Month: October 2019

October 28, 2019 The Homeschool Ministry

Discipleship takes a lot of time. Often it takes weeks, months and even years of one-on-one time to help someone grow in their relationship with Christ. Even when we invest that sort of time in a person, we often find that we don’t really know them as we thought. People can surprise us with the sins that are hidden in their heart.

Their Heart

One of the benefits of homeschooling is the amount of time we get to spend with our kids to be apart of discipling them. Working one on one with our kids every day gives us a new window into their heart. We get to see them in a different light when we work with them every day through the subjects they enjoy and take delight in.

We also get to see them work through the subjects they would do just about anything to avoid. A child that does not want to do their math homework has a problem. We can recognize it for what it is, a heart of rebellion. While this is not really the most fun for us to deal with day in and day out, it can be a great benefit to us as parents. Of course, it doesn’t seem like a advantage when you have just spent an hour with your child getting them to do a worksheet that they decided against doing. The benefit of seeing into the hearts of our kids is something we need to be reminded about.  Here is something Paul Tripp has to say about this:

But the reality is that if your eyes ever see, or your ears ever hear the sin, weakness, rebellion or failure of your children, it’s never an imposition. It’s never an interruption. It’s never a hassle. It’s always grace. God loves your children; he’s put them in a family of faith, and in relentless grace he will reveal their need to you again and again so that you can be his tool of awareness, conviction, repentance, faith and change. And because in these moments he asks you to forsake your agenda for his, this opportunity of grace isn’t just for your children, it’s for you as well. (Tripp, Parenting Its Never an Interruption)

In the article referenced, Paul Tripp makes the point that every time we see the sin of our children, it is God’s grace that we have an opportunity for him to use us in their lives. What better way to get this opportunity every day then by spending it in one on one time with our kids as we educate them at home.

Our Heart

Paul also brought up that these moments of God’s grace are also for us. We all wish we could stick to our schedule for the day, that we could get all the schoolwork done without complaints, and that our children would go through their school day with smiles on their faces and an eager desire to learn. Unfortunately, it seems those days are infrequent, if ever. The most difficult days are also the days that God works on our hearts as well. God often uses our kids to reveal the heart issues that he wants to address in us.

Homeschooling is not easy and homeschooling well is even less so. Homeschooling while we attempt to be used by God to work on the heart of our child is not an easy task. One thing we can be certain of is that not only is God with us every day, but also that He loves both us and our kids as we do this together.  

So, let’s remember that homeschooling is not just an alternative way of educating our kids, it is also about their, and our, discipleship. It’s not something we have to do alone but with the community of believers behind us.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about homeschooling or joining us for our weekly get together, email us at homeschool@jfbelievers.com

October 25, 2019 Shofar Missions Cebu

Greetings from the Philippines! Read the latest update about what God is doing through Shofar Mission in Cebu.

Three Years Later

It is hard to believe that November first marks the third year since Laura and I moved to the Philippines. In many ways, it seems like it happened just yesterday. However, when I look back on it all, it’s hard to believe it has only been three years. A lot has changed in that amount of time – let alone since Shofar Mission’s conception many years ago! I’m sure a lot more will change as the years go by, and I hope that what we are doing now will bear fruit long after we’re dead and gone. As I think about what has changed, is changing, and will change, I’m comforted by the fact that our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Campus Outreach

Since our last update, Street Level Ministries had an informational booth on campus during Intramurals week. At the booth, we gave away free coffee, Word on the Street Magazines, and fliers for our Orientation Meeting scheduled for the following week. At that meeting, we cast the vision for Street Level Ministries and invited students to participate in God’s mission on their campus.

Currently, we are putting the final touches on the newest issue of Word on the Street Magazine, and preparing to start the next issue. Since we implemented SLM membership in September, we have two new students volunteering for the magazine. We are also training three students in as DJ’s for our internet radio station, Street Level Radio.

  • WOTS Cebu – Laura, Garie, KC, Brittany

It’s exciting to see God at work in the students’ lives and at their university. In the midst of it all, I have often been reminded that when we are faithful in the little things, God will entrust us with the big things (Luke 16:10).

Exploring Creation Science

During the first half of the semester, Laura was able to teach grades 4 through 9 at three different schools. Classes are slated to finish at two other schools before Christmas Break. Three different curriculum sets were taught. During these lessons, students discover how science and creation go hand-in-hand to help them learn why they believe what they believe. As we approach the semester break next week, we are actively pursuing new schools (both private and public) to teach the curriculum. It’s amazing to see God open doors at new schools – usually, it’s through a friend or contact with a previous school that leads to the next one! There really are only four people in Cebu…

Prayer Requests

  • The Street Level students to grow in their relationship with God and passion to reach out to their classmates.
  • Upcoming meetings with new schools to teach Exploring Creation Science and curriculum development.
October 19, 2019 River Falls Ministry

Find the latest news from the JFBelievers church plant and Street Level college ministry in River Falls, WI.

Street Level

Since you last heard from us, Street Level went on a trail walk and on a retreat. At the end of September, we had the opportunity to hang out and enjoy the colors of fall on one of the beautiful trails in River Falls. Then, last weekend we piled into two vehicles and made our way up to Duluth for a retreat with three locations (Menomonie, Twin Ports, and River Falls). Getting together was a great opportunity for us to fellowship with all of the groups, and to go through a video series discussing the presence of God in our lives.

We also just finished up preparing and stickering almost 1000 Word on The Street Magazines that we will be mailing out to the freshman on campus. These should be mailed soon, and we pray that there will be kingdom fruit from it.

On Tuesday nights we continue going through a video series and the book of Joshua. We have been learning what it looks like to follow God and put our trust in Him.

Sunday Bible Study

On Sundays, we just finished up the book of 1 Corinthians. During these studies, we discussed some challenging topics and will continue into 2 Corinthians. After our studies, we have been grilling out (which we hope to do for as long as we can with the nice weather). One Sunday we even had the opportunity to grill some Indian style chicken.

The Cat

We also had a stray cat that had been hanging out with us for the past month or so. We named him Byron / Scraggles and were trying to find a home for him. He even brought in a few people to the coffeehouse because they saw him outside. Last week he was able to find a home!

  • Sunday Bible Study
  • Street Level College Bible Study
  • Street Level Retreat
  • Street Level College Bible Study
  • Sunday Bible Study
  • Sunday Bible Study
  • Sunday Bible Study
  • The Cat

Prayer Requests

  • The people coming to Street Level and the Sunday Study will grow in their relationship and calling with God.
  • The Word on the Street Magazines will be effective for the Kingdom of God.
  • We will continue to meet people and have good conversations with people stopping in the coffeehouse.

November Schedule

  • Sundays: 5pm / JFBelievers Bible Study, 6pm / meal
  • Tuesdays: 6:30pm / Street Level, 7pm / Bible Study

Blind Munchies Coffeehouse Hours

  • Sundays: 3pm – 5pm
  • Thursdays: 9am – 9pm
  • Saturdays: 9am – 1pm

River Falls Ministry Online

October 16, 2019 OneLife Couples Ministry

Over the Summer

August found Gnosko cooking up chicken for lunch at the campout following Sunday’s service.  There was no shortage of watermelon and the chicken was something to look forward too.  Grilling is the Summer thing to do!  Our group enjoyed the various tasks to make this food event happen from prepping the food in the Summer kitchen to the manning the meat grilling station, to serving and cleanup.  

Fellowship

In Mid-September Gnosko full group attended the Glenn Kaiser concert held at the bandshell on the waterfront in Hudson!   It was a nice warm, sunny day.  So, Summer came back to us again and we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the day including the music and sharing of Glenn’s testimony and ministry in action along with some great tunes.   Three hot air balloons floated by just through the trees.  They even dipped down into the water and left a trail of water raining down as they ascended back up.  Future fun perhaps to one day take our own ride/turn up in one of those.  What a neat perspective. There were opportunities to get to know the community at large in the audience and the vendors who were present.  Some of us took advantage of pairing up with another couple either before or after and grab lunch or dinner together.  

Heading into Fall

At the beginning of October, we found ourselves flipping flapjacks for the Prayer Breakfast.  It was a lot of fun to be able to serve breakfast for all who attended.

As a Gnosko group, we took a Fall color tour down to Alma WI to meet at Buena Vista Park on Sunday, October 13th. We had a great time although it was very windy and chilly, at least we did not have the 4” of snow that we had when we went last year.

Out of Town adventure!

Our Gnosko leaders are planning an escape room adventure in Rice Lake on Friday, October 18th which is described as a peaceful Ocean Charter Tour until a storm picks up and destroys the ship, leaving you and the other six people aboard stranded on an uncharted desert island… WITH AN ACTIVE VOLCANO???? This should be a good test for us as leaders to see how well we can work together.

What’s ahead

Also coming up this fall we would like to do some local home repair projects in our community. So please be in prayer for us on this and let us know if you know of someone in need. This could be sheetrock, window or door repair, as well as winter-proofing.

October 13, 2019 Pastor Jesse Moss | Duluth

In all that we do as a church we seek to be obedient to the directives of scripture and fulfill what God has for us. All while being dependent upon His lead, empowerment, and grace. At the end of His time on Earth, Jesus gave His followers, and in turn us, a mission. He directs us to go out and declare His truth, to teach all that he taught. He tells us to make followers of Him. This is a steep order.

It is not something that we can do alone. We need each other. We need the power of the Holy Spirit. Nor is it something that can be done simply by gathering together for a weekly meeting. It is going to take far more than that. It is going to take commitment, striving, and investment.

Stayin Home

To do this we are going to have to do a lot of work internally. We will have to spend time together, growing in unity. All of us have to become individuals who can operate as a team. We are going to have to teach each other and learn from each other. This happens Sundays, Wednesdays, when we come together in fellowship, when we invite each other to interfere in our lives. One way we intentionally do this is with all church workdays.

The last work day we made some improvements to the sanctuary doors, making them more inviting, better protected against the weather, and more energy efficient.

Team of sanders preparing trim for the sanctuary doors. Truly many hands do make light work.
Putting new windows in doors to allow light and visibility
Stamping thousands of logos and websites onto outreach materials

Workdays go far beyond getting a few projects done around the church. They are a tool of discipleship. I have always loved church workdays, because what we physically see happening is a representation of what we intend to be happening spiritually. We come together and make improvements on the church. We chip off the weak areas, replacing the rot and decay with new stronger materials. We improve the “character” of the building. We spend time getting materials ready to be used in ministry. The church building and physical assets becomes more equipped and ready for ministry.

Meanwhile more importantly the church body (the people) are doing the same. We work, sweat, and sometimes even bleed together. We laugh, correct, and teach each other. We get to know each other better. We become more united. God never fails to use these days to achieve His purpose in our lives so that when the day is over it isn’t just the church building that is more equipped for ministry, but also its members.

Projects Are Not the Point

We appreciate your help in pitching in with projects. Undoubtedly there will always be physical and practical needs. But they are never meant to be the focus. It never fails that at the end of a workday a final group stays well beyond when the work has stopped. We sit together and look at the new improvements, what we got done and appreciate the work God has allowed us to do, but more importantly the people that He has called us to do it with.

Let’s continue to invest inwardly, growing in unity and strength, becoming more prepared, refining our character. It is only when we do so that our efforts in reaching out will be found fruitful.

Reaching Out

This time of year is always a busy one for getting out in the community. If we are to make disciples, we need to go beyond our walls and find the would-be disciples of Christ and get to know them. We have two main avenues through which we do this: our college ministry (Street Level) and our Community Group

Street Level is still in the start of a new year and we have continued with coffee giveaways, campus tables, and hitting the halls with fliers for our Bible Study. Likewise, the community group has been getting out to local parks giving away ice cream and meeting new people.

Coffee Outreach at UW-Superior
Community group giving away root beer floats

One new door of outreach that God has opened has been at some local high schools. We have gotten to know some students and staff who are part of a high school Christian organization.  This past week we got to go to a regional event to talk with a high school student about authentic faith and making their lives count for Christ and His kingdom. Please pray that these relationships would grow and God would reveal how we can play a part and be a blessing to the work that He is doing in these students.

Speaking at a local high school football field

God has given us a mission and it isn’t an easy one. All that we have as individuals will not be enough, we need each other. Even all that we have together won’t be enough. We need God’s lead, and His Holy Spirit. Which is good, because I don’t want to do this alone.  All together we can do this. Let us “go forth and make disciples teaching them to obey knowing that Jesus is with us always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

October 10, 2019 Pastor Justin Thomson - Duluth

In July, 1986, George Holtyzer of Belgium, walked 418 miles in about 6 ½ days…backwards!

Have you ever tried to walk backwards? It’s hard. It’s so hard that most people give up before they’ve gone very far at all. Even George. As impressive as his effort might’ve been, he quit in less than a week, simply because human beings weren’t designed to face opposite of the direction in which they travel. The shape of our feet, the placement of our eyes, and the arrangement of our toes are all indicators that God, when He created us, intended that our focus should remain in the very same direction that we walk. Forward…Always forward.

PREOCCUPIED WITH THE PAST

Most people understand this just fine. They know enough to keep looking onward so that they can see where they’re going, at least in the physical realm. But when it comes to spiritual things, many people are walking completely backwards. They try their best to move ahead in life, but their attention is always on that which lies behind them. They’ve experienced something in the past that has so thoroughly captured their attention that they simply refuse to turn away from it. They’re convinced that who they are today, and where they go tomorrow, has ultimately been answered by what they’ve experienced in the past, for better or for worse.

Walking backwards…can cripple you over time

For some it may be the faulty genes they inherited at conception, the negative influences that shaped them as a child, or a particular trauma they suffered along the way. For others it’s a more positive experience; their “golden years” perhaps, or their college days; their wedding, or the birth of a child. It hardly matters whether the details of a person’s past are upsetting or uplifting. Either one has the same potential to keep a person so mesmerized by the events of yesteryear that they can neither face the challenges nor see the opportunities that lie ahead. Walking backwards might seem exciting at first, and preferable for a while, but it can cripple you over time.  

A DANGEROUS JOURNEY

When a person pays greater attention to where they’ve been than to where they’re going (whether physically or spiritually) they’re making the journey far more difficult, dangerous, and inefficient than the Lord meant for it to be. In sharp contrast, modern psychology insists that every problem we face in life is somehow linked to our past. God, however, designed us to move forward, with our focus in front, not behind.

The Apostle Paul writes to the believers in Philippi saying, “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind, I reach forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Apparently, God has ‘prizes’ for those who get their directions right. That makes Paul a good example for us to follow. Not George. Paul. Thanks Paul.

FALLING DOWN

There’s no better way to set yourself up to stumble and fall than trying to walk backwards. A person can’t prepare for the future when they’re still staring into the past. Yet many walk this way, not only because they’ve been captivated by something behind them, but because they’ve got so little to look forward to.

Spiritually unambitious, they give little attention to God’s Word which gives them the promise of eternal life. With little or no awareness that their life is eternal, they give little or no attention to what lies ahead of them. With no eternal perspective, their whole life is wasted with tripping over the smallest of sins and obstacles. Their backward walk with Christ is little more than one injury after another. It’s frustrating for them and for Jesus both.

FACING THE FUTURE

God is very intent that His children get a firm grasp of the reality of their spiritual and physical future: “Those who die in the LORD will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy!” (Isaiah 26:19). Jesus wants us all to know that “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live…whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

Why should we walk backwards through this life when we’ve got so much to look forward to and prepare for? It’s a foolish waste of time to remain unable to “reach forward to what lies ahead” because you’re so engrossed with “what lies behind”…especially since you don’t have to! If your “progress of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” is being hindered, it might be your own fault. Nobody walks backward by accident. Not even George Holtyzer. If you’re doing it, it’s because you’ve chosen to. You need to turn around and find your stride. Walking backwards for too long will compromise your entire spiritual posture.  

Nobody walks backward by accident

It’s not as hard as you think to turn around. Anybody can do it. Some people, like George, realize this after only 6 ½ relatively brief, yet agonizing days. For others, unfortunately, it’ll take a bit longer.

PRESSING ON

What’s in your past is history. Have you accomplished great things for the Lord? Congratulations, but there’s more to be done. Have you sinned? Move on. Have you suffered? Get going. Have you fallen? Get up, get some help, and push ahead. You’ll die soon enough, so there’s no need for you to live like it’s already happened. Time is running short for all of us, and the only chance you have to invest in your own afterlife is now while you live. Don’t waste your time. Serve Jesus, fight the fight; run the race.

You can spend your time walking backwards if you like, or you can march ahead like Jesus who, “For the joy set before Him” endured the greatest trauma known to any living being in history. Nothing stopped Him from going forward. May we all, without distraction, move forward like soldiers, undeterred by the experiences and events of yesterday.