Party on! A great way to share the Christmas story

Posted by Christine Hall

Most of us have a desire to share the Gospel, but we don’t know how. A very easy way to do that is by hosting an evangelistic Christmas Gathering—a holiday party featuring seasonal treats, sharing of Christmas traditions and a brief, non-threatening gospel message.

When I began my walk with Christ I attended a Bible study that came out of a Christmas Gathering. I had never studied the Bible before and the materials were very easy to use. I have since hosted Christmas Gatherings for co-workers, neighbors and mothers at my children’s school. This year my husband and I are hosting one for an apartment complex in our city. I am convinced that hosting a Christmas Gathering is one of the easiest and most effective ways to share my faith.

I will say that I don’t know if sharing my faith is ever comfortable for me. But it is worth it. I’m glad someone took the risk to tell me about Christ. I was very afraid to share Christ with the people I knew. But I had to be willing to risk what other people thought of me if I really cared about them and where they’re spending eternity. Are you willing to risk your reputation for the sake of the gospel?

We provide training, which will be held from 6:15-8:30p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9th at Sonshine Center in Menasha. You will see a demonstration of what actually happens during a Gathering and discuss everything from spiritual preparation to follow up. The cost is $12 and includes a detailed instruction manual.

A trained speaker will be provided for your Gathering (or you can choose your own speaker and have them attend training the same night). Speakers are given a clear presentation of the gospel which they personalize and share at your Gathering.

To register, please call Doris Steinberg at 751-3855 or pick up a brochure at the information station in the CTR lobby.

Can you make your career a calling?

For many of us, the daily work grind often feels like we’re striving to get our task lists checked off while breathing a prayer of thanks that we are employed (while many of our brothers and sisters are not).

But is it possible to make our jobs something more significant for God’s glory?

A community opportunity: Octoberfest!

When Appleton throws a party, the downtown is packed with thousands of people.

Hungry people.

Since 1981, Octoberfest has been bringing people to downtown Appleton in the spirit of community pride and celebration, and CTR has been a part of it with a strong presence for the past several years.  Octoberfest is fund raising venue that gives ministries like Crossing (our young adult ministry), and Gardens In The Desert a chance to touch others with a message of hope at this community party.

Amid the loud rock music and polkas, the tasty food and often shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, Octoberfest is fun with a purpose!

Thanks to all of you who volunteered or came out and said hello to those working the booths.

No Surprises

Posted by Linda Rue, CTR Writers & Storytellers Team

During any crises of world, country or home, I find great comfort in the fact that God is not surprised by any of it.

Let’s be even more personal by saying that he’s not surprised by the job you just lost, the husband or wife that has just left you, the teenage child that has suddenly rebelled and turned into a monster that you don’t know anymore or even the disconnect notice you just received that followed the overdraft notice from the bank.

Some of our personal crises come from sin, money mismanagement, procrastination, and even stuff that is not our fault at all.

Finding Him

By Molly Smits, CTR Writers & Storytellers Team

It’s 7 degrees outside, with a wind-chill much lower than that, and I’m sitting on a wooden bench in the middle of a forest.  I hiked about a mile and a half to get to this spot.

The only part of me that isn’t covered is my tiny round eyes, seeking calmness when my days become consumed with the chaos of this world.

So, here I sit; me, creation, and my Father.  It’s so easy for me to see Him in this place, surrounded by His beauty.

It’s easy to hear Him talk to me and to actually be listening, to feel Him wipe away my tears or lift my chin up to see Him clearer.  It’s so easy to feel clean here when I fall so short surrounded by society, through the whiteness of the snow and my prayers, I feel Him take it all from my shoulders.  So, I come here often, when I need some alone time with my Father.

I am a 27-year-old girl, not yet ready to be a woman,

Unwrapping God’s Presents

By  Heather Verhagen,

Christ The Rock Writers & Storytellers Team

Those of us who have accepted Christ would all agree that the best Christmas present we have received was free and what Master Card would call “Priceless.”   But what about the gifts from Him that we have chosen to leave wrapped?

The Bible is full of virtually unknown promises for the children of God that still go unclaimed by them. When Jesus came and became a man to die on the cross, He didn’t only do it so that we could have an eternal life with Him. Because He had victory, we can be sure that the life Jesus lived on earth on earth allows us to overcome the world as He has and to live our lives to the fullest.

Have you ever done your best to get everything together in order to do something you feel you are called to do, and it all seems overwhelming or like it won’t work out? Well, that’s how I’ve felt these last three weeks or so. Today I came across an article by Joyce Meyer titled, Calm Down, Cheer Up. She tells us that “worrying does us absolutely no good.” I had been getting depressed and frustrated instead of focusing on Him and trusting God’s prospering plans for me!

This past Sunday morning, I was reminded that whether you are looking for peace, joy, hope, guidance, healing or who you are, you can find all of these and more while you sit on your Father’s lap and surrender your burdens to Him.

On Christmas morning, while you listen to the sound of wrapping paper being massacred by your grinning children or grandchildren, ask yourself if you have unwrapped all of your presents from Him. Who knows, there may be one with your name on it that He has eagerly been waiting for you to open!

A voice and a mission

If you’ve been coming to Christ The Rock in the past year, you may have heard the gorgeous voice of Danen Kane, a local musician from Little Chute.

There is just something about his authenticity and honesty as he sings to and plays for his Creator, and that’s what makes Danen such an inspirational worship leader on weekends here. We are blessed to have him on our team and in the missions field where Danen ministers to people locally and globally who are hungry for a message of healing and hope.

Next weekend Danen will be at Cup O’ Joy in Green Bay for a concert, and you can catch him Friday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. He is encouraging all who come to bring a non-perishable food item for the Salvation Army Food Pantry. Click here to find out more, or visit Danen’s MySpace page.

The Re-Birth of OAKS

From raking leaves to giving rides to church to helping people move in an emergency situation, Christ The Rock volunteers have rolled up their sleeves to help those in the Fox Valley when they’ve called.  Two years ago we decided to call this ministry OAKS, which stands for Organized Acts of Kindness and Sacrifice.

Pastor John Slotten and volunteer Dean Roddy organized the OAKS volunteer base to answer the many calls for painting walls, fixing broken plumbing and any number of requests for help.  Since that time, the volunteer pool has grown almost as huge as the needs that are called in.  But within the past several months the need has become so tremendous that it was time to fortify OAKS and plan for this ministry’s growth into the future.

How is it working? Check out this story about an ex-convict who called for help:

Since his release from jail, this man has struggled to put his life back on track

Worshipping Him together… never gets old

Time continues to pass, many things change in our lives… but we’re surely glad that God stays the same.  How blessed are we that we continue to gather together in worship to our King?  Always good…

This was a snapshot of our time together @ Crossing Friday night

The Greatest is Love

God is love. If we get this right, we get it all right. Jesus said that if we love God with all that we are and love one another as we love ourselves, then we fulfill all the law and the prophets. Instead of giving us 1500 rules to keep, Jesus tells us to love. He’s not talking about the kind of love that just makes us feel good, but the kind of love He demonstrated by loving, accepting and forgiving us. The kind of love that has others best interest in mind no matter what the sacrifice or service on our parts. Love is patient and kind! Oh God, please give us more of your kind of love.