We kicked off a new series this weekend simply called Hope. We talked about our hope that our lives will have purpose and meaning. Deep down, I think we all want our lives to be more than paying our bills and raising nice kids…we want to do something that’s bigger than ourselves. So, by aligning our purpose with God’s purpose, our lives can have eternal significance. Here were some of the main points from the message.

• Your circumstances will change…but the purpose of God remains the same.  In order to make our lives count, we have to live them for something bigger than ourselves.
• 2010 is going to be an important, fork-in-the-road kind of year for Oak Leaf Church.
• Our goals for next year are: double our funding for children and students, do twice as much to serve the community, free up cash to do more ministry, do more in the area of discipleship, and launch a second campus on our four year anniversary.  I’ll unpack those a little more in the coming weeks.
• I have no interest in babysitting children and entertaining teenagers here.  I’m not setting out to create a safe environment for teenagers or a place where they can hang out.  I want to create a dangerous environment for teenagers where they will learn to radically follow Christ, and accomplish things for Him that most adults are too scared to do.
• It will take EVERYBODY in order to accomplish these goals. If you’re a regular at Oak Leaf Church, I need you to get involved financially.  We need to step things up in this area.
• It’s not right for you to leech the blessings off the church while sharing none of the responsibility.
  
• The above statement may cause a few people to leave our church, but I’m okay with that.
• The reason that very few of us do things with eternal significance is that we’re too busy building sandcastles.
• Laying up  treasures here on earth is like spending lots of money to redecorate a hotel room. You’re only going to be there for a short time.  Leverage your finances for something that has eternal significance.
• I know you think that giving more money in these times are tough.  You might say it’s impossible.   But I say that you don’t have a financial issue, you have a trusting-God issue.
• I do not know people who tithe who regret it.  But I can show you lots of people who “cannot afford to tithe” who have all kinds of issues.  We need to understand that God’s principles are true.
• God is not after your money.  If He wants your money, He will just take it.  He’s not after your money…He’s after your life! (By the way, I’m not after your money either…I have much deeper intentions!)
• Specifically, I am asking that everyone that calls Oak Leaf Church home give once (November 20/21) and give regularly (in 2010).  I want to challenge you to give more than you think you can in two weeks.  And then decide to give regularly after that.
• God does not call us to make equal gifts, but to make equal sacrifices.  The poor, widow woman in the New Testament was honored not because she gave a lot of money, but because she gave all she had.
• Here’s a PDF describing our goals and how you can help.
• Our mission is too important and our purpose affects eternity.  That’s worth our involvement.
• Next week, we are doing something that we’ve never done before.  It’s going to be amazing.  I promise.