The Fil-Am Herald. Monthly Newsletter of Fil-Am Community Church. Ladies Flock to Women s Ministry Breakfast

Transcription

1 February 2 11 The Fil-Am Herald Monthly Newsletter of Fil-Am Community Church Ladies Flock to Women s Ministry Breakfast On January 22, the Women s Ministry held its 2011 Kickoff Breakfast. Indicating the continued growth of the church, an amazing 27 ladies arrived for a time of fellowship, worship and study on the traits of a wise woman. The event started with a sticker contest wherein all the ladies tried to place a heart sticker on a fellow attendee without being caught. Among the laughter and the hugs (to place a sticker on the unsuspecting target s back) the first to successfully get rid of their 10 stickers without getting caught won the first prize. This prize was won by Monet Flores. The game was soon followed by a breakfast feast fit for a king, or more appropriately, fit for a queen. Afterwards, Therese Enad, a member of the Praise and Worship Team, sang a Natalie Grant song Human which set the tone for the speaker, Laura Black, to discuss the biblical attributes of a wise woman versus those of the foolish woman. The theme verse of Black s message was Proverbs 14:1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Black, a registered nurse and professional counselor, expounded on the many attributes of a wise woman which are found in the book of Proverbs, otherwise known as the Book of Wisdom. Based on the attendees feedback all of them were blessed by the study and insight provided by the speaker. Just a Thought Real Love Upcoming events Prayer Meeting every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Feb 26 Men s Breakfast March 19 Iron Sharpens Iron Conference in Fredericksburg -Pastor Rolly Many years back, when I was still living in Australia, there was one person who offended me with her words. Being a true-blooded Filipino who is non-confrontational, I kept silent about it although I was seething with anger. It was eating me up inside, however, and I had to do something about it. Confronting her was out of the question and so I was left with one other option show kindness. I reasoned that, perhaps, she really did not mean what she said and I must give her the benefit of the doubt. So, whenever we would meet, I would smile. Whenever she needed something, I would give it. Whenever she looked discouraged, I would say words of encouragement. I forced myself at first but then it became natural and after a while, it took the anger out of me and gave me peace. Since then I have learned to be more honest and expressive with my feelings. But I also learned one important lesson: Hatred can always be conquered with love. Of course, this lesson is a principle in the Bible that says, Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs (Proverbs 10:12). Imagine if in my hatred, I spread gossip about the person instead of showing kindness? Then it would have started a quarrel. But by choosing the way of love it helped me to forgive which then calmed my heart and mind. This Valentine's Day, love takes the center stage again. Real love, however, is not just loving those who are loveable. Those who don't deserve our love deserve our love the most. After all, we didn't deserve love but God loved us anyway. The Bible says, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Real love then is sacrificial, totally giving up one's right to oneself for the sake of others. It may be difficult, but it's worth it.

2 PRAYER REQUEST Please pray for traveling mercies for the dedicated members of Fil-Am Community Church who will be traveling to the Philippines for the yearly Medical Mission February 13-19, Let extend our blessings to our brothers and sisters who are unconditionally and unreservedly giving their time and effort toward sharing the good news - The WORD of GOD - VALENTINES CRYPTOGRAM A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z, , Blueberry Fruit Smoothie Carton of Blueberry yogurt 1 Cup of milk 1 Cup frozen or fresh peaches blueberries, or strawberries ½ cup ice cubes *Add all together in blender and blend until smooth Answer: 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV) A HEARTBEAT FOR LOVE - Tootsie Santos - The greatest thing you ll ever learn is to love no matter what your circumstances may be. Physiologically, speaking, our heart and circulatory system are our body s lifeline, delivering blood to the body s tissues in order to live. Without this pocket-sized but vital part of our body, an individual would never learn how to love and to be loved which is essential in all relationships. Having a heart and the ability to love is not what it takes to be human and to be alive, because God commanded us to use our hearts the way He wanted. God created the human body for the soul to dwell in to guard our heart which serves as the mirror of our well being. God wants man to love what God loves and hate what God hates. We cannot deny that love is the language that every heart speaks. But every so often, we forget at one point, God demonstrated the noble love on earth that He sent His only Son to die and save us from our sins. Jesus fulfilled His mission to show how much He loves His children up to the last beat of His heart. This reminds us, He did it for love. As 1 Corinthians 13:13 says And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE. How about you my friend? Does your heart beats for love like Jesus have? ACE OF HEARTS Materials for one card Pencil Playing card Scissors Black marker Red card stock (one 8 1/2- by 11-inch piece should make about 8 cards) Foam heart stickers Instructions 1. Use a pencil to trace around a playing card onto card stock, then cut out the traced shape. 2. On one side, write the letter A on 2 corners as shown (make one A upside down, as on a real playing card). Decorate with heart stickers and add a message like "You're a real Ace" or "You're an Ace in my book." On the other side, write who the card is to and from.

3 From Monet To Lino Salamat sa pasensya Thanks for the love we have shared Ting, Thank you for always being there for me. Thank God for giving me a partner like you for Life. Merbin To Linda, My wife of promise I am blessed more and love you more every day. Don Tootsie As I spend my life with you, each day is a Valentine s Day. I LOVE YOU more than you know!!! Arnel Carina, I thank God for you every day. You are my best friend, soul mate, and the love of my life! Love, Jim To Shirley, I have come to realize after the past 24 years that the Lord has blessed me with your company that a bad day with you is better than a good day without you. Philippians 1:3 From David I love you mommy and daddy From Kurk & Bianca Babe thanks for chillin with me To my H.D. You are God s gift to me! I love you. GAJ Babe (Tina) I love you every day and every night. And I love you more! Honey (Kevin) I just want to wish Cassidy, Carina and Caddy a Happy Valentine s Day from Uncle Gene! God is Good!! To my wife Cindie, my kids, Catherine, Candice, Cassidy, Carina, Cadence, and Jake. I love you all and feel grateful that the Lord has blessed me with you!

4 Giving our love to God as women, we can be a woman of faith. To serve God and our family faithfully, I m claiming His word in Proverbs 14:1 A wise woman builds her home but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. As a wife I can say, it would take a thousand workers to build a castle, a million soldiers to protect its country, but it only takes one wise woman to build a happy home. Oma To the father of my son and my unborn child, Jeff. I am so glad we found each other. I love you so much! Love Vanessa Ian, I thank God for blessing me with my wonderful husband, Jon, and children, Cassidy, Carina, Cadence and Jacob. I love you all very much. Cindie After all these years you still make my heart beat faster. Happy Valentine s Day, Inday Dear Sweetheart Bel, I will love you till my hair turns gray... over and over again. You're the best! My heart pines for you always. Ever, Rolly Bel to Rolly: Thank you for loving me Coffee in the morning please To my boo, I love you! Love, Your boo To my husband Gerard, Thank you for loving me, for the great cooking that you do. You are all that I would want in being my better half. Love you. Your wife forever, Doh I love you more and more each day!! Thank you for being a loving wife and mother!! Jeff To my wife Carla, Thank you for being a blessing to me. -Anonymous For my hubby, I thank the Lord for giving me a wonderful, faithful husband. Remember I m always on your side and you are always on my heart. Love u so much, Mommy

5 Love is by Pastor Chris February is a time when our thoughts turn to love. February 14 th is Valentine s Day, a day when we remember those we love with flowers and candy and calls to our mom. This brings to mind a truth found in Scripture; a truth every 3- year-old knows and Bible scholars cannot understand. This truth is found in 1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love (KJV). Every child understands and can tell you that God is love and Bible scholars struggle to explain all that this simple statement entails. God, through John, goes on to explain an aweinspiring truth. In 1 John 4:10 He says Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (KJV). Notice that God loved us first. He loved us before we loved Him. He loved us with our anger, and bitterness, and evil thoughts and ways that caused Him pain. He saw past that, and loved us anyway. That is love and that is God. As we go through this month, remember this simple truth of God. In 1 John 4:11 it says Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (KJV). February is a time to remember those we love. As Christians, God gives us a command to love one another, so let s make an extra-special effort to put this into action. And if you don t have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, accept God s gift to you through His Son so you can know that love of God He wants so much for you to accept and experience.

6 The Cracked Water Pot A water bearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole which, he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, but the other pot was perfect, and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, while the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was very ashamed of its imperfection, and was miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do -- or so it thought. The cracked pot, after two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am very ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the water bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "For the past two years, I have only been able to deliver half of my real capacity, because this crack in my side allows water to leak out all the way back to the master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the cracked pot said. The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and compassionately said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." As they went up the hill, the old cracked pot did notice the sun shining on the beautiful wild flowers growing along his side of the path, and this cheered it some. However, at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had again leaked out half its load, and so it apologized to the water bearer for its failure. Home Groups Woodbridge: Every other Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Call (571) Loudoun/Fairfax: Every other Friday, 7:00 p.m. Call (917) Burke: Call (703) for locations and times. Alexandria: Call (703) for locations and times. Maryland: Call (301) or (240) for locations and times The ABCs of Salvation Admit that you re a sinner and can t get to Heaven on your own (Romans 3:23) Believe That God sacrificed Himself and paid the price for your sin (Romans 6:23) Commit your life to Jesus (Romans 10:9) The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and put it to good use. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path (for the return trip), and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For over two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. If you weren't the way you are, he wouldn't have the flowers for his house." Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow Him, the Lord will use us, in spite of our flaws, to grace His Father's table in some way. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste. So as we seek ways to minister, and as God calls you to the job He has appointed for you, don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and allow Him to use them, so you too can help add beauty along the pathways He has chosen for you. 2 Timothy 2:21 "Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work." Church Address: 6200 Charles Goff Drive Springfield, VA Phone: (202) filamcc@yahoo.com Web: Worship Service Time: Sunday, 10:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Children s Sunday School: Sunday, 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Prayer Meeting: Wednesday, 7:30 8:30 p.m. Maryland Crossover Worship Service: Every 2 nd Saturday of Month 10:00 11:30 a.m. Please call (301) or (240) February 2011 Fil-Am Community Church (202)