Vineyard Brunch this Saturday

10:00 a.m. Feb. 6 @ Caffe Tazza
Come join us for some Delicious Java and Great Conversation
If you need directions or details please call Karen @903-926-1235

Two Night Seminar for Parents

Winning the Heart of Your Child

Presented by Heritage School

Monday, January 25 - 7:00 pm : "How to Cultivate Love of Home and Family"

Tuesday, January 26 - 7:00pm : "How to (not) Provoke Your Children to Wrath"

Guest Speaker : Katherine Dang

Location: Pleasant Retreat United Methodist Church

417 County Road 1143

Tyler, TX 75704

Cost: no charge (love offering)

For more info. call: Ricardo Molina 903-593-2702

Sunday Recap - January 17, 2010

Better...Worship

"You (God) created everything , and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created." Rev. 4:11b (NLT)

We worship God because He's WORTH IT.

Humans need transcendence.

Our culture has no trouble worshiping things that are infinitely less worthy than God.

When I worship, I DIRECT my MIND toward God.

This is "focused attention" and we control it.

We are humbled yet filled with confidence.

We move out of the Eeor mentality into Winnie the Poo attitude. :-)

When I worship I tell God I LOVE HIM.

God make us so we could have someone to sing to. He sings to us. The greatest song, he sang to us from the cross. When we worship, we sing the song back to Him.

When I worship I SHOW God I love Him.

Worship is something we do and something we are.

Remember Brother Lawrence in "Practicing the Presence of God" washed dishes as an act of worship. (doing little things with great love)

When I worship I love God with my HEART.

Do something to the glory of God this week. (even something as ordinary as organizing your closet :-) ... So that when people see us they thing that God must be a good God to make/ remake someone like that!

P S A L M 16

1 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."
3 As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.
5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Sunday Recap 1-10-10

Better...life

1. Let's get a life - purpose.

2. It's time for a reality check.

3. Leading indicators of a wonderful life...

Faith is spelled R I S K

To live in faith it takes...

1. Challenge

2. Focus

3. Action

Hope embraces creative suffering.

Love - inhale his mercy, exhale his love.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love 1 Corinthians 13:13

Sunday Recap - January 3

BETTER

How to Think Better this Year

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 2 Cor. 4:8,9 NLT

1. When things look depressing, think about God's G O O D N E S S.

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD, in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:13,14 NASB

How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which you have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men! Psalm 31:19 NASB

2. When things look defeating, think about God's G R E A T N E S S.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!Psalm 147:5 NLT
But I pray to you, Lord, for favor. God, because of your great love, answer me. You are truly able to save. Do not let the flood drown me or the deep water swallow me or the grave close its mouth over me. Psalm 69:13,15 NCV

3. When things look dark, Think about God's C L O S E N E S S.

Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. They themselves will be wealthy, and their good deeds will last forever. Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. Psalm 112:1-8 NLT

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.Psalm 34:18 NLT

But God's mercy is great, and he loved us very much. Though we were spiritually dead

because of the things we did against God, he gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God's grace. And he raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with him in the heavens. He did this for those in Christ Jesus so that for all future time he could show the very great

riches of his grace by being kind to us in Christ Jesus.I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.Ephesians 2:4-8 NCV

Sunday Recap - Dec.13

Help, I Want My Life Back!

Eighth Choice - Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, by both my example and my words.

What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.

2 Corinthians 5:19 CEV

I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace! Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. 4He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with others in trouble.

2 Corinthians 1:2-4 CEV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

I can share with others...

1. How my pain got my attention.

2. What I've learned in the process.

3. How good can come of my life.

4. How Jesus gives me hope.

All of the choices in this series, from "Celebrate Recovery,"

when viewed together spell R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y !!

1st Choice: Realize that I am not God. I need help, that I'm powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.
2nd Choice: Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has power to help me recover.
3rd Choice: Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control.
4th Choice: I Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.
5th Choice: Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.
6th Choice: Evaluate my relationships, offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for the harm I've done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.
7th Choice: Reserve time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow Him.

8th Choice: Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, by both my example and my words.

Vineyard Christmas Party

THIS EVENING @ 6:00 @ Brian Childress' Faimily Retreat in Lindale
What to bring:
1. Your favorite Whit Elephant gifts (remember those socks you got from aunt Edna...)
2. If you have kids, a $5. gift for the Kids Gift Exchange (nothing fancy, just fun:
3. Your favorite Holiday Party Dishes
Directions from Tyler:
Take Hwy 69 North to LIndale. Pass Hwy 16 and continue North on 69 for 1 mile. On your right, take FM 1804 (Hoard Road). Go 3 miles and look for the "Vineyard Party" sign on your right.

Sunday Recap Dec. 6

HELP, I WANT MY LIFE BACK!! 7th CHOICE

First Choice: I admit I need help, that I'm powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.

Second Choice: Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has power to help me recover.

Third Choice: consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control.

Fourth Choice: I openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.

Fifth Choice: Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.

Sixth Choice: Evaluate my relationships, offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for the harm I've done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.

Seventh Choice: Reserve time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow Him.

Relapses happen during times of complacency, confusion, compormise, catastrophy.

Relapses happen when...

1. I revert to my own will power

2. I ignore one of the steps

3. I try to do it all by myself

4. I think I've arrived.

Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Gal. 3:3

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. Zech. 4:6 NIV

Preventive Maintenance -

1. Keep doing checkups- physically, emotionally, relationally (peace with others)

2. Slow down to know God

3. Prayer

Sunday Recap Nov. 29

Help, I want my life back!

(Please see Choices 1-5 below)

6th Choice Evaluate my relationships, offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for the harm I've done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.

( The previous choices are more vertical between us and God. This choice is more horizontal, between us and others. With this one we walk it out, put feet to it, and make some corrections.)

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31, 32 NIV

Forgive because...
1. God has forgiven me (I'll never have to forgive anyone else more than God has forgiven me.)
2. Resentment will ruin me. (Resentment doesn't work and makes me do stupid things. Resentment blocks us from feeling God's love in our lives. I'm not going to give them the pleasure of making me resentful.)
3. I'll need forgiveness in the future, (again and again!)

Face it....
1. Ignoring a hurt doesn't make it go away.
2. Get it out & confess it.
3. Release that person - Release it to God & let him take care of it because He is a just judge.


Making amends...
1. Make a list.
2. Think how I'd like others to make amends with me .

Important: Make amends at the right time & the right place. (Is it appropriate? Don't dredge up a hurtful memory.)