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Pray for One Another
To request prayer, email mosaicnazarene@gmail.com
or call/text (520) 709-0815
Our pastors, our board and their families
Richard Jackman
Barb and Leonard Keeler
Friends and family of Amanda Olinger
Rick Harrison
Pastor Bruce Lerum
Debbie Jones
Jane and Jim Nadeau
Sherry Prescott's son, Joe
Melinda Velasquez's son
Barbara Gionfriddo's Nephew Brandon
The many unspoken requests
Make sure you're a part of our Facebook group to get prayer requests as they come in: https://www.facebook.com/groups/21109057279
Bible Reading Plan
Redemptive-Historical Bible Reading Plan
This year we are doing a 16 part plan that reveals God's plan of redemption in the Old Testament. Here is what the organizer says about it:
"I have outlined redemptive history in 16 stages, from creation up through the open-ended expectation of the Day of the Lord. Then I provide carefully curated sections from the OT that trace this history. I tried to pick at least one chapter from every OT book, but to keep it reasonably short I had to leave some out. I also pepper in psalms along the way. Then, for each stage, I provide a chapters from the NT that bring out how each of those steps of redemptive history (for ancient Israel) are fulfilled in the new era in Christ." Greg Laniers Blog
We will have three to four weeks to read and reflect on each part.
We will reflect on PART 9 for one more week.
Verse of the Week
Click the following to read the verses in context Matthew 12
Coming Up...
Click image to register
Sign up for this DVD study in the foyer
This week's lesson is:
Serve Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Nazarene News
Journey of Grace video game created out of gaming ministry
George Herrera is the game director and producer behind the mobile game “The Journey of Grace,” based on the Church of the Nazarene’s 2021 Vacation Bible School curriculum. For Herrera, video games have always been a part of life.
“Gaming has always been a passion of mine,” Herrera said. “I remember when I was growing up, I could always go into my room and play games; it was a safe space for me. It is where I found meaningful connections and community with my friends.”
Herrera, who holds an undergraduate degree in youth ministry, didn’t see how his love of video games could connect to his ministry, calling, and vocation until he moved to the UK to attend Nazarene Theological College–Manchester. While there, he attended a seminar on the intersection of video games and spirituality.
“At first, when I saw this, I thought, ‘no way, this can’t be a thing,’” Herrera said. “But as they explained, video games have a lot of Christian symbolism and concepts.”
After this, Herrera started incorporating video games into his youth ministry. He started an Esports team in his community and created an event called Victory Gaming with local tournaments for games like Mario Kart and Rocket League. At the most recent event, 10 young people accepted Jesus as their Savior.
Herrera knew there was more to this calling than just incorporating video games into the church. His next goal was to create a game to serve the church.
Herrera kept praying, and soon after, he was contacted by Diego Lopez, the Nazarene Discipleship International (NDI) coordinator for Eurasia. They met for breakfast, and Herrera explained his vision for using video games to communicate the gospel. Lopez was on board to see the vision become reality.
Then, the pandemic hit.
Everything came to a halt, and all hope seemed lost for a game to be developed. But Herrera kept serving and praying. He had conversations with Lopez, Eurasia Regional Director Jim Ritchie, and NDI Global Director Scott Rainey.
George’s project was placed under Journey of Grace Vacation Bible School resources created by the Church of the Nazarene. George got the project approved with the understanding that the game would be ready to showcase at the 2023 General Assembly. Herrera and his team had nine months to complete their tasks, which he described as “a mountain of work.”
The “Journey of Grace” narrative follows a girl named Grace who is nervous before her first day at a new school. Her mother tells her the story of her name to ease her nerves. Players are cast as Grace’s mother as she journeys through three different levels, meeting God in three different forms: a fox, a ram, and a hummingbird. Through their interactions, players learn about God’s grace and love. Players see that no matter the challenge, God is there to help guide them through their journey.
“Journey of Grace” allows kids aged 4 to 11 to learn about theological concepts through the art of play. Through the game, leaders hope to provide a way for churches to intersect with culture in order to bring value and contextualize the gospel in ways that make sense to them. Herrara stressed that the game is not simply to entertain kids; he sees it as a communicative tool to teach truths about who God is and His relation to individuals.
“My hope for the game is that it would be widely used as a tool to teach our children about God,” Herrera said. “I think video games can be a powerful teaching tool. Each game communicates something, and I hope that this game could be a way to learn through experience.”
“Journey of Grace” is now available to download for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play store.
by Troy Vernier for Eurasia Region Church of the Nazarene | 21 Jul 2023
Opportunities to Give and Serve
We are looking for helpers in the following areas. Please text the church phone at 520-709-0815 and we will get you set up!
⎆Mosaic Cleaning Team
⎆Children's Church helpers
MOPS is on summer break and will resume this fall
You can Volunteer for once a month, once a quarter, or every time MOPs meets! Contact Bonnie Strunk (480) 296-1831
Humor... Kind of
Abrahams computer
Abraham bought himself a fancy new computer. He was showing it to Isaac one day. "Look at all the wonderful programs it has on it. And look at all the neat things it can do..."
Isaac was impressed, but a little concerned..."But dad, I don't think your computer has enough memory."
Abraham said "Don't worry son; the Lord will provide the RAM."
Wired for sound
Back in the days before many churches had wireless microphones, a preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mic, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mic cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered,"If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"
The peace and love of God!
After a very long and boring sermon the parishioners filed out of the church saying nothing to the preacher. Towards the end of the line was a thoughtful person who always commented on the sermons."Pastor, today your sermon reminded me of the peace and love of God!" The pastor was thrilled. "No-one has ever said anything like that about my preaching before. Tell me why." "Well - it reminded me of the Peace of God because it passed all understanding and the Love of God because it endured forever!"
Information...
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