Scripture: "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." (Luke 18:1, NIV)  

Observation: Jesus has just finished telling His disciples about the end times and the challenges they would face after His departure. He knows that there are trials and difficulties ahead for them. He also knows that they will be tempted to be overwhelmed by it all and possibly even to "give up." He tells them a parable, but uncharacteristically, He first tells them the point of the parable. When faced with any hardship or life challenges, the disciples had two viable options: to bring them to God in prayer, or to surrender and quit. The parable that follows lets us know that Jesus is not encouraging the disciples to "work harder" or to "buck up and take it like men" or even to "keep trying" to overcome. He is encouraging them not to quit one specific thing. And that is seeking and beseeching God in prayer! The disciples are "always" to pray, and not to give up praying!  

Application:This is an important word for me and for us all. Some years ago Rick Muchow, the worship leader at Saddleback Church in California, wrote a song with these words: "We believe in God, and we all need Jesus. Because life is hard, and it might not get easier!" Doesn't life feel that way sometimes? We all face challenges and difficulties, and trying to keep going can take all the energy we have and then some.     I've heard even preachers say, "Pray as if it all depends on God, and then work as if it all depends on you!" Here's a thought....and exactly what Jesus is driving at: "Pray as if it all depends on God, and then work as if it all depends on GOD!" Because it all depends on God....and He's got it! He is never going to leave us or forsake us. What he wants from me, and from all of us, is that we seek Him, that we seek His will, that we seek where He is, that we seek what He is doing, and that we draw close to Him. And that's what He wants for us always. And that is what He doesn't want us to give up! 

Prayer: Lord, I truly believe you when you say that if I seek you I will find you, if I seek you with all of my heart. I want to remain faithful in prayer, in seeking you, in trusting that you can handle everything life throws at me, if I will just not give up in seeking you. And I want to remember that when the going gets tough and when the answers I receive don't seem so clear to me. I'll keep seeking you, because I know you are there, and your will is good, and that life proceeds from you. Amen.

Schedule of Services 

February 21-23 

Friday, February 21st

Why Have a Global Impact Celebration Every Year?

As most of you have probably heard by now, our beloved and missions-minded senior pastor, Max Wilkins, has accepted God's call to be the new president and CEO of The Mission Society. What you may NOT know is that The Mission Society is the organization that provided the initial training to The Family Church for starting our annual Global Impact Celebration, or GIC. So while we may be sad to see Pastor Max leave The Family Church, the encouraging news is that he is moving to a ministry role that will accelerate the advancement of God's global plan for the church.

We can easily see the connection between Pastor Max's new ministry and our current mission practices here at TFC, however, some may still wonder why we spend all of the time and effort to have a GIC each year. The reason is threefold: 1) Celebration - as the name declares, we truly want to set apart a special time to highlight and rejoice in what God is doing. This is a time of having a big picture view of the world as to inspire everyone with a vision for the greatness of God and His heart for the lost. 2) Personalization - we also desire for you to have multiple opportunities to rub shoulders with our missionaries and representatives from our different ministry partnerships. This type of exposure is a means of focusing God's people at TFC on the specifics of field ministry, both locally and globally.  3) Our Commitments - we want to provide every person with the occasion to respond to the Lord. These responses relate specifically to a LIFE commitment to engage in missions, however the Lord may lead you, and a FAITH commitment to invest your financial resources to advance the global mission of God through The Family Church. We encourage everyone to seek the Lord and prepare our hearts NOW for what God will do in our lives during GIC.

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HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

...and a really good ROOT BEER FLOAT!

Why am I here? It is THE age old question of philosophy. Its answer is as varied as the individual who asks it. Perhaps your time, resources and talents are focused mostly on raising your family, being a great wife or husband, building a thriving business or developing your mind through your education in preparation for the future. Boil it down to its core and the question of "Why" is one of purpose. Whatever you consider your purpose in this temporal life, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, your purpose it to represent Him. As you live out your faith as a parent, spouse, student, employee, etc. ultimately you are to portray Jesus to those you come in contact with.

Smart Birds1

Stephen F. Larner, PhD

Figure 1:   Bird Using Tool to Get Food

Science magazine recent asked2, "Why might birds have evolved a rich repertoire of mental abilities?" Scientists have invented a variety of answers all with the hope that if higher order thinking is actually going on inside a bird's brain, it could tell us something about the evolution of human intelligence.

Some birds such as crows, parrots, and jays possess remarkable problem-solving skills some rivaling mammals. For example, crows demonstrate impressive memory for details, even remembering for years the faces of people who annoy them. Does this represent true cognitive ability? Some birds can improvise tools (Fig. 1) like bending a piece of wire, for instance, to get the food they desire. Are they actually reasoning out how to reach their goal?

In the Science article the author,Virginia Morrell, surveyed the recent thinking on the controversial question, do birds actually think?2 The discipline of "bird cognition" has attracted increased attention  after a study reported the bird's forebrain was more complex than previously thought. This "neural evidence" convinced skeptics that birds were doing more than mimicking, responding to stimuli, and associating their actions with desired results, according to comparative cognition scientist Corina Logan.