The Thirty Day Church Challenge

Our church has just finished the middle leg of the Thirty Day Church Challenge.  Each week we focus on a character trait found in the early church found in Acts 2, and purpose to do study and what the earliest of Christ Followers knew; together we are stronger and better.  At the beginning of  the challenge we were give the tools to help us succeed, a devotional guide and a challenge coin.  

Our devotional book provided for us to help us focus everyday.

Week One we started off discussing the importance of Community.  We focused on how we are to connect with each other.  We as people are relational, we need the interaction of fellow believers to sharpen us, listen to us, bear our burdens, and help us to become better people.  Week Two we discussed how we are created to worship, but worship is so much more than just singing.  True worship is about our heart lining up with Christ's heart.  Week Three was about growing.  This past week we focused on what the mark of maturity really is.  This is a touchy subject for many, maturity looks so different to so many people; but the end result is the same.  We are all to be growing, moving forward and never stagnating.  

This week we embark on week Four, the idea of stewardship.   All this week in our devotional reading we will be focusing on what it means to be a steward and caring for everything that is in our grasp.  While this does include money it is all so much more.  It includes our time and our talents.  Next week, Week Five and the last week, we will see how everything focuses together into the heart of the Great Commission and the church, Outreach.

I must admit that I was slightly skeptical of doing this challenge.  The devotional snippets, at first glance, seemed short and trite.  My initial reaction was wrong.  I have been purposing to read my devotional daily.  Most days, being a busy Mama with little ones that demand my time, it is a daily struggle to eek out the quiet time, especially morning quiet time,  that I need to make my days bearable.  In spite of my personal struggle, I have found that this 30 Day Church Challenge has indeed challenged me in many areas.  

Am I perfect?  Far from it, but as I read the devotional and the accompanying Scripture, complete my journaling and gather my thoughts; I do find myself focusing more on how I need to be more Christ minded in my actions.  I am not where I need to be, I am still growing.  The beauty of this study is that our entire church has decided that we need to grow in like minded pursuit together.  I for one can't wait to see the beauty that will come as myself and my church family focuses on growing into the Acts 2 church.  God has great things in store for us, it will be amazing to see what they are.