November 2015
IN THIIS ISSUE
Calendar
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Schedule Of Events
NOVEMBER 2015
The following are reoccurring SUN events that take place each 1 9am week/month at the same time Discipleship unless otherwise denoted. 10:45 am
Discipleship Classes Sunday 9 am starting Sept. 13
MON
TUE
2 6:30pm Women Connect Bible Study
3 10a-11:30a Play Group
9 6:30pm Women Connect Bible Study
10 10a-11:30a Play Group
16 6:30pm Women Connect Bible Study
17 10a-11:30a Play Group
22 9 am Discipleship 10:45a Worship 1:30 GriefShare
23 6:30pm Women Connect Bible Study
24 10a-11:30a Play Group
29 9 am Discipleship 10:45a Worship Service 1:30 GriefShare
30 6:30pm Women Connect Bible Study
Worship 1:00 Play Day 1:30pm GriefShare
Church Services - Sunday at 10:45 am
GriefShare Sunday @1:30 upstairs in conference room
Baptism Sunday mornings
Women’s Connect Bible study - Monday at 6:30pm 15
Children’s Play Group Every Tuesday from 10am - 11:30am.
Men’s Fellowship Breakfast 3rd Sat. 8-9 Call Bob Byrd for info at: 210-896-5525
CFY - Every Wednesday @ 6:30pm
Pre-Teen Ministry - Every Wednesday @ 6:30pm
2nd Thursday Helping Hands 10:30 - 11:30 Please Go To Our Website For More Information!
www.cowboyfellowship.org
8 10:45 am Worship 1pm Practice Ranch Cutting 1:30pm GriefShare 9 am Discipleship 10:36 Saddle up 10:45a Worship 12-2p Leadership and Lay Pastor Mtg 1:30 GriefShare
WED 4 6:30p-8p 5th & 6th Grade 6:30p-8p CFY
11 6:30p-8p 5th & 6th Grade 6:30p-8p CFY
18 6:30 -8p 5th & 6th Grade
THUR
FRI
5 9:30—11:30 Women’s Bible Study 6:30 p–8p Judo
6
7
12 10: 00a Helping Hands 6:30 p–8p Judo
13
14 9am Cowboy Fellowship Roping
19 6:30pm– 8 Judo
20
21
6:30p-8p CFY
25 6:30 -8p 5th & 6th Grade 6:30p-8p CFY
SAT
26 27 Thanksgiving Office Office Closed Closed 6:30pm– 8 Judo
8a-9a Men’s Fellowship Breakfast
28
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 6
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Cowboy Fellowship Practice Ranch Cutting November 8, 2015 1-5pm
Contact Chris Kirkham (830)542-0307 chriskirkham72@gmail.com
Ranch cutting will be after Church Service Must attend Church Service to participate Live cattle to cut as well as a flag machine for inexperienced cutters $35 a ride for the afternoon
or
Cowboy Fellowship
Dan Osterman at (830) 570-9163
561 FM 3350
for more information.
Jourdanton, TX 78026 www.cowboyfellowship.org
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BASKETBALL-ARAMA THE NAVIGATORS OF SOUTH TEXAS WERE ASSISTED BY SPEAKERS IN THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY, PASTOR CLYDE BUTTER OF CROSSPOINT CHURCH AND RYAN TOFLE OF TEEN CHALLENGE SAN ANTONIO. THEIR MESSAGE WAS DEVELOP BASKETBALL SKILLS BUT ALSO ALLOW JESUS CHRIST TO BE APART OF YOUR LIFE AND DEVELOP LIFE SKILLS. THE ATMOSHERE BECAME MORE LIKE A PLACE OF WORSHIP THAN A GYMNASIUM. NO COMPLAINTS. WHILE STILL PLAYING, I WAS ASKED “WHEN IS THE NEXT TOURNAMENT?” THE TOURNAMENT, ATTENDED BY A LARGE GROUP OF FANS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO ENJOYED THE FREE PIZZA AND DRINKS SUPPLIED BY COWBOY FELLOWSHIP AND HEB. MIKE WOOD PLEASANTON HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR APPROVED THE USE OF THE GYMNASIUM. SCOREBOARD WAS SUPPLIED AND RUN BY CARLOS TERAN OF SAN ANTONIO.
11 TEAMS COMPETED IN THE 4th ANNUAL BASKETBALL-ARAMA
3 POINT SHOOT OUT WINNERS ANTHONY MCMORRIS DARIN LOZA
T SHIRTS
“UNDISPUTED” WINNING TEAM OF 5 ON 5 COMPETITION. PETE, OSCAR, ANTHONY, DARYL, VINCE
NBA BALLS
SPUR TICKETS PORTLAND
PRIZES THE NAVIGATORS BOB and VERNA BYRD 65 PULLIAM DR. PLEASANTON, TEXAS 78064. 210-896-5525
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Dear Friends, We are reaching the end of another rainy season and gearing up for the heat and wind of dry season here in Kotido. This particular rainy season has been very difficult for our community. Too little rain and too much sunshine has ruined most of the corps that people planted. Our friends and neighbors harvested have been very small and we worry about the hunger many families are already facing. We fear it will be a long and difficult struggle for many in our community to make it until next harvest season and we are praying for wisdom to know how best to help. In other news, we have continued to search for land since we last wrote you. After looking at many different properties and attempting (but failing) to purchase one or two of them, we finally have a property to buy! It’s not officially ours yet but we feel certain enough about it to put it in our newsletter. :) Within a few weeks we will hopefully be the proud owners of a 3–acre property in a small village community named Kanawat just a couple miles outside of Kotido Town, where we currently live. We are excited about the prospect of living “in the village” rather than being in town, as it will give us more opportunities to practice our language and build relationships within a real Jie community. As we began prayerfully pursuing land options in Kanawat, God connected us with a very special man named Akol Jackson. Andrew instantly made friends with him and he has been a person of tremendous peace and favor for us in the community. He is a believer and understands more clearly than anyone else we’ve met our desire to “move into the neighborhood” so to speak and become a part of the community there. He helped us find the property we are planning to buy and we are really looking forward to living nearby him and his family. Andrew and I have been by ourselves for almost two months now while our teammate Elise is back in the states. We have continued on with language classes while she is gone, though only for two hours a day instead of four. we are spending much of the rest of our time studying permaculture, a holistic system of designing property that provides all of the needs of humanity (food, water, energy, etc.) in a way that benefits the environment. We plan to use this design system to rehabilitate our land. Andrew is also teaching a chronological Bible story set (that stretches from Genesis to the early church in 27 stories) to about 5 guys in the village of Maaru, where we have been working for quite some time. This has been a great discipleship time for these men, as well as a time to equip them to memorize the stories and hold them accountable for sharing the stories with their friends and families. The Akiru Project is going well a the moment. Our group has been listening to a chapter of Romans each week and discussing what it teaches us. Many times I am amazed at the understanding God gives some of the women, in spite of the difficult themes and language that Romans uses. However, the three women who are the newest believers continue to struggle with apathy and old mindsets and behaviors. Some days it’s a struggle for me not to give up on them. Please pray for long-suffering for me and an increase in spiritual hunger for them. Our final update is that we are having a baby! I am due in January and we have decided to travel to Colorado for the birth. We will be leaving for the states at the beginning of December and hope to return to Karamoja in early March. We plan to spend the majority of our time in the New Castle area of Colorado on the western slope. We would love to see many of you but we do not plan to travel very much. However, if you are in Colorado or Texas and are interested in meeting us or having Andrew speak at your church or small group, please let us know and we will see if we can make it work.
PRAY
Crossing the Equator for the first time in Uganda.
Our new land. it’s not much to look at now but we’re excited for the possibilities
Visiting beautiful Lake Bunyonyi with our friends for the Jewish festival of Sukkoth
Page 7 So, we began to stash back every extra penny for the next truck we purchase. Being on the road so much and traveling all hours of the night and with the family aboard it is a must to have a dependable ride. I found it best to trade trucks before they reach one hundred thousand miles. Eighty-five thousand gets better trade in or approximately two years old. This is not about makes of trucks. I have had to haul all makes into the shop! PRAISES, HAPPENINGS, VISIONS AND DREAMS
Hello to all, Here I sit on May 14 at 1:30 PM very, very unusual for me to be inside at this time of day. What a beautiful day God has given us. Partly cloudy, not too hot and a great day to work outside. But I have something more important than working outside so I simply stopped outside work, came in, took me a bath, rested for thirty minutes and here I am. It has been on my heart for the last two days to write a newsletter to share with you all just what has been going on around here and brag on Jesus and what God has done. I may not be able to give every detail but I will try to explain to the best I can. Things are happening, excitement is in the air. Every new day is filled with anticipation as to what God will bring our way. We can not praise Him enough or “Brag on him enough.” My prayer is that it spills on to you as you read this newsletter. You know we serve a Real God who is ever present and active in our walk with Him. He is just a prayer away and He is just waiting to be the loving, Heavenly Father. We are his number one interest because he sent his only Son to die for us so we could have direct contact with Him. Hallelujah! ALL PRAISE AND HONOR AND GLORY GOES TO HIM! Oh my where shall we start? Okay, here we go. God help us to not leave anything out. Let’s go back to December 2014. After a great 2014, we are at home trying to catch up, mend up, rest up, catch a breather and regroup. One evening we were reviewing and recapping 2014. The Wild Horse Ministry has been going for seventeen years. February 2015 was eighteen years. Wow! Wow! Wow! Who would have thought it? While evaluating the whole situation the question was asked: Are you satisfied with where you are and what you are doing? The answer was yes, but no. Things are going well, but I want to do more. We are producing fruit, but the Bible says produce much fruit. Oh God, how can we reach more people? How can we reach different people? How can we use more people to reach people for Christ? The Apostle Paul says I have become all things to all people that by all means I might reach some for Christ. Good enough for the Apostle Paul, good enough for me. Lord we are not satisfied! How shall we expand? What more shall we do? Speak, Lord, your servants are listening. For eighteen years now, all the WHM has had as capital goods is trucks and trailers and the office is a room in our house. I learned a long, long time ago that when you buy a truck, whether brand new or used that the thing is gonna wear out and will have to be replaced. Ugh! Upon realizing that it helps greatly the larger the down payment the lower the note.
December came and our 2012 truck had eighty-four thousand miles on it. Oh Lord, is it time to swap? What do I replace it with? I want to be wise with WHM money. Making it a matter of prayer for two weeks. What do I do? With our down payment, savings and the response from our end of year newsletter we had approximately twenty five thousand to put on a new truck. Have you priced a new truck lately? One big enough to pull a long trailer safely? Wow! It is scary what they cost. I awake at five o’clock one morning laying there praying, today I get serious about trading trucks. God help me in this decision! It happened just this way! When I swing my legs off the bed to get up, my feet touch the floor and very real in my spirit God said: “Put that truck down payment on pur- chasing some land for Him!” What? That thought had never crossed my mind before. Is that you, God, or is my mind playing tricks on me? I get up quickly and head for the coffee pot. Is that you, God? Is that what you want? I have to be sure! I tell no one for three days only Pray! Pray! Pray! I mention it to my wife, Joanna. Her response? Do what? She and I pray for a week. I call my advisory board men. I need some advice, we need to talk. Seven men meet. I share with them what is on my heart. They were amazed, asking many questions. Much discussion, a lot of prayer. Oh God lead us, guide us! If this is of you, make it possible this is of man, let it fail or fall through. One man said: “If you don’t give God a chance, you can’t say God did not come through.” They advised to put in a request for the land and go to the bank for the loan. Following God’s instruction and with their approval, WHM was able to purchase forty acres joining my property to the north. PRAISE GOD! Now! As Paul Harvey would say: For the rest of the story, read this. From the time we talked to the bank about a loan we had scratched up with the help of gracious people we had fifty thousand to put down using the twenty-five thousand dollar truck down payment, the bank okayed that. The lawyer survey and attorney work took two and a half months to finalize. With others hearing and giving, we were able to pay one hundred thousand down leaving a remainder of sixty-five thousand to pay. Praise God! Praise God! I know that you are probably tired of reading, but I am not through. Remember earlier in the letter we said we were not satisfied? We wanted to reach out. Reach different people. God has answered our prayer in many ways. It is all His!! There are many questions still. 1. We will not beg for money to make this happen. If God wants this to continue, He will provide in the way He sees fit. 2. We will develop it as funds allow. 3. We will not drown in debt.
continued on next page
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4. The WHM Round Pen Ministry will continue as it has for the last eighteen years. We will not slack up. We are going strong. A VIEW FROM ABOVE: What is the purpose and goal of the new land? 1. A 24 hour/365 day chapel. Heated, cooled, couch, table, alter, music, prayer request box. A place to fine a quite time with God. 2. Office (s) 3. Pavilion Bible study, church, singing, parties, rent out, Christian movie night, bon fire 4. Trails Horse, walk, bike, golf cart (for elderly) archery. 5. Cabins (2 or 3 cabins) 6. Pond (for fishing and leisure) 7. RV hookups 8. Horse hotel 9. Cattle drive and hog catch and release (fenced in net wire) Possibilities Clinics, handicap riding, Rent U A Horse, horse boarding, riding lessons, training, for sale, petting wagon rides, train rides, challenge, putt putt golf, chuck wagon cooking, singing, camping, coffee shop and scavenger hunts for youth. Also other happenings this is about Lenora and how God has blessed her. October 2014. She buys seven acres of land, with no knowledge that in November that a small but beautiful house will be for sale. She agrees to buy the house. December 24 she pays the house in full. January 1, 2015, we move the house to her land and then head to Florida with WHM. Alex proposed to her gives her ring. February 12, 2015, her birthday, we set the house on blocks. Rain, mud prevent sewer, water, gas and electrical hookup. We eventually get them. Wedding May 9, 2015, four o’clock PM. She becomes Mrs. Lenora Renee Daily Schopp. Alex Schopp becomes a permanent member of our family and WHM team. It was a beautiful wedding. On April 6, 2015 our son Dan has been employed with Verizon Wireless. We are so proud. He has always been very sharp with all that kinda thing. So if you have a question or need any kinda assistance with any of your Verizon needs please give him a call at (318)663-5048 no matter where you are located in the USA. As for me and Ma– Paul and Joanna-we are in high gear. God help us to keep it all together. Excited, blessed by the best, anticipating. Booking and scheduling.
We are so blessed to be surrounded by the best people in the world. I mean all of you who will read this and all who receive this newsletter. Our WHM team has been so supportive. We cannot survive without them. They have stood by us faithfully. Our friends and our whole town. What a blessing they have been! I must say that I have the best neighbors anybody could have. I praise God for allowing me to live at Potlicker Crossing in Belah, Louisiana. Where will we, WHM, be in one year, three years, five years or ten years? Only God knows. All I know is I am determined to be in the center of His will. It is all about Him! We have been asked: Are you going to start a cowboy country church? Only God knows. At the present time, here is how I feel in my heart! The last thing we need around here is another church. We need to fill up the ones that are already here! You go support the church of your choice, letting God be your guide. Our aim and goal for WHM and the new land is to: 1. Reach people for Jesus Christ 2. Encourage them to follow Jesus Christ wherever He leads them; 3. To lift up the fallen; 4. To provide Christian education; 5. To provide Christian fellowship; 6. To provide Christian entertainment; 7. To provide Christian youth events; 8. To provide Christian ways to serve God 9. to provide Christian ways for service for elderly, handicapped, and shut-ins. 10. This list can go on and on…… We are open for suggestions and ideas. Please be informed that this is all in God’s hands. This is not a plea begging for money. Our God will provide. We will proceed as the funds come in and God directs. We are trusting for big things and even more. Well, we have shared our vision and shared our dreams. I hope you have got caught up in the excitement. Please pray for the Wild Horse Ministries and that God will be glorified through it all. It is all about Him. WILD HORSE MINISTRIES 460 APPLEBY RD TROUT, LA 71371 (318) 992-4667 WHMDAILY@GMAIL.COM WWW.WILDHORSEMINISTRIES.COM
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November 2015
Help your children learn gratitude by giving and serving and to be grateful for their God given blessings.
Show Gratitude by Giving & Serving POWERSOURCE ASK GOD: 1. To help your children be grateful for their God-given blessings. 2. To nurture servant hearts and attitudes in your family members. 3. To provide uplifting, gratifying serving opportunities for your entire family.
A 2013 study commissioned by the John Templeton Foundation found that most Americans have a “gratitude gap.” They believe gratitude is important and should be taught to children, but they don’t practice it very often—with one exception. Parents say they express gratitude frequently to their own children. Such modeling is a first step toward helping young people express thankfulness to others. One great way to show gratitude is serving others and forming habits of generosity. And such expressions of gratitude don’t have to be grand. Poet William Wordsworth said the “best portion” of good people’s lives are their “little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” Small acts of gratitude can make a big difference.
Follow these tips to help children grow into lifelong givers and servers: Choose fun, age-appropriate serving opportunities for your whole family, and keep them within reasonable time limits. As you serve, discuss with children what you’re doing—and why. As kids get older, encourage them to participate in anonymous serving projects to learn that generosity is its own reward. Let kids brainstorm their own acts of service. Create a family gratitude journal, designating one section for listing ways to give back to God. Reinforce the message that we give to and serve others because we love Jesus, who’s given so much.
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Ready, Set, Give! “Kids have a natural affinity to gratitude,” says Dr. Robert Emmons, author of Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier. “They often teach parents as much or more about gratitude than the other way around.” Gratitude has side benefits, too. Research shows that thankful kids get better grades, experience less depression, are more content, and maintain a more positive outlook on life. Encourage your kids to be grateful—and to give back—by offering them authentic experiences for sharing and serving. Sure, you may have to do these things alongside your children—but that’s a good thing. Get started with some of these fun ideas. Giving Challenge Introduce the
TEACHABLE MOMENTS Treasure Thanks Hide 100 pennies in a room. Have family members search for the pennies. Afterward, have them name one thing for which they’re thankful for every penny they found. Help younger children as needed. Read aloud Matthew 6:19-21. Ask: What are some things you treasure and why? What does this verse say about our treasures and our hearts? How can thankfulness help us keep our eyes on heaven? Take turns giving away pennies to other family members. With each penny, tell that person one thing about them for which you’re thankful. Then ask: When is it easy or difficult to share our blessings with others? How can we serve others with our blessings from God?
concept of “love languages” to help children explore different ways of giving. Brainstorm ideas for giving that are related to physical touch (giving hugs and foot rubs), quality time (walking together, doing a puzzle), gifts (making a drawing or bracelet), service (doing a chore), and kind words (writing a letter or story). Creative Blessings Hand out paper and pens or markers. Have family members write or draw a prayer for someone they know. It can be a prayer of thanksgiving for that person or for a specific need. Decorate the borders of the prayers, place them in envelopes, and mail or deliver them. Recognition Cookies Make several batches of cookies while talking about people who help others without much recognition (nurses, teachers, pastors, firefighters, paramedics, police officers, etc.). Have kids choose a group to deliver the treats to and decorate gift tags or write notes of thanks to those people to include with the treats. Marvelous Missions Bank Give
Close in prayer, thanking Jesus for His blessings and asking Him to show you ways to share those blessings with others.
family members each a tube of mini M&M’s. While eating the candies,
pick one to contribute to as a family. Decorate 3X3½-inch pieces of paper with the group’s name or a picture representing its work. Tape a paper around each empty tube to create quarter banks. After filling the banks (each will hold $20 in quarters), donate the money to that organization. True Servants Collect a variety of household items, and display them on a table. Take turns picking up an item and using it to serve another family member somehow. Read aloud John 13:3-5, 12-17. Discuss how it felt to serve and be served, why Jesus served his disciples, and how you can serve others in the week ahead. Grateful Givers At dinner time, have each family member jot on slips of paper reasons they felt blessed during their day, and place the slips in a Gratitude Jar. Pull out and read the blessings together occasionally. Also use a Giving Jar to collect ideas about ways to serve. Whenever you add a slip to the jar, pull out a giving slip, and start serving! Pitch in Together Ask your pastor or outreach committee about opportunities to serve as a family in or through your church.
discuss missions organizations and
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” —Luke 6:38
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MEDIA MADNESS
CULTURE & TRENDS MOVIE Title: Jem & the Holograms Genre: Live-action musical fantasy Rating: PG (for thematic material including reckless behavior, brief suggestive content, and some language) Cast: Aubrey Peeples, Molly Ringwald, Juliette Lewis, Ryan Guzman Synopsis: After a friend uploads a video to the Internet, a small-town girl becomes a pop superstar. The movie is loosely based on an ’80s cartoon and line of dolls. Our Take: Kids who dream of fame may be starry-eyed over Jem’s glam makeover, but the film also reveals the downsides of hitting it big. For older kids and preteens, the movie could spark discussions about how friendships change and how we can use our God-given talents for God’s glory.
BOOK Title: The Worst Class Trip Ever Author: Dave Barry Synopsis: The latest kids book from Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy writer Dave Barry centers around a middle school trip to Washington, D.C. When Wyatt and his best friend Matt encounter some strange men with a mysterious device on an airplane, it’s up to the boys to discover the truth and save the world—maybe. Our Take: Barry, who got his start writing humor pieces in his school newspaper, has been writing kids and young-adult books for years. This new adventure seems like goofy fun but also raises questions about not judging people by their appearances—a lesson everyone can stand to learn. The book is geared toward kids ages 9-12.
Games, Sites & Apps
Bible Stories? We often refer to events in the Bible as “stories,” but we may be doing a disservice. Studies show that children with a prior exposure to religion are less likely to be able to differentiate between factual and fantastical stories. (Wiley Online Library) The Value of Boredom Due to the constant stimulation of smart devices, cognitive psychologists warn that children are forgetting “how to be bored” and losing the benefits that come with it—such as creativity and emotional development. (trendbible.com)
QUICK STATS Underage Uploads Children as young as seven are uploading sexually explicit content. Of images uploaded by kids, 17.5 percent
Disney Infinity 3.0
Art for Kids Hub
Periscope
In the big lead-up to December’s Star Wars movie release, this game features characters from the franchise that can battle with counterparts from other Disney titles. It’s stuffed with nostalgia, thanks to a variety of characters found in the game’s Toy Box or unlocked on the screen by figurines.
A dad started this site to help other families create artwork together. Tutorials show kids how to draw, paint, and sculpt a wide variety of images, including favorite cartoon characters. Low-cost printable and a free subscription are also available. You can find the site at artforkidshub.com.
Twitter’s live-streaming app lets users broadcast video from a cell phone but also allows two-way, real-time communication and instant feedback. In just four months, the app garnered 10 million
depict children 15 and younger, and 7.5 percent depict children 10 or younger. Nearly 86 percent of the content was created with a webcam, not a cell phone. (Emerging Patterns & Trends Report Into Youth-Produced Sexual Content)
Quality vs. Quantity Quality trumps quantity when it comes to the time we users. It’s also raised con- spend with kids. A study published in cerns about online privacy the Journal of Marriage and Family and predators, so proceed shows virtually no relationship between the amount of time parents with care. spend with kids between ages 3 and This page is designed to help educate parents and isn’t meant 11 and how the kids turn out. to endorse any movie, music, or product. Our goal is to help you make informed decisions about what your children watch, read, listen to, and play.
(washingtonpost.com)
Our Links
www.cowboyfellowship.org
November 2015
Issue 76