Fan Into Flame the Gift
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:6–7)
Every election year can bring out some worldly emotions in us. We can quickly fall into great fear for the future, hatred of everyone voting differently than us, and a feeling like everything is out of control. I am definitely not immune to these emotions. It is important to remember they are not the fruits of the Spirit. Interestingly, the Spirit of God wants to accomplish the opposite of fear, hatred, and lack of control. He intends to drive out fear and give us a Spirit of confidence, power, of great love and mercy for all, and discipline over our emotions and actions. Our faith is a real gift! We know that the victory is already secure, and we can rejoice in the Lord!
So here Paul tells Timothy to fan this gift into a flame. When we come to the Lord, we should be activating our faith to grow and be more effective for the Lord until Jesus returns to take us home. The rest of this letter of 2 Timothy gives some great advice, and I want to share some simple disciplines that will help you fan your faith into a mighty flame for the Lord.
Practice these in community with others and in relationship with the Holy Spirit. My suggestion is to pick one discipline of engagement and one discipline of abstinence with a friend to practice over the course of the month. Notice if God is using these disciplines to fan into flame your faith.
Disciplines of Engagement
Study: Engage yourself in deeper study of God’s Word, chewing on God’s truths throughout the day (Try looking deep into words or characters within a chapter from Galatians)
Worship: Dwell upon and express the greatness and goodness of God. (Write poems, spend time worshipping/singing, journal a letter of gratitude to the Lord)
Celebration: Eat, drink, sing, dance with others who know God and enjoy a celebration with holy delight and joy in conjunction with our faith. (Go to Jubilee, invite friends over for a dinner where you share things of the Lord you are delighting in.)
Service: Practice humble service to the Lord (Think of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Practice taking a position of service to another.)
Prayer: Praying, communicating and conversing with God for set-apart times every day. (Come to prayer night. Try to increase your daily time set in prayer. Set alarms on your phone through the day to commune with God.)
Fellowship: Assembling with other believers for worship, study, prayer, and celebration. (Commit to Sunday Service, Home-Groups, HopeYouth…)
Confession: Let trusted others know your deepest weaknesses and failures to avoid sin and grow in Christ-likeness. (Share your struggle with another, memorize scripture to combat the sin…)
Submission: Obeying Godly servant leaders and being led by mentors in your life. (Reach out to someone you respect and meet weekly for the month to learn from them. Take notes, ask questions…)
Disciplines of Abstinence
Solitude: Choosing to be alone for a little bit to reflect on God and his goodness. (Set aside a quiet walk or time alone. Journal and be accountable to a friend about your time.)
Silence: Finding a quiet place and time and attempting to listen and commune with God. (Turn off the music and phone. Listen for the Lord, remember His goodness in your life.)
Fasting: Abstaining from food or something for a period of time to make sure nothing has dominion over you. Replace that thing you are fasting from with prayer.
Frugality: Abstain from using money for your own desires and consider that one needful thing (Jesus) and how to do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly.
Chastity: Purposefully turn away from dwelling upon or engaging in sexual dimensions of our relationships to others for a time for self control. (Take a break from Netflix and see 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7, 1 Corinthians 7:2-5).
Secrecy: Take steps to prevent your good qualities and good deeds from being known. (Journal your progress on not talking about yourself, but trusting in the One who sees what you do in secret.)
Sacrifice: Practice great giving and sacrificing your needs for another. (This is a discipline of giving sacrificially when it hurts.)
Pastor Randy
Mark your calendars for this special Hope event. We will have great food, fellowship, fun, live music, kids play area, and a pie contest. Please bring a dessert to share (pie, cookies, brownies) and the side lined up with your last name on the list below to serve 15. Please clearly label your food containers and serving utensils if you want them back (pick up at the end of the evening) or bring food in a disposable container.
Below are the potluck assignments. If your last names begins with:
A , B, L, N - Macaroni & Cheese
H, J, S, W - Green Salad
C, D, E, M, R, Q - Cornbread
G, K, T, Y - Coleslaw or Potato Salad
F, I, O, P, U, X, V, Z - Beans
Please contact us at info@hopetucson.com or 520-400-1483 if you have any questions. Also, it's not too late to volunteer! Sign up below!
October Baptisms!
Caleb Brown
Jack Brown
Nathan Duplessis
Hudson Glowa
Taitum Hunt
Harlow Klein
Gianna Knutson
Madisen Lorefice
McKenna Mathew
Kerrigan Smead
Nathan Schwartz
If you are interested in being baptized, please contact Gina at info@hopetucson.com.
Would you like to be a part of the Hope Community Church directory? If so, the directory will be updated soon so please sign up below. Also, if you are presently in the directory and any of your listing has changed, please make your changes on the link below.
Send love and the Gospel to children in need around the World!
Pick up your shoebox at Hope on 11/3 & 11/10.
Fill your shoebox with toys, personal care items, school supplies and accessories.
Please do not include food, liquids, scary or war related items.
Give a $10.00 donation online or by mail to cover shipping and other related items.
Follow you box by scanning the code on your label.
Drop off your shoebox at Hope on 11/17 or 11/24.
Cheer on our HopeKids after church on 11/24 as they parade our boxes out to be delivered to a nearby donation center.
You can also build a shoebox online by visiting Samaritanspurse.org/buildonline. Be sure to scroll down to "search for a goal page" (Hope Community Church).
Pray that our boxes will be a blessing!
Thank you, Tammi Moore and the Operation Christmas Child Team
Last year, we helped Maranatha Church (a Spanish speaking congregation in Tucson) with their mission to a community that live inside of the dump in Nogales, Mexico. They take new shoes and jackets for children and teenagers that live with these families in a difficult situation (without heat in their homes). Please prayerfully consider bringing a pair of shoes and/or a jacket to church on Sundays, November 3, 10, 17 and 24. There will be a tub in the lobby to drop them off.
Women's Ministry
Suzi King, Director
sking@hopetucson.com
A big thank you to Mary Ruland who showed us how to make sourdough bread in October! We also had a great time of fellowship at the brunch!
Seeking fulfilment, many Christians turn to identities that promise to give their lives meaning: profession, roles as spouse or parent, personality types, even sexuality - anything that can be held up to others as the empowering core of who they are. But when these new labels don’t give them any real foundation for hope, they end up feeling disappointed, directionless, and defeated. Those false identities turn out to be only sand.
John and Angel Beeson have seen this problem again and again in their respective roles as pastor and counselor. And they want searching Christians to know the truth: a fulfilling understanding of self can only be found by rooting one's identity in the unchangeable and nonnegotiable understanding of who we were created to be.
Lynne Hooge, HopeKids Director
lhooge@hopetucson.com
Hello Hope Families!
I love how the timing of our Sunday Curriculum theme coincides with Thanksgiving this month! We didn’t plan it that way, God did! The theme this month is “Worship.”
DON’T FORGET TO TURN IN YOUR ARTWORK FOR THE HOPEKID’S ART GALLERY FOR JUBILEE BY NOVEMBER 3RD. YOU CAN EMAIL ME FOR MORE INFORMATION.
We thank God for all our HopeKids’ Families and HopeKids’ Team Members!
"Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Ephesians 5:19b-20
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
~Lynne
HopeKids Family Winter Wonderland - Saturday, December 7
HopeKids will sing in the Worship Service - Sunday, December 22
Our Key Verses this Month:
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under His care. (Psalm 95:6-7)
Big Picture Question:
What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.
What We’re Learning:
November 3 (Family Sunday): God Gave the Ten Commandments; Exodus 19-20
November 10: The People Worshipped a Golden Calf; Exodus 32-34
November 17: The People Build the Tabernacle; Exodus 35-40
November 24: God Deserves Our Worship; Leviticus 1-4
November Birthdays
Oliver Silva 11/1
Zane Vereen 11/2
Maisy Harrison 11/9
Teagan McCabe 11/13
Ethan Alexander 11/15
Kaylin Crom 11/17
Liam Vereen 11/24
We are looking for an adult to work with our amazing Cubbies (ages 4-5 yrs.) Interested - contact Tim Tolson at timtolson@comcast.net.
No Church-Wide Prayer and Praise meeting in November or December. We will begin again on Wednesday, January 29.
Gary Jones, Discipleship Pastor
gjones@hopetucson.com
“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28)
Are you interested in becoming a Home Group leader? On Wednesday, November 20th at 6:30 p.m. we will be having a meeting in the Community Room to explore what serving as a Home Group leader looks like. There are several people that desire to be in HGs, but we need more HG leaders to make that possible. By attending the meeting, you are not committing to the role – just exploring the opportunity. Contact Pastor Gary for more info.
Home Group Leader Appreciation and Information Lunch on Sunday, November 24th from 12:00 p.m. -2pm in the Community Room. Hey HG Leaders - we want to take some time to thank you all for your hard work in 2024 and cast some vision for the Home Group Ministry in 2025. We’d love to see you all there.
Do you desire to be in a Home Group? Home Groups are a great way for us to grow in community and in our walk with Jesus. We desire to see everyone connected to a Home Group, so if you are interested in getting plugged in, please contact Pastor Gary.
Men’s Camp was awesome! We had about 60 guys from Hope, Calvary Marana, and Ambassadors Church participate. It was a special time to be encouraged in the Word, eat great food, hike, and play fun camp games. As men, our tendency can be to isolate ourselves, so this camp was a special time to spend quality time with other guys. We hope to see even more guys come next year!
Men's Breakfast – Saturday, November 16 from 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. in the Community Room
Men's Bible Study – Friday, November 1 & 15 from 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. in the Community Room.
Led by Carl & Ashley Vereen
We are excited as we start working through the book of Hosea. Such an amazing book of scripture showing God’s love for his people! Jesus himself quotes from Hosea. We can’t wait to dig in with you. Join us!
November 2: Bible Study @7:00 p.m. in Community Room
November 9: Bible Study @7:00 p.m. in Community Room
November 16: Bible Study @7:00 p.m. in Community Room
November 23: Bible Study @7:00 p.m. in Community Room
Saturday, November 30: NO Meeting
Contact Carl Vereen at carlvereen@gmail.com if you have any questions about HopeLife!
Kevin Mason, Family Pastor
kmason@hopetucson.com
September Calendar for Youth Group:
No Youth Group on Sunday, November 10 - Join Hope at the Jubilee!
Sundays, November 3, 17 & 24: Youth Group from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Community Room.
Bob & Merrillee Whren, Directors
Interested in our Seniors' Ministry? Contact Bob Whren at bwhren@gmail.com.
November 8 - Park Day location to be announced
November 22 Pima Air and Space Museum - 9:00 a.m. RSVP due by November 8
Our goal is to grow a community of support and encouragement for all families at Hope Community Church who wish to educate their students at home. All are welcome to participate in the activities regardless of what type of school they attend. Children that are not school age are also welcome.
For more details and information on this group, please contact Bre McCabe at bmambros@gmail.com or Tina Edgin at tsedgin@gmail.com.
The Tucson Night to Shine Volunteer link is now live. Don't miss out on this special prom night event that is sure to bless everyone involved. People have already started signing up, so don't wait!
Email tucsonnighttoshine@gmail.com if you have any questions.
To God Be the Glory!
HCC Night to Shine Rep., Jill Manzo
