Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
ort hRidgeNe ws
Our News Reaching You; Reaching Out to You In This Issue
Expressions of Worship:
Good Fences...Good Neighbors...Good Gracious The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. Prov. 27:12 The other day, we awoke to the sound of barking mixed with the occasional whimper and whine. Our yellow lab, Rooney, was out in his room (which also doubles as the laundry room) and was ready to get out and begin the day. Problem was, the sun hadnt yet risen and there was still some sleep left in these eyes of mine. It seemed that the best idea was to put him outside so he could do his thing and I could go back to sleep for just a little longer. Great plan, right? All seemed to go well the first ten minutes into the plan; it was about that time that our next door neighbor decided to begin his day, right beside of the dog lot (also called a pen or a kennel). Being the family protector/guard dog that he is, Rooney could not let my neighbor work without a constant assault of barking and other pernicious sounds that went to remind our neighbor that he was there, watching and warning him of his relative location to his personal space. It was obvious that I wasnt going to get anymore sleep so I decided to get back up and carry on. Still, the dog kept barking and barking...and barking. I tried calming Rooney with my voice, with a look of disdain. Nothing seemed to work as long as my neighbor was close to Rooneys fence. I suppose when someone spends as much time in an area as this dog does, there automatically becomes a sense of protection that goes along. All that the dog was looking for was a little respect; asking politely, at first, for my neighbor to move along and keep away. I wonder, how many of us look at our lives similarly? What I mean is that there must be areas of our lives that we seek to protect at all costs, barking at all who stand in opposition. These are the personal barriers that we put into place so that we have the freedom to live without fear of regret. They say, good fences make good neighbors, but I believe they also make good Christians. In Ephesians 5, Paul writes, Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Fences are not just designed to keep us at bay; they are in place for our protection...to provide freedom to live without worry or fear. A dog does not understand why he is kept within the confines of a fence while unattended, but nevertheless, it is there for his own good.
As believers, we sometimes get a little big for our britches and let down some of the barricades that protect us from harm, thinking that we have arrived spiritually and do not have the need of such limitations. The problem with that vein of thinking is that it is prideful, conceited...and flat out wrong. We live in a world that excels in penetrating the chinks in armor and finding the tiniest place to creep in so that we all go down together. However, I believe that God gives us warnings throughout His word to place some simple barriers between us and sin. Its not that Gods Holy Spirit that indwells believers is not capable of defending against the attacks; its that most of us cannot say with one hundred percent certainty that we are always being led by the Spirit. We are always choosing whether to let the Spirit or the flesh take control. So when the times come that our flesh seems to be winning the battle, its best to have a backup system in place; a fence, if you will, so that when tempted to do wrong, we are safely hidden within the confines of our self-imposed fences. What fences do you already have in place? Which ones do you need to construct so that you are safely living out Gods plan for your life? Will you protect those at all cost so that the name of the Lord will be renowned? We must place fences in our lives, somewhere short of sin, so that even when tempted to leave that safety net, there is ample distance between us and any wrongdoing so that the Lord might be glorified in all of our actions. So go ahead and fence off an area in your life and dont hesitate to bark a little in order to protect it...to protect you...to protect the name of the Lord.
-Pastor Terrill
Mr. George Price Spring Haven Retirement LLC 1225 Havendale NW Apt. 511 Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
We are praising God for providing over 100 million shoe box gifts through Operation Christmas Child since 1993. Every gift is an opportunity to share the Gospel with hurting boys and girls around the world. To celebrate this milestone, we have planned an extraordinary event April 6 in Orlando, Florida. We will be joined by special guests who have seen first-hand how God has worked through this ministry. Franklin Graham President, Samaritans Purse We will take the bus and car-pool if needed. Everyone is invited. Tickets are $15.00, plus $3.50 to ride the bus. See Carolyn Beasley to sign up.
Let Us Know
2013 Cruise on Freedom of the Seas 7 day Royal Caribbean Cruise, leaving September 29, 2013
The newly enhanced Freedom of the Seas is a marvel of maritime engineering, packed with awesome innovations to stir your imagination. Share a high five with Shrek as part of The DreamWorks Experience. Catch a firstrun movie in the 3D theater or poolside under the stars on the outdoor movie screen. Infuse color into your cruise with the artworks of the BRITTO Gallery or with the frosted confections of the Cupcake Cupboard. Plus, enjoy all the revolutionary features Freedom of the Seas has always been known for FlowRider surf simulator, rock climbing wall, ice-skating rink, Royal Promenade, cantilevered whirlpools, mini golf course, H2O Zone water park, and much more. Ports of Call: Port Canaveral, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; Port Canaveral, Florida Please see Pastor Harold or Sharon ODonnell To register please call (800) 859-7225 ask to speak with Lewis @ ext. 13168 Tell him you would like to have early dining with reservation 8211905. This is Pastor Harold and Gina's reservation number. This will get us together at dinner. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Harold Reserve early so we can plan for transportation to and from the port.
Academy News
I am excited to be the principal at NorthRidge Christian
Academy. We are planning for next year and enrollment is in full swing. If you know families who may be looking for a school that is focused on providing a strong foundation for students to thrive spiritually, socially, and academically, invite them to come see us. Fund raising is underway for the whiteboard technology for our classrooms. If you have not contributed, please consider how you can help impact the lives of our children. If you write a check, please write Mimio in the memo line and the finance office will know what to do with it.
Youth Happenings
Greetings church family.
Well, its time for our annual garage sale and strawberry sale. The date is March 16 from 7am - 12pm. If you have items to donate, we will be receiving them on Thursday , March 14th and Friday, March 15th from 4-8 pm. Our strawberries are already on sale and cost just $10 a flat. They can be picked up from 8am2pm the day of the garage sale. They will also be available for pick up immediately following the church service on Sunday, March 17th. If you would like to buy some strawberries, please see our table in the foyer or call the church office at 863-422-4488. Camp is going to be amazing this year. We are taking our largest group yet. We have 42 people going, (35 students and 7 leaders). Please keep us all in prayer as we finalize details for camp. The cost of camp this year is $375 per person. If you would like to help a student or leader with the cost of camp, please let me know. We will be bringing back our rent-a-camper this year. It begins this week. If you have some work you need done, please let me know, and I will find some workers for you. Thank you, church family, for all of your prayers. We have had some amazing things happen upstairs, And I know that God has just begun working with our students. Stepping out in Faith,
-Derrick
Saturday mornings
At 7:00 am
March Birthdays
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
3 Juan Mendez
7 5 6 8 James Macumber Derrick Heverly Gary Gillispie Chris Maupin Jennifer Snively Emma Mattheus David Pierce
9 Hannah Meigs
10 Pat Smart
14 15 Lance Ferguson Maleah Myers Cody Pierce William Solis 21 Terry Furlong Terrill Gilley 22
17 Annie Wagner
18 Steve Snively
19 Sonia Deluca
23
26 Samantha Pierce
28
29
30 Amy Justus
Wednesday services
Sunday services
5:45-6:45 -Prayer in Sanctuary 6:45-7:45 -Coffee and Bible study in Fellowship Hall
Sunday Morning Caf -8:45am Sunday School -9:20 Worship Service -10:30am (also Kids' Church K5-3rd)
Church Office
Hours-Monday -Thursday 8:00am-4:00pm. If you need to contact the Pastor On Call you can at any time by calling the Church Office 863-422-4488 and leaving a message in the On Call mailbox (ext. 2104) The Pastor that is on call for the week will return your call ASAP.