Denied Prayers and the Crucifixion
Here are some great thoughts from February 21st’s Sunday School lesson on Mark 14. I encourage everyone to add their own by clicking “Leave a Comment” above.
Perry
Hi Perry,
I don’t have the email address for Daniel [Burbank] or I would have emailed him with this. Sometimes the ‘teacher’ in me just refuses to be silent. There was a point that I wanted to make last Sunday during class but we just ran out of time and Daniel was busy after class. But I was still hoping to make the point.
When you listen to prayers and praises over a period of time, you see a pattern that is very common among us. We pray for many things, for healing, for events to unfold as we’d like, for situations to be untangled, for growth, for deeper faith, etc. But what about the praises? Typically, we offer our praises when our prayers have been answered the way we wanted them to be answered. It is rare that we offer praises for prayers that appear to be unanswered or answered with a ‘no’.
So hold that thought for a second.
We say again and again that Jesus already went through anything and everything that we have to go through so He knows what it’s like. The one aspect of that which I almost never hear mentioned is that Jesus also endured prayer that appeared to be unanswered or answered with a ‘no’. When He was in the garden before His capture, He prayed that if possible the cup might be taken from Him. Yes, He continued on with the ‘Thy will not My will’ part which is certainly paramount in importance. But I think we too often lose sight of the fact that Jesus asked for the cup to be lifted from Him and the Father’s answer was ‘no’ … and we have offered praises to the Father for centuries now because His answer was ‘no’ (since He knew His plan was necessary and better).
So the bottom line is that right here is our shining example that even when our prayers appear to be unanswered or not answered the way we want them to be, we need to offer praises to God for everything.
The 21 year old son of my a friend of mine just died of brain cancer a few weeks ago. Joe [name changed] was a Godly young man … he loved the Lord and he was involved in a number of kinds of service to the Lord … real service. But he got a tumor a few years ago and battled and suffered for about 3 years, before losing the battle. I and many, many others prayed for Him so many times; we prayed for healing, but it just didn’t happen. It’s so hard for us to fathom. It’s like the pain that Pastor David spoke of on Sunday morning [see sermon from 2/7/10]…. deep pain … and difficulty with understanding. I am not a person who believes that God orchestrates every little thing that happens … some would say Joe had that tumor because God wanted him to …. I don’t believe that. BUT There had to be a reason why God chose not to remove it, even if I can’t see it and his family can’t see it and his church can’t see it. God could have healed that tumor if He so chose, but He chose not to, despite hundreds of prayers.
At the funeral service, they chose to celebrate Joe’s life and to trust that God knows what He’s doing. If God could say no to His son when He asked to be spared from what was to come because God knew it would be for the good of all who loved Him (Mark 14:36), then surely we can still offer our praises to God when He says no to us …. and we can REST in the assurance that although we may never understand it on this side of heaven, it will be used for good.
Sorry that this grew to be a little lengthy … sometimes when I get started I have a little trouble curbing the words. I struggled with whether to write this or not; sometimes things like this can appear to come from pride or a desire to be seen and heard. Sometimes they do stem from those things. I have prayed for God to remove any hint of pride from my words and from my heart. I don’t know if He answered that one or not … I hope so. But I just wanted to offer a little insight that probably didn’t come from me … I’m just another pile of filthy rags when I operate in my own power.
Tom Haywood
Super Bowl Parties
The Singles Ministry of Richland Creek has THREE Super Bowl parties this Sunday, February 7th. All include food, football and fellowship. Click on the link below to find out about your class’s party: 
Young Professionals click here to ask about the party class info
Singles With Children click here to ask about the party class info
Singles of All Ages click here to ask aobut the party class info
Chili on a Chilly Night for ALL Singles!
Join us for a Chili Cook-Off and Game Night at RCCC on Saturday, January 23, 2010 starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Judging begins at 5:45 p.m. with the winners announced at 6:00 p.m. There will be a winner in each of the following categories: Mild Chili, Spicy Chili, and Non-Traditional Chili. **GIFT CARDS WILL BE AWARDED!** To enter your chili, please sign up in one of the above categories. You may make more than one kind of chili if you wish. We currently have 6 entries. Remember, this will be our “dinner” so bring plenty to share.
Remember to bring your favorite game to share with the group. We’ll have a variety to choose from so there will be something for everyone! And…bring a friend or three…ALL Singles are invited and welcome! See you there!
It’s not too late to sign up for the Chili Cook-Off! Let us know TODAY so we can be sure we have enough food for everyone. Call (919-435-6281) or email Stacy Rist (stayc4jc@yahoo.com) or Daphne Taylor (toglorygodnall@yahoo.com) or click here to sign up.
We also need other food items, such as tortilla chips, Fritos corn chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, other chili condiments are welcome! If you’d rather bring drinks or desserts, we are in need of both (especially drinks). If you are available to help with set up or clean up for this event, we’d appreciate the help! Just contact one of the ladies above to let us know what you are bringing and how you can help. Thanks!
“The Creek” Now Offers Four Services!
Service Times and Worship Styles:
- 8:00 am – Traditional Worship
- 9:00 am – Blended Worship
- 10:15 am – Contemporary Worship
- 11:30 am – Contemporary Worship
And, the Singles Ministry begins its 4th class:
- 9:00 am – Singles of All Ages (E-2), led by Perry Safron
- 10:15 am
- Young Professionals (20-29) (D-3), led by Currie Tilley
- Singles of All Ages (E-2), led by Daniel Burbank
- Singles with Children (C-1), led by Sheldon Alexander
Where will you fit in?
Worship and Sunday School are the “dynamic duo” that helps us to fit in and thrive. With all of the excitement, be sure to pick your place and make it “home.” Need to find a class for a child, family member, or friend? Click here to see the list.
New Year’s Eve Outreach
What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?
Why not spend a few hours sharing the gospel at the Triangle’s biggest party of the year?
Serving as volunteers for the First Night Raleigh, we’ll save the $12 admission fee and enjoy a meal together in downtown Raleigh. Afterward, we’ll head to Fayetteville Street and ask folks what new year’s resolution they pinned on the “RESOLUTION OAK TREE.” This will serve as our opportunity to share the greatest resolution of all:
“But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13-14)
RSVP by noon on Tuesday, December 28th or you will have to pay the $12 admission fee in order to be admitted to the event.
Click here to RSVP
SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31ST:
- 4:50-5:15 pm, Pray at RCCC. Google map
- 5:15-6 pm, Travel in car pools to downtown Raleigh
- 6-7 pm, Eat, Perry to check-in the group
- 7-9 pm, Serve as “Button Checker/Ushers”
- 9-11 pm, Share the gospel at the “Resolution Oak Tree”
- 11 pm – midnight, Fun (witnessing is still allowed!) listening to live music, watching “the acorn” drop, fireworks
- Midnight – 1:15 am, Travel back to RCCC
QUESTIONS? Email or call Perry at (919) 417-1463
Ladies Only!
You are cordially invited to attend the Christmas Tea on December 4th at 7:30 -9:30 p.m.
The singles ministry has only reserved four tables so please see one of our hostesses for a ticket if you would like to sit with the singles group. Tickets are
Tea Time!
$3.00 each and are available from Tracy Schofield at 426-3166, Judy, Brenda McNeely at 906-6481 and Anita Safron at 417-0124. Please get your ticket soon to reserve your place. All money needs to be collected before November 28th. Also we encourage you to invite friends and co-workers – this is a great outreach opportunity! Please make sure to purchase tickets for your guests as well, to reserve their seat. We look forward to spending time together during this special evening!
Tea Time!
New home group begins Tuesday, October 13th
The Storyteller’s chronological Bible study
begins Tuesday night at 7:00.
Bring your Bible, bring a guest, and come on out!
The Bonfire is Friday Night!
Things are shaping up nicely for Richland Creek’s annual bonfire, on Friday, October 9th!
http://richlandcreeksingles.com/bonfire/
The menu features home-made, cooked on the fire, Brunswick Stew. On the side we will have hot dogs (for those who might not like the stew), 
chips, and s’mores that you can cook yourself. Please bring a lawn chair and any guests that you like. Also, we could use some metal coat hangers for cooking the hot dogs and marshmallows.
This event is kid-friendly, as brother Ray Taylor will have his tractor out for the hay ride. And, don’t forget the music! John Jurewicz, and Jeff McLain will be leading us in praise and worship. After the meal, we will have a short devotion by Heath O’Brien.
See you soon,
Perry Safron
P.S. Click the link above to see directions and to tell us that you’re coming.
Potluck Cancelled–Sunday, October 4th
Sunday’s potluck (October 4th) was cancelled to allow folks to attend the Leadership Luncheon in the church’s Fellowship Hall. Simply Email Perry to reserve your place (and sandwich!) at the luncheon. Thanks, Perry
From Pastor David:
These are exciting times at The Creek as we continue to see people saved, lives changed, and record numbers in attendance. This is the Lord’s work and His doing! Yet, He works through the faithfulness of His people. With that in mind, I thank and praise the Lord for each of you and how He is using your efforts to advance the Kingdom of God! It’s exciting to be a part of a church family that is growing both spiritually and numerically. Exciting, but I believe this is just the beginning of what the Lord will do at Richland Creek.
OK, important news: We will have a leadership meeting on Sunday, Oct. 4th after the 3rd Worship Service (12:30pm- 1:45pm). We will have lunch catered by Quizznos. I am asking each of you to make every effort to attend this meeting and bring future leaders in your areas. We will discuss two very important items:
First, we will briefly follow up on our last leadership meeting in May where we discussed our growth and going to 4 service times on January 17, 2010. Praise the Lord for the unanimous decision and the overwhelming number of leaders that said, “I’m in. Amen.”
Second, we want to address the opportunity and urgency of creating more space. The Legacy children and student building is in our sight, and we look to make this a reality!!! Generosity, our upcoming stewardship emphasis, sets forth a surge toward this reality! While we will discuss Generosity more fully at the luncheon, let me just say that this surge incorporates our Sunday School, worship services, and more. Our Sunday School classes led by Dr. Coley will teach biblical stewardship and God’s generosity during the 4 Sundays in October. Additionally, we plan to distribute a tremendous book, entitled Generosity, to every family in the church! Our Sunday morning services on Oct. 18th and 25th will be dedicated to clarifying and communicating our history and our vision moving forward. This vision involves retiring the current debt, the acquisition of more land, and the construction of more space to continue to disciple the people the Lord is leading to the Creek. The purpose of this leadership luncheon is to share thoughts and ideas about our growth and to make sure we are all on the same page as we move into this very important time. Thank you for being a vital part of all of this!!!
Let’s work together, pray together, and make disciples – proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ from our neighborhoods to the nations (Acts 1:8). I hope to see you at our Leadership Luncheon on Sunday Oct. 4th. To help the kitchen team know how to prepare, please let me know if you are unable to attend.
I love you all,
Pastor David Sims
SINGLE COOKOUT SATURDAY CARPOOL
Hello Everyone,
Quick reminder about the Singles Cookout at Falls Lake on Saturday. If you want to carpool please be at the church at 9:00 AM, but I also need you to reply to my email so that I know who to expect and so we don’t leave anyone behind
I can take 4-5 folks in my van depending on if you have “stuff” that you’re bringing along.
For those who don’t want to swim, maybe bring a game; I will be bring Phase 10 which 8 folks can play.
Don’t forget if you want to carpool to reply to this email.
Thanks alot! Hope to see you there!!!!
Brenda, email Brenda
