Pastors and Directors Blog 
Moses’ answer is: the family.
September 21, 2008
In Deuteronomy 6 Moses lays the foundation for the Jewish religion: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).” However, the question the Israelites have to face now is, “How do we raise up another generation who will follow our God, who is responsible for this?” Moses’ answer is: the family. “Impress them (these commandments) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road… (Deuteronomy 6:7). Moses is very clear; it is the parent’s responsibility to walk alongside their children and help them grow into men and women who love and follow God.
Now the question is: are we submitting to God’s plan today? Are the Christian parents across the world taking up their God given responsibility to raise their children and to spiritually nurture them? Another question can be raised: is the Christian church equipping parents to do just this? Is it creating an environment where parents are given the resources and the opportunities to lead their children? These are the questions we have struggled and are still struggling with at CFC. Family worship is very important to us. We have taken many smaller steps to try and provide an environment which will spark family worship, but we know we are not perfect. We have fallen short in this area and we will continue to fall short. However, we urge you as Christian families to grab hold of the incredible privilege of raising up men and women of God. If it is possible, start today: have a worship service as a family, read through the some Bible verses together, attend service on Sunday together, do whatever God puts on your heart but start growing together today.
Family Mission Trip to Mexico
August 29, 2008
This year we are going to try something new that I am very excited about. We are going to build an Amor house in Puerto Penasco, Sonora (aka Rocky Point) as a team of families. You may have been involved with building one of these houses before, especially if you are involved with Pusch Ridge. I have been a part of building four of them. One thing I've noticed is that families that go together have an amazing experience of laboring, laughing, and learning together (I didn't even mean for those to all begin with "l"). We are still working on a final price. We will be staying at an RV park on the beach where we will eat, play and have a time of worship and devotions under the stars in the evenings. This is where we will reflect upon God's desire for us as families and as His ambassadors of good news to the poor.
I really hope that many of you can come. Remember, this is a family trip, especially for HS and MS families. It is fine for only one parent to go, but all students are to come with a parent. A student may come as an "adopted child" with another family if that is necessary. Please email me if your family is interested in going, even if you're not sure yet. We need to get a rough idea of how many will be joining us. Click Here
Andy Littleton, Dir. Middle School
Looking Forward
August 18, 2008
Last night I watched Michael Phelps win the first of what could be eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Michael started back in 2000 looking forward, daring to dream, for this very week when he could go down into Olympic history. It has not been eight years, however since last September I have been looking forward to the Great Adventure 2008 with child like expectation. What a privilege to have Steve Sonderman come and encourage the men of southern Arizona in our theme of "No Turning Back". Jesus is expanding his kingdom and the Church is growing. Dozens of churches will be represented as we seek Christ to awaken our hearts for him and his kingdom. Our break out sessions are loading up with critical topics and passionate speakers. Check out the website, GreatAdventureConference.org, and sign up today. Looking forward to seeing you Saturday September 27th! In His Grip of Grace.
Matt Uldrich, Assistant Pastor
Ruth: The Book of Selfless Love
June 23, 2008
Charles Dickens, in his masterpiece, The Tale of Two Cities, wrote,
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was an age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going to direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way…”
The Book of Ruth is about people and indeed a whole community that in the worst of times reflects the selfless love of God to each other transforming their world from the “winter of despair” to the “spring of hope.” In the text from Sunday’s sermon (Ruth 1:1-22) we see the godly attribute of selfless love [Hebrew, “Hesed”] expressed by Naomi and Ruth. Both Naomi and Ruth shine in their calling as they reflect God’s self-sacrificing steadfast love and mercy. In fact the Book of Ruth, which only takes about twenty five minutes to read, is about the “Hesed” of YHWH and a community that demonstrates “Hesed” toward one another. Each of the main human characters is transformed by expressions of selfless love.
The first chapter reveals Naomi’s her utter hopelessness when we learn of her inability to conceive and her understanding of the levirate marriage law (Dt. 25:5-10) which requires a brother of her sons to marry his brother’s widow in order that she may have sons that care for them in their old age. Naomi probably understands what some commentators have mentioned which is that men, in that day, generally viewed the issue as a threat to their own interests and because the law gave them freedom to refuse for any reason. Thus, the prospects for Naomi seem impossible. Her hope for protection and security are vanquished along with the prospects of marriage and motherhood. Yet, we also see that Naomi’s hopelessness points to her self-sacrificing love as she refuses to allow her girls to be drawn into her milieu.
“(13b) No, my daughters! For my life is much too bitter for you to share [with me],… Yahweh has stretched out his hand against me…”
But Ruth responds with one of the most incredible examples of selfless love in all the Old Testament, “(16) Then Ruth said, “Do not plead with me to leave you or turn back from following after you. For wherever you go I will go, and wherever you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (17) Where you die I will die; and there I will be buried.”
What more can be said? Ruth’s selfless love for Naomi and for YHWH are reason for her to abandon all her future concerns and leave her community, culture, and even her religion.
So these two widows are left with each one seeking to sacrifice for the other. Who can decide which is the more noble and womanly in her selflessness? Is it Naomi, the elder, sadder heart, that tried to secure for Ruth some joy and companionship at the expense of her own loneliness and sure death? Or is it the younger Ruth, who secreted her heart away against all Naomi’s pleas, casting away her friends, faith, and family for love’s sake? We praise Ruth’s vow, but let’s not forget Naomi’s selfless pleading to be left to walk her road alone. So these two widows took their broken hearts and went on to Bethlehem. Certainly, this was in many ways the spring of hope… - Winston
Winston Maddox, Executive Pastor
Redeeming the Time
May 21, 2008
Redemption is the release of something or someone in exchange for some type of payment. I thought about this statement the most over the past 2 weeks as I prepared my sermon “Redeeming the Time”. What was set free? What was the payment? I couldn’t help but see the wonderful theme in Scripture of our release from the power of sin because of the payment of Christ’s death on the cross. In a sense, Christ paid for us and we belong to him. He made us his possession to be used according to his good pleasure. This would be an undesirable thing if we were in the hands of an unjust and unkind master, but we belong to the God of love! Everything we have belongs to him: our time, talents, and treasures. It is so easy to go throughout our days living as our day belongs to US, but Paul instructs us in Ephesians 5:15-20 to be careful how we walk…so that we can discern the will of the Lord. God has entrusted “time” to us with great responsibility and we will be held accountable for how we use it. We are stewards of what belongs to God. We are never too young or too old to turn the ordinary circumstances of the day into something extraordinary for God. When something is redeemed, it is set free to be exactly what is was designed to be. Our redemption brought about a change within us that set us free from the bondage of sin and into a free and loving relationship with God. The redemption of our time allows for each moment in our day to be used to bring praise and glory to Christ and to build up and love other believers. I woke up the morning after the sermon with a refreshed desire to live that day and each day forward enjoying the blessing of knowing God’s will in each moment of the day – to live as someone who belongs to the King of Kings!
Mission Possible
May 6, 2008
There is no theme music playing in the background. No secret agents after them or decoder rings involved. But the 3rd Grade Sunday School class has been on a mission this year. The class is on a mission for missions. They want to help take God’s word to the world, and they won’t even be leaving the classroom to do it. Ken and Lyn Bigelow have been teaching Sunday School at Catalina Foothills Church since 2001, and every year they bring missionaries into their classroom to talk to their students. This year something special happened. The students decided they wanted to set a goal and use the offering they collect every week to donate to missions. They decided on two ministries: Jesus in Vietnam Ministries, which has planted a church in Binh Chau, Vietnam, and ARK Ministries in India, which is trying to build a new orphanage. First, the class had to decide on a goal. They started talking and the amount for their goal just kept growing. They finally decided on an overall goal of $200 for the year, with $100 going to each ministry as they collect it. For the Jesus in Vietnam ministry, the money will be used to buy bicycles for transportation; so that more members can make it to church they have built in Binh Chau. For the ARK ministry the money will go toward building a new orphanage in Secundrabad, which is in Southwest India. The orphanage, which provides homes for children whose parents had AIDS, currently has 30 children and has to turn new orphans away because they just don’t have any more room. They hope to purchase land and build a larger orphanage with the money they raise. By April 6th, the class reached their first $100 goal, and on April 13th they invited CFC members Dennis and Mai Spencer, from Jesus in Vietnam Ministries, to their class and presented them with a check for $100! They have already started working toward their next goal for ARK Ministry.
Darren Fielder, Dir. Childrens Ministry
April 25th, 2008
April 25, 2008
This last month has been a month of change here at CFC. We have adopted some new values and implemented some initial changes. Things are looking good. Our 9:25 youth gatherings have been well attended and the conversations we’ve had have been full of life. I believe that we are moving in the right direction. By “moving in the right direction” I mean that there is still a long way to go. Change is best eased into. So where are we going?
Many of you have no doubt heard the alarming statistics that tell us that the majority of church raised youth are walking away from the church in their college years. When we hear this it motivates us to action, but what action should we take. Our current ministry model is very typical of modern church. We have many compartments to our church that are tailored to meet the needs of specific age groups. This seems like a good plan. We give each age group an amazing array of events, relevant messages, modern music, summer camps, and outreach opportunities. With all of this age specific attention, you’d think we would have kids who love the church.
Unfortunately we and the vast majority of churches have actually given our children a segregated experience where church is just for people like them. We have unintentionally widened the gap between them and the generation that God has called to disciple them. We have missed the method that God had in mind for “reaching the youth”. God lays out this method very simply in Deuteronomy 6. Of His commands God says, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deut. 6:7 ESV) Recently this task of discipleship has been handed to youth workers who are incapable of having a close relationship with all of their students and are often too immature and under-experienced to do so.
We here at CFC are journeying into a covenant model. In this model we would recognize that parents are the God-ordained spiritual leaders for their children. We want to value families and inter-generational worship. We want to begin to re-integrate our church instead of further segregating it. We in the youth department hope to see families who desire to worship together and consider our youth programming as a supplement. We hope to see our ministries full of parents who desire to invest into students who don’t have a family that they can count on. It is our sincere belief that a return to our Biblical call to disciple children through families is the solution to the mass exodus of youth from the church.
There is much more to this discussion. Please read CFC’s covenant model brochure and check out Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham Jr.
Andy Littleton, Dir. Middle School
March 15th
March 15, 2008
One of the great things about summer camp is the season that follows it. Let me share with you what I mean by this. Every summer we get up the courage to cram dozens of kids into charter buses accompanied by mounds of personality and luggage and head to California. We have had our share of broken air conditioners, sick campers, and chaperones at their wits end; but we always say it was worth it. At camp, the cliques are dissolved and our youth encounter Christ within the context of safe and meaningful relationships. Memories are created that build momentum for the following school and church year. Of course we desire to have a blast of a good time at summer camp, but the real fruit of summer camp is seen when the youth of our church understand the value of meaningful friendships within the body of Christ. These relationships create a sense of belonging within the church body. Some of my greatest memories of my high school years are from summer church camp.
This year, the Children’s, Middle School, and High School Ministries are heading to Forest Home Camp on the same week. We spend time in separate areas of the camp and have curriculum specific to each age group. We leave Sunday, June 29th and return on Saturday, July 5th. If you would like to attend camp as a family, that is also a possibility. We are praying and trusting that God will bring the youth and families to camp this year that He desires.
If you or your child is interested in joining us this year, an important deadline is approaching April 1st for registration. Please contact your ministry director to get a registration form.
We are having a car wash in the east parking lot of the church on Saturday, March 29th to raise money for youth and families going to Forest Home Camp. If your car is in need of a little bath, or if you desire to make a donation, stop by the church on Saturday and support our youth. All proceeds will go to campers who participate in the car wash. If you can’t make it this weekend, we will be having another car wash on Saturday, April 26th. Please look for tickets on sale in the Narthex on Sunday mornings.
Details of the Car Wash
- 8am – 12 noon
- Espresso & Soda
- Proceeds benefit CFC Summer Camp
January 28th, 2008
January 28, 2008
Attempt Something Great in 2008!
One of the great things we are attempting is to increase our awareness of
world mission.
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age."
Matthew 28, 18 - 20
The purpose of the Missions Conference is:
To update you on the mission organizations and missionaries that we support
To discuss the directions of future support and priorities
To provide you an opportunity to support the mission programs in prayer,
financial support, and even personal involvement where appropriate.
Jesus' great commission to the disciples applies to us today. Our focus
should be on Tucson, the Southwest, North America, and the World.
The conference will have information for CFC members and friends of all
ages. A detailed agenda will be provided from which you can select which
events you would like to attend. Again, I encourage you to participate in
as many programs as possible.
SOLI DEO GLORIA!
January 22nd, 2008
January 22, 2008
In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses is speaking to God’s covenant people, and he challenges them with these words:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
-Deuteronomy 6:4-7
As a covenant community at CFC, we are making some changes in our Sunday worship experience which we believe will enhance our experience with God. As the family of God, we should be worshipping together as families.
Please pray that these changes would strengthen our families and bring us closer to God. Remember, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
God Bless You.
SOLI DEO GLORIA
January 16th, 2008
January 16, 2008
CFC’s Mission Conference, “Reaching the Nations” is just a few weeks away. The week will begin with the ceremonial “Parade of Flags” on Sunday February 3rd. Pastor Mark’s sermon that Sunday will lay the foundation for the week by inviting all to participate in the weeks activities. In 2008, CFC will be apart of an effort to plant a church in Nogales, Mexico. This is a very exciting opportunity and a dessert and coffee evening is planned for Wednesday, February 6th.
The plan will be presented that evening by Gene Bowman of MTW and he will be joined by Josue Mayo and Miguel Gonzalez , the two Hispanic pastors that will be leading the effort.
Another dessert and coffee evening is planned for Thursday, February 7th. That evening will feature some of our International Missionaries. They will have the opportunity to share videos as well as personal stories as Mark Roessler conducts an interview session. Following this, our Conference speaker, Tim Coop will deliver a timely message. Friday, Focus Teams and K Groups will host pot luck dinners for the out of town missionaries. All of our local ministries have been invited to join us for both events. And Sunday, the 10th, Tim Coop will deliver a final message. We will also have table top displays from all of our missionaries. Folks are encouraged to meet them while enjoying various foods from around the world. It promises to be an exciting week and we hope you are able to join us.
December 14th, 2007
December 14, 2007
Great progress has been made in our middle school outreach endeavors. We have teamed up with the Tucson Refugee Ministry to adopt a family that just arrived from Burundi. Our job is to be friends to the family and help them adapt to a new culture. We hope to create more teams to adopt additional families. This is a great opportunity to serve others as well as model incarnational ministry to our children.
We have reached our first $500 goal in Loose Change to Loosen Chains! It has been exciting to see the response that our students have had to the oppression that people their age are experiencing across the globe. We are raising money that goes directly to the International Justice Mission. IJM is working in many countries where slavery and injustice hold many of God’s children captive.
Andy Littleton, Dir. Middle School
November 20th, 2007
November 20, 2007
On Friday, December 7th, CFC will be having an “All Church Family Christmas Party.” While last years party was a huge hit and made even the toughest man laugh out loud, there is a much greater purpose behind these “All Church Family” events. Not to belittle the importance of laughter, but If you look around the world today you will see that we need much more than just a funny night out on the town. The world needs its families, and sadly it seems as if we are losing more and more of them each and every day. Our kids get up early for school, head to their after school activities (notice the activities, plural), rush home to do their homework so that they can be in bed by 10:00 to do it all over again the next day. If a family is lucky, they will eat with their kids once a week. CFC and these “All Church Family” events are designed to bring the family together. They are intended to help restore the family before it is unrecognizable.
Some of you are asking, “but what about me? I don’t have family in Tucson”, “or I am single”. Well, if you look in the Bible you will never once see the church described as a building. The church is always a people…a “family,” if you will. These events facilitate the restoration of the biological family as well as the church family. The church family, if it is lucky, will also come together once a week. To grow individually as Christians and a church family we need one another, and we hope that these events will challenge each of us to spend more time growing together in a world that is constantly trying to break us apart. So, we invite you to bring your family to be a part of our family on December 7th.
Andy Tracy, Dir. College and Career
October 15th, 2007
October 15, 2007
If we can understand what is going on with our relationships with others in terms of Grace and the Law, we can comprehend every situation. There were three laws present in my life when I was growing up: The laws of God, which told me how to live a life that was pleasing to Him. The laws of my parents, which attempted to steer me in the ways that they wanted me to go and to learn right from wrong, and the laws that I set for myself. These laws were expectations that I wanted to live up to; to be a man that was likable, responsible, charming, intelligent, funny, and mature. No matter how hard I tried though, I would fall short in every area. When I failed God, my parents, or myself, I would experience shame, embarrassment, fear, and guilt.
Have you ever felt such things? Galatians 5:1 reads: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” It is so easy to try to gain and maintain a right relationship with God through the moral laws of right and wrong that are set on us by God, parents, spouses, ourselves, or even the world. Paul encourages in the book of Galatians to stand firm in our faith, relying on God’s grace each and every day to sustain us. We have all fallen short of God’s laws and we disappoint one another from time to time. Consider the laws that you have written for your spouse, your children, the clerk at the corner store.
What will you do when they do not live up to them? Does your attitude show them what God’s grace looks like? People can no more live up to the laws that we set for them than we can live up to God’s laws. Understanding God’s “one-way” love does not enable us to do whatever we want to do; it puts us in a right relationship with God so that we can be the man or woman of God that he desires for us to be. What will you do with your freedom?
September 15th, 2007
September 15, 2007
The Colony is the name of the men’s ministry at Catalina Foothills Church. In the future I would like to tell you about that name, but today I will spend my efforts painting you a philosophical metaphor about our men’s ministry. Arizona is known for its many golf courses. One way I like to view the ministry to men is that it is like the game of golf.
On almost every hole, you “tee it high & let if fly” using your #1 wood. The big drivers for us are the conferences & retreats that we do every year. These large and rather anonymous events require little more than attending. Though the commitment level is minimal, these non-threatening venues allow a man to experience good teaching, fellowship, and an overall positive experience. I think the long and short irons which advance the Kingdom of Christ are both small and medium size groups and events that require more commitment and focus. This is where our discipleship groups, Bible studies, and the LLM retreats fit in to our overall agenda. Putting is the “one-to-one” (or Man-to-Man) discipling and encouragement. And of course, every now and then a man may find himself in “the beach.” No one likes the sand trap, but we all end up there at different times. I believe this is where counseling, GriefShare, and Celebrate Recovery serve us well as a church.
Unfortunately, many men are still playing at Putt-Putt golf instead of enjoying the real game of golf. Likewise many men are playing at their faith instead of enjoying a deep abiding relationship with Christ. 1 Peter 2:2-3 & Hebrews 5:11-14 remind us that we are called to grow up in our faith and not remain spiritual babes in Christ. Jesus wants fully mature followers. The opportunities for intentional spiritual growth are many. Come join other men from CFC in the journey of following Jesus! September 21st & 22nd there are two excellent opportunities to jump into some events that will encourage you. The “Mom & Dad If You Only Knew” dessert is on Friday, and The Great Adventure Men’s Conference is on Saturday.
For the King,