One of the Family Ministry Values that guides Faith Promise as we lead and minister to families all over East Tennessee is “Imagine The End.”  This is a crucial concept for anyone who sets out to run a race, save for retirement or graduate college, and it is a vital aspect to setting priorities for your family.

A race run without a known finish line results in an exhausted runner who may or may not achieve success.  Adding to a pension without having a goal can result in retiring later than you intend, or not at all.  And of course a college student who doesn’t have at least one eye on graduation may be destined to turn into the perpetual student…constantly eating into mom and dad’s already dwindling retirement account.

The bottom line is this…knowing the end of a project or journey is of utmost importance.  Especially when it comes to your family! While you never truly graduate or finish parenting, there are some major “ends” that you should be looking forward to and planning for.  When a child gets their license, graduates high school, gets married, etc.  Now, not to scare the mother of a 3 year-old…but these events can jump up out of nowhere if you aren’t parenting with purpose now.

So, how do you see your parental journey? It’s easy to get hyper-focused on the next step in front of you and not realize the destination your child is headed towards. How are you balancing your focus on the “now” as well as the “then”?  Truth is, your perspective and attitude towards your child’s destination will determine a lot about how, and if, they get there.

If you happen to be a parent of a current high school senior, it is my goal to help you arrive at the correct destination! As your student is nearing a major milestone, fpStudents is here to help.  This coming Sunday, February 26^th, we will have a Sr. Field Trip to the Faith Promise UT Campus!  This event will include breakfast, a Q&A with a panel of UT students and a chance to experience the Faith Promise worship service at our UT-Knoxville location.  All you have to do to sign up is email me at michaelw@faithpromise.org.

Know that the Family Ministry is here to help you along your parenting journey.  For more information on how to get connected check out www.faithpromise.org/family.

Series:  Fusion Weekend
Topic: Weird, part 2

Service Summary:

At Fusion Weekend hundreds of fpStudents discovered God’s call on our lives to be WEIRD! Why? Because chasing after NORMAL is neither good for us, not what God wants for us!  Tonight at fpStudents we will wrap up our discussions on being weird by diving head first into exactly what kind of weird Jesus led us to follow.

In Acts 4 Peter and John are put in prison for healing in Jesus’ name.  They are threatened not to speak of Jesus again…and a normal person would simply say “ok” and go home to play XBOX.  But these guys were weird!  In verse 29 this is what they prayed: “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness.”

They didn’t ask God to make it easier, or to take away His call on their lives.  They asked God to increase their boldness regardless of the situation! That’s weird!  But that’s the same attitude that Jesus had in the garden of Gethsemane and it’s the same attitude that we should have today!

Family Discussion:

1. Have you ever faced opposition in your pursuit of Christ?
2. Have you ever asked God for boldness, so that you could make Him famous?
3. How can you support each other as a family to be weird in the world?

Do you ever wonder why things happen in your life? Many times I have asked this question when “not-so-good” things happen.  My only answer that brings peace comes from God’s Word.  “…but this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:9b

As I am writing this blog post, we are just days away from celebrating with Maggie, our almost 15-year old daughter, for experiencing an entire year without having a seizure!!  (Side Note: she will be having her big celebration party in March). As I am reflecting on this miracle in our family’s life, I realize it’s not just about THE miracle.  It’s as much about God’s sustaining mercies throughout this journey.  The miracle of healing Maggie was easy for God. If He had healed Maggie 11 years ago when we began praying that He do so, it would have indeed still been miraculous.  However, what’s just as miraculous are the miracles He has worked in and through us along this journey. God’s power revealed in every day of our lives has produced results and responses, hopefully that glorify Him.  Isn’t that what we are created to do, to glorify Him?  I could write pages and pages on what God has taught me through this journey and what He is still teaching me as we try to redeem the time for Maggie; faith tested, broken hearts, hopes & dreams diverted, expectations altered, seeing God even when it wasn’t obvious, and so much more.  My prayer has grown into: “Lord, give me your eyes and let me walk with eyes wide open. Let me see You in all things and in every aspect of my life”.  It has just taken me a while to recognize God’s miracles in and around me. For so long, I only was only looking for the “Red Sea-type” miracles.  I was missing the miracles God was doing inside of me.  He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes. – Deut. 10:21

What miracle are you seeking God for today?  Keep your eyes wide open and you will see them with your own eyes!

Fusion Weekend is all about connection.  Students will spend the majority of the weekend in a “life group” that is designated based on their age and gender.  Throughout the weekend they will grow in their relationships with each other and with God while experiencing fresh and relevant discussions, engaging in live worship, crazy games and challenging messages.

As a parent, our goal is to help you in this process by providing you with a prayer guide for the weekend.  This will help you connect in two ways:  1. While your student is learning and growing in large group teaching and small group discussion, you will be able to pray specifically for them about the same topics.  2.  At the end of the weekend you will be able to ask your student specific questions about their experience and have some great conversations with them.

Friday Night:  Time

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  

- Psalm 90:12

Tonight in both their life group and the large group worship experience your students discussed the importance of how we manage and use our time.  As Christ followers we are called to live our lives differently than the world around us, to be weird.  one way that we can do that is through using our time the way that God would want us to use our time. 

1.            Pray that your student would let down their walls and really connect with their leader and the other students in their group.

2.            Pray that God would specifically show them things in their lives that they need to stop doing so that they have time to embrace the things that God has for them.

3.            Pray for transparency in their life groups.

Saturday Afternoon:  Relationships

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

- 1 Corinthians 15:32-34

This afternoon your student will take some time to look at their relationships and see what impact they can have on their lives.  For students there is a strong desire to fit in, and if we are not careful we will compromise our relationships with God and with ourselves for the desire to fit in. 

1.            Pray for your student, that they would have God’s perspective on their relationships.

2.            Pray that God would reveal any relationships in their lives that are having a negative impact on their relationship with Him, or their relationship with themselves.

3.            Pray for your student’s life group leader that God would use them and lead them this weekend. 

4.            Pray that students will open up in worship and truly connect with God.

Saturday Evening:  Values

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  – Matthew 6:21

Tonight your student talked about the importance of our values and how they can have a drastic impact on our lives.  We challenged students to ask God to give them a burden for what really matters to Him instead of being consumed by the things that the world says are important.  When we begin to pray and ask God to burden us for the things that He is burdened with, we begin to see like He sees, and live for the things that He would want us to live for. 

1.            Pray that any students in attendance that do not have a relationship with God will begin one tonight.

2.            Pray that your student would make a decision tonight to passionately follow after Christ.

3.            Pray For your students group to continue to grow into a community that supports and encourages each other to run passionately after Christ.

4.            Lift up the leaders and host homes that have sacrificed to make this weekend an awesome experience.

The finish line signifies the end of the race. In life, the race keeps going so we need to create some finish lines. This past Friday was the finish line for my wife Emily and I. We have been in a particularly busy season so three weeks ago I declared Thursday night the finish line. We reserved Friday to spend the day together. I can’t tell you how many times in the past three weeks we have mentioned the finish line, our Friday together.

We all need to create some finish lines for ourselves and our families. Finish lines look like:

• A family weekend
• Family vacation
• Personal retreat
• A day for you & your spouse (even better, a few days)

Finish lines are intentional. We have to create them and honor our commitment to slow down, pull away from the busyness, rest and reconnect with those we love.

Do you need to create a finish line for you and your family?

Preschool (2yrs-PreK)

We will continue learning this week to…

LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR HEARTS!! 

Our lesson comes from the story of Saul.  Saul, if you aren’t familiar, became Paul.   Paul became one of the greatest teachers and encouragers to the church of all time.  But he started out hating all things Jesus, including the people who had chosen to follow Him.

As soon as God got a hold of him, Saul was TRANSFORMED into Paul.  Same body, same mind, but a totally new heart.  As soon as he got that new heart, he started loving God, Jesus, and people in a whole new way!

Create a rhythm this week with your preschooler by asking them what they can do to show people they love them.  Things like hugging instead of hitting, sharing instead of being selfish, and being kind instead of being mean.  Start by hugging your child and telling them how much you love them!  One of the greatest ways to love God is by loving the people He created.

Elementary (K-3^rd Grade)

 Rebellion.  It starts young and can destroy lives if not overcome. 

I know we can all understand the idea of a child rebelling against authority.  I know we can all recall at least one rebellious moment as an adult.  This week your student is learning the story of Absalom in 2 Samuel 15:1-16 and chapter 18.  Absalom thought he would make a better king, and acts out in rebellion to prove it.  It ends in disaster.

Can you relate?  Think back to a time when you didn’t honor the authority in your life.  How did that work out?  David tried to protect his son, just as we try to protect our children and our Father tries to protect us.  But we all have to choose to honor those who are over you.  We all have to choose to Honor others more than ourselves.  If our children choose rebellion, there is only so much we can do.  If we choose rebellion, there is only so much our heavenly Father can do.

Help your student this week by Making It Personal.  Talk about the times you have dishonored your authority and the consequences suffered because of your choice.  Ask your student to reflect on their choices and encourage each other to choose HONOR.

Club 45 (4-5^th grade)

Once Upon a Parable: Jesus and the Kingdom

Too many times we attempt to explain God through our circumstances.  Too many times we expect God to act the way we would, or the way we have seen others act.  This week your student is learning that God’s way is different.

If you don’t know the story of the prodigal son, he was a parent’s worst nightmare.  All he wanted was money and when he got it, he blew it.  He left his family and ended up slopping with pigs. Exactly where we all dream our children will end up, right?  That wasn’t the end of his story though!!!!  He came home.  When he did, his father was there to meet him with open arms.

We all blow it.  We all make mistakes.  Big ones sometimes.  But God is bigger!  His Kingdom is one of open hands of love and forgiveness.  He doesn’t hold a grudge and because of Jesus we don’t get what we deserve!

Imagine the End this week with your student and respond the way God does.  Open, loving, and forgiving.  Over and over and over again.  No matter how bad they mess up.  Don’t talk about what they deserve because of their mistake.  Show them mercy because you have been shown mercy.  We can’t always eliminate natural circumstances, but our posture towards them should be just like the prodigal’s father. Watch God work in them through your grace.

Series:  Fusion Weekend
Topic: Weird

Family Discussion:

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” Luke 6:27-30

Parents, as your home includes at least one teenager, you may have noticed that they are becoming increasingly weirder!  As they grow up, they will continue to stretch and shift the boundaries of what you’ve been used to.  But, what you may not notice is that these weird adjustments in their personality are tightly linked to their extremely strong desire to be seen as “normal” among their peers.

Normal is a common disease among students….but achieving normalcy is like running a race where the finish line is constantly moving!  Because of this, students find themselves longing to try the next new fad and trend and blend in with whatever group of people makes them feel the most “normal”.  They will even sacrifice the things that make them unique and special for the sake of not being seen as weird.

Tonight at the Fusion Weekend Kickoff we will launch into a series of discussions that will help students discover the weird life that God has called us to, and the incredible benefits that come from embracing weird…because, let’s face it, normal is not working for us anymore!

Summer Camp 2012 is coming soon!

We’re packing up fpKIDS and heading to Dayton, TN!  We can’t wait to take your child for a fun-filled week of summer camp.  Make sure your fpKID doesn’t miss out!  Register today!

Here are some details you need to know!

When:           June 25-28

Where:         Fort Bluff Camp, Dayton, TN

Who:             Rising 3rd to 6th grade (completed 2nd thru 5th grade)

Cost:              Early Bird Rate before May 1st $250

After May 1st $275

 Frequently Asked Questions

What Will my child do?  There are a ton of fun things to do at summer camp.  We’ve got swimming, a 250’ water slide, putt-putt, the iceberg, the blob, wacky games, wet games, crazy games, late night activities….and more!

Where will my child sleep?  In cabins with kids in your child’s small group and small group leader.  There will be as many as 5 small groups & their leaders bunking in a cabin together.

What will my child eat?  Yummy camp food…like chicken and potatoes, eggs and bacon and of course, snacks!  You can send your camper with additional money to spend at the General Store.

How will My Child get there?  Faith Promise Church will provide transportation to Fort Bluff camp in Dayton, TN.  Busses will depart from the PEL Campus at 10am Monday, June 25^th.

How many leaders are going?  Campers will be in small groups with other kids of their gender and grade with a group leader.  Ratio approx. 10 kids/1 leader.  Other support leaders will be attending as well to help with games, events, etc.

What if My Child takes medication? All medications will be distributed by the camp nurse or child’s small group leader.

What if My Child can’t swim?  All kids will be given a swimming test to assess their ability to swim. Kids identified as weak swimmers will be required to wear swim vests during water activities.  Leaders will be present with kids at all times.

What If I need a Scholarship?  Partial scholarships are available on a case by case basis.  Please contact the Children’s Ministry offices for a copy of our Scholarship Application.

What will My Child learn?  We will use a variety of group & individual activities to creatively teach your child these practical truths to deepen their faith and relationship with God.  As a parent, you will receive a tool that unpacks the daily scripture focus during camp week, how it can apply to your life and how you can apply it to your relationship with your child after camp week.

Click here to register today! 

Be Someone’s HERO and give Hope by Serving!

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

Your opportunity to use your gifts and bring hope to others is almost here at the upcoming fp Serving Saturday on Feb 25.

We’ll meet at the Pellissippi Campus at 8:30am for a light breakfast, short devotional, and assignments and be off by 9am to be the hands and feet of Christ.

We’re using an on-line tool called VolunteerSpot to schedule these opportunities. Here’s how it works:

1) CLICK THIS LINK to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot:
2) Enter your email address and choose your job. You’ll get an Email reminder two days prior to the event.

That’s it. There are limited spots available for this fp Serving Saturday, so it’s important to sign up early.

See you Saturday Feb 25, 8:30am at the Faith Promise Pellissippi Campus!

PS: If you love giving hope to others, then be sure and mark your calendars for our next big compassion event the “Sharing Hope Experience” coming in March on Friday the 23rd and Saturday the 24th. We will be hearing from several local missions and forming new Compassion Groups which will meet monthly to bring hope to those in need in our communities. The “Sharing Hope Experience” and the new Compassion Groups will be a fp Missions Ministry and fp Groups Ministry combined partnership.

This weekend is one of the biggest experiences of the year at fpStudents!  Hundreds of students will converge on our campuses for a weekend of excitement, community, creative challenges, live music and great food!  It will definitely be the greatest weekend of the semester!

Parents, here’s the deal: for only $45 your student will have the time of their life, make great new friends and come back changed in the best way possible! It all starts tonight, Wednesday, February 15 with the FUSION KICK OFF & PARENT MEETING at 6:30pm on the Pellissippi Campus.  You will get all the information you can handle, plus have a unique time of worship as a family!

FUSION WEEKEND begins Friday night at your student’s host home.  Our large group sessions will be held at the Faith Promise Blount Campus, and we will return to the Pellissippi Campus for the 11:45am, or Blount Campus for the 11:30am weekend services on Sunday. 

This amazing event is open to all students 6^th-12^th grade, so spread the word and bring a van load! You can register RIGHT NOW on our website www.fpstudents.com or tonight at the Kick Off & Parent Meeting.

If you have questions please give us a call at (865)251-2590 or email students@faithpromise.org

• amberskyrecord.com
• yancynotnancy.com
• Shout Praises Kids
• The Rizers 

• Parent Connection - a weekly blog post and/or document you receive before and after each fpKIDS event.
• FPC Family Ministry blog - members of our Family Ministry team actively blog throughout the week providing challenging insights, transparent moments and creative ideas for your family
• Parent Cue App - Whether you carry an iPhone or Android, there’s an app for you.  The Parent Cue is a series of different activities, videos or conversation starters all based upon what your child learns every week if fpKIDS.  It’s a great mix of entertaining videos for your kids and great tools for you.
• Parent Link Live - a monthly podcast found at orangeparents.org – This podcast is hosted for parents by parents and is a great source of encouragement and focus.
• Orangeparents.org - a blog filled with challenging insights into parenting from preschool to adulthood.

“Spring Clean Up For The Heart And Soul.”

Please join us for our quarterly fp Women’s Group Gathering on Friday, March 9, 2012, @ 6:30 p.m. in Satellite 1. You will find a warm, friendly, and fun atmosphere providing an opportunity for you to connect, develop friendships, grow in Christ, and be equipped for service. We will have sign-ups for our Spring Bible Studies and sign ups to serve at the Gathering. It will also be an outreach to other women in the community that need Christ or Christian fellowship.

• Our Theme Verse is “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
• Our speaker is Sonja Wood, a local minister’s wife who has spoken at the Tennessee Baptist Convention
• We will not do the elective classes at this Gathering
• Door prizes will be awarded
• Dinner will be served
• Childcare will be provided
• Please register at www.faithpromise.org/women so that we have an accurate count for food and child care.

fp WOMEN’S GROUPS PURPOSE STATEMENT: fp Women’s Groups exist to help women become who God created them to be in order that they can fulfill their destiny. We will equip and encourage women to connect with other women, grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, and serve one another, our community, and the world.

OUR GOAL: CONNECT – GROW – SERVE

OUR MANIFESTO: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” –Colossians 2:6-7

Marriage: Close Encounters

                Focus: Intimacy

                Tuesdays at 6:30 pm – 6 weeks

Parenting: How I Met Your Mother

Focus: Biblical & practical parenting

Thursdays at 6:30 pm – 6 weeks

Marriage: Chase What Really Matters

                Focus: Financial Freedom

                Wednesdays at 6:30 pm – 6 weeks

Marriage: Taking Your Questions

                Focus: Answering common marriage related questions

                Thursdays at 6:30 pm – 6 weeks

I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to continue to grow in your marriage & parenting. Please contact Evan Crass at evanc@faithpromise.org  in the groups office if you are interested in attending one of the groups listed.

What group would you like to see offered in the future?

Are you confident, assured and holding tight to the hand and promises of God in and for your life?   Paul stated “I am persuaded of this. I am certain of this.” Paul was certain that the God who launched a good work in the Philippians would continue it.  Paul is adding to the certainty we should have that if God started something, whether it was God starting to speak to you about something, or Him showing you something or His hand actively working in your life, God will place the “period” to the sentence He started in your life!

 “Confidence” means to come to a conclusion based on a reasonable ground. God has taken care of billions of people over thousands of years and has not let one person down. Paul’s confidence was in the capacity of God, not in men. The Greek tense indicates that this was a settled confidence in Paul’s mind. Paul’s faith in God’s ability to finish what He starts did not waver. God will either work in us or He will work on us, but He will finish the job. He will finish it whether we want it finished or not! Once we have come to know Christ we cannot say, “Stop the process–I want out.” Paul says, “I am certain of this; this is not debatable; I am sure; I am confident.”

 As believers we sometimes struggle with confidence not only in ourselves but in the hand and work of God in our lives. I want to encourage you this year to hold fast to the reality that GOD IS IN CONTROL and He has FULL CONTROL.  As the Psalmist David encourages “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me” (Psalm 138:8). “ The active verb here is WILL this means there is no other option and that God WILL do what He said He will do! If you are a part of the many people who are overwhelmed by the idea that God may lose control of your situation, I say to you, God will not give up on us!

This week I had the honor of meeting with a concerned parent who was dealing with some difficult challenges with their teenager.  They have a very strong willed child, who despite traditional discipline continues to choose to be disobedient and runs straight into poor choices and decisions.  They have tried grounding, taking the cell phone away, cutting off all access to the computer and social media, as well as limited and restricting access to friends and they still seem to be coming up empty in finding ways to effectively discipline their child. 

The longer we talked, the more I began to think about how each child is different.  Even in my own family each child had different types of discipline that were effective.  For me, just take my friends away and you could get me to do anything you wanted.  All it took for my younger brother was that look of disappointment and he would melt.  My sister and older brother were completely different.  My parents tried everything and nothing worked.  It did not matter what you did, it seemed like it had no effect on them. 

My older brother would always fight with me growing up.  Now I never did anything to prompt it, however he always seemed to mess with me.  I say that jokingly, but it was true to a degree, my mom and dad tried forever to figure out creative discipline strategies that would stop my brother from instigating fights with me.  I remember my favorite was if they found out that he instigated the fight, then I would get to spank him with the paddle!  I loved it, except for the punishment he would then inflict on me when mom and dad were gone.  As much as I loved it, even this creative discipline strategy failed.  Then finally my mom and dad found a strategy that worked.  The only problem was that I got punished alongside of him.  Any time he instigated a fight with me, my parents would make up go out on the front porch and sit with our noses touching.  We could not say anything, and we had to keep our hands behind our backs and sit there with our noses touching.  It was horrible, but it worked.  We would start the thirty minutes of punishment being so mad at each other, but the longer we sat there the more we would begin to laugh, and the more we laughed the more we forgot about fighting with each other.  To this day my mom still says that this strategy cut our fights in half.  All it took was some determination and creative discipline.

If you are a parent of a strong willed child that no discipline seems to work on I am sure you are looking and asking others for any ideas that they might have in creative discipline for strong willed kids.  I would love to hear any creative discipline ideas that you might have and would want to share with other readers and parents.  My only request in doing this is that we show love and respect to each other in our comments.  I know that as people share their creative discipline ideas, that others will feel the need to criticize or disagree with their ideas…let’s not do that here!  If you don’t like the idea you don’t have to use it.  So let’s hear those creative discipline ideas!

Please join us at the Pellissippi Campus in the Satellite at 6:30 pm for dinner, followed by praise & worship, and closing with an exciting message from Pastor. This is an evening and a message you will not want to miss. Childcare is provided. Bring a friend, family member, neighbor, co-worker, or anyone else you can think of. Can’t wait to see you guys there!

Celebrate on Monday nights starts at 6:30pm with great food, then a time of awesome worship and a challenging message from a variety of engaging speakers, such as our very own Chad Funk the leader of our fp Celebrate Ministry. Following our corporate time together we have several Celebrate Recovery and Celebrate Growth Groups for you to plug into to be ministered to and help you navigate your next steps on your road to recovery and in your walk with God.

Celebrate is a vital part of the Groups Ministry here at Faith Promise Church. As with all of our groups, we focus on creating environments for people to connect with God and others.

Preschool (2yrs-PreK)

How do you love God?

LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART!

Your preschooler is learning this week about the Greatest Commandment: Love God.  Sounds easy enough, right?

In Matthew 22:34-40, a Pharisee is trying to trick Jesus.  He wanted Jesus to pick a commandment that is more important to obey than any other.  Jesus didn’t just give him one, he gave the Pharisee two that CAN NOT be separated.  Love God.  Love People.  This week, your preschooler is learning that loving God means loving people.  And that can be HARD sometimes!

Create A Rhythm by modeling this principle for your child.  There will be people all week long that you will encounter that might be hard to love.  Make the right choice with your words and actions.  Show your preschooler how to love God by loving people.  Talk about the times you made that choice and encourage them to do the same.  LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART!!!

Elementary (K-3^rd Grade)

I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

 This week we are continuing to learn that Honor is letting someone know you see how valuable they are.  People have value because we are all created in the image of God.  I’m sure we would all like to think we honor God.  But are you honoring Him by honoring the people He created?  We honor people with our words AND our actions.

 Jonathan knew how to honor.  In 1 Samuel 18:1-4 and 5-9, Jonathan values his relationship with David and honors him by giving to him.  And it wasn’t just leftovers that Jonathan was sharing!  They were symbols of who Jonathan was and his inheritance!  Jonathan was honoring David with his actions.  He honored David more than himself.

 Make It Personal this week by helping your student PRACTICE honoring others.  Yep, I said practice.  Putting other people first will always be something we have to make a choice to do.  It is not in our inherent nature.  But when we fellowship with Jesus and become more like Him, it gets easier to make the right choice.  Role play honoring people with your student so that when they have the chance, they will put others first!

 Club 45 (4-5^th grade)

Once Upon a Parable: Jesus and the Kingdom

That’s not fair.  How many times a day do you hear this as a parent?  This week your student is learning that not only is life not fair (as I am sure you have said at least once), but the Kingdom of God doesn’t seem fair either.

In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus shares a parable about the landowner that pays the workers the same amount regardless of how long they worked.  The workers who worked all day were not happy that the ones who only worked a few hours were paid the same amount!  Jesus was showing us that His Kingdom doesn’t work like our world.  He said those who are last will be first.

So who is the Kingdom for?  It is for the people you would least expect, even you and me.  The challenge here is that we are supposed to rejoice for those who enter the kingdom at their final hour and receive the SAME reward as someone who has loved Jesus for years.  Imagine The End with your student by thinking about the eternal consequences of being focused on getting what we think we deserve and keeping someone else from receiving what they haven’t earned.  Really, have any of us earned the grace we have received?

Hello Faith Promise Family,

The new year started off in an amazing way as we saw God move throughout our last sermon series. We baptized 47 souls, over 120 families committed to begin tithing for the first time, and many decided to move forward in the process by joining a group and finding a place to serve and use their God-given gifts. Thanks to all of you who have taken these steps toward becoming a part of the FPC committed Core!

This coming weekend, February 11-12, we will begin a timely series called, Hero. Every day we hear heartbreaking stories about the needs of people all around us. As Christ followers we are to love others as we love ourselves – to have the compassion of Christ.  Compassion is not just a feeling or a one-time action; it is a heart attitude of caring for the less fortunate and underresourced. How is God calling you to be a part?  Everyone can be someone’s hero, whether locally or across the world.  Join us at one of our campuses each week as we hear what God’s Word has to say about these moving issues that we all face. I promise God will move on your heart!

Remember for those unable to attend, our Internet Campus is available on Sundays at 9:00, 10:20 and 11:45 am, and 9:00 pm.

Looking forward to worshiping with you this weekend!

Love,

Pastor Chris

During Pastor Chris’ first message of the Gameover series, he said something that really made me look in the mirror and reflect on myself as a Christ follower. He described Christians as one of two types; a peacock or a 007-agent. In case you missed this amazing message, to peacock means to strut or show off. As Christians, we are supposed to live outwardly transformed lives with Jesus’ love oozing from our very beings. We are to “peacock” all around town and everyone should be able to label us as a Christ follower.  A 007-agent Christian hides their identity in Christ from others. They act like a secret agent roaming this world, trying to blend in.

When I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t honestly say I’m a peacock. Sure I peacock around other peacocks…that sounds weird…but when I leave church and hang out with my lost friends, I turn into 007. You see, I’m a people pleaser who never wants to ruffle any feathers. Luckily, there is a cure for 007s like me: immerse yourself in His Word.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The more you immerse yourself in His Word, the more you will feel comfortable peacocking around East Tennessee. He’ll open your eyes to see the world as He sees it and He’ll open your heart to feel what He feels. So crack open that dusty Bible and spread your wings friends.

Series:  Big Green Box
Topic: Eternity

Family Discussion:

Last week we discovered that God is a massive and mysterious God who’s dreams FOR us far surpass the dreams we have for ourselves.  This week we will learn about the greatest dream He has for us.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Imagine its Christmas morning…you find a box with your name on it, but before you can open it, you lose it.  You’d be upset, right? Because your heart was already set on the gift…even though you didn’t fully understand what it was.  God has designed our hearts that same way.  We long for something, all of our lives, even though we don’t fully understand what it is we are longing for!  And to miss out on it would be a terrible shame, much like not getting to open that special present.

God has placed eternity in our hearts.  We can understand that there is something after this life, yet we can’t fully grasp what it is! So we try to fill that hole in our hearts with anything or anyone that we can until we think we’ve made the right match.  Unfortunately, eternity is not about the right person, stuff, career or food!  Eternity exists so we can experience the fullness of God forever.  And, great news, that doesn’t start at our death… it starts right NOW! A relationship with God, through Jesus, gives us the chance to experience that eternal relationship today!

Discussion Questions:

1.      How have you seen that God has place eternity in the hearts of man?

2.      When have you tried to fill that gap with something other than a relationship with God?

3.      How can you, as a family, work together to experience that relationship today?