Rancho del Rey Church
Newsletter
Winter 2010
1740 La Costa Meadows Dr. #200 San Marcos, CA 92078
www.ranchodelreychurch.org (760) 591-4881 info@ranchodelreychurch.org
Marriage & Parenting Class - They are the most important human relationships you will ever have. Why don't more people take time to get trained in how they operate?
Rancho del Rey Church presents two classes in one. 8-week Marriage/Parenting class Monday nights, beginning February 1 at 6:30 p.m.Marriage from 6:30-7:20 p.m., Parenting from 7:30-8:30 p.m. (Sign up for one OR both!)
Pastor Matt Tague will be teaching this 8-week class. Matt has been married to his wife Kelli for sixteen years and they have five children. He is the Senior Pastor of Rancho del Rey Church in San Marcos.
Cost: $25 for individuals, $40 per couple
To sign up, email matt@ranchodelreychurch.org
Childcare is available for children under 10. The cost is $5 per child, per class. Please contact Marli Tague at shinebrighter4him@att.net to reserve your child care in advance.
TOUR OF DUTY -- A 7-WEEK SERIES HAPPENING NOW ON SUNDAY MORNINGS AT RdR.
This could be the most important series I have ever taught in terms of helping you see the importance of your responsibility for the life of the church and how that affects the rest of the church. Many people believe that "going" to church on Sunday mornings is the only thing they have to do as Christians. They couldn't be more wrong. There is so much more to the Kingdom of God.
Find out how you can fulfill your seven primary duties as a member of the community that God is using to change the entire world. Don't be fooled into thinking that church is just a place. Come discover your God-ordained role in the advancement of God's kingdom on the earth.
Commit to not missing one week now through Feb. 21st. - Pastor Matt
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Haiti Earthquake Update
Pastor Aaron has compiled the latest information for us from the orphanage we visit in Haitit.
Update from Child Hope International:
I have been keeping up with the latest news from the Maison de Lumiere orphanage in Haiti. God has been so gracious! The prayers answered in just a week since the earthquake hit cannot even be numbered. Instead of trying to condense everything into one update, I thought I would give you Bill Manassero's latest newsletter. Please continue to keep them in your prayers as the long road of recovery and ministry during this devastating time in Haiti is far from over. You can donate to the ministry by following the link below and also see a short video slide of some recent pictures of the orphanage and their work.
Contributions: eDivvy.com has offered to match 5% of whatever we raise for earthquake relief. If you would like to contribute to earthquake relief please go to http://www.edivvy.com/childhope. Your contributions are tax deductible. We have made a special thank you video for all the generosity! http://bit.ly/6EI0y9
Follow this link for the latest blog updates from Bill Manassero (Child Hope International Missionary): http://www.childhope.org/about/earthquake.html
Here is a portion of the latest newsletter sent yesterday:
Hands and Feet - After the earthquake, most schools have closed. This includes the school the Manassero children go to. We need teachers who can come to Haiti and finish out the school year with the children. We need teachers all the way from kindergarten to high school. If you are fluent in teaching in French that is a plus. If you are available or know someone who is and can stay for the remainder of the school year, please contact us immediately (see link at the end of this section).
In addition to this, we also need structural engineers and masons to help us rebuild walls and homes. We are looking for people who can stay for a month or longer to help us rebuild. We are also looking for a doctor for at least a few months assignment who can oversee our clinic.If you fit one of the above skill sets and can come for an extended period please sign up immediately at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102951735045&s=863&e=001Q_VV5f_lZsPOnqwrRE4pJ0fLejoINAjZM0NOlCivg_42fNcV-OIj4b6erbqgfwqCXTMwqlXj3_Sv37QMcKQkqm0fN_KIByxAqRQBsRorHm3k-hT78MXEt5TJGT6VzGSo92eoz_fb9gjrJzux1rQAUfCROSGXaizfUAs-1dRuIHA=
Missions Trips - If you are interested in going on a missions trip before, or have signed up online we ask that you read the note below in its entirety:
Thank you for expressing an interest in bringing a team or joining a team to bring much needed relief and support to Child Hope and the Haitian people in Port au Prince Haiti. Bill and Susette Manassero and other volunteers of Child Hope are currently addressing the immediate needs in the aftermath of the recent earthquake. At the same time they are assessing, prioritizing and trying to match the skill sets needed from volunteers to meet the needs at CHI and their immediate neighborhood. All teams currently scheduled to come are temporarily on-hold. At this point, the skill set priority for teams coming to CHI are as follows:
1. Pastoral care/Bible teaching
2. Limited medical personnel
3. Structural engineers
4. Demolition and removal
5. Masonry workers (when supplies are available)
6. Plumbers (when supplies are available)
7. Electricians (when supplies are available)
8. Child Care/Teachers
9. Worship leaders
10. Water
11. Sanitation
12. Educators
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One Service
Sunday, February 21, 10:00 a.m.
As a key part of our 7-week Tour of Duty series, we will have only one service on February 21. The Tour of Duty topic that morning will be WORSHIP. We want the entire congregation to be together for this remarkable journey through individual and corporate biblical worship. Be sure to be part of this exciting and engaging service. Pastor Matt will be teaching and the entire RdR worship team will be leading us as we worship God together.
Jr. Higher's! 6-8th graders! 12 - 14 year olds!
Our jr. High group now meets every Sunday morning after the coffee break at the 10:00 am service. You can sit with your parents during the worship and then during the coffee break you can go back to the Student Ministries room. This group will cover the same matieral that the adults are covering on Sunday morning, but with examples and life application geared toward them. JC Cooper is in charge. his email is jccooper14@yahoo.com .
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In the News
More Americans than ever dislike their jobs. A recent story from MSNBC, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34691428/ns/business-careers/, looks at the increased dissatisfaction Americans have with their jobs and some of the fallout that will result from this in the coming years. As Christians, it is important that we see work from a biblical perspective. Read the article and then spend some time asking God what you can be grateful about in your current job situation.
Adoption hits the forefront for Christians
Christianity Today recently ran a story on some of the cultural and political aspects of Christians adopting children. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/january/7.12.html?start=2 Adoption is definitely something you must be called by God to do, but think about one statement from the article. "If every Christian church in America produced one adopting family for an older child, we could wipe out the list of 'waiting children.'" Evangelical Christians in America have long spoken out against abortion and homosexuality, and both causes need articulate Christian defenders. Isn't it also time, however, that we Christians prayerfully consider the need for adoptive parents? After all, this is one of the central theological aspects in our relationship with God.
Muslim violence against Christians continues.
Fox news reported that churches in Malaysia have been targeted in response to a government ruling allowing the churches to use the word "Allah" in reference to God. Muslims believe that it is sacrilege to allow a non-muslim to use the term Allah in reference to God. As usual, the Muslim response is violence. Churches in Malaysia and Indonesia are often targets of Muslim violence. Please remember to pray for believers in these areas of the world. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,582694,00.html?test=latestnews
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The Parable of the Talents
2010 has begun. Time just continues to fly! I heard once that the older you get, the faster each year goes by because each year constitutes less and less of a percentage of your overall life. Therefore, each year is a shorter experience in your life. To a 4-year-old, the year he is four constitutes 1/4 of his life. For me, 2010 constitutes only 1/36 of my life. WOW. The years really do FLY!
In all seriousness, I have recently been impressed again by the parable of the talents found in Luke 19:11-27. In this parable, a wealthy landowner goes to a faraway country to be crowned king, but before he goes, he distributes money to his servants. The story is about what they do with his money and his response when he returns. I would like to share with you some of the thoughts I have had as I meditated on this passage. First, you should know that the wealthy landowner is God and we are the servants. That is the context of the story.
A major theme is the time period between our receiving our gifts, or talents, and our judgment before God. In fact, Jesus told this parable "to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away." Luke 11:11. Most of us come to know the Lord and then spend decades living the Christian life. At times it can seem tedious, but when we stand before the Lord, I'm sure it will seem like a passing moment in time. We all look back on our lives and think about how quickly things have gone. I am sure the moment of our judgment will be no exception. When the end of our lives comes, will we be satisfied with the kind of life we lived and how we used what he gave us?
Another thing that really hits me is the reward that Jesus gave his servants. It boggles my mind. The amount given to each servant at the beginning of the story was significant. Jesus split up ten pounds of silver. That was the equivalent of two-and-a-half years' pay for a worker. So, let's say that the average white-collar worker in Southern California makes $50,000 a year. Jesus gave his servants the equivalent of $125,000. That is not a small sum of money. This immediately shows me that our gifts and abilities are not leftovers or something that nobody wants. Have you ever left a $100 bill on the sidewalk? If you did, people would be jumping over themselves to grab it.
Be that as it may, the amount Jesus invested in his servants pales in comparison to the reward he gave them. He told one faithful servant, "You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward." Luke 11:17. It would be easy for me to say that this is like one of us becoming the governor of California. But it's better. Here is why: In Jesus' day, the social classes were firmly entrenched and if you were born a servant, you remained a servant for life. If you could buy your freedom, you would remain a very poor free man for life. In America, we elect our leaders, but that was not the case in the ancient Middle East. What Jesus told this faithful servant is that he had been exalted to a completely different sphere of life and influence, including receiving massive amounts of responsibility and prestige. This would have been beyond his wildest dreams. For us, it is like Jesus saying, "I now give you authority over the continent of North America, along with an annual salary of $500 million." WOW. It may seem a little sophomoric to look at our eternal rewards in such a physical way, but I think that may be exactly why Jesus told this story. You can be sure that our heavenly experience will be in some way determined by the way we put our earthly talents to use. Please think about this. There could be much more riding on it than you know. How are you using the investment that God has poured into you?
-Pastor Matt
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Raising kids to Do Hard Things!
Coming February 12-13 at the Anaheim Marriott is a special conference for all parents who want to know how to raise godly kids in the 21st century. Gregg Harris is the father of Josh Harris, who wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye, as well as Brett and Alex Harris, who wrote Do Hard Things. Gregg will be speaking and leading the way as we discover what the Bible has to say about parenting. To sign up for this conference, go to the website here.
This conference is very affordable. Tickets are selling now for only $60 for both days. You can stay in Anaheim overnight or drive home. If you choose to stay in Anaheim, rooms are available through the conference at a reduced price.
"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord."
Ephesians 6:4
Parenting can be a great experience!
All church prayer night.
Special Night of Prayer at RdR
Sunday night, February 21, at 6:00 p.m. Join us as we gather in the sanctuary and pray for our fellowship. We will worship and pray as we seek the Lord for the coming year in the life of our church. God is doing big things in the life of RdR this year and we want you to be a part of it. Make a commitment to be there and ask God to do incredible things in and through RdR in 2010.
"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."
Ephesians 6:18
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My Blog is finally back up and running here . It has been down for about three weeks because of some, uh, technical difficulties . . . actually, I accidentally deleted it! :-(
I will, however, be back blogging at that address very soon.
In addition to that, in the next few weeks, please look for my other site, www.matttague.com as I begin a verse-by-verse commentary blog on the Gospel of Luke. If you love to study your Bible, check it out. Or, if you have trouble doing your devotions on a regular basis, use it as a guide for a verse or passage that doesn't seem to make sense to you.
Also, you can join the RdR online community by becoming a fan of Rancho del Rey Church on Facebook. Just click here on RdR's Facebook page.
I also have a Twitter account, which you can follow by clicking HERE or by going to http://twitter.com/Matttague
And, as always, the main source for everything RdR on the Web can be found at www.ranchodelreychurch.org
-Pastor Matt
Lots of valuable stuff here!
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One foot in front of the other.
Keep on that Path!
"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." Matthew 7:13-14
Remember, there is nothing as valuable as meeting Jesus at the end of the narrow path. Nothing in your life, nothing in your relationships, nothing in your finances, nothing in your job, nothing in your hobbies or desires, no pleasure, no prospect, no business deal, no frustration, no bitterness, no jealousy, nothing.
I keep a reminder of the shortness of life on my laptop. It is a simple statement. It just says, "This could be your last day." I constantly need to remind myself that I am working for eternity in Jesus.
The 10 Commandments
Right now during our Christian Development segments each Sunday morning, we are learning all about the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments were given by God to the Israelites in Exodus 20:1-17. So far we have covered the first three commands. This Sunday we will cover the fourth. See if you can follow along each Sunday by memorizing each new command. All you have to do right now is memorize the first three.
1. You shall have no other god but me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol of any kind.
3. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
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Learn the pillars of Rancho del Rey Church
Foundations 101 Class
The next Foundations class will take place on Sunday, February 28 at 12:00 p.m. If you are relatively new to RdR, this is the perfect class for you. You will learn the vision of Rancho del Rey Church and how you can get involved in what God is doing here. Meet the staff, ask questions, and get to know others who are new to the church. You will also grow in your understanding of the beliefs of our church. The Foundations class is the first step toward becoming more involved in the life of our church. And hey, you'll also get a free lunch! To sign up, contact info@ranchodelreychurch.org
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Every drop helps water the soil.
Financial Update - We know finances continue to be tough on everybody. We are happy to report that the giving for the last two months of 2009 met our budget and we are on track in 2010. "On track," however, simply means that we are not falling behind. Our average giving through the first three weeks of the new year has been $6,659 per week, which is almost exactly where last year's giving ended up. So please continue to pray about what you can give regularly to help RdR progress financially this year. Our elders and staff are determined to get us out of debt and into a place of financial strength within the next 3 to 4 years. Thank you for your help and faithfulness in your financial giving. Please continue to pray about our facility situation. Our landlord denied our request for an immediate rent reduction. We are still in negotiations with him about a renewal of our current lease, which would begin in September of this year. It is an interesting time for us as we seek God's will on where he wants us in the future.
If you would like to donate to RdR, you can do so online here. You can also set up a monthly online donation through this site.
What great things will God do through us this year?
Upcoming Events & Classes
Missions Prayer Night - Friday, January 29, at Mike and Amy Yordt's home. For more info, contact amysbooks@roadrunner.com
All Church Prayer Night - Sunday, February 21 at 6:00 p.m.
Foundations 101 Class - February 28 at 12:00 p.m.
Easter Service - Easter is April 4. Remember to put this date on your calendar and to pray for who God would like you to invite to our Easter Services this year.
Financial Peace University - This 13 week class by Dave Ramsey will also begin in April. The first class will be Tuesday night, April 13. For more information, contact the class facilitator, Steve Webber, at Steve@aloha12.com.
For more information about these or any other events, please contact info@ranchodelreychurch.org
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"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20
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