Singles Seminar:  Conflict in Community - A Mess Worth Fixing with Paul Tripp

The Singles Ministry of is excited to have pastor and author Paul Tripp teach on the realities of conflict, and address how we can benefit from relationships.

All of us begin the relationships in our lives expectant and hopeful, and we all face disappointments we never expected. Hurt and conflict somehow become the ingredients of all of our relationships. At this conference you’ll learn why hope turns into disappointment, peace into conflict, and discover how your relationships can be what they were designed to be.

Singles who attend the marriage conference; What Did you Expect will greatly benefit from this singles seminar. Marriages involve unavoidable conflict—often this isn’t fully realized until one is married. This Singles Seminar essentially takes the microcosm of conflict from the marriage conference and gears it towards an audience of singles to help them prepare for marriage, and practice conflict resolution.

We hope you will join us! REGISTER HERE.

Saturday February 4 | Main Auditorium
6:30PM – Doors Open
7:00PM – Conference Opens
7:20PM – Session 1
8:10PM – Break
8:30PM – Session 2
9:15PM – Q&A
9:30PM – Close

BIG Meeting:  January 2012 **CANCELED**

The January 2012 BIG meeting has been canceled due to Isaac being in Uganda and Kevin being in Central Asia.  Please remember to pray for both these teams!

Enjoy your extra Care Group night!

-The Singles Pastors

December. 13th BIG Mtg:  Tony Reinke will be speaking on his new book, Lit!

Hey my friends!

We have a unique blessing planned for everyone at our December 13th Singles Big Meeting.  Our own Tony Reinke will be guest speaking and imparting to us a God-focused message from his new book, Lit!

We’ll learn that words matter to God.  Our God is a God of self-disclosure & revelation.  Happily, throughout history He has guarded and preserved His revelation to His people in the form of written words.  The words of Scripture proclaim to us in brilliant, vivid detail, the uniqueness of our God.  The words of Scripture capture the beauty & power of God’s redemption in Christ.  Words matter to God and therefore they should matter to God’s people.

Although we live in a culture today dominated by images (which has certainly brought many blessings to us), our image dominated society can also lead to a loss of appreciation for the written word.  Some of us have little time to read.  Some have little desire to read.  Some of us find reading difficult and not leisurely. 

In his book Lit! Tony asks a couple of questions that are worthy of our attention:
“What will we lose if we ignore books?”  “What will we gain if we fill our lives for the next twenty years with disciplined reading?”

Braden, Kevin & I believe everyone will be inspired, and equipped biblically and practically by this message.  Tony is going to help us see the benefit of reading and the connection that reading has in our walk with God.  Whether you’re a reader or have never picked up a book in your life this message is for you.  You’ll be inspired to read and you’ll be equipped with practical ways to start reading & read more effectively.  So make sure you don’t miss this opportunity. 

We’re having dinner together at 6:30pm in the South Lobby, and the meeting starts at 7:30pm in the Events Center. 

Please, as always, think about who you can invite to the Big Meeting and then actually invite them!  I believe this message will be really accessible, and possibly more inviting for some people, especially to those that are far from Christ. 

Love you all…
hydro

Business Transition Network - Vocational Gift Workshop

Find out what the Bible says about pursuing a job you will love

Dates: Sunday, Nov 13th | Nov 27th | Dec 11th | Jan 8th | Jan 22nd

Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm

Location:  Luther Room (upstairs in the church offices - conference room located on your left when passing the front desk)

Who is this for?:  College Age and above participants looking to better understand their God–given vocational gifts and develop them in jobs and careers in service of others.

What can be expected at a workshop?:  Practical cross-generational instruction , hands-on discovery exercises , “next step” goal setting, small group sharing of prayer needs to encourage folks exploring job transition.

Topic - What job is best for you?:  Identify your God–given gifts and find out what vocations you are best suited for.

Email Art Shenk (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) if you are interested in attending!

Shane & Shane Concert - Volunteers Needed!

Would you like to attend the concert for free?  We need volunteers!

Volunteers needed to serve in various areas:
Shady Grove Pregnancy ministry table 6-7PM & 9-10PM
Usher 6:00pm-7:15PM
Unloading crew 9AM-3PM
Take-down crew 9-11PM

Contact Kjersten Blair to sign up & for more details (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address))

November - BIG Meeting **Audio Now Online**

Braden preached from: Colossians 3:23-24

Through Christ’s definitive work in his life, death, and resurrection from the dead, he is restoring the image of God in us. As we more closely imitate the one who has saved us, we will love our neighbor, which has significant implications for how we work.

Click HERE to download the audio from the Nov. 1st BIG Meeting.

We apologize for the “buzz” sound in the background, but we hope it serves those who want to listen to it.

One Ministry Update

Hey my friends.  I wanted to bring you all into some of the cool things God is doing in our ministry and in the church.  Our mission as a singles ministry is to see others grow towards a greater maturity in Christ as disciples and there are many examples of God doing this through saving more people and then by growing them as followers of Christ. Here’s the scoop:

1. New believers group.  My friends, Andrew & Gia Sandor, have just started a new small group whose sole purpose is to provide an encouraging, helpful environment for new believers.  Their group is currently made up of new believers from the most recent Introducing God course and a handful of others who are new to the faith.  It’s really neat to see how these new brothers & sisters are growing in Christ as they experience Christian community for the first time.  Please pray for them!

2. CG Plant!  Recently I met with one of my small groups that is no longer small, and needs to be multiplied. We explored a few options of what to do & together have decided to move forward with a care group “plant” idea.  Instead of the traditional ‘splitting the group in two’, the existing group is going to “send out” a small team of 5-8 people to launch a new small group where I can place the many new people being added to our church.  I love this idea as it reinforces our call to be sacrificing by making disciples; “going” & “teaching” others as followers of Christ. 

3. Evangelism Strategy Meeting with local pastors.  This morning I’ll be meeting with a group of local pastors with Ravi Zacharias & leaders from the C.S. Lewis Institute to pray and discuss ways our local churches can be partnering together in reaching the lost in the DC Metro area.  Pray that God blesses our time and substantive gospel ministry & partnership results. 

Thank you my friends for your partnership & prayers!  Very grateful for each of you.

Hydro

How to Glorify God at Work | by John Piper | September 6, 2011

“Just home from two weeks in Australia, I am brimming with thankfulness to God for his people there, and for the pleasures of working with them in Brisbane and Sydney and in the mountains of Katoomba.

One of the conferences was called Engage. It was focused on “young workers,” which, in their lingo, means young professionals in the workplace. I was asked in an interview if I thought this focus was a good idea. I said yes, because of 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

So they asked: How can young workers glorify God at work?

Here’s the gist of my answer.

Dependence. Go to work utterly dependent on God (Proverbs 3:5-6; John 15:5). Without him you can’t breathe, move, think, feel, or talk. Not to mention be spiritually influential. Get up in the morning and let God know your desperation for him. Pray for help.

Integrity. Be absolutely and meticulously honest and trustworthy on the job. Be on time. Give a full day’s work. “Thou shalt not steal.” More people rob their employers by being slackers than by filching the petty cash.

Skill. Get good at what you do. God has given you not only the grace of integrity but the gift of skills. Treasure that gift and be a good steward of those skills. This growth in skill is built on dependence and integrity.

Corporate shaping. As you have influence and opportunity, shape the ethos of the workplace so that the structures and policies and expectations and aims move toward accordance with Christ. For example, someone is shaping the ethos of Chick-fil-A restaurants with this video.

Impact. Aim to help your company have an impact that is life-enhancing without being soul-destroying. Some industries have an impact that is destructive (e.g., porn, gambling, abortion, marketing scams, etc). But many can be helped to turn toward impact that is life-giving without being soul-ruining. As you have opportunity, work toward that.

Communication. Work places are webs of relationships. Relationships are possible through communication. Weave your Christian worldview into the normal communications of life. Don’t hide your light under a basket. Put it on the stand. Winsomely. Naturally. Joyfully. Let those who love their salvation say continually, Great is the Lord! (Psalm 40:16)

Love. Serve others. Be the one who volunteers first to go get the pizza. To drive the van. To organize the picnic. Take an interest in others at work. Be known as the one who cares not just about the light-hearted weekend tales, but the burdens of heavy and painful Monday mornings. Love your workmates, and point them to the great Burden Bearer.

Money. Work is where you make (and spend) money. It is all God’s, not yours. You are a trustee. Turn your earning into the overflow of generosity in how you steward God’s money. Don’t work to earn to have. Work to earn to have to give and to invest in Christ-exalting ventures. Make your money speak of Christ as your supreme Treasure.

Thanks. Always give thanks to God for life and health and work and Jesus. Be a thankful person at work. Don’t be among the complainers. Let your thankfulness to God overflow in a humble spirit of gratitude to others. Be known as the hope-filled, humble, thankful one at work.

There are more things to say about glorifying God in the workplace. But this is a start. Add to the list as God gives you light. The point is: Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink or work, do all to make God look as great as he really is.”

Copyright © 2011 Desiring God, All rights reserved.

Mailing address is:
Desiring God
2601 E Franklin Ave
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55406

BIG Meeting: Vocation - Why Work?  **Audio Now Online**

Isaac preached from: Genesis 1:26-28

As image bearers of God we are called to work, to extend His governing rule over creation, and bring blessing to the world.

Click HERE to download the audio from the Oct. 11th BIG Meeting.

Ravi Zacharias is coming to town!

Skeptical about the relevance of the Christian faith? Has the church failed you in some way?  Have you been hurt by the church or by people who call themselves Christians? Just want to learn more about what Christians think?  This just may be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.  Join us for a discussion of this challenging topic with world-renowned thinkers, philosophers, and speakers Dr. Ravi Zacharias and Michael Ramsden followed by an open-forum Q&A.

Christianity: A Failed Hope?
Thursday, October 20th @ 7:30pm
Location: Constitution Hall, 1776 D Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20006

Event is FREE, but you must register online - click HERE for more details.