Foundations Class

Three Week New Believers Course beginning May 4th at 6:30pm in the Fellowship hall.

Lesson 1: Salvation; Body, Soul Spirit
Lesson 2: The Presence, Prayer and Bible
Lesson 3: Baptism, Holy Spirit

For more information contact Pastor Rudy at 760-724-7099 ext. 221 or rudyt@vistaassembly.com

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” – Genesis 1:1closeGenesis 1:1 The Creation of the World 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (ESV)

The other day as I read this famous and well read Scripture a light came on that about knocked me off my feet… “God created EVERYTHING from NOTHING.” Everything that we see and know to be in existence, God created with absolutely nothing. This gives me tremendous hope!

Many of us know what it is like to feel as if we have nothing. “There is nothing in this refrigerator!” “There is nothing in the account.” But the reality and truth is that we have ALL things in Christ because of His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus lived in a realm of abundance. John 10:10closeJohn 10:10 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (ESV) says, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” If Jesus and the disciples were without food, Jesus would multiply. If they had no money to pay the Temple tax, Jesus would send one to pull a coin from a fish’s mouth. Jesus had no excuses, He had no hesitations, no inhibiting forcers to stop Him from living the abundant life and giving glory to God the Father…neither should we. We must get to a place where we stop asking for things we have already been given. We must go past asking the Lord to just give us enough to survive but dare to receive His over and above blessing in our lives.

Kris Vallotton once said, “Rest is not the absence of conflict but the presence of peace.” When we have peace it means we are no longer worrying but worshipping. When we live in God’s peace it means we have given up our control to trust in His power. We have a loving Daddy who wants to bless us and we can rest assured that He will provide for us and take care of us. He works in abstract ways sometimes, and we may not always see the big picture but He is faithful…ever so faithful.

Today I encourage you to look back at what God has done for you and begin to believe for the abundant life. Let God take your nothings and turn them into everythings.

-Rudy

Hey Peoples!

It’s that time of year again where Christians from all walks of life either condemn or condone Halloween. Is it a pagan holiday where witches release curses and demon worshippers sacrifice black cats? Maybe. Is it like all the other holidays like Thanksgiving (haven’t seen a Pilgrim in a while), Easter (since when is Jesus a chocolate bunny?), Christmas (a jolly fat man in a red suit didn’t save me from hell)? Is Halloween really a demonic holiday that Christians should be aware of or is it a pagan Holiday that has been toned down to Walmart aisles and Hanna Montana?

Whatever your stance of Halloween is, we must all continue to love and respect each other and our opinions. My thoughts of this holiday are simply…I don’t trick or treat…but I will dress up and hang out at a church function. Halloween has its roots from 2,000 years ago when the Celtics celebrated the last day of their year (October 31^st) with a vigil to Samhain (Lord of the dead). They believed souls would be raised and they sacrificed animals for the sins of those souls. Do we do that today? No. Does participating in Halloween mean we are supporting this pagan ritual? Possibly. Anytime that Satan has free range and a welcome is a recipe for danger. Should Christians be afraid and run to our safe Christian refuges? Sometimes yes and sometimes we need to bring a candle light in a dark world (light always defeats darkness).

When all the costumes are in the garbage, the candy has given you a tummy ache and the toilet paper collected from yards everything boils down to this…was Jesus pleased with what you did. However you celebrate, make sure Jesus is praised and glorified. Don’t dress in a scary, dirty or hoochie costume. Don’t steal bags from little kids. Be a good example, be safe and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what do on this interesting day.

- Pastor Rudy

I have been serving as the CrossWalk director for about 4 months and would like to take the time to update you on changes that have been made. We started using a new curriculum 6 weeks ago and the kids are really responding well to it. Your child may have mentioned “Gus”, our little red friend. He is a puppet that comes each week and helps reinforce our Bible point. The kids love having him around and look forward to him sharing with them. You should be getting weekly hand-outs with your child’s beautiful coloring on it; this sheet explains what we learned in class that day. Please use this sheet to reinforce the Bible Point and Story throughout the week.

I have also started “Supernatural Stations”, which consist of flash cards that teach the basic foundation on building a personal relationship with God. Last month we focused on the question what does God use to talk to us? This month we are answering the question, what is worship? Please fill free to ask me to show you the cards, so you can also incorporate them into your weekly bible time with your child.

Over the past few months the number of children in each service is growing, which is a blessing but as the number of children increase I am still just one person. I can’t do it alone and am looking for more adult volunteers to help me. Please pray and ask God about you serving in the CrossWalk. Even if it is only once a month, I can put you to work. If you are interested or would like to come in to invest and see what we do please let me know. You can talk to me in person or email me at tyanne01@cox.net.

Another thing I would like to address is those children who are in multiple services. I understand that some of you serve in other areas which require your child to be in service more then once. I am requesting that in between services you pick up your child for a minimum of 5 minutes. Maybe take them to get a snack, water or walk them around. This will help in two ways, one being the child will get a chance to get outside and second this will help the adults get a few minutes to prepare for the following service.

I want you to know that I truly enjoy working with each of your children and have been blessed by each one. They make me smile and look forward to Sundays. I have seen such growth in each of your children and am excited to see how God is going to use them. Thank you for taking the time and hearing my heart.

In His Service,

Tyanne Hoy

CrossWalk Director