A Christmas Blessing For You

We hope you will join us for our special Christmas services:

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service - 6 pm

Christmas Day Worship Celebration - 10 am

(We will not be having Sunday School this week.)

This Christmas....

May the blessings of JOY abide WITHIN you...

May the blessing of PEACE rest UPON you...

May the blessing of LOVE flow THROUGH you...

May all the blessings of the Lord be yours at Christmas and in the New Year. -- Author Unknown

On New Year's Day, we will be having a New Year's Day Worship Celebration at 10 am but no Sunday School that week.

Financial Peace University Coming To AWC

Financial Peace University is coming to Anoka Wesleyan. This is your chance to get control of your finances. There will be a free preview class on Tuesday September 27th at 7:00 pm. Take this opportunity to find out what this class is all about. The class will then begin on Tuesday October 4th at 7:00 PM and will continue for 13 weeks. This class is NOT just for the Anoka Wesleyan congregation but is open to the general public. Invite a friend to come on the 27th of September to find out what it is about!

Financial Peace University is a life-changing program that teaches you how to make the right decisions with your money. You'll be empowered with the practical skills and confidence needed to achieve your financial goals and experience true financial peace!

Each of the 13 lessons in Financial Peace University deals with a different topic that will change the way you think about personal finance. Dave teaches about how to save money, live on a budget, communicate about money, eliminate debt, find bargains, and experience the joy of giving.

For more information on this program, please call the church at 763-427-1068 or visit Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University website by clic by going to: http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home

Family Camp Is Coming!

We hope to see you at Cedar Springs Camp in Floyd, IA for the IA MN District Family Camp July 20-25, 2011. The theme for this yar is "Better Together". If you haven't received a camp brochure, see Pastor Doug. Speakers will be Rev. Eric Sloter, Rev. Al Goracke, Rev. Jon Wiest, Rev. Jeff Drake, and Rev. Tim Purcell. Bring the whole family! Enjoy special Bible studies...fun activities for the kids and teens plus special worship services and afterglows eachnight! You won't want to miss the special Missions Extravaganza on Saturday from 10:30 am to noon nor the Quilt Silent Auction from 1-3 pm on Saturday - proceeds to go to Cedar Springs Camp. For more info, see http://www.cedarspringscamp.com/

In Psalm 147:4 we read that "He [God] counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name." How well I remember laying down on the lawn as a child and staring at the stars in the evening sky...trying so desperately to count them...and then just giving up because it was an impossible task! Not only does our God count them, He names them! But while God knows and numbers the stars, YET, He is concerned about you and me... Verse 3 of Psalm 147 says, "He [God] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." He binds our shattered hearts with sensitivity and kindness He brings healing to the depths of our souls...He cares even when we're broken by sin!

The greatness of our God is the greatness of His heart...His strength is the measure of His love...He is a tender and mighty God. I still like to look at the stars...these celestial bodies are but mere matter, yet He knows their name...so how much more must He care for us who bear His image. Because of His care for us...we can leave our cares with Him!

How we have claimed His promises time and time again...and He has been faithful! His love (and His hand) have been so evident.

One Solitary Life

He was born in an obscure village, the son of a peasant woman.

He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter's shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he became a wandering preacher.

He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He never visited a big city. He never travelled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of those things one usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through a mockery of a trial. He was executed by the state. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind's progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that One Solitary Life. (Dr. James Allan © 1926).

We hope you'll join us for our Easter activites -- we indeed are celebrating a Risen Savior!

Stewardship

Pastor Doug has been speaking on "Stewardship" these last couple weeks! Psalm 24:1 tells us that "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him." An article I read today touch on this! It said, "If a friend loaned you her new car, you'd make every effort to care for it and use it well. Everything you have is on loan to you from God; He owns it all and He is letting you use it!" Make sure you are a good steward of all He has entrusted in your care because someday you will have to give it back to Him and account for what you did with what He gave you! Romans 14:12 says, "Each of us will give a personal account to God." What is your attitude toward the things God has trusted you to care for???

Valentine's Day With Jesus

Jesus does not send perfume

To linger in the air

Instead He sends salvation, sweet

To show how much He cares.

He doesn’t bring me candy heartsIn boxes of delight

Instead He always lets me know

I’m precious in His sight.

He doesn’t send out pretty cards

Trimmed in shades of red

Instead He gave His life for me

His precious blood was shed.

He doesn’t hand out fancy gifts

Like we would send to mother

Instead He sends a message clear

To always love each other.

He doesn’t give me teddy bears

That whimper, "please be mine"

Instead He gave His heart to me

I wear it all the time.

He doesn’t give me roses, pink

For all the world to see

Instead He gave eternal life

That’s good enough for me!

-- Marilyn Ferguson

LISTS!

It is that time of the year..no, not resolutions, but LISTS! As I have watched TV this last week, I have been bombarded by “lists” from the past year. They consist of best football teams, best sports plays, best news stories, and even best bloopers.
As you reflect back on 2010, I think it would be good to think of the areas in our lives that stood out as excellent and those that were not so excellent. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I would challenge you to look at a couple areas of your life:
1) Obedience – As you look back, is that on the “best” list or the “bloopers”? Am I listening for His instruction, either in the Word or by His Holy Spirit? Have I done as He asks? Elizabeth Elliot said, “He is Master…it is simply up to me to obey orders as given.”
2) Unity – God has been burdening my heart to pray for unity among us all at Anoka Wesleyan Church. When it is my will and not God’s will that I am seeking, conflict will arise and god’s purpose is hindered. Jesus prayed, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know You sent Me.” “Best” or “blooper” list? I think the reasons are two-fold. First, we want our own way. That’s not Christ-like. He said “Not my will, but Thine be done.” Secondly, we are focused on the church and not on the lost. Nothing but love for the lost will unite the divided forces of Christ and organize us into a mighty soul-winning army!
So how does your list look?