (New International Version)

²⁵ "I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.

Blot: to stain, to cover, to remove...

Indeed He has blotted our transgressions away - and, what did He use to stain and to cover our sins... His blood. Now, when He sees us, instead of seeing our sins and transgressions, He sees the blood of Jesus. This verse, which we studied in Connect the last two weeks is full of truth and sets the Lord up as our perfect example of a forgiver.

Last night it was so interesting as we got to the subject of God forgiving and forgetting to see the rejection of this concept to our own personal lives. For us, it is more manageable to forgive than to forget. God though, being our example of forgiveness, determined that He would forgive His people and for His own sake remember their sins no more. When we forgive, do we forget? Can we truly forgive without forgetting? He said He would remember our sins no more. That word, 'remember' is an interesting word.

Remember:
recall knowledge from memory - keep in mind for attention or consideration - recapture the past; indulge in memories; call to remembrance; keep alive the memory of something

When we constantly recall negative memories from people who have wronged us - when we keep their actions in mind for future attention or consideration - when we recapture the past and indulge in negative memories from our past - when we call past hurts, pains, defeats, let-downs and keep these memories alive in our heads and hearts, we have not forgiven in the way the Lord has demonstrated forgiveness. The thing to remember is that forgiveness does more for the forgiver than for the forgiven. There's a famous statement that says that "resentment (unforgiveness) is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." Another famous quote says, "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the only one who gets burned." In this scripture we find this sentiment echoed by our Lord... "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." He has forgiven us for His sake.

In the words that many of us pray every night... in the middle of the prayer lies this secret as we are instructed to pray - forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. The two concepts are connected - the only way to receive forgiveness is to give forgiveness. Lord, please give us a heart that forgives!

Pastor Razel Jones

Victory Life Christian Ministries

Introductions

Greetings,

This is a blog from the Christian Education Ministry of the Victory Life Christian Ministries. Our goal is to inform you of current and upcoming programming and provide you with inspiration through the written word.

Connect is our midweek service. During this time, Wednesdays 7:00-8:00 p.m., a variety of sessions are offered. We rotate through a variety of sessions, which may include topical Bible studies, book discussion groups, recreational activities which promote Christian fellowship, activities to promote physical, financial, emotional and spiritual well-being. The activities target interests of overcomers of all ages: six months to eight years in Kid's Konnection, eight years and up for Youth Connect and adults of all ages.

For the week of August 18, three classes were offered during Connect:

• Pastor Razel taught on the topic of "Failure and Redemption". The adults in the class received and shared revelations regarding the cleansing, pardon and rewards of God.
  
• Brother Jake taught the youth about the "Parable of the Lost Son". They then unscrambled limericks reflecting the memory verse about rebellion.
  
• Sister Tracey presented stories and activities around the theme of "Love God by Making Good Choices" during Kid's Konnection. Their story was based on 1 Kings 3: 1-15 when King Solomon had a dream and God told him that he could ask for whatever he wanted. King Solomon asked for wisdom. They then determined if people made good or bad choices.
  

Come out for the August 25 Connect classes and learn more. We have classes for all ages!

We're looking forward to part two of our financial freedom series with Bro. Bobby. It will cover credit and loans and will begin in October.

Feel free to suggest future topics that you would like to discuss in Connect or titles of books for our book discussion groups during our Connect times.

Welcome To The New Victory Life Christian Ministries Blog

Victory Life Christian Ministries offers extreme praise, intimate worship and a life-changing Word for its Overcomers and other people of faith.

We encourage you to learn more about Victory Life by visiting our Web site. Still, as much as we appreciate Internet visits, we truly would love to meet you in person in Big Rapids. With that in mind, Victory Life would like to extend a personal invitation to join us for Sunday service at 1 p.m. During the week, we would love to see you on Wednesday evening for an engaging Connect session where we learn about the Bible on a deeper level. Connect begins begin at 7 p.m. and is an excellent opportunity for all of us to explore and sharpen our fundamentals of the faith.

We encourage you to learn more about the ministry, our Pastor & Leading Lady and discover how we can help show you the way to victory.

Take the the first step, while you're here, and visit Victory Life Christian Ministries online.