Have you noticed the canoe in the narthex lately?  Does it make you wonder what it is all about? We really want you to know, and to join the whole congregation in taking the boat ride of your life!

During Lent we are inviting everyone to join us in reading the book, “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve  Got to Get Out of the Boat,” by John Ortberg.  The book is based on Matthew 14:25-32 in which Peter walks on water after Jesus invites him out of the boat and declares, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

God calls each one of us to ‘get out of the boat’ at times.  Do you hear the call? God calls ordinary, every day people to do His best work.  “God asks an ordinary person to engage in an act of extraordinary trust, that of getting out of the boat,” Ortberg writes.
Each Sunday in Lent our pastors will be preaching on a different theme from the book.  On Wednesdays there will be a drama based on the book.  We would like every member to commit one hour of their time to meet in a Christian Life Group to discuss what it would mean to each individual if we were willing to, like Peter, step out of the boat in faith. 

Meetings will be offered all times of the day, morning, noon and evening with various meeting places, some at church, some at homes and some in other places like coffee shops. In a larger congregation like Christ the King Lutheran, it can be hard to get to know others.  If you are new, you hardly know anyone!  If you are a long-term member, you know a certain group of people, but when was the last time you met someone outside your sphere?

Building relationships with other members is great, but wouldn’t it be fabulous if your relationship with Christ also grew?  Its very rare to find someone who says they have “arrived” to their final destination on their faith journey. So take a leap of faith with us this Lent. Get out of the Boat.

Melodee Rossi

Christlian Life Groups Director