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In this Issue Letter from Pastor Things Worth Considering Changed Lives Marriage Conference Valentine’s Day Ideas Monthly Events · Marriage
Conference, Feb. 9&10. · Men’s
Fellowship Group “Men of Faith,” at 9am on Saturdays through Feb 24. · Please
share your musical gifts! Contact
Nikki Wijnans for information about special music. · Ladies
Bible study on Deuteronomy: More Grace, More Love will start on Tuesday, Feb
13 at 6:30pm or Wednesday, Feb 14th at 9:30am. February Birthdays •
Nicholas Lee, Feb 7 •
Skye Duncan, Feb 20 •
Rosabeth Nelson, Feb 21 New Directory Photos Go to the resources page on the website and click
directory. The password is family. |
Wise Counselors on the Journey I
certainly haven’t arrived. Much
progress has been made but there is so much more room for growth. And in no area of my life is that more
evident than my calling as a husband.
Think with me here. Is marriage
really an area we can ever say we’ve mastered? Hardly.
Is there not always ample reason to sit and to listen, to be
challenged and encouraged, broken and remade?
Absolutely. The
Lord, in His mercy, has brought many wise counselors into my life – some with
their presence, others through their writings. Let me introduce you to a few. Bryan
Chapell, Each for the Other
– Ken
Sande, Peacemaking for
Families – Ken is the President of Peacemaker Ministries, a ministry I
have learned much through over the last several years. Here he takes the biblical principles of
conflict resolution from his other works and applies them to the realm of
marriage and the larger family.
“Blessed are the peacemakers,” Jesus said. How do we become that in sphere of family
life? Gary
Thomas, Sacred Marriage –
The one of which I’ve said, “If I could have written a book on marriage, this
would have been it. Only this is
better.” Dan
Allender and Tremper Longman, Intimate
Allies – The one I’m reading now.
What does it mean for a husband and a wife to be “one flesh”? This is a beautiful exploration of the
divine design as described in the earliest chapters of Genesis, traced out
over the pages of the rest of the Scriptures.
There really is something greater which God has in mind for us. And it’s worth pursuing. Now
these are all good. But there is
nothing like a “live” experience in the company of others to impress
significant things upon the soul.
Which is one of many reasons why I’m looking forward to our Marriage
Conference (2/9-11). I have a feeling
it’s going to prove to have as meaningful an impact as these books continue
to have. I hope to see you there.
“Things
worth considering…” “God
designed us to know life’s greatest fulfillment through losing ourselves in
the service of purposes higher than self-satisfaction. When a marriage is built on the premise
that one person may find happiness by using another, the deepest passions God
has placed in hearts in which his Spirit lives are ignored. Jesus said, ‘If anyone wants to be first,
he must be…the servant of all’ (Mark 9:35), and he did not add a footnote
saying, “except in your home.” We
discover the happiness God intends for our lives only when we use for the
good of another the strengths, resources, and privileges God has given
us. By exercising the kind of
sacrificial love Christ exhibited, we begin to understand the nature of God’s
care.” -
Bryan Chapell, Each for the Other “When
faced with conflict, we tend to focus passionately on what our opponent has
done wrong or should do to make things right.
In contrast, God always calls us to focus on what is going on in our
own hearts when we are at odds with others.
Why? Because our heart is the
wellspring of all our thoughts, words, and actions, and therefore the source
of our conflicts.” -
Ken Sande, Peacemaking for Families “To
spiritually benefit from marriage, we have to be honest. We have to look at our disappointments, own
up to our ugly attitudes, and confront our selfishness. We also have to rid ourselves of the notion
that the difficulties of marriage can be overcome if we simply pray harder or
learn a few simple principles. Most of
us have discovered that these ‘simple steps’ work only on a superficial
level. Why is this? Because there’s a deeper question that
needs to be addressed beyond how we can ‘improve’ our marriage: What if God didn’t design marriage to be
‘easier’? What if God had an end in
mind that went beyond our happiness, our comfort, and our desire to be
infatuated and happy as if the world were a perfect place?” -
Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage “Marriage
is the soil for growing glory. We must
see our spouses in light of what they are meant to become, without turning
bitter or complacent about who they are.
Marriage requires a radical commitment to love our spouses as they
are, while longing for them to become what they are not yet. Every marriage moves either toward
enhancing one another’s glory or towards degrading each other.” -
Dan Allender and Tremper Longman, Intimate Allies
Marriage Conference We
have had several questions in regards to the format of the conference. Here is the schedule. Friday Night 6:15 pm Doors Open 6:30 pm Opening
Entertainment by Kevin Twitt 6:45 pm Speaker Session
1 7:15 pm Break 7:30 pm Speaker Session
2 8:00 pm Closing Prayer
and invitation to go for prayer in Prayer Room Saturday 8:30 am Doors Open 9:00 am Speaker Session
One 10-10:15am Break 10:15-11:00am Discussion
Groups (Questions will be provided beforehand and
the groups will be facilitated) 11:00-12 pm Speaker
Session Two 12-1:30 pm Lunch (on
your own) 1:30-2:15 Break Out Session
One (Panel discussion) 2:30-3:15 Break Out
Session Two (Biblical Conflict Resolution) 3:15-3:45 Application by
Keynote Speaker, 4:00 Prayer and cleanup Sunday 9:30 am Discussion with Keynote Speaker (Richard
asking Speaker questions that have been gathered throughout the weekend). Richard
made a comment that the church used to have a lot of OBGYN’s but now we have
a lot of Mental Health Professionals.
Many of them will be participating through out the weekend. We
will also have a prayer room available for people to either pray silently or
to pray with someone (elder or deacon). Also, thanks to the hard work of
Lynda Hall and Amy Soto we will be able to provide free childcare for those
that register. Please
invite your friends and consider joining us!
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Valentine’s Day Ideas Carolyn Boyer 1.
Surprise
your spouse with an Romantic evening after the marriage conference! 2.
Reserve a
room at the Hermitage Hotel in 3.
Relax with a
Couples Massage at 4.
Enjoy an adventuresome dinner at Tandoor Indian Restaurant. You can view their menu at
www.tandoorclarksville.com. If you
have never had Indian food, try the Chicken Tandoori. It is grilled marinated
chicken and make sure you include an order of Naan (Indian bread). For those more adventurous try Chicken
Tikka Masala (spicy red sauce) with Palak Paneer (spinach with cheese). 5.
Try an evening in 6.
Take the family eagle watching at Land Between the Lakes
(www.lbl.org). Because of the early
cold weather up north, LBL has many eagles living there this winter. The park rangers will take stop at 3
locations to view the eagles for $5 a person.
Dave and I saw over 20 eagles!
And then enjoy a dinner at Patti’s Settlement (www.pattis-settlement.com). If you wish to be removed from the newsletter list,
please email carolyn.boyer@comcast.net. |
