1 I NSIDE THIS ISSUE : PASTOR’S ARTICLE 1 - 2 SMALL GROUPS 3 DEACON’S ARTICLE 4 - 5 SUNDAY SCHOOL 6 YOUTH 7 BIRTHDAYS AND PRAYER REQUESTS 8 LENT STUDY GROUPS 9 FAMILY PROMISE 10 AMAZON SMILE 11 UPCOMING DATES: 3/1 SJPK CIRCUS 3/2 STEPHEN MINISTRI ES 3/6 ASH WEDNESDAY/ LENT BEGINS 3/10 FAMILY PROMISE TRAINING 3/21 S.W.A.T. EVENT 3/30 DEACONS’ LUNCHEON 3/31 LIVING WATERS SANDWICH FUNDRAISER CONNECT . . . With Christ, Church & Community! Pray and Do Not Give Up! Then Jesus told his disciples a par- able to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (Luke 18:1 NIV) Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Co- rinthians. 4:16-17 NIV) This is our year of prayer. I hope that you are joining us by praying on a daily basis. Of all the things than can alter our direction, heart, and relationship with God and each other is the consistent practice of prayer. Yet, we are now 60 days into the year and our emphasis on prayer is being challenged by all of the other things in our lives. We may have missed a few days and so it seems easier not to be bothered any more. We just give up because it is easy. The voice within us says, “Well you have not really seen any genuine results of this prayer thing. So why bother with anymore?” There are many other ways that the enemy of our spiritual life, Satan, seeks to keep us from the power and growth of practicing prayer. These two scriptures are connected to one another by a word which means “not to give up,” or “lose heart.” The word literally means to “act badly”. When it is used of a warrior on the battle field, it is a case of cowardliness. All of us, as we encounter life’s circum- stances or relationships, experience a desire to give up. We lose heart and courage for the challenge ahead of us. How easy it is for us to do! At times, it does not even have to be something difficult. We need strat- egies to help us avoid giving up when we lose our energy and giving up becomes the easier path. Let’s look at some strategies for renewing our energy and our effort for prayer. Try to keep a regular schedule. This sounds so basic but it is a simple but effective strategy. “If we fail to plan, then we are plan- ning to fail.” This is the reality of trying to keep a schedule for prayer. I have time set aside in my day to pray. Does it always work? No, but every plan has to be adjusted. This brings us to the next point. If you mess up, don’t give up. If you happen not to pray for a day, a week, or if you haven’t even started, don’t let this become the reason for not praying on a daily basis. Any time we take up a new challenge, whether it be exercising, quit smoking, losing weight, or praying daily, we are going to have that moment when we mess up! Don’t let this be the excuse to give up! Studies have been done on peo- ple who were trying to stop smok- ing. The primary difference be- tween the people who stopped and those who didn’t was simple. Most everyone in the study fell off of the wagon and smoked a cigarette at some point, but the ones who even- tually stopped did not give up! They (Continued on page 2)
Transcript
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
PASTOR’S ARTICLE 1-2SMALL GROUPS 3
DEACON’S ARTICLE 4-5SUNDAY SCHOOL 6
YOUTH 7BIRTHDAYS AND PRAYER
REQUESTS 8LENT STUDY GROUPS 9
FAMILY PROMISE 10AMAZON SMILE 11
UPCOMING DATES:3/1 SJPK CIRCUS
3/2 STEPHEN MINISTRIES
3/6 ASH WEDNESDAY/
LENT BEGINS
3/10 FAMILY PROMISE
TRAINING
3/21 S.W.A.T. EVENT
3/30 DEACONS’
LUNCHEON
3/31 LIVING WATERS
SANDWICH FUNDRAISER
CONNECT . . .With Christ,Church &
Community!
Pray and Do NotGive Up!
Then Jesus told his disciples a par-able to show them that they shouldalways pray and not give up. (Luke18:1 NIV)
Therefore, we do not lose heart.Though outwardly we are wastingaway, yet inwardly we are beingrenewed day by day. 17 For ourlight and momentary troubles areachieving for us an eternal glorythat far outweighs them all. (2 Co-rinthians. 4:16-17 NIV)
This is our year of prayer. I hope
that you are joining us by prayingon a daily basis. Of all the thingsthan can alter our direction, heart,and relationship with God and eachother is the consistent practice ofprayer. Yet, we are now 60 daysinto the year and our emphasis onprayer is being challenged by all ofthe other things in our lives. Wemay have missed a few days and soit seems easier not to be botheredany more. We just give up becauseit is easy. The voice within us says,“Well you have not really seen anygenuine results of this prayer thing.So why bother with anymore?”There are many other ways that theenemy of our spiritual life, Satan,seeks to keep us from the power andgrowth of practicing prayer.
These two scriptures areconnected to one another by a wordwhich means “not to give up,” or“lose heart.” The word literallymeans to “act badly”. When it is
used of a warrior on the battle field,it is a case of cowardliness. All ofus, as we encounter life’s circum-stances or relationships, experiencea desire to give up. We lose heartand courage for the challenge aheadof us. How easy it is for us to do! Attimes, it does not even have to besomething difficult. We need strat-egies to help us avoid giving upwhen we lose our energy and givingup becomes the easier path. Let’slook at some strategies for renewingour energy and our effort for prayer.
Try to keep a regularschedule. This sounds so basic butit is a simple but effective strategy.“If we fail to plan, then we are plan-ning to fail.” This is the reality oftrying to keep a schedule for prayer.I have time set aside in my day topray. Does it always work? No, butevery plan has to be adjusted. Thisbrings us to the next point.
If you mess up, don’tgive up. If you happen not to prayfor a day, a week, or if you haven’teven started, don’t let this becomethe reason for not praying on a dailybasis. Any time we take up a newchallenge, whether it be exercising,quit smoking, losing weight, orpraying daily, we are going to havethat moment when we mess up!Don’t let this be the excuse to giveup! Studies have been done on peo-ple who were trying to stop smok-ing. The primary difference be-tween the people who stopped andthose who didn’t was simple. Mosteveryone in the study fell off of thewagon and smoked a cigarette atsome point, but the ones who even-tually stopped did not give up! They
(Continued on page 2)
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did not use their moment of lapse as an excuse to giveup! They renewed their efforts to stop.
Keep a prayer list. Pray specifically andkeep a list of the people and things for which you arepraying. You will be amazed how God answers prayer.It gives you an ongoing realization that you are havingan impact through the practice of prayer.
Celebrate the answers to prayer. Actual-ly, keeping a list helps us to celebrate God’s answer toprayer. Unless we take time to pray specifically andkeep a list, we will not have as many occasions to cele-brate the answer to prayer. Celebrate the answer bydoing a couple of things: First, offer thanks and praiseto God for the answer. This helps to build an attitudeof thankfulness in our hearts and lives. Secondly sharethe answer to prayer with others to encourage them.We all need encouragement and an answer to a prayerencourages others to acknowledge God’s work andpower.
Realize that God’s calls us be faithful.Our goal in prayer has to be for the long term not theshort term. We cannot just focus on the immediateanswers we receive and then stop praying for thethings that have not happened. The goal of prayer hasto be transformed from just getting “what we want” toseeking to please God. This is a difficult transition formany people. It is easy to pray when we feel we aregetting the results, but what about when the result dryup? God wants to teach us in the difficult times totrust God and not our feelings. This is the parable ofthe Unjust Judge. God will respond. It may not be inour time table but don’t give up, learn to trust that Godis with us and God is able. We only learn this throughexperience.
Ask for God’s help. "So I say to you: Askand it will be given to you; seek and you will find;knock and the door will be opened to you. For every-one who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and tothe one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke11:9-10 NIV) We struggle to follow the words of Jesus.This is probably the most important strategy. Paul in 2Corinthians tells us that there is a possibility for in-ward renewal even when the outward strength is fail-ing. The inward renewal happens even in the face ofoutwardly deteriorating circumstances, because it is
based on God’s strength and not ours.
During one of most difficult times in my minis-try, I was riding my bicycle through the countrysidesurrounding Florence, Alabama with a couple offriends. They were triathletes and my running part-ners, so they convinced me to ride with them. It was aspring Saturday morning as we were riding down onecountry road a thunderstorm was approaching quickly.The circumstances I was facing, the turmoil the churchwas enduring, and the realization that I could not havethe strength to fix the things before me, all weightedheavily upon my heart. I had been asking for God’shelp in prayer. The approaching storm on this morn-ing was a symbol of my life and I was riding right for it.The thunder grew louder and the lightning was becom-ing more intense. It was clear that we needed to stop.A church appeared over the next rise of the road. Itwas a small country church, and several ladies werethere getting ready for a Sunday celebration. We askedif we could wait inside until the storm passed. Theywere so very gracious to us. The storm was intense butit moved quickly, and soon we were on our way home.
I will never forget the moment that we cameover the rise and saw this church. All the dread, fear,and uncertainty faded away and to my amazementthere was now peace, hope, and energy for the chal-lenge ahead. Even though outwardly very little hadchanged, inwardly there was now the strength that on-ly God could give. As I would talk about this, somepeople would try to convince me that is was a chemicalreaction to the exercise. I had run thousands of miles,but I had never experienced something like this and Ihaven't since. It was an answer to prayer. I was downto nothing but God was truly up to something! Don’tgive up! God is always up to something in our lives.Amen!
In Christ,
(Continued from page 1)
Pray and Do Not Give Up
MARCH 6
6:00 PM
Childcare willbe provided!
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MEN’S GROUP: Wednesday, @6:00AM at Maple Street in Murray Hill Thegroup is reading “Pilgrim’s Progress” by
John Bunyan. The study is 20 weekslong. Please contact Trip Stanly at (904)866-2118 or [email protected] for
more information.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: 10:00AM in the Fellowship Hall. They are
studying John Macarthur's “The Spreadof the Gospel” focusing on Acts. Contact
MEN’S PRAYER BREAKFAST :Tuesday, @7:00 AM in the Fellowship
Hall. They meet every second Tuesday ofthe month. Contact John Otterson at [email protected] for more information.LUNCH BUNCH: 2nd Sunday of themonth, 11:30 AM @ various locations.
Contact Katie Marple at 904-384-1382 formore information.
SJPC MOMS: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM inthe Kirk House. The group is reading“Real Moms . . . Real Jesus: Meet the
Friend who Understands” by Jill Savage.No prior attendance is necessary. Please
Join SJPC MOMS GROUP as they read“Real Moms . . . Real Jesus:Meet the Friend whoUnderstands”by Jill SavageA GROUP FOR MOMS TO CONNECT TO OTHERMOTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY AND WITH
JESUS!
-Group meets weekly on Thursdays,
9:30-11:00 am in the Kirk House
(Green house on Lexington)
-Childcare is provided-Contact Lauren McLaughlin at lm c la u ghl in 7 @y aho o . com or Pamela Smithat Ba rb reG i r l 3 @ao l . c om for more information!
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Is Luck Real?By Lisa Reinhard
by Lisa ReinhardIt is the month of March, when we hear allabout the luck of the Irish and the gold ofthe leprechauns. Many times in our lives, wehave been wished good luck when we inter-view for a new job, apply for a scholarship, orcompete in a sports event. Some people an-swer, when asked about a success, that it wasjust good luck. I suppose that most of ushave wished someone else good luck onsomething they wanted to achieve, but I won-der if we’ve really stopped to think aboutwhat luck is, and what the idea of there beingboth good luck and bad, really says about ourfaith in God. I got thinking about that recent-ly, and it occurred to me that if we believe inthe randomness of luck, then we really don’tthink God is in total control of everything. Isit bad luck when we have a horrific car acci-dent or are diagnosed with cancer? Is it goodluck when we are in the right place at just theright time?
As I delved into my Bible for answers, Ilooked in my concordance and found no list-ing for luck. Also, no listing for fortune, as in“good fortune.” I did, however, find manylistings for the word promises. Isn’t that whatwe’re told to stand on? God has promisedmany things, and if we take a look at some ofthem, I think we’ll find that they blow the no-tion of luck clean away.
In Exodus 3: 16-20, Moses is sent byGod to his people to deliver God’s message:“I have watched over you and have seen whathas been done to you in Egypt. And I havepromised to bring you up out of your miseryin Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hit-tites, . . . –a land flowing with milk and hon-ey.” He further tells the elders of Israel to goto the king of Egypt and ask permission to gointo the desert to perform a three-day sacri-fice to the Lord their God. But God addsthat He knows the king will not let them gounless He intervenes, saying, “I will stretchout my hand and strike the Egyptians with all
the wonders that I will perform among them.After that, He will let you go.” God alsomakes the Egyptian people “favorably dis-posed” toward the Israelites so that they leavewith Egyptian gold, silver, and fancy clothing.God is willing to provide the means to carryout what He has promised. He is with us,every step of the way. Think of the partingof the Red Sea and try to convince me thatthat was just luck.
God made and kept promises to manypeople of the Old Testament. In 1 Kings8:20, Solomon declares, “The Lord has keptthe promise He made: I have succeeded Da-vid my father and now I sit on the throne ofIsrael, just as the Lord promised.” He prom-ised the prophets the Messiah, and wow, didHe make good on that one! The Psalms arechock-full of promises that we need to claimevery day in our lives, the way we spend ourtime, the thoughts we allow in our heads.Here are just a few examples. “He will coveryou with his feathers, and under his wings youwill find refuge; his faithfulness will be yourshield and rampart.” (Psalm 91: 4) “Delightyourself in the Lord, and He will give you thedesires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) “Therighteous cry out and the Lord hears them; hedelivers them from all their troubles. TheLord is close to the brokenhearted and savesthose who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)
“So do not fear, for I am with you; donot be dismayed for I am your God. I willstrengthen you and help you; I will upholdyou with my righteous right hand. All whorage against you will surely be ashamed anddisgraced; those who oppose you will be asnothing and perish.” (Isaiah 41:10-11) Theseare words from our God who never wavers inHis commitment to us and His love for us.He is omnipresent and omnipotent. He lovesus so much that He gave us the gift of free-will, so that we would choose to turn to Himand obey Him. When we do not, He allowsthings to happen—things we have an impossi-bly hard time wrapping our minds around andfully understanding.
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“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in themidst of them.”-Matthew 18:20
Hebrews 10:23 gives us a key tohold onto—hope. “Let us hold unswerv-ingly to the hope we profess, for He whohas promised is faithful.” In Romans 4:18-21, we are given another tool—unwavering faith. We read that God madea promise about Abraham’s offspring, andAbraham had faith even though he was100 years old and Sarah was past the child-bearing age. “Yet he did not waverthrough unbelief regarding the promiseof God but was strengthened in his faithand gave glory to God, being fully per-suaded that God had the power to dowhat He had promised.”
God’s promises are true, and theyare forever. I am convinced that they are
not influenced by such a weak and nebu-lous thing as luck. “For I know the plansI have for you,” declares the Lord. “plansto prosper you and not to harm you,plans to give you a hope and a fu-ture.” (Jeremiah 29:11) I believe Him.
3/10
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WOMEN'S SUNDAYSCHOOL
Join the group as they read “The Spirit-LedHeart: Living a Life of Love and Faith
without Borders” by Suzanne Eller.
Where :The “Purple Door Room”/Room 23When: 10:00 AM
Please contact Heather Griffin [email protected] for more information.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
FRIENDSHIP BIBLE FELLOWSHIP CLASS Chapel @10:00 AM A study of Christian disciple-ship, ministry, and understanding God’s call to each of us. How do we serve God’s people,as recorded in the Gospels of Mark and Luke? Want to learn your place of service? Joinus. Please contact Diane McFadden at [email protected] for more information.
WOMEN’S GROUP @10:00 AM in the “purple door room”/Room 23 in the preschool isstudying “In March they will begin a new 3-month spring study, The Spirit-Led Heart:Living a life of love and faith without borders. Please contact Heather Griffin [email protected] for more information.
NOLAN-PAJCIC CLASS Kindergarten Room 22 @10:00 AM Now is the perfect time tojoin! This group is studying 1 Peter Chapter 2. Please contact Jim Nolan [email protected] or Curry Pajcic at [email protected] for more information.
KIRK HOUSE CLASS Kirk House @10:00 AM They are studying “Harmony of the Gos-pels”, a study of Jesus’ life and teachings from the book of Luke with added context ofOld Testament prophecies and the traditions and teachings of the day. Led by Kevin &Wendi Hunger. Drop-ins welcome! Please contact Kevin at [email protected] orWendi at [email protected] for more information.
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Wednesday, @6:00 PM in the Kirk House. Allmiddle and high schoolers are welcome!Bring your favorite game, snack, andfriend, to the Kirk House as we spend timetogether. Please contact Chris Kellamat [email protected] for more information.
Wednesday, @6:00-8:00 PM in the KirkHouse. D-Life is our film and theater ministryaimed at MS and HS youth, providing anopportunity to participate in ministry and tobuild skills that are attractive and beneficialin life. We produce short films, funny skits,and play exciting games. Please contactChris Kellam at [email protected] for moreinformation.
Sunday, @5:00-7:00 PM in the Loft. Thegroup is middle and high school combined.Join as they play games, eat, and studythe Bible. Contact Chris Kellam [email protected] for moreinformation.
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