Christmas as a Single Adult

Christmas is a magical time with colorful decorations, music, and gifts.  When I was a child I loved the holidays.   I remember waking up early and calling my grandparents to hurry over so we could open presents!  Mom and Dad would do their best to keep the children busy until everyone arrived.  After our morning around the Christmas tree there was a feast at the table and then the kids were out the door to play.  I was told the adults were watching football, but I think there was a lot of napping going on too!

As a single adult my Christmas looks very different.  Most Christmas mornings I sleep in late since there is no reason to rise early.  I watch parades on television and think about what I will make for lunch.  I get a telephone call or two from one of my single friends to wish me a Merry Christmas.  Sometimes I am invited to my sister’s home late in the evening to spend some time with her family. 

Christmas has become a lonely day for many single adults.

Christians have a responsibility to reach out and care for all the members of our faith family.  Christmas is a time for family, but for those without family near them the church becomes the only family they have during the holidays.  Our church had a special holiday session to talk with people that have lost a spouse through divorce.  I just sighed and wondered why they didn’t realize every single adult in the church had the same issues as the people who had gone through divorce.  We are alone.  All our married friends go off with their families and even a lot of our single friends go home to parents or their children come home to them.

I want to encourage you to look around your church this Sunday and identify your single adults.  Look for men and women ages 30 – 60 years old that do not have local family.  These are the people that are not young enough to be in the “Singles” program at your church and they are not old enough to be active in your Senior Adult program.  They are the often over-looked group in our churches. 

Is there room at your table to invite two of these people to join you on Christmas day?  When invited to your home they may feel awkward and decline, but if you have a relationship with these single adults it will feel natural to share this special day with your family.  Perhaps you can make it a goal for 2014 to build relationships with some of the single adults in your church so next Christmas they will accept the invitation.

Parker Ministries

Are you a single adult?  At Parker Ministries we understand what it means to be a single adult in today’s family oriented church. Come join us and be part of a community of single adults involved in many ministries throughout Dallas and Ellis Counties!

Join us at Encounter: Parker Ministries is designed to cultivate Christian community.  Check back regularly to learn more about our monthly gathering for fellowship, worship, and the Word.  Whether it's hosting something at a house , meeting up for a movie, or seeing any number of the great sights in the area we are here to support you as we take the Gospel out to our community.

www.parkerministries.com

www.dbawomen.com

10 Ways to Meet Women Where They Are

We’re constantly trying to find new ways to reach women where they are, and it’s becoming increasingly more difficult. As culture shifts, so do the needs of women. No matter what your age may be, women are still women and we are always going to need other women in our lives. Here are 10 ways to meet women where they are:

10 Ways to Meet Women Where They Are

by LifeWay Women

Hillcrest Women's Ministry

For information on all the Hillcrest women's events:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/August-Women-s-Activities.html?soid=1102570279433&aid=J1O_9t5UFzE

Leadership Tips by Julie Wages

 

 

Here are 20 leadership tips to consider as you strive to be the leader God has called you to be:

 

1. Build people – People are your greatest asset as a leader.
2. Grow personally – You can’t take people where you aren’t going.
3. Direction matters – You’ll likely end up where you pointed yourself.

4. Surrender methodology – Care more about accomplishing a worthy vision than how you do.
5. Empower people – Give people real responsibility and real authority.
6. Keep learning – When you stop learning…you stop.
7. Renew your passion often – Keep reminding yourself why you do what you do.
8. Learn to rest – So you can always do your best.
9. Value the word “No” – You can only do what you can do. Trying to do more lowers efficiency.
10. Prioritize each day – Make every moment count.
11. Let failure build you – It’s the best way to gain experience.
12. Be honest with yourself and others – What you hide will often trip you fastest.
13. Know your weaknesses – Everyone else already does. But don't use them as an excuse.
14. Listen more than you speak – You’ll learn more and make others feel valued.
15. Serving others brings joy – Giving back is the greatest vehicle to fulfillment in life.
16. Humility is attractive – People love realness and want to be around people who are.
17. Be intentional – Nothing really great happens without it.
18. Reject apathy – You’ll be tempted to settle for mediocrity. Don’t do it.
19. Protect character – More than you try to protect your reputation.
20. Applaud others – Louder than you “toot your own horn”.

Effective leadership is not the result of doing one thing. It’s the result of doing many things through prayer, passion, and persistence.

Today, consider this list and ask the Lord to show you the ones you are doing great at and celebrate that. Then also take time to consider the ones He is asking you to focus more on to become the leader He needs you to be for your next season of service.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

By ProvenWay presenter Julie Wages

If you are looking for a way to connect women across ages we would suggest a program called Apples of Gold.  It's based on Proverbs 25:11 that says, "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver."  

The format is a 6-week study that meets for 3 hours each week!  Crazy, but this is what happens.  You meet as a group and prepare dinner together.  The experienced teaching the less experienced.  While dinner cooks you go over the Bible study and then when you are finished you fellowship over the dinner you made!  How cool is that!  We are really excited about the possibilities of sharing life with women across ages.  Contact us if you have any questions.

Solid Rock

"You have got to be kidding" I yelled when I discovered a hairline crack running across my ceiling.  I just stared at it for a while thinking it might magically repair itself, but nothing happened.  I'm disappointed, but it's not like there weren't warning signs. 

My driveway has dropped about two inches where two sheets of concrete meet or should I say met.  My mailbox leans like the Tower of Pisa, and the vent cover of the AC intake won't stay shut.  None of these things bothered me much so I have simply ignored them. Until now that is.  The crack in the ceiling is a significant problem that has caused me to face reality. The foundation under my house has shifted.

We often live our lives in the same fashion.  As Christians, we ignore obvious signs that the foundation of our life is shifting. What we don't consider is the collective damage the underlying cause of the shift is creating and how much harder it is going to be to correct the problem by waiting.  Here are some examples of how your spiritual foundation may be shifting:

1. You don't have any type of small group connection through your church.

2. You sleep through your morning devotional time on a semi-regular basis.

3. You go days without praying never noticing you have stopped.

4. You skip gathering with other believers for Sunday morning worship.

5. You start to hang out in places you don't want your Christian friends to know about.

Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27.
 

I have seen the result of a shifting foundation in my house and I know I need to make things right again.  If you have need to make things right in your spiritual foundation don't delay.  Talk with a Christian friend or your pastor and stand firm on solid ground!  Build your house on rock instead of shifting sands!

Welcome to A Woman's View by Parker Ministries