Rogue River Assembly Of God Heroes: Hinkles

This amazing family has been a part of our church since dinosaurs roamed the earth. I might get in trouble for that one...Although Ray says he'll never be a blogger... Sillyness aside, their faithfulness should give them saint status! Doris is behind the scenes working in almost every area of our church, especially when it comes to decorating, organizing, caring... She is the one responsible for making sure we have the important emblems to celebrate Holy Communion! Ray is serving behind the scenes too! I constantly hear of acts of kindness he's performed especially in the area of plumbing, handi-man stuff... (the stuff that if I touched it would break worse) Ray is such a cut-up...He makes us all laugh...WHAT A GIFT! I love them dearly and am so thankful they call our church home!

The three most important things we can do at Rogue River Assembly of God are to pray, to pray, and to pray!

Johnny had been misbehaving and was sent to his room. After a while he emerged and informed his mother that he had thought it over and then said a prayer. "Fine", said the pleased mother. "If you ask God to help you not misbehave, he will help you." "Oh, I didn't ask Him to help me not misbehave," said Johnny. "I asked Him to help you put up with me."

(My son was so cute for church today I thought I would share a picture!)

There are a plethora of resources in the Christian world to help us all learn HOW TO PRAY...

Even the smallest of things can help your prayer life... like these words I shared from a simple bookmark ordered from http://www.praymag.com/...

BLESSINGS FOR YOUR NEW YEAR... Purpose: As you complete your daily tasks, may you understand how they contribute to the larger purpose of your life... Fulfilling work: May you take pleasure in all your work... Physical Health: May you and those you love remain strong in body and free from disease... Peace of Mind: May your mind and heart always be at rest... Good relationships: May you be surrounded by loving , faithful, and supportive friends... Sufficient resources: May you have exactly what you need for each day. May you become rich in every way so that you can share generously with others... Contentment: May you take pleasure in all the good things you have and discover the secret of being content in any and every situation... Laughter: May you laugh long and often... Breathing room: In the rush of life, may you always find time and space for the people and activities that refresh your soul... Great ideas: May you receive fresh insight to meet the challenges of each day and discover creative solutions to your problems... New opportunities: May you constandly be presented with new and profitable ventures... Good decions: May you have wisdom to determine the best course of action in ever situation... Safety: May you and those you love be kept from violence, calamity, and loss...

This week I went to my favorite place on earth, the Oregon Coast, for a prayer retreat... Cynthia Bezek wrote: YOU KNOW IT'S TIME FOR A PRAYER RETREAT WHEN... you're dry and out of touch with the Lord... you feel overwhelmed, overworked, stressed, or scattered... you feel mechanical in your devotion and service... you have an important decision to make... you have a sinful habit to overcome... you have someone you need to forgive... you need God's perspective on a situation... you have a strategic ministry event or season ahead... you need insight about an unanswered prayer... you're behind in intercession and others are depending on you... you haven't had one in three months or more... your spouse, teenager, roomate, collegue, or dog tells you that you need one...

I think the greatest advice I can give you on HOW TO PRAY is JUST DO IT... Prayer is simply FOCUSING ON GOD... Talk to Him, set aside a time, a place, stay constantly connected...

2 Chronicles 20 (if this passage of scripture doesn't crank your tractor, your feelers broke) 1. Prayer refocuses us on God... 2. Prayer sensitizes us to God's voice... 3. Prayer gets results...

In his book Intimacy with the Almighty, Charles Swindoll writes, "If we refuse to provide pockets of silence in our lives, we will always flounder in a fog, wondering who God is and what He's doing...But if we deliberately fashion protracted periods of silence, we will grow deeper in an increasing awareness of the real presence of God."

Don't miss this amazing opportunity!

STEWARDSHIP WEEK February 8 – 10, 2009

Sunday morning Service: Bob Rufe - AG Financial Solutions

Sunday afternoon Personal appointments with Bob Rufe

Monday – all day Personal appointments with Bob Rufe

Tuesday – all day Personal appointments with Bob Rufe

Sign up for a personal and confidential consultation available
Sunday afternoon, Monday – Tuesday

There is no cost, and no obligation for a personal appointment.
The purpose is to provide professional guidance regarding estate planning or investment issues

of concern to you.

AGFS provides life-stage planning to help our people become good stewards of whatever the Lord has provided,
and to help build the Kingdom of God .

Bob Rufe is a consultant with AG Financial Solutions.

Prayer for President Obama

The Best Sunday EVER! (Prayer Fresheners)

I wish there was someway to convey how amazing this last weekend was for our church on my blog! Celebrating Alice Heron (WHAT AN AMAZING FAMILY) and with no exaggeration I think yesterday's celebration service was the best EVER...The ANOINTING was on the worship, the word, the prayer...

SERMON NOTES:
The temporary Sunday School teacher was struggling to open a combination lock on the supply cabinet. She had been told the combination, but couldn't quite remember it. Finally she went to the pastor's study and asked for help. The pastor came into the room and began to turn the dial. After the first two numbers he paused and stared blankly for a moment. Finally he looked serenely heavenward and his lips moved silently. Then he looked back at the lock, and quickly turned the final number, and opened the lock. The teacher was amazed. "I'm in awe at your faith, pastor," she said. "It's really nothing," he answered. "The number is on a piece of tape on the ceiling."

Keeping Company with God doesn't have to be laborious, as a matter of fact it shouldn't be...
Sandy Mayle helped me discover A Month Of Ideas, Prayer Fresheners...
1. Bring in the new
new time of day to pray, new place of prayer, new postures, new Bible translations, online devotionals...
2. Pray your schedule
submit past and future commitments and activities to God...
Proverbs 16:3,9
3. Write a psalm to God
mabye use a template: lament in the dark (psalm 10), pursuit in the desert (psalm 63), declaration of faith (psalm 131), litany of praise (psalm 136)...
4. Pray the hours
3x like Daniel, 5x liturgical (9a, noon, 3p, after eve meal, bedtime), 7x as the psalmist did, or even use the book of common prayer...
5. Sharpen your spiritual senses
Ask God to develop your sense of spiritual taste, sight, hearing, smell, and touch...
2 Corinthians 2:14-16
6. Pray the hymn or praise song that most recently stirred your heart toward God
7. Worship through creation
drive to a beach, walk to a park, painting, Dvd, book of photography...
8. Pray the rule of T.H.U.M.B.
acronymn to guide intercession for unreached people: T tribal peoples, H hindus, U unreached unreligious unconvinced, M muslims, B buddhists...
9. Prayerwalk your house
Set each room apart for the Lord, break out the anointing oil and get a little pentecostal...
10. Prayerwalk yourself
dedicate the various parts of your body to the Lord
Romans 6:13,19
11. Dig in
Spend extended time interceding in depth for a person or situation...
12. Pray through the newspaper
13. Have a "top-five day"
Set your regular prayer list aside and ask God to reveal five needs in His heart...
14. Observe a worship watch
Instead of seeking God for anything, focus solely on adoring Him...
15. Prayerwalk a hospital, nursing home, prison, city mission, or other place of human need
16. Take inventory
based on the two greatest commands (emotional, spiritual, physical, mental, social)
Luke 10:27
17. Go global
pray for international ministries, missions, governments (grab a newsletter from the bulletin board outside Holly's office: pray for and write a missionary)
18. SHHHH!
Spend several hours or more in silence, listen for God's voice...
19. Prayerfully read the same passage of Scripture from 3 translations
20. Pray your commitments
Review before God your baptism, church membership, marriage vows, promises, dedications...
Psalm 56:12
21. Celebrate your heritage
spiritual legacy, Hebrews 11, godly heritage, saints in heaven
22. Ora et labora (latin for "pray and work")
1 Thessalonians 5:17
23. Praise-walk your neighborhood, downtown, or church
24. Meet with some prayer partners
25. Build the body
go to the sanctuary, pray for the local body of Christ and worldwide, including the persecuted...
(Every Sunday 9am Prayer and Communion)
26. Collaborate
Call a believer who shares a concern, set a time to intercede together...
27. Pray your payback
for enemies, those who oppose Christ, sincerely bless them in Jesus' name...
28. Recollect
"Collect" all your responsibilites, concerns, decisions, opportunities, and so on, bring them to Jesus...
29. Pray your contacts
address book, cell phone directory, church directory...
30. Let Jesus pray for you
JOHN 17, note verse 20
31. Anticipate!
Renew your longing for Christ's return, Even so, come Lord Jesus...

The Holy Spirit got our blood pumping a little with the reading of HE IS: http://godswork.org/enpoem6.htm

mabye I should keep preaching a 31 point sermon because it was so well received...
being a little selfish, please remember to pray for your pastors...

Homebuilders New Series and Church Membership

Just "click"on the images to make them large enough to read...

Why Pray?

Sermon Notes from last Sunday...
(sorry they're so late in gettin on my blog, I've been fighting the flu)

Three preachers sat discussing the best positions for prayer while a telephone repairman worked nearby. “Kneeling is definitely best,” claimed one.
“No,” another contended. “I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven.”
“You’re both wrong,” the third insisted. “The most effective prayer position is lying prostrate, face down on the floor.”
The repairman could contain himself no longer. “Hey, fellas,” he interrupted, “the best prayin’ I ever did was hangin’ upside down from a telephone pole.”

Jesus never asked us to do something He himself did not do. Each of the Gospel writers shows us moments when Jesus was at prayer. Matthew notes nine such occasions, Mark, eight, Luke, thirteen, and John, five. Out of these thirty-five references, there are twenty-three separate occasions in Jesus’ three-year ministry when the curtain is pulled back on details of Jesus’ prayer life.

Hebrews 7:23-25 tells us that nothing has changed He’s still practicing prayer in the heavens…
Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them…seated at the right hand of God, forever interceding, our Mediator, Savior, Friend, Hope, Peace, Joy, Everything…

Some people have given up on prayer because of unanswered prayers or the wrestling that comes when trying to understand why God has allowed certain tragedies…
But consider some benefits from a lifestyle of prayer:

1. Relationship

Prayer is the main way we get to know God in a personal, relational way…Especially if that prayer is joined with the study of the Bible… Romans 8:16 talks about a Spirit-led prayer that God “testifies with our spirits that we are His children.” When we take time to listen, we can begin to know Him in intimate ways. This is that Vacation with Jesus we were talking about last week…
Buddy Westbrook said it well…Tapping into the divine intercession is not as hard as many people think. God loves to share His heart with us when we take the time to ask Him.

Jeremiah 33:3…Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know…

Start by asking the Holy Spirit questions. Take plenty of time to listen, maybe even take notes on paper of what you believe you hear Him saying. Ask questions like, “Lord, what is your perspective on this?” “What do You want me to see? To hear? To understand?” “Do You want to redirect me?” “How do you want me to intercede for this person or situation?” and so on…

Romans 8:26,27…Likewise the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God…

2. Partnership

God partners with us, through prayer, to accomplish His purposes in the world. The Holy Spirit tells us what to pray and then we watch God work in ways that build our faith in Him. We see this illustrated in Genesis 18…when God partnered with Abraham regarding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, inviting him to intercede for the sinful city. Such divinely led intercession was rare in Old Testament days, but through God’s indwelling Spirit, it can be an everyday experience for us.
If you have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit, let me encourage you to seek all that God has for you! His Spirit can open up new worlds of prayer. The gifts and fruit of the Spirit, even speaking in other tongues are all promises recorded in scripture available to every believer!

3. Perspective

By engaging with God through His Holy Spirit, we can know God’s thoughts about specific things He is doing in our lives and in the world around us. As the apostle Paul preached…no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him – but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit…1 Corinthians 2:9,10

Isaiah 55:9…For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts…

Anne Graham Lotz said it best…The Bible is God’s Story, and best way to discover the author of the bible, and our lives, is to read His story. God’s Story reveals God’s eternal person, His infinite power, His unlimited love, and His matchless glory giving meaning to your life and joy to your heart and purpose to your step. The Bible reveals the God of glory Whose very Presence can give fulfillment to the empty…healing to the broken…forgiveness to the sinful…freedom to the bitter…purpose to the meaningless…help to the helpless…courage to the fearful…strength to the weak…reality to the religious…hope tot eh hopeless…and love to the loveless. There is nothing in your life – no circumstance or crisis, no organization or administration, no individual or alliance, no problem or pressure, no habit or heartache, no sickness or grief, no king or criminal, nothing visible or invisible – nothing is greater than God! He is Creator Who is in authority over everything, fully able to control that which not only seems but is beyond our abilities to handle…

4. Guidance

When we tap into the Holy Spirit’s intercession, He freely gives us detailed, specific guidance, as He did the believers in Antioch in Acts 13:2…While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’…

And beyond all benefits of prayer, I hear Job…Though He slay me, yet I will praise Him…For I know my Redeemer lives and my eyes will yet behold Him…Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return to the ground, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away…blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Whenever I come to Jesus, When troubled or distressed
I always find a refuge, When I with Him can rest
I tell Him all my trials, I tell Him all my grief;
And while my lips are speaking, He gives my heart relief
When full of dread foreboding, And flowing over with tears
He always calms my sorrows, And hushes all my fears
He comprehends my weakness, The peril I am in
And He supplies the armor, I need to vanquish sin
When those r cold and faithless, Who once were fond n true
With careless hearts forsaking, The old friends for the new
I turn to Him whose friendship,Knows neithr change nor end
And so I find in Jesus, An ever faithful Friend
Whenever I come to Jesus, No matter when or where
To seek His gracious presence, I’m sure to find Him there
In times of joy or sorrow, Whatever my need may be
I can always come to Jesus, And Jesus comforts me

Happy 1st Birthday Son!

YEAH RUSTY!

So, Rusty called me this week ecstatic...

His sister is a manager at Wal-Mart...

Because Oregon just made water bottles deposit only, Walmart had to get rid of ALOT of cases of water bottles...

So, Rusty loaded up the choir room with cases of water bottles!

Now we have more than enough to do our acts of kindess event for Rooster Crow, mabye several years worth! YEAH GOD!

God Wants To Hear From You

We already heard about some NEW YEAR MIRACLES at church yesterday: the testimonies shared were inspiring and I had the privilege of baptizing Amethyst...
Sermon Notes from yesterday's Celebration Service:

Every child of God is called to a lifestyle of prayer. So how do we bridge the gap between knowing the good that we ought to do and actually putting it into practice? Here are a few principles to keep in mind:
1. Prayer is a responsibility AND a privilege. (Matthew 6:5-13)
Jesus didn't say "if you pray," but "when you pray." While spending time in prayer requires a sustained commitment and produces some real challenges, it's also important to avoid viewing prayer as merely a responsibility to be met. Jesus invited us to hold conversation with God. there can be no higher privilege than entering His Presence.
2. God hears us. (Psalm 34:15-18)
Our prayers don't just bounce off the ceiling. God listens because He cares. And this compassion leads to powerful acts on our behalf when we seek Him in prayer.
3. Consistent prayer requires commitment. (Colossians 4:2; 1 Peter 5:8)
The commitment to prayer is a spiritual battle that requires devotion.
4. We need prayer now,, more than ever. (1 Peter 4:7)
Jesus is coming soon! Recognize the urgency of personal prayer. Refocus your attention on God's kingdom...

We had a special guest with us yesterday...the well-known Christian Author, Phillip Yancey! Ok, so he wasn't there in the flesh, but the dvd clip was inspiring. My favorite thought that was shared is that prayer is really A VACATION WITH JESUS!
I am thankful for the prayer resources provided by the Assemblies of God National Prayer Center...I will be sharing them throughout this sermon series...(Week Of Prayer, Called to Pray)
I hope you will use the bookmarks and such as you START THE NEW YEAR RIGHT...

Prayer: Starting The New Year Right

I hope you got your postcard...if not, we need your address...I'm believing for some NEW YEAR MIRACLES...That's what happens when God's people pray!

Thanks for the blog help!

Tom and Ruth Vallo sent me some photos from our special Christmas Service...Cindy Dara sent me a photo from the youth Christmas party...Melisma gave me a dvd clip from the uth party but I wasn't able to get it on my blog, I think it was too large...It's hard to believe the holidays are already over, they came and went so fast...

West Christmas Card 2008

If you didn't receive one that means we need your address...

Just shoot me an email...

Nathaniel is Famous!

Holly submitted our Christmas card picture to the Bonnie Hunt show. The picture of Nathaniel and Chewy was actually chosen to be shown on the air last Friday!

Trust In The Lord, Sermon Notes

Closing to our Holiday Trip thru Proverbs, Searching for Wisdom...

Remember where we have been..Life for Dummies, Proverbs 1:7; Living the Lazy Life, Proverbs 10:4; Marriage is a Good Thing, Proverbs 18:22; Spiritual Value of Friendship, Proverbs 13:20; Words at their Best, Proverbs 12:18; Handling Criticism Well, Proverbs 12:1...
If we just look at that list and are not careful, we can think that it is all up to us! But, underneath it all, I need to rely on God! It isn’t just up to me!

Simple message today; Our text today is my favorite passage of Scripture. Memorize it!
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean. not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.” Prov. 3:5-6

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” The Message

1. Trust in the LORD with all your heart

What does it mean to trust?
~Trust always includes unanswered questions!

I talked about Trusting God Anyway and a special I had just watched on CNN by Christiane Amanpour on Genocide...http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/scream.bloody.murder/

“Always trust an unknown future to a known God.” Corrie Ten Boom

“In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.” Ps. 22:4-5

The flowers and the birds. (Mt. 6:25-34). What would Christ say to you? "O you of little faith?”

~Trust is required.
We trust in an invisible God.

“He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.” Prov. 28:26

~Trust is active.
“I choose to trust in you, God.”

~Trust is daily.
When difficulties come our way, we can worry, fret, fear or trust.

2. Lean not on your own understanding

God doesn’t always do things the way that we think they should be done:
~Joshua and Jericho... ~Gideon losing his soldiers...
~Why should I give when I can’t afford it? (economy, media...hoarding isn't Biblical...give and it will be given unto you)
~Deciding that I really do have to forgive that person, even if they really hurt me, if I don't forgive God can't forgive me...

3. In all your ways acknowledge Him

What does it mean to “acknowledge him in all your ways?” The opposite -- To be “un-acknowledged” is to be ignored; to be snubbed.

In ALL your ways. There is nothing in your life that God is unconcerned about!
Not in some of your ways; not in the ways that you can’t figure out for yourself. (everything)

4. And he will make your paths straight

We cannot skip to this result if we have not done steps 1-3.
Your paths will be straight (purposeful); they will not always be easy.

“Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. 7 And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7

“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.” Psalm 125:1

Bell Ringing for the Salvation Army

I have the privilege of being a volunteer bell-ringer for the salvation army again this year at Fred Meyer in Grants Pass. If you wish to help out, give me a call or shoot me an email and I'll give you my contact number for Lt. Colin. So, this last Saturday morning I got to visit some "old friends" while bell-ringing (they just happened to be visiting Freddies that morning). Anyway, they let me take their picts with my bell. IT JUST IS'NT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT LISTENING TO THE DING DONG WHILE SHOPPING!

Christian Life School Christmas Program

Celebrating 30 years of Christian Life School, Mrs. Vicki West (my amazing mama) wrote and directed this Christmas program traveling in time from 2008 to 1978 and back. My favorite part was when Jeremy (the boy who did the time travel) exclaimed, "And Mrs. West was STILL the Music Teacher!"

Coo Coo for Christmas

Pictures from board and staff christmas party, harvest team at the community bazaar, and even some pictures taken for our christmas card...

How to handle Criticism / How to grow in Discipline...Sermon Notes

Holly sent me this email this week:
I can't keep my promise to be a perfect mother - I don't even come close...
I do keep my promise to raise my children in the Word of God.
I knew I was missing the mark just a little when I told my daughter we were going to church to worship God, and she wanted to bring a bar of soap along to "wash up" Jesus, too.
Something was lost in the translation when I explained that God gave us everlasting life, and my son thought it was generous of God to give us his "last wife."
My proudest moment came during the children's Christmas pageant. My daughter was playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my youngest son was a wise man. This was their moment to shine.
My five-year-old shepherd had practiced his line, "We found the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes." But he was nervous and said, "The baby was wrapped in wrinkled clothes."
My four-year-old "mary" said, "that's no 'wrinkled clothes,' silly. That's dirty, rotten clothes."
A wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was stopped by an angel, who bent her halo and lost her left wing.
I slouched a little lower in my seat when Mary dropped the doll representing Baby Jesus, and it bounced down the aisle crying, "mama - mamma."
Mary grabbed the doll wrapped it back up and held it tightly as the wise men arrived. My other son stepped forward wearing a bathrobe and a paper crown, knelt at the manger and announced, "we are the three wise men, and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur."
The congregation dissolved into laughter, and the pageant got a standing ovation...

Continuing sermon series on PROVERBS: Searching for Wisdom

Review -
Life for Dummies, Prov 1:7
Living the Lazy Life, Prov 10:4
Marriage is a good thing, Prov 18:22
Spiritual value of friendship, Prov 13:20
Words at their best, Prov 12:18

George Burns once said, "Too bad that all the people capable of running our country are driving taxis and cutting hair...!"

Indicators of destructive criticism:
1. Personally Focused (attack, pointing finger)
2. Overly General / vague
3. Focuses blame without solution
4. Without best interest of recipient
5. Little or no credibility in dealing with

Action Area: Have I allowed people to criticize without being DEFENSIVE?
(Let God be your defense)

Bill Cosby: "Don't knowkey to success, but I know how to fail...try to please everyone..."

Five questions to ask before giving criticism:
1. Are my hands clean? (Matthew 7:1-5)
2. Is the Lord calling me to give criticism?
(some things are better left unsaid...)
3. Will I confine my comments to the issue and not about the person?
(God never asks us to demean another person...)
4. Will I express criticism in the right spirit?
5. Is this the right time and place? Am I the right person? (Acts 18)

Scripture says: He inhabits the PRAISES of his people (Praising the Lord, Praising one another)... I believe God disappears when things turn critical...

Boyd Powers: The real lesson in receiving criticism is the Appraisal Process. It's not so much the words others say to us, but the significance we give to these comments.

Three questions to ask when faced with criticism:
1. Is it true? (If one person call you a donkey, ignore it but if 5 people tell you, buy a saddle)
2. Am I going to change if it is true? (humble, teachable)
3. Can I maintian a bond with the person bringing the criticism?
(relationships can grow stronger as a result...depends on how constructive)

Dealing with criticism is never easy, but it doesn't have to be a five hundred pound gorilla that eats your lunch!

John Maxwell: two kinds of people...whiners or winners!

We learned in Homebuilders this week...Focus on your own weaknesses and focus on others strengths...life will be much easier...We can never change anyone else (leave that in the Holy Spirit's hands)

PROVERBS 12:1...Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid...

Warning about rejecting God's wisdom
Proverbs 1:20-33

How do I build discipline into my life?
1. DREAM! Don't settle for less than God's best for your life!
2. WAIT! Learn to delay gratification...
(The problems of our economy are linked to a lack of practicing Biblical Stewardship)

3. BEND! Learn to handle correction...
Proverbs 13:18 & 5:11-14
Michael Jordan...If I ever had a problem, my parents never had a problem telling me I had a problem...

4. PLAN! Make important choices AHEAD of time...
Decide now: sexual purity (dont wait until the heat of the moment)
Decide now: Bible reading, diet, exercise, prayer, committment to the local church, gambling, drinking, financial priorities (tithe, offering, savings)

5. CELEBRATE! Notice big AND SMALL victories...
Proverbs 15:15 & 17:22

This week's bulletin: Don't miss all the Christmas FUN!

And don't forget the community Christmas Bazaar at the community center this Saturday...Harvest Team has reserved two tables and worked very hard on all their homemade treasures...
(remember you can "click" on the image to make it large enough to read)

Rogue River Assembly Of God Heroes: Edith Hoggard

It's been awhile since I blogged about the amazing souls that call Rogue River Assembly Of God home...

Edith Hoggard is a very special woman! She listens to the LORD and has a heart to do His Will! Edith is a DOER! She practices what she preaches! A couple years ago she came to me with a heart overflowing with ideas to change the world! She began a ministry which she named HARVEST TEAM. I would never have enough room to blog all their projects...bags filled with necessities for the homeless shelter, quilting and crocheting hats and blankets for the needy...this week they joined the community bazaar: reserved two tables for all their homemade treasures! Thanks Edith for being an example of the vision: EVERYBODY IS A MINISTER, EVERYBODY NEEDS A MINISTRY!

Otters holding hands

Larry Risher just emailed me this!
SO CUTE!
Keep watching even after they break apart...
It's all about Loving God and Loving People and Loving otters!

Words At Their Best

We had the privilege of dedicating little Micah Kingston Barella in yesterday's Celebration Service...

Here's yesterday's sermon notes, continuing our Search for wisdom this Holiday Season...

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Prov.12:18

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Prov.18:21

Words at their best are honest.

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Prov.15:4

A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin. Prov.26:28

John Ortberg: “Impression Management” we want to shade things so that people get the impression we want them to get. Jesus said: “Let your yes be yes, your no be no!” (Mt. 5:37)

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” Eph 4:15

My Pastor, Brent Sorlien taught:
Speaking the truth – even when I don’t feel like it.
Speaking the truth – even when it may cost me something.
Speaking the truth – even if it may be misunderstood.

In his book, Be a People Person, John Maxwell tells this story.
Mr. Myrick had to go to Chicago on business and persuaded his brother to take care of his cat during his absence. Though his brother hated cats, (he was a wise and godly man).
Upon his return, Myrick called from the airport to check on the cat. "Your cat died," the brother reported, then hung up.
Myrick was inconsolable. His grief was magnified by his brother's insensitivity, so he called again to express his pain.
"There was no need for you to be so blunt," he said.
"What was I supposed to say?" asked the perplexed brother.
"You could have broken the news gradually," explained Myrick. "You could have said, 'The cat was playing on the roof.' Then, later in the conversation, you could have said, 'He fell off.' Then you could have said, 'He broke his leg.' Then when I came to pick him up, you could have said, 'I'm so sorry. You're cat passed away during the night.' You've got to learn to be more tactful.
"By the way, how's Mom? After a long pause, the brother replied, "She's playing on the roof."

Words at their best are calm.

A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger. Prov.15:1

Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. Prov.25:15

Words at their best are few.

“If you talk a lot, you are sure to sin; if you are wise, you will keep quiet.” Prov.10:19 (see also 11:12 and 17:27-28).

Perhaps we should talk to God more and talk to people less! Just a thought.

Ask:
Are these words true?
Are these words uplifting?
Are these words necessary?
If they do not pass these three tests, “keep quiet!”

God has given us 2 ears and 1 mouth!

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19-20

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain, and most fools do." Benjamin Franklin

Words at their best are encouraging.

Literally, it means to “put courage into” someone!

The right word spoken at the right time is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl. Prov.25:11

 An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” Prov.12:25

 A man finds joy in giving an apt reply—and how good is a timely word!” Prov.15:23

Barnabas (son of encouragement)
Acts 9:26-31
Acts 15:36-40
2 Tim. 4:1

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Prov.11:25