Prepare the Way!

For preparations for this Sunday's lesson, be sure to read Luke 1 at some point. We are going to have some fun with common Christmas "stuff" to see if you can tell the difference between what is of Christmas or X-Mass origin. Hope to see you all there!

Trent Cotton

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Here are the notes and presentation from our last class. Hope you enjoy!
CLICK HERE

Class Update

Dear Class,

How is the Body of Christ doing? I know that is a loaded question because there is so much going on in the lives of those around us. Just take a breath and evaluate your life? It scares me to death to make that evaluation and realize that Life is meant to be lived over a life time and not crammed into a few years. It feels like we are cramming it, doesn’t it?

I have been gone the last few Sundays, but they could not be avoided. I am back for the duration of our class and looking forward to the Sundays ahead. We will begin a Bible Study series into the life of Moses, one of the great leaders of all the Bible and one that has much to teach us as he lived out his life in obedience and sacrifice. Let me challenge you to read up on Moses. You can find him in the book of Exodus chapter 2.

We are going to look at a “Simple Man with a Huge Calling” and challenge ourselves to ask a hard question; What has God called me to do? We will find some hidden treasures as to how we can follow God’s challenge and direction for our lives.

A couple of Calendar Items:
• There will be NO Class on Sunday, November 30th (with the holidays surrounding this and many of us gone we are going to let you beat the Methodist to Moe’s)
• Bowling Night at Oak Mountain Lanes on Sunday, December 7 (there will be a sign up sheet passed around over the next couple of weeks that will have a place for Childcare needs) Cost will be about $9 per person (for one game... $5.50 per game and $3.50 for shoes...unless you have your own and then I worry about you). Time will be in the 4 to 7 pm range.

Lets have a BIG class this coming Sunday. I am going to preach (teach) the legs off the podium and have some fun in the process! Lets see everyone there!!!

Rick

Prayer Requests for first week of November

Hey gang, I thought I'd open up the blog for prayer request. Please remember Kerry Richardson's dad who is having major heart surgery today. I know there were more, just the Red in me forgot the specifics of them all, but please comment and add them on so we can all pray for each other.

Donation from Heather

ent to you by Heather via Google Reader:


Together...
via This Is REVERB by DetzelPretzel@gmail.com (Reverb) on 10/28/08

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I lead a life group.

If you were to ask me to define what a life group is, I would have to say it's a group of people coming together to experience life together. It's a group of people who have said YES to community and NO to isolation.

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There are 14 of us men on a spiritual journey together. Sometimes we study the bible. Usually we act like idiots. Always we challenge one another to bigger and greater things.

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There is something about the regularity of a weekly meeting together. Every Monday evening around 5:30pm people start trickling in, and they typically trickle out around 11pm. I've been leading a group at my house for around 4 years now. It's been a huge mix of people. Men and women of all ages and backgrounds. Over time, we grew to such a large co-ed group that we decided to split off into a men's group and a women's group.

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My wife has been leading that women's group ever since. We've both had other groups birthed off of our original groups too. And there's a reason for that...because we don't want to keep such an amazing thing to ourselves. This is something that needs to be shared.

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You have to ask yourself some questions:

* Who is speaking into my life?
* Do I have people I can trust with my stuff?
* Who can I call at 3am when everything is crashing down?
* Do you fully know anyone?
* Are you fully known by anyone?
* Do you have others to lean on when you're too weak?
* Are you trying to rely on yourself for everything?

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Now I fully realize that the idea of a group like this is a foreign thing. It shouldn't be. We are east of Eden in so many areas of our lives. The intention of this world has been off kilter for so long that we've come to a place in our lives where we never want to have true and intimate contact with other humans...and we're lonelier than ever.

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Did you know that a Belgian work horse, when properly trained, can pull upwards of 8,000 lbs?

More interestingly than that however is the fact that two Belgian work horses, who have never worked together, can immediately pull upwards of 24,000 lbs. This is without training together. Have them work with one another for a little while and they'll be dragging over 32,000 lbs behind them in no time.

Simply by working together.

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Are you a lone ranger? Do you try to do everything on your own? How is that working for you?

The end.

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Weekly Update-Last week of October

This Week's Updates and Reminders!

Fall
Festival Volunteers Needed

• For those of you who signed up to volunteer for the Fall Festival, please meet at the Dairy Queen parking lot to catch the shuttle beginning at 5:30pm. Christina will be emailing everyone this week to remind them of their scheduled times, but please remember, she's closing on the house this week so life is a bit hectic. We are in booths 24 and 25! If you have any questions, please call me at 789-2508 or Christina at 205-907-6109 or email her at cdw104@yahoo.com
  
  

 

Small Group Assimilation

• Remember, this Sunday is Free Food Frenzy! Since we have had such a change in the participation of the class, everyone is asked to simply bring a food item to share. Our theme this Sunday will be… variety!!
  

 

Small Group Assimilation

• As we mentioned last class, we will be purposefully setting up groups in class to test out different scenarios for our eventual small group launch at the end of the class. As we do this, please be sure to email with any feedback. All email will be kept to only the leadership team so be as candid as possible. It is critical that this venture succeed and it will only happen with candid feedback from those in the class.
  

  
   

Social Events are coming…

• Currently, we are working on a bowling night along with some other fun things. Right now, we are tentatively looking at the December 7^th weekend for our bowling venture. Once we have the plans in place, we will make an announcement in class and then post it on our group calendar. Be sure to keep up with our events by clicking on the calendar link on our website. Please remember, these social events are a great way to get to know others in the class.
  

 

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Class Website

http://sites.google.com/site/westwoodxconnection/

 

Class Calendar

http://sites.google.com/site/westwoodxconnection/important-items

 

Class Schedule

http://sites.google.com/site/westwoodxconnection/important-items

 

 

A Message from Yoda on Small Groups!

Yoda Groups from Fusion Church on Vimeo.

Final Post from Rick Warren's Blog on Spousal Conflict

How to Resolve Conflict with Your Spouse (Part 3) by Rick Warren

Wisdom … is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others … James 3:17 (LB)

*** *** *** ***

If you’re going to pull together when you’re pulled apart, you have to:

Concentrate on reconciliation, not resolution. Reconciliation means to re-establish the relationship; resolution means to resolve every issue by coming to agreement on everything.

That’s simply not going to happen. I don’t care if you both love the Lord and are both deeply in love with each other, there are some things you’ll never agree on because God has wired each of us differently.

But you can disagree without being disagreeable. That’s called wisdom. The Bible says in James 3, “Wisdom … is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and it is willing to yield to others.”

The Bible says it’s wise to compromise. You can have unity without uniformity. You can walk hand-in-hand without seeing eye-to-eye. You can have reconciliation without resolution of every issue.

Some of you are worn out from the conflict in your marriage. You want to throw in the towel. Don’t do it! It is more rewarding to resolve a conflict than to dissolve a relationship.

Let me close with a couple of suggestions:

1. Get help. Many marriages are miserable, and they go year after year with the same old problems because the couple doesn’t seek professional help. Don’t go to just anybody; get a godly counselor who bases his/her practice on God’s Word.

2. Let God help. The other thing you need to do is get help from God. You can’t do this on your own. I’ve seen these steps work, but you need Christ’s power to work them.

Many marriage conflicts could be solved overnight if both the husband and wife would kneel before Jesus and say, “We humble ourselves and humbly ask you to make this thing work. We submit our egos to you and our hurts to you. Jesus, do what only you can do.”

© 2008 Rick Warren. All rights reserved.

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What a Leader Does During Troubling Times

¹⁹ Don't put out the Spirit's fire. ²⁰ Don't despise what God has revealed. ²¹ Instead, test everything. Hold on to what is good. ²² Keep away from every kind of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

 

As a Christian leader, please know now is the time to shine. Because of our stature within the organizations we serve and the natural disposition of associates to seek our counsel, we are poised to be able to show the fruits of putting 1 Thessalonians 5:19 to work. Those around us naturally look to us for cues on how to act or interpret the most recent news in the market.

With the market in turmoil, I've been exposed to a number of my clients' anxious phone calls, questions about the future of the company, and more close to home, how are they going to be affected. I could be worried about the status of my position, whether my bills would be paid, how would I provide for my family and the other items on the list of eternal worries, but if I did that, would I not be any better than those who did not know Christ? Aren't we supposed to be in the world but not of the world? If we have anxiety and spend time biting our nails about the economy and the state of the world market, what then do we have to offer the lost? After all, acting in this manner, we are not showing we have anything more to give them than what the world does. This should not be the case.

I understand there are restrictions around what we can and cannot say in the workplace about our faith. (Even though, based on my reading of Title VII, it protects Christians too, but that's another blog.) There are ways we can show Christ through our actions, words, and most of all, silent conviction. Think for a moment of the old adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words." If that is truly the case, what picture do you present when you have the opportunity to interact with one of the clients you support? Is it a picture of worry? Anxiety? Anger?

If we portray the "solid rock" we stand on through our actions, we do not have to necessarily lead a Bible study in our office, or carry the Bible in our hands during meetings, or place a poster of Christ behind our desk for people to know we are more than just card-carrying Christians… we are true believers. When the disciples were upset with the waves and the wind of the storm they were facing, Jesus was asleep. He knew His destiny, He knew that God would protect Him and He rested in that faith. When the disciples awoke him, he almost seemed (at least through my version) as if he could not believe they woke him up for that "little storm" that was tossing their boat. With only a few words, "Peace be still," the waves, rain, and wind came to a screeching halt. They were no more. Christ knew the providential protection of his father in heaven, but was still trying to teach that to his disciples. If you notice, they remark at his calm nature when trying to wake him, the thought had entered their minds, "What does he have that I don't that he can remain so calm?" Jesus had honest, pure faith. Jesus did not begin a huge "lesson on the boat" series, choosing rather, to teach them through his actions.

As a leader, we have the wonderful ability to touch several divisions within the organizations we serve. Right now, if we were to look outside of our boat, we would see the storms of this life. We would recognize the fear and anxiety of those around us. With this said, we have a critical choice to make in this moment. Do we choose to show anxiety about the storm tossing our boat, or do we choose to do like Jesus did and rest in the sweet faith that God is ultimately in control. If we show that type of silent, convicting faith through our actions, those who do not understand will come to us, seeking that which we have… peace. It will be in those moments the Holy Spirit will be with you and allow you to work great mini-miracles of faith by simply sharing your own personal testimony with someone who is standing on the shifting sands of life.

Do not let your position in the company be a hindrance, but rather

• Choose to fan the flame of your Spirit's fire by daily spending time with Christ in prayer and in the Word
  
• Test everything and only hold on to what is good. How do we do that? Recognize the feelings we possess by their fruits. (more on that in another blog)
  
• Make the conscious effort to stay away from evil. With the market crashing as it is and the anxiety level of those around us, the temptation to jump in the hog mire will become more attainable. Remember, Christ will always provide you a chance to flee.
  

 

Do you have some ways that you've used in the past that work? How about stories? Please share.

COLOR Signature Series

Happy Sunday Afternoon!

As promised, I emailed you the information on the COLOR Signature series that we will be covering soon and thought I would also post it here just in case you did not get the email. Just as a review:

If you want to take the manual version of the test, simply open and complete the Manual Personality Test.doc file. This is an easy way to do it without being all technical. To better understand your results; be sure to download the COLOR Booklet.doc file which will take you through some basics about what your COLOR says about you.

If you are lazy like me and love the fact that technology can do things that you don't want to, download the SUNDAY SCHOOL COLOR Signature TEST.xls. This is an excel worksheet and is pretty easy to use. All you have to do is follow the directions. The YOUR CHART tab will show you your results and upon selecting your COLOR, it will provide you the same information, but doesn't make you have to turn a page! J

All options are on the class website under class lessons/ forms. Or, you can click here to be taken right to the page to download or go to: http://sites.google.com/site/westwoodxconnection/class-attachments .

As it stands, we might be covering this topic next Sunday, but look for the weekly class update for confirmation. If we do, be sure to bring your results with you on Sunday so you can get the most out of the class. I promise you, we will have some fun with this!

If any of this is unclear, please let me know. You can shoot me an email or call me on my cell phone below.

Hope you all have a great week!

************************************************

Trent Cotton

trent.cotton@gmail.com

Close Encounters Series Starts Sunday

Hey Class,

I know that some of you are receiving this email who have decided that this isn't for them...and I certainly understand. We are committed to establishing some connect Home groups, because that is where the most intergraded relationships are formed. Our excitement level is high as we approach the fall months in big ways.

A couple of items:
1. If you have missed a Sunday or two, please don't think you are behind. Each Sunday lesson is a stand alone lesson and you don't have to know what went on the last lesson to get the next one.

2. We are starting our Next Series: "Close Encounters of the Weird Kind" this Sunday. The next 4 weeks will all be about relationships and how we are suppose to function in them. Sunday's lesson will be entitled, "What Do You Mean?" We will take a close look at Adam and Eve and begin to explore the differences between Men and Women. Should be a lot of FUN! You can read the account of Adam and Eve in Genesis 1-4. We will also be handing out a Personality Assessment for you to do. There will be an ON-LINE version available as a PDF if you happen to be absent this Sunday (of course...everyone is going to be there...Right!)

3. Lastly, we are having FOOD this coming Sunday, so come prepared to EAT.

Check out our Blog page if you haven't already (http://connexionclass.blogspot.com/). Appreciate each of you and look forward to having a little fun in class this coming Sunday...

Rick

The Lord’s Prayer

The Lords Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13

Christian Prayer: A Scriptural Model
A model for Christian prayer is found in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus Christ himself gave all of us a pattern for prayer: 

"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV).

Christian Prayer: An Interpretation For All Of Us
The model for Christian prayer in Matthew 6 is known as the Lord's Prayer. Many of us have recited this prayer for years, but have never truly meditated on its meaning. The following are spiritual snippets based on the Lord's Prayer that can help deepen your prayer life with God: 



"Our Father" - God wants us to approach Him as "Daddy" (Aramaic: Abba). He wants to take care of us and protect us. God desires intimacy. Remember, He has infinite love and grace. God wants us to be secure in His family as adopted children and heirs. 



"Which Art in Heaven" -- Look up to God. Fear Him and revere Him. He is all-powerful and can deal with all our problems, even the big ones. But He loves us so much that He doesn't stay up there. 


"Hallowed be Thy Name" -- Holy, holy, holy. Approach God with awe and wonder. Save the word "awesome" for God. Live a life that honors Him. "Thy Kingdom Come" - "Take this job and love it!" Working on behalf of God's kingdom is the ultimate joy. Bloom where you're planted. Do everything as unto the Lord. Find your gifts and use them. Be open to God's leading each day. 



"Thy Will Be Done" - God is the potter; we are the clay. God keeps us spinning on His potter's wheel, shaping and reshaping us as He bathes our lives in tears to make us more Christ-like so He can use us for His will. Surrender daily. Keep your clay moist through daily prayer.

"On Earth as it is in Heaven" -- Thy will be done - not my will be done! 



"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" - Trust! God will provide for our needs. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He cares for me. 



"Forgive Us Our Debts as We Forgive Our Debtors" -- Forgiveness = Surrender. Don't carry your own backpack - surrender it to Him. Revealing the feeling is the beginning of healing. Act as if you have forgiven and the feeling will follow. In our weakness, God sends His strength and peace. 



"Lead Us Not Into Temptation" - Watch for unrecognized temptation. Pray, so you won't fall. We are tempted every day. It deepens our walk and strengthens our faith - but be careful of spiritual blindness. Open my eyes, Lord, to my blind spots - use honest friends and family. 



"Deliver Us From Evil" -- The Evil One, Satan. We are saved from death to life. Jesus is more powerful than Satan - God is greater! 



"For Thine Is the Kingdom (obedience), and the Power (confidence) and the Glory (joy), Forever" -- This is our Father's world. Everything we have is His. He is the ruler!

How's it going?

Hey class,
Rick here and I was just checking on you. For those who weren’t at the class on Sunday, you missed our give-a-way vacation to the Rockies! Now, that I have your attention...:-), we did have a good day on Sunday and no vacations were given. There will be some notes on our class Web page http://sites.google.com/site/westwoodxconnection/Home at some point this week. It may help those who missed last week to be up to speed this coming week (it is there as a help not a requirement).
Our homework assignment for this week is to read James 2:14-24 every day for seven days. If you haven’t read it yet, take the time (2 minutes) to read it and make a commitment to read it for the rest of the week. It is a great passage as James challenges each of us who are followers of Christ to put our “Faith” in “Action”. That word, “action”, in the Greek is the word “toil”. Does our Faith result in effort (“toil”) that can be measured? What are we DOING with our Faith?
I told you that we were going to challenge each other along the way and sometimes looking inward can be convicting (I know it is in my life). Sunday will be a great day. Appreciate each one of you and look forward to learning more this coming Sunday...
Rick