Weekly Newsletter

ENCOURAGING THOUGHTS

Encourage Yourself In The Lord
In the Bible, you don't have to look very far to see that David faced a lot of persecution and discouragement in his lifetime.

In 1 Samuel, chapter 30, David and his men have just returned home only to find their town of Ziklag burned to the ground and their families carried captive by their enemies.

Verse 4 states that when they discovered this, David and his men wept until they had no more strength to weep (AMPC).

Verse 6 says that David's men were even considering stoning him because of their grief. These same men who were most likely fighting alongside him just days before. 

But then, at the end of verse 6, we see these words: 

But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord, his God.

In the midst of the pain and distress that David felt very deeply, he made the choice to inquire of the Lord to find out their next step. He sought the Lord if they should pursue the enemy. The answer was yes, and they ended up rescuing their families and recovering everything.

It's easy to read over the story and skip right from the distress to the victory in a few sentences. But we don't know exactly how long this process lasted: from losing everything to having it restored.

Maybe the threat of being stoned motivated a quick shift to action, but David chose, in the middle of his grief, to strengthen and encourage himself in God.

Sometimes, we too, need to step out of our worries and troubles, to rest and listen to what God is wanting to speak to us.

Here are some ways that we, like David, can strengthen and encourage ourselves in the Lord:

1. Spend a few minutes of quiet time with God, reading His Word.

2. Listen to uplifting worship music or an encouraging message or podcast.

3. Call a friend or family member to pray with you or go for a walk, and thank God for 3 things that He has done for you.

Encourage and strengthen yourself in the Lord, and He will help you to walk through everything that seems overwhelming right now.
  
  

"But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God."
1 Samuel 30:6b AMPC

ANNOUNCEMENTS​

Join us to pray for the people and families of OLC on Wednesdays at 1:00 PM at the church.



Rooted and Unstoppable Youth will be at Third Day Church for the month of March. Grades 6–12 are invited to come out, have fun, and deepen their faith and their relationship with Jesus! 7–9 PM



Remember to set your clocks AHEAD one hour this Sunday for Daylight Savings Time.



If you are a leader or a volunteer in kids' or youth ministry at OLC, please mark your calendars and plan to attend our annual Plan To Protect Training happening on Saturday, March 14th, at the church. There are two sessions: 9:30 AM & 7:00 PM. Please choose ONE to attend. Sign up at the Connect Hub or contact Pastor Mitchell 403 331 8684.



We are excited to be hosting a Water Baptism Service with Streets Alive on Sunday, March 15th at OLC! If you are interested in getting baptized, talk to Pastor Wayne or Pastor Mitchell!



Join us for our annual Family Forum coming up on Monday, March 16th at 7:00 PM at the church. Come learn about the vision of OLC, where we've come from, and where we're heading!



To see a list of all of our upcoming events, check out our website here!