Our Blog Has Moved!

New Life Church has a new website! It integrates a blog into the whole website. And, actually, it looks quite nice. So our blog has moved and we are going to begin to use it differently.

This one, frankly, has fallen into disuse and for that I apologize. But, we won't need the new blog for news and announcements and can use it more for a blog. It will feature resources, lessons learned, opinions...like a normal blog.

I hope you have fun with it. Good bye, Blogger!

New Life Church Baptism

Last Sunday we moved our annual river baptism inside the church building at New Life Church Riverfalls. Nine individuals expressed their faith in Christ publicly by being baptized. It was a great afternoon!

Travis Anderson, Hope Gilbert, Crystal Ward, Terri Scott, Nicole Madgewick, Emily Foullon, Layne Reavely, Chelsea Zook, Jack Fraley all gave their testimony Jesus changing their lives and their following Him.

New Life Church helps clean up West Linn High School

The annual cleanup day for West Linn High School was scheduled for Sunday afternoon, August 25. We already had a baptism scheduled then. Bridges to Change had their annual picnic slotted for the same time.

Rather than being embarrassed by our absence, I called the coordinator. She said she'd be very grateful if we could work on the school grounds before Sunday. 

So, Thursday evening last week a team of Ignite students sacked 17 bags of yard debris. Saturday morning a team from the Hellweg's life group finished the cleanup around the music/theater building. Their bags filled my pickup. 

Turns out only a handful people came out on Sunday, in the rain. I am certainly thankful New Life Church made the extra effort to serve our neighbors ahead of time. Thank you all!

Today's River Baptism has moved

On account of the rain we are moving the baptism to New Life Church Riverfalls. It will still be at 4:00. It will include awesome testimonies. It will still even have a cookout at the end. You won't, however, need your lawn chairs! Hope to see you there.

Sign Up for 3D Leadership

This Sunday New Life Church will have ten, count 'em, ten messages during our morning services!

Last year fifteen men worked hard at developing their leadership in the 3D leadership group. Sunday ten of them bring to the whole church the best message that they gave to that group last year. Part of the goal for 3D leadership is to help men be "apt to teach" (1 Timothy 3:2). I am excited for what this will mean to our church, long-term and this Sunday.

Here is the roster of speakers:

Wilsonville:

Dan Lundy, Peter Watkins, Andy Veitch

Robinwood: 

Billy Ferguson, Phil Reis, Donny Pulliam

Riverfalls:

Patrick Hada, Matt Cummins, Matt Zook, John Gardner

3D Leadership 

The 3D Leadership group is open to men from New Life Church who desire to be better at the three dimensions of leadership -- Self-leadership, Family leadership and Church Leadership. Through a combination of reading, interaction, and training you will experience the fastest acceleration in your leadership that you have ever experienced.

You may apply with this application form. 

Czech Republic Team Update #2

Update from Justin Schroeder for the Czech Team:

I honestly don't know how to even put this week into words. I'm absolutely overwhelmed at what God has done here. So I'll try to break it down a bit.

-Camp starts--always a bit of awkwardness, as is the usual, but I agree with Annie who said "it was the most un-awkward Awkward Day I've ever had." The team instantly began meshing with the students, making them feel at home, and getting to know each other real quick. It's always a puzzle as to how to divide students into class (you want a good balance--everyone being assigned to an appropriate level but also to a proper proportion of team member/students),  but after testing the English, the classes seemed to just divide themselves perfectly!

-Camp continues--English classes run smoothly, the Americans have come well-prepared and are KILLING IT with their lessons! Students are learning, and over the course of the week have become more open, comfortable, and downright crazy enough to participate in our American shenanigans, and each day I hear more and more laughter echoing through this campsite in the morning. Good stuff.

-Discussion groups-- They are never easy at first, but each class has had moments of students opening up, asking questions about Jesus, and realizing things they never knew before. The classes have become like families, and each has its own environment of trust and security, and this opens many doors for healthy discussions about Christ! This week we've talked about Peter-- his relationship with Jesus has been SO  interesting-- the way he wrestles with faith, disappointment, friendship, rejection, betrayal, forgiveness, restoration. It's so human. It has enabled a way to paint perfectly a picture of God's grace and how the Gospel has the power to change lives.

And it does.

I wrote a couple days ago saying that yesterday was Gospel day. I tell ya, it started as a frenzy... so much going on beginning right at 7am. Lots of things to set up, general camp-ness to run (including a sushi workshop, aw yeah!), meetings and practices and this, that, everything. But when we got to evening program, everything just ran so smoothly! The campers were engaged, the Gospel message was preached uninterrupted, and when we did the labyrinth- students spent longer in there than I've ever seen before! Many came out crying or wanting to talk to someone.. We had a tea room set up and team members (Czech and American) sat, talked, and prayed with many of the students. Lots had questions, many wanted to know more about this God and how they could have a relationship, and others who previously were unsure where they stood wanted to just sell all out for Christ.

We don't do altar calls here. I don't know if anyone was saved last night. To be honest, I think I've only been to two or three camps (of 8) where someone made the decision AT camp. But isn't that cool in a way? We don't go for that emotional, "camp high" vibe. We're talking to a culture that really contemplates things, that really takes spirituality seriously, and who want to truly choose for themselves if they want to follow Him--and this choice really is life or death for them. And to tell the truth, the results of such a mindset are so much more deep, more evident, and more meaningful than a lot of what we see in the States. I think we as Americans have something to learn from them.

 Much of the fruit will come after camp, maybe December, may March, maybe in 2017. But I tell you, it happens. Last night was an incredible start for so many, and amazing progress for others. I've yet to hear from many of the conversations that were had, but I already heard that several students prayed for the very first time, cried out to God asking Him to show Himself to them. (I was just informed several students committed to start reading the Bible, some describing a total life change, and much more) I am 100% confident that much Kingdom change for the Czech Republic is going to come from this week alone, praise God for that!!

So, long story short: Gospel night = huge success. So, much to be praising God for, and praying that the seeds that were planted will bear much fruit in the coming years!

And it doesn't stop here! We've yet one more night, one last discussion group with students, and then FOLLOW UP! We get to go back to their town, where we work to get everyone plugged into this local church and youth group, and the camp will continue all year long.

This hasn't all been one cake walk. We're tired. Very tired. Sam got sick for a bit but champed through it like a.. well like a champ! There are days where literally nothing goes the way we had planned it that morning, but  one of the first rule of missions: Be adaptable. If you get upset when things don't go the way YOU planned, well you're in the wrong business--God has His own plans and it's by this faith that we operate! And when the curve balls come our way, the team, and I mean the WHOLE team, has handled them with such grace and flexibility that the camp has been able to run so smoothly.

Speaking of camp running smoothly, I can't tell you all enough how thankful I am for the team we have. I honestly can say I've never seen a better crew of Americans out here. I'm dead serious about that. I'm not the only one either, the Czechs have been blown away, and a couple of our JV bosses came to visit yesterday and said the same. The way they're willing to do anything necessary, the way they reach out to students and build relationships even when they're so tired... the way they go with the flow and bring the energy and the fun that supercharges this camp, or just the boldness to share Christ in any circumstance... it's crazy! Exceeding expectations of all sorts. And the Czechs, oh the Czechs, the same can be said for them too! Such a solid group of young adults stepping up in faith to lead. Amongst the leaders, we've done many camps before, and we agree this one has been one of, if not the most, solid camps we ever saw.

Personal note: who would've thunk it; speaking at night has been so much fun!! I had no idea!! What was I so scared about?? So yeah, thank the Lord that actually turned out pretty well. It was seriously a blast, and most of that was because my translator Paja (pronounced Pie-uh.. umm.. yeah phonetics make that look silly..)  was so awesome. After the second night, we both were so surprised at how much joy speaking together gave us! Thank you all for your prayers for that!

Please be praying for the team as we move on to follow up- for the last-chance conversations, for those students who won't be at follow up, and for connections to be made between the Americans and their host families. Some will be going to the homes of students, others to the Czech team, and a few of us will stay with the leaders. Pray for a fruitful time as we minister to these guys from right where they live! It's gonna be awesoooommmme!!!!!

Please continue to pray for health and safety of the team. Camp may be over, but there is much craziness yet to come.

So, English Camp 2013: success. Beyond words.

Thank you all for taking part in this ministry through your prayers-- and keep them up, we're not done yet!

update: between the time I started this email (this morning), and the time I completed it (tonight), one student has decided to give her life to Christ. Whoa!

Pension pod Vlekem, our amazing camp location! Pray for the owner, Ivo. He's been so awesome to us, and has even been listening in on the talks at night

Craft time!

Tea time...

Prayer for "Gospel Night" and Czech Mission Team

Here is a prayer request/update from the Czech Republic Mission Team:

I plan to send a nice big update tomorrow, full of adventures and stories and general camp greatness, but due to time zones and schedules and who knows what else, I wanted to ask you all to start praying for tomorrow. I know you're all only digesting lunch, but at this very moment most groups are still in discussion, and then we're off to bed. 

Nay, we're off to hide in a dark forest, and then off to bed.

Anyways, tomorrow is a big day. This whole week we've been talking about Jesus and Peter, laying a foundation for presenting the Gospel, and tomorrow is what this all builds up to--Gospel night. The talk will be where the Gospel is presented in full, but instead of "alter call" type stuff, the students go through a "labyrinth", basically a station-by-station breakdown on the things learned this week, allowing for them to process and internalize on their own (this is a much better approach with the Czech culture). 

Anyways, start praying now, if you would. Many students are asking questions! Last night, I talked for a couple hours with the hotel owner who has been listening in on the night talks. Others are hearing these things for the very first time. All these students (or hotel staff) need prayer. Tomorrow is just a big day in general--lots going on (including the big setup of this labyrinth), so that's why I write to you all now. 

God has been SO good to us this week, and I'm so so excited to tell you more! For now, I must go hide in a forest. You know how camp goes.

Czech Mission Team Update #1

Getting over jet lag together...

 Hello Family and Friends!!!

In just a few hours, we'll be meeting our English Camp students! Ahhh!!! The past several days have been absolutely crazy and awesome, and as we are already nonstop hard at work, I'll need to keep this brief. The Lord has already demonstrated His power and love to us in so many ways, I could go on and on and on and on and on and on.   BUT if I make a habit of details, the camp updates will be novels, and ain't nobody got time for that. Just know that He has carried us so wonderfully, and continue to pray for His hand over us.

First of all, we're all safe! The journey was long and exhausting, but we didn't miss any connections (and the metal in Arthur's leg didn't land us in interrogation rooms--Huzzah!!) This bunch are natural world travelers I tell you!

With 11 people traveling across the world, it seems near impossible that the entire operation can go off without a hitch. WELL, you should all be pleased to hear that only one bag..... made it.

Don't you fret now, the other 10 of us were just fine surviving the 24+ hours without our bags. The team was prepared with necessary carry-on essentials, and it's not like deodorant is a staple in Europe anyways. Our bags all arrived safely to our facility the next night and there was hardly a complaint or panic the entire wait!

So we landed in Prague and met up with the rest of our team! Annie and Jessica from Pennsylvania, and Rachel from Peoria, IL. For the first time, the 14 of us were all together! I had no idea the team could look this massive. It rocks.

We also met our Czech leadership from the Prague church (in case you didn't hear, we're working directly with Prague, and in case you didn't know, that's awesome.) They are some of the nicest, most genuine, organized, and passionate people I've had the grace of working with. For all of us, this is our first times in these roles, so we're enjoying working and learning together.

We stayed in the castle on the far left!

American team training took place in this wonderful location called Brejlov. This was three days for all the Americans doing camps in Bohemia (that's Western Czech, folks. About 150 Americans just for this half of the country!) to have a concentrated time of preparation- spiritually, culturally, English-lesson-teaching-y, sharing the Gospel, our stories, and everything else in between--like getting over jet lag, growing as a team, and spending time in peace to connect with God and refocus our hearts after the chaos of travel.. and before more chaos of camp. It was also a time where we could hear from the Czechs--the mostly-young men and women who are the current and future spiritual leaders of this nation. To step out in leadership is not a common thing here, but it's happening more rapidly than ever, and JV seeks to invest in the lives of these individuals, realizing there's only so much the Americans can do (after all, how much is two weeks compared to an entire year?)

On a personal note, training was a such a precious time to reconnect with dear friends from all over the globe--JV missionaries, Czechs from past camps, former interns, the whole package. It brings such joy to my heart to see these people I love, to be back in a place I cherish so deeply.. and the best part is that for the first time like, ever, my friends came with me and I get to show all of it to them!! They haven't even seen the good stuff yet, and already God's movement in Eastern Europe is making itself so evident and penetrating the hearts of the Americans and Czechs alike. 

Preparing for camp with Czech leaders

Training was good stuff. Great stuff. A fantastic time to hang out and plan camp with our Czech leaders, to explore the magical forests (they filmed the Narnia forest scenes here, so that was no hyperbole), to climb castle ruins and old towers, and to be trained in all the little ins and outs that will ultimately make the sharing of the Gospel more effective in this culture.

We traveled by bus to our camp facility-- it is PRIME! Great location, great setup, and, wait for it-- the most friendly and helpful owners/hosts I've ever worked with. If you know anything about dealing with Czech hotel management and things like this, you know that even "somewhat nice" is just.. oh man.. just a huge blessing.

We've been setting the place up, preparing lessons, praying over every classroom, bedroom, outside room (use your imagination), everything and anything as we get ready. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep praying for us! Camp is about to start--this is the reason we're here!

PRAYER REQUESTS

-Health and safety. Such a cliche thing to say, I know. Don't care. 

We need prayer on this. We're about to be stretched out thinner than ever, but require the strength not only to survive each day, but to thrive in ministry and relationships with these students. 

-Protection. This is a safe place (calm down mothers), but spiritually it is dark battleground. This is the time where attack will come relentlessly.

-Camp! It's about to start! Pray that we will connect fast with the students-- here we have a team who has prepared for a long time, but this still doesn't stop the nerves-- teaching English, discussion groups, sports.. all of it with a different culture makes this an entirely new experience. Pray everything runs smoothly, that this camp will be one of the best weeks of these students' lives and that God will use it to bring many to Him.

Everyone's having a blast. On the next update, I'll likely have some more personal requests from the individual members. For myself, this is the first year in this role (no intern help this time!) All logistic things are going well, but I'm still nervous as heck for evening program.. lots of moving parts to this, and hiccups tend to serve as big distractions. I've never done the talks before this year, and tonight will be the first go. They're all written out, so that's nice, but please pray that these talks will be communicated clearly and effectively, for my translator, Paja, that she will also communicate these truths and that the students will listen. For me, this is where I feel most anxious.

Rachel and Annie are our only English Camp veterans on the team. They, as well as some key JV people say (and I agree) how impressed they are with this team. Honestly, these guys are one of the most well-oiled American machines I've seen out here. All are working so hard, and you would think they've done a million of these camps before! It's incredible! So please pray that this would continue, because we know it's by His grace that this team has even made it this far!

We are pumped!

Justin for the Team

Sovenia- English Camp Day 2

Below is a note from Stephanie Rogers about the English Camp in Slovenia where Cris Austen and Shelley Rogers are serving this week:

Hello!

Thanks for praying about kids connecting! We have seen the group gel today and don't feel like there are as many kids on the fringe. Pray for Matic who is a little different and that we can protect him from getting made fun of. We want every kid to have a great experience.

Conversations are already happening about spiritual things and last night, our 18 year old Slovene helper, Anton, put his boys to bed with stories from the Bible. And they loved it! Other spontaneous conversations are happening so pray for the Holy Spirit to be opening up hearts to respond.

We played Ultimate Frisbee with an octopus today and Cris got in there and played! Both Shelley and Cris are doing an amazing job teaching and engaging with kids constantly. I am so blessed to have them here.

Travis AFB Mission Team Update #2

 

TAFB Day 4: Tuesday

Today we made excellent progress on the play structure assembly and ground preparation. We made a gravel path leading from the house to the play structure. The guys worked with Sandy and a couple other airmen to dig out the area where the play structure will be set up. After a full day of work we ended our evening working The Peak. Please keep two airmen in your prayers: Franklin and Cody. They are new to the air force and new to The Peak. Please pray that our team would make an impact on them, and that they would be able to attend the Bible study on Thursday night.

TAFB Day 5: Wednesday

Today was a day of rest for the team. We toured the Jelly Belly Factory in the morning since a few of our team members had never been. The afternoon was spent with one of the regular airmen at the HH, Amir, who gave us a tour of the base and shared his story of salvation with the team. We worked The Peak again Wednesday night. At this point Grant has given us all a thorough training on making drinks! We don’t know what we’d do without his skills. Please continue to pray for Franklin and Cody that they will come to Bible study at The Peak on Thursday. They’ve definitely made a connection with our team.

TAFB Day 6: Thursday

Today it was back to work at the HH in the morning. Mark went with Sandy to Home Depot to get the rest of the supplies for the play structure project and order the bark chips. We did all kinds of work today while we waited for the delivery: Anna, Elle, and Mandi worked in the garden. Stephanie and Grant cleaned the HH sign and cleared the weeds around the entrance to the property. Donny mowed pretty much the entire grounds. After lunch while the guys were working on spreading bark chips and anchoring in the play structure, the girls cleaned around the HH and helped Sue prepare for the Bible study dinner at The Peak that night. The HH folks cook a meal every Thursday night for this Bible study. Tonight there were about 35 people there; we met a lot of new people and were able to invite some guys to the Six Flags expedition on Saturday. Sadly we did not see Franklin or Cody, but trust that God will continue to work through the folks at The Peak to

minister to them. Mark led the group in the Bible study. He shared about fathers of faith in the book of Genesis, and the hope we have that God has a plan and used ordinary people, sinners like us, to carry out His plan. Donny closed the evening by sharing his testimony. He talked about the transformation in his life when the Holy Spirit took over, and how the cleansing work of Jesus on the cross is offered to everyone. His story is so powerful and really had an impact on the group.

Slovenia Mission Trip Day 1

Shelley Rogers and Cris Austen left yesterday for Slovenia where they will be serving at an English Camp, building relationships with kids, and seeking to share the good news of Jesus Christ.  They are serving with Stephanie Rogers, Shelley's daughter and our New Life Church Missionary, who works with teenagers in Slovenia.  Please see the update below and pray for Shelley and Cris as the Lord brings them to mind over the next several days.

They have arrived safely in Ljubljana, Slovenia.  Tomorrow Friday June 21 they will meet up with the rest of their American team and begin training for English Camp.  Camp will begin in the afternoon of Monday June 24.  Pray for quick recovery from traveling, health, effective training and team building, and that God would begin to work in the hearts of the campers and the staff. 

BTW – An extra blessing for Shelley and Cris was being upgraded to 1^st class on their flight from Wash. DC to Vienna, Austria.  Made for less tired and sore bodies when they arrive in Slovenia. 

Travis Air Force Base Mission Team Update

TAFB Day 1: Saturday

The team arrived safely at the Hospitality House at 4:45pm. Praise God for no complications on the journey down. Sue Nafziger was there to greet us, along with Kendall and a few other airmen. Sandy and several of the regular HH airmen are at a car show in Pismo Beach, due to arrive back on Sunday night. Sue took us to her dad’s house just a few miles away from the HH where we settled in comfortably for the night. 

TAFB Day 2: Sunday

We began our day at the First Street Chapel on base for the 9:00am worship service. We saw several familiar faces and made some new introductions. Donny shared during the service about his mom, asking for prayer as she wrestles with her new faith and a husband who does not believe in God. After the service we had lunch with some folks at the food court on base and became more connected with a few airmen who have only been at TAFB for a little while. It's amazing how eager they are to make new relationships, find out where you're from, and how God has been leading in your life. After lunch Sue took the group over to The Peak Cafe to get a feel for the order of operations there. The Peak is a coffee house that is actually a base chapel ministry, operated by the folks of the Hospitality House. It offers a positive, welcoming environment for anyone on base to come and enjoy a cup of coffee and relax. The Nafzigers treat The Peak like they do their own ministry in the Hospitality House. We are due to work The Peak every night we can this week. Grant, our team barista, is really going to come through for us! Sunday afternoon we helped set up the VBS at another chapel on base. Though we are disappointed to not have the privilege of helping at the VBS this year, we are so thankful to have had this opportunity to assist in the set up. It was just another chance to fellowship and serve with the airmen.

TAFB Day 3: Monday

We woke bright and early and met Sandy at the Hospitality House, where an exciting project was waiting for us! A former chaplain on base donated a brand new play structure to the HH, so the biggest thing we're going to be doing to service the HH this year is preparing the ground and building the play structure. It's going to be a tremendous addition to the HH grounds. Anna and Amanda were able to help with the registration process at the VBS on base this morning, where they checked in about 140 kids! The team made fantastic progress on the play structure today, and fully expect to complete the project by the end of the week. Stephanie cooked a delicious dinner at the HH for everyone tonight. We worked The Peak and met a lot of great people - some fellow believers and some who don't know Jesus. We ended our night with a team debrief/time of prayer for the folks we engaged with that evening.

Wilsonville Swap & Play To Close

As New Life Church looked to start a campus in Wilsonville, the first desire was not to start a worship service, but to be a group of people who are a blessing to the city. As we looked around Wilsonville, we observed a high population of young families, particularly those living in apartments near the church. In January 2011, Wilsonville Swap & Play was started as a way for New Life Church to serve the needs of these families. It has provided a safe environment for mothers to take small children to play, meet other families, and share resources. Wilsonville Swap & Play operated for a year before New Life Wilsonville opened and has been a resource to many families over the last two years. They have offered classes for preschool children such as art, cooking, music, dance, soccer, and gardening. They have connected with moms groups and participated in city events. Above all, they have provided a place for moms to develop friendships with other moms.

Recently, due to space constraints, the leadership has felt that Wilsonville Swap & Play is no longer able to provide the exceptional experience they want for their members and the community. Though New Life Church is still committed to find ways to bless the families of Wilsonville, the Swap & Play will be closing at the end of the month. Please pray for the leadership as they seek new ways to invest their time and talents in the lives of the people of Wilsonville.

Church Library Books

New to the Library 

Children’s Library
The Prayer That Makes GOD Smile by Stormie Omartian
The Stable That Bob Built by Cindy Kenney

Teen
A Reason to Live (For Teens and Their Friends) by Donalyn Powell
Freedom in Christ 4 Teens: ULTIMATE LOVE (The Real Thing) by Neil T. Anderson
From BLAH to AWE by Jena Lucado Bishop
GOD Loves UGLY by Christa Black
Light for My Path for TEENS (Illuminating Selections from the Bible)
Little Pilgrim’s Progress (from John Bunyan’s Classic) by Helen L. Taylor
You are NOT Your Own (Living LOUD for God) by Jason Perry

Fiction
Joshua by Joseph F. Girzone
The Heavenly Man (Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun) by Paul Hattaway

Bible
All the WOMEN of the BIBLE by M.L. del Mastro
Praying the 23rd Psalm by Elmer L. Towns
The Book of PSALMS
The New Oxford Annotated Bible
The Old Testament (Text and Context) by Victor H. Matthews and James C. Moyer

Non Fiction
A Life of Balance by K.P. Yohannan
A Woman JESUS Can Teach by Alice Mathews
Blended Worship (Achieving Substance and Relevance in Worship) by Robert E. Webber
Building a Church of Small Groups by Bill Donahue
Center Church by Timothy Keller
Choosing My Religion by R.C. Sproul
Firestorm (Preventing and Overcoming Church Conflicts) by Ron Susek
God Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life (The Myth of the Modern Message) by Ray Comfort
God's Will God's Best for your Life by Josh McDowell and Kevin Johnson
How We Love (Discover Your Love Style, Enhance Your Marriage) by Milan and Kay Yerkovich
Hurt People Hurt People (Hope and Healing for Yourself and Your Relationships) by Sandra D. Wilson, Ph. D.
Kids in CRISIS (A Workable Plan for Successful Parenting) by Ross Wright
Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles
Moments Together for Couples (Devotions for Drawing Near to God and One Another) by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
Passion and Purity (Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control) by Elisabeth Elliott
Reading and Hearing the Word (From Text to Sermon) by Essays in Honor of John H. Stek
Seeing What is SACRED (Becoming More Spiritually Sensitive to the Everyday Moments of Life) by Ken Gire
The Battle for the Beginning (Creation, Evolution and the Bible) by John MacArthur
The G-I-F-T for all People (Thoughts on God's Great Grace) by Max Lucado
The Hunger for Significance by R.C. Sproul
The Peacemaker (A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict) by Ken Sande
The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian
Ultimate Issues by R.C. Sproul
What is GOD Really Like? By Graig Groeschel
Why Jesus Matters by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz

Give Us Each Day Our Daily Bread

Father, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread…

The third petition of the Lord's Prayer is about our daily needs. God loves you and cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). He wants to be asked for daily help for your daily needs.

Whether you feel the need of daily bread or not, consider praying in this way: 

• God, thank you for my refrigerator, for my grocery store, for my cookbooks and for my microwave. 
• I trust you, not my job, for my provision and security. 
• Don’t ever let me think I have no needs! 
• Keep me content with what I have and with what I don’t have (Phil. 4:11-12)! 
• Guard my heart from loving money or a savings account or anything else that would keep me from trusting You. 
• Give me what I need, not more or less (Prov. 30:8-9). 
• More important to me than food is the success of your kingdom (Luke 12:31).

Your Kingdom Come

Father, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come… Maybe add these “kingdom” prayers to your list:

• God, reign in the hearts and lives of me, my family and my church. 
• Show us our need of repentance because of the nearness of the king. 
• Spread your rule to those who reject it now. 
•  Bless your church, your kingdom embassy. 
• Increase both the depth and the extent of your rule in and around us. 
• Let the institutions of this world reflect the rule of King Jesus. 
•  Expose the evil of the ruler of this present world so he might be rejected. 
• Prepare me to enjoy your reign in heaven by my joyful submission today. 
• Come, Lord Jesus!

Father, Hallowed Be Your Name

How might you build the Lord's Prayer into your prayer life? 

Here are two questions to ask yourself as you pray:
1.    How does what I’m praying about reflect my privileged relationship to God?
2.    How does what I’m praying about connect to God’s primary concern?

Use simple petitions like these to begin to implement the Lord’s Prayer as a template for your prayers.

"Father"

• Never let me forget what it cost you to make me your child!
• Remind me, you are all I had hoped a perfect father might have been to me.
• Thank you for adopting me.
• Comfort me.
• Help me learn from your discipline.
• Grow our relationship because of this time in prayer.

"Hallowed Be Your Name"

• Cause me regard you and your character as completely unique and holy.
• Make your name known and revered in  the life of my family, in my friends, among the lost people I will see today and among the nations.
• I confess I do not regard you as holy, in fact I run from your holiness. Please cleanse me and make me holy like my father.

8th Annual Middle School Auction

The Annual Middle School Auction is a week away and is an event that you will not want to miss. Please come and support the efforts of our Middle School Youth to raise money for their Dalit Missions Project on the evening of March 20 at the Riverfalls Campus.  

The Details:

• Rummage Tables open at 6:00 p.m.
• Free Pizza arrives at 6:30 p.m.
• Short Presentation & Auction Begins around 7:00 p.m.
• We will wrap up by 9:00 p.m. 
• Cash or check to New Life Church 

Here is just a sampling of some of the generous donations that will be on the block: 

• Roof & Gutter Cleanings from Monte Wallenstein
• Round of Golf (plus coaching) with Tom & William Kendall
• Jeannette Kramer’s Famous German Chocolate  Cake
• Alex Fuentes’ Famous Salsa
• Catered Pork Tenderloin Oscar (stuffed with Dungeness Crab) Dinner for 2 by Rick Ohmie
• 3 Day/2 Night stay at Eagle Crest Condo near Bend
• Large Gift Basket from Bob’s Red Mill
• Horseback Riding Lessons by Catherine Kendall
• 3 Hour Guided River Float on the Clackamas & Cookout by Grayson & Cale Haugen
• Senior Photo Shoot by Andie Reavely
• Furniture, toys, household goods, craft supplies, goodies, & much more!

For donations call Gay Haugen (503-319-6438) or Cheri Cummins (503-655-6092).

Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 10. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night.


Combined Service at West Linn High School

All New Life Church campuses will join together for a combined worship service at the West Linn High School Auditorium at 10:00 a.m., Sunday, March 3. Nursery and Treasureland classes will be provided at New Life Riverfalls for children up through second grade. A shared meal will immediately follow the service. The church will provide fried chicken for the event. Please bring a side dish and dessert to share. We will also have the 2012 Annual Reports and an updated Church Directory for you. You will be glad you came!

 

Hospitality Defined

In conjunction with the Hospitality Challenge, here is a quick article defining the gift of hospitality.

Hospitality Challenge

Do you have a gift for hospitality? I believe that it is prevalent in New Life Church. Perhaps you have had friends and neighbors over to celebrate the holidays, perhaps you have had friends over to watch a game, your Life Group may meet in your home, or you may find yourself inviting others out for lunch after church. Each of these is an example of hospitality.Hospitality is also apparent in the way you welcome people into the church on Sunday mornings and so generously contribute to our monthly shared meals.

Having identified this strength among us and having seen how it honors God and blesses others, I now want to challenge us even further. Let's intentionally use hospitality in 2013 to build relationships with, and show the love of God to, people who are not in the church. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to have dinner with one person or family in the next 8 weeks (see rules below). Together we can see what God will do as we are not only generous to one another, but to those who are far from God as well.

Hospitality Challenge - Have at least one person over for dinner between February 1st and Easter (March 31st).
Rules: In order to "count" it must be a person/family who is not from our church, does not believe in Jesus, and is not a family member. You may choose to team up with someone from your Life Group (working together is always a bonus and is often more fun) or be as creative as you like. Please share your stories with us so that we can pray together and celebrate together.

Bless Your Neighbors

Dave Ferguson shared some good ideas on the Verge Blog this week. It struck me as an easy way to think about the relationship building process. He gave 5 key activities:

    B- Begin with prayer. We want you to ask, ‘God how do you want me to bless the people in the places you’ve sent me to?’
    L- Listen. Don’t talk, but listen to people, their struggles, their pains, in the places God sent you.
    E- Eat. You can’t just check this off. It’s not quick. You have to have a meal with people or a cup of coffee. It builds relationships.
    S- Serve. If you listen with people and you eat with people they will tell you how to love them and you’ll know how to serve them.
    S- Story. When the time is right, now we talk and we share the story of how Jesus changed our life.

Who will you bless this week?

Happy Anniversary New Life Wilsonville!

New Life Wilsonville is one year old today!

On January 1st, the first Sunday of 2012, New Life Wilsonville had their first baptism as Ricky Belendez gave his public testimony before the church. One week later, on January 8th, they had their first public worship service and were officially launched as a campus of New Life Church.

Please continue to pray that the gospel will be made known in Wilsonville through the people of New Life Church.

Start the New Year with a GOOD BOOK!

Non Fiction
The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
Grieving the Child I Never Knew by Kathie Wunnenberg
Life Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George
Women After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George
Parenting from the Heart by Marilyn Boyer
When Mothers Pray by Cheri Fuller
Reforming Marriage by Douglas Wilson
A Women's Journey to the Heart of God by Cynthia Heald
Weather of the Heart by Gigi G. Tchividjian
MARRIAGE: Experience the BEST by Dr. Steve Stephens
Empowered by PRAISE by Michael Youssef
Unrealistic Expectations by Barbra Minar
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
RUTH Under the Wings of GOD by John Piper
Emotional Purity (an affair of the heart) by Heather A. Paulsen
The Heart of ANGER by Lou Priolo
Beautiful in God's Eyes (the treasures of the Proverbs 31 women) by Elizabeth George
52 Simple Ways to Share your Faith by Roberta Hromas
When Children Pray (teaching your kids to pray with power) by Cheri Fuller
Choosing REST by Sally Breedlove
Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor (sharing our lives as women of God) by Donna Otto
Speak up with Confidence (A step by step guide for speakers and leaders) by Carol Kent

Fiction
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (special read aloud edition)
Thank You for being a Friend by Jill Briscoe
MOTHER by Kathleen Norris

Children’s Books
Heroes for Young readers GLADYS AYLWARD (Daring to Trust) by Renee Meloche
My Child My Princess (A parable about the King) by Beth Moore

DVD
Galilee: The Land Where Jesus Walked