Parent Update January 7, 2015

HELLO

I hope you've all had an awesome time of celebration and rest over the holidays. And even if your holidays weren't too restful, we know that Jesus is really the only source of true rest for the restlessness in our hearts. We have rest in him that is constant, no matter the season, no matter the circumstance. He says in Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 

Rest for your souls. That's rest at the deepest level of who you are as a person. Jesus promises us true rest, yet we too often look to people or things to find the rest our hearts desire. And when those people or things let us down, we become angry with those people or things. 

So, if you find yourself weary and burdened, don't expect your job, or house, or paycheck, or car, or spouse, or kids to give you the fulfillment and joy you want. Come to Jesus and find the fulness of joy that only he can provide. 

Love you all dearly. Blessed to be a partner with you in the discipleship of your children. 

In Christ, 

Quentin Self

WHAT'S GOING ON

  • Chili Supper - Sunday January 17th 6:00pm
    • Every student attending Winter Retreat is required to be there. 
    • Each student attending Winter Retreat needs to bring a chili 'fixin' (sour cream, cheese, corn chips, etc.). I'll have a sign-up sheet for students on Sunday. 
  • Winter Retreat Info Meeting  - Sunday January 24th 6:00pm
    • All money will be due at this time. We will know the final amount after the results of the chili-supper fundraiser. 
    • All students attending and their parents need to be present at this meeting. 
  • Mexico Mission Trip Info Meeting - Sunday January 31st 5:30pm
    • All people attending this trip need to be present. Also, parents of students attending need to be present. 
    • We will discuss the final cost of the trip, all details, etc. Most likely, we will have a facetime connection with Roy Seals, the missionary coordinating the trip. 
    • So, if you are on the fence about going, this trip would be a great time to have your questions answered. 

WHAT YOUR STUDENTS ARE LEARNING

We are still in "The Best Story Ever" series and will be for a while. We have made it to "Chapter 14" this week and will look at Samuel and Israel's rejection of God as King. 1 Samuel 8:7 will be our main text for Sunday:

And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." 

Wow. Talk about a powerful verse. 

My desire in this series is to help your students see the big story of the Bible. The whole Bible is really the gospel uncut and unabridged. The Bible tells the story of God redeeming his creation. 

All his work in Old Testament prepared the way for Christ to come. In Christ, God came as a man to take back his rightful place as King. So, this Sunday we will let Samuel's story show us our need for God to rule over our hearts.  

BONUS! CUTE JACK PICTURE

And here's a bonus just to make you smile, check out Jack's face... Ha! I wish I knew what he was thinking. Or do I?