Have you ever gotten confused with one of your best friends?  A sibling?  Is there someone you spend so much time with that you uncontrollably look or act alike?

I know you’ve seen the photos of dog & owner look a likes, the car & owner twins; or sometimes even better, the identical husband & wives.  There’s something about spending so much time with someone/something where you begin to look alike, sound alike, even act alike.



It can be as humorous as a dog-owner relationship, or as deep as a husband-wife relationship.  There’s an innumerable amount of examples that we can share to make one point – the longer you spend time around someone the more likely you are to become like them. 

Have you hung out with God lately?  Has he received much of your time?  Do you ever pay attention to how life rolls when you’re close to God?  Have you ever noticed what life’s like when you spend no time with God?  There is such a difference! 

Through actions & word, I want so badly for people to look at me and say, “Wow, she must know God.”  Even more importantly, I want that bond with my Heavenly Dad.  What could He do through you if you gave him the time?  Do you look alike?  What could he do through you for the furtherance of the Kingdom if you got to know each other a little bit better this week?  And the next?

Join us this Sunday as Caleb takes us through 2 Peter 1:3-11.  Don’t forget, this Sunday we will still begin at 9:30; it’s next week when the change comes! 

Hope to see you this Sunday at 9:30,
-Jaime, on  behalf of the team at Harmony

How about that God of ours!  Stirring excitement in our hearts through a guest speaker last Sunday.  How encouraging his message was of “The Land Between.”  If you missed out on Charles Hill, you can catch the video by clicking here.  We’ve loved having one service all summer long, it’s felt like a family hasn’t it? 

As a large family, we want to be close – though high in numbers; we want to connect heart to heart.  How does that happen? How can we be a church of true explosive unified fellowship?  How can we be a family of encouragement, love and mission in the dirt as well as on the mountaintops? I want to be a part of a church like that!  I want to be a part of that family! 

Do you ever feel like you’re the only one? Fill in the blank; it could be a situation, a feeling that only you are going through.  Do you ever boldly convince yourself that you are the only one?  No one else could possibly feel this way.  No one’s been through what I’m going through.  I know families have problems, but only mine have these issues.  Why does everyone else know what to do with their lives when I don’t.  It’s a dramatically low place to dwell in – a pocket of loneliness.  Have you ever been there?

On the contrary, have you ever experienced the sweet relief of finding someone just like you?  How beautiful that connection is!  Sweet empathy and true understanding cannot be duplicated nor replaced; they cannot be faked.  A union of this sort is irreplaceable!  When you forge that connection it is a fusion so strong – nothing can break it apart; not time, nor distance, nor feud.  Have you ever created that bond? Or are you still braving these issues alone & unaware. 

Join us this Sunday as Jeremy continues our journey through Acts in his sermon “Explosive Fellowship.”  We’ll see where we’ve come from & where we’re going as a church family.   I urge you to make it a priority to join us this Sunday.  To put it blatantly, this service is going to rock.  This is one worship service you will not want to miss.  Trust me!  

Excited for Sunday morning & praying this excitement rubs off on you!
- Jaime, on behalf of the team at Harmony Bible Church

These Sunday morning worship services just keep getting better.  We can't help but feel like something's happening, do you get that feeling? Something good. Something God-sized. If you missed out on last week's gathering (click here for Sunday's sermon) we ended with a moving celebration of what happened in Fort Madison last Friday and Saturday with Project Parrott - what an amazing transformation!

Sunday, Matt spoke of how "We is better than me." How true that is!  One point he made still sticks out in my mind - we know we need to depend on God; but, do we realize how important it is to depend on our church family as well?  Last weekend was a beautiful picture of "me" turning to "we."  How rewarding it is to share of ourselves for the betterment of others for the glory of God!  What did you learn last Sunday?

 
Join us this Sunday as we welcome our guest speaker Charles Hill (Look right)! Charles will be leading a Leadership Development Training Saturday from 8 to noon (and you're invited - click here to sign up - it's free!) and stay till Sunday as he shares with us about "The Land Between." Interested? Me too.

See you there!
-Jaime, on behalf of the team at Harmony

 In 1999 Audio Adrenaline released the song “Hands and Feet” on their Underdog album.  Perhaps the ditty is already playing in your mind’s radio, “…I wanna be your hands, wanna be your feet, I will go where you send me...” If you aren’t familiar with the song, click here for an acquaintance with what will likely be stuck in your head for the next few days.  What do you think of when you hear these words?  Do you visualize a location, a family, a people group? 

For the past 5 weeks we’ve focused hardcore on the truth that we are SENT.  We pray and hope that the Holy Spirit has inspired you to go to someone, to go somewhere, to do something.  Have you envisioned a particular person you know needs to hear some Good News?  Have opportunities transpired at work to simply help a co-worker out?  God inspired visions have God sized outcomes.  This weekend we have a God-inspired vision happening in Fort Madison.

Living SENT with hearts of love and willing hands this weekend we are going to attack what’s been dubbed “Project Parrott,” fully expecting a God sized outcome!  Mom and the 6 kids will enjoy a weekend campout as we get some projects done in the Parrott Home.  Think of it as Extreme Home Makeover: Harmony Edition, without Ty Pennington.  We will be gutting and reinstalling a bathroom, redoing the school-room walls as well as laminate flooring, swapping and repainting bedrooms, attaching new doors and closet doors, scraping and painting exterior trim, as well as many other smaller jobs!  I told you it was a God sized vision; we’ve got two days to complete this. Will you join us? 

Will you be God’s hands and feet? Have a friend who would love to join us?  Sign up to let us know how you can help!  Check it out by clicking here.  Skilled or unskilled, there’s a job for you!

We hope to see you this weekend!
-Jaime on behalf of the team at Harmony

PS. If you missed last Sunday's Worship Service, click here to check out the amazing baptisms!

The Sent Series is rolling! Are you as excited as we are? Part 1: We have a story to share, Part 2: We’re sent in spite of every circumstance.  Part 3: But how?  How can you or I possibly be strong enough to go anywhere using our story, sharing God’s story, through suffering and joy.   The calling seems too large – how can we possibly change the world?  On our own – we can’t!  On our own – we can’t even make a dent!  But, weren’t meant to do it on our own. I do not know how many read this, nor who you are, perhaps I don’t even know you on a personal level at all.  But I can confidently say that if you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re in this – you’re Sent- but you're sent in the power of the Holy Spirit
 
You may be laughing, “I’m Sent?” Yes, to do something.  Something that you’ll be equipped to do. You may be thinking, saying, or shouting, “Me? Sent? Yeah right! Where do I go? I can’t do that! Ask so and so!” To which I can envision God responding, “Yes you, but I'm coming to you as the Helper; we'll go together." 
  
There’s a stage where children are known for asking “Why?”  Though I’m sure I’ll regret this in a number of years, I can’t help but be excited to one day have children in this stage.  I have a feeling my intelligence level will rise as I have to answer questions I’ve never planned on answering.  Some of us outgrow the “Why” stage; some of us never do.

So why, why is there a Holy Spirit?  Because humans, though as beautiful and intricate as God made us –we’re incomplete.  God has intended for us to do things we simply cannot accomplish unless we have the Holy Spirit. Have you felt him stirring in you lately? Last year? Ever?  What are we missing when we tear off without Him? 

If you’re a fan of Air1 or K-Love, you may have heard Stellar Kart’s new song “Something Holy.”

“You know that you're incomplete.
A song with a broken beat.
There's a hole in all our hearts.
And there's a reason why.
We were born to be,
A part of something holy.
All of us are restless 'til we find.
We were born to be,
A part of something holy.
Bigger than, bigger than
Bigger than you and I.
Bigger than all our lives.”

Sent. You are, to something bigger than yourself.  You can’t do it on your own & you’re not expected to do it on your own.  The devices, the means, the tools may not be what you expected.  You may have expected a strong voice if you were called to speak, but then again – ever heard of Moses?  God uses us, in spite of us, because the Holy Spirit completes us to do what he’s planned for us.

The truth is, we are sent, but without the Holy Spirit we can’t do it.  Join us this Sunday at 9:30 as Jeremy leads us through part three of our SENT Series: His Spirit, His Power, His Glory, Your Feet.  Friends or family in town? Invite them to come along with you!  Come early and enjoy a cup of coffee!

Hope to see you and your crew this Sunday,
- Jaime, on behalf of Harmony Bible Church

What a sweet kickoff to our SENT Series! If you missed out or would like to watch the sermon again, head to the website to hear about how God wants to tell His story through us!  Grab a bag of popcorn, gather the family around the computer and make an event out of it.  Or invite a friend over and discuss it afterwords!  Sent to have God’s story told through our lives; what a humbling, yet awesome purpose live.  Have you thought about your story this week?  Are you allowing God to tell His story through you?  Have you told anyone about it? We’d love to hear your stories, drop us a line.

This Sunday Pastor Caleb Hastings will lead us through Acts during part 2 of our SENT Series.  This is a sermon you definitely won’t want to miss; this series is so loaded with truth of how to live life – SENT!   Join us Sunday, as we hear of how we’re called to follow God everywhere, regardless of the risk or the repute at stake.  Following God may take us to places we never thought we’d go; places we cannot be on our own strength.  But oh what joy comes from giving God glory in every circumstance!

This week, the question isn’t have you been sent, it’s where have you been sent.  Where will God use you?  Where will he send you?  Where is he leading you?  The journey may not promise smooth sailing, but when has our comfort ever justly triumphed over the needs of others? 

Can’t wait to see you this Sunday,
-Jaime on behalf of the team at Harmony

          Have you ever heard a story that was too good to keep to yourself?  Perhaps it was a personal experience, or a second hand tale.  Have you ever been around someone who had such good news that they couldn’t hold it in? “We’re engaged!” “We’re expecting!” “I got the job!” “My pain is gone!” How contagious their giddiness is; the pure joy of sharing their story oozes from their entire being. 

          We enjoyed story time as children, and if you think about it, most of us never grew out of that delight in a good tale. Think back to last week. What stories did you tell?  What news excited your ears and poured out of your mouth?  We all have a life story.  What’s yours?  Who does it include?  Consider your past, present, and future.  What topic of your life gets talked about most? Who has the privilege of hearing it? 

We often speak of our life stages as chapters, appropriately so; we’re writing a story!  Long or short, entertaining or sleep inducing, quiet or loud, your life is being penned.  Chapters may drip with love and heartbreak, disaster and delight, sorrow and relief, joy and pain, mountains and valleys, tragedy and triumph.  Treasured pages may be evident by soft worn edges, the accounts of when God used you in a miraculous way – when no one else though you were usable.  Lines from pages back may recount loneliness of wandering as well as the delight of being found.  Perhaps you’ve been morphed from old to new by an Almighty Molder.  That’s miraculous! 

Who knows your story?  How long till they hear our stories?  Till we’re dead?  May it never be!  You have a story – tell it.  Consider this: if God is a part of your story, you’re bound to have chapter upon chapter of inconceivable tales.  God is in the business of min-blowing stories.  His Word is living and active.  Are we?  Who in their right mind keeps a mind-blowing story to themselves? 

Stories, we’re going to talk about them.  Join us this Sunday as we dive into Acts.  For the past 5 weeks we studied Luke in the IN Series.  We saw that Jesus wants in every part of our hearts, every section of our lives.  He wants to transform us from the inside out so that we may direct our focus from inward to outward, to realize that we are SENT. Pastor Matt will start us off in our SENT Series this Sunday beginning in Acts.   

We all have a story.  Are you a part of God’s story?
 
Excited & eager to be led,
-Jaime on behalf of the team at Harmony

Happy Independence Day weekend!  We hope you’re enjoying your time with friends & family.  Last Sunday we presented to you some INvitations (pictured above.)  How have you utilized them?  Have you decided what friends you’re going to invite to church with the INvitations we gave you last Sunday?  Was it hard to decide?

We make choices every day; some are obviously more intense than others, but they affect us nonetheless.  Do you go to Subway for lunch or Taco Bell?  Is it a T-shirt day or a tank top day?  Speed up at the yellow light or slow down?  Play with the kids or take a nap?  Face the day with optimism or apathy?  Spend some time alone with God or hit the snooze a few more times?  On EBay: to bid or not to bid? Fill up on gas today or tomorrow?  Major or trivial, choices are a fact of life which the indecisive abhor.  I would know, I’m incredibly indecisive. 

With every choice comes a cost.  If you go to Subway instead of McDonald's it will cost you money, it will cost you smelling like bread & onions instead of grease & fries.  If you speed up at a yellow light, it may cost you a ticket or a warning.  If you take a nap instead of hanging out with the kids, it may cost you the deepness of a relationship.  If with each decision comes a cost, what is it costing you to follow Jesus?  You made a decision to choose Jesus over fill in the blank – so what is it costing you? What should it cost you?

If you’re planning a wedding, if you’re sticking to a budget, if you’re catering a meal, if you’re buying a vehicle, if you’re building a house you count the cost.  This reality hits home for me as we’re planning a wedding right now.  Do you know what one of the first things we did was?  We count the cost, drew up a preliminary budget and went forth from there.  The wise man makes a list of what he needs for a project, calculates the cost & then makes a decision.  How foolish it would be to absentmindedly make a huge decision, such as to build a house, if we don’t have the means or finances to finish it.  We will be left disappointed, broke, with a useless half-of-a-house structure.  We know better than that.  We know that before any decision is made, we must count the cost.

Join us this Sunday as Jeremy finishes up our IN Series with part 5 “The Indulgent.”  We will look at Luke 14:25-35 where Jesus decisions and cost.  He says, if you want to follow me – it’s going to cost you.  What has it cost you?  Have you decided to walk as Jesus walks and leads you?  What has it cost you?  What will it cost you?  What should it cost you?  If it hasn’t cost you anything, were you the exception to this passage?  Come Sunday morning with an open heart; Jesus wants IN.

Hope to see you there!
-Jaime, on behalf of the team at Harmony

Last week we asked you to invite some neighbors you don't know to an informal BBQ.  If you've done it, how'd it go?  If not, have you planned it for this weekend? Let’s encourage each other with stories and plans. Drop a comment below this post & let the stories flow!

We’ve had such an awesome journey through the IN Series.  Amongst many things we’ve learned during “The Inflexible” to pursue the needs of others over our own, during “The Inflated” to avidly pursue humbleness, and during “The Invited” to please God rather than others.  I sense a well thought out theme, don’t you?

The IN Series continues this week as Pastor Caleb Hastings takes us to Luke 14:15-24 for part four, “The Indifferent.”  It’s all too easy to pack our days with event after event and minute-to-minute agendas, while certain decisions we make on this earth far outweigh petty plans.  These are decisions that matter for eternity.  In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus tells the parable of The Great Banquet.  What’s your reaction to this invitation, participation or indifference?  A choice has to be made.  Are you in?  What will that cause your life to look like?  Does how you live compel others to seek this party you rant & rave about?

It’s true: there’s going to be a majestic banquet, a wedding feast held by the Perfect Planner.  What’s your attitude towards that truth?  Are you keeping to yourself, fawning over the invitation you received, gazing at it longingly, or are you thrilled beyond belief, showing the world your invitation and inviting them as well, regardless of their reputation or your relationship with them.  It’s a matter of the heart; are you participating or indifferent?  

Don’t forget, the Church Picnic will be held at Dankwardt Park in Burlington at noon this Sunday.  Bring a side dish and dessert to share!  Bring the family & one of your three friends for food, fun, and bounce houses! 

Hope to see you there,
-Jaime, on behalf of the team at Harmony

How about those hot dogs!  What a sweet way to celebrate the 12:1 Run kickoff.  We hope you enjoyed the food, picked up a change can & met someone new!  If you missed out on part 2 of our IN Series, “The Inflated” can be viewed under Sermon Media.  Jeremy led us through Luke 14:7-11 as we saw how prideful we can be & the humility we should strive for. How have you let God’s Word change your heart since last week? 

This week, we’ll examine our focus – are we people pleasers or God pleasers?  What are the outcomes of both?  Which matters more, the favor of people or the favor of the King of Glory?  When stated in that light the choice seems effortless; One opinion matters for a max of 80 years, the other lasts for unlimited eternity.  With this truth in mind, how do you live?  Who receives your unending focus, whom do you persistently seek to please?  Can you justify your gaze?  What would your life look like if your undying desire was to please God?   

When we seek to please our Creator, we will see his heart for people – perhaps specifically the people we intentionally overlook.  If Jesus were your neighbor, who would he hang out with?  Who would his heart break for?  Who would he rescue?  What’s in your heart?  Perhaps this is a touchy issue, but it’s absurd to ignore the most powerful Being in existence; it’s foolishness to plug your ears as He’s trying to deliver a message.

Join us this Sunday at 9:30 as Jeremy Hess takes us to Luke 14:12-14 for the third part of our IN Series: The Invited. Prepare your mind before you come; ask God to give you a heart in tune with His. 

Hope to see you there!
-Jaime, on behalf of the team at Harmony

What a wonderful kickoff to the “IN” series!  We had a fantastic time Sunday withboth services being combined into our one 9:30 service.  If you missed this Sunday, you don’thave to be in the dark, check out what we’re all talking about – all of our sermons can be viewed online!

   

Caleb pointed us to Luke 14:1-6 as we blatantly saw Jesus’ heart for the rescue of those in need over keeping the ridged man-made laws of religion.  Using an online text accessible poll, wegave you the phrase “Because I want to pursue rescue over religion I will…” and asked you to finish the sentence; here are your responses.

 

"Because I want to pursue rescue over religion I will…”

- work harder and help around the house.

- be brave.

- be more compassionate to others around me and show them our God is awesome.

- show the joy Jesus gives me to my co-workers.

- stop lying.

- have my neighbor over for dinner.

- speak kindly to my cashier by name next I'm at the store.

- mow my neighbor's yard.

- ask my co-worker how I can pray for them and listenintently.

- figure out a way to give twice my normal giving for onemonth this summer.

- give an extra Bible I have away.

- be joyful at my work around my co-workers.

- depend on God as I talk to my three friends.

- write a thank you note to my teacher's kids.

- start a small group in my neighborhood.

- pay more attention to the things with God's fingerprints, and not the things with   
  people's fingerprints.

- help my mom and do whatever she asks with joy.

- be an encouragement to my co-workers.

- love and pray for those who are difficult to love.

- be nice to my brother and sister<3

- tell as many people as I can about the love of Jesus Christ.

- be nice to my dog, be nice to my family.

- exhibit love and GRACE to those who do not exhibit graceto me....

- obey my parents and serve with a cheerful attitude.

- meet new people.

- go hang out the Harlan House & serve the needs there.

- spend time loving and teaching the father-less.

- be more respectful to my parents and try to build more of a relationship with my

   family

- serve my parents, let go of the little things.

- make new friends at work.

- make more people smile

- spend more of my time with my brothers and sisters!

- put my family’s needs before mine and spend time w Jesus everyday.

- serve my office staff just as they serve others & help feed the girls baby food more
  than my usual 1 night per week to allow my wife the rest she deserves.

- meet the neighbors with treats and smiles...

- spend time with God and meditate on His Word everyday :)

- meet my neighbor.

- bring as many new girls into my Bible study as I can tohelp them experience truth,

   growth,and community.

- forgive people who may have hurt me in my life.

- spread the Word of God no matter how tough it might be.

- look for other’s needs and act on them each day.

- make sure to make church my number one priority on Sundays.

- be a better sister, daughter, and friend.

- forgive, be nice to people with joy! Be nice to my brothers with joy.

- pray, love, cool.

- meet a new neighbor.

- do something with my mom.

- deny myself.

- cook a meal for a neighbor.

- be grace filled.

- show my coworkers more.

- try harder in everything I do to show the love of JESUS!

- care about those who ask for love and not judge them inthe process.

- share the love of Jesus with 160 youth as we travel to Florida this week.

- trust more in God to lead me everyday, love people who need loved.

- open our doors to others and stop my agenda.

- tell my mommy and daddy I love them.

- look past the mistakes I feel people are making and do mypart to help them

   throughit and hope to learn how to do it myself

- be strong in myself.

- take my neighbor out for lunch.

- spend time with my family.

- reach out to coworkers & family.

- share our love for Jesus and each other.

- remember that He is why I am alive today, a life in whichI do not deserve.

- take time to love.

- listen to others.
- pray for those who hurt me.

- smile :)

- love people where they’re at.

- ask for prayer for myself to help show others I am weak in Jesus; ask for help from others.

 

Praise God for the actions the Holy Spirit stirred in your hearts!  What about you, what will you do in seeking rescue over religion? Does one of the lines above belong to you? How’d it go in fulfilling your “I will” statement?  Share your story!

   

-Jaime, on behalf of the team at Harmony

 

 

“People like the way we do church more than the peoplearound the church that need Jesus.” –Ed Stetzer

 

Which do you love more, church or people? What doesgenuine love look like? Have you ever been trapped in a routine? Has your faithever become a routine of repetitious unsympathetic religion?

 

These are serious questions, all of which revolve aroundwhat’s in our hearts.  You know it to be true – what’s in our hearts willeventually, if not immediately be evident to all.  So what’s in your heart?  Do you thrive upon rescue of the lost or religion of the saved?  Belief is essential to a life devoted to God, but our journey should never stop there.  Belief in a Gracious God should inspire unconditional unquenchable love towards his creation.  What would happen if you boldly pursued the needs of others above your own?  What are some of the needs of those around you?  What is their greatest need?

 

Jesus undoubtedly led by example while he walked upon this earth.  It seems to be impossible to study his life without being convicted of something we can change in our own lives to be more like him.  Have you ever noticed his attitude towards people? I am continually amazed at how he loved the people he came in contact with.  David repeatedly wrote in Psalms about God’sunfailing love. Hundreds of years later, God in the flesh comes to earth and indiscriminately dishes out love to those labeled unworthy.

 

A logical conclusion from this observation should be: Jesus loved, Jesus served; I should love; I should serve.  Have you ever met someone who was completely and utterly selfless?  How attractive that is!  You can practically see Jesus shining through their eyes; what an affirmation ofthe love in their hearts.  On the flipside, have you ever met someone whose actions screamed “selfabsorbed!”  It’s truly a no-brainer that those focused on self serve themselves first & continually prefer their needs over all else.

 

This thought can be applied to the quote in the beginning from Ed Stetzer, “People like the way we do church more than the people around the church that need Jesus.”  It may be easy to read this quote and immediately picture So & So or The Hypocritical Church.  Let’s focus inward instead.  What does your heart long for?  Keeping of tradition, unswervingly abiding by certain rules till death do you part, religious preservation?  Rescue of the wandering, compassion for the helpless, life for the dying?

 

This Sunday, Pastor Caleb Hastings will kick off Part 1to our new “In” Series.  Beginning in Luke 14:1-6, we’ll examine our own hearts as we see Jesus’ passion to live for truth, not tradition.  Join us as we pursue God’s charge to purposefully prefer the needs of others over our own.

 

What will you do in response?  Share with us.

Don’t forget, for the duration of the summer we'll have one service beginning at 9:30!

 

Hope to see you there!

 

- Jaime, on behalf of the team at Harmony