If you are interested in learning more about marriage and how to pick a good partner then Prepare2b1 is for you. This 6-week group experience is for individuals or couples who want to know what a great marriage looks like and how to prepare for it.

Prepare2b1 is a great tool to get people to think about marriage from God’s perspective. Topics to be covered include:

·  A Closer Look at Intimacy

·  Breaking Free from the Past

·  How to Pick the Right Partner

·  Spiritual unity

·  Effective Communication

·  Conflict resolution

·  When Expectations Go Unmet

·  Dealing with Differences

Prepare2b1 begins on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, in room 101, and it goes from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm each night. It is a tremendous opportunity to grow closer to God and to one another. There is no cost for this activity but a donation will be accepted for class materials. Prepare2b1 is required if you plan to marry at Heritage or be married by a Heritage Pastor.

Marriage is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. You can’t be too prepared!

We are preparing to offer a group experience called Marriage Foundations: The First Seven Years, for six consecutive weeks from January 10 to February 14. These events will take place on Saturday night during our 5 p.m. services. Our goal is to provide encouragement, hope, and practical guidance for the couples who attend.

The topics to be covered are as follows:

Managing Marital Expectations - January 10

Marriage Strengthening Skills - January 17

The Challenge of Adding Children - January 24

Resolving Conflict - January 31

Life Altering Events - February 7

Facing Financial Stress - February 14

For more information, you can contact Holly Linton at hlinton@heritagecc.org, or you can call her at 614-898-9412, ext. 331. To sign up, contact Holly or go to the “events” section of our website for online registration. We hope you can come!

The theme at Heritage for this year is worship. It’s important for worship to start in the home and then when we come together with other believers, it will only enhance the overall atmosphere of the church. The following ideas can be helpful to allow Christ to be the center of your home life:

1.      Let your house be filled with praise and worship music. There are Christian radio stations that you can tune into and a myriad of CD’s that could be used to create a worshipful environment.

2.      When we receive cards during the Christmas season, my wife recently started to bring them to the dinner table so we can pray a blessing on the people who sent them.

3.      It’s important to have time each day with the family and usually the best opportunity for that is at the dinner table. Make it a habit to ask each person to answer the question: “What were the good things that happened today? What were the high points or the blessings that you are thankful for?” Also, “were there any “low points” that were hard to get through?”

4.      Some families use the Christmas holidays to join with other church members to do caroling in their neighborhood, serve the poor at places like Better Way or do kindness outreaches in the community. Serving Jesus by blessing others is a great way to inspire worship in the home and it brings the family together!

5.      When family members get sick, before we reach for the medicine bottle, why not stop and pray for them? God has given us a mandate to pass our faith on to the next generation. Our children must have a firsthand relationship with the Lord to be able to weather the trials and tribulations of this life. When we pray for our kids, it models a dependence on God that is important for them to see. And, when our children experience the healing touch of Jesus it reinforces their faith as well.

6.    There is no way to over-emphasize the value of reading to our children from the Bible. For toddlers it’s best to give them a Bible with pictures in it and as the kids get older they need to have a good, modern translation to read. If you teach them to love the Word of God it is more likely that they will grow up to love the God of the Word. It’s good to make scripture memory a priority for the entire family.

The Lord loves for us to worship Him, not just when we’re in church, but when we’re at home, at work, or whereever we are. Parents lead the way!

“Kids, how come I haven’t seen any progress in picking up your toys?” I demanded for the umpteenth time in my short career as a parent.

At that time we had three children in the family and. to them, it probably sounded like a repeat performance where their rather narrow-minded father again failed to see the beauty of their creative display of toy-arranging. The expression on their faces seemed to ask, “Why is this man so inordinately obsessed with cleanliness? Why don’t you just lighten up, Dad?” Have you ever had your child compare you to Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch?

I stood there, wondering if I was demanding too much. Perhaps I am being too perfectionistic. After all, they are just kids - you can’t expect too much from them. I had to admit that each time I asked them to put their toys away, I observed a strong initial surge of progress. While I was present to bark out the orders, all kinds of incredible improvements were taking place - at least for a few minutes! Couldn’t I appreciate the fact that in their hearts they fully intended to obey, but were just caught in the web of their own immaturity, coupled with some tempting distractions?

I tried to explain to them that I wasn’t asking them to be perfect; I just wanted to see some progress in what I asked them to do. Even as I said those words, I wondered if they understood the difference between the demand for perfection and the desire for progress.

How well I remember my parents’ reaction to my bringing home some “B’s” on my report cards throughout my school days. Their response was always the same, “Bob, it’s okay that you got a “B,” but we know that next time you can do better. “ Do better?! Didn’t they realize that I had just about killed myself just to get the “B”? But there was always something about their comments that got underneath my skin enough to motivate me toward greater achievement. Let me make myself clear - in no way did they condemn me for my imperfection (my “B”). They simply expressed that they believed in me and were confident that if I really applied myself, any level of success was possible.

My parents’ encouragement helped me overcome the fear of failure and gave me the strength to shoot for the best I could be in every area of life. And, if I came up short (and it seemed that I often did), they would still have faith in me and continue to root for my success.

The desire to live a godly life is a good one; God calls us to pursue excellence in all we do (Matt. 5:48). The demand we place on ourselves for instantaneous and continual perfection is unhealthy. Perfectionism is an excessive demand for faultless or flawless performance. If our standards are not reached, we will either conclude an endeavor has not been worthwhile, or chastise ourselves for perceived failure.

Perfectionists have an “all or nothing” approach to life. Either they are absolutely perfect in what they do or their self-esteem becomes deflated. The pressure of always having to achieve superhuman results often leads to frustration, burnout, and a critical attitude toward others who are perceived as being “less dedicated” than themselves. They have little or no appreciation for the growth process that is expected of every Christian.

Isn’t it great to know that God, the Perfect Parent, not only accepts us where we are, but challenges us and stretches us toward growth? All the while, He cheers us on and rejoices over us when any step of progress has been taken (Zeph. 3:17). For what parent is critical when his little child braves the risk of failure, forsaking the security of crawling, and takes his or her first faltering steps in learning how to walk?

God is committed to our growth (Phil. 1:6)! He describes the Christian life as a walk of faith (2 Cor. 5:7). It is He who promises us a glorious future as the spotless bride of Christ (Eph. 5:27), while often reminding us of the growth process that cannot be avoided as we learn to walk victoriously in Him (1 Thess. 5:23,24; Rom. 12:1,2; 1 Pet. 2:1,2).

As we pursue God’s best for our lives, there is a soberness and a realism that must be present in our thinking to remind us that all spiritual growth comes about through the grace of God (1 Cor. 15:10), and except for His grace, we all would stumble in many ways (Jas. 3:2). Knowing this, we can rest in the Lord and in His love, confidently moving ahead in what He has called us to do.

What about you? Demanding instantaneous perfection from yourself or others is a dead-end street. But a heart for growth, a heart for the Lord Himself, a heart for unimpeded progress - that is what God desires.

WE CARE ABOUT YOU!

At Heritage, we are blessed to have a lot of options to assist people going through the transitions and traumas of life. The following ministries can help:

SMALL GROUP INVOLVEMENT

M-Life group - Men can check out the website or the brochure, Becoming Involved in an M-Life Small Group.

W-Life group- Women can get information at the women’s ministry booth in the lobby or you can contact Zoe Hafner at 614-898-9412, ext. 311, or at womensministry@heritagecc.org.

Life Group- Pick up a directory in the lobby (at the Group Life table) and contact the group leader for more information, or you can contact Beth Hackworth, at bhackworth@heritagecc.org.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Alpha - Exploring the essentials of the Christian faith

Equipping - Learning the Bible and what it means to follow Christ

MARRIAGE-RELATED ASSISTANCE

Fully Engaged - Getting ready for a great marriage*

Marriage Mentoring - Supporting couples through all life stages*

Begin Again - Strengthening hurting marriages*

DivorceCare - Bringing insight and hope after divorce*

INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SUPPORT

GriefShare - Comforting the bereaved through their losses*

Celebrate Recovery - Helping overcome addictions*

Transformational Healing Groups - Healing deep wounds*

Deliverance/Spiritual Warfare - Setting people free from demonic influence*

Pathways Counseling Center - Professional counselors (Joel and Eric Wharton) are available on a fee basis.

Singles - Growing together with unmarried people of all ages

Note: All of the ministries listed with an asterisk are associated with our Family Life staff. GriefShare is sponsored by our Care Ministry.