Every year, I look forward to the weekend before Thanksgiving. No, it is not because of a pre-sale at my favorite store! And it is not because Santa arrives at the Mall! It is the weekend that I get to spend with my family at church. For the past 6 years, the weekend before Thanksgiving has represented a time of refreshment and relaxation before the holidays arrive. This year was no different with more fun, fellowship, s’mores, and singing.
For me, the camping experience doesn’t truly begin until dusk. This is the time when Gregg, Jeff, and Andy bring their guitars around the campfire to begin singing. We sang songs from the songbook…we sang songs from the secular world…we sang kid’s songs…we even sang ‘Boom-Shaka-Laka-Shaka-Laka-Shaka-Boom’! We were also treated to original songs from our very own members.
Perfect contentment is within your grasp and God desires that you have it. Join Rich Bartoli as he teaches us how to have a contented heart and find our identity in Christ.
The church burst into applause as the announcement was made this past Sunday that Rich Bartoli will be appointed as an evangelist in God's kingdom on December 2nd.
Rich and his wife Amanda serve as the Campus Ministers for the University of South Florida and Hillsborough Community College.
An evangelist is one who preaches the good news of Jesus Christ. Rich is mature in his preaching and is able to move the hearts of the disciples by communicating the good news of Jesus. Rich also meets the qualifications in 1 Tim 3 for being a "servant" (diakonos, deacon). Like the apostles in Acts 6, Rich has dedicated himself to "prayer and the ministry of the word" and proven himself to be a "servant of the word". Rich has shown himself to be humble. He seeks advice in building his ministry, and he is a great disciple. He is also a good husband and father. Rich and Amanda have a strong marriage and regularly get help to keep it thriving.
"Real Stars" was the prevailing theme throughout a spiritual, fun-filled, and encouraging weekend in Orlando at the Singles Retreat. It was a wonderful time!!! It started on Friday night with Mr. Salter (a singles' ministry shepherd) challenging the men and women to shine like stars in our homes, at work and in the world. The men and women then separated and we had a chance to really 'get real'. Sisters shared their insecurities, anxieties, and fears. They also shared their victories and successes. It was a great bonding time.
The weekend was an especially memorable time for me. I found it inspiring to be in the presence of my sisters and brothers in Christ. It was awesome to see so many singles still in the race and fighting the good fight. I met some new friends and also met up with some old friends. I gained a renewed commitment to "seek and save the lost." I was also impacted by our host family, Scott and Terri Schultz. They were awesome!!! They made us feel at home and even gave us a key even though they did not know us!
The rest of the weekend was filed with various activities, including wonderful times of deep fellowship. We went to see The Holy Land Experience, which was a memorable experience!!! I walked around all day electrified. We witnessed the Wedding at Canaan. We saw the blind man begging, we saw the little children come to Jesus. We even saw the rich young ruler go away sad because he was not able to give up his possessions. The musicals were phenomenal!!! If you have never experienced the Holy Land Experience, you are missing out. Then there was the "Black and White Party". We had a lot of fun as we danced the night away.The food was scrumptious. There was a great variety of music: reggae, rock, R & B, etc. We even did the "Superman"!!! It was wonderful to see so many disciples having fun and "getting jiggy with it."
It ended with a great Sunday Service. We were again challenged to be real stars; not the kind we see in the tabloids, but the kind that shine for God. After the service we shared a meal together. Our own, Edgar Jeffers, was the Chef and "he put a hurting on that barbecue." It was a great time of fellowship and I am happy that I was a part of it.
I remember my first computer class in college in 1979. To solve one simple math problem using the computer, there would be a stack of cards, personally hand typed by me, with no errors. If you mistyped, you started over. The keypunch machine made actual holes in the card.
The cards themselves could have no folds or dog-eared corners or coffee stains. They had to be in the exact right order (never drop your stack!). A "card reader" fed the commands on each card into the computer for processing. The computer would then spit out your answer… sometimes a few minutes later, sometimes a few hours later.
Every year, I look forward to the weekend before Thanksgiving. No, it is not because of a pre-sale at my favorite store! And it is not because Santa arrives at the Mall! It is the weekend that I get to spend with my family at church. For the past 6 years, the weekend before Thanksgiving has represented a time of refreshment and relaxation before the holidays arrive. This year was no different with more fun, fellowship, s’mores, and singing.
I remember my first computer class in college in 1979. To solve one simple math problem using the computer, there would be a stack of cards, personally hand typed by me, with no errors. If you mistyped, you started over. The keypunch machine made actual holes in the card.