Why are we designating this particular week a “Week of Hope?” Shouldn’t we be putting our faith into action and taking hope to the world every day?
 
Yes we should. Loving our neighbor is a 24/7 biblical mandate, to be sure. And it’s fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit, as Pastor Keith taught in this week's Sunday message.
 
But just as with our Church Has Left the Building outreach last year, a ready-made outreach sometimes can be the nudge we need to get “out there” and be the hands and feet of Jesus.
 
And certainly any time we help “the least of these,” we are blessing someone and serving Christ himself.
 
 Week of Hope also is a great opportunity to get to know some of our local ministry partners and get involved on an ongoing basis – organizations such as International Friendship Ministries, Heal the World Thrift Store, Open Door Community House and Sound Choices Pregnancy Clinic.
 
We’re working with eight ministry partners in all this week, but that’s only a small segment of the organizations we link arms with throughout the year. Visit our Around the City page for a look at all of our area partners, and click the "Contact" link if one of them stirs your heart to help.
 
As for Week of Hope, we’ve been comparing it to a mission trip, with a few key differences to make participation easier: 1) It’s right here in Columbus; 2) It doesn’t require hundreds of dollars in expenses; and 3) You can do it in two-hour increments – shifts at 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. each day (Monday-Thursday).
 
You can find all the details, including information on each partner/work project, right here. Pick a shift – or two, or more, even – and get out there!

Today's devotional again comes courtesy of Mark Nysewander. In an April 1 blog post, "Revival Hope is about Tasting the Future," Mark wrote: "Revival hope is ... not a fact you learn. It’s living! You actually taste what’s ahead." He then provided some examples of what we have to look forward to in the coming age. 

Click here to read the entire post, and consider the following as you spend time with the Lord:

1. Where is the Lord wanting to revive HOPE in your life?
2. Dare you ask for this revival to come into your life, your family, our church?
3. Joy is fruit of the Holy Spirit in us. Ask the Lord for JOY and all that comes with it.
4. Ask the Lord to help you, and all of us, get a taste of heaven now!

We’ve been talking a lot about revival at CCC in 2017. In fact, our theme for the entire year is AWAKEN, which we adopted with the prayer that God will bring a fresh move of His Spirit and reveal to us a new and fresh vision of what He wants to do in and through this local church body.
 
Mark Nysewander, teaching pastor at RiverStone Church in Kennesaw, Georgia, has some thoughts on revival, too. A key component, he says, is humility.
 
Writing for Seedbed, Asbury Theological Seminary’s media platform for gathering, connecting and resourcing the Church, Mark says “revival comes to humble places … because they house humble people. Humility is the best conductor for God’s power. To be an instrument of revival, seek the posture that conveys such power."
 
Mark will be at CCC during our next Call to AWAKEN gathering, set for April 30-May 3. You can read the rest of his blog post, "What Humility Has to Do with Revival," right here.
 
And if you’re interested in going deeper into this topic, check out his book, "Revival Rising: Preparing for the Next Great Wave of Awakening," available in the Seedbed store.

We look forward to Mark joining us this spring as we continue to be awakened by an exciting move of the Holy Spirit here at CCC.