Upcoming events......Devotional for Thurs. August 26

.We certainly had a great time of fellowship and enjoyment at the "Mercy Me" concert at the State Fair last night!  Thanks to all of you who joined us there.  We had over 30 Singles sitting together in the great seats Vance had sved for us!!!!  Thanks, Vance.  Attending the concert as a group was a great idea, Faith!:)

 

This Thurs.  August 26....Source Group at Minors Lane  7:30-8:30pm  (see devotional below)

 

Thurs.  Sept. 2....Blue/Red Tailgate service at EWPC Minors Lane 6:30-8:30pm.  We will tailgate together in an area...look for us and join us for food and fellowship, then a great service with music, prayer, and the Word.  Sign up with Cindy if you want to bring food.  968-7744ext. 2.  Bring your lawn chair!

 

Thurs. Sept. 9....McAlister'a on Outer Loop across from Jefferson Mall for dinner/devotions 6:00-7:15pm . We will meet here for our Source Group once a month.**********************  NEW SOURCE GROUP TIME IS 6:00-7:15PM EACH THURSDAY EVENING BEGINNING SEPT. 9.  SERVICE IN SANCTUARY FOLLOWING.*****************

 

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Loyalty:   Stolen Hearts

read pages 31-39  Character Matters by Dr. Mark Rutland

Discuss how Absalom exploited his father, David.

2 Sam. 15:6   The throne was Absalom's by birth.  It would have gone to him if it were not for his untimely death.  This was the inevitable end of his disloyalty and rebellion.  Disloyalty caused his rebellion....rebellion cost him his life. 

Loyalty in Action:

Read scenario of 5 Sunday School teachers and their loyalty to their Pastor. (p.34)

The Strata of Loyalty:

Not all loyalties are created equal.  Spheres of loyalty will often conflict.  Weakness and instability in character will be the result of failure to distinguish levels of loyalty and to resolve this inner conflict.

James 1:8

We can avoid this conflict if we work downward from the ultimate loyalty.  Establish the non-negotiable.

Discuss 2 examples of confused loyalties (p. 36)...1. Christian Woman asked to become involved in prostitution by her non-Christian husband.  2.  Christian woman who embezzled money for her boyfriend.

Marriage:  Our Covenant of Loyalty-

Loyalty to spouse is second only to loyalty to God.  When counselling couples shaken by extramarital affairs, our suthor found that husbands and wives generally ask very different questions.   Betrayed husbands ask about the sex.   Wounded wives more frequently ask, "Did you talk about me with her?"

Loyalty in marriage is quite the same as loyalty in any other relationship.  It means constantly building up the other, even at one's own risk or expense.  When you tear your husband or wife down in front of others, it not only shows your attitude of disloyalty, but also makes the disloyal mate look disgusting in the eyes of those present.  Let's encourage those we love to be loyal to their spouse in their public conversations.  We are doing them a favor if we lovingly do this.

 

Keeping you in my Prayers,

Becky

Upcoming events.....and devotional for thurs. August 19, 2010

Thurs. August 19....Singles Small Group Bible Study...foyer Minors Lane 7:30-8:30pm

 

Monday August 23....Leaving Evangel Christian School promptly at 6:00pm to carpool to Mercy Me concert at Ky. State Fair. (see email flier sent today FYI)  call 593-2117 or email me back for more info....

 

Thurs. Sept. 2....Blue/Red Tail Gate service at EWPC Minors Lane 6:30-8:30pm.  Bring food or get food there.  Bring a blanket or lawn chair and join Singles group there.  (no Source group study)

 

Thurs  Sept. 9....All SINGLES meet for dinner around 6pm at McAlisters across from Jefferson Mall.  We will study our Character lesson there as we fellowship and eat together.  

 

*****Starting Sept. 9...Source group will meet on Thursdays at 6pm, then go into the main worship service at 7:30pm.  Reva Kasey will be speaking each Thursday in September.   **********

 

Looking forward to you joining us at any and all of these events!    Becky

 

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2nd Character Trait:  Loyalty:  Character in community

read pages 27-32  Character Matters by Dr. Mark Rutland

Discuss Sam Houston's stand for National loyalty and his statement:"The destruction of the Union would be the destruction of all the states."

Elbert Hubbard:  An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.

When loyalty is lost, the very fabric of relationship unravels.

What do you think?  "The prevailing wisdom of contemporary society contends that marital loyalty is irrelevant to job performance."

A man is not simply disloyal to his wife;  he is DISLOYAL.  So, a wise employer may rightly expect disloyalty on the job.

Discuss scenerio of the job applicant and CEO.p.30 

Do you agree or disagree with this statement:

"Efforts to isolate or compartmentalize loyalty from the professional aspect of life are misguided and dangerous.  A man does not simply act disloyally in some particular arena of his life, unrelated to the rest.  A man is either loyal or he is not."

read p. 31 politician scandal story...discuss.

Do you deflect praise, admiration and success onto others instead of receiving for yourself?  This indicates the character trait of Loyalty.  It may come at great personal expense, but it will edify and bless its object.

Loyalty never usurps authority.  It refuses to accept inappropriate love or praise that might properly exalt another.  Loyalty is the glue that holds relationships together, makes families functional and armies victorious.  

 

Learning more of Christ together,

Becky

Evangel Singles - WJIE Nite Out!

EVANGEL SINGLES

Nite out to the:

 

88.5 WJIE Day at KY State Fair

JOIN US LEAVING EVANGEL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL PROMPTLY AT 6:00 PM (5400 MINORS LANE)

 

MONDAY AUGUST 23....

 

WE'LL BE CARPOOLING TO THE CONCERT AT CARDINAL STADIUM!!!

 

 

For more info call Becky Goldsmith at 502-964-3304 ext. 1129 or email at ewpcsingles@gmail.com

 

EVANGEL SINGLES

Nite out to the:

 

88.5 WJIE Day at KY State Fair

JOIN US LEAVING EVANGEL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL PROMPTLY AT 6:00 PM (5400 MINORS LANE)

 

MONDAY AUGUST 23....

 

WE'LL BE CARPOOLING TO THE CONCERT AT CARDINAL STADIUM!!!

 

 

For more info call Becky Goldsmith at 502-964-3304 ext. 1129 or email at ewpcsingles@gmail.com

 

 

August 23 - Monday night- Mercy Me Concert.....August 12 devotional

JOIN US LEAVING EVANGEL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL PROMPTLY AT 6:00 PM (5400 MINORS LANE)  MONDAY AUGUST 23....CARPOOLING TO MERCY ME CHRISTIAN CONCERT AT CARDINAL STADIUM.   PURCHASE YOUR ADMISSION TICKET TO THE STATE FAIR AT KROGERS FOR ONLY $6.00 BEFORE AUGUST 19!

 

Don't miss this great chance to join in fellowship with other singles of our city.

 

Upcoming Singles events FALL 2010:

September:   a Saturday at Taylorsville Lake

October:   Hayride and bonfire

November:   tba

December:  Annual Christmas Party at the Hoagland home

 

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Character Under Pressure:  Comparing 3 Kings

read pages 20-25  "Character Matters"  by Dr. Mark Rutland

Herod was a tyrant and a cowardice.

David was a warrior king

Jesus was the gentle shepherd with highest level of courage.

 

1.  King Herod:

Fear robbed him of leadership.  Who was he afraid of?

read matt. 14:5-10

Fearful of a treacherous woman, a cowardly king killed a courageous prophet. 

"National character is never as fragile as when leaders are more afraid of men than of God.  When fearful, blustering, lustful fools lead any nation, its character grows weak indeed".  Dr. Mark Rutland

2. King David:

read I Sam. 30:1-6

"In the painful loneliness of leadership, unless a man has already developed the ability to 'encourage himself in the Lord,' his character will fail the test."  Rutland

David learned to encourage himself in God when he was very young.  Remember the bear and the lion?  It became a habit in the alone times of testing. I Sam. 17:34-35

read Psl. 46:1....David knew fear.  Yet he learned in the face of fear to find ultimate courage in his fear of God.  Remember Ziklag when his men wanted to kill him? 

WHEN THERE IS NO APPARENT REASON FOR COURAGE, AND GOD IS ALL THAT THE LEADER HAS LEFT, THEN ALL HE HAS IS EVERYTHNG HE NEEDS.

3.  King Jesus:

Jesus felt intense fear.  Remember the lonely garden experience?  The Bible says that sweat drops like blood splattered on the stone.  He said:  "O God, I don't want to do this!"

Luke 22:42..."Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done".

He rejected fear and didn't even awaken His friends.  Who is the first person we call when we feel afraid?

John 18:8:  "Here I am;  take Me and let these go free."

Read aloud story of courageous crippled child on page 24-25.

 

Determined to be more courageous,

Becky

$6.00 Fair tickets at Kroger....and devotional for Thurs. August 5, 2010....Courage!

Buy your Fair ticket early for $6.00 at Kroger so you can get into the Christian concert with us Monday night August 23.  Some of us will meet up at the Fair and some will carpool from Evangel Minors Lane at a designated time and place (TBA).

 

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read pages 13-20 "Character Matters" by Dr. Mark Rutland

COURAGE:   ...is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount.(Clara Booth Luce)

Noble Courage is the authentic spontaneous act of self-sacrificial concern for the defenseless.

Courage is not fearlessness but the willingness of mind necessary to act out of conviction rather than feeling.

Discuss the printing press operator who was fired for refusing to run the press on a pornographic project.(p. 14)  Was he a fool or courageous because of conviction.

Do you agree with the author's statement: "If a society misdefines courage, it is on the verge of barbarism." 

Courage is that willingness to deny my own flesh and do what is right and noble, regardless of the cost.

Discuss the engaged couple living together who chose to move out before their wedding even though it was financially and physically difficult.( p. 15)

Courage is the first and greatest element of character.

Courage is the catalytic agent that summons every other virtue into action in the face of temptation or crisis.

It even takes courage sometimes to be honest.

MORE THAN VALOR -

Though bravery may be admirable, courage is far more than valor in the face of danger.

Some people are just naturally more bold.  Sometimes public heroes in war or athletics later live unproductive and even destructive lives.  Such people were never truly courageous.  They were simply brave.

Don't confuse prudence (wise action) and cowardice.

The distinction between a hero and an obnoxious show-off is character.  In other words, if his motives are selfish and impure, a "hero's" actions may result from a lust for preeminence that overrides good judgment.

Were the 9/11 terrorists cowards or heros?

Is a fearless warrior who conquers a city then rapes and burns courageous?

Tue courage is about valiant goodness.

COURAGE AND PUBLIC TRUST-

Until we can cultivate statesmen who are willing to be turned out of office for taking a stand for moral issues, a national character will continue to erode.  No office gained or kept is worth the loss of character!

Why is courage necessary for a preacher?....a policeman faced with a bribe?....a schoolboy asked to hear a dirty joke?

DAILY COURAGE-

The long, lingering moral crises of life are the most difficult and taxing.  Examples:  Young men and women who commit to stay sexually pure until marriage....crippled teenager who does what is right with a good attitude through years of daily horrible pain.  

COURAGE AND THE FEAR OF GOD-

Do you agree that all lesser fears will be swallowed up in the life of the man who truly fears God????

Proverbs 29:25..."The fear of man bringeth a snare but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."

The fear of man is a trap, but it is harmless and baitless to the man who fears God.

IF WE FEAR GOD MORE THAN WE FEAR THE GOOD OPINION OF OUR MATES AT WORK, OUR SPOUSES, OUR CONGREGATIONS OR OUR CONSTITUENCY, WE ARE FREE!

The fear of the Lord makes us calm, quiet and confident.

 

Pursuing courage,

Becky    

Singles Source group Study - thursday July 29....7:30 Minor Lane foyer

Interesting and stimulating conversation last week in Source group.  We welcomed several new people to our group.  Looking forward to continuing our study on "Character" with you joining us tomorrow night!

 

Pages 6-11  "Character Matters" by Dr. Mark Rutland

"Virtue and Vitality"

Japanese and U.S. mothers of school-aged children survey:  What do you consider the most important variable in a child's success in school?  US:  intelligence    Japan:  work and diligence

 

If a teenager holds rebellion as a virtue, he will imitate rebellious adults.

The businessman who holds success without integrity as a virtue will sell tainted baby food to a third World country without question.

A congressman who makes power a virtue may sell his soul for votes.

COURAGE separates men from beasts.

Evaluate the virtues evident in the church.  Will it produce a John Wesley today?

IF we adhere to the protestor motto:  "There is nothing worth dying for",  What about the cross?

Discuss p. 8 (New England woman who was found guilty and probated her 5 year sentence after shooting her mentally handicapped 4 year old.)  Where is the sanctity of life?

Discuss p.8 (Pro-choice rabbi debate with Dr. Rutland)

Our ideal cannot be the quality of life.  If it is, then comfort, ease, beauty, intelligence, wealth, power and convenience trumps decency, goodness, kindness and the innate value of every life created by God.  

THE QUALITY OF LIFE CANNOT BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE VALUE OF LIFE!  If not,who will define quality?

 

Virtue:  Faith and Works

 

Paul: "By grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9. NIV)  

Peter:  "Add to your faith virtue" (2 Pet. 1:5).

Discuss parable p. 9...Tree, stone and sun

Ps. 37:5-6 "Trust in Him and He will do this;  He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn."

We must not sit like the stone, hardened against the Son of righteousness.  God's willingness to help us must be met with our willingness to be helped.  WE MUST ADD VIRTUE TO FAITH.  God can teach us virtue, but we must want it.

Think on this:

"Perhaps a hundred years ago in the West, a book on character might have been so obvious as to have seemed frivolous.  There would hardly have been a need to teach or write on virtue.  God said the Ninevites did not know their right hand from their left.  Perhaps the same might be said of modern America.  America has lost her basic concept of virtue."  Rutland

New ways of understanding and teaching character must be explored and used in schools, businesses, and places of worship.  That is why we are studying this topic presently in our singles ministry.  We can each make a difference when we decide to embrace godly virtues.  

 

WE CAN AND HAVE LIVED WITH LESS WEALTH THAN WE HAVE.  WE HAVE SURVIVED STOCK MARKET CRASHES, DEPRESSIONS AND WORLD WARS.  WE CANNOT LONG SURVIVE WITHOUT CHARACTER, HOWEVER!

 

Next week......Courage:  Character in Crisis

Don't miss one week.

 

(Let's discuss meeting the first Thurs. of each month for our Source class at a nearby restaurant like, Mcalisters, Tumbleweed, O'Charleys, Steak-n-Shake.)

 

mark Monday August 23 on your calendar for joining us at Christian Concert...Ky State Fair. 

 

Pursuing Godly Character,

Becky

 

Lifeway Bookstores can order your copy of "Character Matters"

I called Lifeway today and you can order your book for $15.99.  You may also just follow along with my weekly devotionals and be prepared for discussions.

 

thanks,

Becky