Church News

Last night was great at the Harbor. Sister Tara Smith done a wonderful job teaching in the sanctuary on the character of Ruth. At the same time Brian Campbell was teaching a "Vehicle Safety Awareness" class for all of our new/young drivers. Brian did a great job with the class. He was very well prepared and the presentation was great. I think he has become a star among our youth. Thanks to Brian for putting the class together, and to Car Quest for sponsoring the event. If anyone would like a copy of his outline and checklist that he used in the class just let us know.

Twenty-four to Double will be held in Tifton tonight (April 29th). Our bus will leave the church at 4:40 p.m. Dr. Owen Weston, founder of 24/2 will be the guest speaker. Our church is totally committed to this program of strategy and outreach. Far too long the church has been happy to have just enough people to pay the bills, but we are not in the business of just trying to pay the bills. We are in Kingdom Work, and souls are at stake. That is why I have made 24/2 a top priority at the Harbor.

Rev. Steve Brown, presenter for 24/2 and North Georgia COG's Evangelism and Home Missions Director will be speaking at the Harbor this Sunday at 6 p.m. We are looking forward to what God has to say to us through this man of God. Brother Steve comes to us, not as an intellectual know-it-all with no experience. But he has and is participating in this program right now. He is pastoring a church in North Georgia, and he is using the principles taught in 24/2. He is seeing tremendous growth.

What God Says About Disciplining Children (Part 4)

If children are taught the meaning of the word "No" from the early days of their lives, raising them will be much easier, and you will be happy you taught them this little word. On the other hand, if they grow from infants to toddlers without having learned this word through consistent discipline, life will certainly be more difficult.

If they are allowed to reach adolescence with no discipline or understanding of the word "No", I guarantee that you have had many calls from school teachers and administrators, and mostly likely you've had run-ins with other parents over issues concerning children.

Parents who fail to follow God's mandate for discipline live in a world where their child is always right, and can do no wrong (at least in their eyes). As parents you must wake up and realize that children are just that--children; they have to be taught right from wrong, and what's good and bad.

If you put blinders on and never acknowledge their misbehavior through disciplining them, you are doing them a huge disservice. Children really do appreciate boundaries and guidelines. If you would ask adults today who were disciplined as children, they would tell you that they appreciate the fact that their parents raised them with good discipline.

If you are reading this and realize that you must change your approach to discipline, I want you to know that it's not too late. However, depending on the age of your child it could be more difficult. The younger they are, the easier it will be to implement change. The older they are, the more difficult it will be. If they have reached their teen years it will be extremely difficult and few parents have the grit to enforce the change. However, you have got to start somewhere.

Here are some tips to help with discipline:

1. Start early at toddler age.

2. As children grow into their early teen years discipline measures should be altered moving away from coporal punishment toward other suitable measures. Keep in mind, if you have disciplined consistently all along there will be less and less need for corporal punishment. They will have respect for you and will not be defiant because of their upbringing.

3. Never provoke your children to wrath. If you do, they will rebel. Examples below:

• Show them courtesy and respect by disciplining them in private.


• Don't chew them out in front of their friends.


• Acknowlege the things they have done well, rather than always telling them what they've done wrong.


• Don't set a standard so high that no one could reach it. If you do, you have set them up for failure.


• No matter what they've done, he/she is still your child. Let them know that this will never change, and your love for them will never change.

Finally, keep in mind that "All discipline is an act of love for the child".

Church News

The Dinner Theater put on tonight by the THUGS (Teens Humbly Upholding Godly Standards) of the Harbor was "Off the Chain". We really had a great time and great participation. The costumes was very nice; everyone really tried to dress the part. The food was great. Thanks to all those who worked to make it happen.

While we enjoyed the dinner theater there were workers at the church entertaining the children. I would like to say a special thanks to all who worked with the children; it's truly a great ministry. Hopefully you guys can swap out with other workers and make it to the theater on Saturday night.

Blessings!

Finding My Place

This coming Sunday night I will be handing out questionnaires and surveys about your passion and interests. We will go over the questions in service that night and turn the surveys back in before you leave. This way if there are any questions they can be answered on the spot.

The survey will ask you questions that, when answered properly will indicate where you would serve most effectively in ministry. The key to the survey is that you have to answer the questions based on where you are right now in your walk with the Lord, not where you are hoping to be in the next year or so. It is very important to be very candid with your answers. If you do, you will find an enjoyable place to work in the Kingdom of God.

This is a part of our 24/2 double growth strategy, and an effort to maximize our ministry effectiveness by getting the right people in the right places. When we accomplish this it will reduce the load of work on the "faithful few" so to speak, and spread the workload around so that everyone can be involved in Kingdom work at some level.

Sunday night I will also share some information with you about the "Teams" we will be creating that will become a permenant part of our church. This is a totally different approach to ministry than what has been employed over the last number of years.

Please remember the Word has not changed, and God has not changed; we are talking about changing the way we present the Word, and more importantly, the way will prepare for, and followup with people.

What God Says About Disciplining Children #3

As I was preparing to write this blog, Fox News aired a segment http://video.foxnews.com/v/4154593/paddling-problem-in-schools stating that a Texas school district was bringing back the paddle. As you know, this is a very controversial subject.

Corporal punishment (paddling) is still allowed in twenty states in the country. Although, if the ACLU has their way, it won't be for long. Congress, egged on by the ACLU is attempting to ban corporal punishment across the United States. This is just one more way of the government attempting to control our lives by telling us what we can and cannot do when it comes to raising our children.

The Texas school district reports that discipline referrals have dropped significantly since bringing back the paddle. But when there is no fear of punishment, kids will say and do whatever they want because they know there will be no repercussions. Likewise, without the fear of punishment many kids show NO respect for authority (parents, teachers, administrators, and even police officers) whatsoever. It is unbelievable to hear the way many (not all) children talk to authority figures in their lives.

Alice Farmer, spokeswoman for the ACLU states that paddling is cruel punishment that causes great physical harm; she goes on to label it as severe abuse. She says that she could cite numerous cases of severe bodily injury. And that no child in this country should have to go to school in fear of such abuse. Although paddling has been reserved for the more serious offences.

First, let me say that there is a vast difference in child abuse and child discipline. There is no way that a paddle applied properly is going to cause severe physical damage to a child. It will make there bottom red and cause them to rethink what they had done to have to be paddled in the first place.

This not to say that there is not cases where administrators were abusive. But the answer is not to throw the baby out with the bath water. You must deal with the wayward administrator, and keep the train on the tracks so to speak. One way to deal with such an issue as abuse is to incorporate video monitoring of all such discipline. I mean we use the video for everything else now. It only seems logical to use it here as well.

We as Christians have been given some guidelines in the scripture. I listed them in part #2 of this blog series. We are told that we are to discipline our children, and if we don't, we don't love them. We are told to discipline them with the paddle. Foolishnesss is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction will remove it far from him (Proverbs 22:15)

Why did God say the rod (paddle, swith, belt)? Why not "Time Out" or Restriction? While I believe these latter two do have a place in the upbringing of children, the paddle cannot be taken off the table as it has been in many homes and schools for the last serveral years. The paddle seems to be more of a deterrent than time out, or restriction. Although, when I was growing up I often preferred the belt over restriction because the spanking would be over soon, but restriction would last for days, or even weeks. It was a really bad day when I got both.

As you read this blog please remember that I didn't write the book; I'm just quoting from it.

There will be one more installment in this series.

Twenty-Four to Double (24/2) 4/16/10

As most everyone knows 24/2 is a church growth strategy that we embarked upon in October of 2009. Since we started the program we have gained 50-60 new people, and that is conservatively speaking. In a nutshell, the program is about maximizing our evangelism efforts through utilizing all of the gifts present in the local body of Christ.

We determine who has what gifts through our gifts analysis forms and pastor's breakfast quick surveys. Once we determine someone's area of talents and gifts we try to plug them into ministry in that area. This is why it is important for us to take the survey and be sure we turn it in.

24/2 teaches us to spread the load among a lot of people and get much greater results. It also teaches us to prepare well for events well in advance through what is called the "Front-End Production". This involves lots of invitations, phone calls, letter writing, signs, and so forth. After the event, we move to the next phase which is called "Back-End Production"; this is where we go through all the guest packets that came in, and do good follow-up with the people who came to out event.

This is quite different than praying for a great crowd and just hoping people show up. James said: "Faith without works is dead". Here we are putting arms and legs on our prayers for great crowds. And after the event, rather than saying, "Well we really had a great crowd"; now we take those response cards and we follow-up with everyone that showed up.

24/2 teaches us that if someone comes to our church 1 time we have a 25% chance of winning them, if they come 2 times we have a 50% chance, if they come 3 times it jumps to 80%, and if we get them 4 times we have won them to the church; research says after four visits it is 100% retainment.

24/2 is a church-wide effort that ALL leaders are expected to embrace. I know that everyone doesn't understand all of the program yet, but trust me, the proof is in the numbers, and we are seeing tremendous growth. So I urge everyone to come aboard this great move of God and being a part of what He is doing now.

In this next week or two I will be putting together the "Creative Team" and the "Outreach Team". Please stayed tuned for breaking news

What God Says About Discipline ( Part 2) 4-15-10

As stated before, when God gives us children He also gives us the responsibility to raise them properly. He does not approve of this lackadaisical attitude toward child rearing. We have a duty to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

If you were to ask the parents of the unruly, fit-throwing child, if they love him/her; they would emphatically respond, "Yes, I love my child". When I hear this it makes me cringe, because I know they have a deep misunderstand of the word "love", especially when it comes to raising children. Let's see what God has to say about it...

1. Proverbs 13:24 (NASB-U) He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently. Now this comes directly from the Word of God, so it makes it very difficult to argue with. We either believe His Word or we don't. The Word is says that if we do not discipline our children we don't love them. NO! It says, "If we don't discipline them we hate them".
   
   
2. Proverbs 22:6 (NASB-U) Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. This simply means that even when a child is grown and slipped away from the faith, and not serving God. He or she will never forget the Godly upbringing and standards instilled in them as a child. And I believe when they go through trying times in life and everything else has failed, they will revert back to the foundation on which they were raised.
   
   
3. Proverbs 19:18 (NASB-U) Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death. This literally means that we should discipline our children before their habits are formed and sealed for life. Discipline is in no way advocating abuse, but rather firm discipline. If you fail to discipline your child now, your tenderness and kindness will only bring about more rebellion. It would be better for the child to cry now from punishment that for you both to cry later.
   
   
4. Proverbs 22:15 (NASB-U) Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him. Yet another scripture telling us the importance of good discipline. Children need discipline just as we needed it growing up. Discipline is what teaches us right from wrong, so without it, everything is okay to say or do in the eyes of a child. The must be taught the meaning of the word "NO".
   
   
5. Proverbs 23:13 (NASB-U) Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. The next verse (14) actually says that our discipline could rescue his soul from hell.
   

We will continue this blog tomorrow.

What God Says About Disciplining Children 4-13-10

When children are born they are surrounded by people who love them. Within a few months they are trying to get them to say two simple words, ma-ma, and da-da. Eventually after hearing this a million times they start to repeat it. It's a wonderful time when they say these words for the first time. We jump and shout and call our parents and friends to celebrate the occurrence.

However, there is a word even shorter than that, and simpler to say. The word is "NO", and I am constantly amazed at the children who have no idea what it means. What is worse, their parents are guilty of never teaching them the meaning of the word. Therefore the child grows up spoiled rotten without the understanding of this word. A little word that could prevent a lot of hardship for them in the future, and could potentially even save their life.

The parents who do not teach their children this word through consistent discipline will regret it shortly. The results will be disastrous. The child will show themselves in public by pitching a fit to get their way, and they will, because they haven't been taught the meaning of the word "NO". It will be embarrassing for the parents, but they have themselves to thank.

I have seen this scenario played out many times over the years with little children. Then they grow into adolescence with the same discipline (or lack thereof) they had as a child. They are just as spoiled as before, and they pitch bigger fits. The difference is, they are bigger now and stronger, and they don't accept "NO" as an answer from anybody. Many at this stage become bully's and find themselves in trouble at school, and with the law.

When God gives us children He also gives us the responsibility to raise them properly. He does not approve of this lackadaisical attitude toward child rearing. We have a duty to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Check back in tomorrow and we will examine what God has to say about the discipline of children.

Church Picnic Success / Leadership 4-11-10

What a tremendous day in the Lord we had today. The Family and Friends Picnic was a great success. We had 239 people with us in the sanctuary (that meant some people were standing) and I have heard that there were as many as 275 or more that attended the picnic, but were not in the sanctuary. Although, I don't know where we would have put them if they'd been in there.

On that same note, within the next week or two we will have the video monitor in the foyer and another in the fellowship hall that will receive video and audio signal from the sound booth. It would have been great to have today with the overflow crowd in the one service. We will be ready next time.

Sunday night I shared my heart with the church concerning Godly Leadership vs. Secular Leadership. The message was broken down to the following facts:

1. Godly Leadership Requires Vision
2. Godly Leadership Requires Godly Leaders
3. Godly Leadership Requires Churches (people, not buildings) to Change

You can hear the message in it's entirety from our church website http://theharborworshipcenter.org/ in a few days.

This was a powerful message, if you were not able to be in service with us tonight I hope you will download the message or listen to it online.

Church News/Update 4-9-10

1. The picnic plans are coming together very well. It is only 2 days away now, and if you would like to be involved in any way please contact Brother Eddie Martinez or Brother Harold Shedd.

2. Sunday night I will be speaking on the subject of Godly Leadership. I will contrast godly leadership against secular leadership; we will explore the impetus for both. I will present plenty of Biblical examples of both kinds of leadership. But if you want to be successful in the kingdom of God, you MUST have godly leadership, and godly leadership has certain characteristics. Come Sunday night and find out what they are.

3. Wednesday night we will continue with our Character Study Series. The character for this week is Jezebel; she was the wife of Ahab. The Bible describes him as the most wicked king to ever rule Israel, it goes on to say that he was stirred up by his wife, Jezebel.

4. Small Groups are coming soon. Please keep me in your prayers concerning this matter; I have some big decisions to make in the next week or so. I also know the Word says: "The steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord."

5. Please pray for Ken and Tara as they are traveling. Their daughter Cassady has gone into labor, so they are in North Carolina.

• Also pray for Mark and Kim Presley. They were in Virginia for their daughter's baby shower, and while they were there his father had a stroke and is not doing well at all. Please keep them in your prayers.
  
• My mother is recovering well from the stroke she had last week. It doesn't appear that she will have any permanent damage. By the way--Mom and Dad celebrated 49 years of marriage this past Wednesday.
  

Family and Friends Picnic 4/11/2010

The Harbor will be hosting a family and friends picnic this coming Sunday April 11th at 11:00 a.m. We are inviting everyone to come and bring their friends and relatives for a great time of fun, games, and fellowship. I should also mention that we will be eating, and everybody loves to eat. We will have several (7-8) or more grills cooking on the front lawn. Some will be cooking different styles of chicken, some will be cooking hotdogs and hamburgers. Needless to say, there will be plenty of food with side dishes and deserts. We are only asking people to bring a 2 liter drink; we will provide the rest. Come and enjoy the fun and fellowship together. There will be games for all ages.

If you are interested in helping in any way with the picnic please contact Brothers Ken Smith, or Eddie Martinez. They will be glad to hear from you.

Please remember the picnic will start at 11:00 in the sanctuary. We will have a very short song/devotion/prayer, and we will move to the front lawn by 11:30.

Easter Sunday 2010 4-8-10

Easter Sunday was a huge leap of faith for the Harbor Worship Center this year. It was the first Sunday that we had ever done two morning services. We didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. We had been advertising our move to two services since November of '09, and we have been participating in the Church of God's Twenty-four to Double growth plan. We knew that we had won about 50 new people since October. We had just renovated the church sanctuary and educational wing, and we were seeing crowds of near, and just over two hundred. As it turned out Easter Sunday we had 175 in the 9:30 service, and 128 in the 11:15, for a total of 303. We had 38 workers who stayed over and worked the second service, so this gave us a net balance of 265 for Easter Sunday morning. I am confident that we made the right move at the right time, because there is no way our church would have held 265 in one service. I just want to say praise the Lord for His guiding hand.