Preparing for What’s Next: A Heavenly Life Now
Life is often like driving across Colorado—vast stretches of wheat fields where the mountains, though promised, seem nowhere in sight. In 2 Peter 1:5-11, Peter encourages us to take the long view of life. Through Jesus, we can see beyond the "flat fields" of our current reality—moments of discouragement, deception, or self-indulgence—and set our sights on the majestic peaks of a transformed, heavenly life. Peter doesn’t just offer hope for the future but invites us to actively pursue the virtues that reflect God’s abundant life: goodness, wisdom, perseverance, and love. This isn’t about striving alone—it’s about partnering with Jesus, who has already paved the way. Like power steering, Jesus provides the strength and direction, but it’s up to us to take the wheel and follow His lead.
So, how do we start living this heavenly life today? Begin by identifying areas where your actions could align more with Jesus’ example. Practice patience with a difficult coworker, exercise self-control in daily habits, or show selfless love to a friend in need. These aren’t just moral checkboxes—they’re evidence of a life transformed by Jesus. Every effort we make to live in this way prepares us for eternity and reflects God’s will on earth as in heaven. The journey might feel long, but the mountains of God’s promises are ahead. Through Jesus, you can start living a heavenly life now—one choice, one step, one act of faith at a time.
This Sunday
Sean Cronin will help us to prepare for an eternal, abundant life with Jesus by reflecting on 2 Peter 1:12-21.
Join us at CCC to help pack 70,000 GAP meals for emergency and relief efforts worldwide in partnership with IDES.org. There’s a role for all ages to contribute! Volunteer to pack meals for a few hours on Saturday, February 1 (starting at 9 a.m.), and/or Sunday, February 2 (worship gathering at 10 a.m., packing begins at 11 a.m.).
Clarification on Faith Promise giving status
Below is the update that we have communicated to our mission partners:
We deeply value our partnership with you in guiding people toward abundant life in Jesus. As you know, the support we provide comes from the monthly offerings of our congregation, which are given in response to faith promise commitments.
In recent years, we’ve faced challenges in receiving written faith promises, which has made it harder to accurately project the support we can send each month. Despite this, God has continued to stir hearts to give generously, enabling us to meet our budgeted support in the past. Praise God for His provision!
We are currently facing a challenging situation. While the faith promises we’ve received give us a rough estimate of support, the total amount of written commitments is lower than what we’ve been budgeting to send. Historically, giving has often exceeded the written promises, and we remain hopeful that this trend will continue. However, given the lower number of promise forms, we believe it’s prudent to consider the possibility that actual giving may not reach the budgeted level. In light of this possibility, we want to make you aware that we may need to reduce our monthly support by 25%. For now, we plan on continuing to send the most recent amount of support. We will communicate if an adjustment becomes necessary. We want to be transparent so that you can plan proactively should this adjustment be made.
We share this news with heavy hearts but with hope in God’s provision that this adjustment will not be necessary. We continue to rely on God to work through His people to provide faithful and additional gifts throughout the year. Many have continued to give generously, even without formal commitments, and we remain confident in the Lord’s faithfulness.
Thank you for your continued faithfulness and dedication to God’s mission. We trust in the God of abundance to meet every need. May the Lord continue to bless your ministry and guide all people to abundant life in Jesus!
Clarence Church of Christ Leadership Team
Thank you for your faithful and sacrificial giving!
Continue to trust that God is present and active.
