We often strive for unity, but somehow fail to achieve it. Learn what the Bible says is the one thing that is the key to it all.

Join us Sunday morning at 10a, Conway Elementary School, 4100 Lake Margaret Drive.

As a Christian you are always moving. Either closer to Christ or farther away from Him. Every decision you make in your life is a step in one direction or the other.

Life gets busy, everyone feels it. And it’s often tempting to sacrifice your commitment to God at the altar of work, activities, relationships, or any number of things that vie for your time and attention.

The world calls us away from God. It pulls and tugs and finds our weak spots and insists that we think only of ourselves. But Christ calls us in a different direction: to Himself. To a life of lasting satisfaction that a big promotion or dream vacation can never offer.

Have you been taking steps away from God? Finding Him is as easy as turning around. Come near to God and He will come near to you (James 4:8).

Tammy Keenan was looking for a church home and found out about Grace Orlando one day while searching online. Although it wasn’t in her area of town, she saw that a Grace campus would be launching near her home in Conway in just a few months. That peaked her interest and she decided to visit Grace and see for herself what it was all about. “My first visit was last Easter and I immediately loved the place. How could I not? The second I walked in the door I felt comfortable and welcomed. I wasn’t sure what God was doing, but I knew He wanted me to come back.” And that’s just what Tammy did.

Several weeks and several visits later, Tammy was worshiping at Grace Orlando and got to hear a little more about the Conway campus. “Pastor Mike finished preaching and the service was almost over, but before it ended they played a video where several people from the Conway staff shared their vision for reaching the different neighborhoods of Orlando. After hearing their heart for one church in many communities, I knew right away God was calling me to be a part of Grace Conway.” Tammy listened to God and began exploring what it would look like to not just attend this new campus, but to serve however she was needed.

Tammy got connected with Pastor Rick and the two quickly decided that Tammy would be perfect to help organize Conway’s guest services. “It was amazing to me. The environment I appreciated about Grace Orlando, the warmth and the friendliness, were all things I was going to get to help create at Conway. It was definitely a God thing. I wasn’t sure what He was up to, but I knew it was going to be good.”

Since Grace Conway launched last September, Tammy has shown up early every Sunday to brew coffee, organize greeters and do anything else she thinks will help people feel at home. “The first impression someone has when they walk into a church is vital. I know it was for me. I love the integral part I get to play in helping those impressions be positive.”

One year ago Tammy visited Grace for the very first time and now she is a key leader at the Conway campus. Last Easter she walked into the lobby of Grace Orlando and now, every week, she organizes the lobby of the Grace campus in her neighborhood. Tammy had no idea where her first step at Grace would lead her, but looking back, she’s thankful she took it.

Rest. We all long for it. We all want it. We all try to organize our lives to achieve it. We naively think that a week at the beach, the right amount of sleep each night, and that set number of days away from the office are bound to deliver. And yet even in the seeking we often grow weary and wonder why we cannot grasp this prize.

More often than not I hear people talking about being exhausted, weary, and tired. A week at the beach requires a week to recover. A day away from the office simply means a day of “catch up” upon return.

And so we must stop thinking of rest as a ceasing of activity and must start seeing rest as an attitude, a belief, a faith. Not in my ability to fabricate the right circumstances to deliver the rest I desire, but in the finished work of Christ who gives rest as a gift to those He loves (Psalm 127:2).

Rest does not come to those who diligently seek it, but is given to those who diligently seek God. It is a byproduct of faith – which is our belief put into action. As my trust in God increases, my anxiety about life decreases. As my anxiety decreases, my ability to achieve rest increases.

So the next time you find yourself scrambling, stop and fight for your faith. It’s the only hope for rest.