Upcoming Events

SUNDAY, MARCH 14

9:30 Fellowship Breakfast

Monthly Meeting 

(immediately following worship)

TUESDAY, MARCH 16

Bible Study 6:30

Communications Committee Meeting

(immediately following Bible Study) 

FRIDAY, MARCH 19 

6:00 Family Fun Night

TUESDAY, MARCH 30

7:00 Prayer Meeting

 

PLEASE join me in prayer!

I just received a call from Tom Bryant with sad news concerning our Michelle Bryant. Her liver count has dropped from around 500 to 1 which means she is in liver failure. The doctors have given her two weeks or less to live and nothing more can be done. Tom is heart broken and needs our support at this time! She is in a commatose state at this time, but we are hopeful that she can rally so I can go see her. Tom will let me know on Saturday morning and wants me to come visit with her, so the prayer is two-fold. One, that the Lord would comfort Tom and of course be with Michelle. Two, that she will be able to rally so I may have that opportunity to have some time with her. He expressed their desire that I have her memorial service when this happens, so that is one of many things we will be discussing. I'm also broken hearted as I write this as I have grown so close with this precious couple. They really need the support of their new found Church Family right now. You just can't imagine how much all of you mean to them as they have gone through this tough valley. Thank you so much.

I love Bible Study...

For the rest of the night love to rest before bed and enjoy the many comments and questions shared with everyone. I mentioned many times tonight as a single answer over and over again. (Mostly to make Will smile.) But I said we all just need to Pray.

This got me to thinking. I try to pray every day? Do I really understand what prayer is and what it can do? What is prayer? Prayer is our direct line with heaven. Prayer is a communication process that allows us to talk to God!

Pray for each other. Jesus set an example for us on what to pray. He prayed for His disciples and for every generation to come that would follow Him. His prayer was that God protect and strengthen them as long as they were in this world. Jesus also prayed for those who would come to believe in Him through the Gospel message (John 17). Pray with faith. “So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Pray with worship and reverence. “Exalt the LORD our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!” (Psalm 99:5). “‘Yes, Lord,’ the man said, ‘I believe!’ And he worshiped Jesus” (John 9:38). You will know with confidence that God can hear you when you pray, so open that line of communication! Pray, knowing that no matter how far you roam, your connection with Him can never be lost! “I pray that your love for each other will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in your knowledge and understanding” (Philippians 1:9).


Power Of Prayer - How powerful is it?The power of prayer should not be underestimated. James 5:16-18 declares, "…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." God most definitely listens to prayers, answers prayers, and moves in response to prayers. Jesus taught, "…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20). 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." The Bible urges us, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).

Power Of Prayer - How do I tap into it?The power of prayer is not the result of the person praying. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." No matter the person praying, the passion behind the prayer, or the purpose of the prayer - God answers prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, we will come to understand that in time. When we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God's will, God responds powerfully! We cannot access powerful prayer by using "magic formulas." Our prayers being answered is not based on the eloquence of our prayers. We don't have to use certain words or phrases to get God to answer our prayers. In fact, Jesus rebukes those who pray using repetitions, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7-8). Prayer is communicating with God. All you have to do is ask God for His help. Psalm 107:28-30 reminds us, "Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." There is power in prayer!

Power Of Prayer - For what kind of things should I pray? God's help through the power of prayer is available for all kinds of requests and issues. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." If you need an example of a prayer, read Matthew 6:9-13. These verses are known as the Lord's prayer. The Lord's prayer is not a prayer we are supposed to memorize and simply recite to God. It is only an example of how to pray and the things that should go into a prayer - worship, trust in God, requests, confession, protection, etc. Pray for these kinds of things, but speak to God using your own words. The Word of God is full of accounts describing the power of prayer in various situations. The power of prayer has overcome enemies (Psalm 6:9-10), conquered death (2 Kings 4:3-36), brought healing (James 5:14-15), and defeated demons (Mark 9:29). God, through prayer, opens eyes, changes hearts, heals wounds, and grants wisdom (James 1:5). The power of prayer should never be underestimated because it draws on the glory and might of the infinitely powerful God of the universe! Daniel 4:35 proclaims, "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'"


Prayer can be our shield when we face the temptations, many evil things of this world.

Food for tonight

Here is the latest list that I know of when it comes to the food this evening. Heather is bringing some sort of cheese potatoes, Trish is bring vegetable soup, and Paulette is bringing a casserole (new recipe). We will provide decaf coffee and a gallon of sweet tea.

Submitted by Squeak

Squeak sent this to me via email and we both thought it would be good to post. It might just hit home with someone!

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited
island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the
horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to
protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One
day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in
flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened,
and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He
cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the
island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the
weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.
The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going
bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even
in the midst of our pain and suffering.
Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the
ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

P.S. You may want to consider passing this on, because you never know who
feels as if their hut is on fire today.

Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain. It is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but by the number of moments that take our breath away.

Bible Study Questions for Tonight

Genesis: Study 5

covenant: an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified; formal agreement of legal validity; the conditional promises made to humanity by God, as revealed in Scripture.

_________________________________________________

In tonight’s study we will finish up the amazing story of the life of Noah. Why does God choose Noah? What sort of man is he? What can we take from Noah’s story and apply to our everyday lives? Tonight we will discuss God’s covenant with Noah. What exactly is this covenant? What are God’s conditions surrounding this covenant? One significant event in the life of Noah we will talk about tonight takes place after Noah has had too much wine and passes out in his tent. What does this part of the story do to our conception of Noah? What does it teach us about ourselves, as humans? What can we do to avoid pitfalls such as this? These are all questions we need to ask ourselves while we read chapter 9 of Genesis.

Genesis 9:1-29 (The Covenant with Noah, Noah and His Sons)

Questions for Discussion

God’s covenant with Noah is His first formal covenant with mankind (the first instance in scripture where God actually refers to this type of relationship as one involving a covenant). What exactly is included in this covenant? What are God’s conditions relating to His covenant with Noah?

What does this covenant tell us about our God? What does it tell us about the relationship He wants with us?

How would you describe the figure of Noah up to the point where God establishes His covenant with him? What does Noah’s life exemplify up to this point? Think about the life you lead everyday. Are you building an ark, or are you tearing one down?

It is after God establishes this covenant with Noah that we are told of his drunken night in the tent. Does this soil the image of Noah? What does this event tell us about the human condition? What is the most important lesson to take away from this? How would apply this lesson to your own life?

What did Ham do wrong? Why was Noah so angry with his son? Does Noah have the right to be angry? After all, he’s the one who became intoxicated and passed out naked in his tent.

How does your life compare with that of Noah? If God told you to do something completely outrageous, could you brush away at all the things that try to tell you you’re crazy and just do it? Can you think of a moment in your life where you stopped listening to everything else and simply did what God was telling you to do?

Food Pantry Letter

Friends

What a beautiful day today! The sun is shining and spring must be right around the corner! We had 111 families last night which included 11 new families. Each family could choose from bologna, sausage or hot dogs in addition to their bag of groceries, bread and sweets. In addition each family got a bottle of laundry soap. Thanks to our special group of volunteers that are making the soap!! We also had 18 wonderful volunteers that helped unload a truckload of products from Marsh redemption center. You certainly all helped make a huge job much more manageable. It really takes a lot of hands to make this ministry work and we are so thankful for each one of you!


Pantry items needed this week include cereal, pop tarts, pancake mix, syrup, sugar, canned meat, pasta and pasta sauce, soup, flour, beans, diapers sizes 4, 5 and 6, toilet paper, Kleenex and personal hygiene products. We were blessed with 26 volunteers yesterday. Ideally we need around 30 to make things run smoothly. We are seeing an increase in the number of guests going for the meal from 5-6. We estimated approximately 64 attending yesterday. The number of families attending church Thursday evening is increasing as well.

Thanks for all of your generous donations and many service hours. We absolutely could not maintain this ministry if it were not for each one of you!

Blessings, Kim

CONTACT INFORMATION:
KIM DEMASIE
kdemasie@comcast.net
317-776-2848








This email was sent by Kim DeMasie at White River Christian Church.

1685 North 10th Street | Noblesville, IN 46060 | 317-773-2233

www.wrcc.org

Bible Study Concerns

Hi all, I thought I would ask some questions pertaining to our most recent bible studies. Are you getting something out of our bible study? What changes would you like instituted? The teachings of Jesus and the New Testament are much easier for me to apply to my everyday life, so it was, therefore, much easier for me to come up with studies that were more focused on life application. So far in Genesis, I guess I have let my analytical side take over a bit and I have not been focusing enough on life application. I'm sorry if the studies have not been as "spiritually deep" as they have been in the past, but I'm going to try to look at the Old Testament more like I have the New Testament so that we can apply its lessons to our lives, rather than debate over how long Noah and his family were in the ark. Any input you all have would really help me out a lot, as I want these studies to be beneficial to all. Maybe it would be more beneficial to someone else come up with some of the studies on different weeks? This is just a thought, but this has been weighing on my heart heavily today and I don't want to fall short where the spiritual enrichment of our church family is concerned. I love leading the bible studies, but I'm open to any suggestions you have on how our sessions can be improved, even if that means letting someone else lead them.

I love you all very much,

Will

Tonight's Bible Study Questions

Genesis: Study 4

The flood that nearly wiped out all of creation is an event that lingers in the collective memory of almost every culture throughout the world. It was such a hugely catastrophic event that even cultures who kept histories through oral tradition without any formal written language were left with flood stories that were based on the very same event we read about in the book of Genesis. The magnitude of the flood and its effect on God’s creation is sometimes overlooked because the account of Noah, his ark, and the animals he takes on the boat with his family is one of the favored bible stories to teach in children’s Sunday school. Now there’s nothing wrong with teaching children about Noah and the ark, but the lessons we are taught early in life about the flood are, at times, sugar-coated and it is easy to come into adulthood without a full grasp of the seriousness and apocalyptic nature of the story of the flood. Let’s take a good, long look at the next two chapters to make sure we understand the momentousness of this event.

Genesis 7:1-24 (The Great Flood)

Questions for Discussion

In the first verse of this chapter, God tells Noah to go into the ark with all of his “household”. What exactly does the word “household” mean here? What was the nature of a “household” in the days of Noah?

How does God create the flood? Is it simply through the agent of rain, or is there another source?

What are “the fountains of the great deep” and what does it mean for “the windows of the heavens” to open?

Why do you suppose there is so much reiteration in the telling of the flood within chapter 7?

How was Noah able to get all of those animals into the ark? Wouldn’t that have been quite a difficult task?

In chapter 6, God tells Noah to bring two (or one pair) of every kind of living thing into the ark with him. In chapter 7, God tells Noah to bring with him seven pairs of each kind of clean animal, seven pairs of each kind of bird and one pair of each kind of unclean animal (according to the NRSV). Are these details conflicting? Why does this chapter tell us God said something completely different than what He said in the previous chapter?

Genesis 8:1-22 (The Flood Subsides, God’s Promise)

Questions for Discussion

Exactly how long was Noah in the ark according to the account we have in Genesis? Does Genesis give us conflicting answers on this question?

What is God’s promise to Noah? Why does He make this promise this to Noah? Does God regret His decision here to wipe all the life He created from the face of the earth?

Do you agree with what God says here, that “the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth”? Why would the human heart be inclined towards evil from youth if human beings were created in God’s image?

Romans 8:32

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things.

What Faith Can Do

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can doIt doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the waterIt’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
Overcome the odds
You don't have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
hat’s what faith can do
That's what faith can do!
will have the strength to rise

More Pictures - Couples Dinner

Bible Study Menu thus far

Heather tells me she is bring ham and soup beans, Paulette will make the cornbread to go with it along with a ground beef hashbrown casserole. That's it for now! I believe there is still iced tea and some pop at the Church for drinks.

FYI

Just wanted to let everyone know that the new Western Work newsletter arrived and copies are on the table in the foyer at Church. It gives a nice view of the happenings within Western Yearly Meeting along with information on Missions and youth happenings with the Christian Education. So, if you think of it, pick one up Sunday.