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Good morning and happy Sabbath. May you be blessed as you rest, fellowship (with God and others) and as you give this day back to Him SO THAT He can do what He does so well- bless you!!

The Well- 10:30am, Youth Adult Room in the Church- this is our primary Sabbath School and it happens at the church because we want you to be connecting with a local church on Sabbath. This is a time of food, fellowship and feasting on God’s Word. Join us each Sabbath morning.

“The Lesson” is another great Sabbath School experience that meets at 10:45am in the Ortner Lobby. Join faculty, staff, and students as we come together to study the Sabbath School lesson and its real-world application. We're excited to share time in fellowship, discussion and biweekly bagels.

“IRR SS”- Another creative option for your Sabbath School experience. It meets each week in the IRR Gear room and everyone is welcome (IRR major or not!) It starts at 10:40.

CVC- 9:15am and Noon- there are two worship services at College View Church (CVC) each Sabbath. You are welcome to go to either (or both, thought they are both the same!). Our Lead Pastor Harold Alomia speaks this week.

Potluck on Prescott, - join us for lunch after second service today as we close down Prescott Avenue and the College View Church puts on a potluck-on-steroids for all of us!! Last year we fed 1400+ people in 31 minutes!! This year is CVC’s 125^th birthday so we’ll probably have a big birthday cake too!!

V2- 7:30pm, ATRIUM- Note the change of location for this week’s V2. This is our “close the Sabbath” time when we come together for 30 minutes of singing and one of your peers sharing their current journey with Jesus. This week is hosted by Lauren and the Math/Science Division. Logan Vega will be sharing his story. It’s a great way to end the Sabbath and all are welcome.

Have a great Sabbath,

Pastor Rich

Quote for the day: "If being hurt by church causes you to lose faith in God, then your faith was in people not in God." Larry Bluford Jr.

And now my blog of the week:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2

Once there was a man walking through his city who came upon a construction site. Curious about what was going on, he asked the first worker laying bricks what he was building. In a bored, slightly irritated voice he said, “I’m building a wall.”

He kept walking and met another bricklayer and asked the same question. “Oh, I’m building a church,” he replied in a relaxed tone. “It will be nice.”

Finally, he met the third bricklayer and asked him what he was building. “I’m building a house of God,” he said with both joy and conviction.

In describing this colloquial parable, Angela Duckworth says the three men see their work in three different modes; the first as a job, the second as a vocation, and the third as a calling. All are fostering different thoughts, and ultimately these thoughts will form very different paths. You see, you become your thoughts.

Every circumstance in your life, whether good or bad, is affected by your thinking. Though it seems overwhelming, this is good news because it gives you the power to transform one part of your life and reap great rewards in nearly every other!

Your thoughts today are your results tomorrow.

Small Changes Lead to New Destinations

When it comes to changing your thinking, it’s helpful to recognize that making minor adjustments can reap great rewards.

When I was growing up, I spent most summers on a fishing boat, and I enjoyed watching the captain as he maneuvered the vessel. There was a shiny wheel up top, but our skipper actually navigated using a three-inch plastic dial on a computer to the left of the helm. This tiny tool could alter our path by a minor yet measurable degree. Though small changes were not immediately noticeable, an hour later, two clicks set our course or took us off of it.

The same is true with our thoughts. Minor changes such as forgiving a past wrong, not blaming authority figures, or being grateful every day can make a gigantic difference in our lives, especially over time.

Your thoughts really are your destination.

Change Your Perspective

One of the most profound changes you can make on the journey to renewed thinking is to adjust your perspective. You can control your attitude and how you react to situations, but assuming a more positive view will not come naturally.

When I was sixteen-years-old, I got my first job as an “expeditor” at a big Mexican restaurant that was owned by a family friend. Though I was happy to have it, one night, a server pushed me to the limit. He brought in some leftover food and dropped the plates down hard on the counter, spilling cheesy rice all over the floor. This meant I had to clean up a big mess that I didn’t make, even though I was just about ready to leave.

Now, my typical reaction would have been to blame and complain, but that moment was a turning point for me. Instead of arguing, I decided to sweep the floor for God. I let it go; I wasn’t doing my work for anyone except Him. Though nothing looked different from the outside, I knew something had changed inside of me.

You Can Help What You Think About

Controlling your thoughts is like strength training for the soul, and it happens through meditation. Though it sounds like a strange Eastern sort of thing, the Bible talks more about meditating on Scripture than it does about memorizing it.

Rightfully understood, meditating begins with memorizing verses that elevate your thinking, and it continues by incorporating those scriptures into your prayer life. In other words, you don’t only read and study the Bible, you dwell on it.

Even though you can’t control every thought that comes to your mind, you can control what you focus on. My wife’s grandfather used to say, “You can’t keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.”

Good News

No matter what situation you find yourself in today, change is possible! There is a way out of every difficulty if you choose to cultivate the right thoughts. Like a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly, when you renew your mind according to the Word of God, you experience metamorphosis — a complete and total transformation.

Growth begins when you acknowledge that you have the power to change your thoughts and begin making minor adjustments to your course. As you choose to shift your perspective on challenging situations and meditate on the truth of God’s Word to feed your spirit, your life goes from ordinary to truly extraordinary.

Your mind is like a garden. When you plant and nurture good ideas and pull out the weeds of blame, jealousy, judgment, self-pity, and pride, your thoughts cultivate good fruit that feeds and blesses those around you!