LIFECHANGE - Part 9 "What do I do when God says NO?" from City Church | LoveHopeCity.com on Vimeo.

What do I do when God says NO? What is it about the word NO that is so frustrating AND inviting at the same time? The frustrations stem from our desire to get things our way all the time. NO can also be inviting to force our own will regardless of what others might feel or say.

From the moment a baby starts to do things they are not supposed to, we tell them "NO." Some children quietly acquiesce, but for others, those two letters generate a rage beyond anything else.

You and I are not children anymore, but if we're honest, it's still no fun at all to hear "NO," especially if it's from God.

To be clear, the Bible says over and over again that God delights in blessing His children. God is the Inspirer of great dreams, the great Healer, and the source of every good and perfect gift. Believe it or not, blessing us brings God joy.

Having said that, here is a NEWSFLASH...

GOD IS GOD. We are NOT!

God sees a bigger picture than we do, and so sometimes... GOD SAYS NO.

So what do we do with that? It can be tempting to want to rebel and turn against what God is saying; but God's "NO" is meant for our freedom.

This Sunday, 10:30am at City Church, we dive into this question in a very practical way by breaking it down into two main parts:

1st. How do I know if God's saying "NO"?
2nd. What do I do (very practically) when God does say "NO"?

Look forward to seeing you as we tackle this great topic together. If you would like to read ahead to be thinking about it, read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.

At City Church, we LOVE everyone; but we'll be celebrating DADS specifically this weekend.

BRING YOUR DAD TO CITY CHURCH SUNDAY!!

We will be giving away a special "Dad Award" that you won't want to miss out on.

Why do we love our dads so much? Take a look HERE.

Lastly, we know Father's Day can be tough for some, but we feel it is still important to recognize and celebrate dads. If you do not have a relationship with your dad, you won't feel left out on Sunday. We're here for you.

---

We at CITY CHURCH would love for all of your to join us Sunday June 27th to hear AARON GILLESPIE, former drummer & vocalist of hardcore band UNDEROATH and current lead vocalist of THE ALMOST, as he performs at CITY CHURCH at CHAIN REACTION with an inspirational message afterward by Pastor Kyle Steven Bonenberger titled "What is Success?"

This event is FREE and open to the public. So please bring your friends, relatives, or whoever.

We're the "church for people who don't like church."

Sunday June 27th at 10:30am.

CITY CHURCH meets at CHAIN REACTION
1652 W. Lincoln Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92801

So... in case you have forgotten, FATHER's Day is Sunday June 20th!

We're going to have some fun with our dad's this weekend... so...

BRING YOUR DAD TO City Church this Sunday! Start a new tradition!

Congrats!!

This past weekend at City Church, we had the BIGGEST weekend EVER!! We didn't just break the "100 mark," we smashed it. We had a total of 151 people on Sunday, the most children we have had at any one time, and many new decisions to follow Christ. What an incredible weekend!

As a church, we accomplished a BIG goal this weekend; and it is worth giving God a pat on the back for an incredible weekend together. Congrats to you as well who took the initiative to bring your friends. We are excited for the growth of City Church and we welcome everyone who came for the 1st time last week with open arms.

SERIOUSLY, if you came for the 1st time last week, we'd love City Church to be YOUR church. Welcome to your new family. Join us again this Sunday.

But... where do we go from here?

Yesterday's accomplished dream is today's NEW NORMAL.

Have you ever had a goal in your life that you accomplished? Even if it's something small like cleaning out the garage, once it's done, it is your new reality. Now, you have to learn to LIVE with a clean garage. In the same way, we must now learn to LIVE with our NEW NORMAL. With growth comes new opportunities, but our vision to be a church that GIVES BACK won't change.

Tomorrow's hope is brighter than ever before.

Friends, 1st Corinthians 2:9 says this: "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love HIM."

As long as we keep our focus fixed on the work of Christ in our lives, God will do incredible things with each of our lives; and HE will be the one that makes City Church what HE wants it to be.

If you're discouraged about life today, know that you are not alone. God wants to walk through your pain with you, and He has an eternal future for you that is beyond anything you've ever dreamed. He's also got great stuff for all of us planned in this life.

So... PRAISE GOD for the huge accomplishment we saw last Sunday; but remember this, we're just getting started. Let's keep focused on walking with Jesus. He'll do the rest.