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A publication of Women in Ministry at College Heights Christian Church in Joplin, MO
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Thankful Living In just a matter of days our nation will celebrate Thanksgiving. I love the holiday and have many fond memories of gathering with family and friends around a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and listening to my father’s prayers of thanks. This year I have been on a special journey of building my spiritual relationship with my heavenly Father. I have done this in a deliberate and fervent daily time in prayer, Bible study and meditation listening for the whisper of God. I have been using the ACTS Prayer Model: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. I have learned so much about how being “thankful” translates to “thanks-living.” If I am truly thankful for the blessings God has given me, it will be reflected in how I live my life – “thanks-living.” As a Christian, I should immediately expel words of thanksgiving. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Therefore by Him, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name.” “Continually” doesn’t just mean once a year on a day set aside called Thanksgiving, or even once a day for that matter. It’s implied that it is repeated without interruption. David said in Psalm 34:1, “ … His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” He also said, “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.” Psalm 119:62 As followers of Christ we must then live like we are blessed and reflect God’s glory in PRAISE because He is POWERFUL, because of His RIGHTEOUSNESS, He is Able, He is INFINITE, He is our STRENGTH, and is EVERLASTING. As we offer thanks for our blessing, we give Him PRAISE! Let’s remember that Thanksgiving isn’t just about the earthly things we are blessed with. God’s Word suggests that we give thanks, in fact, He commands us. His Word tells us how, where, when, why and how often we should give thanks so that one day we will spend eternity with Him. Let’s reflect it in our Thanks-Living. ~ Corky Nelson
College Heights Christian Church
Women In Ministry
November 2013
November 2013 | Page 2
Memorized Scripture and the Impact on My Life
Several years ago I was challenged by a sermon to memorize scripture. The speaker explained his method
of memorizing one verse per month for five years, over 60 verses would be memorized over that period. By
meditating on the one verse, it would stay in my long term memory.
I took up that challenge and have not stopped. Memorized scripture has been very valuable to me on a
daily basis. I am reminded throughout the day of scriptures that keep my focus on God and His truth about
me. Memorized scripture redirects my mind from falling into sinful nature, negative thoughts, anxious
feelings, and doubt. Instead of focusing on what the enemy says about me, I can focus on what God says
about me and His plan that He has for my life. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord…”
Jeremiah 29:11. I have more boldness in speaking and in my daily witness to others.
My prayer life has also been impacted by memorized scripture. I have specific verses memorized for each
section of the ACTS prayer format (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication) which models
the Lord’s Prayer. I have specific verses to pray over individuals, also.
It is easy to begin. Pray for His blessing over your commitment to put scripture to
memory. There are many methods, but I highlight and paperclip the verse that I am
memorizing in my Bible. I meditate on that verse until I feel confident that I have it
committed to memory. I usually memorize scripture during my morning devotion time,
and I also review previous verses that I have learned. So I challenge you to go ahead and
take additional time to memorize His Word. I am sure that the additional time will greatly
affect your walk with the Lord! ~ Mary Jones
Do you have 30 minutes a month to meet with a team of four believers and pray together?
God’s Resort is a 23-unit housing complex and community center located near 15
th and Pearl in Joplin, where we
provide clean, safe and affordable housing to those who need a new beginning. As part of that mission, God’s Resort wants to start new prayer teams to specifically pray for each other, assuring that each resident has a team of believers supporting them in their endeavor toward a healthier, God-led lifestyle.
For more information: Contact Donna Clemens at (417)860-
2916, [email protected], or Justin Miller at
An informational meeting will be held
Sunday November 3 from 4 - 5pm
at the Community Center - 15th
& Pearl.
Please RSVP if you plan to attend.
College Heights is a Bright Futures partner with Columbia Elementary & North Middle School in Joplin. That means, we support them with tutors, encouragment and random acts of kindness.
As you all know, teachers need encouragment as they work with our kids and grandkids. Julie has started a program at Columbia called TGIF – Thank God It’s Friday. Her idea is so simple, YET so appreciated by the teachers. Each Friday, someone is responsible to take a ‘treat’ to the teachers’ lounge. It’s as easy as bringing a box of donuts, homemade bread, brownies, cookies, or fruit..
Some of our ladies Bible Studies have committed to taking treats on a rotating basis, but we would like to extend the invitation to all CH women (individually or as a home group) to be a blessing to the Columbia teachers. Besides taking a treat (before 11 AM on Friday), there is a Prayer Request box that we ask you to take those requests and pray for them in the coming week.
If you are interested in helping out for just one Friday or more, please call Carol at 624-6915 x301.
November 2013 | Page 3
Memorizing Scripture with your Children
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home
and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7
A few months ago, I thought, “I don’t remember the last time I memorized scripture.” If I am to “impress them on my children,” how do I do that if I don’t have them on my heart? I can recall bits and pieces of some verses, but it wasn’t intentional Scripture memorizing. Several times, I felt like God was telling me that I need to be more consistent and intentional in building my relationship with God, as well as guiding my children in that way, too. This summer, my children and I began a kid-friendly Bible study and we began memorizing scripture together. We wanted to learn more about God and be able to recall His words whenever we needed them to help us get through any situation. Memorizing scripture should be life-changing, learning the truths from God’s Word and applying it to everything we do and who we are.
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11
I thought choosing scriptures was the hardest part until I asked for the kids’ help. It was great letting them get involved in choosing which scriptures meant something to them and I picked some that I felt were important ones too. In order for the kids to help, we have a special Bible that has been highlighted according to topics www.childtrainingbible.com. For example, several scriptures about lying are highlighted pink and the page they are on has a pink tab to locate it easily. The kids choose scriptures according to a topic they have been dealing with lately. There are so many great ways of helping kids to memorize scriptures that can be used for the whole family! Here are some ideas that I found to be popular:
1. Writing the scripture. It’s a great way to practice handwriting as well as learning the scriptures. 2. Put the scripture to music. Make up your own tune, or learn a song that is already written. 3. Make up hand motions to go with the scripture. 4. Write the scriptures on a card and place the cards in areas where you can read them often.
Our family chose the last one. We type up a card with the Scripture on it and place it on our kitchen table and another one taped to the bathroom mirror. The kids try to memorize it most often while brushing their teeth! The kids get so excited to learn the new verses! When we have all learned one, we switch to a new verse.
We have only been working on memorizing Scriptures for a couple of months, but I can tell that the verses we’ve learned are imprinted on our hearts. With God’s help, we will continue learning more about God and hiding His words in our hearts. I’m so excited for this journey! Will you join me? I will pray for your journey too, as you learn more about God and memorizing Scripture! ~ Kristen Phillips
~
Design and base content © 2013 Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO, group.com/women. Permission to photocopy granted for local church use only.
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**MOPS
9:30-11:30
Atrium
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**MOPS
9:30-11:30
Atrium
Let’s Do Lunch
11:30-1:00 Mucho Mexico
ALL LADIES WELCOME
Come & go as your
schedule allows
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Thanksgiving!
**For more information about MOPS, contact Amanda at [email protected]
Contact Carol for more information: [email protected] 417-624-6915 x301
YOUR WIM PLANNING TEAM:
Cheri Adcock [email protected] Tiffany Fink [email protected]
Carol Bowland [email protected] Sandi McReynolds [email protected]
Dalenna Giles [email protected] Lesli Neuenschwander [email protected]
November
For a complete list of happenings at CHCC, go to
www.chcchurch.org/calendar
Fresh Grounded Faith Conference in Springfield
SAVE THE DATE February 28 – March 2
Annual Women’s Getaway
