Noise

August 17, 2011

noise [noiz]   noun   

1. Sound, usually of a loud, harsh, or confused kind
2. A disturbance in a communications system that interferes with or prevents reception of a signal or information.

Communication is the the lifeblood of everyday living.  Imagine yourself living in a world with no communication at all – no radio, no TV, no reading, no physical contact…   no way to send or receive anything.   We can’t.  Communication is so fundamental to what we do and who we are.  We need to communicate – with each other and with God. 

But there is noise all around us.  Noise that makes it hard to hear the messages that are trying to get through.   This noise comes in many forms:

• Distractions that take our time away from communicating.   When we find things that isolate us, we are interrupting vital communication.  Locking ourselves into a video game or TV show, putting in earbuds and shutting the world out, finding other things to do so we don’t have to deal with people (or with God).
• Competing Messages take our focus off what God is trying to say to us.  How can we put stock in “You shall not murder” when we spend days playing violent video games that reward us for just that?  How can a boy grow into a man who loves his wife “as Christ loved the church, and died for her.” when he listens to music that objectifies and degrades women? How can our children trust in God when our schools tell them there is no God?
• Our own prejudices and feelings will inform and alter the opinion we have of incoming information.  We tend to filter everything through the lens of our own experience, instead of hearing what the other person (or God) is really trying to say.

Imagine yourself in an empty gymnasium.   There is someone on the other side of the room.  That person speaks to you from way over there in a whisper.  Can you hear it?  What if they raise their voice?  Can you hear them now?

Imagine now the same gym during the last two minutes of a tied championship basketball game.   You’re in the same place you were, and your friend is at the other end of the gym speaking to you.  Is there any chance at all you could hear them?   Pick their message out of the noise?  Of course not.  But we put ourselves in that position every day. 

God doesn’t always speak to us in a mighty, thunderous voice.  Sometimes He speaks to us in a whisper.  But think about this.  If you were to walk across that noisy gym and stand right next to your friend, they could speak right in your ear, and you would hear it.  Wouldn’t you?

For Parents:

• Talk with your child, and discover what kind of “noise” exists in their life.  Spend some time trying to figure out how to “cut through” it.
• Review for yourself the kind of noise that your child is subjected to.  What kind of video games do they own?  What music are they listening to? What are their friends saying?  Their teachers?
• Find a way to allow your child to draw closer to God.  Make quiet time.  Pray together.  Read the bible together. Come to church together.  Listen to worship music in the car together.  (notice any theme here?)

 

 

It’s the Internet. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

July 17, 2011

Social media.  It’s the next great thing.  It’s now. It’s current.  Everyone is doing it.  But how careful are we? And more importantly, how careful are we when it comes  to our kids?

Disclosure: I am a social media junky.  I love it.  I think there are so many uses for it, both in ministry and in life.  Plus, it’s fun.  It’s interesting having conversations with people on the other side of the globe, catching up with old friends, and seeing what everyone is up to.  But, like anything, we need to use wisdom, especially when the kids are concerned.

First: a social media primer.  There are a lot of services out there.  Let’s run down a few:

• Facebook – The current heavyweight champion.  With over 750 million active users, almost everyone is on Facebook. It’s a place to share photos, catch up, invite people to events and more.  KidzPort has a Facebook Page.
• Myspace – Is what lost big to Facebook.  Myspace is similar, but today is more focused on bands and music fans.  Still, there are far less privacy controls, and in general it is a darker place.
• Bebo – Is another social media site.  It was popular for a while as an alternative to Myspace, but really lost ground to Facebook.
• Twitter – Twitter is a “microblogging” site.  Unlike the previous three, Twitter does not require mutual acceptance.  Someone can “follow” another person on Twitter without them following back.  It’s great for sharing quick updates and online conversations. With about 200 million users, there are over 1 billion tweets per week. Gospel Light has a Twitter account. 
• Foursquare, Gowalla – These are “location based services.”  They let you “check in” to places so your friends know where you are.  People can also figure out where you’re not, so never put your actual home address as a location.
• Orkut – Another site like Facebook that is popular in India and Brazil.  Owned by Google.
• AIM, YIM, MSN Messenger – These are instant messaging services.  They let people chat in real-time either privately or in “chatrooms.”  Many other social media services have chat functionality.
• Google+ – The new kid on the block has gained over 10 million users in it’s first week, and it’s still in private, “invitation-only” form. Google+ looks to be a real challenger to Facebook.
• Webkinz – are toy stuffed animals that come with a “virtual” counterpart that can be cared for on the Webkinz website.  The website has chat functionality.

It’s a New Season

July 7, 2011

Summer is here, and with it, the busyness that accompanies it.  There will be some changes in KidzPort for the summer, so here’s the recap of the parents’ meeting last week:

 

• Both cell groups are being moved to Sunday morning during KidzPort time for the remainder of July and August.
• Beginning in September, KidzPort cell groups will be on Friday nights.
• There will be  several activities over the summer, including two carwashes (on July 23 and 30), a possible trip to Six Flags, and possibly another Children’s Congress with House of Restoration in Hartford.

Jill and I will be investigating new curricula for all levels to be in place for September.

We are expecting and planning that all parents will be participating in Sunday Morning teaching groups.  We will have schedules for the start in September. Watch this space and the KidzPort Facebook page for details.

Have a great summer!!

 

Pastor Mike

The Newest Member

April 8, 2011

I’d like to take a minute to introduce you to the newest member of KidzPort.  But first, a little background:

In March, Gospel Light Community Church held Mission Madness, a weekend devoted to missions.  As part of that event, we had my buddy Dave from Compassion International come and share with us.  Dave has a real heart for the needy children of the world, and shared some of the good work Compassion is doing.  I’m proud to say that seven or eight children were sponsored at GLCC that day.

Our KidzPort kids decided they wanted to do something, too.  Which is where the introduction comes in.  Meet Pinkan, who hasbeen sponsored by the children of KidzPort.  Pinkan is a 13-year-old girl who lives in a remote area of Indonesia.  She attends school and a youth group.  She lives with her uncle and grandmother, and likes all the things a girl her age should like.  She is a Christian in an overwhelming Muslim country.

So welcome Pinkan with your prayers and thoughts.  I’ll get information on sending letters and items in a short while.

For Parents:

• Sponsoring a child is a serious responsibility.  The monthly sponsorship is $38.  We will be collecting each cell meeting and Sunday KidzPort class.  Whatever can be given is fine.  It is a good lesson to our children to have them contribute regularly, and it builds a good habit.  This is an ongoing responsibility, and we are counting on our parents to support us.  All money collected for Pinkan will go to her, either as monthly support, or – if there is extra – as a gift.  (Her birthday is in February, by the way)
• When you pray with your child, please include Pinkan and her family in your prayers.

 

KidzPort March 6 – Sheep and Goats

March 10, 2011

 

This was a pretty bog weekend at Gospel Light.  It was our first ever “Mission Madness” weekend, where we focused on missionsand outreaches.  We had a speaker who told about a recent mission trip to Belize, and another from Compassion International who spoke about that ministry and sponsoring children.

So why do we have to help the poor, anyway?  Because Jesus told us to, that’s why!   In Matthew 25, Jesus gives an example of a King who separates the “sheep” from the “goats.”   To the sheep on His right hand, he says they are blessed because they have taken care of the King when He was in need.  They asked Him when they had ever seen Him in need; He responds that whenever they took care of (loved) anyone in need, they did it for Him.

To the goats on the left, He says they are cursed, because they did not take care of those in need.  They were going to the “eternal fire.”  There is a clear “mission” for us:  to take care of the poor and needy!    You don’t want to be a “goat”, do you??

 

 

KidzPort, as a ministry, has decided to do something.  We will be sponsoring a Compassion child.   The children had at first decided to sponsor a child from Haiti, but (thankfully!) due to a recent media campaign, all the Compassion kids in Haiti have been sponsored.  So we will concentrate on the Dominican Republic, right next door.  The DR is on the same island as Haiti, and has much of the same problems.  Keep watching for more info…

 

 

 

 

For Parents:

• Read Matthew 25:31-46 with your child.  Have them explain to you what happens to the sheep and the goats, and why.
• Pray on how you can help someone in need – then do it!!
• Purpose to help support our Compassion child.  We’ll let you know how in a bit.

WORD

January 17, 2011

This week we begin our journey through the Gospel of John.  As we discussed last week, John wrote one of the four gospel accounts of the life of Jesus, but unlike Matthew, Mark and Luke, he does not simply tell us what happened, he tells us why it happened.

One of the first things we notice with the Gospel of John is how it starts: the words “In the beginning…” This is the same way that the book of Genesis starts.  While the other gospels start with the time Jesus came to the world, John tells us Jesus was there from the beginning.

John calls Jesus the WORD.   This is pretty important.  In Genesis, God made the world by speaking it into existence.  ”Let there be light.” God said, and there was light.  God’s mere WORD; what God says, has the power to create all things.   Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s WORD. He is what God promised to us.

John tells us nothing was made without Jesus.  All things were made through Him, through God’s WORD.  John also calls Jesus the LIGHT.   He says the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not “understand” it.  Who or what is this darkness?  Is it Satan?  The bible tells us that Satan believes in Jesus and trembles at His name!  So Satan understands who Jesus is.

The darkness is us: mankind.  We did not understand, or even accept Him.  Yet He came to shine his light on all of us.

Finally, John tells us of a man who came to “bear witness” to the light.  This man’s name was John, but it was not the same John who wrote the gospel.  He’s talking about John the Baptist.  Many people followed John, and some thought he was the Messiah, but his mission was to point the way to Jesus.  He was a witness – he knew something no one else knew, and he was going to tell everyone about it.

Memory Verse:

In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God. John 1:1

For Parents:

• Read John 1:1-8 with your child.  Make sure you and they understand what is being said.  Have your child explain it back to you.
• Help your child memorize the verse, John 1:1

Sixty Six Books

January 10, 2011

As we move into another new year, it’s time to take a fresh look at an old friend – the Bible.  2011 will be a year of “Back to Basics.”   Beginning next week, we’re going to be diving into the Gospel of John, which should take us to Easter.  But before we do that, we have to do some basic “bible-mapping” to figure out where the gospels, and John in particular, fit into the scheme of things.

There are many different ways to group the books of the Bible, and many of them can be considered more than one type.  We will group them in seven categories, based on each books main theme.

So here are our divisions of the bible, and some examples of each:

History: The bible is above all things, a book of history.  it tells us what happened a long time ago, and whom it happened to.  The History section of the bible can be divided into the Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy), Old Testament history (Joshua – Esther) and New Testament History (Acts)

Poetry: Yes, the Bible has some beautiful poetry in it.  Reading it can refresh the soul, and touch our hearts and emotions.  (Psalms, Song of Solomon)

Prophecy: The Bible is at it’s best when it is relaying God’s word clearly to His people.  Prophets include major prophets like Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel plus the Lamentations (by Jeremiah) and 12 minor prophets. (Hosea-Malachi)

Wisdom: These books are sometimes grouped with the books of Poetry, but I like to separate them out.  Wisdom books give us special insight on life, and offer good advice for all men!  (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job)

Epistles: The word “epistle” simply means “letter.”  The epistles are letters written by early church leaders to the growing churches around the world, and to other church leaders for instruction, encouragement and correction.  (Romans-Jude)

Revelation: The book of Revelation is a special book of prophecy, written by John, which tells us about God’s plan for the end times and the second coming of Christ.

Gospels: The Gospels are historical books that tell us about the life of Christ.  They are the key to the Bible, and the most important part.  Three of them (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are called synoptic, which means they tell the same stories in the same order and are written from the same point-of-view – to tell the reader about Jesus’ life.  John, has a much different point-of-view: to tell the reader why Jesus came.  John’s gospel is very different in form and content from the others.  We often recommend that new Christians read the Gospel of John first, before any other part of the Bible.

For Parents:

• Go over this list with your child, and make sure they understand each part.
• Go through the list of books and assign it to a section.  Make a game out of it.
• Develop a daily reading plan with your child.  A good resource is YouVersion.

Simeon and Anna – Perseverance Rewarded

January 3, 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!   We’ve had a busy couple of months, what with Hallelujah Night and Love Came Down and all…  but now it’s time to get back to work.   And for KidzPort, that means learnin’ ’bout Jesus!

We’ve spoken some about the birth of Christ during the Christmas season.  This week, we looked at something that happened soon  after.  According to Jewish law at the time of Jesus’ birth, a firstborn male child must be presented in the Temple after forty days.  This is similar to the baby dedication that we do at Gospel Light today.

During this ceremony, the parents must present two offerings to the Temple priests for offerings, according to Leviticus 12. Luke chapter 2 tells us that Mary and Joseph took the option offered to poor people – offering two young pigeons or turtledoves.

When they entered the Temple, the family  met a man named Simeon.  This man had been patiently waiting for the coming of the “Consolation of Israel” – in other words, the Savior.  At some time in his life, he had been visited by the Holy Spirit, and told that he would not die until he saw the Savior with his own eyes.  When he laid his eyes on Jesus, he knew that God had kept His promise.  He took the child and prayed to God, thanking Him, and saying he was “ready to depart” now that he had seen the Christ.

While the family was probably still reeling from this, they came across an eighty-four year-old woman named Anna.  Anna never left the Temple.  She stayed there day and night, praying and fasting and serving God.  When she saw the baby Jesus, she also knew right away, and told everyone there who he was.

So we see that God honors perseverance.   Simeon and Anna never gave up their hope that God would send Salvation to Israel.  And because of that, God showed them the joy of the Christ, rewarding them with special knowledge of His plan.  Isn’t that amazing?

For Parents:

• Read Luke 2:25-38 with your child.  Talk about what happened that day.
• Recount with your child about their own dedication, if they had one.  If not… well, it’s never too late!
• Pray together for perseverance in seeking God!

Christmas Cantata 2010 – More Than Just Singing

December 1, 2010

This year’s Christmas Cantata is going to be something special.   Yes, we are going to have the usual singing, music, drama and fellowship that accompanies the event every year.  But this year, we are doing something more.

KidzPort has gotten together with Transformers Student Ministries – GLCC’s youth ministry – to take the church outside the walls this Christmas.  We are supporting the Bridgeport Rescue Mission – a faith-based organization that provides food, clothing, shelter, job training and discipleship for the poor in our community.

To support BRM, we will be collecting warm socks, towels, flipflops and winter boots.  They can be donated for men, women or children.  There will be a collection point in the GLCC lobby from December 4 through the 19th, where these items can be dropped off.  Also, the Transformers will be available to pick up items from anyone in the area who cannot make it down to the church.  Just give us a call at 203-368-6591, or email Pastor Mike.

We hope you you will attend Love Came Down on Saturday, December 18th.  We open the doors at 6:30, at Gospel Light Community Church, 222 Charles Street in Bridgeport.  We can’t wait to see you!

Cell November 17 – ‘fraidy cat!

November 19, 2010

There are a lot of things that scare us, especially children.  Many kids go through being scared of the dark, of their closet, of what’s under the bed, of big dogs and strange people.  Even us adults have our fears.  Some are afraid of heights, of drowning, even of string!  (Really, it’s called linonophobia)

Fears can generally be grouped into some major catagories:

1. Phobias – this is any fear of things or situations; fear of trees, or snakes or drowning, or pain.  Most of this things are real and tangible, although some are not.  (Like being scared of the bogyman.)
2. Fear of Rejection – ?is being afraid that you won’t be accepted, or that people won’t like you because of who you are. Believe it or not, many times the “class clown” has a deep fear of rejection.  We often won’t share the Gospel because of this.
3. Fear of Other People’s Opinion – closely related is the fear of what others think of you.  A lot of times we are afraid to admit we are Christians because of this one.
4. Fear of Failure – this is a very personal one.  Sometimes we set goals for ourselves, and only we know it.  But other times, we won’t even do that, because we are afraid of disappointing ourselves.  But remember, you fail at everything you don’t try!!
5. Fear of Death – We fear death naturally, because the world would have us believe that death is the end.  But as Christians, we know that we need not fear death, because in Christ, we will live forever!
6. Fear of Poverty – this is basically fear that we will lose something.  Our possessions, our status, our money, our friends, our family.  This can be a very powerful fear, but remember that God promises he will never leave us or forsake us, or leave His seed begging for bread.  God provides all our needs!!

So how do we fight these fears?  By relying on God’s word:

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  - 1 John 4:18

So we know that God’s love can keep us from having to be afraid of things.  And if we trust in God’s perfect love, that love will give us courage to cast out fear.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.  - 2 Tim 1:7

Fear does not come from God; it is a lie of the devil!   What God gives us is power – power to cast out fear in Jesus’ name.  Power to trust and love God.

For Parents:

• Talk with your child about their fears.  What are they afraid of?  What worries them?  See if you can figure out the root of that fear from the list above.
• Share a time you were afraid of something, and God helped you through it.
• Pray together against fear, and to receive power from the Holy Spirit.

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