Cowboy FellowshiCowboy Fellowshipp

FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

Word from the Pastor

Calendar

Baptisms

Missions

Parent Link

A Word From The Pastor

Real authentic friendships are undervalued in our American society and culture today. It seems to me that people in general have fewer friends than they once did. I have read studies over the past few years that indicate this trend has been a slow but steady one in our culture for sometime. In fact one article said that 70% of pastors report not having one single person they believe to be a true friend.

Friendship is on the decline in America for a verity of reasons in my opinion. Understanding these friendship killers could be the key to reversing our dangerous course of a friendless life. Let me share a few of the biggest obstacles to friendship I see in our culture.

1. The decline of the family- My wife is my best friend. She is not perfect and neither am I. Therefore our relation-ship like any other takes a great deal of work and effort. However, having a valued and trusted friend inside of my house enhances all other areas of my life. Working on your marriage means by definition working on your friendship with your spouse this is a great place to start.

2. People are to busy- Everyone is busy these days and most are to busy for real friendships. Developing and maintaining friendships takes time and our already overcrowded schedules has little if any room left for friends. Slow down, start de-cluttering your life, make time and room for friends.

3. Lack of forgiveness- Biblical forgiveness is difficult and demanding therefore few practice it. As a result when we are wounded, or hurt we frequently walk away from the problem instead of moving toward it. We forsake a great friendship because we are unwilling to forgive a single offence. What took years or decades to build is destroyed in a single moment. Without forgiveness a broken friendship can’t be salvaged. Then because we have been hurt by this person who was close to us we decide that we can’t allow this to ever happen again, so we insulate ourselves from future potential friendships. The result, a friendless life.

4. The misunderstanding of the word friendship has also played a large role in the decline of authentic friendships in our culture. I will explain this more in the following paragraph.

Please understand when I am speaking of friendships I am not talking about any relationship. This term for the purpose of this article is not about a casual acquaintance. Just because you know there name does not mean you are friends. But that is what our culture has come to think of as friendship. We might define the word friendship as, some-one you know, talk to, or helps you from time to time. While it is true that friends do these things that is not actually what real friendship is about. Listen to how the Bible defines friendship.

John 15:12–15 (NET) —12

My commandment is this—to love one another just as I have loved you.13

No one has greater love than this—that one lays down his life for his friends.

14You are my friends if you do what I command

you. 15

I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father.

Proverbs 18:24 (ESV) —24

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 17:17 (NET) —17

A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in adversity.

Proverbs 27:17 (ESV) —17

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Many more verses could be added to this short list. From this short selection of passages we can see the real definition of friendship developing. “Closer than a brother,” “loves at all times,” “lays down his life for his friends,” combined with the power to hold each other accountable and speak truth into each others lives as proverbs 27:17 states makes for wonderful friendships. Do the verses above describe your friends?

At the end of my life I know that I will have regrets. I will have wished I would have done or accomplished many things that I never got around to. However I pray that making time for friendship is not one of them. C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying “Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?” If there is a greater pleas-ure in life I have yet to find it. It’s time we all start making time for friendship in our lives.

I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope to see you at Cowboy Fellowship this month as we continue to connect, grow and serve.

Pastor Pete

Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2006.;The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001; Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET

Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2006.; The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001.

http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-friendship-20-good-scripture-quotes/#ixzz2j1arEUs8

Page 2

Page 3

The following are reoccurring

events that take place each

week/month at the same time

unless otherwise denoted.

Discipleship Classes Sunday

morning before Church at

9am

Church Services - Sunday at

10:45 AM

Children’s Play Group Every

Tuesday from 10am -

11:30am.

Men’s Fellowship Breakfast

3rd Sat. 8-9 Call Bob Byrd

for info at: 210-896-5525

CFY - Every Wednesday @

6:30pm

Pre-Teen Ministry Every

Wednesday @ 6:30pm-8

Bldg D

2nd Sat. Clean Up

8 am-10 am

GriefShare starts on Sept.

15th at 1:30 for 13 weeks.

Please Go To Our Website For

Times And More Information! www.cowboyfellowship.org

NOVEMBER 2013 SUN MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT

1 2

3

9a

Discipleship

10:45 a Sun Morning Worship Serv. Baptism

4 6:30p Financial Freedom Class

5

10a-11:30a

Play Group at

Kids Nation in

Jourdanton

6

6:30p-8p

5th & 6th Grade

Youth

6:30p-8p CFY

7

6:30p-9p

CF band

practice

6:30 p–8p

Judo

8 9

8:00a–10a

2nd Sat

Clean Up

10a-12

Ladies Rid-

ing Group

10

9a

Discipleship

10:45a

Sun. Morning

Worship Serv.

12-2p

Leadership

and Lay Pas-

tor Mtg.

1:30p

GriefShare

11 6:30p Financial Freedom Class

12

10a-11:30a

Play Group

13

6:30p-8p

5th & 6th Grade

Youth

6:30p-8p CFY

7p-9p Adult Riding Group

14

6:30p-9p

CF band

practice

6:30pm– 8

Judo

15 16

8a-9a Men’s Fel-lowship Breakfast

17

9 a

Discipleship

10:45am

Sun. Morning

Worship Serv.

10:36a

Saddle Up

1:30pm

GriefShare

18

19

10a-11:30 Play Group

20

6:30p-8p 5th & 6th Grade Youth

6:30p-8p CFY

21

10:30a -12

Helping

Hands

6:30p-9p

CF band

practice

6:30pm - 8

Judo

22

23

24 9 am Discipleship 10:45am Sun. Morning Worship Serv. 12pm-1 Elders mtg. 1:30 pm GriefShare

25 26

10a-11:30 Play Group

27

6:30p-8p 5th & 6th Grade Youth

6:30p-8p CFY

28

Office Closed

Thanksgiving

29

Office

Closed

30

Schedule

Of Events

Psalms 100:4-5

4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving

and His courts with praise;

give thanks to Him and praise His name. 5 For the LORD is good and His love endures forever;

His faithfulness continues through all generations.

The Arena Ministry Adult Riding Group 2nd Wednesday of every month 7pm -

9pm Contact Liz Powell 830-426-9391

Youth Riding Clinic 4th Wednesday of the month 7pm-9pm

Contact Liz Powell 830-426-9391

Ladies Riding Group 2nd Sat. of the month 10am-12 noon

Contact info.: Marian Knowlton phone 210-831-6079

email marian.knowlton@gmail.com

Page 4

November Church Events Nov. 3rd Baptism

Nov. 3rd Daylight saving time ends. Remember to run your clocks

back 1 hour.

Nov. 4th & 11th Financial Freedom Classes @ 6:30. The Nov. 11th

is the last class.

Nov 9th 2nd Saturday Clean up.

Nov 17th Saddle-up 10:36 during church service.

Nov 21st Helping Hands

Nov. 28th & 29th Office closed for Thanksgiving holiday.

Sept. & Oct. Baptisms

On September 1, 2013 eight came forward to be baptized professing they had

accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. On October 6, 2013 three came

forward to be baptized professing they had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and

Savior.

Devin Garcia Sal Dominguez

Krystle Pheiffer

Emma Dorroh Hondo Sadler Mark Smith Kailey Smith

Ariana Coolidge

Judy Christians William Winn

Dallas McWhorter

Matthew 3:13

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River to be

baptized by John.

Matthew 3:16

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water.

At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit

of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him.

Page 5

Page 6

The Helping Hands met at Cowboy Fellowship on October 17th. They

met in the conference room to plan for the Fall Festival and after the

planning session they had a time of fellowship.

Pastor Pete joined the Helping Hands for lunch at Café Chris after their

meeting.

Page 7

The Bitter Road or the Better Road?

18 Oct 2013

When someone screams at you, you want to scream back. When they lay on their horn, you want to return

the favor... or at least I do. When life seems to slap you in the face, my first reaction is not to turn the other

cheek. I want to do it back! Unfortunately, that's not what Jesus wants us to do. I think there's a reason for it.

In my last blog I wrote about our landlords and how they were not very nice right before we left. I told you

the truth about how I really felt and how it would have felt good to knock some holes in the wall or something

similar. At least I "think" it would have felt good.

Have you ever been in one of those situations when you react out of anger? It's really hard to turn the other

cheek when someone is yelling so loud they spit in your face or when you go and buy a vehicle only to have it

break down 2 days later and find out that you may need a whole new engine!

God is definitely refining me. I'll admit, I don't like being put through the 'purification' process or being

pruned. It's no fun and can cause a lot of stress, worry, and anxiety.

I was working out this morning to one of my little 20 minute videos when I heard this: "If you want to see

change, you have to put stress on the body. You have to push through when it hurts, you can't give up when it

gets hard because that is exactly what needs to happen in order to build muscle."

Wow, yes God can even speak through workout videos! When it gets tough, I want to find a way around the

rough spot. In my devotional, 'Jesus Calling', Sarah Young says this: "If you focus on the problem or search for

a way around it, you will probably go off course. Instead, focus on Me, the Shepherd who is leading you along

your life-journey. Before you know it, the obstacle will be behind you and you will hardly know how you passed

through it."

Now I can say AMEN to that because He has proven that to be true in my life. Raising support to go on

mission with HCJB Global was very difficult in the beginning. It seemed like such a high mountain to climb.

But when we began to focus on Him and NOT our situation, He began to do the work for us. When we decided

not to retaliate and leave the house in great condition despite our landlord's behavior, God blessed us by

returning half of our deposit back just hours before leaving Ecuador. And when we decided to not be bitter

about the vehicle we just purchased and to accept it as a "lesson learned" we got a call from the Ford dealership

a few days later telling us that they could not find ANYTHING wrong with the car and that they weren't even

going to charge us for looking at it!!! When does that ever happen?!

I guess we never know how God is going to work it out. But one thing I do know is that bitterness can make

you sick! It's like poison running through your veins and before long

you can let it ruin not only your day... but worse, your attitude. And no

one wants to be around someone who complains all the time.

As my Grandma said, "You can choose to be happy. Or, you can

choose to be sad. I choose to be happy." I think I'll do the same, or die

trying ;-)

Castro Chronicles

Page8

Page 9

Senior citizens from Argent Courts, The Heights and other local homes will be recognized. The Pleasanton JROTC Honor Guard will present The Colors and The Saber Guard will honor the veterans in attendance with special recognition for our Wounded Warriors. Pastors and many local churches are supporting this event along with City leaders from Pleasanton, Poteet, Jourdanton. This event is for all denominations and is an effort to help us work together as a community of believers.

Page10

Page11

Page 12

Page 13

Our Links

www.cowboyfellowship.org

Cowboy Fellowship

P.O. Box 68

Pleasanton, TX 78064

November 2013 Issue 53