Author: Laurin

I’m first and foremost a follower of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, striving to learn more and grow closer to Him. I am also a former public middle school English, Reading, Social Studies teacher now spending my days trying to figure out where God needs me to go next! I'm privileged to help author-friends with beta-reading and editing their work. I’m honored that I get to lead a Bible study and play librarian at my little church in southwestern Colorado. I love to serve God, meditate on His Word, read great books, take photos, be crafty, jot down random thoughts, and crochet poorly.

A Season of Joy

by Laurin, posted in Devotion

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Today begins the third week of the Advent season: a time to meditate on and revel in the JOY which the Lord brings! When the angels announced the birth of the Messiah to the shepherds, they immediately went to Him and they rejoiced. Those shepherds are a model for us: we should run to Him and rejoice!

Unfortunately, joy seems fleeting when we look at it only through the lens of this world. When we depend on material, worldly things to give us joy, we will never be satisfied, never be filled. There will always be something missing: we get a good job, but want a better one; get a new car, want a nicer one; get our first house, want a bigger one; and so on. That is because true joy can only be found in the Reason for this Season…salvation through and relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Through that relationship with Jesus one way we can find the JOY of the Lord is when we lay our burdens at His feet. Remember that Jesus commanded us to do just that: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Give your cares to Him today and be lifted up in His JOY!

If you have an Advent wreath, light up the first three candles: the purple “Prophet’s Candle,” which represents the hope of Jesus’ coming; the purple “Bethlehem Candle,” which represents the peace which His birth brings; and this week’s pink candle, the “Shepherd’s Candle,” representing the JOY of the Lord. Take time to read and consider the following verses:

Isaiah 9:6-7

John 1:19-34

Matthew 2:3-4

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Philippians 2:1-11

Pray: Thank You, Jesus, for being the Light of the world. We live in dark times; please help me to seek Your Light and find Your joy even in troubled times. Help me to shine brightly for You and to point people to Your love. Although You are my friend, Jesus, help me to fully understand what it means to have You as my King. Show me how to worship You with my treasures, my talents, and my time. When people try to rise up against me, thank You for Your protection, Your guidance, and Your direction. Your timing is perfect, Your joy is complete; give me eyes to see how true that is. In Your Name we pray, Amen!

Give your cares to Him and rest in the JOY of the Lord!

A Season of Peace

by Laurin, posted in Devotion

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It’s the second Sunday of Advent: time to ponder the PEACE that comes from knowing Jesus as our Savior. This week reminds us that since God prepared the world for His Son, we need to prepare our hearts for the coming of our Lord.

So light the second purple candle in your Advent wreath (the Candle of Peace, also called the Candle of Preparation or the Bethlehem Candle) and read the following verses (or read one selection each day this week):

Micah 5:2

Matthew 2:1-2

Matthew 2:9-11

Isaiah 2:1-5

Matthew 3:1-6

God kept His promise of a Savior who would be born in Bethlehem. Through this promise, we can have peace with God (Romans 5:1,6-8), peace from God (John 14:27), and the peace of God (Philippians 4:6-7).

Preparation means to “get ready.” During this season, we need to “get ready” to welcome Jesus into our hearts, our homes, our everything.

Pray: Jesus, You amaze me. You are a glorious King, and yet You were born in the most humble of circumstances. Thank You for showing me what true humility looks like. I know that even when I feel unworthy, You can still use me. Please give me the boldness to be a voice in the wilderness of this world, sharing my faith with those who don’t yet know You and the peace You bring. I pray You are preparing their hearts in advance to hear the Good News. Thank You for being Immanuel: God with us. Thank You for being with me throughout this week and for blessing me with Your peace. In Your Name we pray, Jesus. Amen (adapted from Rose Publishing, “Celebrating Advent”).

A Season of Hope

by Laurin, posted in Devotion

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At this time of the year it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. What with shopping to do, decorating to accomplish, gifts to wrap, parties to attend, and food to prepare, there seems to be little time to do anything else. But we need to be especially mindful during this time that our preparations for Christmas don’t get in the way of our time with Christ.

So how can we, as Christians, show others the beauty, rather than the busyness, of this time for celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? One of the best ways to do this is to focus on the Word and all of its promises regarding Jesus’ birth and the first Christmas.

To help you focus your hearts on the reason for the season, we will be posting Advent readings each Sunday through Christmas. We pray they bring you the hope, peace, joy, and love of Christ with each new week.

This being the first week of Advent, we will ponder the HOPE that the promise of Christ’s birth brings to our hearts. The Scripture readings for this week remind us that Jesus is coming! It is all about the expectation of the Savior. “They shall see the glory of our Lord, the majesty of our God” (Isaiah 35:2).

If you have an Advent wreath, light the first purple candle and read the following verses (or read one selection each day this week). Remember that the most important part of this exercise is not checking it off of your list, but slowing down and taking time to meditate on and savor His Word.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Isaiah 11:1-10

Luke 1:26-38

Isaiah 7:10-14

Matthew 1:18-24

We can have hope because God is faithful and will keep the promises He made to us. Our HOPE comes from God (Romans 15:12-13).

Pray the words of Isaiah 9:6. Thank You, Jesus, for being Wonderful to me. Thank You for being my Counselor when I am in need. Thank You for being my Mighty God when I feel weak. Thank You for always being there for me, my Everlasting Father. Thank You for being my Prince of Peace, calming the storms of my life and granting me rest. In Your name we pray, Jesus. Amen. (adapted from Rose Publishing, “Celebrating Advent”)

Take time to quiet yourself before the Lord during this often hectic time of the year, and you will be blessed.

Sonrise Service

by Laurin, posted in Church Events

For those of you who could not be with us on this beautiful Easter morning, I thought I’d put up a few photos of our Sonrise Service. We were blessed with gorgeous weather, beautiful hymns, an inspiring message from Pastor Steve, a scrumptious pot luck breakfast, and an attendance of 22 people and 4 deer!

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Marjane led the singing, accompanied by Adele on the keyboard.
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Pastor Steve spoke of the grace of God because of Resurrection Sunday.
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Then we moved inside for tasty treats…
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…interesting conversation…
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…and sweet Christian fellowship!

What a truly blessed Sonrise Service, followed by our regular church service, where Pastor Steve spoke of the Power of the Cross. If you’d like to listen to his message, check out our brand new “Listen to a Message” page!

Praying that your Resurrection Sunday was as wonderful as ours.

Easter Sunday

by Laurin, posted in Church Events

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Easter Sunday is always a special day at Colona Community Church.

This year, we’re looking forward to another beautiful celebration of the Resurrection with two services.

We plan to have a “Sonrise” Service at 7:30 am by the cross at the home of Richard & Donna Boyle – 4432 County Rd. 22 (there is a map available at the church, and there will be signs, just in case). Following this time of worship, the Boyles will be hosting a fellowship potluck breakfast in their home. Egg casseroles will be provided, so bring your favorite Easter breakfast sides.

After we’ve filled up our hearts with worship and our bodies with good food, we’ll be having our regular Sunday service at 10:30 am at the church. Pastor Steve will take us into God’s Word and fill our spirits for the coming week.

Please join us for this blessed time of worship and fellowship.

Our Outreach Projects for 2017

by Laurin, posted in Church Information

If you received our newsletter, you know that at the regular board meeting in January, it was agreed to pursue the following outreach endeavors for this year:

  • The 17th Annual Harvest Dinner – held on the last Saturday in September
  • Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes – donations accepted throughout the year; “packing party” in November
  • Christmas Food Boxes – fill and deliver the week of Christmas

Remember that our outreach is only as good as its volunteers! So please be in prayer about YOUR involvement in these ministries.

The Board also approved a possible Church picnic sometime in June. We are investigating possible locations as well as determining the scope (for example: will it be just a barbecue/picnic or will we have our regular church service there as well?) of this endeavor.

In March we will be taking a  poll to determine interest. If the membership does not show an interest, we will be forced to NOT pursue any outreach that lacks sufficient support. Please pray about these ideas and how you can be involved.

Thank you and God bless!

Bible Study

by Laurin, posted in Church Events

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Join us at the church on Wednesdays at 2pm for Bible Study, fellowship, and prayer time!

Our current study is following along with Dr. David Jeremiah’s Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World. This week, we’ll be discussing lesson 4: how to “Stay Challenged” and remain diligent in our walk with Christ when all around us seems crazy. The lesson is focused on 2 Peter 1:5-11 and 3:14.

Next week we will begin lesson 5: “Stay Connected.”

Christmas Box Ministry

by Laurin, posted in Church Events

Colona Community Church has been blessed to be able to provide Christmas Boxes filled with food and love for many years. The boxes contain enough food to feed a family of four for at least a week.

We are excited to continue this ministry in our community this year, to be distributed on December 20, 2016.

If you’d like to help bless others in our community, contact Pastor Steve Collins – csteve835@gmail.com or (970) 964-7190 – for more information.