NorthRidge Church & Christian Academy Haines City Florida

August 2011 Volume 3, Issue 8

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Our News Reaching You; Reaching Out to You

A Message From Pastor David

Prayer is the practice of encountering and enjoying the presence of God. It is the time spent with a friend; the time spent sharing your deepest hurts and concerns with a confidant. It is the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made. Prayer is the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God. Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian. Prayer is the exercise of faith and hope. Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of a loving Father through His Son, our Savior, Jesus the Lord. The Bible speaks much of prayer. But, sometimes, maybe too often, we ignore prayer and seek to accomplish life goals in the strength of our own wills rather than in the strength promised to us by our Heavenly Father. For those of us who are too often guilty of this, we need to bow our knees, confess our sin, receive God's forgiveness, and beg that the will of the Lord be done above our own. (Consider the Lords Prayer; Matthew 6:9-13) God is sovereign and loving and He knows what is best for us and others, even if it doesn't always appear to make the most sense. We often come to the Lord with legitimate requests for healing, salvations, and the needs of self and others; yet the answers we hope for often do not come. We wonder and sometimes doubt. Why? appears to be an appropriate question. Yet, we persevere and praise God. We pray because we know that God hears us and because we desire to see results. We should pray by faith, trusting God. We should pray consistently, trusting God. We should pray for healing, trusting God. We should pray for others, trusting God. We should pray and when our prayers are answered, or are not answered, remember this: If we knew what the Lord knew, we wouldn't change a thing. Prayer changes the one praying, because in prayer, you encounter the Living God. You are in the presence of God as you lay before Him your complete self in confession and dependence. There is nothing to hide when in quiet supplication we reach into the deepest part of ourselves and admit our needs and failures. In so doing, our hearts are quieted and pride is stripped and we enjoy the encounter with God. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." I am reminded of another benefit of prayer: peace. "6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus," (Phil. 4:6-7). I suppose that to some level we could test our prayer life and dependence upon God simply by the peace or lack of peace present within our hearts. In all things we are to seek the Lord and in His continued presence peace will surely be our gain. Prayer is the practice of encountering and enjoying the presence of God. We will never perfect it; it is called practice for a specific reason. Yet, may the rest of our lives be a journey of practicing and thus perfecting our time alone with God.

-Blessings and Love, Pastor David

Meet The Headmaster

This coming December, David Kaser and his wife Dacia Lynette will celebrate 19 years of marriage. They have 3 children, Peyton 12, Parker 10, and Paige 9. David was born and raised on a farm near Kokomo, Indiana. At the young age of 12, David asked the Lord Jesus Christ into his heart and was baptized to identify with Christ's walk on this earth in life, death, burial and resurrection. As a young boy, David played on one Indiana State Champion Little League team, and 2 State Runner-Up Teams (all in the Town and Country Division as it was known then). He could throw 90+ miles per hour in high school -- can still throw some heat now and then (although it is getting harder to do!) David graduated from Indiana University and Ball State University and is currently in the final stages of completing a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. He has been in education for about 15 years now; teaching at all grade levels and subjects including PE - many different levels of Math, Health, middle school Science, and Bible courses at middle and high school levels, including Old and New Testament Surveys, Apologetics, Ethics, and Leadership. He has been an Athletic Director, started sports programs, and coached many different sports at many different levels including varsity head coaching experience in the FHSAA with boys basketball and baseball. He has previously worked for the Salvation Army for one year, coordinating community sports leagues and outreach programs in St. Pete/Pinellas Park. David states that his hobbies include spending as much time as he can with his family and reading as much Christian literature as he can find time for. He and his family are also very interested in sports. David himself collects different types of sports memorabilia, including autographs, and old board games. He occasionally likes to putter around in the yard and do various outdoor projects as well. David concludes that, We believe that the Lord has led us home to NorthRidge! I love what I have been called to do and I am so blessed to be serving the Lord through educational ministry, partnering with children, families, and staff in seeing God's plan unfold for everyone! Jesus is Life, and as a family we do our best to live in that promise every day.

Expressions of Worship:
Acts 2:42-47 gives us an account of the early church (the first church) working together for a common goal. While I can only imagine how some of those first meetings went, the content of them seems to be relatively apparent when you read through the book of Acts. This passage is likely marked The Fellowship of the Believers or The Community of the Believers depending on your Bible. The idea of an ancient community working together for a common goal offers a glimpse of how God intends for the church to function. Ill be the first to admit that I like to do certain things alone. Some things are just easier and/or quicker to get accomplished when I do them without having to explain my reasons to someone looking over my shoulder. This has been a constant struggle of mine since before I began in ministry and continues to spillover in multiple aspects of my life. However, as I understand Lukes record of the early church, much more was accomplished than ever could have been with a single individual. I have often wondered how the church would have looked in the days following Peters great sermon if he chose to seclude himself in his figurative office. How would the church look today if this became his plan for ministry? While it has taken a great deal of time for me to get used to the idea of creative collaboration, I have begun taking more steps in the process of inviting that input. I honestly believe that we will see greater things happening at NorthRidge Church as we work together to accomplish God-given tasks. Even though I may have an idea or two still up my sleeve, these will eventually dissipate or become routine and likely cause a slowing in ministry momentum. The opposite is needed, however. Working together, creativity is exponentially greater and offers a more balanced approach to ministry areas. One of the collaborative steps we have taken in worship ministry is a monthly meeting of all of those involved in this ministry. This is where we gather for prayer and fellowship, but also for sharing ideas for worship elements in our services. We also dream a little and share thoughts for upcoming services and special projects. While we are still early in this process, I am beginning to see the potential of working together for such tasks. The most recent project we have been collaborating on is the Eucharist Service for August 7th. In the following pages, you will see a description of this service and even discover how you can prepare for worship on this special day. However, it is important that we understand that this worship service is not a product of an individual, but a vision of multiple believers in a collaborative fellowship seeking the will of God for his church. In the days leading up to the Eucharist Service on August 7th, I ask that you might consider participating fully in this service, from the daily readings for the week prior to the responsive readings and community prayers offered in the service itself. As we anticipate this special day, I trust that the collaborative efforts will be received well by all who attend, but even more so that God will be pleased with the efforts of his people working together for his purposes.

-Terrill

August 1st
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:5-11 Lord, grant me the grace to live according to your will, seeking the same mind which was in Christ Jesus; allow me to be obedient to whatever you call me to.

August 2nd
Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. -Isaiah 42:1-4 Father, help me seek out ways to gently and faithfully bring forth justice on this earth, just as you have promised to do.

August 3rd
Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified. But I said, I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God. -Isaiah 49:1-4 Lord, you knew me before I breathed my first breath. Allow me to trust you enough to follow your plans, even if it means hindering mine.

August 4th
Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, What will you give me if I deliver him over to you? And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. -Matthew 26:14-16 Success is what I do with my failures. Lord, teach me to trust in your love , no matter what I have done, and to learn from my mistakes, no matter how great they are.

August 5th
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. -John 13:12-16 Lord, help me to serve as Jesus did; with humility. In my service, allow me to be an example to others, teaching them to do likewise.

August 6th
Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. -Isaiah 53:1-5 Even though at times I may wander from the cross, help me remember your great sacrifice for my freedom.

August 7th
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. -Romans 6:3-11 Father, give me the courage to stand firm in my present convictions while developing additional ones. In death to sin, I find life in you. Thank you for robbing death of its power so that I may live victoriously in you.

From the Desk of Pastor Harold

My family spent a week in Cancun in mid July. Gina, Kayleigh, and I had a blast. We
took a catamaran to a small island in the Caribbean Sea. We went snorkeling, ate some unusual food and enjoyed getting away together. On trips such as this I think a lot. I enjoy sitting in the room as I am while I write this article and meditating on where I am spiritually and what God is doing in my life. As I write I am so thankful for how God has blessed my family by placing us at NorthRidge and what a great place it is in which to serve. I often find myself looking for illustrations that I might not see other places. As Gina and I walked the beach the first morning, I saw something that caught my eye. It was

two small fish in a bottle about the size of a two liter. It was evident the bottle had just washed to shore. It was just at the water's edge and had not been handled. It had sea weed caught in what remained of the plastic ring that once held the top secure to the bottle. The water in the bottle was just short of pouring out of the opening. The fish had found their way in, but now on the beach, the bottle was only a death trap. The fish had ventured into the bottle that appeared to be harmless. I don't believe the fish decided one day to go into the bottle and make this their home. I don't believe they made a conscious decision to leave what God had planned for them in order to do something they thought was better than He had designed. But somehow they ended up in the bottle, separated from the other fish. The relationship that God intended for them was broken. They were okay for a while. The water was the same as was on the outside. But soon the oxygen would be gone and the water too warm for life to be sustained and it would be too late. No other fish could help, only something beyond their ability could make a difference. Gina picked up the bottle, knowing that death was coming momentarily and gently poured the remaining water along with the fish back into the sea. One might look at the fish and think what a tragedy to die in such circumstance. More tragic than two fish dying in a bottle are the many individuals that are living life much the same way as these two fish. They have ventured into what appeared, at the time, to be harmless. They sometimes do it without thinking about the end result or even knowing what might happen. Sometimes the decisions made don't make much difference at the time. But in the end, when the result of our actions washes up on shore, the result is much like being caught in a bottle. Like the fish, man is destined to die without Someone bigger than ourselves intervening. I am so thankful that many times God has chosen to return me to what He has designed for my life. Do you feel like a fish in a bottle with life being drained from your being? Allow God to pick you up and restore or maybe begin the relationship He longs to have with you. As Gina was to these two fish, God wants to be to you and me. He desires to rescue us from the peril that sin brings to our life.

-Pastor Harold

Sonshiners monthly luncheon: August 4th @ Noon

Get on the phone, email, snail mail, or yell across the fence and tell someone about our monthly luncheon. Invite them to come and enjoy Christian fellowship.

We will have a cruisers meeting immediately after the luncheon.

Home-bound Ministry
This is the current group of Home-bound with addresses that are being ministered to at this time. If you know of others that would benefit from this ministry, please contact Rowena Daley or call the church office @ 863.422.4488 We also have several seniors who are not homebound, but are limited in some capacity. Please consider making a visit, make a phone call, send a card or contact someone this week that you may have not seen in a while. You never know when your touch may be just what God will use to encourage a brother or sister in Christ.
Ms Ruth Copeland Savannah Court 301 Peninsular Drive Haines City, FL 33844-5046 Mr Russ Vincent Ms. Dorothy Burgess

Ms. Lucille Tiner Savannah Court assisted living. 301 Peninsular Drive Haines City, FL 33844-5046 (863) 422-5204 Ms. Ina Foley Haines City Health Care 409 South 10th Street Haines City, FL 33844-5603 (863) 422-8656 Ms. Irma Swain Spring Haven Retirement LLC 1225 Havendale NW Winter Haven, Florida 33881 (863)-293-0072 Ms. Vera Cook Mr Charles Mayberry Brandywyne Health Care Center 1801 Lake Mariam Drive Winter Haven, FL 33884 (863) 293-1989

(863) 422-5204

Kids Korner with Pastor Bill

What does a good role model look like?
As I sit writing this newsletter article today I am overjoyed with what God has done in our childrens ministry this summer. We had an awesome VBS with over 150 in attendance and three children saved! Summer Music Camp was equally exciting as we learned about worship and had one additional child come to know Christ as personal Lord and Savior! The Sunday evening performance was simple icing on the cake. With summer beginning to wind down, it could be tempting to rest on our laurels instead of looking ahead to to fall. But look ahead we must. AWANA is just around the corner. Last year we saw over 150 kids come through our AWANA Club on Wednesday nights. We are blessed with a dedicated AWANA staff, but once again we need to recruit additional AWANA leaders. A good AWANA leader is several things. A good role model With many of our children coming form un-churched homes, an AWANA leader gets to be a godly example. He gets to show children what it looks like to follow Christ. He isnt perfect, but he is trying to follow Jesus each day. Committed Many children live in an environment of giving up. When life gets hard, the adults in their lives walk away. They need to see a leader who will be here each week, loving them no matter what. A good listener The main requirement of an AWANA leader is to listen. Each week the children pass off steps by reciting verses to their leaders. Listening and offering just the right amount of help is part of being a leader. Caring Genuine love for Christ and then genuine love for others makes a good AWANA leader a Great AWANA leader. From time to time a child will share his heart and hurts with a caring leader who in turn can pray for and encourage that child. Sound interesting? We need godly adults, especially men, who are willing to serve with us in AWANA on Wednesday nights. If you are interested or would like to receive more information about becoming an AWANA leader, please see Karen Myers, our AWANA Commander!

-Pastor Bill

Wednesday, August 17, 6:30 PM Meeting for all AWANA Staff Wednesday, August 24, 6:30 PM AWANA Orientation for Parents and Clubbers Wednesday, August 31, 6:30 PM AWANA Begins!!!!

AWANA meet Wednesday Nights

6:30-8:00 PM Cubbies are ages 3-4 Years Sparks are in K5-2nd Grade T&T Adventurers are in 3rd-4th Grades T&T Challengers are in 5th Grade

Kids Church
New in Kids Church Beginning Sunday, August 14 Join us as we learn what it means to have a lifestyle of worship! Kids Church meets 10:30 amnoon Sundays in the JOY Zone for children K5 though 3rd Grade!

Eternal Youth
Greetings, my church family, I am going to use this months newsletter to talk about something that is usually a source of great joy for meFootball! By the time you read this, the NFL lockout should be over. Honestly, that really does not mean that much to me, considering that I am a diehard college football fan. I am sure by now that everyone knows that I am a Miami Hurricanes fan, but when I say diehard, I really do mean diehard. My typical Saturday during college football season usually begins at 9am with college game day followed by about 12 hours of amazing college football. I usually end my Saturday night watching college game day again at midnight. I did say at the beginning that football is usually a joy for me, so let me explain. I learned something about myself recently that I discovered while walking down college football memory lane. It was 1989 and I was a sophomore in high school. My beloved Hurricanes were playing the dreaded Notre Dame. Just so you know the 1989 Hurricanes were just voted the most hated team of all time, in all sports. We would tackle you, then stand over you and taunt you. Our style of game play was frowned upon by the refs. We had found ourselves in a pretty deep hole. We were facing 3rd and 43 in the shadow of our own goal post. Then it happened. A pass was thrown 45 or so yards to a very fast, sure handed, Randall Hill. He made a diving catch to set us up in a great position to score. From that point on, there was never a doubt in any fans mind that we could overcome any obstacle we faced. As a fan, I began to expect that kind of amazing play from my team on a regular basis. Randall Hill was not the perfect receiver (although, he is my favorite UM player of all time, tied with Devin Hester). As a matter of fact, as painful as it is, I can remember some plays where he dropped some very key passes. The funny thing was, it did not really matter to me. Any time I saw that it was 3rd and whatever, I always knew that Randall Hill would come out and catch the perfect pass and it would be 1st down again. I am sure that many of you have memories such as this, no matter the sport or subject. I would love to sit down with you and talk about sports JOIN US AUGUST 24TH heroes or ask you what you thought the greatest AT 6PM AS WE WELCOME play of all time is. The real question that we OUR NEW CLASS OF 6TH GRADERS TO need to be asking each other is Why do we struggle to believe that God can handle all of OUR YOUTH GROUP! our problems when he has never failed, and yet THERE WILL BE CHIPS, SODA we are so willing to put faith in athletes, who are CANDY, AND SOME FUN AND GAMES no more perfect than you or I? AS WE WELCOME

-Derrick Whiteman

THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF OUR YOUTH FAMILY!

Anouncements:

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Last Train to Paradise Live at the Masquerade One True God This Christmas musical includes a contemporary story By Les Standiford June 8, May 17, 2011 paralleling the biblical story while 2011 delivering a message as powerful as the prophets and as relevant as todays headlines. This exciting drama juxtaposes one of the Magi as he follows the Star of Bethlehem, with Benjamin, a soldier stationed in the Middle East 2,000 years later who is looking up at the same stars. They are both searching for the truth, and they both find

KING
Thousand Foot Krutch

it at the foot of the manger.

Join us on Saturday, September 10, from 9-12 to learn how you can be a part of this years Christmas production.

Ice Cream Social

August 7th 4-5pm in the gym Please feel free to bring some homemade ice cream to share. If you are planning on bringing ice cream, please e-mail [email protected] or contact Bill Hatley

August Birthdays
Kathryn Don Emery Gary Mikayla Samuel Sarah Kylie Pam Andrew Mary Gerald Carol David Craig Linda Dustin Jo Hilda Ted Gina Carolyn David James Barbara Alyssa Joey Vera Lucille Sabra Tommy Tim Garrett Michelle Shirley Robin Todd Kruger Carrier Rutledge Anderson Fowler Hernandez Myers Buker Mixon Del Mazo Bradbury Mixon Schutte Brewer Chandler Marcy Toole Tiner Beasley Butler Jenkins Fellows Shytle Carrier Congdon Singleton Cook Tiner-Paris Hatley Porter Casbohm Fowler Cowart Smith Carey Mattheus 1st 2nd 2nd 5th 5th 5th 5th 6th 7th 8th 10th 10th 10th 12th 12th 12th 12th 13th 14th 14th 14th 16th 16th 16th 17th 17th 18th 19th 24th 27th 29th 29th 30th 30th 31st 31st

Sunday services
Sunday Morning Caf -8:45am Sunday School -9:20 Worship Service -10:30am (also Kids' Church K5-3rd)

5:45-6:45 -Prayer in Sanctuary 6:45-7:45 -Coffee and Bible study in Fellowship Hall

Church Office
Hours-Monday -Thursday 8:00am-4:00pm. If you need to contact the Pastor On Call you can at any time by calling the Church Office 863-422-4488 and leaving a message in the On Call mailbox (ext. 2104) The Pastor that is on call for the week will return your call ASAP.