NO DARKNESS IN GOD…
John reminds us that there is no darkness in God. Jesus is the LIGHT who came into the world to dispel darkness. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we become light to the world. (Remember the sermon on the mount. Jesus says we are the light and not to hide our light) John says that if we claim to have fellowship with God and continue to walk in darkness we LIE. Light and dark can’t cohabit together. So what are the three keys to walking in the light according to John? That is what we are going to look at today. We will be able to discern if we are truly walking in the light or not.
AS A PASTOR…
I can get discouraged when I believe that God wants to do far more in and through Set Free than I believe we are allowing Him to do. I see the enemy working hard at discouraging our people. He is working hard at stealing their passion for God. He is working hard at sharing his lies that lead people to depression and discouragement. He is working hard at putting people into an apathetic state. I can understand when God says in Revelation 3 that He’d rather us be hot or cold. Lukewarm Christians don’t make an impact on the world. Rather the world and God wants to spit us out.
SO 2011 WAS A TOUGH YEAR…
let’s make up our minds to remember who our God is and who we are! We are His children and He can do anything! He can remake us. He can restore us. He can fill us with His enthusiasm and His passion. Jesus said that those who “Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness” will be filled. Hungry and thirsty people are passionate. I hunger for more than ever before. Do you too? Shall we decide together that we will not allow ourselves to be lukewarm at all? Will be choose to be lights for His Kingdom? I say YES!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT WORSHIP AND CLASSES…
we had about 15 people come this last week, but between two churches there should be standing room only! Calling all hungry and thirsty people! Come this week and join Debi’s class on becoming an incredible woman of God and help meet to your husband. It is a hard decision, but the right decision. Or join with Pastor Harold and me to discover the “Secrets of the Vine” from John 15. God’s plan is for ALL of us to bear much fruit. If it isn’t happening then something is wrong. Maybe you are in a pruning season. This is vital information. And then for others the prayer time with Diane is very important. Read Mark 11:24. Starts at 6:30 pm. I will be here. What about you?
CARING OPPORTUNITIES…
please take some time to write an encouragement card for someone the Lord tells you to bless. He uses all of us to touch others.
THE CHRISTIAN JOURNAL…
my plan is to go to press this week with our December issue. Topic is “Provision.” God promises to provide for His righteous people. He tells us to be generous. He tells us we reap what we sow. All good information. We need about $325 more to cover our expenses. I believe God has it on the way! Back in January I didn’t know how we would survive this year for The Christian Journal. It has been a month-by-month faith journey. We have almost arrived at the finish line for 2011!
GOD’S FOOD PANTRY…
we continue to have a full house here each Tuesday. Our staff is doing a great job serving people and finding the resources we need each week. Tina gets food from ACCESS, Northwest Seasonal Workers, White’s Farm, St. Vincent De Paul and other places. We get personal donations from people. We had a homeless man stop by with a bag the other day. We get cash donations and somehow it all comes together. We are still about $1,000 behind. Any help right now is really appreciated. In January we begin working off the grant from the West Family Foundation to purchase food. That will be $400 a month and will cover most of our expenses. Some people comment how much we give away to each family. Tina’s vision is to give them enough for a week if possible. People are so grateful.
CELEBRATE RECOVERY…
best kept secret in town. After nearly 14 years most people don’t know about this Christian option for people seeking help in their lifestyle change from obsessive compulsive behavior. That includes alcohol, drugs, gambling, food addictions, sexual addictions, codependency issues, workaholism, perfectionism and more. The information shared each Thursday night applies to anyone listening. It is upbeat, positive and encouraging. Great testimonies this last Thursday night. I love to see some Rogue Retreat residents coming. Just seems like a service that I’m proud we can provide. Can you help us? It is a ministry you can get involved in by just coming!
ROGUE RETREAT…
Yesterday we accepted three more people into the program. One single woman with two children, another single mother with one child and pregnant with another and a man off the streets of Ashland. Harold talks about the wonderful gift that Rogue Retreat is to those accepted. It is as dream come true to so many. I had a call this week from a past participant who is now in Oklahoma. She shared with me how upset she had become at us for the rules when she left, but now she has refound the Lord and clearly knows that her being upset was about her, not us. She is coming back soon and wants to come to our Monday night life skills class to talk to the current participants to help them learn from her mistakes! She wants them to know how wonderful our program really is. Wow. Reminds me of the lady who died recently sharing how her two years at Rogue Retreat were the best years of her life.
BOOK STORE…
there are some good gift ideas for Christmas. Check them out today, but they may not be there tomorrow. Limited supply.
SOZO MINISTRY…
we have a great team of people ready to do these sessions, but they are waiting for those who want to go through one. By appointment only. Check out setfreesozo.com for more information.
HOMELESS BAGS…
our youth department wants to put together more bags to hand out. Needing more donations to help cover expenses. Need about $50 for ten bags. The ministry in Ashland is also asking for our help again this year to provide winter socks, gloves, hats and more.
ENCOURAGEMENT “Pop Open” CARDS…
we have received our new cards without the Set Free logo on the back and with some new promises inside to replace some of the old ones that were not as good as we’d like. We also have Christmas cards without the logos. We received an order this week for 2,000 Spanish cards. We plan on having them by January.
NEW YEARS EVE PARTY (2) …
I’d love to have another New Year’s Eve party for both churches, Celebrate Recovery and Rogue Retreat. Just need a bigger place to have it. Any ideas? Our people need some good clean fun and fellowship as they begin a new year. Help me with this.
