Weekly Update April 8
Greetings Families!
I was going to send out a nice picture from Hyfi for this email, but instead, here is a picture of my broken hand. Why is my hand broken? I was having a hard morning Sunday when I decided to take out the garbage before leaving for church. As I did, I caught my pinky finger on the edge of the trashcan and it got pulled back and away from the rest of my hand fracturing it in two places. I 100% would not have broken my hand if I hadn't gotten frustrated and had been trusting in God to move the mountains in my life. Let me also add that shaking people's hands before church really hurt.
It's been a humbling experience. I went from preaching what I thought was my best sermon so far a couple of weeks ago to the depths of stupidity this Sunday morning. It has reminded me just how much I need grace. Fortunately, God gives freely to those who ask for it. If God forgave Moses after killing an Egyptian, if God forgave David after committing adultery with Bathsheba, if God forgave Peter after cutting off a man's ear and denying Jesus three times then God can forgive a foolish pastor and He can also forgive you.
I don't know what mountain or sin you are dealing with today, but I am confident that the Father of our Lord, your Father, is waiting for you today with open arms. He is a God able to both forgive and move mountains.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 1 Corinthians 12:9
This Wednesday at Hyfi we are excited to welcome a new theme for April, Stand Out. Our Simple Truth this month is, “I Am Set Apart.” We want kids to know that God has set us apart and that we’re different because of Him. Each and every one of us is special and valuable.
In this first week, we will look at the story of Daniel and his friends in Daniel 1. Daniel and three of his friends had to face a difficult decision—disobey God by eating and drinking what the king offered or obey God by refusing. When faced with following the king’s wishes or obeying God, they obeyed God. They chose to stand out and stand apart from everyone around them because they loved God more than anything else.
Think about ways you and your family might stand out and follow God this week. From how you spend your time to how you talk to people, there are plenty of opportunities to stand out for God. Encourage your kids to name one or two more things your family can do this week to stand apart.
This Wednesday at Refuge Students, Joey Parker will be teaching the students about what it means to follow God with illustrations from his time in the military.
This Sunday at Sunday School and at Refuge Hangout we will be taking a look at Acts 6. Acts 6 relays a time when a complaint within the church led to an opportunity for delegation and good deeds. As the apostles continued spreading the word of Jesus and His resurrection, more people began to believe the good news and the church grew in number. Amid this growth, the task of caring for the Hellenistic widows was being neglected.
How did the apostles handle this complaint between the different groups of believers in their church? How did they choose to pursue unity despite the different needs and gifting of those in their community?
In this chapter, we witness how the apostles chose not to ignore the critiques of the Hellenistic Jews. Instead, the members of the Twelve sought to bring more individuals into service opportunities for God’s glory—a proposal that pleased the whole church. From this newfound service initiative came the deacon ministry!
The apostles' approach to this complaint was rooted in their desire for unity within the body of Christ and the proclamation of the gospel. They instructed the church to select seven men of good character, sound wisdom, and obedience to the Holy Spirit to care for the widows in need of help. With this delegation of duties, the disciples could continue their work of prayer and preaching the Word. As the deacons served and the apostles preached the Word, the gospel reached even further, and a large group of priests came to faith in Jesus.
Help your kids see how they can serve within their church—even now as children! We all have the important job of sharing God’s Word with others. God is pleased by our obedience and service and may choose to use it to take the gospel even further.
Stephanie Parker could really use a helper in the third and fourth-grade classroom on Wednesday nights at Hyfi. If you are interested in lending a hand and don’t have other responsibilities on Wednesday nights, please let me know.
May the Lord bless and keep you and your family this week.
Matt Tucker out!
I was going to send out a nice picture from Hyfi for this email, but instead, here is a picture of my broken hand. Why is my hand broken? I was having a hard morning Sunday when I decided to take out the garbage before leaving for church. As I did, I caught my pinky finger on the edge of the trashcan and it got pulled back and away from the rest of my hand fracturing it in two places. I 100% would not have broken my hand if I hadn't gotten frustrated and had been trusting in God to move the mountains in my life. Let me also add that shaking people's hands before church really hurt.
It's been a humbling experience. I went from preaching what I thought was my best sermon so far a couple of weeks ago to the depths of stupidity this Sunday morning. It has reminded me just how much I need grace. Fortunately, God gives freely to those who ask for it. If God forgave Moses after killing an Egyptian, if God forgave David after committing adultery with Bathsheba, if God forgave Peter after cutting off a man's ear and denying Jesus three times then God can forgive a foolish pastor and He can also forgive you.
I don't know what mountain or sin you are dealing with today, but I am confident that the Father of our Lord, your Father, is waiting for you today with open arms. He is a God able to both forgive and move mountains.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 1 Corinthians 12:9
This Wednesday at Hyfi we are excited to welcome a new theme for April, Stand Out. Our Simple Truth this month is, “I Am Set Apart.” We want kids to know that God has set us apart and that we’re different because of Him. Each and every one of us is special and valuable.
In this first week, we will look at the story of Daniel and his friends in Daniel 1. Daniel and three of his friends had to face a difficult decision—disobey God by eating and drinking what the king offered or obey God by refusing. When faced with following the king’s wishes or obeying God, they obeyed God. They chose to stand out and stand apart from everyone around them because they loved God more than anything else.
Think about ways you and your family might stand out and follow God this week. From how you spend your time to how you talk to people, there are plenty of opportunities to stand out for God. Encourage your kids to name one or two more things your family can do this week to stand apart.
This Wednesday at Refuge Students, Joey Parker will be teaching the students about what it means to follow God with illustrations from his time in the military.
This Sunday at Sunday School and at Refuge Hangout we will be taking a look at Acts 6. Acts 6 relays a time when a complaint within the church led to an opportunity for delegation and good deeds. As the apostles continued spreading the word of Jesus and His resurrection, more people began to believe the good news and the church grew in number. Amid this growth, the task of caring for the Hellenistic widows was being neglected.
How did the apostles handle this complaint between the different groups of believers in their church? How did they choose to pursue unity despite the different needs and gifting of those in their community?
In this chapter, we witness how the apostles chose not to ignore the critiques of the Hellenistic Jews. Instead, the members of the Twelve sought to bring more individuals into service opportunities for God’s glory—a proposal that pleased the whole church. From this newfound service initiative came the deacon ministry!
The apostles' approach to this complaint was rooted in their desire for unity within the body of Christ and the proclamation of the gospel. They instructed the church to select seven men of good character, sound wisdom, and obedience to the Holy Spirit to care for the widows in need of help. With this delegation of duties, the disciples could continue their work of prayer and preaching the Word. As the deacons served and the apostles preached the Word, the gospel reached even further, and a large group of priests came to faith in Jesus.
Help your kids see how they can serve within their church—even now as children! We all have the important job of sharing God’s Word with others. God is pleased by our obedience and service and may choose to use it to take the gospel even further.
Stephanie Parker could really use a helper in the third and fourth-grade classroom on Wednesday nights at Hyfi. If you are interested in lending a hand and don’t have other responsibilities on Wednesday nights, please let me know.
May the Lord bless and keep you and your family this week.
Matt Tucker out!
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