Generosity

This month the kids have been learning about what it means to be generous- giving something away that makes someones day. Being generous is easy when it doesn't cost us much, or when we give out of our abundance. But when it hurts is when we give something away that really does mean a lot to us, or when we give more than what we're really comfortable with. We challenged the kids to be generous with their stuff, and that people are more important than stuff. For us as Christians to be people centered as opposed to being stuff oriented. That first Christmas, Jesus came to this earth as a baby and as the greatest gift we could ever receive. He was all people oriented, He came to give His life for people not stuff. So this Christmas I want to challenge you. Have you been task, or stuff oriented? Or have you been people centered, where you are making the most out of the time you are able to spend with your family, friends, co-workers, etc... I think so many of us have so many different parties to attend and functions to go too, that we just try and get everything done instead of making the most of the time with the people we are with. You never know what it will mean to someone if you take time to make them feel special or important when you are with them. God bless, and everyone have a Merry Christmas!!!

PARENTS!!!!!

Hey parents, I wanted to thank you for allowing us to partner with you in helping to lead your children into a growing relationship with Jesus. We still believe that what happens at home is more important than what happens at church, so we believe in you and we are available to assist you in any way we can. We want to stay connected with you, so I am going to list a few things that we will be doing with the kids for a period of time.
First, this months virtue is Generosity- giving something away to make someones day. See if you can find some ways that your children can practice this sometime this month. Also, we are trying to point out that we should value people more than we should value things.

Second, we will be singing on Christmas morning during the service. I'm excited for the kids to be able to share in the service. We will only be having one service at 10, so if you can be here that would be great!

Third, we are striving to give the kids an idea of what missions is and to give them opportunities to be able to serve others.

Fourth, one of the three basic truths that we try to instill in the children is to "Treat others the way I want to be treated." So we will be talking to the kids about respect, and respect for others and others things. So whatever you can do at home to reinforce this truth, that would be great.

Again, we love working with the kids and appreciate the opportunity to work with your family!

God Bless,

Bob

Faith in Kindergarten : Downloadable Video Illustrations at Bluefish TV

Faith in Kindergarten : Downloadable Video Illustrations at Bluefish TV

Fall has Arrived!

I don't know about you, but I love fall! For me it is the best time of the year, with all the smells and sights outside is awesome. The only negative that I could see, is that the cold winter comes next. But hey, lets enjoy fall! First of all, we are back rolling with the children's ministry. I am ecstatic to say that we have a wonderful team working with your children on Sunday mornings. They are getting adjusted and doing a fabulous job with the kids. Our goal is to love your children the way that Jesus does. And on Wednesday nights we are focusing our fun and games all around the Bible. The kids are having fun learning their verses and testing their bible knowledge. I think it's challenging some of the leaders as well. Please quiz your kids after Wednesday nights and see what they have learned.
I wanted to take this opportunity to announce to you about the Kidventure coming this October 22 to 23rd. We will be having a CAMP IN here at the church. Make sure to watch for future announcements about this event. Kidventure is designed to provide an activity for small group leaders to be able to spend more time with their small group kids. We are looking forward to this and know that the kids will be excited to have this time together. So please mark this on your calendar because I believe it will be a time of making memories for your kids and for us!

God Bless!
Pastor Bob

Change?!

Well this time next week our lives will be different. I usually consider myself someone that likes change because I feel that change involves growing and experiencing new  and awesome things that God has for us. But I'm not sure about this change. This change involves driving my only son to college and leaving him there. For the past 18 years I've been able to tell him good night, and give him a hug when I wanted too. Just to know that all your family is home and safe at night brings about a peace. That is soon going to be something of the past, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm excited for him, for all the things he is going to experience and learn, the new friends he will make, and finding the direction God has for his life. But for his mom and me, what we think about is different. We still see that little boy that used to run up and jump into your arms when you came home, the one that needed our help putting his coat on, or used to call for dada when he wanted something. But now he is all grown up and moving out. My prayer is that we have prepared him for all the decisions he will have to make in the next few months of his life. I trust and know that Jesus will be with him even though we will not. But we will still miss our "little boy". 

Jesus Loves the Little Children

It is awesome the emphasis Jesus put on the "little children" during His teachings and actions. First, He tells His disciples to let the children come to Him. That He wants them to be able to be with Him. And then He goes on (Matt.18:2ff) to say that if "we" (adults) don't change and become like little children, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven. He goes on to say that, whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. So from this we can surmise that when He says to become like little children, it means to humble ourselves like children as we come to Jesus in faith. Children come to Jesus in humility, faith, and trust. Jesus goes on to say that when we welcome one of these little ones in His name, we are welcoming Him. Wow! That by welcoming children to Jesus, we are welcoming Him. In verse 10 Jesus says, "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." Whoa! Now Jesus tells us to make sure that we are valuing children, because their angels are in the presence of God. I think sometimes we see children as a "have too" instead of a "want too". I think Jesus makes it clear how valuable children are to Him, and should be to us. Take some time to spend it with a child, and hey, it might just keep you young!

Kick Off!

Getting things ready to kick off this falls ministries to the children of our church. I'm excited to continue to have this opportunity to minister to the kids here and look forward to what God will do in this next year. Having said that, we need a lot of volunteers to make this happen for the kids. So if you have a heart for the children and want to work with other great people with the same passion you have. Then please contact me or Amy here at the office so we can help you find the best place for you to serve. If your gifts are else where, then please pray for this ministry to the children so that God will do a mighty work in them. Thanks and God bless!

OVER ALREADY?!

Well VBS is over already. I can't believe that the week went so fast. It seems like we just got started. Although I know from how I feel that its been a week. What a great time with the kids. I love just being around them and hearing them talk with each other, and also seeing God speak to their hearts. Sometimes it is hard to tell what's getting through, but then you'll hear something one of them says. Yes! They're listening. Good job VBS team, you did great! Thanks for all your hard work! God will surely bless you for it. And just think Vanessa, only 365 days til we do it all again! Lol

VBS!!!!!

Vacation Bible School is upon us! Starting on June 26th we will be launching VBS "Inside Out & Upside Down on Main Street" for the kids. We will start on Sunday morning and go through Thursday. Vanessa had her team here today decorating and getting ready,and things look great! So make sure you don't miss out, sign your children up now by either calling in or signing them up online on this website. Kids, come prepared to learn about Jesus, grow closer to Him, and to have a lot of fun!!! We're looking forward to seeing you here.

Heaven is Real!

I've been reading a book called "Heaven is Real" lately. The gist of it, is that there was a boy that had his appendix burst and was on the brink of death and later shared with his family that he had been to heaven. Now the boy wasn't even 4 years old when this happened, and the things that he was sharing with his mom and dad are amazing. Now whether this happened or not, it has sure given me a different perspective on heaven. The one thing that really hit me, was when after this incidence happened, the young boy went with his pastor dad to visit a dying man, and he looked the man in the eyes and said not to be afraid because the first person he will see will be Jesus. What an awesome thought, to know that when we pass from this life to the next, the first person we will see will be Jesus. Before Steven died from being stoned, the first thing he saw was Jesus standing at the right hand of the throne. One thing the boy shared about, was about how much God loves the children. And I realize how important it is to be loving our children in the church, and to be sharing Jesus with them. And just think, as believers in Christ we will one day look into Jesus' eyes. AMAZING!

Parenting is tough!

You know parenting is probably the toughest job you will ever have. I have recently been looking at statistics regarding parenting, and the involvement or lack thereof of parents in the lives of their children. When you look at statistics, it can be pretty depressing. In all the statistics I was looking at, parent involvement in their kids lives was the key. See, we're gonna make a lot of mistakes along the way in our parenting, I know that I have. There has been many times where I have had to go back and ask my children to forgive dad for overreacting, or for being unreasonable, etc... But the thing is, when looking at these statistics, being there is over half the battle. Being involved in our children's lives in a positive way is the majority of the challenge.So don't give up or quit! Your perseverance will pay off. And pray alot, God will be with you through this. You know as hard as parenting can be, it is much more a blessing than a challenge.

What a Blessing!

Some of you may have noticed that my wife and I weren't here this past Sunday, for those of you who didn't notice, you should start missing me more! Well the reason we weren't here was because we were off celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary! It's hard to believe that we have been married for that long. I got married when I was 19, so I have been married more years than I was single. Does that make me old or what? But what a blessing it has been to have my wife by my side through these last 21 years. We have had our ups and downs, good times and not so good times, times of celebration and times of loss. But it makes a big difference going through all of these things when you know that you have your spouse to go through it with you. That no matter what, they are going to be by your side! Thanks, Belinda for loving me, putting up with my shortcomings, and being willing to move wherever God has taken us. I want to encourage us all to remember to let our spouses know how much we appreciate them, because they truly are a Blessing from God!

Courage

"The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me even then will I be confident." Psalm 27:1-3  This month our virtue with the children has been Courage- being brave enough to do what we should even when we're afraid. this was really a challenge for me. I had to think of all the things that bring me fear, and do I believe that God will see me through these things. Am I willing to face these fears knowing that God is going before me in each of these instances. Fear, I believe, plays a big part in why we don't try new things, why we give up on things, and why we don't experience success a lot in our lives. We allow fear to control us, and make our decisions out of fear. Well according to David in these verses, if God is our light and our salvation, then whom shall I fear? What he is saying is that I shouldn't be afraid of anything or anyone if God is with me. I realize that my fear comes from my lack of faith in the One who is in control. If I believe that God is for me, than who can stand against me? I need in my own life to truly believe that God is with me and wants the best for me, and to allow that to control my decisions, not fear. This doesn't mean that bad things can't happen to the people of God, Stephen preached an awesome message and then was stoned to death. But the comfort in even that, is that he saw heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of the Father. Jesus stood to welcome him home. How awesome is that! So I no longer want to make my decisions out of fear, but out of faith in the one who saved my soul, Jesus! So have COURAGE!

Derby Race!

Tomorrow night is the night to bring in all the derby cars so that we can add the weights to them. April 6th will be the night of the race, so plan on coming and supporting the kids! It should be a blast!

MOTIVES

Yesterday in staff meeting we looked up and discussed different scriptures that have to do with Motives. The things that became clear to me as we studied this, was that I wasn't to worry about others motives or judge them but I was to concern myself with my own motives. That the Lord is the one that will judge our motives. See, Jesus cares about our heart. We can be doing all kinds of "good" things, but if our motives aren't true, God knows that. That leads to the next thing that really stuck out, to be God pleasers and not men pleasers. To be concerned with what God thinks of what we are doing and who we are, and not to worry about what our neighbor is thinking. I think in our community we are so concerned with what others might think of me. When in reality, it only matters what God thinks of me. This goes to the verse in Matthew 23:25b&26 where Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and says these words, "You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will be clean."  What is your driving force? Is it what God thinks of me? I have to check myself each day.

What wonderful drawings!

Hey I know that most of you have seen some of the drawings that the children did and then were hung on the wall. Now I know that some of the things that were drawn have nothing to do with church, but with what their interests are in. But that is what is wonderful, each of them have their own idea of what would make church an awesome place to be. They don't limit their ideas and expressions to what can be done within a budget. They just dream BIG! In Luke 18:16&17  Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Sometimes childlike faith is what we need when it comes to giants that are to big to overcome. Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Amen!

Kidstuf!

Hey families, March is the last month for you to be able to experience Kidstuf together until the fall. So plan on coming out and enjoying yourselves! We are looking forward to the virtue of Courage, and are planning a great time together. So mark your calendars for March 2nd and 16th. See you there!

Marriage Weekend!

Wow! What an awesome weekend. I told my wife I didn't know why I had planned the Big Night Out the same weekend I was preaching. I thought it would be too much. But God is good and He helped us get through it all. But not only did we make it through, it was Awesome! We had such a good time with everyone at Big Night Out. Remember husbands, our wives need a date night with us once in awhile. We tend to think about this more on Valentines day than other times. But to have a healthy marriage, we need to spend "alone" time with our spouse to connect emotionally. I'm thankful for the wife that God has blessed me with! Let's continue to commit ourselves to having healthy marriages, for us and our children.