| Marriage Retreat |  |
2010 Marriage Retreat
with Jeff and Laura
Laffoon
When:
May 28th - 31st
Memorial Day Weekend
Jay and Laura are a dynamic and inspirational duo who help others CELEBRATE their marriage! Their presentations are full of humor, real life experiences, and Biblical truth.
Where:
World Golf Village
St. Augustine, FL
Renaissance Resort |
Register at
TheFamilyChurch.net
or call:
352-332-6459 ext. 15
for Terri Straughn
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| Vacation Bible School |  |
The Family Church
June 14-18
9AM - 12PM
$10.50 per Child
Registration Deadline: June 9th
Register at:
TheFamilyChurch.net
or
Call Angela at:
332-6459 ext. 16
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| Family Student Movement |  | |
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The Family Church Newsletter |
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A Word from Max
Recently the elders of The Family Church announced in the weekend services that after church on May 16, 2010 I would begin a 90 day sabbatical time. I was and remain grateful to the elders for this pro-active step, and touched by the overwhelmingly supportive reaction that the announcement received in church and the many loving responses I have received personally since that time. I am so blessed by your care. Expectedly, this announcement also raised a number of questions. I am going to answer many of those questions here and some more next month before I leave. Feel free, as well, to ask any of our elders about the sabbatical if you have further questions.
What is a sabbatical? - The word "sabbatical" (literally: every seventh) is drawn from the Biblical concept of the Sabbath. It refers to a scheduled time of leave typically granted after seven years of service. For a full explanation of what it means to the elders of TFC and for a look at the church's Sabbatical Policy, check out the web site: www.thefamilychurch.net. I love this statement from the Presbyterian Church: "Sabbatical Leave is an extension of the Biblical concept of a Sabbath day and a Sabbath year for renewal. It is both an act of faith that God will sustain us through a period of reflection and changed activity and an occasion for recovery and renewal of vital energies."  |
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Whispers in the Dark
Scripture: II Samuel 9:3, 11 - "So the King asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family I can show the kindness of God to?" So Mephibosheth ate at David's table just like one of the King's sons." Observation: The hand of the Lord was obviously with David in all his exploits. His battlefield victories brought David glory and honor and power. All of the people, including David, knew that the Lord was behind all David's successes...yet it was ultimately David and his name that tended to be glorified. However, David, whose heart is still passionately turned to God, desires to glorify God. Note the question he asks - "To whom can I show the kindness of God?" He doesn't ask how he can demonstrate his own kindness, but God's loving-kindness. The answer will lie in an act of grace, an act of restoring healthy relationship, an act of serving and sharing, and humility and forgiveness. None of these qualities come naturally to King David, but they are deeply rooted qualities of God and things that God wants to bring forth in His people. By acting in this way, David doesn't glorify himself, but he brings more glory to God. That is why this story has so much power for us today.
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Worship Through Creative Arts with Larry Carpenter
"There are two kinds of people in the world; people with habits, hurts, and hang ups and people in denial..." Pastor Max Wilkins
It's funny when you first hear it but Pastor Max has it right. We are all a work in progress; we are all on the journey. Even though we host a growing Friday night recovery service every week with Justin and his band leading worship and Pastor Max speaking on a regular basis, we are all in recovery. The truth is every service at Family Church is designed for people to heal relationships and drop the baggage that keeps us from living into everything that Christ has for our lives.
We see, hear, and experience life changing encounters with Christ that defy reason; they are just straight up miracles that happen in this body. It is one of these moments that suddenly moves us from the opaque everyday routine of life into a "God" moment and reminds us of the parable of a tree and it's fruit in Matthew 7:15. There is good fruit here...God is moving.
Come join us as we grow...Larry
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 We recently completed a series of teachings with our Family Group Leaders, upholding a renewed vision for discipleship and a "house church" approach and philosophy to our Family Group ministry.
One of the values we are upholding with our Family Group Leaders is the importance of the Bible. While there are many wonderful Bible study tools and curricula available, the Word of God itself is to be our source and our text - not video series, not other people's books about the Bible, not the commentary notes about the Bible that are at the bottom of your Bible, but the Bible itself! We are encouraging our Family Group Leaders to see that the normal "curriculum" for the Family Group is to be your Bible! We are encouraging Family Group Leaders to lead their groups in a discussion of the Word of God in the group meetings, giving all a chance to participate (1 Corinthians 14:26), with a heart to ALWAYS move to application. A Bible discussion will not be transformational unless it is applied.
After Pastor Max presented this teaching to our Family Group Leaders, we received this note (slightly edited and modified for this article) from one of our Family Group Leaders...
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Sharing Across Generations with Jim Guth
We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. - Psalm 78:4
As we walked through the Baseball Hall of Fame, my father pointed out various bats, uniforms, gloves and other items on display. He told little stories about some of the great players who had used that equipment in earlier years. Though the names were unfamiliar to me, my father had vivid memories of many of those men, and he enjoyed retelling their historic accomplishments.
Countless museums around the world preserve memories and mementos. By understanding the past, we can relate it to our own lives and be better prepared for the future.
How much more important to tell our children and grandchildren how God has protected and provided for His people down through the generations. We need to share with them His faithfulness, love, and mercy toward us. Then they will know God can be trusted to lead them through whatever they may face now and for the rest of their lives.
A Message to Men on Marital Roles:
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It's springtime and the area is blazed with color from everything that is "springing" up. For those of you reading this article, I will assume you are also "seeing" spring, looking forward to what this new season holds for your lives. We as Christians have the privilege of seeing things "no longer from a worldly point of view." Paul prayed for Christians (including you and me), that the "eyes of your hearts might be enlightened" What does he mean?
In Christ, we are a "new creation, the old has gone the new has come." We now have a new heart, one of flesh not of stone. The potential that lies within us is great; including our ability to see anew. When Jesus healed those who were blind, I am confident they were given perfect vision. Can you imagine the adjustment of going from blind to complete, perfect sight? Our ability to see from God's eyes will be largely dependent on our growing relationship with Him and knowledge of Him through His word. How is it we will see differently?
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Human-Chimp DNA Similarity Claims Undermined
By Stephen F. Larner, PhD
Are human and chimpanzees related? Not according to Genesis chapter 1. Now that view is getting scientific support. A recent high-profile article in the prestigious journal Nature1 reported the results of a study that surprised the scientific community. The report contradicts a long-held belief that human and chimp DNA were very similar thereby "proving" humans and chimps are evolutionary related. Previous research claimed 98 percent (or higher) DNA similarity between chimps and humans. Now, with this more thorough investigation, this belief has been exposed as being flawed and based on biased DNA similarity research. These new results are not a good sign for the evolutionists.
One of the main deficiencies with the original chimp DNA studies published in Nature2 in 2005 was that it was based on incomplete and preliminary work. In the draft coverage, very small fragments (500 to 1500 bases) of the genome were sequenced in millions of individual reactions. These small individual sequences are assembled into contiguous sequence clusters. The resultant small sets (called contigs) consisted of thousands of islands of sequences that needed to be oriented and placed in position on their respective chromosomes. However, in this earlier study the sequences were not assembled and oriented based on a map of the chimp genome, but rather on a map of the human genome. Given the chimp genome is at least 10 percent larger than the human genome, this method was not only biased toward evolutionary presuppositions, but was also inherently flawed.
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Family... Mother... Home... with Jeff Moody
These words probably emote different emotions for each of us. It is Mother's Day this month, so we thought we'd reflect a little on what it means to be a family, raise a family, etc. on the mission field.
If you read the Welch Family email updates, you recently saw their story about a family experience that is almost incomprehensible to our American lifestyle-including a house on stilts with no door and a crawling baby who lives there... wow. Read this. . .
This family of a mom and 6 girls is living in a new home (they move to new place that no one is living in once they are asked to leave their current place). Here they were all living, in a place the size of our kitchen, no water, no electricity, farther from the river, no door, no windows, no beds, no hammocks, no chair - nothing. . . .
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On The Homefront by Connie Reid
Empty Nesting
We had a Golden Retriever, Kelly, that had 10 puppies back many years ago. Once the puppies were strong, weaned and ready to take on the world, we advertised them for sale. Potential owners came to our home and the puppies begin leaving one by one.
I had not thought about our dog paying particular heed to her dwindling family until we were down to one puppy. As the couple played with the final puppy and made their decision to take it home, Kelly turned and went into an adjacent room. She came right back with her favorite ball, dropped it and pushed it toward her remaining puppy. She did not wait for it to be carried back but left the room again and did not return.
This month many families will be celebrating graduations and weddings as our loved ones begin new chapters in their lives. Suddenly the children are grown up and finding their way in the world while the parents are left to redefine their focus.
Our youngest is graduating from UF in May while his brother and sister have already moved away. One moved to Australia and the other to Austin. It is like someone yells, "Times up" and they march off with all you have poured into their lives and you pray it was enough. You go from "hands on parenting" to "on your knees" parenting". What a comfort to know that God loves them even more than we do and hears our prayers.
Here is my graduating child's favorite dish: Spinach Lasagna. Can I brag on him a little and tell you he got Summa Cum-Laude ?
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Check out our website at www.thefamilychurch.net
for information including:
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Weekly Calendar
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