12 Nov “Building Your Family on Solid Ground” – New England
Announcements:
ALL LOCATIONS:
NOW ACCEPTING MONETARY DONATIONS FOR HARVEST HANDS (formerly Operation Thanksgiving). A minimum of $50 will feed a family this Thanksgiving. We are looking to pack 1000 care packages filled with a Thanksgiving meal and a $10 Stop n Shop Gift card for Apollo Beach, South Coast, and Woonsocket locations.
We need $50,00 to cover the cost of 1000 meals!
waterschurch.org/give and select your location, then select Harvest Hands.
NEW**Life Group Leader Training on November 15 using Google Meets. If you have an apprentice ready to take the Next Step, direct them to this link provided to register: Life Group Leader Training
NEED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY CARE? OR HAVE A GROUP MEMBER IN NEED OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY CARE? CLICK HERE: HELP RESOURCES PAGE
NEW ENGLAND ONLY:
REGISTRATIONS FOR SERVING AND FOR REQUESTING A THANKSGIVING MEAL NOW OPEN – GO TO THE WATERSCHURCH.ORG/EVENT PAGE AND SEE ALL REGISTRATIONS THERE.
NEW ENGLAND: OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD BOXES ARE LEAVING THE BUILDING ON NOVEMBER 16 IN THE MORNING. WE CANNOT ACCEPT ANY BOXES AFTER WEDNESDAY.
NEW ENGLAND LOCATIONS:
WOONSOCKET
**NEW This Christmas, we’re enlarging our dinner table and hosting a Christmas Dinner for our community.
We will have a home-cooked menu and a fun night of activities for all ages. Help us make this a great time for our guests by registering to serve!
Click below to register!
Join us for the 2nd Annual Pie Party!
This will be pie-tastic!
Bring grandma’s best pie, bake your best pie, or buy a pie to share!
Join us on Sunday, November 12th, from 6 to 8 PM for a delicious and fun PIE PARTY! Invite a friend, enjoy all the different pies to share, and spend time with great people.
This is an event for the whole family.
Register today!
Woonsocket Pie Party Registration
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Reminder: Please check your planning center profiles for requests to join and also remove members from the list that no longer attend as well as add members not listed. Thank you.
LEADERS: WE HAVE CHANGED UP THE DISCOVER CLASS WHICH USED TO BE GROWTH TRACK AND ARE ASKING ALL LEADERS TO RE-TAKE THIS A SOME POINT. BELOW IS THE CLASS SCHEDULE:
1st Sunday : Discover Waters – after 1st service
2nd Sunday: NO CLASSES
3rd Sunday: Connect Class – after 1st service
4th Sunday: Baptism Class – after 1st service
IMPORTANT***** Please add
Go to your email, add no-reply@churchcenter.com to your contacts (PLEASE ASK ME IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND) THANKS!
no-reply@churchcenter.com to your email contacts so that you do not miss an email from Planning Center and have your members add it as well. This will ensure you do not miss a member request or any emails that come from the Planning Center site.
All announcements and the Waters Event Calendar can be found at: waterschurch.org/events)
Location Text Alerts:
| North Attleboro | Text “subscribe” to 508 695-1300 | |
| Norwood | Text “subscribe” to 781 762-3357 | |
| Apollo Beach | Text “subscribe” to 813 642-6979 | |
| Woonsocket | Text “subscribe” to 833 241-4837 | |
| Southcoast | Text “subscribe” to 508 809-3490 | |
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Key Verse: Matthew 7
Ice Breaker: Which famous person have you met?
Building Your Family on Solid Ground
Matthew 7:24
If you or a member of your group need Biblical guidance, you can click this link below for marriage and family help, discipleship help, mental health help, prayer needs, or assistance with things such as groceries:
We will provide you with grounded Biblical help to build your foundation in Jesus.
Whether you are single, married, or planning on marriage in the future, you need to grow and build your foundation on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 7:24-25
Without the proper foundation, planning, or proper materials, it is a matter of time before disaster strikes.
1. If you want to be BUILT ON then BUILD ON Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:10,11 (ESV)
We cannot build a house alone, we need someone to help. People will come, but we must allow in the right people with the right materials.
It is not ‘if’ trials come, but it is ‘when’ they come and so we need to make sure our foundation is firm.
We need to ask ourselves with what are we building our foundation. Is it with things that will be washed away or firm things that will stay? When things get tough, the only thing that will remain is the firm foundation of Jesus and His Word.
Q. How has your faith community helped in strengthening your foundation in Christ? Can you share a specific example of something recent?
A. Fires will reveal your FOUNDATION.
1 Cor 3:12,13 (ESV)
We won’t just have storms, winds, and rains, but fires will also come.
There will be a time when our trials and tribulations will come and the fires will burn away things not in Christ. Only what is built up to support His work will remain.
Who we allow to build on our life makes a huge impact on the way our house is built.
B. With loss comes GROWTH.
1 Cor 3:14,15 (ESV)
In a forest fire, after the fires burn down the top layer of trees, if they are firmly rooted, there is more lush growth and so it is with us when we have trials. If we are rooted in Christ we will have a strong and firm ‘re-growth’ that will be more lush and thicker than before.
We may think that certain things make us who we are, but those things will be gone and only Christ remains.
Q. What recent trial can you share where you have become stronger from it because your foundation is firmly rooted in Christ?
C. How do we grow ourselves in faith?
The Bible is our set of plans for building our house.
It has been shown that symptoms of depression and anxiety is reduced when Bible reading is implemented into a person’s daily routine.
When we make time for God, He makes time for us.
* Read the Bible
* Surround yourselves with believers, not sinners.
- Fast – Fasting reveals hidden sin and strengthens your intimacy with God. It helps you to hear God.
- Do nothing – sit and listen to God. We are often so busy asking, praying, and crying out that He does not have a chance to answer us. We should want what He truly has for us, not what we want for us.
- Make church a priority – we cannot build a house without going to the store. We need to be in His house if we want a foundation built on Him.
Q. How have you, your marriage, and your perspective been impacted when you incorporated these practices?
2. Marriage JOINS foundations.
When we make the step of marriage, our foundation becomes one. If our marriage has a crack in it, it needs to be worked through as we are only as strong as our weakest foundation.
Like hiking, we can never be faster than the slowest person.
Figure out the crack and fix it before it becomes an issue.
What is a GODLY marriage?
1 Corinthians 11:1-3 (ESV)
A godly marriage is one that puts Christ at the head and is led by a Bible-believing, God-fearing man who follows Christ.
What causes DISSENT in a marriage?
* Lack of communication – learn how to talk to each other. Listen to what the other person is saying and don’t throw the other person’s past in their face. Use kind words. Our words should build each other up not knock each other down. A marriage should be full of grace. God gives us grace.
Ephesians 4:29 (ESV
* Lack of trust – trust is built on our actions. Don’t keep secrets. If you are not an open book do not expect your spouse to read you.
Trust broken can be built back up if you are building your foundation on Christ.
- Misaligned physical desires – Talk about it. You cannot expect someone to meet your expectations if you don’t give them your expectations.
- Pray together – The divorce rate per 1000 couples who pray together is 1. Reaching out to your Father for your marriage is crucial.
- Attend church together.
- Have a date night. Make this a priority even if you have kids.
- Financial issues – take Financial Peace University – we offer it at the Church. It is life-changing.
Q. Can you share how some or all of these practices have influenced your marriage or even in other relationships?
3. Children should STRENGTHEN a foundation, not SUNDER it.
Psalms 127: 3-5 (ESV)
Kids add a dynamic to a relationship we often are not ready for.
If your foundation is strong and firm you can handle the added children.
A. Parenting happens TOGETHER
Proverbs 20:7 (ESV)
Nothing can crack a foundation quicker than disagreeing in parenting. Try not to argue in front of your kids. Try to never belittle your spouse in front of your children. Try to show a united front and set them up to realize it is okay to disagree. Exemplify how God wants you to communicate.
B. RAISE your kids with purpose.
Ephesians 6:4 (ESV) –
It is easy to get aggravated at your kids when you tell them 100 times not to do something. God has the grace to forgive and allow us to grow so you need to show the same grace with your kids.
Teach your children how to be functional humans in a dysfunctional world, but more than that, teach them to have their foundation in Christ.
Proverbs 22:6
Discipline them in the way of the Lord so that they can be a shining light in this dark world
*Lead by example. If you are not living a godly life why would they? Live the right way and they will have an example of how to live.
*Read the word with them.
*Put worship music on in your house.
*Make church a priority – your kids need to be in church hearing the word of God.
*Make them a functional part of your family. Kids should be helping around the house doing chores so they know how to do things in life. Show them how to learn from their mistakes when they do it wrong. Reward them when they do a good job.
Q. For those with children, how do you manage disagreements in parenting methods while maintaining harmony in the family?
Q. For those with children who are grown, can you share some experiences that will help those with younger children or those planning on having children in the future?
Q. For those who do not have children, can you share some insights from your childhood?
Sermon in a Sentence
With CHRIST at the center of your LIFE, you can GROW with your WIFE and RAISE kids without STRIFE.
4. IT IS NOT TOO LATE!
2 Corinthians 5:17,18 (ESV)
We are all reconciled by what Christ has already done. Whether single, married, divorced,kids or no kids, you can have a firm foundation in Christ.
Challenge: This week, whether married or single, focus on improving communication and trust in your relationships. Practice active listening and open, honest discussions with those close to you. For those who are single, reflect on past relationships or your observations of others’ relationships and consider what you’ve learned about communication and trust. Always keeping Christ as the center.
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