​My name is Katy Gilbert. I’ve been attending Cold Springs Church with my family for 8 years and been a part of the music ministry for most of that time. I simply love Jesus and aim to live a life that honors Him and points others to His goodness! I love our community and it’s my true joy and privilege to be able to invite the Holy Spirit into a time of corporate worship alongside you!

My personal worship philosophy in short, is born out of the idea that God is the one who initiates worship. We wouldn’t engage in worship unless our Creator had first revealed himself to us. It’s out of a response to Him that we offer ourselves humbly in praise and supplication. In this way, each of our own personal testimonies is paramount! Worship literally means “to give worth”.  I believe that where we put our time and attention, what we put our value in, is what we worship.

My husband Mike and I have been married for 17 years. We met through our mutual love of music. We’ve both played in bands and led worship most of our lives in different churches/venues in our communities. We have a 12-year old son Jack and a 9-year old daughter Amelia who are the great blessings of our lives! I was raised in Penryn, Ca. and graduated from George Fox University School of Social Work. I’ve worked for State Government, then as a stay-at-home Mom and for the last several years in the local school system along side my children. Our family hobbies include biking, travel/exploring, and loving our third baby, a Golden Retriever named London! Our family motto is “work hard, have fun and love like Jesus!” 

I look forward to this next chapter God has allowed us to walk into, and praising God alongside you!  

“I LOVE puzzles!” My name is Sylvia Fuller. I am one of the children’s ministry directors for KidsWorld. Puzzled is this month’s theme for God’s kids in KidsWorld elementary.

When constructing a puzzle and navigating life, one must exercise WISDOM. It is WISE to know, to believe and to trust there is a plan to build a puzzle. In the same way, it is wise to know, to believe and to trust God has a plan when He created each of us.

-Begin with the frame. WISDOM of God: Psalm 139:15 “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.”

-Color coordinate the pieces of the puzzle. WISDOM of God: Psalm 139:13 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

-It is WISE to take in and to be in awe of the developing bigger picture. WISDOM of God: Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

-Do not force a piece of the puzzle in place until its’ time. WISDOM of God: Psalm 139:16-18 “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.”
“Life can sometimes feel like a giant puzzle. All we can see is the piece we’re experiencing right now, and we’re not sure where it fits into the greater picture that is forming. We can’t always understand why some things happen to us or those we love. Yet, despite our confusion, we can have HOPE. God has kept promises throughout history. We can believe that God will continue to be with us through what we face now. Even in the toughest times, we can have HOPE because we know God is always working and can make something good out of something bad.” (OS Quote)

​Be WISE. Apply WISDOM when constructing a puzzle, and especially in navigating life!

I’ve often thought about the crowd calling for Jesus to be crucified. What were the stories behind these people turned so violent? I wonder… am I so different? 

It’s easy with hindsight, to judge the fickle betrayal of the crowd towards Jesus, calling for his unjust death, just days after welcoming him with praise and adoration.

I wonder what I would have yelled had I stood in that crowd? I want to think I would stand with Jesus... I want to believe that about myself. 

That anonymity of “mob mentality” is reminiscent of social media, manifested by false bravado through hidden anonymity rather than from a crowd. It’s easy to hide behind a keyboard, not facing the maligned in the comment threads — dehumanizing someone’s existence.

It’s easy to only see what we can handle. When things get too personal (painful), we cancel each other out. We log off, shutdown, silence our phones. (Sometimes those are appropriate when boundaries are lacking). But do we silence our hearts too?

But what of the attacked? People with real lives, lived out in real-time. Owning one’s part of the dialogue is not required on these digital platforms. Yet when I engage with others, it is required of me as a Jesus follower… because people matter to Jesus, they matter to me.

Let me be clear… this I do through the power of Jesus’ Spirit in me. Jesus did not shut down the crowd. He did not turn back. He went all the way... all the way to the cross for you and for me. And he conquered death, rising to victory! THAT’S the power available to us! (Romans 8:11)

So I ask myself: What kind of impact do my words make? What stories do my actions tell? Do I speak from the kind of sacrificial love and grace that Jesus showed the very ones who betrayed him?

I pray Jesus’ amazing grace rules over my soul this Easter, I desperately need it.  

Blessings,
- Esther