Newsletter Article Archives
The following articles appeared in the "Auburn Anchor" in 2011. |
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On September 18th we are celebrating "Back to Church" Sunday. This event is designed to reignite the passion and power of a thriving church by empowering us to bring the community back to church. Therefore, we are challenging everyone to be involved with this outreach event.
The celebration will begin Sunday morning at 9:15 as we break bread together during a Generations Breakfast. The breakfast will include all of our favorite dishes. After breakfast we will remain together for a lesson which includes all ages -- all generations. Then we will carry our fellowship into the morning worship at 10:30.
God is all about relationships and we are to walk through life with other believers. the letter written to Hebrews reminds us that Jesus Christ has "opened for us a new and living way... by which we can draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. Therefore, let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:19-25)
Our church is a thriving body of Christ designed to magnify the joys of life and lessen the sorrows. Church is not another task on the "To Do" list; church is our point of encouragement and refreshment so that we can walk by faith throughout the week. Church is our rallying point!
Therefore, if you have noticed someone missing from our fellowship please invite them back to church. If you have family, friends or neighbors who need the life-giving fellowship available through the Body of Christ -- we challenge you to invite them to our church on September 18th.
The love and fellowship we experience within the Auburn Church of Christ is contagious therefore accept the challenge; invite those around you "Back to Church."
Your fellow servant, Joe Heins |
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Recently my family and I went tent camping at Pokagon State Park. It was the typical outing as we have come to expect while tent camping. The star filled nights enabled us to marvel at God's magnificent creative power. The temperature variations from the cool night air to the hot, humid midday reminded us that life is forever changing. And the awesome conversations around the campfire brought back memories of camping with my parents, when times seemed simpler.
As I remember, one of the memorable conversations around the campfire centered on tent stakes. When I was very young my family would camp at Promise Land State park in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania. The soil at Promise Land was very rocky; as a result, commercial-grade tent stakes were not sufficient to break through the rough soil. Therefore, my father who was a welding instructor, decided to craft his own tent stakes out of cold-rolled steel. These custom tent stakes were a quarter-inch thick and very suitable for hard soil. We began using my father's tent stakes in 1974... and my family is still using them today.
As I talked with my children about Pappy's tent stakes, I was reminded of the legacy my father and mother have passed down to me; the legacy of a hadworking middle-class family. Later that evening, while looking at the stars, I wondered about the type of legacy I am passing down to my children. I wondered if my legacy would endure like my father's tent stakes.
Each one of us has the opportunity to pass down an enduring "tent stake" in our families and church. We can stand against the winds of moral decline, doctrinal pollution, and spiritual idolatry. We can turn down the invitation to the R-rated movie. We can reject the watered-down theologies that creep into the Church. We can turn away from anything which replaces God in our lives.
These are just a few "tent stakes" which provide an everlasting legacy of a Christ-centered life. Our families do not need a house or car which will outlast our lives; they need our passion for Christ as a lasting legacy! Take the opportunity today to pass down your faith and teach your children to discover God in the ordinary experiences of life.
Your fellow servant, Joe Heins |
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Another Typical Super Hero Story? |
The other day I watched one of those super hero movies. It was your typical super hero movie with all the things you would expect to see; the super hero, of course, the pretty girl, and the enemy. (we all know how the plot goes.)
There was a point in the movie when the super hero was getting beat up by his enemy so badly I thought he could never defeat his enemy! Then, he triumphs over his enemy because of his heart (passion) to not let the enemy destroy the world. Don't get me wrong, just because I use the term "typical" doesn't mean boring. I do enjoy the hero winning the conflict of trying to save the world from imminent danger.
There is another story of a super hero who came to earth and lived a typical life, although He isn't typical. In Matthew 26:36-46, Jesus prayed three times for God to remove the cross from His immediate future. He says, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." Jesus had a heart for saving the world and not letting the enemy win. Jesus died on the cross and it looked as if Jesus was beaten up by His enemy and couldn't win, but He did win... on the third day He rose from the grave thus defeating death.
The story doesn't end there! Today when it feels like all of life is crushing us and the enemy seems to be winning we hold to the biblical truth that Jesus will come back riding on a white horse. Jesus will return with a sword coming out of His mouth and will destory our enemy Satan and save the world!
Our super hero doesn't leave us as the movie super heroes do! To be with Him all we have to do is open our Bible and let Him come alive, because He is alive and one day we will live with Him in a beautiful city. A city built on a foundation of jasper and there wil be no tears, no pain, and no death!
I love a good ending! (Revelation 19:11-22)
Written by Vikki Heins |
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Our country has celebrated Mothers Day on the second Sunday in May ever since President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed it as a national holiday in 1914.
Actually, the whole notion of honoring our mothers began long before 1914. Julia Ward Howe first proposed the idea in 1872. Howe, who wrote "Battle Hymn of the Republic," saw Mothers Day as being dedicated to peace. She wanted to use Mothers Day to help heal the scars that had resulted from the Civil War.
I think it is interesting that Mothers Day was intially proposed to help heal scars from the past. Certainly we can remember hugs from mom after skinning our knees or when our feelings were hurt. We may also remember times when our moms cheered us up after failing a test or missing the winning goal. But, when I think about moms helping heal the scars from the past, I think about experiences beyond childhood. I think about how my mom always forgave me as an adult when I made bad decisions or veered off the past... mom helped to heal the scars of life.
So often mistakes as adults result in guilt and remorse instead of forgiveness and restoration, but that is not God's plan! God intends us to be restored through the love Jesus expressed on the cross. God also intends moms to be part of the fabric of God's grace to heal our scars - to channel God's love into their families.
Therefore, Mothers Day is an annual reminder God wants to heal our scars. God also wants our families to be a place of love and forgiveness. Jesus said, "I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." (Luke 7:47)
Through our Lord Jesus Christ we have been forgiven and our scars of the past have been healed. Let's embrace our Heavenly Father by loving and forgiving; along the way we will also make our mothers proud.
Your fellow servant, Joe Heins |
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Have you ever poured your heart out ot God? If so, thten you know it is a journey toward transparency but in the end a journey toward true partnership with God.
In our Bible, the Psalms provide wonderful examples of faithful people pouring out themselves to God. For example, King David wrote many different psalms which have become the mouthpiece of joy and the megaphone of broken hearts for thousands of years. It is through King David's poetry and transparency where many Christians have grown closer to God.
And isn't that the point... to grow closer to God through faith in Jesus Christ. The simple fact is that we can never know all things, nor are we made to know them. Much of our lives must be taken on faith. But, we can experience the power of His Spirit through our faith. It is the bridge between us and Him, which we can take or not, as we will.
Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we believe God hears our prayers, cares what we are going through and in the end delivers us from our sorrows while magnifying our joys. We believe prayers are conversations with God.
Below is a prayer that I wrote which has become my entry point into many conversations with God.
"Open my eyes Lord to realities which lie beyond the blindness of my sins; forgive me for what I have done and for what I have not done. Please allow my past to be used as a way of glorifying your grace and bringing light into a dark world. Gracious Father, may I see the waterfall of your love, the crucified Christ flowing down upon me - endlessly. May your presence reveal my discontinuities and may your Holy Spirit fill the gaps within my devotion. And may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen."
Thank you for the opportunity to serve within the Auburn Church of Christ. May God bless you this Easter season and may He deliver the hope of Jesus Christ to someone through your life.
Your fellow servant, Joe Heins |
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Who has had the most influence on your life? Is it a parent, coach, friend or spouse? And how did they influence you? Was it through instruction and mentoring or simply listening and discussing life over coffee? For me the primary influence over my life has come through my wife and other friends as we sought to understand God and His plan of salvation. These people, particularly my wife, have significantly influenced my life in ways I could not begin to count.
There are a lot of people who influence us and likewise we also significantly influence a lot of people around us. We all have circles of influence and God expects us to significantly affect the people within our circle with the love and hope of Jesus Christ. We cannot keep our faith hidden from those whom God has placed in our lives. We have an obligation, a duty, to pass on our faith which in the end may significantly influence their life story.
With this in mind, on Sunday, April 3rd we are hosting a “Friends and Family Day” during our morning worship service. The purpose of this special service is to celebrate our faith by sharing our faith. The key is everyone needs to invite a friend or family member to our church, someone who does not normally attend. I am certain God has placed within your circle of influence at least one person who needs to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and experience the fellowship within our body of believers.
So take the challenge, begin praying for that person God has placed in your life and then invite them to our church on April 3rd. This decision may lead to a life-changing experience to someone very close to you.
Your fellow servant, Joe Heins |
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LEANING FORWARD: A VISION FOR YOU |
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The focal point of 2011 is to glorify Jesus Christ by growing together in community according to God’s Word. Our dream is to experience fellowship with one another and our community so the hope of Jesus Christ magnifies our joys and lessens our sorrows. We pray that trust will grow out of sincere hearts and the love of Christ. We pray each person will experience life through the Holy Spirit so a greater sense of God’s presence is felt within our church and families. We also pray God will continue to bless our church through the Gospel to be a place of support, motivation and accountability. Therefore, it is our dream that 2011 will begin a new phase in the history of our church where together as a body of believers we will magnify God’s love and grow together through God’s Word and our shared experiences.
To facilitate our focus of growing together in community according to God’s Word, the leadership team has agreed to launch several new initiatives. These initiatives include tri-annual service projects so we can serve together and tri-annual fellowship gatherings so we can laugh and eat together. We will also launch a small group ministry before the Easter celebration to strengthen our focus on discipleship. We plan to launch “Friends and Family” Sundays and “Fresh Faces” new member classes while spotlighting our existing families through the newsletter and on Sunday mornings. We will also publish a new pictorial directory.
This is going to be an excitingly awesome year within our church. God has plans for our church, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:13) We will be amazed before we are half way through!
Your fellow servant, Joe Heins |
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The Christmas season is a time to joyfully anticipate the future. Children look forward to receiving gifts, families look forward to sharing special traditions and churches look forward to the annual celebration of Jesus' birth. Christmas is a season to gaze beyond our current situations toward a future filled with hope, purpose and peace.
At the Auburn Church of Christ we have been joyfully praying about the future; gazing through scripture toward an experience characterized by a deeper and more powerful expression of gospel living! We have been daydreaming about vibrant Christian worship, fellowship, study and impactful expressions of Jesus' love for mankind. The leadership within our church is extremely excited about our future and the many ways God will bless our fellowshipi!
During this Christmas season we will begin by uncapping the startling message of Jesus' birth so that we can go BEYOND where we are... beyond doubt, beyond the impossible, and beyond us. As we study the events leading up to Jesus' birth, we will gaze into a future of certainty, security and vitality under the powerful hand of God.
The Christmas season will ignite within us a deeper passion for Jesus Christ so that we can rush full throttle into 2012 -- a year of discovery where we will passionately throw off the chains which bind us to embrace the mission before us! The New Year will bring more opportunities to serve, to share our faith and to learn about our faith. The preaching calendar will include our favoite Bible stories and answers to the top 5 questions of the faith. We will also study the life of Moses and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The overarching goal of the year is to be stronger, more effective disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Christmas season is a time to joyfully anticipate the future. God expects us to GO BEYOND... So, let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.
Your fellow servant, Joe Heins |
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