THE GATE KEEPER. How to Deal with Challenging Issues INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Transcription

1 THE GATE KEEPER Newsletter Dec - Feb Issue 4 Gates of Praise Way of the Cross Church, INC. 601 E. Pembroke Ave., Hampton, VA gatesr4u@aol.com Phone: (757) Praising Through the Storm By Ebony & Chelitha During our time of trouble and tribulations we must not lose faith or trust in the Lord. We must continue to Praise God during those times because everything has its purpose, reason, and season. Some troubles are to us like a raging storm: strong, brutal, but temporary. Other issues and situations are like a thorn in the flesh never ceasing to leave. We must be thankful for both. The reason for the storms may be to rebuke us or to teach us but the purpose is always for the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. The thorns are there to strengthen us; Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. Like Paul we should also take pleasure in all that the Lord does in our life. Praise him through it all; thank Him for his grace and mercy. It is because He loves us so that He takes His time to mold us and keep us. He rights us when we are wrong; He comes for us when we lose our way. Every good parent rebukes their child when he or she acts up disciplining in variety of ways, such as spankings, time outs, loss of privileges or belongings. Good parents do it because they love their children; How to Deal with Challenging Issues By Michelle Mock How should we as Christians deal with some of the most challenging issues that we encounter in our lives today? The answer is quite simple we don t. The truth is we should allow ourselves to exit out of the equation allowing our Savior Jesus Christ to intervene. In other words we should surrender to Him whole heartedly trusting in His promises and resting comfortably in His plan for all of our lives. We must relinquish our selves completely to our Lord surrendering all our insecurities. In other words we must give God our luggage of burdens because carrying burdens weighs us down, prohibiting and delaying us from accomplishing God mission set for our lives. This task may not always be easy to do INSIDE THIS ISSUE Praising Through the Storm 1 How to Deal 1 Message from Pastor 2 My Testimony 2 Parents & Kids Corner 3 Resources & Community News 4 GOP Announcements 5 Word Jumble and Coloring 5 & 6 they want their children to be better and be safe. Why would we expect or want any less from our Heavenly Father? John 3:16 express Gods love for us, with a love that strong I imagine that it hurts Him more than it hurts us when we have to be repeatedly put through a storm because of our failure to learn the lesson the first time. Imagine if every time a parent told their child something and the child listened the first time. Or better yet imagine if that same parent had given the child a list of ten simple rules and that child never strayed. Wouldn t that be something? In reality, I have yet to meet a child who listens the first time every time, nor have I ever met anyone, child or adult, who has always kept the Ten Commandments every one, every time. Oh but for the grace of God, it is amazing Please see Storm on page 4 let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name Hebrews 13:15 because our flesh wants to be in control, but through praying and fasting it can definitely be done. According to Proverbs 3:5 we must trust in the lord with our whole heart, and not to rely on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge God and he will direct our path. In verse 7 also tells us not to be wise in our own eyes, and to fear the Lord and turn from evil. It is a privilege and honor to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father who is great and powerful and able and willing to take the load off of each of our shoulders. We are miraculously blessed to serve a God like we serve! God makes life worth living and it s so exciting!!

2 Page 2 God Knows What He s Doing By Jeremy Mason, Michigan I have been writing to a prison inmate and over the holidays he was struggling and so I sent him the following poem for encouragement. I pray that it will give strength and peace to those who may be in the wilderness. God Knows What He s Doing Why does God test us when He already knows what's in store, to the point we cannot handle it... and then He test more. How can God love me knowing what I have done, breaking commandments five, eight, and nine just to name a few? How can God forgive these sins as if there were none, as the things I know not to, are the things that I do. How can we honor this grace that God has given, only worthy of punishment and rewarded with heaven. I discover all these answers when I study God's word, that the saving blood of Jesus is the source of our renewing. I now go to war against error and what I have heard, not putting faith in self as God knows what He's doing. God Loves You and So Do I. You can find this poem and others at Message from Pastor If lost, please return to the LORD!!! By Elder Carl W. Miller As Pastor of the Gates of Praise, I am thanking God for the spirit of Revival in the church and the souls that have been saved! As we move forward to greater things, we must be earnest in keeping that spirit of revival within the church. It is imperative that we all bind together in unity that we may accomplish and possess all that the Lord is about to do within us and within the ministry. This means sacrifice is required. Remember, "To whom much is given, much is required". God bless you all, Do You Have A Testimony To Tell? If you know it s nobody but God and you just can t keep it to yourself, share your message of faith and encouragement with others. Pass your blessing forward by spreading your GOOD NEWS!! Pastor Carl W. Miller Schedule of Services Sunday Sunday School 9:00am Morning Worship Service - 10:00am Tuesday Rhema Hour Prayer Service 7:30pm Thursday Bible Study 7:30pm Gates of Praise Way of the Cross Church, INC. 601 E. Pembroke Ave., Hampton, VA One visit will change your life!!! **See Sister Chelitha or Sister Ebony on how your Testimony can be featured in ** Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. St. John5:39

3 Page 3 Parents Corner Tips on Bullying 1. Encourage your child to report bullying incidents to you. Validate your child's feelings by letting him/her know that it is normal to feel hurt, sad, scared, angry, etc. Let your child know that s/he has made the right choice by reporting the incident(s) to you and assure your child that s/he is not to blame. 2. Ask your child how s/he has tried to stop the bullying. 3. Coach your child in possible alternatives. Avoidance is often the best strategy. o Play in a different place. o Stay near a supervising adult when bullying is likely to occur. Look for ways to find new friends. o Support your child by encouraging him/her to extend invitations for friends to play at your home or to attend activities. Treat the school as your ally. Share your child's concerns and specific Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is wellpleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. ~Colossians 3: information about bullying incidents with appropriate school personnel. Establish a plan with the school and your child for dealing with future bullying incidents. 5. Encourage your child to seek help and to report bullying incidents to someone s/he feels safe with at the school: Adult in charge of a specific activity or area (such as the playground, lunchroom, field trips, bus lines, gym, classroom) Teacher Counselor For more tips on What to do About Bullying visit Kids Corner DID YOU KNOW? Bible Trivia How much time did Jonah spend in the belly of the whale? A: Three days and three nights. Who were the parents of King Solomon? A: David and Bathsheba. How many books of the Bible are named for women? A: Two - Ruth and Esther. In the Old Testament, who was Jezebel's husband? A: Ahab, King of Israel. Bible Fact: The greatest warrior in the Bible is Gideon. With 300 men, 300 trumpets, and God, He defeated 135,000 Midianites Do it Anyway By Mother Teresa People are often unreasonable, irrational, and selfcentered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22

4 Page 4 Community News Super Saturday Story Pearl Bailey Library December 17, 2011 (Story times - Pearl Bailey Library) Parents and children ages preschool-11 are invited to come and join in the fun at Super Saturday Story time, with a special guest and holiday crafts. Location: Pearl Bailey Library Price: free Contact: Resources By Michelle Mock Department of Human Services - Crisis Fuel Assistance Relief starts Jan. 1 st to those who qualify. Please Call (757) Located at 1320 LaSalle Ave Prescription Assistance is available at Salvation Army 1033 Big Bethel Rd. Hampton VA (757) Evolve LLC Counseling Service offered to troubled kids, for qualified Medicaid Enrollees, servicing the Hampton Roads and surrounding areas. (757) Peninsula Agency on Aging, Inc. is to support the independence and quality of life of Peninsula residents primarily 60 years and over by advocating, arranging, or providing vital human services. 739 Thimble Shoals Blvd, Suite 1006 Newport News, VA (757) Are you or your children excelling in the work place or at school? Let acknowledge your ACHIEVEMENTS. See page 5 on how your success can be featured!! Gates of Praise WOTCC INC. Invites you to come join us for Praise & Worship Fellowship with the Saints at GOP Where one visit will change your life!! See Page 2 for Schedule of Services Storm from page 3 how He loves us still. God promised us that he won t put more on us than we can bear. And if we take heed and learn from it the first time it won t be a repeat of the same lesson. So the next time you face an obstacle, keep the faith, put your trust in God, and praise Him through it all! So in the storm we may get wet but we won t drown. I feel like praising God right now as I write this, and not just for the storms that I have been through but for the ones I m going to go through. I aim to take pleasure in the storm, so what if I come out a little wet on the other side, I will come out a better person with increased faith and a testimony. Almost like being baptized again, the differences being when you get baptized there is a man of God standing next to you helping you down and helping you up but when you re going through the storm God is the one next to you guiding you through and seeing you out. Both times you get wet; both times you have a reason to praise all the way through. <3 Adult Self Defense Work Shop Teaching you how to recognize and successfully escape from real life attack situations. Hampton Green s Martial Arts Karate Center 1816-B Todd s Lane, Hampton, VA (757) Specializing in Roofing, Framing, Electrical, Drywall, Flooring and more!!!!! We re on the Web! Friend us on Facebook Gates of Praise Eric Johnson General Contractor ejrestorationsllc@gmail.com

5 Announcements Two-Day Church Revival: Elder Jamaal Jackson (Abundant Grace Assembly, Roanoke, VA) will be our guest speaker, once again, on Thursday, December 15 & Friday, December 16, 2011 at 7:30pm. We are looking forward to another great Word from the Lord here at the Gates of Praise! Invite your friends & family to this powerful revival! Youth Ministry: The Youth Department s Christmas Fellowship will be held Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 12:00 noon. Parents please bring your children to this special event. Church Annual Christmas Play: The Youth & Sunday School Ministries will be presenting the Christmas Drama Were You There? on Sunday, December 18, 2011 after Morning Worship service. *** If you have any news information etc. to be included in the next issue of the Church Newsletter The Gatekeeper, the deadline is Sunday, February 26, Please give all information to either Ebony Pierce or Sister Chelitha Hunter. You can also information to jadep83@yahoo.com please make GOP Newsletter the subject.*** Page 5 Dedication of Baby Madison: Glowing with joy in her heart and a smile on her face; dressed in her all white Christening dress & bonnet, Baby Madison Michelle Miller was dedicated to the Lord on Sunday, November 27, Her grandfather, Pastor Carl Miller, officiated the dedication. District Elder Melvin Easley and wife, Sister Dornee Easley, were chosen to be Baby Madison's God- Parents. District Elder & Sister Easley have had such a great & positive impact in the life of Sister Candace Miller, Madison's Mother, that she knew they would be great God-Parents to her child. Baby Madison was presented with a Certificate of Dedication and a Bible from Pastor Carl & First Lady Pamela Miller and the Gates of Praise Church. Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart. ~Winnie the Pooh CONGRATULATIONS!!! New Addition to the GOP - Welcome Baby Elijah Jo el Brim! Born: Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 6:45pm; weighing 7lbs, 10oz, & 20.8 inches long!!! Congratulations to the proud parents, Minister Rontrell & Sister Danielle Brim. May God bless you and your beautiful baby boy!! PAUL S THORN IN THE FLESH WORD JUMBLE most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 nd Corinthians 12:9

6 Color Me If the 3 Hebrew boys can praise God in the Fiery Furnace then surely we can praise God in the storm!!!!