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A Call to Fast & Pray for Kolby
On Monday, January 14th 2013, I am asking River of Life Church to participate in a time of fasting & prayer as we ask God to heal a little boy in our church family named Kolby.
For those who don’t already know, Kolby suffered severe burns due to hot water and has been in the hospital for almost 2 weeks now struggling through skin graphs, infections & much pain. You can read prayer request for him, communicate that you’re praying for him & even leave a comment for his family on River’s Table: http://PortageChurch.org/table.
So for those who choose to participate, tomorrow (Monday) forsake food & most drink, except water occasionally. Throughout the day, be in prayer for Kobly, asking God to heal him. When you begin to feel hungry, let that serve as a reminder of your desperate cries to God for this little boy. As his local church family, let’s join together and pray that God would heal this child.
Thank you!
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Here is some additional information about fasting:
What Does The Bible Say About Christian Fasting?
Scripture does not command Christians to fast. God does not require or demand it of Christians. At the same time, the Bible presents fasting as something that is good, profitable, and beneficial. The book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions (Acts 13:2; 14:23). Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2:37; 5:33). Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. Instead, the purpose of fasting should be to take your eyes off the things of this world to focus completely on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Fasting helps us gain a new perspective and a renewed reliance upon God.
Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast. Anything given up temporarily in order to focus all our attention on God can be considered a fast (1 Corinthians 7:1-5). Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when fasting from food. Extended periods of time without eating can be harmful to the body. Fasting is not intended to punish the flesh, but to redirect attention to God. Fasting should not be considered a “dieting method” either. The purpose of a biblical fast is not to lose weight, but rather to gain deeper fellowship with God. Anyone can fast, but some may not be able to fast from food (diabetics, for example). Everyone can temporarily give up something in order to draw closer to God.
By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can more successfully turn our attention to Christ. Fasting is not a way to get God to do what we want. Fasting changes us, not God. Fasting is not a way to appear more spiritual than others. Fasting is to be done in a spirit of humility and a joyful attitude. Matthew 6:16-18 declares, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
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(article adapted from Got Questions)
Meeting Results: Church Office Building
Last Wednesday River of Life Church had a member’s meeting where the elders presented an update regarding our vision for 2012: “Casting a Wider Net”. Many topics were covered with some very exciting details. Among them are the following:
- River is overflowing! We are continually over 80% capacity in weekly attendance.
- www.LifeOverflowing.org - New domain to better communicate our vision to the community.
- 8 AM Service – We will be adding another Sunday morning service starting this fall.
- Radio Program – River will have our very own weekly radio broadcast at the end of this summer.
- Financial Update – River is 30% over budget in our giving compared to our YTD goal.
- Office Building – We reviewed a proposal to purchase the building next door for much needed space.
After first sharing about the office building property at our annual meeting in December, we met last Wednesday and had an at-length discussion on this topic. The elders gave our members a tour of the building, and then dismissed, asking each member to pray & come back the following Wednesday for prayer & a follow-up meeting.
Tonight, after spending an hour in prayer inside the office building, the members gathered again for the follow-up meeting regarding the office building purchase proposal. I am happy to inform you that it was voted unanimously to increase our 2012 budget & purchase this building! We will most likely be closing sometime mid-June and moving in soon after that. Please keep your eyes & ears open for more details on the move date. Pastor Bob’s office will be relocated to the office building, and Caryn will have a dedicated reception area & desk.
We are very excited about this, as it will give us a lot more space for offices, storage, & more. This also provides us with much opportunity for meetings, studies, & groups to gather as well. Many more details will be coming soon. Thank you to all of our faithful members & attendees for making the Kingdom a priority in your lives. May God be glorified as we use this extended space for His glory & that the gospel of Jesus Christ may be proclaimed more than ever!
Table Tip – Adding a Profile Picture
To add a profile picture, in River’s Table, click “Howdy” with your name after it on the top left of your screen. This should bring down your profile tab. On the left, you will see a placeholder where your picture should be. Underneath that is a button that says “Change Pic”. Just upload your picture and you’re profile will have your personal picture to go on all your prayer requests, discussions, etc.
*1 more tip – try to choose closeup face pictures of you alone.
Here is why to add a profile picture:
Connecting with people has always been a challenge in any church. If you’re new you don’t know where to start and you’re quickly overwhelmed. If you’ve been there for a while, it’s awkward to ask someone’s name when you should really know it. But nothing elicits a smile like remembering someone’s name and making them feel welcome.
The Table’s directory gives us a way to start learning and remembering names and make connecting less of a challenge.
River’s Table – Now an Android App
The Table Android App: Church on the Go
River’s Table is now available as an Android App for free!
You can download it from the Android Market now.
Whether you’re using Android or iPhone, now you can bring your church with you wherever you go.
What can you do with the Android App? Click here
River on the Radio
Yesterday I shared that a new faith based radio station was starting this Spring. They desire to have less of the “upbeat” contemporary music and more sacred and classical music along with an emphasis on community events and building up your Christian faith. They will be featuring preachers like R.C. Sproul, Ravi Zacharius, Michael Horton, and more. I, for one, am very excited to hear about this new station and their programming!
What does this have to do with River?
After doing much research, they have decided to feature a few select preachers from within their coverage area. I was contacted by their general manager to let me know that, after their board had reviewed our church website, doctrine, & a handful of sermons, they would like to feature the preaching of River of Life Church. This would involve a weekly sermon broadcast, including a produced intro & conclusion promo with information about our church. They may also feature audio snippets during the week to help promote the church & its weekly broadcast.
Coverage Area
The FM station has been in planning & developing since 2005 and will be based out of Baraboo. Their coverage area will be extensive. You may click the map to the left to get a better picture.
The signal will go as far north as Montello, Mauston, & Friendship; as far west as Richland Center & Spring Green; as far south as Madison & Dodgeville; and as far east as Green Lake & Fox Lake.
As you can see by the map, the strongest signal strength will be Baraboo, Reedsburg, Portage, Montello, Wisconsin Dells, Poynette, etc.
You can visit the station’s website and “like” their page on Facebook for more info. Make sure to watch their video as it gives some clear insight into the station’s vision. We will be posting more information about this station as they approach launching in June or July.
What does this mean for the church?
As a church, we have been praying that 2012 would be the year where we would “Cast a Wider Net”. We are praying about some exciting things for this year including: adding an 8 AM Sunday service, the purchase of office & meeting buildings next door, Theology on Tap, mentoring kids from troubled homes, & much more. In addition to all of this, I asked you as a church to also pray in general for God to give us opportunities to “Cast a Wider Net” to spread the gospel further. We honestly see this as God answering your prayers and catching us off-guard with something much bigger that He had planned for us. This means that we get to take the gospel much further and through a completely different and new avenue than we ever have before!
The new station wants to promote a select few churches (ministries, location, services, website, etc.) based on their stance for sound doctrine and solid Biblical preaching. We are very honored to be selected of the few they are feature and broadcast.
To God be the Glory!
For all of you who work so hard so that the good news of Jesus Christ would go forth unhindered to the lost & the saved, I want to say – Thank you for partnering together for the good of the gospel!
May the Lord use this new radio station & our upcoming sermon broadcast for the glory of His name! May He use this new station to call the lost sheep into the fold and to further sanctify the found sheep to walk in truth! May this station broadcast their vision into fruition. May they offer inspiring music, the sharing of community, and the truth of God’s Word… to the praise of His glorious grace!
