July 15, 2010 Grace Lutheran Church 6931 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 899-1700 contactus@GraceHB.org WORSHIP TIMES:Worship - Sunday 8:30 am, 10:30 am; Wednesday 11 am Children's Sunday School - 10:30 am (summer schedule) Middle School [6th-8th Grade] - Sunday 10:30 am High School [9th-12th Grade] - Tuesday 6:00 pm Adult Bible Study Classes - Sunday 10:15 am
 RUNNING ON EMPTY:We Are Created To RestRest. Relaxation. Recreation. Three words that encompass our deepest longings. Three verbs, that in the thick of our chaotic and busy world, most of us struggle to actualize. Though we live in a technologically advanced age—a world of goods and services available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Television never goes off the air. With online shopping, the stores never close. A few years back, Taco Bell even invented the 4th meal of the day—for those hunger pangs you get after midnight! Our real hunger though—our collective yearning—is for rest and relaxation. With all of our progress, the average person in a developed nation gets an average of just six-and-a-half hours of sleep a night. In the last century that’s a 25% drop-off! By contrast, the average workday is longer—up from 8 to 10 hours. The typical workweek tends to be six days instead of five. Getting two days off from work in a row is considered a fringe benefit in today’s world! Through it all, we work harder to take a break—to get away from it all. Is there any doubt that we are running on empty? To make up for it, we have become obsessed with energy drinks like Red Bull and Full Throttle. To get through work, through school—through one’s day has become dependent on getting a daily fix of caffeine at Starbucks. But no matter what your “pick-me-up” of choice is—they are all artificial substitutes for the real thing. Rest. Relaxation. Recreation. Three synonyms for the Sabbath. I invite for the next four weeks to explore with me God’s gift and God’s command of the Sabbath. Together let us debunk some myths and frankly bad theology about the Sabbath. In the process, may we rediscover and hopefully, allow ourselves to be rewired for a hallowed practice woven into the very fabric of creation. We’ll start in the book of Genesis where we’ll find that six days of work is completed by God’s blessing of a day set aside for rest—for recreation—literally, to be recreated. Beloved, we need to understand that we are created to rest. We need to realize how impoverished we are when we choose to ignore the rhythm of the Sabbath. We need to remember as Jesus once said, that it is not that we keep the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath keeps us. Grace to you! Pastor Chris Click here to visit our entire sermon message archive.
VBS Celebration
 This Sunday, July 18.Come celebrate with us this Sunday all that God did this past week at Vacation Bible School where more than 200 kids and countless volunteers have been enjoying Sonquest
Rainforest VBS. This Sunday the VBS children and volunteers will perform a selection of the fun VBS music they learned this week. Following the 10:30am service, we will gather in Hope Hall for a family BBQ. There will be plenty of food as well as a bounce house and water slide for the kids (and kids at heart). Invite your friends! Share Your Stories: We want to remember how God moved this past week at VBS. We encourage our parents and volunteers to please email us your "God moments" or "cute stories" you experienced or your child shared from the week. Share Your Photos: If you took a cute photo or two at VBS, please email us so we can post them to our Facebook photo album. Click here to view the album.
Second-Half Ministry Trip: Architectural Tour of LA
 Tuesday, August 17, 8:15am
Grace's Second-Half Ministries in conjunction with the HB Rogers Senior Center invites you on an architectural tour of Los Angeles with lunch at the San Antonio Winery. Bus leaves the Rogers Senior Center parking lot at 8:15am. Everyone is welcome. Sign-up on the patio this Sunday. Cost is $48 (lunch extra). Contact Pastor Dale Johnson [714-899-1722 or djohnson@gracehb.org]
Do You Owe More On Your Home Than Its Worth?
 Wednesday, July 21 and 28, 7 PM at Grace
If you owe more on your home than it is worth or know someone who does, you are highly encouraged to attend one of these informative meetings.
THERE IS HOPE!
There will be local Distressed Property Experts giving a short presentation, and a CPA and Real Estate Attorney present to answer all your questions.
Some of the things you will learn include the 9 ways to avoid foreclosure, foreclosure timelines, and current available government programs. The goal is to empower members of our community with knowledge and information that will help you make informed decisions in this extremely volatile area. Invite neighbors and friends.
Thrivent Financial Member Alert!
 If you are a member of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, they have launched a new matching gifts program called Choice Dollars. Thrivent members who own insurance policies will be receiving a letter from Thrivent between now and the end of July. The mailing will contain information on how you can direct Thrivent funds to your favorite local charities. These funds can be designated to Grace Lutheran Church and/or School, if you desire. Eligible Thrivent members will need to go online or call the Thrivent Financial service center to direct their Choice Dollars. We ask that you to select Grace Lutheran Church and/or School for your Thrivent Choice investment! Your gifts make a lasting impact on our community. We thank you in advance for your generosity!
S.H.I.P. (Self-Help Interfaith Program) is Coming!
July 31 - August 21 at Grace
 This well established ministry provides housing, meals and fellowship to homeless men and women in Orange County while they develop life skills and hunt for jobs. Sign-ups are on the Grace Patio for anyone called to provide family-style dinners, night/weekend supervision or administrative support. Individuals, families and especially Life Groups are strongly encouraged to find one way to support this worthwhile ministry that has been impacting lives for years. Contact Lori Brunner [714-841-2797 or loribrunner@verizon.net] Click here to learn more about SHIP.
Men's Cursillo Weekend
 This Weekend, Thursday - SundayThe theme verse is Proverbs 27:19, "As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man." Grace Pilgrims this weekend include: Jon Timmons Grace Servants this weekend include: David Boyer Jan Stolzenburg Please cover the entire team and all 23 of God's chosen pilgrims attending the weekend in prayer. Click here to learn more about Cursillo.
Care Connections In The NEWS!
 Grace member Crystal Orr is Director of our OC Care Connections Outreach program.
It is a joint effort, meeting weekdays at both Grace Lutheran Church and
Redeemer Lutheran in Seal Beach. Care Connections is specifically
designed for seniors who are frail,
require extra care and supervision or have been diagnosed with mild to
moderate memory impairment. CBS News recently interviewed Crystal
Orr and helped honor Cliff Pederson, a 93-year-old resident of Leisure World who volunteers at Care
Connections. Cliff is a model for all of us to never stop serving our
community. Click here to
watch Crystal Orr and Cliff Pederson on CBS News.
Grace School Summer Sports Camps
 Summer sports camps are designed to help athletes prepare for the upcoming competitive sports seasons. Fundamentals of each sport and game situations will be taught and reviewed. Camps open to all in grades 4-8, so invite your friends to join us this summer.
[Monday - Thursday, 10am-2pm]
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL - August 9-11 - $40 BOYS FLAG FOOTBALL - August 23-26 - $50
Contact Grace Lutheran School [714-899-1600].
Summer Reading 2010
 If you'd like to understand the future vision for Grace as well as be a part of the ongoing conversation, please add these three books to your summer reading list. Each of these books addresses a crucial dimension of the challenge that lies before us.
" Who Stole My Church?" by Gordon MacDonald offers insight into what it means to be a multi-generational church in a changing world. If you're wrestling with some of the recent changes made at Grace--this is a MUST read!
" The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns broadens and challenges our typical understanding of what it means to share the Gospel in word and deed both in our community and across the globe. Whether you're satisfied, dissatisfied or indifferent about efforts in missions and evangelism, this book is a blueprint of how things must and will change at Grace.
" UnChristian" by David Kinniman and Gabe Lyons puts a face and a story on the two generations that we most need to reach but that are also the most hostile and resistant not to Jesus or to faith but to the church. If every church is truly one generation away from extinction, we need to understand and respond to the perceptions and criticisms of those who will be coming after us. Is it possible that as the church we have taken our eyes off Jesus and that is why the upcoming generations cannot perceive Christ in the church? I challenge each of you to answer this question after reading this book!
Read these books. Listen to our recent discussions online. Talk to your family, friends and neighbors about them. Be informed. These books will be the basis of further small group conversations that we will be having at Grace. Visit our SUMMER READING 2010 page for more info and to hear MP3 audio from past book discussions.
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