Ask, and keep on asking...

Hope everyone had a good week and was safe from the storms over the weekend...

Thanks to Drew for an excellent lesson this morning over Ephesians 3:14-20, which was Paul's prayer for the Ephesians.  It can be a template for us to pray for a re-infusion or an inspiration of the Holy Spirit in our lives or in the lives of those we love.

Prayer is a powerful thing, and we must use that discipline to change our lives and the lives of our family and friends; it's not a one time thing, though.  We must be persistent in our prayer and keep on asking, seeking, and knocking, knowing that God will answer those prayers in His own time.  Our persistence is implied, but we know that our worldly "instant gratification" doesn't always translate to the type of persistence God desires.

Prayer request/update

Tommy is back in town and will be heading back to Dallas this week for a drain check and possible stent placement to decrease his drainage.  Please continue to pray for short-term drain and pain control, and long-term complete cure from cancer.

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"Fifth Sunday" next week!

Everyone bring your favorite breakfast dish.
We'll bring juice and have coffee as usual.
See y'all then!

October Already?

Thanks to all who were in class today for a good discussion about the depth of our sin, the power of God's grace, and the worth(lessness) of our works, as well as how not to boast in ourselves but deflect that praise/glory to the Lord!

Some couples in our class are doing the "Growing Kids God's Way" class at GABC, and our reading this week illustrates why we as parents should seek to be "set apart" as we die to sin (as Paul put it: "crucify the sinful nature") and live in Christ:

"The essential purpose of a holy lifestyle is that, by our behavior, we are to help define God to a world that does not know Him... The results of morally beautiful behavior reflective of Christ become a compelling testimony... Not only are we defining God to the world, we are defining God to our children.

Prayer Requests:

Tommy's MRI is this week, and chemo continues for now.

Jessica for the loss of her Grandfather and for safe travels this week.

Baby Grant is having a bronchoscopy (scope to evaluate his windpipe) in Dallas on Wednesday.

Randy is hoping for a big promotion to be decided this week.

Hope y'all have a great week!

In Christ,

MK

Baby Dedication

Baby Dedication

Thank you all for celebrating with all of the families who dedicated their precious babies to the Lord this morning. I was like a proud grandparent snapping photos! : )

September Already?!?

Just an update with announcements, etc.

Thanks to Drew for another excellent SMBS lesson, closing out our study of 1&2 Corinthians.
Take away thoughts (as best as I could write them down):
  Thorns let us see God's grace in our daily lives, apart from our initial salvation.
    James 1:2-4; Consider it joy when we face trials...
  Thorns are essential for spiritual growth; if not for thorns we wouldn't have to rely on God.
  Thorns keep us humble, reminding us that we are mortal.

Next week we begin Ephesians; I am really looking forward to what we can learn from this incredible book of God's Word!
 
Announcements: (and lots of 'em)

- Wednesday morning Magill Bible Study: starting a new book this week.  Contact Matt Magill for details.
- Wednesday evening dinner has resumed, now in the Crosswalk main room.  Goes from 4:45 until 6:00.  Cheal delicious food and fellowship.  Come early and stay out of the kitchen!
- WEBS at 6pm Wednesday nights; Brother David is going through Revelation.  If you can't get there, the video podcast is free on iTunes.
- Growing Kids God's Way at 6pm on Wednesday nights; week one is in the books but it's not too late to join.  See Angela's email earlier today for details.
- Thursday 9/9: Mother's Luncheon.  Angela has tickets and the ladies in our class will be sitting together.  Contact Angela for more information.
- Friday September 10th; Magills concert at Moore's store in Ben Wheeler.  Get a sitter and come on down.
- AWANA/GRAPPLE starts soon.  Sign-up on Sunday evening September 12th from 5:30 until 7pm.  gabc.org for details.
- Tuesday morning Bible Study led by Ms. Gillen (Drew's Mom); starts September 14th.  Contact Lindsay Gillen for details.
- Ladies evening Bible Study @ Magill's.  contact megan for details.  Likely Tuesday nights but TBD.
- September 21 - Come Pray With Me community-wide prayer rally at Bushman Center in Bullard.  For more info call 903-571-4291
- Breakfast of Champions on Friday September 24th at 6:30 AM - $5 tickets.  Judge Ken Starr (Baylor U, previously Special Prosecutor).  tickets at GABC.org.
- Camping at the ROC on September 24th (overnight) with Saturday morning breakfast.  Chris Phillips is going and would love to get more of the class involved.
- First Wednesday class prayer meeting; next one scheduled for Wednesday October 6th in the Upper Room prayer area in the Crosswalk Building.  Contact Chris Phillips or Matt Kincade for details.

Finally- some pics from the Adult Night at our house a few weeks ago; the "Not-So-Newlywed Game!"

See y'all next week!
MK

End of Summer, Back to School

All,
  Summer is winding down and we are getting ready to go back to school.
  As everyone's summer vacations are finishing we can start to get back to a more normal schedule.
  I have updated the class calendar re: donuts and the class baby dedication (9:45 service on September 19th INSTEAD of SMBS).
 

  Thanks to Matt M. for a very well-thought-out look at the first part of 2 Cor this morning!

  Per our discussion today, we will plan to look at one Wednesday per month as a class prayer evening, and use GABC's childcare services so we can concentrate on coming to God with as few distractions as possible.  Thanks, Chris, for reminding us to make this a priority.

  Below are some pics from the SMBS Family party a few weeks ago.

  Look forward to seeing everyone tonight at the Convinced SMBS "No-Kids Get Together" (as I like to call it) from 6-8 at our house!

MK

Convinced Class Cookout and School Supply Drive
Sunday, July 25th 5:30 - 7:30 pm
The Holman's House - 2219 Firestone, Hollytree West


SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE
The GABC Missions Ministry is collecting Backpacks and School Supplies so that children can start the school year off right. As a SMBS class mission project, it would be awesome if we could all bring some school supplies to the party this Sunday night. We will pack bags and turn them in for these precious children from the Convinced Class. Bring whatever you can! I apologize for late notice...just had the idea today! : )

The following items are needed: (Approximate cost to fill a backpack is $50, blessing and equipping a child on the first day of school is priceless!)
Backpacks ($9.99 at Target)
Pencils
Pens
24 count Crayons
Manila Paper
Pink Pearl Erasers
Colored Pencils
Wide Ruled Notebook Paper
Markers
Folders (with pockets and brads)
Scissors
Space Makers (plastic containers)
Glue and Glue Sticks
Rulers
3 Ring Notebooks
Calculators
Red Pencils

An additional idea would be to add a $5.00 Student Bible from Lifeway.


FOOD SIGN-UP Reminder

Hamburgers/Hot Dogs/Buns - Holmans
Chips and Dips -
Corn Dip & Onion Souffle - Kincades
Hot Sauce - Ogletrees
Jones
Sides -
Chili - Fenders
Corn Salad - Freemans
Surprise Side - Magills
Faulks
Condiments -
Lettuce, Tomato,Pickle,Onion - Evans
Cheese,Mustard,Mayo,Ketchup - Willis
Desserts -
Fruit Pizza - Cantwells
Gillens
Zieglers
Napkins, Plates - Leischs
Drinks -
2 Capri Suns - Ogletrees
Suttons

Thanks everyone! Looking forward to seeing everyone Sunday Morning and again for a really fun time Sunday Night!
Angela and Matt Kincade

Upcoming Summer Events

SAVE THE DATES for these CONVINCED CLASS SUNDAY SOCIALS:

SUMMER FAMILY FUN POOL PARTY
Sunday Night, July 25th from 6:00 to 8:00pm
at the Freeman's and Gillen's Neighborhood pool
Food, Fellowship, and Fun for the whole family!

COUPLES NIGHT OUT (plenty of time to get a sitter!)
August 15th from 6:00 to 8:00pm
at The Kincade's House
2315 Pinehurst Street
Dinner, Music, and Games

Both of these would be great events to invite a new family or couple to attend with you!

I believe that we are going to try and do a Convinced Class Baby Dedication on Sunday Morning, September 19th to celebrate all of the new blessings that have arrived.

We look forward to seeing you all on Sunday Mornings at 9:45am in the Adult Education Room 306 to study Corinthians and at these summer fun events!

Grace and Peace to you,
Angela Kincade

Golden Calves and Moses' Intercession

Class,

Isn't it great that we don't have to rely on a mortal man like Moses to intercede for us to God the Father, asking Him to spare us every time we set up a golden calf in our lives?  Instead, Jesus, God Himself, acts as our advocate to the Father every day, for big things and little things.  All we have to do is to pray in Jesus' name and He promises that it will be done.  Amazing and humbling, isn't it?

Thanks to Drew and MattM for a good SMBS today.  I thought Matt/Megan's last song was especially moving and relevant to today's lesson.

What a huge crowd, and the fact that there were so many babies in the class (of whom none were having screaming fits) was an even bigger blessing...

Only 2 more weeks of Exodus left, then we start on Corinthians.  (Yay, New Testament!)

Our 20-minute prayer meeting for Freedom Celebration evolved into an hour-long class prayer intercessory last Wednesday, and we could truly feel the Spirit there amongst us.  We're going to make it a monthly thing, so look for details to follow.


Announcements:

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Freedom Celebration the weekend of July 2-5th:

+ Friday 7/2: Girls Night Out - with comedienne Chonda Pierce (ticketed)

+ Saturday 7/3:   

  Morning - Family Fun Day & Car Show with inflatables, petting zoo, train rides, games, and prizes (free)

  Afternoon - Sports Clinic with Luke McCown and Colt McCoy (ticketed - boys completing 4th-12th grades)  

  Evening - Guys All-Sport Steak Dinner with Colt McCoy and Jay Lowder (ESPN) (ticketed)

+ Sunday 7/4: 

  AM - "I Love America" at morning service (free)

  PM - Mandisa performance (ticketed)

+Monday 7/5: PM - "I Love America" with Vietnam Veteran Recognition Event afterwards. (free)

Pastor David has encouraged all of us to attend and bring someone that does not go to our church.  

This can't be something you sit back and let others do; if you feel burdened about an acquaintance or friend but have trouble sharing with them, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!  Evangelism is NOT one of my strong points, but this is a simple way to increase God's glory.  All you have to do is invite someone to a family day, comedy show, steak dinner, or concert.  

Angela and I have been convicted that we should purchase a table at both the guys' and girls' events, and we're going to try to fill them up.  

This is a huge opportunity to reach out to the community, and I pray that we don't let it go to waste!

BUY TICKETS HERE!      http://www.gabc.org/freedom

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We're planning to reschedule the class BBQ.  Date/time/place TBD.

Vacation Bible School June 7-10th.

Crosswalk Center Prayer Walk-Through / Open House next Sunday 5/30 at 6pm.

Men's Basketball League starts 6/7 through 7/29; signup by 5/31 at gabcrecreation.org

Men's Golf Tournaments 6/6 (Pine Dunes), 7/25 (Twin Lakes), and 8/22 (Garden Valley): 4 man scramble, $40 a man.  Contact me if interested.

Family Camping Trip May 28-31st.

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Have a wonderful week!
MattK

the Passover and lots of praises

Exodus continues to roll on...
Chapters 12-13 showed that God is faithful for those who persist in His commandments.  The Passover allowed the sacrifice of a perfect lamb to save the lives of thousands of God's people, and prodded Pharaoh to finally let His people go!

Remember - we are as sacred to Jesus as His firstborn Son.  Why aren't we acting like it?
God has given us his Spirit and his Word - we need to spend more time in them than we are in the world.

Praises & Prayers:
Magill concert was a resounding success Friday night!
Elizabeth Rowan is home - still needs prayers for feeding and growing.
Tommy is out of the hospital and at home after chemo.
Drew is almost 100% after his appendectomy.

See y'all next week for the Israelites' flight towards the Red Sea!

Matt K.

Matt & Megan at their best Friday night:

Bonus content: this is the Johnny Cash remake of NIN's "Hurt" that Matt M referenced this morning.  Moving, to say the least.

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Plagues, perseverance, and prayers

Hopefully we were all encouraged by SMBS today. It's always a tough
act to follow Matt Magill's music with a lesson! Thanks again to him
for sharing some great music.

My three points from today:
God is ALWAYS trustworthy.
Obedience to God leads to victory.
Persisence in God's plan leads to His glory.

Get rid of YOUR strongholds and go "ALL IN" with Christ! Don't be
that lukewarm believer that God wants to spit out.

Prayer requests:
Little girl Rowan will make her debut appearance tuesday morning at
0600. Prayers for a miracle at birth with perfect health for baby and
Kathryn.
The Bogue's friends.
Tommy and Chris W. for tolerance and effectiveness of chemo and
radiation.
The Magill concert Friday night, that God will speak, people will find
Christ, and that He will be glorified!

Have a great week!
Hope this email posting works...

Matt K.

Magill Concert Info

Should be a great time!

Buy your tickets and help support the Magills!

New Name

What a great SMBS class we had this morning!  Between Matt M's music and Drew's thoughts on Exodus, we were blessed on this snowy Sunday morning.

If you have any ideas for a new name for the class, please send them to me (urohog@gmail.com) or post them below.  I'll compile them and make a poll on the blog, and we can have a little online democracy to decide how we would like to be known as a class.

Get creative!  Make it scriptural, use pop culture, or get into the Greek, Hebrew, or Latin.  What do we want to be known as?

When we get a name, I am going to make a Google group that allows us to send any class e-mails to one address for distribution to everyone instead of the rolling list that we invariably leave someone off of.  It will also allow us to post discussions, files, etc.  

Hope everyone has a good week!

Prayers

I don't know about everyone else, but last sunday was such a blessing to me in so many ways. Being able to pray with and over our brothers and sisters in christ is such an honor.
We have so many things to be praying about for members of our class. I wanted to list those requests and ask that you guys truly take on these petitions for our sweet friends and ask that we act as the body of christ for them.
"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ". Gal. 6:2
We will all be blessed by doing this and will get to partake in bringing God glory.
Willis family - Complete healing, Surgery on Tues. Feb. 16th, wisdom for doctors in removal of tumor, strength for Jamie and energy in caring for the girls.
Rowan family - Peace and comfort in time of uncertainty. Healing over this baby girl. Wisdom in making decisions. Wisdom in what should be told to caroline and michael. Joy in this whole process. Strength and Energy for Kathryn. Strength and patience for Matt.
Allen family - Healing over Sara's body. Hope for the future. Stability in Roberts job. Smooth transitions on house closing and new move to Dallas. Aaron's peace of mind and comfort in the midst of changes.
Denson family - Jennifer's peace and strength as she deals with losing her father. Hope for the future and understanding. Comfort and heal her heart. Jeff's strength to take care of his family and be the rock he needs to be. Sweet Ella and Jake comfort in this process.
Holman, Magill, Leisch, Faulks, Freeman, Phillips - Healthy deliveries, healthy babies, transition home with other siblings.

I came across these words straight from Jesus this week and thought I needed to share...In some of His last time spent with the disciples, he said "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it."
Let's remember as we pray to keep our motives set on bringing glory to the Father, and asking for these things in the name of Jesus.
okay, i'm done with my sermon now!
love,
amy

New Year!!

Hey friends,
Just wanted to say Happy New Year and how thankful I am for our class. It has been so fun getting to know everyone over the past 2 years!!! I look forward to what the Lord has in store for our class this year. My prayer is that we will all be willing to move, when He does!
A few reminders,
1. Men's study - Tuesdays 6-7 at FLC
2. Women's Beth Moore Daniel Study - Tuesdays 7:30, Magill's home. Starts Jan. 19th!
3. Women's social - Thursday, Jan. 21st, 8 ish at Freeman home.

Prayer Requests:
Babies - Healthy growth for all the expectant mom's, healthy deliveries (including Bentley's),
God's peace and provision throughout this time of anxiety and added stress.
Kyle Williams - Rapid Recovery from car wreck. Meredith (his wife) energy to care for Kyle and son, Samuel. Samuel's cooperation and peace in this crazy time!
Family of Michelle, Andy - Peace and hope for Andy and children after such a sad loss of Michelle.
Jason's co-worker - struggling through a difficult time.

Please check out the calendar and sign-up to bring donuts if you would like to! We have lots of hungry preggos coming to our class, or at least one :)!