Northeast Community Church of the Nazarene: November 2012

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

NE NEWS - November 27, 2012

Northeast Community News – November 27, 2012

Dear Friends and Family,

We had another wonderful day in the Lord, Sunday! Did you see the snow falling early? What a blessing to live in Michigan! Well, the ‘weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful!’ While we did not have a wood fire in the sanctuary this week, you could see the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in many, many faces! What a joy to be part of a church on fire for the Lord!

God’s message to us this week completed the three message series on “Who are Nazarenes and what do they believe?” While we may examine Nazarene Articles of Faith next year, we did discover Nazarene’s hold three values very dear.

First, Nazarenes are a Christian People! Nazarenes include themselves as part of the one universal Church and join everyone who affirms the life, ministry, death, resurrection, and lordship of Jesus Christ.

Second, Nazarene’s are distinct from other Christians because they embrace the Biblical teaching to live holy and completely yielded lives to God. Nazarenes don’t believe Christians need to sin in thought word and deed every day, but can live victorious lives in Jesus!

The third key value for Nazarenes is the Biblical emphasis on missional living. Nazarenes not only send missionaries ‘over there,’ but see themselves as part of God’s mission ‘right here!’

Mission is the grand narrative of Scripture. The entire Bible is all about God’s mission. The word “mission” is from the Latin missio, meaning “sending.” It is the central biblical theme describing God’s activity throughout history to restore and heal creation. We see evidence of this from Genesis through Revelation.

Perhaps the best remembered example of God’s mission is found in John 3:16-17. It is in these verses we find God pulled out all the stops to reach and save sinners like us by sending His own Son, Jesus! But then Jesus does something radical! In Matthew 28:18-20 He sends all disciples into the mission field! All Christians are called to ‘…Go and make disciples.’ And Jesus promises He will be with us to the ‘very end of the age.’ How will Jesus be with us when we agree to join God’s mission? Through the Holy Spirit!

In Acts 26:12-19, Paul reminds us of an encounter he had with the Spirit of Christ along the Damascus Road. His encounter with Christ changed him forever! From a Christian killer, Jesus transformed Saul into Paul - a Christian missionary!

Jesus called Paul “…to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18).

The same Holy Spirit that transformed Saul is ready to transform you! The same Holy Spirit that helped Paul: ‘open their eyes,’ ‘turn them from darkness to light,’ turn them ‘from the power of Satan to God’ so ‘they might receive forgiveness and sanctification’ is available to us. Are you willing to join God’s mission?

The mission statement in the Church of the Nazarene is “To Make Christlike disciples in the nations.” For over 100 years Nazarenes have reached into the dark places of L.A., Africa, and Grand Rapids to reach the broken with blankets, food, school supplies, and a warm place to rebuild. Yet, beyond meeting the physical and emotional needs of suffering and hurting people, Nazarene’s still believe what people need most is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and it takes all of us to accomplish what God has called us to do.

So, now you know what Nazarenes believe and what they value most! Under the leadership of the One Triune God, Nazarenes are a Christian People; a Holiness People; and a Missional People. Let us be true to His call! To God be the Glory!

WEDNESDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDY

Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is quickly approaching! In the Church we celebrate the four weeks leading up to Christmas as Advent. What is Advent and why do we celebrate it? Join Pastor Amy this week after our special Thanksgiving Potluck at 6:30pm to find out!

(Note: potluck is at 5:30 – Bible Study at 6:30)

Blessings! Pastor Dan

Hello From Pastor Amy/Your Part-Time Church Secretary

My office hours will be on Tuesdays from 8am-5pm, but if you need to see me, you may want to call first. My responsibilities also include preparing our weekly program, so if you have an event that you would like to put in the program or newsletter, please feel free to contact me!

On Prayer Requests: If you have a specific praise or prayer request which you would like to appear in the program and/or newsletter, please make sure to fill out the tear-off sheet in the weekly program, or contact me at any time.

Please Update Me! We have a long, ongoing list of prayer requests. Please keep me updated. Requests will be pulled from the newsletter & program after three weeks. Thank you! Church

Office: 616-459-2773 My Contact Info: 616-514-9521 or amyorban@hotmail.com

PLEASE NOTE! Beginning January 1, 2013, all correspondence with me will switch to a new email address: aorban@nnu.edu. Please save me to your contacts, as I will be sending the newsletter and all other church information from this address. Thank you!

NEWS & EVENTS

Last Wednesday Night Dinner –November 28^th- Thanksgiving Leftover Contest!

On the last Wednesday of the month we gather before our Wednesday Night bible study to enjoy dinner together. This month we will once again be holding a contest for the most creative use of Thanksgiving leftovers. Last year was delicious! The winner will take home a prize, just show up at 5:30pm with a dish to pass. Regular Family Night begins at 6:30pm. Talk to Julie Orban to help set-up or clean-up.

World Evangelism Fund Thanksgiving Offering – Thank You!

Thank you for making our Thanksgiving World Evangelism Fund (WEF) offering a big success! Over the two weeks we received $225.83 to finance global efforts to evangelize the world for Jesus! God is good! (You guessed it – ALL THE TIME!)

West Michigan Environmental Action Council Opportunity

WMEAC is a regional non-profit group who has worked in our area for over 40 years. Currently, they are partnering with DTE Energy to create a program that encourages energy efficiency in the home. They are offering a FREE home energy consultation. Here is what they say about it:

This special FREE program is an opportunity for the families in this community to take control of their energy bills and make their home more affordable. This program offers all DTE Energy customers a free home energy consultation that evaluates the energy usage of the home and provides energy saving tips. The appointment typically takes less than an hour of the resident's time… no strings attached.

If you are interested in this, the phone number is 866.796.0512, or view their home page at www.wmeac.org.

Christmas Eve is Coming! Want to Help?

We are already planning our annual Christmas Eve Service. We are already planning our annual Christmas Eve Service. We need lots of helpers! We need people to read, light candles, help set-up and decorate, sing, and create the luminaries we set up along the sidewalks. If you want to be a part of this, talk to Pastor Amy or Pastor Dan. Don’t forget—this is also a great time to invite someone to church!

Reflecting God- Devotions for Holy Living

Did you know that each quarter (fall, winter, spring, summer), our Nazarene Publishing House prints a small book of daily devotions called, “Reflecting God?” This book is a simple way to organize a time of daily bible study, prayer, and meditation around a key thought or insight in the Christian journey. Reading them each day is a simple way to draw closer to God. There is no cost, and they are located on the table outside of the sanctuary, please help yourself to one!

Postcard Greetings Now Available

Is there someone you’ve missed? Someone you used to look forward to seeing each week but they are missing? Maybe there is someone you would like to invite to church or to a potluck or to Sunday school, but you’re not sure how to go about it. Well, one possibility is to send them a postcard! We recently had postcards made and they are available to anyone who would like to send them to invite, encourage, miss, or welcome someone to the church! Interested? See a Sunday school teacher or Pastor Amy or Dan.

New Membership Class Begins in December – This Sunday!

We are holding a class for anyone who is interested in becoming a member of our church, and for anyone who is simply interested in knowing more about what we believe as Nazarenes. The five-week class will meet on Sundays from 2-3:30pm beginning on December 2^nd. You will receive a book titled Welcome to the Church of the Nazarene just for showing up, and you can ask as many questions as you want! Talk to Pastor Dan if you are interested.

Advent is Coming – Volunteers Needed!

Advent, our preparation period leading up to Christmas, begins on December 2^nd. One of the special things we like to do during Advent is to have volunteers do special readings at the beginning of each Sunday service. The readings correlate with the lighting of the candles on our Advent Wreath. Would you be willing to read? Talk to Pastor Amy or Pastor Dan!

First Friday Chinese Lunch – Dec 07 @ 11:30am

We continue to meet on the first Fridays of every month to enjoy lunch and fellowship at the Hibachi Grill on Alpine. The food is cheap and delicious, and no reservations are required. Everyone is invited, and everyone is invited to bring friends! Questions? Talk to Tracy Tamm.

Church Work Day—Saturday December 08th

The trustees will be holding another church work day on Saturday, December 08th from 8am-12pm. Anyone who wants to help can simply show up, and they will put you to work. There is always lots to be done, from painting to cleaning and raking leaves and more. Many hands make the work lighter, so come help take care of our building and grounds! Talk to Theo Orban if you have any questions.

Northeast Community Christmas Potluck – Sunday December 09^th

Our next potluck will be Christmas themed, and will take place downstairs in the fellowship hall immediately following morning worship on Sunday December 09th. All children who attend will receive a special Christmas gift. Please bring a dish to pass if you are able, but there is always a ton of delicious food to go around, and everyone is invited to stay and eat! Talk to Cherry Pakiela if you can help set-up or tear-down.

Girl Scouts Meeting in our Building! Next Meeting Monday December 17th at 6:00pm

We are thrilled to announce that beginning in October, the Girl Scouts program will be meeting in our building every other week on Monday nights @ 6pm. If you have a girl who is interested in joining, there is a $12 registration fee, and the group will tentatively be meeting every other Mondays of the month. Also, if parents of girls are interested in volunteering, they are also more than welcome to register to be a part of the program! Talk to Pastor Dan for registration forms!

Check out our Website – Find us on Facebook!

Here is the link:www.necommunitynazgr.blogspot.com

Please send any input or ideas to Shannen Parsaca at slparsaca@gmail.com

Check us out on Facebook under “Northeast Community Church of the Nazarene”

Want to help, but not sure how?

If you are wondering where to plug in, but are not sure how, we have opportunities. Current opportunities include a soundboard worker, nursery helpers, childrens workers, potluck coordinators, visiting our shut-ins, greeters and ushers, visitor follow-ups, Sunday School teachers, music leaders, people willing to shovel snow in the winter, and much more. It doesn’t matter how long you have been attending our church, serving is a great way to honor God and get to know the people around you! If you sense a call to a specific area or need some ideas to pray about, please contact Amy Orban or Cherry Pakiela or Irene Pratt.

Upcoming Events

Nov. 28 Last Wednesday Dinner @ 5:30pm, Regular Family Night follows

Dec. 02 Advent Begins

Dec. 07 First Friday Chinese Lunch, 11:30am @ Hibachi Alpine

Dec. 08 Church Work Day 8am-12pm

Dec. 09 NE Community Potluck following morning worship service

Reflections from Pastor Amy

Weekly thoughts, life-lessons, and reflections

from a redeemed child of God, a mother, a wife, a student,

a sinner under the Cross of Jesus Christ, and a Pastor-in-training.

November 27, 2012

Because When it Rains, it Pours. Especially for Parents.

The joys of Monday morning actually began during the preceding weekend, when our entire family got sick with the very typical runny nose/cough/fever/chills kind of cold that comes with this time of year. We spent most of the weekend very….how can I say it….very together, surviving the crabbiness of kids who don’t feel well and boogers and parents who were chronically exhausted long before getting sick.

By the time Monday rolled around, I was actually thrilled to think of getting back to regular, functional life. I woke up to the pitter-patter of little feet and my husband saying, Amy, wake up, we have an issue, and I have to leave for work right now. How convenient. So I cleaned up the mess of a severely exploded diaper, what we like to call an “up-the-backer,” if that brings any clarifying imagery to the conversation.

The morning continued in usual form, with little boy wrestling matches and scuffles, me hollering out rules like a referee between gulps of cheap coffee. I made breakfast and then left the boys playing together while I cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes. The kitchen is mommy’s safe space.

Little Theo came scurrying into the kitchen and said Mama – Look!!! (This never ends up well).

There was Remi, toddling towards me, smiling, and chewing on….? The night light? The light bulb!

Still smiling, blood began to pour out of his mouth while his teeth crunched happily on the glass. It dribbled down his chin, splattering on his shirt, pooling at his feet, staining his little white socks. Something like the way men look when they get punched in the face during a boxing match and their teeth go flying. When I reached for him he laughed, and darted away, leaving a red trail of blood.

The good news is that when all was said and done, he is just fine. The bleeding stopped and no, thank God, he did not swallow any glass, at least not enough to hurt him. It could have been much worse.

The day carried on, full of more shenanigans which can only come from having boys. Little Theo broke several Christmas tree ornaments. Both boys senselessly ripped pages out of books. Remi tried to regain my good favor by tossing toys into the toilet. It didn’t work. With my last bit of strength, I resigned to letting them watch a cartoon. Until Remi pounded on the tv screen and pulled the cords out of the wall.

I could see that the only possible solution for them and for me was to send them to their rooms for early naps. Little Theo immediately flew into a full-fledged tantrum. I had to let him scream it out with stomping feet and thrown toys. Eventually, they tired themselves out. Finally, all was quiet.

The evening was comparable. Little Theo refused to paint, color, play, or do anything other than whine and be fickle. Remi ran around pulling cords out of the walls and otherwise causing trouble. He also really enjoys tipping over all of the chairs around the dining table. I have yet to make sense of this.

Neither of them wanted to eat dinner. Theo whined and Remi threw his turkey on the floor while squawking like a stuck pig. Remi went to bed early, but was woken up by Theo’s second grand bedtime tantrum of the day. They both laid in the dark whining and screaming themselves to sleep. Lovely.

My husband and I both agreed that we are probably terrible parents with the most annoying kids ever. He headed out to the garage to his shop to relax, and I buried my head in a book. Seriously though, I swear that they are not brats, and they do not go undisciplined. They are really good kids, but they are kids.

This is a perfect ad for teenage girls who think their lives will be rosy if they get knocked up, like it’s always cute and monumentally wonderful. The truth about parenting in my experience so far, is that you spend the majority of the time feeling like a failure and wondering if everyone else is as terrible at parenting as you are. And other than that you are pretty much changing diapers or cleaning the mold out of the sippy cup you found under the couch. It’s not as cute as the Pampers commercials, folks.

And isn’t that just real life? There are the mountain top moments, and don’t get me wrong, those moments are precious, sacred, holy and incredible moments. The first time you hold your little one, the newborn smiles and gurgles, the first steps, the way they dance, the hugs, the way they need mommy, the way they look in just their diapers, the first words, the way that they learn and grown and become little people of their own. These things are incredible and I wouldn’t change them for anything.

But the moments are just moments. The rest is just life, day to day life. And some days in the day-to-day swing, we don’t get very far up the mountain. Probably nowhere near the top. These are the days when the most incredible thing to me is a bowl of hot leftover spaghetti with a little extra parmesan cheese. Somewhere in the foothills of the mountain, at best.

I would like to recline in a comfy chair in front of a warm fire with a cup of delightful tea in some extraordinary world and say that at the end of the day, the good outweighs the bad. The smiles outweigh the fall-on-the-floor fits. The giggles outweigh the food thrown on the floor. The hugs outweigh the defiance. But in reality, sometimes they don’t. In reality, I plop down on our couch with the smell of diapers in my nose, wipe the boogers and drool off of my shirt, and am so glad the house is finally quiet.

As a parent I think it is easy to heap guilt upon yourself for not enjoying every single little moment with your precious babies. There is some strange expectation that we put on ourselves that says we should cherish every single second. But we don’t, we can’t, it is not possible nor realistic. The purpose of parenthood is not to self-servingly float on a happy cloud of cuteness and picture-perfect need fulfillment of our little people. So maybe we can let that go and give ourselves a break.

Parenting is humbling, in that I have yet to find anything which points more clearly to the fact that I have serious human limitations. Limited patience, limited love, limited ability to give, limited attention span, limited temper, limited self-control, limited gentleness. The list goes on. And on.

This is good, in that it drives me back to God. My prayer lately has been asking God to sanctify my motherhood. I simply do not have enough love for these little people which God has gifted to me, so I ask that He helps me love them with His love. My own is not enough, it runs out, plain and simple.

Oh God, fill all of us parents with all the things we lack, and bless our babies! In Jesus’ name, amen.

With Love, Pastor Amy 616.514.9521/amyorban@hotmail.com

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

NE NEWS - November 20, 2012

Northeast Community News – November 20, 2012

Dear Friends and Family,

Are you feeling thankful yet? While Thanksgiving plans and family gatherings can be a source of tremendous blessing and joy, preparing for Thanksgiving can also be a time of great activity, stress, and expense! This week we were reminded of the ‘Christian Perspective on Thanksgiving’ from God through Pastor Reed Sapp, a sophomore from Olivet Nazarene University’s Preaching Ambassador Program.

Pastor Sapp reminded us first of the origins of Thanksgiving. A small group of men and women committed themselves to God’s hand and in obedience headed to a ‘promised land’ where they could worship God freely. Pastor Reed said the journal recorded they were ‘not just a little joyful’ when they reached land!

Using Ephesians 5:19-20 and I Thessalonians 5:18, Pastor Sapp declared every day ought to be filled for the Christian by encouraging others and making music in their hearts towards the Lord and ‘always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.’ A proper perspective helps us to give thanks in all circumstances!

While my notes were a bit sketchy, I believe Pastor Reed said there were 3 ways or perspectives that keep us from thanking God in all things. First, we need to be careful we do not have a prideful perspective. Instead of giving thanks to God as Creator, Provider and Sustainer, a prideful perspective thanks self.

Second, we need to be careful we do not have a critical perspective. A critical perspective sees or finds the negative in every situation. It is difficult to give thanks when we are always looking for the worst in things.

Finally, we need to be careful we do not have a careless perspective. Like the Israelites wandering 40 years in the desert, if we’re not careful we can take the manna God has provided for granted. Let Christians be the people who are constantly awed by the miracles of sunshine, oxygen, and life to mention a few!

Instead of having a prideful, critical, or careless perspective, thanksgiving should be expressed, counted, and seen as an opportunity to advance the Gospel! Only one leper returned to thank Christ for his healing (Luke 17:11-19).

Christians need to be the people who express their thanksgiving by spending time with God; reaching out to the hurting; or at least seeing a sink full of dishes and thanking God verbally for the blessing of a good meal!

Second, Christians ought to count their blessings. Unlike those who are careless, we are the people who maintain gratitude lists! We are so blessed! Thanksgiving comes to the man, woman, and child who focuses on all they have!

Third, a Christian perspective on Thanksgiving begins to see even burdens and sufferings as opportunities to advance the Gospel. It is in weakness He is strong. No, we do not delight in the suffering! We aren’t masochists! But we see how God can use our struggle and we give thanks!

Finally, a Christian perspective on Thanksgiving understands as we grow we give to others. When we finally get to the point that we realize God has given us all that we have, tithing our time, talent, and resources becomes a natural response! As we mature we begin to give thanks to God for what we can give, too!

Are you feeling thankful yet? Thanksgiving comes to our hearts when we thank God not self, look for the positive not the negative, and delight in every miracle! This year remember to express your thanksgiving, count your blessings, put your burdens into perspective and give yourself away! Amen! Thank you Pastor Sapp!

WEDNESDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDY

Over the last three weeks we examined three Nazarene Core Values. What does it mean to be a Nazarene? We now understand Nazarenes are a Christian people, a holiness people, and a missional people; this week we will discover Nazarenes are also Optimistic about Grace! Join us this week at 6:30pm as we see that all things are possible with God!

Blessings! Pastor Dan

Hello From Pastor Amy/Your Part-Time Church Secretary

Please Update Me! We have a long, ongoing list of prayer requests. Please keep me updated. Requests will be pulled from the newsletter & program after three weeks. Thank you! Church

Office: 616-459-2773 My Contact Info: 616-514-9521 or amyorban@hotmail.com

NEWS & EVENTS

World Evangelism Fund Thanksgiving Offering One More Week!

You will have one more week to make your Thanksgiving Offering to the World Evangelism Fund (WEF) this Sunday, November 25. Last week we received $204.83 in our special offering used to finance our global efforts to evangelize the world for Jesus. Thank you!

While some give regularly through Faith Promise Gifts year round, others give during Thanksgiving and Easter. Regardless of how you give, all of us are asked to give to help the Church fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus commanded his disciples “to go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19a). What better time to give than during the Thanksgiving season? Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to express our gratitude to God for His many blessings. God is a missionary! Let's join Him on His mission to redeem the world through Christ.

Reflecting God- Devotions for Holy Living

Postcard Greetings Now Available

New Membership Class Begins in December!

Advent is Coming – Volunteers Needed!

Last Wednesday Night Dinner –November 28^th- Thanksgiving Leftover Contest!

First Friday Chinese Lunch – Dec 07 @ 11:30am

Church Work Day—Saturday December 08th

Northeast Community Christmas Potluck – Sunday December 09^th

Girl Scouts Meeting in our Building! Next Meeting Monday November 26th at 6:00pm

Northeast Community Walking/Jogging Club – One More Week!

Our walking club has begun to dwindle in size! Perhaps most of you don’t like to walk or lose a few pounds or make a few friends with some in your church family! Alas, I imagine it is probably more likely you are all busy doing other good things! But, if you would like to get a few laughs while getting a little exercise we will be walking 3.1 miles (5k) every Tuesday night at 6:00pm through November 20. If you are interested just show up! See Pastor Dan if you have any questions!

New Website! New Facebook Page!

Here is the link:www.necommunitynazgr.blogspot.com

Please send any input or ideas to Shannen Parsaca at slparsaca@gmail.com

Check us out on Facebook under “Northeast Community Church of the Nazarene”

Want to help, but not sure how?

Upcoming Events

Nov. 28 Last Wednesday Dinner @ 5:30pm, Regular Family Night follows

Dec. 02 Advent Begins

Dec. 07 First Friday Chinese Lunch, 11:30am @ Hibachi Alpine

Dec. 08 Church Work Day 8am-12pm

Dec. 09 NE Community Potluck following morning worship service

Reflections from Pastor Amy

Weekly thoughts, life-lessons, and reflections from a redeemed child of God,

a mother, a wife, a student, a sinner under the Cross of Jesus Christ, and a Pastor-in-training.

November 20, 2012

Gratefulness: Another millstone?

Definition: Millstone:

1. The circular stones used for grinding grain

2. A heavy and inescapable responsibility or burden.

God Himself took on the form of flesh in Jesus Christ. He stepped into human life in this event of the incarnation, God becoming man. In this event God Himself came down to our level, He made Himself one of us in order to reach and redeem us, to seek out what was lost (which was us), to fill the great and unbearable holes in our hearts from sin and lack of love and alienation from God.

By His death the price was paid, by His resurrection we have hope, today and always. Jesus came and continues to come to us again and again, freeing us from the “law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). Jesus deals with our hearts, so we don’t have to be slaves to sin and death and anymore. There is life more abundant, life to the full to have, and it begins the moment we receive that which we lack from Jesus who provides us with healing and wholeness so we can live and love and walk with Christ. We are free!!!!!

What a beautiful God, this God who is revealed in Jesus Christ! On the cross we see our God, who will go to any length to reach and redeem us, His children, His lost and wandering and wounded sheep. We see our God, who empties Himself, pouring out His love to us. We have hope today and always and forever.

Perhaps in light of this, we should be living each day as if there were no more war nor struggle nor death nor sickness nor crime nor darkness of any sort. We know all things are being made right, that all tears will be wiped away, all sorrow will be turned into laughter. We should dance, we should sing, we should live with hearts wide open, so much so that our joy pours out onto those around us.

We should.

Are you one who hears the pressure of THANKSGIVING with dread?

Sometimes, does it feel like we can take the incredible blessing of being a child of God, and turn it on its head, so it becomes a new millstone, reminding us yet again how we aren’t good enough?

Jesus says – child I have made you mine! Stop fighting the battle, I’ve already won it! Just rest.

Then around us we hear – aren’t you so GRATEFUL? A grateful heart is the best medicine. God loves a grateful heart full of grateful thankful praiseful gratefulness!!

Then competing voices in our head tell us – see, you aren’t even grateful for what you have. If you really appreciated the fact that Jesus died for you, you would act more grateful. You would bend over backwards to make everyone happy. You would make sure the turkey is perfect this year. You would travel halfway across the state to four different houses just to make sure all your family members got to see you. You wouldn’t be depressed nor would you be grieving. You wouldn’t be distracted and tired and sad, you wouldn’t struggle, you would do so much better at life if you were more grateful.

And the thing is – this is all true. Gratitude is incredibly powerful. It adjusts our perspective, it aligns us with humility before God, it reminds us what it is important. Much praise and thanks is due to God.

But I do something strange to myself when it comes to gratitude, and I know I am not alone. You see, rather than gratitude happening as an outpouring of God’s love for me, I turn it into something to wrestle with. Am I grateful enough? Do people know I’m grateful? Does God know I’m grateful? Do my actions reflect that I’m grateful? Is my balance good enough in this bizarre balancing act?

So now the gift of a grateful heart turns into another LAW, another RULE which I try to follow (and fail). It becomes another worthless WORK, another way in which I try to be good enough only to find out (again and again) that I’m NOT good enough. Another thing which points to my careless sinfulness and pride and ego. Another one of those shoulds which fill me full of guilt and shame. Another Millstone.

And that’s not all bad, after all, it drives me right back to my need for Jesus. There is only one solution to this kind of nonsense, and it’s Jesus.

You know where gratitude comes from? It comes from simply basking in the truth that I am a child of God. It is hard to be critical or act out on my dysfunctional personality if my mind is occupied with the truth that GOD LOVES ME. Gratitude starts there. Everything starts there. Seek ye first the kingdom.

Perhaps instead of seeking out my gratitude in turkey and stuffing and warm fuzzy socks and naps in front of the Lions Game, I should start with Jesus Christ and His incredible love for me. Because it is only, ONLY when I start there that I can even have eyes for the blessings around me, the blessings which are so, so abundant. Seeking to follow a standard, even a good one like gratitude, without first going to Christ who deals with the issue of my heart, is simply empty religion. I am a Pharisee sometimes.

So to you, dear child of God:

To you who are exhausted. To you who are grieving the loss of your son. To you who are grieving the loss of a friend. To you who has a sick family member. To you who went through a painful divorce this year. To you who always gets depressed around the holidays, no matter how hard you try to just be normal and happy. To you who would rather hide than make the rounds to see the family. To you who is missing a soldier overseas. To you whose loved one is in prison or in a mental institution. To you who can’t afford to give your children a thanksgiving meal. To you who misses your daughter and grandkids because they live several states away. To you who still misses your parents even though they went to be with Jesus over a decade ago. To you whose loved one is drinking or smoking crack today. To you who has been hurt and wounded in unimaginable ways. To you who struggles with mental health. To you who feels trapped like a rat in a cage. To you who are exhausted…

Give yourself a break. Life is hard, and this world is broken. There is no better proof of this than Jesus’ death. It hurts to be here sometimes; even as He is with us, giving us new mercies always, it still hurts.

Jesus knows all about our ungrateful hearts, he took them into account when He died for us, and He died for us anyway. Do not add another millstone around your neck by bludgeoning yourself with guilt for not feeling grateful enough! This is not what Jesus wants, he came so we could stop doing that already. Instead, bask in the fact that He is enough. Spend time with Him, fill your mind with His word and His goodness. Seek Him first. Receive from Him the grateful heart which you cannot grant yourself.

O Soul are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see…

There’s light for a look at the savior…And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face…

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. (Sing to the Lord 327)

With Love, Pastor Amy 616.514.9521/amyorban@hotmail.com

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

NE NEWS - November 13, 2012

Northeast Community News – November 13, 2012

Dear Friends and Family,

What another wonderful day we had in the Lord, yesterday! Rev. Christopher returned from his revival services in Bay City declaring God is still alive and well! Lives were saved, sanctified, and the fires of revival have begun to spread! The same is true for Northeast Community, too! The Holy Spirit is on the move convicting, transforming, teaching, and empowering for service! May the revival fires that burn in our hearts spread into our homes, work, and schools! Amen!

Two weeks ago we began a three-part series on ‘Who are Nazarenes and what do they believe?’ First we learned Nazarene’s are a Christian people interconnected with all who declare, “Jesus is Lord.” Nazarenes join all Christians who affirm the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds, the essentials of all orthodox Christian belief.

While we share much in common with all orthodox Christians, Nazarenes do have one or two distinctive differences. God’s message to us this week examined the first one: holiness. In 1 Thess. 4:1-8 and 5:23-24 we discover God has called us to holiness, provided the means to become and stay holy, and makes available this gift to ordinary Christians with one requirement – we must choose to receive it!

In 1 Thessalonians 4:7 we read “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” While declaring that heart purity and living a holy life is possible makes the Church of the Nazarene distinctive from other Christians, it is God who calls all Christians to live a life above a daily struggle with sinful living. We need not live a life filled with failure and mediocrity; we can live a holy life in victory over sin!

Second, in 1 Thessalonians 4:8 we discover the means to live a holy life – a life of purity of heart – the Holy Spirit! God gives us the Holy Spirit ‘continuously.’ Jesus declared to a troubled group of disciples, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:15-17). The truth is you will never be able to achieve victory over sin and struggle in your own strength and will until you become sanctified! At sanctification God does an inner heart cleansing and the battle within your soul comes to an end!

Finally, in 1 Thess. 5:23-24 we discover sanctification is a gift that cannot be earned just like our salvation. God wants to set you apart – to sanctify you – to make you holy and He can do it, but He wants all of you and your permission.

Will you give God your past, present, and future? Yes? Wonderful! Then ask Him in faith to accept your life as a gift and sanctify you! As Nazarenes holiness is a core part of our identity because God has called us to it and provided the means to attain in sanctification! Indeed there is Victory in Jesus!

WEDNESDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDY

Dr. Frank Moore prepared three Bible study lessons to explain the three central values in the Church of the Nazarene: We are Christian, Holiness, and Missional. Join us this week at 6:30pm to take a deeper look at being a Missional People.

THANKFULLNESS, THANKSGIVING, and PASTOR APPRECIATION!

What a blessing it is to be your lead pastor! In 9 short days we celebrate the U.S. national holiday called Thanksgiving, but for Christians we can praise God and be thankful every day! The Psalmist wrote, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving” (Ps. 95:2 - NIV). In the Message, Eugene Peterson translates this verse, “Let’s march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns.” What are you marching into God’s presence and lifting the rafters with your singing of thanksgiving for this year?

For one, Janie and I are marching into God’s presence and thanking Him for you! October was ‘pastor appreciation’ month and for the entire month you blessed us with gift cards from Amazon, Visa for meals, Baker Books and Kohl’s! But as nice as the gift cards were, you didn’t stop there! How we appreciated and give thanks for the special 4-course dinner, the handmade card and the special wall plaque, newsletter articles and interviews and the YouTube video testimonials, too! We have so much to thank God for this year and you are part of our Thanksgiving! What a blessing to be part of such a loving and sacrificial church! Thank you for loving and appreciating us! We love you, too!

Blessings! Pastor Dan and Janie

Hello From Pastor Amy/Your Part-Time Church Secretary

Please Update Me! We have a long, ongoing list of prayer requests. Please keep me updated. Requests will be pulled from the newsletter & program after three weeks. Thank you! Church

Office: 616-459-2773 My Contact Info: 616-514-9521 or amyorban@hotmail.com

NEWS & EVENTS

World Evangelism Fund Thanksgiving Offering this Sunday!

On the Sundays of November18^th and 25^th during our morning worship service, we will be receiving our annual Thanksgiving Offering for World Evangelism Fund. The World Evangelism Fund is used to finance our global efforts to evangelize the world for Jesus. Some give regularly through our Faith Promise Gifts throughout the year. Others, give a special offering at Thanksgiving and Easter. Regardless of how you give, all of us are asked to give to help the Church fulfill the Great Commission. Remember, Jesus commanded his disciples 'to go and make disciples of all nations' (Matthew 28:19a)

What better time to give than during the Thanksgiving season? Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to express our gratitude to God for His many blessings. God is a missionary! Let's join Him on His mission to redeem the world through Christ.

New Membership Class Begins in December!

Blankets for Mel-Trotter Thank You!

After our month-long blanket drive, we are happy to announce that as a church we collected a total of 63 blankets! Each blanket will go to Mel Trotter Mission, where they will be put to immediate use by women, men, and children who come to the mission. Thank you all for giving, and for being the hands and feet of Jesus in our community!

Last Wednesday Night Dinner –November 28^th- Thanksgiving Leftover Contest!

Olivet Nazarene Preaching Ambassador – November 18^th – This Sunday!

We are happy to welcome our third student from ONU’s Preaching Ambassador Program. On Sunday November 18^th, Reed Sapp will be bringing the message during our morning worship service. Reed is a Youth Ministry major at ONU. We will be blessed to hear the heart of the next generation of church leaders! Please be in prayer for Reed as his visit draws near.

Northeast Community Christmas Potluck – Sunday December 09^th

Birthdays and Anniversaries, Please!

Do we have your birthday and anniversaries? Please email them to Pastor Amy, or write them down and stick them in her mailbox located on the wall outside of the nursery, thank you!

Advent is Coming – Volunteers Needed!

Girl Scouts Meeting in our Building! Next Meeting Monday November 26th at 6:00pm

Northeast Community Walking/Jogging Club – Two More Weeks!

New Website! New Facebook Page!

Here is the link:www.necommunitynazgr.blogspot.com

Please send any input or ideas to Shannen Parsaca at slparsaca@gmail.com

Check us out on Facebook under “Northeast Community Church of the Nazarene”

Want to help, but not sure how?

Upcoming Events

Nov. 18 Preaching Ambassador Reed Sapp from ONU is coming

Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Day

Nov. 28 Last Wednesday Dinner @ 5:30pm, Regular Family Night follows

Dec. 02 Advent Begins

Dec. 07 First Friday Chinese Lunch, 11:30am @ Hibachi Alpine

Dec. 09 NE Community Potluck following morning worship service

Reflections from Pastor Amy

Weekly thoughts, life-lessons, and reflections from a redeemed child of God, a mother,

a wife, a student, a sinner under the Cross of Jesus Christ, and a Pastor-in-training. November 13, 2012

There is a little girl, and she is the most beautiful little girl you have ever seen, mainly because she is more like an angel or cherubim than like a little girl. She is exactly the little girl that frolics in a field of perfect flowers in your imagination, the precise way we tend to think the little ones in heaven must look, the way we know everything will look so perfect in that perfect place.

Her hair is blond, so blond it is almost white, with long, roving sausage curls which fall down her shoulders and arms. Small white flowers are woven through the perfect curls. Her skin shimmers and her cheeks have a perfect pinkish color to them.

Her eyes are incredible, a sea of green and blue waters which never end. She is a child full of childlikeness, but also full of the super-natural wisdom of eternity.

She is sitting on a fluffy white cloud, you see, and the light of God is shining around her and through her. Her slender hands with her perfect tiny finger nails are folded on her lap, and she sits with one leg crossed beneath her, and the other dangling freely off the edge of the fluffy cloud.

She looks down from her soft cloud, and she sighs, a sigh so sweet it smells like peppermint candy.

Below her, she sees us.

She looks down and she sees us, running about.

She looks down and she sees us frantic and scattered around a bunch of enormous, endless black holes.

The holes really are endless, that is no exaggeration on her part nor on mine. They areendless holes.

The holes are everywhere, and in observing from above, she can’t help but wonder at how futile our efforts are when it comes to filling and patching the holes.

She sees some of us, who seem to pretend the holes aren’t even there. We evade them with all the calculated cleverness of a serpent. We stay busy, bustling, moving, and keep our distance from the edge. We are typically the ones who deny the reality of the holes until we fall into one and it hurts.

She sees others who obsess about the holes. All they can think about are the holes. They are chasing after anyone who can tell them anything about the holes, anyone who will obsess about the holes along with them. They see how obvious and ugly the holes are, and this fact seems to consume their life. They never get past the holes, they just stare at them and continue to be appalled.

She sees many who seem to have reached a point of total reckless abandon, and they are throwing things into the holes, trying to fill them in vain. They throw strange things into the holes, things which clearly won’t ever fill the holes, but for some reason the people keep trying it over and over again. But the holes just get bigger and uglier for all their efforts.

After some time, she spots an obscure land without holes. When she looks closer she sees that the holes are still there, but somehow the people in this land have found a way to appease the holes. The holes are full of something – what is it? It looks like a soft fog, like clouds with a light breeze. It is the only thing which can fill the holes, why don’t all the other people find out what it is so they can fill their holes?

Upon further quiet observance she realizes, with a gasp, that the holes are all shaped like her Father! These people are looking for her Father but they don’t even seem to know what they are looking for!

Now some of the people from the land without holes are talking to the people who still live with the holes. The hole-people are laughing at them. They turn back and keep ignoring the holes, or obsessing about the holes, or trying to fill the holes in ways that only make the holes worse.

But every once in awhile, one of the hole-people listens to the people from the land without holes. They follow them. They are exhausted. They take rest in the land of no holes and they are grateful.

The little angel girl smiles, and her teeth are so white it hurts your eyes, it’s so beautiful. She recognizes that the people in the land without holes must know her Father, and this brings her great joy. He is the great filler of holes, He is the one who stops the torture of the endless black holes. She is so pleased to see more of the hole-people coming to know her Father that she flutters off of her cloud, and flies off through the cloud-mist to sit in His lap and tell Him she loves Him and that He is wonderful…..

In his book The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer writes, “Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. It its stead are programs, methods, organizations, and a world of nervous activities which will occupy our time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of our heart.”

Tozer goes on to say that “When religion has had its last word, there is little that we need other than God Himself. The evil habit of seeking God-andeffectively prevents us from finding God in full revelation. In the and lies our great woe. If we omit the and we shall soon find God, and in Him we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing.”

Do you know that you have a God-sized hole?

What is it that you try to pour into your God-sized hole to fill it?

Do you know that only God can fill the God-sized hole?

Do you know that the hole will continue to suck the life and joy and peace and rest out of you until God and God alone fills it for you?

Do you seek God, or do you seek God- and? What are your “ands” ?

Jesus and…successful ministry, all As in school, friends with transformed hearts who love Christ but give me all the credit, a husband who is always happy and at my service, kids who aren’t naught or stinky. Jesus and freedom from all the defects in my character,

Jesus and no struggle whatsoever.

What do you mean I’m greedy? Jesus is not like Santa Claus?

Strip me of everything, leave me with Jesus?

We are busy, and we are complex. I often find myself running around like I am really someone important, like maybe all my running will fill my God-hole, or maybe I myself will even fill someone else’s God-hole. Today I remember that no amount of my frantic activity can take Jesus’ place in my God hole.

With Love, Pastor Amy 616.514.9521/amyorban@hotmail.com