P A S T O R. Holly Tree Chapel Newsletter November 2017

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1 Contact Us 1620 South FM 2869 Holly Lake Ranch, TX Website: hollytreechapel.com mail: Pastor: Dr. Tim Mink We seek to glorify God as the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms our lives, our church, our community, and our world. P A S T O R Holly Tree Chapel Newsletter November 2017 I want to begin my newsletter this month by thanking everyone who helped and participated in the Oct. 29 th Fall Fest. It was a success. Our booth was the best organized, and the best run---and the people were the best looking---and we had food left over. Any suggestions about what to do with 100 hotdogs and buns? As I consider the future of our church, let me give you some thoughts. Burt Nanus writes in his book Visionary Leadership (page 18), Perhaps there are a few companies in such slowly changing industries that they can go on for years repeating the same tasks and experiences over and over again, caught in a sort of time warp in which habit, ritual, and good management are enough to sustain them for a time, perhaps even a long while. ventually however, even the most stable organizations are touched by change, and then a visionary leader must come forward to show the new direction or all is lost. The Mission of Holly Tree Chapel, the purpose for which our church has been designed, is the same mission which the Lord Jesus left to His disciples: All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Our Mission at Holly Tree Chapel has gone on for many years, relatively unchanged. But we are in the process of redefining our future, and adapting to the community around us. Vision gives an organization direction and defines its uniqueness. It suggests how we will uniquely fulfill our mission. We are working on that unique picture, and what our organization will look like in the days ahead. Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion (Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership, p. 32). Vision is a realistic, credible, and attractive future for your organization (Burt Nanis, Visionary Leadership, p. 8). Note that in both definitions, the word FUTUR is used. Vision is not a picture of the PAST---that is history; and it s not a picture of the PRSNT---that is reality; it is a picture of the future.

2 There are several parts to a great vision for an organization: 1. It is appropriate for the organization and for the times. 2. It sets standards of excellence and reflects high ideals. 3. It clarifies purpose and direction. 4. It inspires enthusiasm and encourages commitment. 5. It is well articulated and easily understood. 6. It reflects the uniqueness of the organization. 7. It is ambitious; it represents undisputed progress and expands the organization s horizons. (Nanus, p ) One author adds, Vision should not be limitless---this lacks credibility with people within and without the organization. It should be beyond the boundaries of ordinary planning activities but not so far distant as to be unrealistic. (Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader). As we begin a new year soon, I will be putting together some thoughts about forming a Vision for our future, and how we might all---as a congregation---participate in that process. We have a wonderful church. I deeply appreciate all who serve faithfully---deacon Board, Children s Church Teachers, Ushers, Greeters, Musicians, Cooks, Servants, and everyone who helps us lead people to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, and involve them in the discipleship process. The Lord bless each of you, Pastor Tim

3 Thanksgiving Mad-Lib It was a, cold November day. Adjective I woke up to the smell of roasting in the Adjective Type of Bird downstairs. I down the stairs to Room in a House Verb past tense see if I could help the dinner. My Mom said, See if Verb needs a fresh. So I carried a Relative s Name Noun tray of glasses full of into the A liquid room. When I got there, I couldn t believe my Verb ending in ing! There were Part of the body (plural) Plural Noun on the! Verb ending in ing Noun

4 W O M N S F L L O W S H I P Thanksgiving Traditions 30 Days of Thanks Thank God each day, in the month of November, for at least one blessing. You can mark your November calendar, write each day in your journal or cut out 30 colorful leaves from construction paper, write your praise and hang them up on a wall or bulletin board or the refrigerator. I Am Thankful For.Make up slips of paper that say: I am thankful for (person s name at dinner) because:. ach person at dinner gets one slip for each other person at dinner. The reasons you are thankful for Uncle Joe can be heartfelt or funny. Children responses can be especially entertaining. This is the time to say things that you normally would not say because they are anonymous sort of if you can decipher a person s handwriting you may know who wrote about you! Read them out loud and enjoy. Tablecloth of Thanks Cover the dinner table with heavy paper or a cloth that can be written on. Provide pens/pencils or markers and during dinner each person can write on the tablecloth the things they are thankful for.

5 M M B R N W S Anniversary: Jerry & Annellon Fitzgerald 11/21 MN S FRIDAY BIBL STUDY Men s Bible Study begins each Friday at 7:50 a.m. The men are currently studying in the book of Isaiah. Gentlemen of Holly Tree Chapel Our usher teams are in need of assistance. We are looking for men to usher on Sundays. If the Holy Spirit moves you, and you could pre-dedicate one Sunday or more a month to help us it would be a blessing. For information on joining the usher team, please contact any of us: Usher Captain Leon Ward Usher Captain Jim Armstrong H..L.P Home ducation Leadership Project Meets in the Chapel Monday-Friday, offering nglish, Algebra I & II, Biology, Apologetics, Speech and Debate Classes Psalm 31:19 Holly Tree Chapel 2017 Board of Deacons How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. Jeannette Pyle Secretary Francine vans - Treasurer Suzan Armstrong Dennis Bowman Nancy Weaver Dr. Tim Mink, Pastor

6 Thanksgiving very Day ach Thanksgiving Day you are reminded that you should be Thankful. You often express your thanks for your friends and family, your physical health or financial health, or the good food that you plan to stuff yourself with. You may even practice being thankful for a few days after the leftover turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce are cleared out of the refrigerator. Then normal life resumes and you may find yourself back in your routine thankful, but not overly so. The struggles and circumstances that you have put aside for one day begin to capture your attention again and fear and doubt or sadness or anger may take the place of being thankful. Who would love to have a heart of Thanksgiving every day? Would you trade your fear and doubt, sadness or anger for God s joy and peace? Do you want to be free from worry and struggles? There is a way to overcome your tendency to live in fear and worry and even more than that - a way to live daily in God s presence, a way to be victorious, a way to be free from burdens and a way to live a life of freedom for yourself and others around you. God s perfect plan for you to have Thanksgiving every day is through Praise and Worship! Both praise and worship are verbs in the Hebrew and Greek languages. Praise literally means to shine but is also used to describe rejoicing, celebrations, shouts of joy and boasting. Worship describes the action of kissing toward or in other words someone on their knees kissing the ground before a master, or someone with outstretched hands throwing a kiss. It is a posture, both figuratively and literally, of humility and respect before someone of superiority which perfectly describes our position before an Almighty God. Combine both the attitude and action of worship with the action of praise and God s powerful presence will be abundantly evident in your life and circumstances. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 shows how the praise of God s people brings God s presence close: in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the LORD saying, He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting, then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God. Before the praise could begin in this story, the people and priests of Israel sanctified themselves and performed so many sacrifices that they could not be counted (vs 6 & 11). This posture of worship opened the door for their subsequent praise to be heard and responded to by God who came down in their presence and filled His house with His glory. God s glory was so physically present and heavy, the priests were unable to stand in His presence. God dwells in the praises of His people! (Psalm 22). Do you want to experience God s presence? Worship and Praise Him! Further on in 2 Chronicles 20:15-22, God shows us that worship and praise bring victory. In this story, King Jehoshaphat is faced with an invasion by Moab, Ammon and Meunites. Jehoshaphat calls the people together to fast and pray. While they are praying, God s Spirit comes upon Jahaziel to let all of Judah know not to fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God s. God takes the pressure and responsibility off the people when He tells them you need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf. The response of Judah is worship and praise: and Jehshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. And the Levites, from the sons of the Kahathities and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a very loud voice.

7 They continued singing and praising God as they marched out before the army, and God responded to their praise by setting ambushes against the invading armies. Do you want to overcome? Do you want to hand over the responsibility of fighting your battles to God, then do it! You will be blessed by standing by and witnessing the salvation of the LORD on your behalf! God brings victory through your praise! A well-known New Testament story, found in Acts 16, shows that praise brings deliverance: and when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them (Paul & Silas), into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone s chains were unfastened. The praise of Paul & Silas not only effected their release, but also brought deliverance for the other prisoners as well. All the prison doors were blown open and all the chains were broken because of the praise of Paul and Silas. The power of praise in your own life can have this same effect. Your praise can bring deliverance to those around you who are blinded by sin and held in bondage. The jailer and his household were saved that night, so do not underestimate the power of praise for your family and friends who do not know the LORD yet. Your praise could secure their release! Thanksgiving Games Thanksgiving Bingo Make up Bingo cards and tokens related to Thanksgiving. All ages can play and prizes can be given out for the winners. Project Turkey Try to create a turkey while blindfolded. You can use tennis balls or a pieces of fruit. Give the participants tape, feathers, turkey faces and hands and have them try to put the feathers, faces and hands in the correct position on the ball/fruit. Turkey Trivia Create trivia cards with multiple choice answers. Questions and answers can be found at Guess Who Have each guest write a paragraph about themselves and bring it to dinner. One person can read the paragraphs one at a time and the family tries to guess who wrote the paragraph. Scavenger/Turkey Hunt Hide small Thanksgiving related items around the house or yard and have kids and adults find them. You may also make paper turkeys out of colored construction paper and hide them. ach person must find all the turkeys in their assigned color.

8 October 31, 2017 marks the 500 th Anniversary of the Reformation. The Reformation matters because it recovered the Biblical Gospel: Sola Scriptura: The Gospel and spiritual truth is revealed in Scripture alone (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Solus Christus: The Gospel is centered on Christ alone (Rom. 3:10-23). Sola Gratia: The Gospel is believed through faith alone (ph. 2:8-9). Sola Fide: The Gospel is received through faith alone (John 3:16; Rom. 4:4-5). Sola Deo Gloria: The Gospel gives glory to God alone (I Cor. 1:26-31).