JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment of Celebration reflects on a life transformed by God’s grace.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Second Corinthians 3:18, “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

The power of the Holy Spirit works in the believer’s life to reflect the character of Christ. These character qualities include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the qualities that were fully demonstrated by Christ and they have a growing influence on our lives as we follow Jesus step by step.  These are the qualities of the Fruit of the Spirit, and they become the ingredients that invite others to taste and see that the Lord is good.

A life transformed by God’s grace is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment of Celebration reflects on the words of the prophets.

Second Peter 1:19 says, “We have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

The main purpose of prophecy is to draw our attention to the testimony of Jesus. Even before Jesus came into the world, the words of the prophets were indicating that when He came, He would be born of a virgin and born in Bethlehem. He would come in peace, riding on a donkey. He would be rejected by His people, betrayed by a friend, and abandoned by His disciples.  He would be pierced for our transgressions, but His body would not see decay. He would once again see the light of life and be satisfied.

These predicted events tell us that God knows the future, and keeps His promises. We can trust Him to do what He says He will do.

The words of the prophets are reasons to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment of Celebration reflects on the steadfast, bold witness of the apostles.

When Jesus rose from the dead, He did not keep it a secret from His friends. According to First Corinthians 15:3, “Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures,…he was buried,….he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures….and he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.” Here was a group of men who followed Jesus to Jerusalem, where they saw His suffering at the cross and the triumph of His resurrection. Brave souls will stand for the truth even in the face of persecution, but very few would die for a lie. Each of Jesus’ followers who saw Him alive again faced some type of persecution for their witness. Most of them died for their faith in Jesus.

In the life of the early church, the disciples went their separate ways, but they remained faithful to the mission of spreading the good news wherever they went. In their courageous witness for Jesus, they said to the governing authorities, who tried to silence them, “We must obey God rather than men.”

The steadfast, bold witness of Jesus’ followers is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment of Celebration reflects on the empty tomb.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached a sermon that persuaded 3,000 people to come to faith in Christ. It was a moment when he preached the Gospel. In that sermon, Peter said in Acts 2:32, “God raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”

This happened fifty days after the crucifixion of Jesus. If opponents wanted to prove Peter wrong, they could have pointed people to a tomb where they placed the body of Jesus. But the stone had been rolled away, and the tomb was empty. The empty tomb tells us that Jesus has defeated death and conquered the grave. He leads His followers to eternal life, not a mortal end. Jesus told His disciples in John 14:19, “Because I live, you also will live.”

The empty tomb of Jesus is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK  – Today’s Moment Of Celebration reflects on the signs of God’s creation.

Psalm 19:1 says that the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

The stars in the universe are visible to us on a clear night. Isaiah 40:26 tells us that He not only created all these, but He also calls them each by name. Just as there are many stars in the universe, there are many people on this planet. God is big enough to keep order in the universe, while at the same time, remaining personal to know us by name. Just as the heavens declare the glory of God, so we also are called to reflect His glory.

When our faith is expressed in love and with gratitude, our witness for Jesus is compared to the stars of the universe, which reflect the glory of God.

The signs of God’s creation are reasons to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment of Celebration reflects on freedom in Christ.

Jesus said in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

There are reasons to cherish our political freedoms to vote, to speak out, and to publicly express our worship for God.

However, the greatest form of freedom is the kind that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. Here are some of the ways that Jesus sets us free.

In Christ we are set free to love people as He loves us. Galatians 5:13 talks about using our freedom to serve one another in love.

In Christ, we are set free from the penalty of our sin through God’s forgiveness. Romans 8:1 says “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

In Christ, we are set free to know the truth of God’s will and do it. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Following God is our pathway to real and lasting freedom.

Freedom in Christ is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

INTERN KRISTIN – I cannot believe how fast June flew by! It seems like only last week I was taking my final exams. But in fact, last week I was attending and volunteering at Creation Fest Northeast! Creation is one of my absolute favorite times of the year because not only do I get to see performances by some of my all time favorite bands, I also get to see some of my very best friends that I made at the festival and do not get to see regularly. Even more awesome than that, though, is witnessing how Christ uses Creation Fest to change people’s lives. I am amazed every year to see what an impact can be made on such a large group of people.

This was my seventh year volunteering at Creation, and it was as great as ever! I was there for a total of 9 days, helping with set-up, the main part of the festival, and tear down. My job there is to do time cards for the main stage; this basically means that I time the bands and hold up signs letting them know how many minutes they have left in their set. It’s so cool to have that small bit of interaction with the artists, even if all it really consists of is a head nod or a smile. It really is a great gig. On top of that, I ran back and forth to the WJTL tent and helped out there as much as possible. It got a bit hectic with multiple jobs to do, but luckily Intern Eddie was there to help out when I couldn’t!

This year was as hot and wet as ever, but the fun of the concerts and the atmosphere of the crowd made up for the weather. Some of the highlights of my week at Creation were:

Switchfoot – One of my favorite groups, and they are always amazing! I looked forward to their set all week and they did not disappoint. Jon Foreman is one cool dude.

Family Force 5 – I was very interested to see how the dynamic of their show would change since their former lead singer (Soul Glow Activatur) left. I must say I was very impressed! I have seen this band perform more times than any other group, and it was one of their best shows, in my opinion! (I still miss Soul Glow, though!) They just always have so much energy.

For King & Country – I discovered these guys at Creation 2013 and loved them! They were just as great this year, and they seem like such genuine people. They have such obvious talent, as well.

There were so many more great performances – Chris Tomlin, Matthew West, TobyMac (how does he do it?!), and Brian Campbell Band, who lead worship every morning and evening, and are some of the nicest guys.

If you’ve ever been to Creation Fest, it is no wonder why it is one of my favorite times of the year. You can’t help but have a smile on your face at seeing how God is working around you. Worshipping along with tens of thousands of people is truly amazing! And if you’ve never been, I highly recommend attending Creation 2015!

JOHN SHIRK -Today’s Moment Of Celebration reflects on the uplifting impact of wholesome words.

The Apostle Paul gave the church this instruction in Ephesians 4:29-“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

This is relevant for the way we speak to other people, what we write in emails, and how we use social media. The use of blogs, Twitter, and Facebook can be used to edify other people, but these forms of communication are also used sometimes to air out complaints and grievances that hurt other people.

When communicating with others, Ephesians 4:29 gives us some good parameters to use when considering what to say and how to say it. Is what I am saying wholesome? Does it represent a holy God? Is what I am saying helpful? Will my words be timely and encouraging for building up their faith in the Lord? In the Kingdom of God, words matter, and when we use them wisely, God’s name is honored, God’s people are built up, and God’s foes are confronted with a new way of thinking that challenges them to embrace God’s love and stop resisting it.

The uplifting impact of wholesome words is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

STACEY GAGNE – My heart lept when I received an email this morning from one of our friends at Compassion International who was a part of their recent Sponsor Tour to Ethiopia.  One of the projects that they visited on the tour was Tedecha Mekane Yesus …they are standing where I walked in January 2013 and WJTL listeners in turn sponsored many of these  children during our 26 Hours of Compassion!    JoAnn shared how amazing the Pastor and Project Director at the project are and how the team was impressed and enjoyed their time there with the children.  Maybe you can spot your sponsored child in this picture?!

Our friends from Compassion will have a booth at Creation Festival and there will be opportunities for you to sponsor a child.   If you are at the festival, I encourage you to stop by and prayerfully consider  … or visit the website today and help release a child from poverty in Jesus name.

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment Of Celebration reflects on the righteous causes that spring from godly desires.

These are words from Psalm 37:4 to 6. “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

When we are fully committed to God, there is a purpose that is stirred in our heart that moves us to action. That purpose is the Gospel. God gives His followers different forms of ministry to represent Jesus to the community. One person might have the calling to confront racism, while another person might have the desire to serve at a homeless shelter. Another person might be moved to speak up and defend those who have no voice to speak up for themselves. Where the Lord plants desires in our heart, He provides a platform to shed light on the justice of our cause.  God-given desires become God’s opportunities to fulfill God’s purposes through us.

The righteous causes that spring from godly desires is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com