Jack Gill

Luke 9: 18-26

This youth retreat is led by a team from Liberty University. Worship and teaching times hosted at Purcellville Baptist, boys and girls small groups led by volunteers from Blue Ridge, overnight hosting by Blue Ridge families. Will include great teaching, discussion and prayer, service projects in the community, and tons of fun! Download the form and register today!

DNow Registration Form (pdf)

Deliver the form and payment to Blue Ridge Bible Church to complete your registration.

More details

When? Feb 24 @ 5:30pm to Feb 26 at noon

How much? $50
 (cost includes Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast and a t-shirt)

Registration deadline is February 15th

More info? Contact Rich Shipe at 540-338-2299 or rich@brbible.org

We hope to see you there!

Speaker: Tedd Tripp

March 30-31, 2012 at Blue Ridge Bible Church

Dr. Tedd Tripp draws on over 30 years of experience as a pastor, counselor, school administrator, and father in giving his valuable help to parents. Shepherding a Child’s Heart is about how to speak to the heart of your child. The things your child does and says flow from the heart. Luke 6:45 puts it this way, “…out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (NIV) Designed for parents with children of any age, this seminar provides perspectives and procedures for shepherding your child’s heart into the paths of life. Purchase his book here: Shepherding a Child’s Heart. Continue reading for complete details.

Plan to make this small investment in your family!

The cost is $20/$25 for single/couple before March 4

$30/$35 after March 4

Childcare will be made available. You must register for childcare by March 15.

Child care costs $10 for one child, $20 for two, $25 for three or more.

See below for additional details and conference schedule.

Space is limited, so register soon! Please note this conference is for adults only but we have prepared a terrific childcare program (0-12).

For those in need of childcare, we are offering a terrific program for children (ages birth to 12 years). Registrations for childcare must be done by March 15. Cost is $10 for one child, $20 for two and $25 for three or more. Your kids will enjoy our “Under the Sea” theme for the weekend, featuring a showing of the family film “Dolphin Tale” as well as sea-themed snacks, games, and fun activities. Friday night is movie night. Kids can come in their pajamas and enjoy “Dolphin Tale,” an inspiring true story of a dolphin named Winter who receives a second chance at life. Saturday morning the fun continues with plenty of games, activities, and Bible lessons that will captivate your little seafarer!

Register and pay online here.

Pastor Tedd Tripp’s Biographical Information

Tedd Tripp is the senior pastor of Grace Fellowship Church, Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He was married to Margy in 1968. They have three adult children and nine grandchildren. Tedd is a graduate of Geneva College, B.A. in History, Philadelphia Theological Seminary, M. Div., and Westminster Theological Seminary, D. Min. with an emphasis in Pastoral Counseling. Tedd is the author of the popular child-rearing book, Shepherding a Child’s Heart.

Tedd has been an elder in Grace Fellowship Church since 1976 and pastor of the church since 1983. Before seminary Tedd worked as a contractor and in industry.

Tedd and Margy founded Immanuel Christian School in 1979 where Tedd has served as a teacher and administrator. Tedd and Margy still serve on the board of ICS. From 1985-1997 Tedd served as a counselor in the Lehigh Valley office of the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation. Since 1994, Tedd has maintained an extensive ministry as a conference speaker and presenter of Shepherding a Child’s Heart Seminars. His books and video and audio materials are used throughout the world.

Schedule and Session Summaries

Friday Evening

6:30- 7:00 Registration

7:00- 8:00 Getting to the Heart of Behavior

The major theme of Shepherding a Child’s Heart is that the heart directs behavior. In this session Dr. Tripp presents an overview of several passages that teach that the heart is the wellspring of life. Since behavior is heart driven (Luke 6:45), it cannot be understood or addressed biblically in isolation from the heart. What a child says and does is a reflection of the abundance of his heart. This session explores some of the common ways that we try to address behavior without shepherding the heart, helping parents gain skill at working back from behavior to the heart unmasking heart issues for their children.

8:15- 9:15 Helping our Kids See the Glory of God

Shaping influences of childhood are the events and circumstances in a child’s developmental years that prove to be catalysts for the person he becomes. Shaping influences, however, are only half the story. Children are worshippers so they interact with the shaping influences of life out of the Godward orientation of their hearts. Since they are worshippers children either worship God or idols. They filter the experiences of life through a religious grid. Since their Godward orientation will determine the ways they respond to the shaping influences of life, one of the primary tasks of the parent is to help their children see the glories of God. They are made to be dazzled and awed by God. The parent’s calling is to help them see the glories and excellencies of the one for who they have been made. Psalm 145 describes parenting as “one generation commending the works of God to another.”

Saturday morning

8:30- 9:00 Breakfast: coffee, tea and light breakfast

9:00- 10:00 Early Childhood: Helping our Children Live Joyfully Under Authority

These early days are wonderful for helping children understand that they are designed to live under authority. Kind and gracious authority is a blessing for children since they lack wisdom, maturity and life experience. Our task is helping them see that God, who is good and kind, has designed them to function as people under authority. God has promised wonderful blessing for children who learn to honor and obey Mom and Dad.

10:15- 11:15 Childhood: Helping Children Understand How to Identify Attitudes of Heart

There are many issues that arise in shepherding our children that cannot be reduced to living under authority. The Bible teaches that the heart has strayed long before the behavior strays. We must help our children understand the heart attitudes that are behind common behavior problems. Focus on the heart keeps before us the need for the transformation that grace brings. This session will present a paradigm for getting from behavior to heart attitudes and helping children understand ways that their straying hearts show how profoundly they need the forgiveness, grace and empowerment of the gospel.

11:25 – 12:30 p.m. Teenagers: Helping Young People Embrace the Gospel as their own Living Faith

This is the time to pass the baton of faith from one generation to the next. There are foundational issues in Proverbs 1: the fear of the Lord, remembering your parent’s words and disassociation from the wicked. The parent accomplishes the tasks of this developmental stage through rich biblical communication. We will discover that the finest art of communication is to understand the other person, in this case our teen.

Since it launched in December, we have now used Community Builder (CB) to invite and register women for the January retreat, which also conveniently included paying for registrations by credit card online. It was used to sign up people for the March for Life. Our LIFE group leaders are using it to communicate with their groups and to manage their rosters. Our deacons are scheduling worship service security teams. The Belize summer missions team is tracking their preparations to go this summer. Many thanks to those of you who are building the community and finding new uses for it. This is a “continuing education” project so watch for future demonstrations, or you can always contact me with questions or instructional needs.

One especially handy tool for everyone is the online giving. We offered that in the past through our previous software, but this one is even easier to set up and manage. It’s convenient, consistent, secure and deliberate, allowing you to give “cheerfully” rather than sitting in the worship service and realizing you forgot your checkbook…ooops again. So if you have not considered giving this way before, take a moment and check it out. Login, click on “give” and follow the prompts. Or you can go to your profile and click on “give” or “financial.” If you have any questions, just contact me any time.

Another use for CB is matching up people with special interests…or matching those who have a freezer to give away with those who are looking for one…or matching those who need some work done around their house with skilled people in our church family. We have started a group called “Bulletin Board for Needs” which you can request to join and then communicate with others in that group. We have also created “Workforce Ministries Lunch Group.” This is the ministry which holds monthly lunches for business people who want to integrate their faith with their workplace. You can request to join that group and William Kirkwood will send you updates and invitations. If you have a special interest and want to know if there are others in our church family with the same interest, contact me and we can set up a group for you. To see the current groups available, go to Groups > discover a new group > search, and the entire group list pops up.

Check out Blue Ridge Community Builder today!

We will celebrate Super Bowl Sunday on February 5 by a canned food drive for our annual “Souper” Bowl Sunday! We will join more than a quarter of a million young people around the country who use Super Bowl Sunday as a way to raise awareness of local hunger relief charities. The food we collect will go to Tree of Life Food Pantry right here in Purcellville. Urgent food needs include: canned vegetables, canned fruits, canned meats, canned beans, canned soups and chili, 100% juices, peanut butter & jelly, honey, rice & pasta, spaghetti and tomato sauce, macaroni & cheese, baking items such as flour, sugar, vegetable oil, pancake mix and syrup, cake mixes and frosting, condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise), breakfast cereal, ground coffee and tea.

Thank You Night is a chance for clubbers to express gratitude for those who influence and serve for Christ. We want to instill an attitude for gratitude.

On Heart Night we will examine the condition of our hearts. There will be a special council time message and some awesome treats!

Leap Day is only celebrated every four years. We will leap between activities all night long! Join us for some high flying adventure!

Just an administration note: When we have to cancel Awana due to weather, we will make every effort to call all our clubbers to inform them. The church website will have up-to-the-minute information as well. And don’t forget to follow the church on Twitter for all the latest information.

February 5 – Souper Bowl Sunday!

February 12 – Thank You Night

February 19 – Heart Night

February 26 – Leap Night

By Geni Hall

Actually, I really wasn’t all that interested in writing those cards. It was a lot of work and hassle as far as my eight-year-old self was concerned. However, when I got to class on Valentine’s Day, I was very interested in receiving those Valentine wishes from others!

Somehow, there is something about a note addressed to us that really gets our interest. Whenever someone takes the time to get out a piece of paper…or buy a card…and then personalize it by writing something nice…well, that just really grabs us. It’s the same way with a note sent via email. I haven’t met anyone that quickly dismissed a truly encouraging note. (Even today I keep a folder in my email account labeled “encouragement!”)

Taking the time to consider someone else is a form of love. I think that’s why we read in our Bible to:

… encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, … encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24–25

On Valentine’s Day, you will seek to encourage your spouse or your romantic interest with your love and recognition of them. You want them to be affirmed and even built up by your words. But encouragement is not meant to be practiced occasionally. It is something that we all need, and frequently!

When was the last time you thought to drop a note of encouragement to someone else—like maybe the cleaning people in your office? Or your co-worker? Ever thought to give your babysitter a boost? Perhaps the coach of your child’s sports team could use a little note, especially after giving up countless hours to your child. Maybe it’s a neighbor that could use a little affirmation. Or what about that LIFE group leader…or even the host of your LIFE group?

Who is it in your sphere of life that could use a little boost? This month as we see those little pictures of Cupid shooting his arrows of love on Valentine’s Day, maybe we could also remember to shoot a little encouragement to one another as well!

Luke 9:10b-17

Jack Gill

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Our faithful graphics designers for the newsletter, Chris and Amy George, will continue to prepare an abbreviated version for distribution on our display walls in both foyers, as well as inserted in our Welcome folders, as an option for those who prefer “holding” the newsletter in your hand.

Find the archive of newsletters here.

Luke 9:1-11