Serve with Us
Events
2025 Theme
The Season of
"I Will"
23 Whatever your lips utter you must diligently perform, just as you have freely vowed to the Lord your God with your own mouth. (Deuteronomy 23:23)
So often in life, we say to ourselves, “I’m going to do such and such,” yet “such and such” remains undone. Worse yet, we make promises to the Lord about what we intend to do, and we fail to carry out those promises. Sometimes, it’s because we began, but gave up when things didn’t go as we expected; other times, we do not even start the process.
This year, 2025, is the Season of “I Will.” Our theme is taken from a book entitled “I Will” by Thom S. Rainer. He argues that we need to stop saying I could, I might, I can, or I should, and recognize that now is the time to stand up and say, “I Will.” In the book, Rainer presents nine traits of the outwardly focused Christian. We will spend the next few months going through those traits; however, we will first delve into what it means to say, “I will.”
The first step in saying “I will” is to engage introspectively so that we can begin to figure out what it is that has held us back and kept us from following through with those things we wholeheartedly intended to do. In the book of Deuteronomy, the Hebrew people are being given instructions to live by, as commanded by God. In verses 21-23, they are directed to always honor a vow made to the Lord. Such a vow often involved a sacrifice, or something pledged to God. Regardless of the specifics, it was always about making a promise to God regarding something one intended to do or offer up to the Lord. If such a vow was not kept, it was not only seen as dishonorable and sinful, but the person was seen as “stealing from God.” I would take it one step further and declare that when we fail to keep our promises, we steal from ourselves. We steal the time and the peace we would be experiencing if we had honored our word and followed through with “I will.”
As we traverse through the Season of “I Will,” we will examine ourselves and begin to strategize, while praying our way to not simply saying “I will” but walking in “I will.” We will journey through this season not simply to help ourselves, but to benefit our faith community, and ultimately, the Kingdom of God. Join me in this journey as we all say, “I Will.”
In Christ,
Pastor Cindy Rudolph