Dear Friends and Family!
What another wonderful day we had in the Lord, Sunday! So, what would you do if you fell face down on the concrete and bruised your face so bad you were black and blue? If you are our new attendee, Carol, you would laugh saying you had ‘kissed the concrete’ and go to church of course! In an era filled with excuses for avoiding worship, Carol’s joy-filled determination is refreshing! Has it been a while since you’ve come to worship? Why not come this week and meet Carol and the rest of those at Northeast Community longing to encounter the living God! You just might be surprised how much you’ve missed! After all, it’s not about us; it’s about Him! Amen? Amen!
God’s message Sunday came from Luke 3:15-22 and was titled, ‘A January Pentecost.’ The Church calendar calls us to celebrate Christ’s baptism this week. Up to this point in the Scripture Jesus is a relative unknown. There are no disciples – no multitudes following – no Pharisees wishing Him dead. No, before His baptism Jesus was a 30-year-old carpenter from Nazareth.
This isn’t to suggest He didn’t know what He was sent by God to earth to do. As we examined last week, Jesus knew His mission and His Heavenly Father at age 12. And though His body had been prepared to go to the cross, the salvation of the world hung on His willingness to follow through. Had Jesus refused to be baptized; refused to call His disciples and begin His ministry; refused to die on The Cross; He’d have been no different than Adam.
Of course, he didn’t as Paul reminds us, “…he [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8b)
But, what about you? In Jeremiah 29:11, we are reminded before you were born God had a plan for you….do you know God’s plan for you? As one pastor wrote, “the most effective thing Satan does is not to turn us away from God, but to keep us from making a full surrender.” If you want to know your purpose; if you want to know where to start, you begin by surrendering everything you are and have and could be to Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you, teach you, and lead you!
Second, to fulfill God’s plan you need to burn bridges. Jesus didn’t approach John at the river and say “Well, if this cross thing doesn’t work out, I can always go back to building houses” nor should we try to keep our options open in case following Jesus doesn’t work out. It’s time for some of us to cross the line and not look back! It’s time some of us cut down our safety net and trust Jesus!
Finally, to know and fulfill God’s plan for your life and be blessed you need to step into the river. It’s not enough to know what you should do; you must move forward in faith. Until you step into the river and surrender yourself fully to Jesus, you won’t receive the blessing you’ve longed for all your life. It’s time to surrender, burn your bridges, and step into the river! I’m praying for you! Blessings, Pastor Dan
NEWS AND EVENTS
THIRD THURSDAY CHINESE LUNCH- JANUARY 17TH
Again, at 11:30 AM, join others at Hibachi Grill off Alpine for good food and fun! If you have any questions, feel free to contact Tracy T.
MISSIONS NIGHT – JANUARY 23
After enjoying a delicious meal at 5:30 PM, stay and learn what missionaries are doing around the world as Sherry J shares this news at 6:30 PM.
NEXT WOMEN’S RENDEZVOUS IS JANUARY 26TH
Come to the church on this Saturday at 10:30 AM and enjoy time with others in fellowship and also snacks. Bring along a craft or perhaps help Tracy make cards for people this year.
TIME TO COLLECT ITEMS AGAIN FOR THE HOMELESS
As you are out shopping, remember to pick up a few extra items for the homeless. The church will pass out bags to people around Valentine’s Day to show them God’s love.
Here are the items needed: 1) socks, 2) winter gloves and hats, 3) hand sanitizer, 4) toothbrush, 5) toothpaste, 6) Kleenex, 7) Band-Aids, 8) small bottle of water, 9) dental floss, 10) Crystal Lite packages, 11) feminine hygiene products, 12) black permanent marker.
FREE ONLINE SECURITY TRAINING!
Janie’s employer has graciously given us free access to their online security training class again this year for anyone interested. From their training site:
More than ever, your users are the weak link in your network security. KnowBe4 is the world’s most popular integrated Security Awareness Training and Simulated Phishing platform with over 10,000 customers.
Our basic training modules specialize in making sure employees understand the mechanisms of spam, phishing, spear-phishing, malware and social engineering, and are able to apply this knowledge in their day-to-day job. You get high quality web-based interactive training combined with common traps, live demonstration videos, short comprehension tests and scenario-based Danger Zone exercises.
As someone who has helped clean up many viruses, this is valuable stuff! Here’s the link: https://www.knowbe4.com/homecourse Use the password: homecourse
Have questions? Contact Pastor Dan – hathdan@me.com
WEDNESDAY NIGHT DINNERS
Dinner is served from 5:30 to 6:15 pm (before Bible study). Volunteers are needed to make main dishes, side dishes, or desserts. Please contact Cherry with any questions. At 6:30 PM, Bible study for adults and kids begins.
BOOTH PERSON STILL NEEDED:
The church is looking for someone who is interested in being a sound booth technician. You will need to be able to attend music practices Sunday morning at 9 AM. Let Janie know if you are interested at 616-204-2499 or hathjan@icloud.com.
GATHER BOX TOPS FOR NAZARENE INDIAN MISSIONS!
Thank you for collecting General Mills box tops! This program has provided PA equipment, computers, and even a 15-passenger van for the Native American Christian Academy. Questions and box tops should go to Fran S. or Sherry J.
DAILY DEVOTIONS – “REFLECTING GOD” IS AVAILABLE! FREE!!
“Reflecting God” is a daily devotional guide our church makes available free to anyone interested. The devotions provide a brief truth from the Bible every day. Reflecting God also has a section for reading the Bible in a year and praying for our missionaries! Feel free to take one! You’ll find them located on the table outside the sanctuary!
GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER REQUESTS:
Remember, to keep our prayer lists current, we only place requests in the newsletter and bulletin for 3 weeks without an update. If you want to keep your prayer request in the bulletin or newsletter, just keep filling out the tear off tabs and keep us informed!
UPCOMING EVENTS
January 17 Third Thursday Chinese lunch @ Hibachi Grill 11:30 AM
January 23 Missions Night @ 6:30 PM
January 26 Women’s Rendezvous at 10:30 AM at church
January 10 Church Potluck after morning service
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