What a great year 2009 was and two weeks ago we had a great Sunday celebrating God’s faithfulness to us individually and as a church. That was one of the most precious times I have ever had here at The Chapel.

Even with how great that was, I believe that God has greater things planned for us in 2010! Last Sunday I asked us to imagine what 2010 might look like if we put God first in everything. In every decision, every situation, every relationship, thought and attitude. I challenged us to commit to “put God first” in every area this year and see what our celebration will be like at the end of the year. Many of you chose to make that commitment and I cannot tell you how pumped I am to see what God has in store for us.

Yet I understand that just because we have committed to something does not mean we are very good at it or even really know how to go about seeing that commitment through. I think this is true for all of us, even if we know where to start we can all learn more and certainly need to be encouraged along the way. So, I want to make you aware of the things we will be focusing on during our Sunday morning services and in our Life Groups to help us all become better at putting God first. Over the next year our focus will be on “Doing Life Together” and the areas that God has outlined for us that help us make him priority. They are broken down into five areas.

· Connecting with God’s family

· Growing to be like Christ

· Developing your SHAPE to serve others

· Sharing your life mission every day

· Surrendering your life for God’s pleasure

We have dedicated concentrated blocks throughout the year in the form of message series and Life Group studies to unpack each of these in detail and then work together to put them into practice. Let me just say if you are not involved in a Life Group this would be a great year to make that step not just for the extra study but also for the encouragement that is shared in these smaller groups.

I am so excited to see all God will do as we dedicate ourselves to putting him first.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.