The Akridge Sunday School Class

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying ofr all the saints. --Ephesians 6:13-18

It is hard to imagine what war is really like until you are in the middle of it, I suppose. But it is also possible to be clueless that we are even at war. Just think about our day to day life. I don't think many if any of the people who were fighting over the $1.33 cheap towels on black Friday at Walmart had the war of the Middle East on their mind...or even the man who cut me off this morning in car line. It is possible for so many of us to not even realize that our country is at war. Even more sadly so, it is possible for us as Christians to not even realize there is a war going on right now for the souls of those around us.

Paul urges us to be prepared....to be alert...to put on our armor and get in the thick of things. There is a very real adversary that is out to steal, kill and destroy. But we have an amazing ally that has already won the war. We must continue to get dirty in the battle as we struggle face to face with our enemy, but we don't need to struggle unprepared or in vain. We must put on the full armor of God.

Re-read the scripture this week and be prepared for battle! Ephesians 6:10-24; 1 Peter 5:8-9

Announcements:
Christmas Party-Friday, Dec. 10th 6:15-8:15pm-see previous post concerning childcare

Ministry Needs:

• Coaches needed for Upward Basketball (14) & Cheerleading(2)
  -Training session on Tuesday @ 6:30pm @ the church-for more information contact Sherrie Forehand at the church
• Children's Harbor Hygiene kits-be collecting travel size hyiene products for kits we will put together in February
• Beginning meals for the Mitchell family this week. A sign up will be developed on takethemameal.com

Praises/Prayer Requests:

• Krista-had to take Taylor to Children's for G.I. issues
• Jason & Ashley--PRAISE-expecting 3rd baby on July 9th
• Michael-traveling & Emily home with the kids
• Angela-cousin had sinus surgery complications. Pray for healthy recovery.
• Brenda-continue to pray for Jim's physical strenght & spiritual stamina. Praise he was able to take 3rd round of treatment this past week.
• Scott-Grandaddy in rehab center has now developed pneumonia
• Kelly Moates-Juanita Dorr (Mam-Maw). She fell and is having hip replacement surgery at St. Vincent's. She is 90, but active and very together mentally! She still lives on her own as well. Supposedly, the orthopedic surgeon has done work on Mark Ingram & Julio Jones...so I assume he has some good skills! Pray for wisdom for Dr. Cain. Pray also for the surgery, her recovery, and my parents as they assist her in her needs in the weeks & months to come

Add Glitter to Pictures

Announcements:
Christmas Party- December 10th, Friday- 6:15-8:15pm at Scott and Lisa's house.

• be sure to sign up your Preschoolers thru Kindergarten for the Church Parent's Night Out-6:00-8:30
• Sign up your grade school children with Emily
• Let Ashley know if you will be coming
• Food sign-up will be coming soon

Photos-We are going to be updating the photo slideshow on the blog. If you have a photo you would like to submit please email it to scottandlisat@msn.com or we can get a photo of you and your spouse during Sunday School in the coming weeks.

Ministry Projects-

• Hygiene Kits for Children's Harbor-be collecting hygiene products for kits we will put together in February for those staying at Children's Harbor
• Celebrating our schools-We will be adopting Springville & Margaret Elementary schools and taking goodies to celebrate staff birthdays once a quarter. Details will follow.

Prayer and Praises:

• Amy Elmore-Grandfather in hospital with Pneumonia, and Grandmother (mom's mother) recently suffered from 3rd degree burns
• Christy Chambers-Taking CPA Exam Tuesday; friend Becky edwars taking radiation treatments in January; friend Shannan Hoggle found out her dad Ed Welsh, has cancer onhis kidney. They're doing a colonoscopy MOnday to see if cancer is in his colon. Please pray for the family.
• Brenda-Jim (B-I-L) to be able to take his treatment on Tuesday. This could be the first time he could take the 3rd round treatment. Continue to pray that the Thrush is not an issue.

LESSON RECAP-Being Respectful --(Ephesians 6:1-9)

Biblical Truth: Christians are to treat other people such as their parents, children, supervisors, and employees with respect

You teach what you know. You reproduce who you are.

1. Recognize & submit to your employer/authority.
2. Show proper respect to your marriage.
3. Give whole hearted effort everyday.
4. work as though you are working for Christ.
5. Value Christ's reward more than your paycheck.

Questions to ponder this week--

• What steps do you need to take to train your children in the Lord?
• How can you encourage them?
• How can you honor your parents this week?
• How can you be a better employer/employee this week?

Praying you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We missed you Brenda! Hope you are feeling better!

As Thanksgiving draws near I can't help but notice how people approach the holidays. Some seem to be excited and ready to soak it all in, while others turn into Scrooge at the first display of decorations in the stores. I hope you and your family are able to use this time as a true time of reflection and thankfulness for the blessings in life. Don't let the hoopla of Halloween and Santa's arrival allow you to miss this time of giving thanks to our Lord. We are truly blessed. Just take a look around you. Hopefully as you begin to count your blessings you think of your spouse. We had great discussion this Sunday about God's Idea for Marriage. In a day where we are told to lookout for "number one," Ephesians reminds us to submit ourselves to one another.

I. Wives: Submit as service (Eph 5:22-24)
II. Husbands: Love as Christ Does (Eph. 5:25-30)
III. Both: Express a Complete Unity (Eph 5:31-33)

If you find yourself in a marriage where one is not fulfiling their role, the proper response is to pray for that spouse. Neither should try to take on the role of the other spouse, but rather pray that they will submit themselves to God's authority. Only the Holy Spirit can do the job of convicting and correcting. Here is a great link to a site that has helpful tips for praying for your spouse amongst other things http://www.thefathersbusiness.com/devotionals.php.

Our relationship with our spouse should never be manipulative or demanding one to live to the point of breaking the law or against God's word. Our relationship should help the world see the relationship of Christ and the Church.

Praises/Prayer Requests:

Krista-praise that she and her kids are getting well!
Lacy's- boys sick, & Jake is traveling.

Announcements:
Christmas Party-Friday, December 10th, 6:15-8:15pm @ the Thomas' home.
Childcare is available at church for preschool age through kindergarten. Older than
kindergarten need to contact Emily Wolfe for arrangements.
Preschool Parent's Night Out-Friday, December 10th, 6:00-6:30pm-you can register
online or call 228-1017.
Children's Harbor Mission project-Start collecting hygeine products to make gift kits for
February. More details to come.
Springville Schools project-Details coming. We will be providing snacks and support to the
Springville staff. Please be in prayer for our schools!

Sunday Lesson Recap:
Christians are to live by principles that demonstrate they are careful about their behavior.
Ephesians 5:15-21, Psalm 90:12, Romans 12:1-2

God controls eternal time, I choose the opportunities. Are you looking at life as a challenge or a threat? Paul urges us to live intentionally not just tossed about as life goes by. We should approach life with a plan and not waste our opportunities.

• Be wise with our time (Eph. 15-16)
• Be aware of God's Will (Eph. 5:17)
• Be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18-20)
• Be subject to one another(Eph:21)

Suggested Reading:http://www.christianbook.com/dont-waste-your-life/john-piper/9781581344981/pd/44988?kw=don

Making the most of every opportunity is a continual process of seeking God's will through a relationship with Him. We come to understand Him and His ways more and more through the basics of Bible Study, prayer, Godly counsel, circumstances, etc. As we come to know His ways better, we can come to understand His will generally and eventually specifically. His will in our specific circumstances will never contradict His word in Scripture. But to drown out the voices of this world, we must "be still and know that He is God." -Psalm 46:10

We should guard our actions and continually submit ourselves to the Spirit. This can be fleshed out through our speech, as we give thanks, and submitting ourselves to one another. Walking carefully is not living timidly or being a doormat. It is living in wisdom-the wisdom that God gives. It is living boldly in the confidence of who God is in our lives. As we submit to His control we open ourselves to the greatest opportunities possible.

Prayer Praises/Requests:

• Colburns-Praise:Expecting new baby! Please pray Jennifer feels better and gets relief from the pregnancy sickness
• Brenda-pray for Jim's ability to take his next treatment on Tuesday.
• Andrea-Please pray for family as they grieve the passing of her grandfather Lloyd Squires.

Announcements:

• Christmas party coming up Friday, December 10th. 6:15-8:15pm @ the Thomas' home
• Ministry project-providing snacks for Springville teachers; Children's Harbor project-details TBA

Announcements:
Time Change:
Don't forget to FALL BACK - Sunday, November 7, 2010
Set your clocks back one hour and enjoy an extra hour of sleep before coming to our Sunday Small group at 9:15am.

It's time to find your chair in a small group.
It's time to invite a guest to your small group.
It's time to pray for people to connect to a small group.

Help make Sunday, November 7 a great time for everyone!

Sunday, Ocotober 30-recap
Walk in Purity
Ephesians 5:1-14; 1 Jn 4:8, 1:5; Col 1:4-6, 2:8

Paul challenges us to be deliberate in our behavior and to be "immitators of God." His admonition to walk in love includes six characteristics our behavior should NOT be. The first three deal with our conduct and the next three with our speech. 1) We are not to have any hint of sexual immorality, 2) impurity, or 3)greed. We are also to keep our mouths pure of 1)obscenities, 2)foolish talk, or 3)coarse joking. In turn we should be full of thanksgiving.

• Brenda-Continue to pray for Jim's physical stamina and spiritual strength. He will have a test Monday to determine future procedure.
• Jason--an employee of a client has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is scheduled for surgery this week then radiation for several weeks.