In attempting to ensure that as a congregation we are all on the same page, I guess it can’t be stated too often that the theme for the South Sound Church of Christ in 2012 is “Set Apart”. As a congregation, our collective goal is to be mindful that we are a church of disciples that is intentionally and voluntarily set apart  (holy) to God and for His glory and purpose. In lieu of our theme, our midweeks and Sunday services are being dedicated to teaching and preaching on several characteristics in which we being called to come out from the world and draw nearer to God.

It should be no surprise that God, our heavenly father, wants the very best for all of His children, just as those of us who are parents want nothing but the best for our children.  After all, it is he who created everything in this life that is good, James 1:17.  None-the-less, Satan who is indeed “The Father of Lies” wants us to believe that God wants to deprive us of pleasure and of anything that is good Genesis 3:1-5. The truth is however, that God created many pleasures to be enjoyed by His children such as nature, human artistry, family, romantic love, social life, community, corporate worship and more. God’s desire for us is that we should have life to the full John 10:10.

This weekend, the brothers and sisters of the South Sound Church of Christ enjoyed a congregational workshop focused on being Set Apart in Purity. Dave and Robin Weidner who lead the Treasure Valley Church of Christ in Boise, Idaho were our guest speakers for the weekend. The Weidner’s exercise their passion daily to help people live in purity by leading recovery groups, conducting seminars, and sharing articles through their websites. Building on 30+ years of experience in full time and volunteer ministry, David and Robin founded Secure in Heart and Purity Restored Ministries.

The workshop began with a congregational service on Friday Night with the focus of having “Pure” Freedom in Christ. We learned about God’s Pure Gift, which was given to us from the beginning through Adam and Eve. Each of us, (male and female), are equipped for purity, through Adam’s singularity and Eve’s multiplicity. In the true spirit of purity their hearts were able to run free in the garden and they hid nothing from God or each other physically, emotionally, spiritually, or mentally. There was no darkness in their relationship, no impurity, no hiding, and no shame. We also learned about the Pure Lies of Satan. He wants to twist our view of things that God wants us to see as pure and good and pervert them so that we use them in an impure manner. And we learned about the Pure Freedom that God calls us to. As children of God, we have been called to absolute purity because he wants us to be completely free! He wants us to be free to enjoy Him with no shame or condemnation.

After the encouragement of Friday evening the marrieds ministry returned Saturday morning eager to learn about Pure Romance in marriage. It was wonderful to see many couples bonding and learning new things about each other as we listened to the Weidner’s and participated in several exercises with our spouses. Dave and Robin discussed what pure romance is and what it is not. As well as Pure Oneness in which they discoursed on the roles that men and women were created for. They revealed through the scriptures that man was created for leadership and woman is the pinnacle of creation, a helper (Ezer), which pictures the “eye that see the danger”. While we both have different roles, our marriages, there is no question that both are designed to be lived out in God’s presence as we explore, work, play love, and serve one another in our differences. In addition, they spoke about marriages having a Pure Connection. We are to “Nourish” and “Cherish” our relationship by keeping the weeds/thorns/pests out, setting boundaries, protecting our purity, and protecting the vulnerable parts of our relationship. The day ended on the topic of creating a Pure Covenant. Dave and Robin approached the idea of having the willingness to be unselfish in marriage with the goal of having complete oneness and connection. This covenant calls for continual forgiveness, which takes us from glory to glory. A forgiveness that brings unity, leads to intimacy and is a reflection of the glory of God.

It was truly an inspiring weekend from beginning to end. Thanks again to Dave and Robin for their openness and vulnerability with their own marriage and for a weekend that will undoubtedly change those of us who attended forever. Let’s pray that God will be glorified in our lives and in His church as we put these teachings into practice in the days ahead.

Please go to our podcast to listen in more detail to these amazing lessons.

A dynamic and engaging workshop in gaining purity within your marriage.

A dynamic and spellbinding workshop in learning how to best gain purity in your marriage.

Early Bird Teen Camp Registration is Open until 2/14 or as soon as 60 tickets are sold. $305/teen. After this date, it will go up to $345/teen. Register today! Theme: Modern Spiritual Warfare (video game) 6/30-7/5. Teen Camp: Students in grades 6th-12th for Fall 2012.

1/29: New Members Reception immediately following church in the Auditorium at 12:30pm (for anyone who was baptized or moved into the church within the past year)

2/5: Steve Mitchell’s last Sunday here in Tacoma. Pray for your family’s new life in Boston.

2/5: SuperBowl Parties (mostly by BT)

2/11: Baby Shower for Alison Everett, 11am-1pm, Channells House, RSVP with Sandra Nilson, bring a small dish to share.

2/12: MLK Day of Service Serving Opportunity. At 12:30pm, we will be given a free lunch by the American Red Cross following church and then we will canvas the city of Tacoma with Fire Prevention Information. Several of our Seattle brothers and sisters plan on coming down to support us in this day of service. HOPE worldwide’s goal is to have 250 volunteers (Grant funded by the Federal Government). Please join us if you are able. Families are encouraged to join as well.

2/12: Blood Drive. Please sign up with Natalie Dow. There will be a kickoff with donuts, fruit, and juice the day of the drive.

2/12: True Beauty Mom’s Meeting immediately following church (girls grades 6th-12th)

2/26: Church by BT—Not at the History Museum!

1/27 & 1/28: Purity Workshop at the History Museum Auditorium, Guest Speakers: Dave & Robin Weidner from Bosie, ID; Fri 7:00pm-9:30pm; Sat 9:00am-4pm (More details to follow concerning discounted $3 day pass for the Museum parking lot), Everyone is invited to attend Friday Night & Several Teens, Singles, & Campus Disciples have volunteered to babysit—Ask someone today before its too late!

1/29: New Members Reception after church (Invited to anyone who has joined the church within the last year: Baptisms & Move-ins)

2/12: Next Blood Drive, Sign-up with Natalie Dow.  There will be a kickoff with donuts, fruit, and juice the day of the drive.

2/11: Baby Shower for Alison Everett, 11am-1pm, Channells House, RSVP with Sandra Nilson (360) 621-4058, Sandra Nilson (360) 621-4058, Sandra Nilson’s Email, please bring a small dish to share

2/12: True Beauty Moms meeting immediately following church (girls grades 6^th-12th)

Pray for: Todd Stickler (Death of Grandmother), Becky Stickler (Death of Grandfather), Brian Ackenbaugh (Death of Father), Caroline Tice (ill brother & sister), Tom Patterson (Grandfather needs open-heart surgery, Daryl & Ruby Wallace (death of a close family friend), Julia Beach—studying the Bible (father is ill)

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Ladies and Gentlemen of the NW,

Its that time of year again!  NW Youth Camp Registration opens January 15, 2012.  Attached you will find the 2012 logo for your websites and a flyer for your parents.  This year we decided to go with the Modern Warfare game theme…We are excited to serve the families of the NW in 2012.  The short write up is below if needed…looking forward to working together and seeing you soon!

New location for 2011—Riverview Bible Camp is an hour or so north of Spokane on the Pend Oreille River

Dates for the NW Youth Camp are from the 30th of June 2012 through the 5th of July 2012.

Please visit NW Youth Camp for more information and  Registration.

Strength in Jesus Christ,

Jermaine D. Peacock

www.spokanechristianchurch.org

Every person is responsible for their own actions however there are unseen forces that influence us for either good or bad. Because these influences are so powerful we must shed light on who they are and what they do. Satan is real and there are angels all around us. Modern Spiritual Warfare is real, its not a video game! Today, temptations are stronger, the lures are craftier and the enticings of the world are more intense. Are you ready to engage in Modern Spiritual Warfare?

God?s Word can equip us to fight the right battles and train us how to fight with holy weaponry. God uses light to bring us into true freedom that last for eternity, Satan uses darkness to cloud our understanding and lock us into the eternal dungeon. Paul tells the faithful Christians of Ephesus in Ephesians 6:10-12, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil?s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

New location for 2011—Riverview Bible Camp is an hour or so north of Spokane on the Pend Oreille River

Dates for the NW Youth Camp are from the 30th of June 2012 through the 5th of July 2012.

Please visit NW Youth Camp for more information and Registration.

Join us for an inspiring and impactful time with David & Robin Weidner, Church Leaders at Treasure Valley Church of Christ, Boise Idaho.  David & Robin has travelled around the US and the world instructing and helping people live in purity by leading recovery groups, conducting seminars, and sharing articles through their websites.

Friday, January 27^th (7:00pm – 9:30pm, WSHM Auditorium):

Church-wide midweek for all members and visitors.

Saturday, January 28^th, (9:00am – 4:00pm, WSHM Auditorium):

Married Couples (members and visitors) only Workshop

Parking Information:

Friday:  Free street parking after 6:00pm or Museum parking lot at normal parking rates

Saturday:  Street parking at normal City of Tacoma parking rates or Museum parking lot at $3.00 for entire day

More Info to come.

2/12: The Following will be the Blood Drive dates for 2012: 2/12, 4/8, 6/10, 8/12, 10/14, 12/9.  Last year, as a church, we donated 70 units of blood.  When broken down it’s 210 blood products.  We helped up to 210 people.  There will be a blood drive kick off with donuts, fruit, and juice the day of the drive.  Thanks everyone for serving!

1/16/12: Tomorrow, MLK Day of Service.  Here are the details:

Who:  All volunteers

When: Monday, Jan. 16 2012  9:00am – 11:30am

Where: Boys & Girls Club – 3875 S 66th St, Tacoma, WA

Sign up with Naomi Wallace.  Please let us know if you are interested in being a Team Leader.

1/22/12: BTLM immediately following service

What do you do when things don’t seem to be going according to your plan?

How do you respond when just as it seems that you’ve overcome one obstacle, another one, bigger than the one before pops up in front of you?

What else can you do but fight!

In Hebrews 10 the writer speaking to the saints encouraged them with these words beginning in vs. 32

³²Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. ³³Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.  ³⁵So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. ³⁸But my righteous onewill live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. ³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

The challenge in these situations is to keep your confidence in the Lord and persevere in doing his will!

I consider myself to be a very confident person, but like many others, I have a tendency to place too much confidence in myself, in my plan, my talents, my experience  and even my desire or determination. I can even place an unhealthy confidence in others.

When I was a kid, I spent the summers in New Orleans with my Aunt. All of my cousins were older than me and I trusted that they would never let anything bad happen to me. In their company I began experimenting with dangerous drugs, but somehow I was confident that they wouldn’t let me get hurt, that they could protect me from becoming like the drug addicts that I had seen staggering through the streets of New Orleans, faceless, nameless zombies, but the fact is that just by using drugs in the first place my confidence was already misplaced. It is only by the grace of God that I did not achieve that sad fate.

In contrast, the confidence we must hold on to is the certainty that God’s plans and purposes will prevail!

The fact is that most of us can be confident when we can see things going the way we planned it, but living by sight doesn’t require faith! Vs. 38 says, but my righteous one will live by faith…

And I guess that really is the hard part isn’t it… to live by faith. To be confident that when your plans have fallen apart, Gods plan is still right on track.

 ¹⁰ The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

 ¹¹ But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations. [Psalm 33:10-11 NIV]

In spite of the obstacles you see before you or even the ones you don’t see do not shrink back. We must not place our confidence in the flesh.

Even when the proverbial winds are blowing around you and the waves seem to be rising above your head, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and you just might find yourself walking on water while others around you are still sitting in the safety of the boat.

Pray for Caroline Tice—Her Brother is on Life Support