Christian Fellowship of Winlock
Transcription
Christian Fellowship of Winlock
The Outlook ”All people know that there is a God. And those who refuse to acknowledge Him, according to Romans 1, suppress (“hold down”) the truth about Him. But most people, given the opportunity, will agree that “it just can’t be an accident.” “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:3). So it’s pretty clear that Jesus created “all things.” December 2015 oxen, and the donkey were the products of creative power. Every star in the sky on that amazing night was spoken into its existence by the One wrapped in swaddling cloths. So, using a little imagination re- What should be our default regarding the birth of Christ, we sponse to the Creator/Christ The Scriptures tell us plainly the can look at Jesus the creator in a Child? It is reverence and awe truth about the creation and worship. It is bowof the universe. “In the ing our hearts before beginning God created Him. It is surrendering the heavens and the our lives to Him. It is earth” (Genesis 1:1). We responding in wholelearn from the New Teshearted obedience to tament that Christ creHis authority. ated everything. By Christ “all things were “Come, let us bow created: things in heaven down in worship, let us and on earth, visible and kneel before the LORD invisible, whether our Maker; for he is our thrones or powers or rulGod and we are the ers or authorities; all people of his pasture, things were created by the flock under his him and for him. He is care.” Psalm 95:6-7 before all things, and in him all things hold to“Know that the LORD gether (Col. 1:16-17). “God, after new way. Every character in the is God. It is he who made us, and He spoke long ago to the fathers story, Caesar Augustus, Quirin- we are his; we are his people, the in the prophets in many portions ius, Herod, Joseph, Mary, the inn- sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3 and in many way, in these last keeper, the shepherds, the Magi, days has spoken to us in His Son, the angel of the Lord, and the May this be the reality in our whom He appointed heir of all heavenly host, were made by this hearts this Christmas season. things, through whom also He Jesus in the manger. Every animade the world” (Hebrews 1:1-2). mal in the stable, the sheep, the PT Christian Fellowship of Winlock PO Box 537 630 Cemetery Road Winlock, WA 98596 Phone: 360-785-4280 [email protected] Monday—Thursday 9:00am—2:00pm www.cfwinlock.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8 oz Styrofoam Cups Napkins Coffee Stir Sticks Toilet Paper Disposable Gloves Soft Soap Tin Foil ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dessert-size Disposable Bowls ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you for the donations! We appreciate your faithfulness in meeting our church needs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After Service POTLUCK No Potluck due to Christmas Pastor Terry’s sermons are now available online, on our website at: http://cfwinlock.org Upcoming Sermons: December 6 Christ in the Old Testament December 13 Christ in Old Testament Prophecy December 20 The Incarnation of the Son of God December 24 The Twelve Words of Christmas 2015-2016 Budget Year Totals (FY begins September 1) General Tithing General Expenses $43,839.43 $48,341.09 November 2015 Income $16,492.16 Expenses $15,350.41 Construction Loan Balance $0.00 !!! December 2015 ~ The Outlook ~ Page 2 Coming Up in... Erica Marquina Bob Allen Romeo Allen Wayne Workman Wm Vazquez-Hessman Ron Wright Joshua Smith Linda Green Martin Legg Dennis Schlenker Andy Fontenot Virginia Thompson Ian Perry Rod Crocker Talia Smith Julie Tupper Kay Doyle Virginia Cook 2 3 5 5 7 7 10 11 11 11 12 12 13 16 22 28 29 31 Church Business Meeting Tuesday, January 26—details will be coming AWANA Continues Each Thursday evening—6-8pm Tuesdays Ladies Bible Study Christmas break begins November 24, 2015 and goes through January 11, 2016 Sunday, January 17 3:00 pm Missions Committee Meeting Fridays 7-8:30 pm Recovery in Christ—Closed Group in Progress Elder’s Meetings 7-9:00 pm Monday, January 11 Mr & Mrs Harold Vice Mr & Mrs Terry Sundberg Mr & Mrs Rusty Cox 51 years 39 years 39 years December 2015 ~ The Outlook ~ Page 3 December will be a short month for AWANA’s. We will only have two weeks of AWANA’s this month—December 3 and December 10th. We are planning on having the AWANA Store open on December 10th! We have placed our supply order and we are hoping to hand out uniform vests to the Cubbies on December 10th as well! We will resume AWANA’s on Thursday, January 7th! Attendance Quarters: Oct. 8—Nov. 12 Nov. 19—Jan. 21 Jan. 28—Mar. 3 Mar. 10—Apr. 21 AWANA has completed the 1st quarter (6 Weeks) of attendance! Please take time to congratulate the following children for their Perfect Attendance record! Cubbies: Trystan Curtis, Lily Fleming and Ross Harambasic Sparks: Aaliyah Fleming, Lacey Harambasic, Elias Trotter, Asher Smith, Eli Smith, Bella Legg, Sofi Legg and Cassidy Miller. T&T Girls: Leila Trotter, Alexa Spalding, Trinity Oakley and Laila Fleming T&T Boys: Todd Windham and Caleb Smith Upcoming Events: 4 Weeks ! Please be saving your pennies! December 2015 ~ The Outlook ~ Page 4 We All Like Figgy Pudding Aaaahhh the holidays! It is the most wonderful time of the year, or so I’ve heard. I have always loved Christmas; the decorations, the smells—even in my house as a child because we would usually get a live Christmas tree. Then we moved to Europe and I found out that Germany shared my love of Christmas. I have special memories of walking around cities at what they called Christkindlemarkts. It usually involved walking around outside in sub-zero temperatures. This would eventually trick your mind into thinking that $1 for a Dixie cup of hot chocolate was a good deal. But each town usually had a gimmick that was special for their Christmas Market. One of the last ones we went to had a live nativity—including a camel! It was odd to see a post-Christian country go through the kind of effort and imagination over a day that most of them did not personally celebrate as a Christian Holy Day! Now we are home. In some ways America is just as depressing about Christmas, but instead of looking When the Well Runs Dry like they are celebrating Christmas while not letting it touch their souls, we make it almost exclusively about commercialism. In contrast to that, the thing that I have found most special, and that I hope my kids will also find most special, is the commemoration of the important day of God coming near in the form of a baby. My girls are excited about the decorating and the smells and the sounds and the gifts of course, but they are quick to remind others and to also remember with their mom and I that Jesus is the reason for the season. I hope for you and for the students I have contact with this year, and for my family, that we all can together avoid either of the mistakes cited above. Let us not be like a German city that looks like it is doing religious things for Christ, but has a cold heart, and let us also not be like our country that has turned to material things to fill the meaning of the season, but is equally dead in its heart. Instead our focus is on the Christ and we can say together as a people of faith, “Come Lord Jesus, come.” -aj the soldiers. Think of the bloody battles fought within a day’s march of a beautiful oasis. “For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who As I consider this, I see that all along my “divining rod” languishes." --Jeremiah 31:25 for refreshing sits right in front of me – the Word of God. Les here – I recall a conversation I had with Kay during But I was in the Word daily last week, so what was going one of our devotions some time ago. I was still working at on? Well (no pun intended), I need to allow myself to be the Rescue Mission then and discussing how difficult my taught by the Holy Spirit how to “rest”; how to indulge last week had seemed at the New Life Program for addic- silence; how to quiet my spirit; how to reflect; how to tion recovery. Challenge after challenge; struggling with meditate on the things of God. My exertion and pursuit of these disciplines causes me to wander myself; fatigue; pressing in; searching; aimlessly at times. I can go for a while, grasping; trying to rally; the list could but the gas runs out quicker than I realgo on for quite a while. I explained to ize. Kay that I needed to post a recovery blog last week to stay on-schedule, and So my answer seems to be right in front no matter how hard I tried I had no of me. It is God’s Holy Word. It is felinspired word to share. My well was lowship with my wife who knows me dry. Kay said, “Well, why don’t you better than I myself. It is church fellowship. It is the respeak to that?” One of the myriad reasons I love her… covery group I am involved in. And it is trust in the Lord So, what about those times when our well seems dry? and His promises. But sometimes I get in the way and Since the beginning of time people have explored, trav- just don’t get it. So, let me be still now and allow… elled, and settled communities based upon the land and an available water source – where the wells are. Military “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am campaigns, particularly in desert and arid regions, have gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your been planned around the availability of refreshment for souls.” --Matthew 11: 29 December 2015 ~ The Outlook ~ Page 5