You are here: Home / Archives for cambodia

God in a Fortune Cookie

February 17, 2010 By

Sometimes God appears to us in the most unexpected places. It may be through a sunset, a card from a friend, the lyrics of a song, or even through a fortune cookie. I was eating lunch at Shong Hey’s in Trenton last Thursday with a couple of pastor buddies and when the waitress brought us our fortune cookies I opened mine, expecting to read something generic about great happiness coming my way. Instead, I found a line that would not have applied to anyone at the table but me:
"You will soon be crossing great ocean waters for an incredibly rewarding experience."

When I read it I laughed, picturing God with a big smile on His face, nudging an angel in heaven and saying “Watch this!” It was just another way that He has shown me that His hand is on the trip we will take next Monday. But it also reminded me that we have a God who is intimately involved in the lives of His children. And if we will open our eyes, we will see His reminders all around us. Even in a fortune cookie.

The members of our Cambodia team from Twin Oaks have had many “God Sightings” over the past several months as we worked toward next week’s journey. His fingerprints are all over our team as He has provided resources, vision, peace, and encouragement in so many ways. We’ve seen how He has assembled a strong team that will do good work in showing His love and bringing healing to hundreds of Cambodian children. Some of the confirmations of God’s blessing and presence have come through you as you donated cans and bottles, bought dolls or sewed dresses for them, or provided medicine for our guide’s children’s ministry. Thank you so much for being part of this mission, and for loving the girls of Rapha House through us. God appears to us in many ways, and He has made His presence clear through you. With your help we are looking forward to “…crossing great ocean waters for an incredibly rewarding experience."

Prayer team and blog – We know that many of you will go with us through your prayers next Monday. So that you may pray for us by name allow me to list the members of our Twin Oaks Cambodian team: Carolyn Atcheson, Sara Barr, Jack Catton, Jessica Chrisekos, Harvey Lucier, Tara McKee, Greg Paddock, Candi Pattison, John Perfetti, Heather Rice, Fred Vanhalla, Chris and Randy Wheeler. If you would be willing to commit to pray for us for the 10 days of our trip, please email me and I will send you a prayer request list and give you the link to our blog so you can hear about the work and get regular updates. Thank you again for all of your support.

DAVE RAMSEY – “Life. Money. Hope” – Beginning THIS SUNDAY we are excited to offer 3 messages from nationally known Christian financial expert Dave Ramsey. This week Dave will speak to us on “The Basics of Biblical Finance”. What a great time to invite a friend who could use a little good financial direction. And don’t let the fact that the messages are on video throw you. The rest of the service will be just like any other Sunday. And the Sunday before last, the most talked about part of my message was the 9 minute video clip that I used. So you’ll hear a great message from God’s Word by a powerful speaker (Just like a normal week at Twin Oaks :)

Ladies Chocolate Extravaganza – THIS FRIDAY – 6:30pm – Ladies, it’s not too late to sign up for one of the biggest women’s events of the year at Twin Oaks. Chocolate, soup, and fellowship galore. If you’d like to come contact Roxanne Thompson at roxanne_thompson01@yahoo.com or 313-292-4289.  

GEMS pancake Breakfast – THIS SATURDAY – 8:00am to 11:30.  Serving pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, toast and all the toppings!  We’ve moved the GEMS House of Pancakes into the worship center so there will be plenty of room. Please bring your friends and family to support the GEMS Girls Club in their 3rd annual fundraiser. Donations appreciated.

Discovery 101 Class – THIS SUNDAY – 3-5pm – If you are new to Twin Oaks and want to know more about our beliefs, history, vision, values, and ministries this is the class for you. We’ll also cover how to become a member of God’s family and what it means to be an “official” member of the Twin Oaks family. So this class is also for those who are interested in becoming members of Twin Oaks. Sign up at the Ministry Center Sunday or just email me.

Decisions for Christ – Last Sunday we celebrated as Stephanie Keffer accepted Christ as her Savior and was baptized in the waters of His grace. Check out Stephanie’s photo at http://www.flickr.com/photos/46768627@N07/?saved=1 and keep her in your prayers as she begins her new walk with Christ.

Estate Planning Seminar – “THE LIVING TRUST: Leaving a legacy that makes a difference!”-Tuesday, March 16, 6-8pm. Presenter: Phil Beavers, VP of Institutional Advancement, Great Lakes Christian College. This free seminar will assist participants through the entire estate planning process from “start to signatures. Each estate plan will be done at no out of pocket cost to the individuals. In return for this service, valued in excess of $2,000, Financial Planning Ministry encourages individuals to leave a residual gift (after death) to their local church. To reserve your spot, sign up at the Ministry Center or reply to this email.

MOPS (Mothers of Pre-schoolers) – Begins next Thursday, Feb. 25th from 9-11Am and meets the 2nd and 4th Thursday through May 13th. MOPS is for mothers with children from birth to Kindergarten and exists to encourage, equip, and develop every mother of preschoolers to realize her potential as a woman, mother and leader in the name of Jesus Christ. Invite your friends to attend with you!  Childcare is provided along with light refreshments.  For more information, please contact Rhonda Dolunt at (313)383-4332 or rhdolunt@yahoo.com.

MOPS childcare volunteers needed – We still need a few more people to care for the pre-schoolers on the 2nd and 4th Thursday mornings of each month from 8:45 to 11:15AM while the moms have Bible study and fellowship. Are you retired? Working evenings? Not working right now? Have Thursdays off? Have you been looking for a way to serve God at Twin Oaks but don’t know where you fit? If you like pre-schoolers and have Thursday mornings off this could be your place to serve at Twin Oaks and help make our body stronger. Contact Rhonda Dolunt today to volunteer – (313)383-4332 or at rhdolunt@yahoo.com.

Missing Bible – If anyone found a brand new black and brown NIV Thinline Bible (or took it home by mistake) on January 31st please contact Linda Conner at 313-291-8570 or nana48180@att.net.

Ladies Dining Out – The next ladies dining out will be Wednesday March 3. They are going to La Dolce Vita on Fort Street in Riverview. They will meet there at 6:15. All ladies are invited for a relaxed evening of good food and great conversation. Sign up at the ministry center starting this Sunday. Questions? Contact Carol Horn. 764 675 4829 or chorn9351@hotmail.com .

New Online Directory – We have a new online church directory to make it easier to update and keep up with the growing family at Twin Oaks. This directory is only accessible with a password which I can give you when you request it. In requesting a password you are promising that you will not share the password or the information in the directory with anyone else or use the addresses for business purposes (solicitation, etc) Most of the photos were taken last Mother’s Day. If you are not yet in the directory (and most of you aren’t) and would like to be, or if you would like to change your photo, then email a photo to me along with your address and phone # (If you want those in there) If you want out of the directory please let me know that as well.

Joke of the week – A father noticed that his kids love going to the Web, and they keep track of their passwords by writing them on Post-it notes. He noticed their Disney password was "MickeyMinnieGoofyPluto," and so he asked why it was so long. "Because," his son explained, "they say it has to have at least four characters."

Have a great week and I’ll see you (and your guests) Sunday,

Randy

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , ,

App Application

February 3, 2010 By

I got an IPod touch recently. I know some of you are thinking, “I thought Randy was too much of a tightwad to spend money on an IPod touch.” You’re right, but I won it in a drawing. And I have to tell you, now that I have one, if I lost it I’d be tempted to buy another one (or ask for one for Christmas :) My old IPod was fine for listening to music but this one has all these applications I can buy… for 99 cents! … or even free!!! I’ve got an app that is teaching me to speak Khmer (Cambodian) for our upcoming missions trip. There’s another one that can tell me the temperature in Phnom Penh with the touch on a button (it is currently 83 degrees) I can read USA Today without paying for it. My iPod touch will be my flashlight, my alarm clock, and my internet connection to send you blogs. This is a frequent traveler’s dream. Now I understand those commercials that say “Yeah, we’ve got an app for that.”

 

Today I was thinking: Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app that would buzz you when you were about to cross a line morally or spiritually? When you were about to take a step down a road that would lead you farther than you ever meant to go and cost you more than you ever thought you’d pay, wouldn’t it be helpful to have an app that would warn you before you take that first step? Then I realized – We DO have such an early warning system. Every Christian does. We get it when we give our lives to Jesus. He is called the Holy Spirit. He’s that voice in your head that says “Don’t do it.” He is that knot in the pit of your stomach that tells you that you are about to make a big mistake. He is that feeling you are having that you should pick up the phone and ask a Christian friend for help. You’re hearing that app sometimes aren’t you?

 

If this app doesn’t seem to be working in your life maybe you need to check the volume and make sure it’s not on “mute”. Turn it up. How? Stay in God’s Word. Stay away from the places where you know the alarm will go off. Stay connected to other who share the app. Stay sensitive to it by obeying it when it goes off the first time. Don’t ignore it. Because each time you do, it will get easier and easier to tune it out. The Holy Spirit app only works if we listen to it – to Him. So please listen, and do what He says.

 

THIS SUNDAY we will continue our “WHY>” series with the question: “Why the Conflict… Science and the Bible?” Is it possible to be a person of reason and a person of faith at the same time? Come find out Sunday. Last Sunday was our best attendance of the year (and wouldn’t you have hated to miss it? God’s Spirit was really moving) Let’s build on that and have every member here this Sunday – and bring a friend.

Decisions for Christ – Last Sunday we celebrated with heaven as 3 more people gave their lives to Jesus and were baptized in His grace. Check out the photos of Krysten Wrobbel, Rodney Stevens, and John Hamric at http://www.flickr.com/photos/46768627@N07/sets/72157623127133239/ Keep them in your prayers this week and welcome them when you see them Sunday.

Men’s breakfast – THIS SATURDAY – 8 – 9AM – All men are invited for a hot breakfast, good fellowship, and a timely message from Randy.

Detroit Outreach – THIS SATURDAY – 10AM – 4PM – If you can help make sandwiches and pass them out at Cass Park in Detroit please contact Harvey at 734-740-1452 orharveylinda@hotmail.com. We are also hoping to give out lots of boots to the homeless (Especially men’s boots in larger sizes 10 and up) so if you have any please drop them off at the church by Saturday.

New adult class – Sundays at 9AM – “WHY?” – In this 6 week class Scott Puckett will expound on the themes from the current “WHY>” sermon series but keep it basic enough that anyone can follow along. It is meant to provide a deeper understanding of why faith in the Christian belief system is the most philosophically sound, rational, and coherent worldview.

Cans for Cambodia – This is the last Sunday we will be accepting cans and bottles for the Cambodia trip. Please place your cans and bottles in the trailer in the north lot this Sunday. Thank you so much for your generous support.

Dolls for Cambodia – Big thanks to all of you who purchased dolls for the girls of Rapha House. We have

raised enough money to cover all 144 dolls (now we just need to finish sewing all of the clothes). We still have a few paper dolls at the café and are still accepting donations to buy infant medicine for the Phnom Penh ministry.

ChristNet thanks – With the leadership of Cass Simpson, John Perfetti, and Harvey Lucier, and an army of volunteer who registered, cooked, served, did laundry, supervised, cut hair, cleaned, and much more, we were able to welcome 30 homeless souls for a week or pampering at Twin Oaks. Thank you. You all are the greatest!!!

New Online Directory – We have a new online church directory to make it easier to update and keep up with the growing family at Twin Oaks. This directory is only accessible with a password which I can give you when you request it. In requesting a password you are promising that you will not share the password or the information in the directory with anyone else or use the addresses for business purposes (solicitation, etc) Most of the photos were taken last Mother’s Day. If you are not yet in the directory (and most of you aren’t) and would like to be, or if you would like to change your photo, then email a photo to me along with your address and phone # (If you want those in there) If you want out of the directory please let me know that as well.

LADIES’ ANNUAL CHOCOLATE EXTRAVAGANZA – February 19th, 6:30 PM – All ladies are invited to one of the biggest women’s events of the year at Twin Oaks. If you can, join the patriotic theme by wearing red, white, and blue. They’ll also be sending goodwill packages to our military so if please send the names and addresses of any of your family who are in the military to roxanne_thompson01@yahoo.com. We need donations of chocolate, soup, and crackers so please sign-up are at the Ministry Center Sunday. Also, bring your used books for the book sale.

MOPS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – We are in urgent need of 10 volunteers to care for pre-school children on the 2nd and 4th Thursday mornings of each month for the new MOPS program. By offering your time you’ll provide these mothers who attend MOPS a chance to grow as mothers and in Christ.  For more information, please contact Rhonda Dolunt at (313)383-4332 or rhdolunt@yahoo.com

MI Statewide Teen Convention – March 12-14 – A weekend event for all high school students at Causeway Bay Hotel in Lansing.  Speakers, bands, inflatables, and 63 metric tons of fun (they measure). Cost is $85, and anyone who is in high school is welcome to come. You can pick up registration packets at the Ministry Center. Get them in to Nathan ASAP. For more info contact nathanzimm@hotmail.com or check out www.mistatewide.org.

Joke of the week – Artist Pablo Picasso surprised a burglar at work in his new chateau. The intruder got away, but Picasso told the police he could do a rough sketch of what he looked like. On the basis of his drawing, the police arrested a mother superior, the minister of finance, a washing machine, and the Eiffel tower.

 

Have a great week and I’ll see you (and your guests) Sunday,

Randy

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Rags to Riches

January 20, 2010 By

I read this week an interesting report of an incident which happened recently:

“Flat broke and homeless, brothers Geza and Zslot Peladi literally lived in a cave near Budapest for years. They left their dank home only to scrape together whatever money they could through selling scrap metal and candy. Theirs was a hopeless situation.

But then everything changed.

One day, out of the blue, charity workers informed the brothers that they had inherited a substantial portion of their late maternal grandmother’s $6.6 billion fortune. And just like that, two destitute brothers, should they want to, could call a castle their home when all they had ever known was a cave.” Mike Krumboltz, “From Cave to Castle,” www.buzz.yahoo.com.

Do you see yourself in that story? We were all at one time spiritually poor – separated from God by our sins. It would have been a hopeless situation… except for one thing. God loved us, enough to send His Son to die on a cross so that we have the opportunity to be adopted into His family through faith in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-6) and through Him to enjoy a rich inheritance of faith. As Paul wrote: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance…” (Ephesians 1:18)

We were poor, and hopeless. Then someone introduced us to Jesus, and everything changed. We continue our “WHY>” series this week with the message “Why Should I Trust the Bible?” Do you know someone who could benefit from this message? Do you know someone who needs to know about the hope that Jesus offers? Invite them this Sunday. It could change everything.

Decisions for Christ – Last week we were happy to welcome David and Sonya Lewis and Sharon Sturgis as official members of the Twin Oaks family. Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/24147812@N05/sets/72157603995712040/ to put some faces with the names and welcome them to the family the next time you see them.

WOMEN”S MID-WINTER BLAST UPDATE- THIS FRIDAY - Ladies, the hotel has extended reservations ’til Wednesday, January20th! The cost for the room is $18/pp IF there are 4 to a room, and that includes breakfast Saturday morning! The room cost is $72, but you divide the cost with how many are in your room. So ladies, do yourself a favor..Start the new year out having a blast! This is for you! Any questions, contact Carol Larson at epoxyn@aol.com and/or 734-675-5650. Remember, when calling the Best Western, call 1-866-671-3199. Reserve your room under TWIN OAKS CHRISTIAN CHURCH WOMEN’S MINISTRY, USING CODE CGTWIN.

Dolls for Cambodia – Would you like to help us bring comfort and healing to young victims of sex-trafficking? The director of Rapha House told us that just having a doll to hold would be a healing tool in the lives of the girls at Rapha House. Beginning THIS SUNDAY we will give you the opportunity to purchase a doll for a Rapha House girl for only $5 at our Connections Café. We plan to take almost 150 dolls with your help when we go next month (any excess money raised will be used to buy medicine and other ministry items for Rapha House and Kids’ Club in Cambodia).

Infant medicine for Cambodia – While the Twin Oaks team is in Cambodia we will be working with a ministry that does a lot of work with mothers and infants from their community. They are asking us to bring infant Tylenol, infant vitamins, cold and flu medicine,etc. If you work for a doctor’s office or somewhere else that might have infant medicine samples to donate please let us know.

3on3 Basketball - Thursday nights at Southgate Anderson High School. Teams of 3-6 players can sign up at the ministry desk. Cost is $5 per person for the season and starts Feb. 11th. You can sign up with a team of people or solo and you’ll be put on a team. Contact Jim Watkins with questions at jimmer_w@hotmail.com.

New website – This week we are launching our new website at www.twinoakschristian.com. (You will soon be able to access it at either .org or .com) The advantage of the new site, besides looking more modern, is that you can watch videos of the past week’s message and you can also tithe online through PayPal if you missed church the past week. The new site also will feature videos that we use in our Sunday morning messages (so you don’t have to email me for the link when you like one) More advantages to the new site will be evident in the coming months. Huge thanks to Bill Rice for developing this new site for us.

Online giving – As you just read you are now able to give to Twin Oaks online at www.twinoakschristian.com. We’ve had several requests for this from people who do all of their finances online. One person told us the only time they use a checkbook is for their tithe. This also allows you to give if you are snowed in or out of town or working or for some other reason can’t be in church. If you want to tithe online but still want to put something in the offering plate it allows you to print out a receipt and put that in your tithing envelope. This has the same privacy and record keeping as using a check as PayPal will email a notice of your gift to our financial secretary. If you don’t have a PayPal account and need help setting it up just call us.

LADIES’ ANNUAL CHOCOLATE EXTRAVAGANZA – February 19th, 6:30 PM.- We are having a patriotic theme this year are wanting to have a room filled with beautiful ladies all decked out in their red/white and blue….This coming Sunday there will be a sign-up sheet at the Ministry Center for attending (just so we can plan) and some soups and of course, CHOCOLATE! Robin Beck will be performing a musical program with the love songs of our First Ladies. If you have a family member deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere in the world, would you please e-mail roxanne_thompson01@yahoo.com with their names and addresses? We are wanting to send some boxes from you to our special men and women, let them know we care and are praying for them….Also, bring your used books! We will once again have our book sale.

MI Statewide Teen Convention – March 12-14 - A weekend event for all high school students at Causeway Bay Hotel in Lansing. Speakers, bands, inflatables, and 63 metric tons of fun (they measure). Cost is $85, and anyone who is in high school is welcome to come. You can pick up registration packets at the Ministry Center. Get them in to Nathan ASAP. For more info contact nathanzimm@hotmail.com or check out www.mistatewide.org.

Super Bowl event? – Due to financial constraints we are not having a big blowout Super Bowl party this year. But if any group in the church wants to plan a smaller party that would be open to anyone who wanted to come, just let us know and we will promote it. We can have the big game on February 7th on the Fireplace area TV and give you that and the café area for fun and fellowship.

Free ladies business suits - Diane Petri has several (size 6) ladies’ business suits (skirts/jackets) and pantsuits from her Executive Assistant days at Ford Motor Company that she would love to give to someone who could use them. You can contact Diane at (734) 552-5951 or (734) 675-1681 or at
jpdpp@peoplepc.com.

Joke of the week - This guy was watching TV as his wife was out cutting the grass during the hot summer. He finally worked up the energy to go out and ask his wife what was for supper.

Well, his missus was quite irritated about him sitting in the air-conditioned house all day while she did all the work, so she scolded him. “I can’t believe you’re asking me about supper right now! Imagine I’m out of town. Go inside and figure dinner out yourself.”

So he went back into the house and fixed himself a big steak with potatoes, garlic bread, and a tall glass of iced tea.

The wife finally walked in about the time he was finishing up and asked him, “You fixed something to eat? So where’s mine”

He said, “ I thought you were out of town.”

Have a great week and I’ll see you (and your guests) Sunday,

Randy

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Bright Shining Update

December 3, 2009 By

I hope you survived Thanksgiving and Black Friday and have turned the corner toward Christmas with your waistlines and bank accounts intact :) Yesterday we decorated the church and its beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Twin Oaks. This Sunday night is the children’s Christmas program, Sunday morning we give our Christmas gifts to Jesus, and the next Sunday we bring our “Wish Upon a Star” gifts to present to Him to use to spread His light in our community. The before you know it is Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and on to a new year.

In other words, this month is flying by and I want to challenge you to pause in the midst of the rush and take time to do one very important thing: SHINE BRIGHT! In Philippians 2 Paul urges us to “…shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…” We’re talking this month about the light of truth, hope, peace, and love that Christ came to shine in a dark world. But now He tells us that we are the light of the world and we are commanded to reflect His light. So in these next few weeks get out there and love. Get out there and share. Get out there and give. Look for ways to shine His love in the darkness. (You’ll find a few in this update) Begin by inviting a friend or relative to try Twin Oaks. This is the best time of year to invite someone to come to church. You have what they need. In a dark world you have the light. So Shine Bright.

THIS SUNDAY we’ll continue our SHINE BRIGHT series with a look at “Shining Hope.” In these tough times hope is in short supply for a lot of people. Many find themselves lost in the darkness of debt, disease, depression, divorce, or doubt. But in the darkness a light shines. Isaiah prophesied: “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.” (Isaiah 9:2) That light is Jesus and through Him we have hope, even in the darkest night. If things are looking dark for you right now, don’t miss this message. And if you have a friend who needs hope right now, invite them this Sunday. They’ll be glad you did.

Detroit outreach – THIS Saturday – 10AM-4PM. Twin Oaks’ Detroit Outreach is looking for volunteers for this Saturday, December 5th, to help make sandwiches and pass them out at Cass Park. If you can help shine the light of Christ this Saturday please contact Harvey at (734)740-1452 or e-mail at harveylinda@hotmail.com.

Birthday Present for Jesus offering – THIS SUNDAY – This special offering (in addition to your regular tithes) we’ll have an opportunity to express our thanks to Jesus for all He’s given us and to give Him the first gift of the season as an expression of our love. Please use the special envelope provided in your bulletin. Please write your tithe #, if you have one, on the envelope and also designate whether you’d like for this gift to go to the general fund or the building fund (Imagine Kids). All envelopes not designated will go to the general fund.

Children’s Christmas Program – THIS SUNDAY – 6:30pm – Come and support our children as they present the message of Christmas.

Decisions for Christ – The last 2 weekends we’ve rejoiced as several people accepted Christ and were baptized or became official members of the Twin Oaks family. Linda Smith and Maggie Smith were baptized and Jim Austin, Anna Blasdel, Richard and Susan Milatz, and Jennifer Sandusky became Twin Oaks members. Put faces with the names at http://www.flickr.com/photos/24147812@N05/sets/72157603995712040 and welcome these folks next time you see them. And keep them in your prayers.

Christmas Eve – December 24th – 5 and 6:30pm. Christmas Eve is the most traditional thing we do all year. It is a very beautiful time of reflection through songs, carols, communion, and candle lighting that is guaranteed to move you and to bring your focus to Jesus – the greatest gift ever given. Invite your friends and family to join you for this special night. Make Christmas Eve at Twin Oaks a new part of your family tradition. Childcare for infants-toddlers will be provided (and we encourage parents to take advantage of it please)

Christmas Eve volunteers needed – We need several nursery volunteers for Christmas Eve. Contact Rhonda Dolunt 313-383-4332 or rhdolunt@yahoo.com so she can make sure you’ve had your background check completed. We also greeters and communion servers at each service. Sign up at the Ministry Center to volunteer.

Seamstresses Needed - Calling all sewers!! When the missions team goes to Cambodia in February, we will be taking 144 dolls with us. That’s where you come in. We need experienced sewers to sew clothes for these 144 dolls. If you would be interested in helping, please contact Chris Wheeler at buckmom@hotmail.com or 734-671-8300 to get fabric and instructions and dolls.

Sermons on video – Thanks to Steve Kalmar’s dedicated work you can now watch the past Sunday’s message online at http://vimeo.com/tocc. Add the link to your favorites for those rare weeks when a contagious illness keep you from being here in person. (Just remember that the camera adds 20 lbs :)

Joke of the week - As a lobbyist in Washington, DC, I’d just finished up a meeting with a Congressman when I stopped to use the restroom.

After washing my hands, I stepped over to the hand dryer and noticed that someone had taped a note to the machine.

The note said, “Push button for message from Congress.”

Have a great week and I’ll see you (and your guests) Sunday,

Randy

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,