THE CHURCH VISITOR. Christian Apologetics???? Looking for Ski Poles

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1 FEB 20, 2018 THE CHURCH VISITOR Christian Apologetics???? Have you ever heard these two words together? Christian Apologetics is simply presenting a reasonable defense of the Christian faith and truth to those who disagree. Christian Apologetics is a necessary aspect of the Christian life. We are all commanded to be ready and equipped to proclaim the gospel and defend our faith (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Peter 3:15). That is the essence of Christian Apologetics. This is something we all need to work on. Recently I made the acquaintance of a young man who is attending seminary in Dallas, and his specialty is Christian Apologetics as it relates to Evangelism. I inquired if he would be willing to come and share with us, in a class setting, some basics in this area and that is what prompted this article. I think most Christians are not equipped to get into substantive conversations about their faith. What they believe and why they believe it. This is part of the goals of Christian Apologetics to equip us to defend the faith. This Sunday I will place a sign-up sheet in the gathering area if you are interested in a class that perhaps will go deeper than you ever have before in your faith. Perhaps it will help you understand your faith like you never have before. If we have enough interest, I will plan a class for some time later this spring and, hopefully, all of us will grow together in our love and knowledge of God s wisdom and truth. Looking for Ski Poles That is not a misprint! Pastor Paul is looking for two old ski poles you don t want back to modify for a project he has in mind. If you have some just bring them by the office or to church on Sunday Ruth Road Richland Hills, TX (817) Senior Pastor: Paul Klaus Website: info.rhcc@gmail.com

2 CHURCH CALENDAR FEBRUARY Week of Compassion Offering will be received. Prayer Ministry (8:45 am) Seekers, Pioneers, Discipleship, Coffee House, Youth SS Classes (9:15 am - 10:10 am) Preschool/Kindergarten Music Class (9:15 am) Preschool SS Classes (9:45 am) Morning Worship Service (10:30 am), CWF Executive Board Meeting after worship "Experiencing God" Class (4:00 pm) CWF Visitation Day (9:30 am) Personnel Committee Meeting (6:30 pm) Adult Choir Rehearsal (6:30 pm) - Nursery available! SERVING SCHEDULE Deacons (Month of February) Judy Walther, Logan Dinkel, Sandy Rutherford, Jamie Hughes Offering Meditation Evan Lawson The Table Ryon McCann & Bill Walther Children s Moment Paul Klaus Greeters Evan & Shay Lawson Coffee Fellowship Mike & Carrie Visage Communion Preparation Dawn Phillippi Communion Clean-Up Kathryn Holiday & Donna Walker MARCH Blessed Threaders meet in Fellowship Hall (10:00 am) Prayer Minister (8:45 am) Seekers, Pioneers, Discipleship, Coffee House, Youth SS Classes (9:15 am - 10:10 am) Preschool/Kindergarten Music Class (9:15 am) Preschool SS Classes (9:45 am) Morning Worship Service (10:30 am) Board Meeting (4:00 pm) Adult Choir Rehearsal (6:30 pm) - Nursery available! DMF Breakfast Meeting (8:30 am) Mike & Carrie Visage Alan & Linda Baker Baked Potato Bar Barney & Linda Barnette Williams/Phillippi FAITHFUL ATTENDANCE & GIVING Sunday School - 30 Worship Service - 95 Faithful Giving ( ) - $ 7,285

3 FEBRUARY CALENDAR Tuesday, February 20 CWF Night Group Meeting (6:30 pm) Sunday, February 25 CWF Executive Board Meeting after worship Tuesday, February 27 CWF Visitation Day Please pray for the following: Iris Woodall Beverly Obregon Alyssa Danley, granddaughter of Connie Phillips Brenda Moran Preble Lehew Arlene Kendall Carol Neill, mother of Carrie Visage Maxine Gandy Mildred Sampson Grace Bennett Don Dodson Kim Nelson, friend of Sarah Frazier Nathan McGee, great grandson of Polly Slama Sarah Wellman Brenda Ledbetter Worship has provided Lenten Devotional Booklets. They are available in the Gathering Area this Sunday. Please take one per family! Melinda Carden Anna Noah Joan Burgett Crib Nursery Guardian Angel Grandmas Heather Hall Natalie Caruso Leah McCann Play Room Parent Helper Schedule:

4 WELCOME NEW MEMBER: February Birthdays: John Bennett MARCH BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES March Birthdays: Dorris Bender Natalie Caruso Alyce Payne Doug Fulk Jordan Hall Loretta Cole, Gerry Evans John Howard Chad Baker Wanda Neal March Anniversaries: Earl & Gary Lou Geddes Ryon & Leah McCann Bill & Gay Agan A Little BRITE ness from Linda Emmet Fox, author of Sermon on the Mount, has a precious devotion titled Around the Year With Emmet Fox: A Book of Daily Readings, where I found this gem on page 370: God is fully present here with me. God is the only real Presence all the rest is but shadow. God is perfect Good and God is the cause only of perfect Good. The same fountain cannot send forth both sweet and bitter water I am the child of God. In God I live and move and have my being, so I have not fear. I am surrounded by the Peace of God, and all is well. I dwell in the presence of God, and no fear can touch me. I am not afraid of the past; I am not afraid of the present; I am not afraid of the future, for God is with me. The eternal God is my resting place and underneath are the everlasting arms. Nothing can ever touch me but the direct action of God Himself, and God is Love. My prayer for each of you is, as you read this quotation, maybe even out loud, that in that moment, you will feel the overwhelming love that God has for you, and that all fears will be cast aside: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 Blessings, Linda Barnette

5 Quote from: Men of Courage by Dr. Larry Crabb Imagine what it would be like if our Christian communities were made up not of experts and ordinary folks but of elders and disciples: elders, men and women who know God well (who would insist, of course, that they barely know him, but who would observably live to know him better); and disciples, vast throngs of people whose hearts have been stirred by the possibility of actually knowing Christ, a possibility they see lived out in the lives of the truly mature. If reformation is to come, it will come through elders, not experts. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Quote from: Becoming a Vessel of God s Power by Donna Partow If we want to become vessels of God s power, we need to make a conscious decision: I will remember. I will remember the deeds and the miracles God has performed, yes, even those performed long ago. Remembering what God has done is a choice. He doesn t want us to remember for remembering s sake, but so we ll have the faith to believe that what he has done before, he can do right now. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Quote from: True Freedom by Steven Fry Deep within, we all know that the essence of freedom is not independence. Rather, it is fulfilling our divine design. If there is a God, and He did make us, then the freest we can ever be is when we are living fully within that design. To live within our God-authored design is to submit to a boundary. And yet this boundary results in freedom. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Quote from: Don t Waste Your Life by John Piper It was becoming clearer and clearer that if I wanted to come to the end of my life and not say, I ve wasted it! then I would need to press all the way in, and all the way up, to the ultimate purpose of God and join him in it. If my life was to have a single, all-satisfying, unifying passion, it would have to be God s passion.

6 What Do I Believe? What we believe about something often determines how we will act about something. Dare I say little belief often leads to little action. I know all of our sports fans will get this analogy. If you are let s say, a hard-core TCU fan, first you are fiercely loyal through good and bad seasons. You are a Horned Frog forever. Of course, you wear purple on Sundays to church. You may invest an entire Saturday to a game day including a lengthy time at the tail gate party and perhaps an after-game celebration if it is a victory. You may be part of organizations or associations that support the team long after you have graduated. Know anyone like that? What does our belief as Christians motivate us to do? We read the Bible. Psalms tells us God s Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. We Pray. In fact, the Apostle Paul tells us to Pray unceasingly - in other words, pray all the time. As Christians we put God first - Seek First the Kingdom Matthew tells us. Look at our weekly activities and see how often that happens. Priority reflects what we believe and what is important. One of the hardest things we are called to do is Pick up our crosses and follow Christ which, without a doubt, means we will have to leave some thing or things behind. I shared with you on Sunday the question I had to ask myself. If I say I believe in God and yet do nothing or almost nothing that God commands or directs us in His Word, do I really believe in God? Dwell on that for a while and discover your answer to this question and look at your life and see where you have placed God. It will answer the question What do I believe? CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MEMBERSHIP FELLOWSHIP PROPERTY STEWARDSHIP The new Committees for 2018 have been formed. Where will you commit to faithfully serve? Select from the list below and place in the offering plate. Be sure to sign your name. Thank you, in advance, for your willingness to serve. In all we do let us bring Glory to God! Church Family, I'm excited to offer my practice with you all and would love to invite you to a free class at my work. My boss said I could offer a class to friends/family. I would love to share my love for fitness with you all and I think you will have fun! Fun, fitness, and fellowship :) We have barre and cycle classes, men and women are welcome. I'm happy to teach either, or we can split up the classes so we have both available. We do have child care available if families want to come. Just click this link and select Ambassador Class and sign up. Or, feel free to or Text me and I'll get you signed up. leahdaileymethod@gmail.com I hope to see you Sunday! Leah Hughes The Dailey Method Colleyville 8300 Precinct Line Road Colleyville, TX Suite admmainclass?fl=true&tabid=102#an2 WORLD OUTREACH WORSHIP NAME PHONE NUMBER CWF NEEDS YOUR HELP! CWF is now collecting wrapped candy for their Easter Basket project. You may bring wrapped candy on Sunday mornings or to the church office during the week. Thank you for your help!

7 2018 DMF VALENTINE S BANQUET DMF VALENTINE BANQUET A SUCCESS! (THESE PICTURES SAY IT ALL) BY THESE PICTURES THAT WERE TAKEN, IT LOOKS AS IF ALL HAD A GREAT TIME. THANK YOU TO OUR DMF FOR HOSTING SUCH A WONDERFUL EVENT, FOR THE MUSICIANS AND SOLOISTS, FOR THOSE WHO SET UP AND CLEANED UP, FOR THOSE WHO WATCHED OVER THE CHILDREN, AND FOR THE MEAL FROM TEXAS ROADHOUSE.

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