On Sunday morning, everyone worked together to help put on a church service, complete with two sermons (one in English by Jimmy Apodaca, another in Spanish by Danny Salcedo), music and childcare.

Afterward, some worked on the mural on the outside of the building, while others went out to hand out fliers for the toy sale/dinner on Sunday night.

Later that night, the team served dinner, helped with the toy sale and continued to work on the mural. The turnout was even bigger than expected! Praise God!

Everyone at the end of the night in front of the mural:

And here’s a brief video of the mural.

The reason I know this is because my husband and I have been at the receiving end of that Spirit-filled love on multiple occasions. Like our second week at FBC when a couple invited us to dinner simply because we were new to the church, and then welcomed us into their home for a much-needed night of fellowship.

Or my first D-group leader, who quickly became someone I could trust completely because of her love for all of us in her group, displayed week after week through offering a listening ear and biblical counsel.

Or the leaders of our Fusion ministry, who have made us feel like a part of their family and pour into us many times throughout each week, pushing us deeper in our walk with God.

Or just this week, when a family heard of our desire to adopt and cleared their schedule for an evening so that we could ask questions and hear how God knit their family together through adoption.

Why do so many people at FBC love the way they do? I think I have the answer. It is because those people understand the charge of 1 John 4:7-21. They love because God first loved them. They are filled with God’s love, and that love overflows onto all of the people around them.

I am so thankful to be part of God’s family, and my prayer is that God continues to develop in me an understanding of His love in a way that overflows onto those around me.  When I don’t love like that, it is an indication I need to focus on the cross, the ultimate example of God’s unconditional love for us. It is only in light of the gospel that people are able to love like those who have loved us at FBC.

The glass arrives. You take your first drink.  The satisfaction is almost there . . . only to be jerked away by the sudden realization that you have been duped into drinking that tasteless concoction known as “Diet Coke”.

Ok, that was a tad dramatic, and for all you Diet Coke fans out there, just reverse the beverages and you will understand. Either way, the concept is the same.

Life often presents situations where we are excited about something, only to find that it is not nearly as exciting as we thought it would be. Other times in life, however, we are excited for something and it’s everything we had hoped it would be.  The latter is exactly how the first few weeks of RMG have been.

Our RMG is everything we had hoped for, with nearly 60 people sharing tremendous worship, great expository teaching from God’s Word and a wonderful time of fellowship every week.

But, most importantly, we have experienced solid discipleship. Men with men and women with women, we are able to work through the practical applicability of God’s Word for our lives. We encourage one another with compassion and the truth of what God has done for us personally.  Ultimately, as we are exhorted to do in Galatians 6:2, we bear one another’s burdens in the same way that Christ bears our own.

It is a wonderful thing to see the Body function the way God intended! And it’s amazing to see how many people have been thirsting for what the RMG provides.

When carrying a folding table back to the truck after it was over, I was greatly encouraged about the “RMG thing,” and it had little to do with the fried chicken, pasta salad, chips and cookies I had eaten.

I was struck by how quickly thirty-some men and women, couples and singles, young and younger came together. Some already knew one another, and some knew hardly anyone. Some had been at FBC for a while, and some had been there for a short time. Some were excited about the RMG, and some were testing the waters. A few were mostly interested in playing… granted they were 3-7 years old. Despite all the differences, it ended as a body of believers, not just a group of people.

I watched excitedly as the dynamic of our fellowship shifted from casual to intentional after we had a brief exhortation from scripture regarding our purpose. It was clear that our most common denominator was God’s Word.

So as I carried out our table, I was reminded of the scripture in Hebrews, “ … let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together … encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near … ”

That passage encouraged me most in light of our first RMG. While the RMG is about solid teaching, strong discipleship and good Christian fellowship, it is mostly about being obedient to God, and we were walking in obedience.

LEGO Battle Bots, ages 8+
Students learn to design and build their own motorized battle cars and other vehicles.  Using principles of simple and complex machines, gearing and mechanical advantage, students will try to help to flip, push or smash their opponent’s battle vehicles.  Brain over brawn through applied physics.  Lessons demonstrate the use of mechanical lifts, nets, drills, ramps and more to disable or overcome other bots.
July 6-10, 1:30-4:30pm

Junior Engineering 1, ages 5-7
Using LEGO Educational Division Materials and LEGO Technic elements, children will learn by doing.  Course covers gears, levers, wheels, axles, structures, forces and simple machines.  This is an integrated science and math class and is the first class leading up to the Robotics Academy!
June 15-19, 9:30am-12:30pm

Summer Horsemanship Day Camp, ages 8+
Your children can learn to ride and care for a horse while having fun with other kids their age.  Campers are divided into riding groups and take riding classes each day as well as classes in horsemanship with our instructors.  Our philosophy is to have fun while emphasizing safety & sound technique, in a non-competitive environment. Activities include: horsemanship, barn chores, riding lessons and gymkhana.
July 6-10 or July 13-17, 8am-12pm

Basic Forensic Anthropology, ages 15+
Are you curious how characters on TV shows can tell so much from a skeleton?  In this class, students will learn how forensic anthropologists can determine information such as age, sex and race from human bones.  See what they look for to determine if trauma or disease could have been involved in causing death.
July 13-17, 1-4pm

And there’s SO MANY more!  Visit www.msjc.edu/ce for more information about these and other classes being offered this summer at the Menifee campus.

PS – There’s a number of classes for adults as well.  Even some to help those who are still learning about their computers and the internet!