Okay, ladies let’s get real… The statistics around us are crazy! Turning on the news is a battle in itself. The world is overwhelmingly dark and humanity is being lied to and these people hurting around us don’t have an idea of what true Love actually is. We have a people selling themselves short to Gods best. But ladies we have the answer- we are the body of Christ, the wells of salvation that can and will trickle into the hearts of people around us. In the neighborhoods, schools, communities, and nations! It’s up to us to penetrate the heart with hope and love.

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see to Day approaching. — Heb 10:25 The Bible exhorts us to gather together, and truth is, sometimes we feel like it and sometimes we don’t. With Women Rock Conference just a few weeks away and registrations in full-swing, I thought we’d take a look at reasons we gather. Why does God tell us to gather and to keep gathering? Why should we take time and resources, make a plan, carve out a day, and block out our calendars to come together? There are simply many, many reasons, from the very personal to the very social. One thing is true: there is the real power in gathering together. God’s manifested presence is found when His people gather. Here are six simple yet life-giving reasons we gather. I hope they encourage you to make the time, put forth the effort, and chose to be part of what God is doing!

Jacob has been serving at The Rock for 14 years. He worked in maintenance or 12 of them and has spent the last 2 years in charge of the bus ministry. The ministry provides transportation to many who would otherwise not have the ability to come to church. Jacob talks about the joy of bringing people to a place where God’s word is preached; a place where those in need can get food and clothing; a place where they can be spiritually filled. “When I drop the people back home after church it’s like dropping off little pockets of light throughout the Inland Empire,” he says.

Bryan Schultze has been serving at The Rock for more than 14 years. He is responsible for running all aspects of The Rock Food Distribution Ministry. He not only hands out food, but he brings in donations, organizes volunteers, sets up food distribution, as well as handles the transportation logistics. He’s also no stranger to actually going through the food line himself. During a dark time in his life, Bryan fell deep into addiction. Sixteen years ago, he became homeless and in need of help. Reluctantly, he turned to a local church food pantry. “It broke me to go, I didn’t want to be there, no one wants to be there,” he remembers. Yes, there was a physical hunger for food, but it was going to take a lot more than food to fill the hunger within his spirit. “I knew I needed help and the only thing that could fix me was Jesus.” “Food distribution may bring the people here but, that’s not what the ministry is really here for. We’re here to let them know that Jesus loves them,” he explained. It’s his desire that those who come through the food line know the God that changed his life can change theirs too.

A life with one purpose, to share the miracle of Jesus with the world. At the age of 42, Marilyn Hickey responded to God’s call on her life to ‘cover the earth with His Word’ (Isaiah 11:9). The natural inclination to reach out, to celebrate people and culture, were traceable in Marilyn’s formative years; yet she had no idea how God would send her around the globe teaching the Bible and building bridges with people of all cultures and religious backgrounds, especially in the Muslim world.  

If you have been around the Rock Church and World Outreach Center for any length of time or are familiar with all things ‘Rock’ then you know that we have planted some churches in Southern California. In fact it is one of the seven pillars that make us who we are. Along with the changes in leadership at our church we have seen some major changes in two of our church plants. Sometimes when we see the words ‘major changes’ we immediately go negative. I am excited to report that neither of these changes are negative.

“She is the only person I know who keeps a hair appointment with bronchitis.” The best woman I know is my wife. She is passionate, caring, loving, fun, and on and on and on. I try to tell her multiple times a day from the moment we first see each other in the morning until our last talk at night how much I love her and it is still not enough.

“I did a wedding today and when the bride walked in everyone applauded. It was a first for the weddings I have done.” I remember this day because I had to iron my shirt for the wedding which made me right on time. You never want the bride or the minister late. I rushed to my spot to officiate and after the whole procession came in they opened the back doors to the chapel and here came the bride. She was dressed in white with a flowing train behind her dress. Her flowers were beautifully arranged and she held them perfectly for everyone to admire. All that was second to her smile as she entered the room looking around at her friends and family and finally resting her gaze on the groom.

“I had some prayer and Bible study time and then went down for breakfast.” If only every day could start this way. In a perfect world we would be able to set our life in order and have the right priorities in their place. The reality is that our spouse may have been up earlier than we were and has something on their mind to tell us when we wake up. Or we woke up late and our prayers are said in the shower. Sound familiar yet?

“I blew it this morning from the time I woke up.” I actually record in my journal two times I had to patch things up after an argument with my wife, one in front of our children. I also had to work with someone else on their issues and then that night preach in the pulpit. My message was called “Stop complaining”. I was obviously preaching to myself. What is funny is that after the message it was confession time. I almost could’ve had a line and people taking a number. I didn’t mind though because our confession is healthy for us. If we confess then God can work with us. Once we say “God I messed up, forgive me please!” His grace and mercy do the work of forgiving us and cleansing us.