We are beginning a new series this Sunday… Haggai – Rebuilding the Ruins.

We will begin this series with a sermon entitled “Counterfeit gods.”

You really don’t want to miss this.

Join us this Sunday, January 31st for a special event at Four Points.  We will be having a meal together immediately after church… Soups, Chili and Salad’s.  Also, there will be inflatables for the kids to play on… so adults can enjoy getting to know one another.  This is a great time to invite friends and family to Four Points.  See you then.

We will be finishing our 21 days of pursuing God on January 31st.  I wanted to briefly share a thought or two about reintroducing heavy foods (like meats) back into your diet.  You can really shock your body by going out and ordering a fat steak or by gorging a lot of greasy foods.

Over the next few days begin to eat light portions of regular food.  For meat, sushi or fish is a great way to get started. Move to grilled chicken before adding any red meat to your diet.  This gives your digestive system a gradual way to begin processing heavier foods again.

I hope you have experienced tremendous grace and revelation over these past 21 days.  I am excited to see how the Holy Spirit leads us into this new year.

Fasting is hard!  It doesn’t seem hard when we talk about it… we just won’t eat food or certain kinds of food for a period of time.  Easy enough, right?  WRONG!  Why is fasting so difficult?  During a fast we deny ourselves at a basic primal level.  Self-denial is not the American way.  When we want something… we get it.  This is our culture… self-gratification… the opposite of denial.

We don’t realize the power of our will until we try and deny it what it wants.  Fasting is a spiritual discipline that brings us crashing into this realization.  Fasting is proclaiming war on our will… and our will fights back.

As you fast over the next weeks you must continually remind yourself of fasting’s purpose.  We deny ourselves and crush our will so that God’s will can be more clearly seen.  As we bring our will low… God’s will becomes more.  Our will becomes servant… God’s will becomes master.

This is found in the writings of Paul as he introduces himself as a “bondservant” or “slave” of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1, Titus 1:1).  Like Paul, we want the mastery of Christ in our lives.  He needs to run the show and we need to let Him.

So, as you fast and the hunger pains mount their attack against you… DON”T GIVE UP.  Fight hard, always reminding yourself that the denial of your depraved will is the best thing you can do… for as your will decreases… His will in your life increases.

Blessings,

Brent

Many have inquired about the Daniel’s fast food limitations and there are many conflicting internet websites.  The best website I have found is http://danielfast.wordpress.com/.  Susan Gregory does a great job and has just published a new book on the subject.  She is extremely careful concerning faithfulness to the Biblical text which I greatly appreciate.  Also, she has several downloadable cookbooks that are well worth the few dollars they cost.

In short… here are the requirements that I personally adhere to…

FOODS TO AVOID -

All meat and animal products

All dairy products

All sweeteners – sugar, honey, syrups, molasses, cane juice, raw sugar, truvia, etc

All leavened bread – including Ezekiel bread (contains yeast & honey), all baked goods

All refined and processed foods products – artificial flavorings, food additives, chemicals, white rice, white flour, preservatives & chemicals

All deep-fried foods

All solid fats – shortening, margarine, lard, etc

All beverages other than Water

YOU CAN EAT -

All fruits & vegetables

Whole grains, nuts & seeds, legumes, quality oils, tofu, soy products, vinegar, seasonings, salt, herbs & spices

I hope this clears some things up.

Blessings

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

God has been so good to us! We more than doubled in attendance last year and became financially self-supporting as well. These are huge steps in our church plant process and we know this favor has been given to us because of our unwavering commitment to glorify Christ in all things. This new year will be no different for us. God will continue to bless us as we lift up Jesus. To ensure our focus is correct – we are calling our church family to 21 days of prayer & fasting. This special time of devotion will begin on January 10 and continue through January 31. Our goal is not to be a church who does spiritual things… but a church who desperately desires God.

Please join us by considering…

3 day complete fast - choose 3 days out of the 21 days to completely abstain from food and drink (except water). Use the time you would be eating to pray and read Scripture. A sidenote for you health nuts… it is clinically proven that a 3 day fast is one of the most healthy things you can do for your body. It works as a natural detox. This is not our goal in fasting, but a healthy benefit.

Daniel Fast – taken from Daniel chapter 10, where Daniel set aside 3 weeks to seek the Lord and did not eat any desirable foods. During this fast you are allowed to eat vegetables and fruit, but you stay away from sweets, dairy, breads, all drinks except water, and meats. Also, you can eat nothing with preservatives or chemicals added. This also has extreme health benefits that come with it. Sarah and I have several awesome recipes as well for the Daniel Fast that we can share with you to help.

Self-Denial Fast – choose something you love – possibly an activity or hobby you do often and enjoy. Many choose certain forms of media like internet or television. During the time you would be spending in these activities… pray and read the Scriptures instead.

Partial Fast – some of you can choose a certain meal to fast everyday for the 21 days. For example, you could abstain from eating lunch everyday and praying and reading Scripture during that time. FYI – if you never eat breakfast its not really fasting to abstain from breakfast.

There is a fast for everyone and everyone can do something. All of these fasts will be difficult and challenge your will. However, the benefits of fasting are certain… when we deny ourselves then our communion with God becomes more intimate than we could have imagined. His voice is more clear and His will is more visible to us. I will be writing daily on our church blog encouraging you and sharing insights. Please join us as we pursue God this January.

See you Sunday.

Brent

SATURDAY | OCTOBER 24th

4:30pm – 7:00pm

Pickett’s Mill Elementary Field

Carnival Games, Hayride, Inflatables, Hot Dogs & Chili, Popcorn, Cotton Candy, Costume Contest (Adults: Totally 80′s), Face Painting, Prizes & More!!

Don’t miss this event… and bring your neighbors & friends.

We switched up our calendar a bit and I wanted to update you on where we will be heading as we finish teaching through James.

10/18 – Being Wise (1:5-8, 3:13-18, 4:13-17)

10/25 – The Dangers of Excess & Poverty (1:9-11, 2:1-13, 4:11-12, 5:1-6)

11/1 – Taming the Tongue (1:26-27, 3:1-12, 5:12)

11/8 – Faith Healers & Snake Oil (5:13-18)

Only 4 weeks left… See you Sunday.

Brent

THE POINT – HALLOWEEN PARTY OCTOBER 30TH at 7pm

The POINT is throwing our first Halloween Party at the Landreth’s Home. There will be music, movies, food, costumes, games, prizes, and of course candy! There will be a contest to see who has the best costume, so be creative!!!

We are also looking for volunteers to help for this event. These are the areas we need some extra hands; Decorations, Food/Refreshments, and Games! There are a lot of creative and talented people out there and anyone who wants to be a part of this fun event are welcome.

Also anyone who wants to donate towards the event can do that as well. Candy, decorations, food, or anything that will enhance the experience are more than welcomed!!

If you want to help with the event please contact either Jeff Anderson (770-780-1435) or Jen Landreth (770-617-0026)

Jeremy & Allie Brannon are adopting a child from Rwanda.  To help with adoption expenses we are having a yard sale.

This Saturday, October 3 in the parking lot on the corner of Old Stilesboro & Dallas Acworth Hwy.  There are 3 ways to help…

1.  We need your stuff… please bring it to the Brannon home by Friday.  Email thirsty443@earthlink.net for directions.

2.  We need your help on Thursday whenever you can come to the Brannon home (8am until whenever) to sort and price items.  Lunch will be provided.

3.  We need your help early Saturday morning (6am at Brannon home) to transport goods to yard sale location, setup and facilitate the yard sale through the lunch hour.

Please join us in helping this family save a child’s life.