Dear Windsor Family,

My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.  Psalm 71:15-16

One of the ways of turning back the darkness in our nation, one of the ways that Christians can be a light to the world is by telling people about the righteous acts and deeds of salvation.   Sharing how God saved you, how God has answered your prayers, and how God has provided for you are some of the ways Christians can glorify God and help people understand how great God is, and how He is now at work in the world.  You can make a big difference in people’s lives by telling them about the mighty deeds of God.

Two weeks ago, at a Sunday night missions dinner presentation, Carlos Peralta came from Encuentro Latino Ministries and spoke to us about his ministries and how God was performing mighty deeds through his efforts.  He focused on prayer, how prayer is what has guided him to minister to people in Miami, in Latin America, and Spain.  God had visited us that Sunday evening.  He had sent Carlos to us with a message and told us about God’s righteous acts and deeds of salvation to encourage us in our ministries.  God used Carlos’ message to convict and inspire us to pray.  He prayed for years for God to act, and God did.  His words stirred our hearts to pray, and right there in fellowship hall, we had a prayer meeting.  With the mighty deeds of the Lord God, Carlos came;  and reminded us of God’s righteousness and deeds of salvation.

Thank you Lord for sending Carlos to remind us of Your mighty deeds that are taking place in the world today.  May God instill in Windsor the same passion to pray and the same faith to act as He has in Carlos Peralta.

Prayerfully,

Pastor Chaya

 

Dear Co-Laborers In Christ,

Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. John 4:35

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.   Luke 10:2

   A renewed emphasis is being placed on evangelism and discipleship this fall.  As you see from these verses, these are the words of Jesus to each one of us, His Church. It is God’s will for each of us to be engaged in the work of the Lord, especially in evangelism and making disciples.

     The key to this renewed emphasis is prayer.  I invite you to join with the faithful each Wednesday evening at 7 PM to pray to the Lord of the harvest for laborers, and for souls to be won.  I invite you to join with us the first Sunday evening at 6 PM each month for a concert of prayer when we will be praying for God to produce fruit in our community, and church  and our schools.   I invite you to join with us for a Day of Prayer on Saturday, September 8^th, from 9 AM to 5 PM to pray for God to bless all of our fall ministries (Church, Preschool and Academy) as well as petition Him to supply $ 3 million to build our classroom building.  We will be praying for God to bless our building committee as it moves forward with our project. We have faith in the Lord to accomplish His will in these matters as well as to grow our congregation and schools. 

     As you reach out to family, neighbors, and our community with the Gospel, as you invite people to join you/us for worship, please let them know that we are starting an Inquirers’ Class for people who have questions about being a Christian, about church membership, and about how to grow their faith.  This six week Inquirers’ Class will begin on September 16^th in fellowship hall at 8:45 AM.  I and Deacon Don Friel will be leading this class.

    There are many other ministries being planned for the fall.  Please check the newsletter and  weekly bulletins for updates on opportunities being planned that will help you grow in your love for Jesus Christ and His Church.  Thank you.

Prayerfully,

Pastor Chaya

 

Dear Co-Laborers In Christ,

    If I were King for a Day, I would decree that every American, and especially every Christian in the United States read Mortimer Adler’s book entitled “How to Speak – How to Listen.”  Why?  The reason is obvious.

     Just watch the evening news, or listen to the talk radio hosts, or engage in social media, especially Face Book and Twitter, and it is glaringly obvious that people need to be taught how to listen and how to speak.  Incivility has become the new normal.  It seems as though people do not discuss issues anymore.  When discussing issues people become vulgar, profane, hostile, and disrespectful towards those who have a different opinion or position.  They demonize people, they try silence them through intimidation, bullying, and harassment.  Many adults have become role models for bullying, and society wonders why children act the way they do on the playground.  

    The scriptures, Proverbs and James give us plenty of guidance on how God wants us to relate to people.  Proverbs 15:2-4  The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

 James 1:19-21  Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.  Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

    James 1:26  If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

     James 3:5-12  How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

     I found Adler’s book to be very helpful, because he provides counsel on how to listen to speakers, which is the key to having productive conversations.  His book provides very good insights into the way we are to effectively express our thoughts and feelings verbally.

      Just as the plants produce good and plentiful fruit in the summertime, spending time this summer developing your speaking, listening and reading skills by reading How to Speak, How to Listen will help you produce good and plentiful fruit for the Lord.  Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.

      Have a great summer!

      Pastor Chaya