Turningleaf Missions

Ryans at TLC

2009-07-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

Mark and Kris Ryan, members at TLC, who have been serving in Spain are going to be in Arizona. They will be sharing about how God is at work in Spain on Monday evening, August 31 at 7 PM at La Loma. La Loma is on Camelback just west of Litchfield Road; just follow the TLC signs. Plan now to join Ryans for a great time of fellowship. For more information about Mark and Kris and their work in Spain check out their blog at http://www.spain24-7.net/

Time Flies

2009-07-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Since my last post much has happened. We have had AZ District NMI (Nazarene Missions International) Convention with Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Ketchum. It was a wonderful time of sharing what God is doing around the world in making Christlike disciples. I was also privileged to attend the Global NMI Convention in Orlando, Florida. Words are inadequate to describe the sense of unity as Nazarenes from around the world gather to praise God together, pray together and fellowship together. It was an inspirational time. However Florida was hot with high humidity; I am not use to my glasses fogging up when I walk out a building.
I am also looking forward to going to Prescott for Camp Meeting for a few days July 21-26. It is always nice to get to the cooler climate and enjoy inspirational preaching and fellowship with friends.
Hope you are having a great summer.

Lessons Learned Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

I trust you had a blessed Easter. I want to share with you some lessons I learned this weekend. Turning Leaf sponsored an Egstreme Family Fun Event on Saturday for the community. The mailers were sent, 10,000 filled plastic Easter eggs were purchased, blow-up bounces and generator were reserved for use, etc. Then the weather report called for 30% chance of rain so I started praying. The more I prayed the worst the weather report got. Saturday morning I could see where it had rained during the night but it was only misting when I got up. The closer it got to the time to leave, the harder it rained. As I was driving to the school it was pouring down rain. I thought to myself this is ridiculous, no one is going to come out in this rain. We meet at the school and standing in the rain admitted we had all been praying and decided to trust God to take care of the weather. (There is encouragement in numbers.) So we ran power for the bounces and set up a canopy for registration and unloaded water bottles and snow cone machines and called so we could use the gym for the egg hunts and the cafeteria for the games. I felt like the children of Israel who had to put their feet in the Jordan River before it stopped flowing so that they could pass through on dry ground. However sometime during set it, it did stop raining. The sun even began to shine and the people started coming; approximately 400 people came. We had a great time and some of them even came back on Sunday to worship with us as we had 222 in church Easter morning.
Lessons learned:
1) Trust God no matter what the circumstances look like; He is able to do exceeding above what we can even imagine or thing.
2) There is encouragement in numbers. Be sure you have a group of friends that will support you and pray with you.
3) Don't forget the praise God and thank Him for His many blessing each day.
I trust that you will have a great day as you keep your focus on HIM!

Faith Promise

2009-03-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

March 21 & 22 we have a very special opportunity at Turning Leaf to have missionaries Terry and Diane Barker, who are serving in the Horn of Africa, as our special guest speakers. Exciting things are happening in the Horn of Africa and I know you will be sorry if you miss this opportunity to hear how God is working around the world. There is a dinner at 5 PM on Saturday, March 21 at Barbara Robey School. Tickets are $6/person, $20/family, children 2 and under are free. You can email missions@turningleafchurch.org for more information. We will also be collecting our Faith Promise commitments for the year. Faith Promise is the way we support World Missions in the Church of the Nazarene. It is a love gift to God, given beyond one's tithe. For Faith Promise, an individual prays, asking God what he or she should give to missions. People find that giving an amount regularly and relying on God to provide, they are able to fulfill their Faith Promise commitment. Your Faith Promise giving supports approximately 800 missionaries in 155 world areas. Faith Promise also supports a missionary retirement center, evangelism ministries, schools, medical facilities, literature in 93 languages, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, Work & Witness, Alabaster, the JESUS Film Project, World Mission Broadcast and ministries to more than 17,500 churches. I hope the see next week for Turning Leaf's World Evangelism Weekend.

The Project

2009-02-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

Here it is February already. What happened to January? I know that with the help of a friend, a project I started several months ago finally got completed. The project . . . I got my kitchen and entry way painted. It seemed like a fairly easy project when I started. Simply strip off the wallpaper and paint. Right? Wrong. There was wallpaper under the wallpaper in the kitchen and in the entry way the walls had never been textured. Also since the paint on the cupboards was oil base, everything needed to be painted with primer first before we could apply water based paint. I don't think I would of ever gotten finished if it hadn't been for the help of my friend Carol along with T.Jay (my son-in-law). I am also thankful that both of them knew what they were doing and that I just had to follow instructions. It reminds me of my Chritian walk. Sometimes I think the task is easy and that I can handle it and then I realize that I am in over my head and don't even know what to do next. That is when I am thankful that God knows what and how to do whatever needs to be done and that He provides friends to come along side me and help me and encourage me along the way.
Have a great day and be sure to let your friends know how much you appreciate them.

"The Shack"

2009-01-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

I have just finished reading "The Shack". I think you will find it a great book that will challenge you to think outside the box that you have put God in. However, be sure to have a box of kleenex handy. You can go to http://www.theshackbook.com if you want to find out more about the book.
Remember . . . God is in control and you can trust Him.
Have a great week.
Marilyn

Merry Christmas

2008-12-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

During this busy time of the year, I am thankful for those moments when I just stop and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. I am so thankful for the wonderful gift that God gave us by sending His son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins. I am thankful for His love and forgiveness. I am also thankful that in uncertain times I know that I can trust Him with whatever the future holds. Praying you will find time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and be thankful for all that Christ has done for us.
May you have a blessed Christmas.
Marilyn

Jesus is the Light of the world

2008-12-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I love all the brightly lit homes. The Christmas trees with all the lights. However as you enjoy all the lights this Christmas season, be reminded that Jesus is the Light of the world. I am praying that you will let Jesus's light shine through you this Christmas season because light dispells darkness. So enjoy this time of the year and as you see lights be reminded that Jesus loves you and came to bring light into your life.

Be Thankfull

2008-11-23T19:16:00.000-08:00

I was reading a devotional last week that was taken from "Daily Wisdom for Mothers" by Michelle Medlock Adams. I was challenged to be thankful for things that I sometimes complain about i.e. that I pay taxes because that means that I am employed or that I have to clean house because that means that I have a house to live in. So this week as we celebrate Thanksgiving let's remember to look for the things we can be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Marilyn

Wallpaper

2008-11-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

The people who lived in my home before me loved wallpaper! However after several years, wallpaper needs to be replaced. Here are a few of the lessons I have learned stripping wallpaper.
1) It always takes longer than you think.
2) There is no easy way to strip wallpaper. It takes lots of energy and hard work.
3) Once you get the wallpaper off you aren't even half done. You still need to texture the walls and then paint.
4) There are always little things that need to be taken care of i.e. cracks, holes, etc.
Lessons I've learned that I can apply to everyday life. Life takes time and energy and it is never as easy as you think it will be. However, I have learned that if I try to do life on my own I will probably mess it up but I need to commit everything I do to the Lord and allow Him to lead and guide me daily. With Christ nothing is impossible with His help.
Praying that you will allow Christ to live in and through you today.
Marilyn

Pray & Vote

2008-10-27T07:28:00.001-07:00

I have been in the process of stripping wallpaper at my house this past week and was going to share some of the life lessons I am learning. However when I opened the newspaper this morning I realized I can write about that at a later time. This week I would like to ask you to pray for our country and the upcoming elections. Since a picture is worth a thousand words you can go to http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p308/christianmyspace/graphics/pray123.jpg and find a great picture that will remind you to pray. The other things we need to do is vote on November 4th. Pray and ask for wisdom as you vote next week. Have a great week.
Marilyn

Family

2008-10-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated our daughter Cheryl's birthday. She and her husband, T Jay, drove down from Prescott Valley after church for dinner. Since it was Cheryl's birthday she got to pick what we would eat which included ham, potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, lima beams and mint chocolate chip ice cream cake. I also fixed green beans and corn since T Jay calls asparagus "trees" and broccoli "brushes" and he doesn't think either were meant for human consumption. Later at 5:30 our Life Group got together. I was reminded that just as we enjoy getting together with our biological family, we also enjoy getting together with our church family. I was also reminded that we are each individuals with our own likes and dislikes but we really do need each other to help and encourage one other along our journey which we call life. May you have a great week and don't forget to touch someone's life for Christ.

Just a thought about Alabaster

2008-10-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

The past two Sundays we have been collecting our Alabaster offering. Alabaster is a love offering that is used to build churches, schools, hospitals, clinics and missionary homes around the world. As we counted and rolled the coins I was reminded that the coins in my box by themselves didn't amount to much; however, when they are added with the rest of the coins we have collected, the total was over $400. This money will make a difference to some church that needs to buy land or needs cement to complete their building. I am also reminded that as we work together we can make a difference in our world. Praying that you will see a way that you can make a difference in your world this week.

Time Flies

2008-09-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that September is almost over. It seems the older I get the faster time flies. Therefore I am reminded that I must make the most of each day and for me that means that I must start each day with Christ by reading my Bible and asking Him to guide me through out the day. I'm praying that as you read this you will be reminded of your need for Christ and allow Him to have first place in your life. It is the most exciting journey you will ever take.
Blessings on you.

A New Week

2008-09-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

As we begin a new week, none of us know what this week holds. However I am thankful that God knows and that He has promised to walk with us through this week if we ask Him to. There is an old song that talks about about not worrying about the future because I know who holds the future(God) and He holds my hand. I plan to keep my focus on Christ this week and not on the things that are happening to me and the things that are happening around me. May you have a blessed week as you allow the Lord to lead and guide you this week.
Marilyn

Life Group

2008-09-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoons a few of us get together and watch a short video together. We discuss the video for a few minutes and then take time for food and fellowship. Check out Turning Leaf Community on Sunday morning, September 14 and find a Life Group that will meet your needs.

A way to change our world.

2008-08-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

September is Alabaster month. Alabaster is a way to use the change in your pocket to change the world.