Women's Meeting Aug. 16th

You are all encouraged and invited to attend our Women's Ministry Meeting @ MCC on Sunday, August 16 @ 5:00pm. God has spoken to Pastor Cheryl about taking a new direction in our ministry to women @ MCC! Don't miss this fun night as we reveal the new face of our Women's Ministry!!Bring finger foods and an excited and open heart!!For more information, contact Pastor Cheryl

Captivity To Freedom ~ Norma

 Captivity to Freedom -- Victim to Survivor
Last night was a milestone for me in my ministry, my first client returned to Buffalo to speak to the Support Groups, Advocates and women who have a passion for our ministry. Her message was how she moved form the mentality of a victim to that of a Survivor, from captivity to freedom !! Do you know how ? She allowed Jesus Christ to become not only her Savior, but Lord of her life. Giving everything over to Him and allowing Him to take control and move her away from, out of and through to the plan that He had designed for her life. Refer to Jer. 29 v 11 & 12, God has a future and a plan of good and not of evil for each of us. Our part is to get into position where He can begin the process. As Tami was speaking I thought of the broken woman who sat on my couch 7 years ago and cried out for help. Today she is confident and self assured that she is in the position that He wants for her at this season of her life. She is serving with the Friendships Ministry home based in Lake Charles ,La,( www.friendships.org ), they are a disaster relief organization traveling world wide wherever there is a need. You may be reading this and do not know the plan that God has for your life, you may or may not have been or still are a victim and ask where do I start ? How do I find the plan that God has for my life ?.
#1 (John 3v16) You must know Jesus as Savior, ask him for forgiveness of sin and turn away from the past and look to Him.
#2 (Luke 11v 9-12) Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His Love for people and His power to minister that Love.
#3 (Rom. 12 v2 ) Renew your mind daily to the Word of God and He will become Lord of your life.
Listening to Tami last night brought back to my mind a Bible Study I heard in 1995, this study was a turning point in my life, to begin moving  from Jesus as Savior to Jesus as Lord of my life. I found the outline this morning and want to share it with you.
Let The Past Be The Past
I Cor. 5v17 / Phil 3v13-15 / I Peter 4v3
1. The Past is to LEARN from, Not to LIVE in .
2 . God does not consult your PAST to determine your FUTURE
3. Conquer Your PAST by focusing on your FUTURE
4. STOP looking at where you have been ! LOOK at where you are going!
5 . STOP looking at what you do not have, LOOK at what you do have !
6. Your FUTURE begins with whatever is in your hands TODAY !
7. DON'T always believe what others SAY about you, BELIEVE GOD !
8. Those who created past PAIN, do not CONTROL your FUTURE !
9. You can become BITTER or GET BETTER, You CHOOSE !
10 You may STUMBLE and FALL, But WINNERS GET UP !
This is a process and will not come about overnight, but the diligent seeker WILL find the way with direction and wisdom from,
God the Father, Jesus the Son and The Holy Spirit .
Until next time, "KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS, HE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS !!"




NORMA


Jesus said, "Without ME YOU can do NOTHING !"

Women's Meeting!!

You are all encouraged and invited to attend our Women's Ministry Meeting @ MCC on Sunday, August 16 @ 5:00pm.
God has spoken to Pastor Cheryl about taking a new direction in our ministry to women @ MCC! Don't miss this fun night as we reveal the new face of our Women's Ministry!!
Bring finger foods and an excited and open heart!!
For more information, contact Pastor Cheryl

Boundaries, When to Say Yes,When to Say No ~ Norma

My advanced Support Group is finishing a book by Henry Cloud and John Townsend on setting Boundaries, I have learned so much from this book. I have been a person who has said yes too many times when I should have said no. Never wanting to have someone mad at me or hurt their feelings. This book uses Bible principles to instruct on how and when to set boundaries for every area of your life. Spouse, Children, Parents, Friends, and Work. I wish I would have had this book when I was raising my children, in this area I probably said no too many times at the wrong time. Having too much freedom as a teen, I tended to be too strict on my children as they were growing up. It goes from birth through teen years giving instruction on how to help your children begin on a foundation that will produce an adult that will be an asset not only for society, but especially an adult that can hear from God and then obey. I encourage you to get this book and read it slowly from front to back.' I have the Workbook but it is very repetitive, unless you want to do an in depth study and answer the questions at the end of each chapter. I am also reading the book on the Dugger family, "20 and Counting". I watch their show on TV and have been fascinated by how they manage to raise such a large family without Government assistance. God has truly blessed them and I believe their plan has worked for them. I do not believe it is for everyone, God does have a plan for each of our lives and we have only to find that place in Him and follow the path He lays before us. Just as He does not call everyone to be a Missionary in Africa, I do not believe He calls every family to have18 children. Their story is interesting and in the coming years we will see if their way works as their children grow up and leave home. For myself 4 was good and I love each one of them, I was not Harriet Nelson or Bever's Mom and know I could have been a much better Mom than I was, but we can not go back and do it over, I love my children and have asked them to forgive me for my poor parenting. This book has been a real eye opener for me and much of it I can put into practice in my life now. If you are reading this and have small children at home, I encourage you to get this book, not just for you but for your children. Until next time, "Keep You Eyes On Jesus"

Satisfaction ~ Norma

Satisfaction
I have a daily reading called,"For Women Who Do Too Much," which I do not always get to read and I am at the present a month behind, maybe I am trying to do too much.The daily reading for June 10 really spoke to me and I want to share it with you, this can apply to men as well as women. Satisfaction with one's life is like being anointed with warm oil. It is so peaceful to read the words of someone who is content. Often we equate contentment and satisfaction with stagnation. They are anything but that ! True satisfaction with ones life is an acceptance of what is, continuing to prepare for what can be, while letting go of what we thought needed to be. Satisfaction is a quiet place of quietude, a busy place of stillness. Satisfaction is a place of relief rarely felt be people who do too much. Satisfaction is the soul breathing a sigh of relief. By Anne Wilson Schaef
I meditated on this and I thought of when Paul said he was content no matter what state he found himself in. Phil. 4v11. He had learned how to be content and satisfied because he knew God was in control and would give him the strength to carry out God's plan for his life, Phil. 4v13. The warm oil refers to the Holy Spirit, He is our Comforter and our Peace. So my prayer for myself and for you who are reading this is to be satisfied where I am now, continue to look forward to what God's plan for my life is, and release what I think is needed. Let God have His way in my life, find that place of quiet and dwell there, for that is where He will be found. To be busy with His work, listening for His voice and follow Him, for there is where I will find the peace and contentment that I seek.
Till next time,"Keep Your Eyes On Jesus".

Family Matters ~ Cheryl

I know this is really big news for some of the young parents of today, but did you know that it is a good thing to sometimes say “NO” to your children! Being around some children today, you wonder if they have ever even heard that word! Some parents think that when a child is disobeying, that the thing to do is try to reason, divert, or distract.
There is nothing wrong with those methods sometimes. But, there are times that no amount of “reasoning” will get the point across. Children must learn to deal with the word “NO”, and parents need to not be afraid to use it.
One good reason for that is for their own safety. If a young child is about to run into the street, or touch a hot stove, they need to be taught ahead of time to immediately respond to the word”no”.
Children desperately need to learn that a parents “NO” means “NO”, even if you throw a fit ! If you say “no” to your child, they pitch a fit, and then you relent, what are you teaching them? I can guarantee you there are a lot more fits in store for that parent!
It is the same for older children. Teens or preteens may not throw themselves on the floor and kick and scream but they can sure throw some fits!
It is a proven fact that children do better with rules and regulations. It causes them to feel more secure and valued. Actually a child who calls all the shots in a home will begin to feel insecure and devalued. Kids need parents to say what they mean and mean what they say and stick to their word!

God's Cake

Sometimes we wonder, why certain difficult things happen in our life.
Here is a wonderful way to look at it!
A daughter is telling her mother how everything is going wrong:
She's failing algebra.
Her boyfriend broke up with her.
AND her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter
if she would like a snack, and the daughter says,
"Absolutely, Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck," says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?"
"Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
"Mom, those are all yucky!"

To which the mother replies:
"Yes, all those things seem bad by themselves.
But when they are put together in the right way,
they make a wonderfully delicious cake.

God works much in the same way.
Even when we are going through yucky, difficult times,
God can take all these things and turn them out for our good!
We just have to trust Him and, eventually,
He can make something wonderful out of us!