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What Keeps You?

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Scripture References:

Mark 6:1-6
Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.  “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!  Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?”  And they took offense at him.  Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.”  He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Isaiah 40:12-18
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?  Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?  Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor?  Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way?  Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?  Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.  Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.  Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.  To whom, then, will you compare God?  What image will you compare him to?

Hebrews 11:1-6
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.  By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.  By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.  By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.  By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away.  For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

This is the first meeting of 2010. Mentor Julie Aziz prepared and led a lesson on self-esteem. We had a guest speaker as well, Adriane Lawton, who led an interactive time with the girls regarding the subject of self-esteem.

Malachi 2:15 Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard yourself; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.

Somebody To Love Me

Many people marry so that they can have someone to love or to be loved by someone.  The truth of the matter is that God designed marriage in order to serve a purpose that was much bigger than the man and the woman.  Most people approach marriage with love as the goal but love was never to be viewed as the goal of marriage.   Love is the active obedience to the law of God along with the solid commitment of the two individuals to become one for the purpose of producing an offspring that would continue to seek God and find Him when they seek him with all their heart.

Malachi posses the question about marriage, “Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife?” The prophet assumes that we realize that taking someone to be your wedding partner ‘as we call it’ is a process that has an affect upon the two persons who come together.  God makes them one as the married couple one in body; the consummation of the marriage union is one of the traumatic, life changing, experiential events of one’s life.  Just the closeness of two people in certain proximity alters the thoughts of one’s mind and gives stimulation of a persons emotions.  Each human being is put together in such a way that we detect the life flowing in another person’s body.  You could call it a resonating of the bodies in just coming close.  The event of  two people coming together in spirit creates a bonding of the two in another real and experiential way.  What about the spiritual binding of two people?  God intended for the marriage covenant to bring about an effect that would alter the life of man and woman. Not only in living together but also in creating another human being, who lives and breaths and has dreams and a personality.  God intended that His image be reflected in this new person who did not exist before the two people came together.

As a prophet of God Malachi informs his readers that we are God’s possession.  Both body and spirit are His, created by Him and reflecting the image of the creator of all mankind.  It is the image of God within that transcends our person, place, culture and geographic location.  Malachi admonishes us in these words, it is not what you want that is the main issue.  It is what God wants that we must concern ourselves with.  God looks for godly children from the union.  This, of course is a general statement because we could question the prophet with the question about women who cannot have children?  That would be another discussion for another time, that has the will of God over and above our own preference and experience.  But I would ask the expected question, what about most people who look forward to having children.  Many more than those who don’t desire at least one child.

It seems to me that God has not forgotten his mandate for mankind to be fruitful and multiply.  God did not just want an obedient creation, he also wanted a creation that would reproduce itself and fill the earth.  So guarding yourself is an important issue, from what?  From yourself.  You must remember that the propensity to break our commitment to one another, refusing to be loyal is a fallacy within our human condition since “The Fall”.  But we have the call to be loyal to God first, then to the wife or husband of which we have joined ourselves.  In order to bring about the godly offspring we have to guard ourselves from the pressure of the flesh to disobey God and run to our sinful inclination.  Guard yourself from the sinful pull.  Honor God, give yourself to the call of the Spirit of Truth.  Be loyal and receive the blessings of God, just because you followed HIS truth rather than giving in to your own.

~ Pastor Horace

This is the January/February 2010 issue of the Women’s Ministry Newsletter.  Please take a moment to look through the publication for ministry information as well as other topics.   In this issue, we feature another article written by our First Lady, recommended reading, our featured lady, tips for trying something new in the New Year, and more.  In honor of Valentine’s Day, we also include a DVD recommended by our own Pastor Mike and a delicious recipe for a chocolate espresso cake.

Included also is information about our upcoming fellowship, which takes place on Saturday, February 6th at 4 p.m. at the home of Plushette Dennis and our upcoming Women’s Summit, scheduled for Saturday, March 13th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the church.  More details about our Women’s Summit 2010 will be announced soon.    Ladies, please mark your calendars and plan to join us.

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How desperate are you to reach Jesus?

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God has commanded us to prayer. Pastor Mike breaks down the power the prayer.

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Pastor Mike Higgins uses the Book of Mark to prove the mercy of God.

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Pastor Mike Higgins preaches from Mark Chapter Three which states that a house divided against itself shall not stand.

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Pastor Mike Higgins preaches about Jesus being Lord of the Sabbath

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This is the November/December issue of the Women’s Ministry Newsletter.  This issue features an article written by our First Lady, recommended reading, fashionista budget tips, and two delicious recipes, including one of Pastor Mike’s favorites – Tangela Miles’ mouthwatering pound cake.

We also take a look at our upcoming events, namely our church decorating event, which takes place on Saturday December 5th, and our Annual Christmas Brunch, which takes place on Saturday December 12th and will include a gift exchange game.  Please take a moment to look through the publication for these articles and more.

Enjoy !!!

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