Carrollwood SDA Church Updates & Evotional for September 19, 2012

Our Mission is to make fully devoted disciples of Jesus in the Carrollwood community.

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Scripture Reading: Acts 17:26-28, The Message.

“The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?"

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"All human strivings and drives are finally directed towards God and can only find their complete satisfaction in him." (Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Meditating on the Word.)

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Tonight: "Prayer Connections" - This group helps us connect with Christ and each other more deeply in prayer from wherever we are. At 8:30 PM, call 404-920-6699 and enter the code 67382227 followed by the # key when prompted.

This Sabbath at Carrollwood

Sabbath Morning Connection Groups & Carrollwood Kids (Sabbath School): 10:00 AM

Worship Gathering: 11:00 AM

"Kingdom Righteousness"

Matthew 5:17-20

God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after the stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.”(from Matthew 5:17-18, The Message)

Prayer Thanksgivings & Prayer Requests

Our Church

May the Holy Spirit be poured out upon Carrollwood Seventh-day Adventsist Church.

May God raise up more laboring harvesters for the immense field in this community.

Other Praises & Requests

Jessica requests prayer for their daughter, Francisca.

The Breneisses praise God that their daughter, Lori, is out of Syria and working in Dubai! Please continue to pray that her husband and children will be able to be with her soon.

Naomi requests prayer for Ben, that Christ would be in their hearts, and for Rob that he would not have to work on Sabbaths.

If you would like to be included on the prayer list, please include your request on your Connection Card on Sabbath and indicate if you wish this request to be shared with the churcn. You may also submit them to the office before Tuesday evening.

Events at a Glance

Sabbath: Radical Prayer (12:45); Disciple’s Path (12:45); The Great Controversy (2:00); Bike & Bible (3:00)

Tuesday: The Great Controversy Prayer Meeting (6:00 – 7:00 PM)

Wednesday: Prayer Connections (8:30 PM)

Announcements

Connection Groups

Radical Prayer (RP) Join others in the Sanctuary Classroom North (next to the AV Room) for “Radical Prayer” after snacks on Sabbath! Lift up the church and each other. See Joe Lobello for more information.

Disciple’s Path (DP) continues after snack time as well. This study is focused on preparing for baptism and works through the Savior of the World Bible study guides. We will meet in the blue classroom. Contact Pastor James for more information.

The Great Controversy (GC) meets to learn about God’s guidance throughout history and His message to humanity as we approach Jesus’ soon return. GC also meets for a prayer meeting from 6:00 - 7:00 PM on Tuesdays.

Other Events & Ministries

Upcoming Services – On Sabbath, September 29, Pastor James will be out of town. Our speakers will be Elder Chris Henry and his wife, Janiel, who will speak to us on marriage and relationships from Matthew 5:27-32. We will have baptisms in October 6, at Carrollwood Sabbath morning and at the Northwest Tampa Family YMCA at 5:00 that evening. October 20 will be our communion service.

One Hope, a Florida NET Evangelistic Series, is coming October 20-27, 7:30 – 8:30 PM from the Tampa 1^st SDA Church. Also airing on the Hope Church Channel, “One Hope” features eight presenters asking, “If Jesus is the answer, what are the questions?” Go to www.floridaconference.com/onehope/ for more information.

Pathfinders - The next meeting is on October 6 following Fellowship Dinner in the Fellowship Hall.

Ice Cream Social - “Thank you” to all who helped our youth at the ice cream social last week! There is still a lot of help needed. If you are able and willing to contribute to our youth’s trip to High School Bible Retreat, mark your “Tithes & Offerings” envelope to that effect on Sabbath.

Featuring Offerings & Ministry Needs

This Sabbath: “Florida Advance.” It is the goal of the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to make fully devoted disciples throughout Florida. If you would like to also contribute to our ministry at Carrollwood, please mark your “Tithes and Offerings” envelope on Sabbath for “Local Church Budget.”

Our budget for this month:   $4890.00

Amount received last week: $----.--

Amount over (under):           $----.--

Every blessing this week in Christ!

Jesus. All!

Clay

Find a handful of clay or Play-Doh. If you don't have any, you can find it at most craft sotres or at any children's toy store (even at Dollar-Store type places sometimes). Spend some time playing--squeezing, puling, twisting, kneading. When the clay is pliable, shape what you have into the likeness or image of one of your most treasured friends. After you've created your sculpture, set it in front of you, and read Isaiah 64:8:

Still, God, you are our Father. 
   We're the clay and you're our potter: 
   All of us are what you made us. (Isaiah 64:8, The Message)


Ask yourself:
"Why did I make what I did?"
"What value does this friendship have in my life?"
"What value does this sculpture have in my life?"


How would you feel if something happened to what you made?


You are God's creation, and He loves what He has made. When God looks at you, God sees an amazing work of art and says you are of infinite value and worth.


Look around your house for some finished pieces of pottery like a clay bowls, a vase, a plate, or a mug. Think about these things and how they must've brought joy and satisfaction to the artist.


Now imagine God looking at you--breathing a sigh of deep satisfaction with His finished work of art. Imagine God holding you. Think about how much love God has for you.


He is your potter.

Hair

Pluck a hair from your head (or retrieve it from a hairbrush). Look at it closely with a magnifying glass, or even a microscope if you have one. If you must, I'm sure you can google an image of a strand of hair. Consider the craftsmanship that God put into that hair--the delicate structure, the color, the curliness or straightness of it.

How important is hair? Why do we have it? Ever had a bad hair day? A good hair day? What difference does it make?

What messages does your hair (the look of it, the style) communicate to others about you?

"What's the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries." (Luke 12:6-7, The Message)

This passage contains another message about hair. Jesus uses hair o communicate His great love for you and His care for you. the Creator who cares about the life and events of the lowly sparrow cares much more about you! Every detail of your life is important. Every circumstance. Every fear. Every worry. God cares.

What are the concerns or situations most troubling to you right now? Share them with God.

What are the fears or worries that keep you from the fullness of joy you can have in Christ? Tell Him.

How have you questioned God's care for you? Tell Him about it now.

Close your eyes, and let God embrace you and wrap His loving arms around you. Stay still and quiet. Ask God to hold you. Ask Him to show you ways to rest in His hand, free worry and fear.

Father, thank You for knowing me so intimately, for knowing every hair on my head, and for how much You lovingly care for me. May I live as Your child today, cared for, loved, and free from worry and fear. You are on the throne. You hold everything in the palm of Your hand. You are good and wise. May You be glorified in My life today as I really live in You.

A Family Likeness

Christ... in me.

Find some photos of your ancestors--your mom or dad, your grandparents, your great-great aunt (if you can find them). How many generations can your go back?

Study the photos and look for family likeness. Where do you get your nose from, or your type of hair? Who does your family blame for your short temper (or whatever crazy issue you may have inherited--my wife tells me that I inherited the vice of whistling all the time from my dad)? From whom do you get your height (or lack thereof)?

Some of us don't know much about our families. For me, personally, one side only can think back a couple of generations. On the other, my grandfather has traced our lineage, through one line anyway, to the tribe of Benjamin. I didn't even know I had Jewish blood until I was in my mid-thirties. But I also know that I'm like many Americans--a mixture of many backgrounds and ethnicities.

What would you ask your ancestors if you could?

Perhaps you are adopted--what traits of personality, taste, or behavior might you have "inherited" from your adoptive parents? What have they passed on to you?

Do you have the same hobbies or habits as others in  your family? Who has passed on their likes and dislikes to you?

The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life he brings into Light. He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn't even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn't want him. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten.(John 1:9-13, The Message, by Eugene Peterson)

You are God's child, part of His family. What family likenesses are there between you and God? Do you share His concerns, His passions, His likes and dislikes? How would you like your character to become more like God's?

Ask God to make you more like Him. What do you have to look forward to as His child? Who else is part of the family?

Revel in the sense of belonging, of significance, of security, and of hope.

(adapted from Christ In Me, 30 Next-Level Encounters, Group Publishing, 2002)

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Father, You are so good. Thank you for creating us, Your children. May we have an overwhelming sense of awe and love from being in Your family today.

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Every blessing in Christ to each of you this week!

Shopping

Go and buy something at a supermarket. It doesn't have to be big--maybe a candy bar or a piece of fruit. Then sit near the checkout counter and watch other people paying for hey items. Who has the fullest shopping cart? How do they pay--cash, check, or charge?

Now imagine what would have happened if you had walked out of the store without paying. Or what if someone pushed a full cart past the checkout and headed straight for the door? The cashier might shout, security guards might come running, an alarm might sound... Consider the drama of that scene in your mind. How would it end?

Consider the following thoughts from 1 Peter 1:18-21 (The Message):

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.

Paying for something means you own it--it's yours. Taking without paying is theft and brings consequences.

Jesus hs paid a price for you--to set you free from an empty way of life. You belong to Him--and no one can change that. But He didn't pay with money--He paid with His own life, His own precious blood because you were worth it.

How does that make you feel? Take a moment to pray and tell Jesus about it.

Jesus. ALL.

(adapted from Christ In Me: 30 Next-level Encounters, Group Publishing, 2002)

What's Happening?

Our Mission...

... is to make fully devoted disciples of Jesus in the Carrollwood Community.

Our Values

Discipleship... Creativity... Excellence... Compassion... Mission

This Weekend

"Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: 'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders." (Matthew 9:12-13, The Message).

Knowing naturally follows meeting. Among the best ways to know a person is to dine with that person. We continue our series this weekend, “Knowing Jesus,” looking at a few of the instances when people dined with Jesus and knew Him better for the experience. This Saturday: "Dinner with Matthew."


Saturday, 10:00 AM -- Sabbath Morning Connection Groups

• Kids' Connections - Sabbath morning  activities and learning experiences for children, age birth-4 (1st classroom on the left, Classroom Wing), and 5-12 (Fellowship Hall).
• Evangelism & Witnessing – Adult Sabbath School Quarterly, Dan McNab, Sanctuary Classroom South.
• Youth Sabbath School – Saturday mornings at 10:00 am in the Fellowship Hall classroom (with Merrilyn Johnson).
• Your Story/Prayer Story, a time for testimony and prayer, meets Saturday mornings at 10:00 AM in the Sanctuary Classroom North next to the sound room.

Saturday, 11:00 AM -- Sabbath Worship

• Carrollwood Kids - Tons of fun, and all about Jesus! (Fellowship Hall).
• "Knowing Jesus: Dinner With Matthew" (Matthew 9:9-13) - Sanctuary

Announcements

• Nominating Committee – Members are asked to meet Sabbath after worship services. Members include Chuck Reeves, Chris Henry, Dan McNab, Laura Reeves, Edith Bowman, and James Johnson. Please contact any of these members with your desire to serve Jesus at Carrollwood.
• “Following Jesus” – Dan McNab is leading a Connection Group Sabbath at 2:00 PM focusing on being a disciple of Jesus.
• "Faith & Fit," an exercise boot camp with Patrick Thomas, will meet tomorrow at 4:00 PM.
• “Bike and Bible,” a new Connection Group, is meeting today at the Wilsky Blvd. trailhead of the Upper Tampa Bay Trail at 3:30 PM. Contact Chuck Reeves with any questions.
• Help is needed with our birth-5 year-old group. If you would like an incredibly rewarding experience in ministering to God’s kids, please contact Mollie Schmoling or James Johnson, or indicate your interest on your connection card.

Offering This Week

• Local Church Budget – Today’s offerings go to our local church budget. This fund supports ministries that help us make disciples, including youth ministries, VBS, and community wellness initiatives, as well as operating costs. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Every blessing to each of you this week in Christ!

No Answer?

Wait until after 5 p.m.--when the business day is done. Grab a phone book and flip through the yellow pages. Select some phone numbers of places you've been or business you've visited such as your dentist's office or the bank--places that are closed in the evening. Give one of these numbers a call (if you know no one will pick up).

What happened? Did the phone ring and ring? Did you reach a voice mail message or answering service?

"We're closed... nobody is in the office... please call back during normal business hours..." Do you ever feel like a machine is telling you, "Hey, dummy, did you really think anyone would answer?"

What if you really needed to talk to a friend and tried to call, but your friend didn't answer? What if there was an emergency and you dialed 911... and no one answered? What if you got a message saying, "We're closed"?

Have you ever felt that way about God? Like you're trying to connect but you just can't get through? Like you're talking to thin air? Does God ever seem far away, remote and silent? Closed?

Think of one specific time you tried to pray but it felt like a one-sided conversation.

No look through the phone book again--find a 24-hour grocery store, pharmacy, or hospital. Would they be open if you called? What if you called at 3 a.m. Or 7:30?

"For the eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer..." (1 Peter 3:12a)

Read this again, aloud. GOd is always attentive to your prayer. He is available any hour, any minute, any second. He is never closed. He is never too busy. No matter how you may feel sometimes, He's never unavailable.

Give Him a call. Talk to Him right now. Tell Him about your day. He's listening. Really listening.

Father, I know You hear, that Your eyes are toward me and Your ears hear me even when I don't speak aloud. Remind me today of Your closeness, love, and grace.

Christ In Me: Skin (Part 3)

Give your skin a pinch. Grab it in several places. It's stretchy, thick, gets soft. Look at some family pictures, and look in the mirror. How would you look without skin? I bet you're pretty grateful for skin about now!

What are some ways skin protects you? If you take time on this one, you come to realize that skin is really important. Skin is a living organ of your body, an amazing creation! Your skin is designed to be restorative--if cut it heals, if burned it recovers. It can grow back. It is designed to rebuild itself. Your skin stretches tightly over you, very "near" to you.

Read Psalm 73:25-28. I'll write it in below in The Message, but look it up in another version if possible.

You're all I want in heaven! 
      You're all I want on earth! 
   When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, 
      God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
      Deserters, they'll never be heard from again.
   But I'm in the very presence of God—
      oh, how refreshing it is!
   I've made Lord God my home.
      God, I'm telling the world what you do!


This passage speaks of the benefit of being near to God... and the danger of being far away from Him. God wants you to feel as close to him as your skin is to your body. If you will invite Him, allow Him to be so, Christ is in you, closer than your skin, filling you, protecting you, restoring and rebuilding you all the time.


Read verse 28 again. How close do you typically feel to God? When do you feel closest to Him? When do you feel farthest away? Ho close do you want to feel to God? What can you do to draw closer to Him--to realize how close He is to you?


Let Christ be in you today. Every time you touch your skin, remember that He is there with you to protect you, to guide you, to lead you, to restore you, to love you--to be close to you.

What's Happening?

Our Mission...
... is to make fully devoted disciples of Jesus Christ in the Carrollwood community.


Our Values

• Discipleship - This is about growing spiritually to be more like Jesus and helping others do the same. We see that as our number one priority in everything we do.
• Excellence - We believe in doing things with excellence; God is excellent and expects excellence from His people.
• Creativity - God is exceptionally creative; the world is His handiwork. We want to incorporate our God-given creativity into the church experience to help each worshiper’s relationship with God come alive in fresh and exciting ways.
• Compassion - In a world of trouble, pain and death, we want to be sensitive to the needs of others and demonstrate God’s love to everyone we meet.
• Mission - Jesus said that we are to love God with all our hearts, and to love others as ourselves. We simply try to live that out in everything we do.

This Weekend

• Meeting Jesus: Dinner with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). Knowing naturally follows meeting. Among the best ways to know a person is to dine with that person. We begin a new series today, “Knowing Jesus,” during which we will look at a few of the instances when people dined with Jesus and knew Him better for the experience. 11:00 AM, Sanctuary.
• Children's Church meets in the Fellowship Hall during the 11:00 service (ages 6-12).
• Sabbath Connections (10:00 AM):
• Youth Sabbath School, a Bible Study group targeted for high school aged youth, meets in the Fellowship Hall Classroom.
• Your Story/Prayer Story is about testimony and prayer. We meet in the Sanctuary Classroom North (next to sound room).
• Evangelism and Witnessing: Every Member Ministry is this week's focus for our Adult Sabbath School group which meets in the Sanctuary Classroom South (across from the church office).
• Children are invited to enjoy activities geared for them in the Fellowship Hall (6-12) and in the classroom hallway (toddler - 5).
• Nominating Committee will meet after our services today. This committee consists of the pastor, five members elected by the church, and three alternates. The members are James Johnson, Chuck Reeves, Chris Henry, Dan McNab, Laura Reeves, and Edith Bowman. If you desire to serve at Carrollwood, or have any suggestions for people who could serve, please contact one of these members.
• Wellness/Health Ministries Team is invited to meet after services today.
• “Following Jesus” – Dan McNab is leading a group Sabbath afternoon focusing on being a disciple of Jesus.

Other Announcements

• Faith & Fit, an exercise boot camp with Patrick Thomas, will meet tomorrow at 4:00 PM.
• Outpour/Connect is a monthly service seeking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and to connect churches in the Tampa area to reach communities for Jesus.  The first meeting is April 20 at 7:30 PM at the church featuring testimony by Patrick Thomas.
• “Bike and Bible,” a new connection group, meets the 1^st and 3^rd Sabbath of each month at the Wilsky Blvd. trailhead of the Upper Tampa Bay Trail at 3:30 PM. Contact Chuck Reeves with any questions.

Featured Offering

• World Budget: Christian Record Services – Today’s offerings go toward the World Budget of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, including services that help those with physical challenges hear God’s Word. Your continued support of the Local Church Budget is also appreciated (mark your offering envelope).

Every blessing to each of you this week in Christ!

What's Happening?

"It's true! The Lord has risen!" (the two men on the road to Emmaus, after meeting Jesus)

Our mission is to make fully devoted disciples of Jesus in Carrollwood.
In this mission, we value discipleship, creativity, excellence, compassion, and mission.


Services this Weekend


10:00 - SABBATH CONNECTIONS

• "Carrollwood Kids" - Activities, games, and crafts available from 10:00 - 11:00. Ages birth - 5 meet in the 1st classroom on the left on the Sabbath School wing. Ages 6-12 meet in the Fellowship Hall.
• Youth Connections - Youth Sabbath School meets in the classroom on the northwest side of the Fellowship Hall with Merrilyn Johnson.
• "Evangelism & Witnessing" (Adult Sabbath School Lesson) - Sanctuary Classroom South (across from the church office) with Dan McNab.
• Your Story/Prayer Story - Testimony & prayer group meets in the Sanctuary Classroom North (next to the AV room).

11:00 - SABBATH WORSHIP

• Message: "Meeting Jesus: On Sunday" based on Luke 24.
• Featured Offering: Local Church Budget, used to advance the mission in the church to make disciples in the Carrollwood Community.

12:15 (after Sabbath Worship): Fellowship Dinner in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring enough food for your family and at least one other to share.

3:30 PM (approximately): Bicycle & Bible Connection Group - Meet for a Sabbath afternoon ride at the Wilsky Blvd. entrance to the North Tampa Bay Trail.

Announcements

• Next week, we begin a new series entitled "Knowing Jesus," following up on the series just completed ("Meeting Jesus").
• Wellness Ministry - Those involved with this initiative should plan to meet after services on April 14.
• Nominating Committee - Those involved with the Nominating Committee will begin meeting April 14 after services. Members include James Johnson (pastor), Chuck Reeves, Chris Henry, Dan McNab, Laura Reeves, and Edith Bowman.
• Please carefully consider how you might serve at Carrollwood. If you feel so impressed, please contact a member of the nominating committee to let them know of your interest.
• "Following Jesus," a connection study with Dan McNab, is meeting Sabbath afternoons. If you would like to be a part of this group, please let him know.
• "Faith and Fit," the exercise group led by Patrick Thomas, will not meet tomorrow but will resume Sunday, April 14 at 4:00 PM in front of the church (bring a towel).
• If you are interested in sharing prayers and prayer needs with others, you might want to check out the prayer group that meets on Sabbath (see above, "Your Story/Prayer Story"). Also, check out the Facebook prayer page: "Simply Prayer TIME."

May each of you be exceedingly blessed in Christ this week. It is true! Jesus is alive!

Citizenship

Jesus. In me.


Find your passport or Social Security card. If you don't have one, loo for your school ID, driver's license, or something that shows you are a citizen of your country.


A passport enables you o travel he world. Wherever you go, it proves where you belong.
A Social Security card or ID says who you are--it's an indicator of your status.


What rights do these documents give you? What freedoms do they symbolize? Are you proud to own them?


What responsibilities do they bring, now or later? Voting? Paying taxes? What else?


And what expectations do you have of yourself as a citizen of your country? Does it affect the way you act, the choices you make?


Read Luke 12:25-32, perhaps in a different version even than what I'm sharing with you here (from The Message).


"Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can't even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don't fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?


"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself."


Jesus said His followers were citizens of another kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.
Without physical boundaries, people who choose to put themselves under the rule of Christ are already citizens of this kingdom.


It's a kingdom of different priorities--where the poor are blessed, where trust in God replaces worry, where forgiveness is freely given and received. It's an upside-down kingdom.
What rights do you have as a citizen of Christ's kingdom? What responsibilities? What expectations do you have of yourself?


And are you truly loyal to King Jesus? Or to something else?

Trophies

Jesus. In me.

Find a trophy, award ribbon, plaque, or certificate of achievement that you've earned. Think back to how you felt when you were awarded this. Recall your proudest moment or greatest achievement.

Did the "glory" of winning or achieving last or fade? Why?

What is it that you most want to accomplish or achieve right now? Do you imagine that the "glory" of such an accomplishment or achievement will last?

Read 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 and Colossians 1:27-28. Here it is in The Message, Eugene Peterson's devotional paraphrase.


Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)


Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. (Colossians 1:27-28)



If you are in Christ, God has given you a glory that will always increase. You are being transformed into Christ's likeness with ever-increasing glory. God lives in you through Christ--the hope of glory.


It's nothing you have done, but something incredible that God has done for you and in you. It's getting caught up in the constant and ongoing thrill of knowing Christ. It's about becoming more like Him. There is nothing more glorious than that. God is entrusting you to glorify Christ on earth--to shine with His glory.


How is God's glory stinging through you? Think about what a privilege this is! How have you noticed that you are becoming more like Jesus? How are you changing and growing spiritually? In what ways do you most long to be more like Christ? (What holds you back? Why?)


Christ's glory can shine through you as you let it, transforming you into His likeness, drawing others to Him.


(adapted from Christ in Me: 30 Next-Level Encounters, Group Publishing, 2002)


Father, live in me through Jesus today, taking your rightful place on the throne of my life. Jesus, please transform me so that I reflect Your glory. Holy Spirit, enable me today to live abundantly and like Jesus.


Jesus. ALL.

What's Happening?

Our Mission

• We exist to make fully devoted disciples of Jesus Christ.

This Sabbath


10:00 AM

• Carrollwood Kids - Child care & activities provided for kids, age Birth - 5 (Cradle Roll Room) & 6-12 (Fellowship Hall).
• Youth Connections - Youth Classroom, just off the Fellowship Hall.
• Serendipity Connections (was "Shepherds") - This week we begin a series called "Maturing in Christ: Called to Discipleship." Our first week, we look at Romans 8:1-17, Controlled by the Spirit. We meet in the Sanctuary Classroom North next to the sound room.
• Adult Sabbath School Lesson: Glimpses of Our God, with Dan McNab, Sanctuary Classroom South (across from the church office).

11:00 AM

• Sabbath Worship, Sanctuary. This week: Meeting Jesus - Around the Temple, based on Luke 2:22-52.
• Carrollwood Kids, Children's Church. Birth-5 meets in the Cradle Roll Room. 6-12 meets in the  Fellowship Hall.
• Snacks to follow after Sabbath Worship in the entry way to the church. There will be no afternoon Bible study with Dan McNab until further notice.

Prayer Requests

• That we will be a disciple-making church – That we will be obedient to Christ’s mission for our church in this community. That God will raise up laboring harvesters for His harvest field in our midst.
• Ruth Daley – Continued prayers for her mother & for Ruth.
• Nicole Novak – Her father has been hospitalized for an unknown infection.
• Ruben Amaro family, as Ruben’s uncle passed away recently, and as his sister has had surgery this week.
• Inez Longfellow – family and health.

Announcements

• “Meeting Jesus” – Next week, “In the Water,” based on Matthew 3:13-17 and Luke 3:21-22.
• Nominating Committee – (Members only) We are beginning the process of electing church officers for the 2012-2013 church year. Please circle five names in your bulletin insert this Sabbath of people you feel would serve well on a Nominating/HR Committee.
• Faith & Fit – Patrick Thomas has started a new exercise class on Sundays at 4:00 PM. Find Patrick after the worship service to sign up, or contact him at newfocusliving@gmail.com.
• Health Ministry – If you have a burden to reach people with Christ’s love through health ministry, please plan to meet after church on Sabbath!
• K.I.D. – Do you desire to see families become fully devoted disciples of Jesus? Contact James Johnson to find out how to be a part of this ministry.

Featured Offering This Sabbath

• Florida Advance – Has God blessed you? One way to show your gratitude is to support His mission for the church to make disciples throughout Florida. Offerings on Sabbath will benefit the ministry of the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Your support of our Local Church Budget is also greatly appreciated (mark your tithe envelope).

E-votional for March 14, 2012

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9, 10


How would you like to pray in such a way that you are guaranteed that your prayer is God's will? Here are three prayers that are always God's will.

1. Save the sinner. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). If this is true, should we not fill our prayer list with the names of those who are far from God? Children, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, neighborhoods and communities and cities (such as the Carrollwood community) ought to be all over our prayers. We don't even need to add the tired old phrase "If it is Your will" to this prayer. It is God's will! Maybe part of this prayer is that we would be as willing as He is.
2. Bless and revive the church. "Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" (Psalm 85:6). Why would God not want to revive His church in Carrollwood? Throughout Tampa, throughout Florida, North America, and across the globe? Does He not want our congregation to become the hub of Holy Spirit ministry in the Carrollwood community? Again, we can drop "If it is Your will" from this prayer. It is God's will to bless and revive the church!
3. Glorify His Name. On the eve of His death, in the temple, Jesus prayed before the multitude, "Father, glorify Your Name." A voice from heaven responded, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again" (John 12:28). God doesn't glorify Himself when He glorifies His Name. Rather, His Name captures the glory and character of love. When God glorifies His Name, the attention is fully on Jesus. What better prayer can be prayed than to seek the glory of God, revealed in our midst, personally and throughout our congregation?

We cannot know God's mind for every need and name we scribble onto our prayer lists. But we can know his heart. Let us pour our hearts to Him each day, praying that our will becomes His, knowing that these prayers are His will.

Jesus. All.

(Adapted from The Chosen: God's Dream for You - "God's Three 'Always' Prayer," by Dwight K. Nelson, March 14, 2012).

This Week at Carrollwood

Our Mission
We exist to make fully devoted disciples of Jesus in the Carrollwood community.

Our Values
Discipleship, Creativity, Excellence, Compassion, Mission.

Our Services This Weekend

• Sabbath Morning Connections - 10:00 AM
• Glimpses of Our God, with Dan McNab (Adult Sabbath School Lesson): Sanctuary Classroom South (across from church office).
• Youth Connections, with Merrilyn Johnson: Fellowship Hall Classroom.
• Shepherds: "Maturing in Christ - Called to Discipleship," with James Johnson (Serendipity Bible for Groups): Sanctuary Classroom North (next to sound room).
• Carrollwood Kids - Child care (activities and stories) available. Sign in in the Fellowship Hall. Birth - 4 in the Cradle Roll Classroom next to the men's bathroom on the left of side of the classroom hallway.
• Sabbath Worship - 11:00 AM
• We begin a new series entitled Meeting Jesus, which explores the experiences of people who first met Jesus. This week's message is "In a Barn," based on Luke 2:8-20. Yes, Christmas is past us, but the experience of the shepherds meeting Jesus impacted them profoundly. Invite a friend to come and experience this message with you. By God's leading and grace, maybe they will meet Jesus for the first time as well.
• Carrollwood Kids - Children's Church, Fellowship Hall. Birth - 4 in the Cradle Roll Classroom.
• Snacks to follow Sabbath Worship on the front porch.

Prayer Requests & Thanksgivings

• Pray that Holy Spirit will be poured out upon the church.
• Pray that God will raise up more laboring harvesters for His harvest field, people with a heart for those far from God. Pray also that harvesters will be raised up with a heart for children.
• As many of you know, Joe Lobello had eye surgery recently. He will be staying at home for a time, but he reports that his eyesight is greatly improved! Continue to keep Joe in your prayers.
• Continue to keep Ruth Daley and her mother in prayer. Ruth has been spending many of her weekends with her mother, who has cancer.
• Keep the Curblos in your prayers: their work, family, and health.
• Keep Genevieve Goosey and Frank Saladino (relatives of the Gooseys who were members at Carrollwood for some time) in your prayers.
• Please keep Inez Longfellow in your prayers.

Announcements

• “Meeting Jesus” – Next week, “In the Temple,” based on Luke 2:41-50.
•  Faith & Fit – Patrick Thomas has started an exercise class on Sundays at 4:00 PM. It is a lot of fun and well worth your time if you are interested in knowing how to improve your fitness! Find Patrick on Sabbath and sign up, or contact him at newfocusliving@gmail.com.
• Health Ministry – If you have a burden to reach people with Christ’s love through health ministry, please plan to meet after church on March 24.
• K.I.D. (Kids in Discipleship) – Studies show that the age in which most people make lifelong decisions for Jesus is 5-12. Often when children make such decisions, whole families come to know Him. Do you desire to see families become fully devoted disciples of Jesus? Contact James Johnson to find out how you can help with this ministry!
• Help Needed! We especially need more help with our birth-5 year old group. This is an important and foundational age for children to eventually make lifelong decisions for Jesus. If you have a heart for this age group, let us know soon!

Featured Offering for This Week

• Local Church Budget – Has God blessed you? One way to show your gratitude is to support His mission for the church to make disciples. Our local church budget exists to help fund this mission. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Sunset Tonight: 7:39 PM. This Friday: 7:43 PM

Every blessing to you in Christ!

James