Here is the video from this past week’s sermon:

You can download an audio only file by clicking here.

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Don’t forget Friday night 7pm here at The Heart we will have our “Deck The Heart”. We will pull out all the Christmas decorations and decorate the church. Be sure to bring your favorite Christmas goodie. The evening starts at 7PM. See you then!

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“Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” –Nehemiah 8:10

So what exactly is the joy of the Lord? I’ve been struggling with this somewhat nebulous concept since we started this series last week. It seems so trite and cheesy. Almost as if it’s overuse has diminished its value or potency. But it’s a theme repeated throughout the Scriptures. There is a strong connection between our strength and the joy of the Lord. So what does it mean “the joy of the Lord”?

I’m beginning to see the joy of the Lord as being related to burden. Jesus said that his burden is easy and his yoke is light. This idea is hard to swallow sometimes. We tend to make following Jesus a difficult and unnecessarily burdensome thing. We like to measure our relationship and devotion to Jesus in terms of do’s and do not’s. And so our faith becomes a works based process that is completely sterile. Furthermore we justify and rationalize and compare our devotion to Jesus with the perception of how well others are keeping up with the game. So we degenerate into a competition of morals. “They can’t do that.” “I would never.” “They call themselves Christians.” Through these statements we make subtle agreements that our own morality is somehow superior to that of those around us. All the while we shift our focus from the freedom of God’s grace to the burden of man’s behavior.

The end result: We’re grumple pusses.

Yup. We keep mental scorecards and if you don’t measure up your out and we’ll either let you know forthrightly or through more subtle gestures like gossip, or boycotting or passive guilt. (My stomach turns.)

How can we chose the joy of the Lord over our self-centered burdens of following him?

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Here is the video from this past Sunday’s sermon:

You can download an audio only file here.

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In case you missed it. This is the third in our Connection Cafe series. You can find them all on the media page here.

This is the third installment of our Connection Cafe series.

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Here is the video from this past Sunday’s sermon:

You can download an audio only file here.

Here is an image of the response card:

If you have questions or would like for someone to talk with you about this message send us an email or post a comment below.

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This year we are excited to be partnering with Union Public Schools and the “I Care” project. The purpose of this project is “to provide food and gifts for the less fortunate within its school district.”. You can find more information about the program here. Be sure to check out our angel tree and make a pledge. Your gift will help make someone’s holiday season a little brighter!

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You may have heard us talk about the Wodaabe of Niger. We got this email this past week about a fire that destroyed everything in their compound. Please take a couple of moments to read it and at the end I’ll let you know how you can help.

About two years ago, several families of the Woodaabe tribe made their way to the capital of Niger. They are traditionally nomadic herdsmen living in the sub-sahara desert.   They were searching for new opportunities in life after losing significant numbers of their animals during a severe drought. When they arrived in the capital city, one of their leaders became a follower of Jesus. He began coming to Hosanna church located in the city of Niamey. As this leader began to learn more and grow in his new faith in Christ, others from his village became interested in learning more about Christianity. Other families chose to come to Niamey to find new opportunities to support themselves. Hosanna church made the decision to begin a literacy program with them. Approximately 17% of the people of Niger are literate. A center was opened to help the people use their skills. The center provided a place for displaying and selling their crafts such as leather work, jewelry, clothing and traditional embroidered crafts. One by one, others among this unique group of people began to make the choice to follow Jesus. The joy that consumes them now is truly rooted in their new lives that they have discovered in Christ. The ladies have discovered that the new songs they sing have others wanting this new life in Christ that they have. Twenty-one Woodaabe  currently live in Niamey in one walled compound filled with traditional grass huts enjoying their communal life together. Within this compound, they also have set up a covered area with benches, a blackboard and one table which is used for their literacy classes. Every activity is done as a community. Yesterday, November 10, a fire raced through their compound and destroyed each of the 11 huts where they presently live. As others heard the news, people came to them and offered their help to not only try to salvage any item that could be saved but also to go and find the necessary things for them to have food to eat and a place to sleep for the night. Rice, beans, onions, salt, pepper, oil, and tomatoes were bought for them which provided food for their families, including five children.

Woodaabe men with headwraps

 Woodaabe women with their children

  The remains of a burned bicycle

Woodaabe literacy teacher looking at burned shelter and benches            

Woodaabe family looking at burned clothing

 Rice and pages of literacy books

The immediate needs to be met for these families are:

Food Provisions – rice, beans, oil, millet, powdered milk, onions, salt

Rebuilding of grass huts – cost of one grass hut per family is 50,000 cfa(approximately $100 US or 80 Euros)

Clothing and shoes for adults(16 adults)

Clothing for children is available here(5 children)

Utensils used for cooking – pots, firewood, drinking cups, plastic bowls

Equipment to refurnish the sheltered literacy area – Bibles, desks, tables, blackboard, literacy books, support poles and grass matting for the roof

Items for hygiene – soap, buckets, lotions for skin protection, powder for babies

Thank you very much for your friendship and your desire to serve the people of Niger

Your friends, Yacouba and Renate

If you would like to help out you can send your donation to:

The Heart Church

6215 S. 107^th E. Ave

Tulsa, OK 74133

Or:

Hosanna Institute of the Sahel

PO Box 487

Enid, OK 73702

Posted via email from theheartchurch’s posterous

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Here is the video from this past Sunday’s sermon:

If you prefer you can download an audio only file by clicking here.

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Got an email from Pastor Gregory today and thought that I would share it with you all here.

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Friends and partner we are inviting you to partner with us to provide lunch for children in Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone on Christmas Day, 25th. December 2009. Remember that Friday is the Muslim Worship Day and we will minister to their children to show them the love of the Savior of the World, JESUS CHRIST on that very DAY.

I am flying back to Africa on 22nd. December 2009. If the Lord leads you to partner with us for this children evangelistic outreach, please write a check to LIGHTHOUSE OUTREACHES INC and indicate on the memo: “Ivory Coast Account”. Please mail the check before 16th. December 2009 to:

Rev. Gregory B.I.K. Bangura
1800 South Jackson Avenue
Tulsa, OK 74107.

May the Lord keep you and cause His glorious face to continue to shine upon you as you share the joy of Christmas with the children in Africa.

In Christ

Gregory.

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