MARCH 2017

F R O M T H E D E S K O F B I L L Y A N D B O N N I E Y O R K

MinistryNewsletter

“THE RIGHTEOUS WILL FLOURISH LIKE A PALM TREE, THEY WILL GROW LIKE A CEDAR OF LEBANON; PLANTED IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, THEY WILL FLOURISH IN THE COURTS OF OUR GOD. THEY WILL STILL BEAR FRUIT IN OLD AGE, THEY WILL STAY FRESH AND GREEN.”

PSALMS 92:12–14 NIV

MARCH 2019

Years ago I decided to grow

corn in my backyard. I spent hours

cultivating the soil and making rows

in which to plant the corn. I planted

the corn according to the directions

and made sure to water and pull any

weeds that were starting to grow

near my plants. How exciting it was

to finally see the first signs of growth

when the little plants pushed their

way through the top of the soil.

Soon each plant was three inches

high. I knew they were on their way

to dwarfing even me.

Then one day the unexpected

happened. I woke up to check on

my plants and discovered several of

the corn stalks had been pulled up

and thrown up to two feet away from

where they were planted. As the days

passed, more stalks were pulled up

and cast around the garden. This had

me completely befuddled. What could

be doing this?

My answer came one day when I

observed a big black crow fly down

from the sky and land in my garden.

The crow walked over and with its

beak pulled out one of the stalks,

shook it and tossed it in the air. I

was fascinated and watched the crow

for several minutes. It was then that

something really sparked my interest.

The crow continued to pull on

the plants, however the

second plant he pulled

at wouldn’t budge.

As I continued

to watch, the

crow was able

to pull up some

plants and not

others. I had

finally seen enough

and chased the

crow away. However,

my curiosity had

been aroused. Why

was the crow able to pull away some

plants and not the others? I soon

found my answer. Although the

plants were the same height, upon

pulling a stalk that the crow couldn’t,

I noticed the roots were much longer

and deeper in the soil. The plants

that got pulled up had shallow roots.

This made me think about children

and how we raise them. Generally,

all children grow at approximately the

same rate, with di�erent variations.

However, we find that some children,

when faced with di�culty, are able

to endure when life shakes their

little world.

“GENERALLY, ALL CHILDREN GROW AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME RATE, WITH DIFFERENT VARIATIONS.”

Psalm 1:2–3 gives a perfect

illustration of this idea, “But they

delight in doing everything God

wants them to, and day and night

are always meditating on his laws

and thinking about ways to follow

him more closely. They are like trees

along a riverbank bearing luscious

fruit each season without fail. Their

leaves shall never wither, and all they

do shall prosper” (TLB). These are

kids who are focused on pleasing

God and living by His Word, whose

lives are continually producing

spiritual fruit, and who remain

steadfast in their relationship with

Jesus all through their lives. Isn’t

that what we all want for our children?

God’s Word does not return empty.

Plant, water, and fertilize your children

spiritually and help them grow their

spiritual roots deep. This way they

will be able to withstand, and even

flourish, in life’s storms.

CORN,

CROWS,

& KIDS

HoorayIt’s the Vernal Equinox!How exciting! On March 20th it

will be the Vernal Equinox. Now

you may be scratching your head

wondering what I’m talking about.

Vernal means, “relating to, or occurring

in the spring.” Equinox means, “time

or date when day and night are of

equal length.” In other words, “the

first day of spring.”

The days are getting longer and the

kids are getting restless. Why not

start a family tradition of planting

seeds for a garden on that day? It

can be so much fun to take children

to a garden shop and let them pick

out plants they would like to grow.

The best seeds to plant on

March 20th in Southern California

are: basil, beans, beets, carrots,

chives, cilantro, corn, cucumber,

dill, eggplant, green bunching

onions, lettuce, onion, parsley,

parsnip, peas, peppers, radish,

spinach, strawberries, squash,

sunflower, Swiss-chard, tomatoes,

and thyme.

The size of the garden is not

important—it’s the time the parent

and child spends doing something

together. Not every plant will be

successful. You may have to deal

with bugs and very hot days, but all

of this could be turned into a teaching

and learning experience—if you only

take the time to make this happen.

A lot of projects that require time

don’t happen unless you make the

time for them. We may have great

intentions, but it takes e�ort if you

want to see results. Rick Warren is

quoted saying, “The best use of life

is love. The best expression of love

is time. The best time to love is now.”

“The size of the garden is not important—it’s the time the parent and child spends doing something together.”

Many lessons can be taught with

a garden. A garden teaches us

patience. It teaches us to put aside

short term gratification for long

team goals. It is a wonderful way

to teach children about the “fruit

of our labors.”

Research is showing that a

lot of children are su�ering from

“Technology Overload.” They are

reaching a breaking point where

they lose their ability to focus due

to overstimulation. Taking a break

from electronic devices and spending

time doing something with their

loved ones, working together on a

project has been shown to produce

immediate positive e�ects on a

child’s overall well-being.

It’s springtime! Time to put down the

electronic devices and get outside as

a family and discover the wonders of

God’s world together.

“Let us not become weary in doing

good, for at the proper time we will

reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters,

until the Lord’s coming. See how the

farmer waits for the land to yield its

valuable crop, patiently waiting for

the autumn and spring rains.”

James 5:7 (NIV)

HARVEST CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP6115 ARLINGTON AVENUERIVERSIDE, CA 92504

Children’s Ministry Flyover

march

“The most influential of all educational factors is the conversation in a child’s home.”~ William Temple

“It is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion. Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His words?” ~ Dwight L. Moody

K I D S

Quotes and Verses from Pastor Billy’s Library

“Faith is not something that goes against the evidence, it goes beyond it.” ~ Alister McGrath

“Nothing can bring a real sense of security into the home except true love.” ~ Billy Graham

“The most influential of all educational factors is the conversation in a child’s home.”~ William Temple

“THE BEST ADVICE YOU WILL EVER RECEIVE”I get it, life is not always easy. Especially when you are trying to balance work, home, family, friends, finances, and all the demands that go with it. Every situation is di�erent and sometimes you feel like you are falling apart and being pulled in a million di�erent directions. I have advice for you that works every time. This advice comes from Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (NKJV).

When I was a young boy I read that when you are dealing with physical pain, if you look at a focal point and concentrate on it, the pain will be reduced. So, I thought I’d try it the next time I went to the dentist. As the dentist started his work to fill one of my teeth I felt the discomfort. I remembered to look for a focal point and found a small fire alarm box on the wall. It worked! The pain was reduced. I then moved my eyes and the pain increased. I have done this over the years many times when I had to deal with physical discomfort. As a cross country coach of 30 years, I incorporated this truth into my coaching. I told my athletes that everyone has to deal with the discomfort the sport demands. As you run beside a person during the race, chances are he or she is feeling the same level of discomfort you are. It is the runner who is able to deal with the discomfort best who will win that personal battle. I would tell my athletes to pick a focal point in the distance and keep focusing on it until it was reached. When an athlete did this, two things happened. First,

the discomfort level was reduced because he had a focal point, and second, it helped him run in a straight line, reducing the amount of steps it took to get there. Any runner who looks behind or beside himself loses steps and distance in a race.

When I was young I worked on a farm in Pennsylvania. In the spring I would have to plow the fields in order to prepare for growing crops. Sometimes the field would be up to a half-mile long. As I plowed, I would look at an object in the distance and not take my eyes o� of it. The end result was that is helped me achieve very straight rows.

We all know the story of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus he did well, but when Peter took his eyes o� of Him, he started to sink.

Once when I was in a very scary situation with my family and it seemed like no hope was in sight, I prayed. Then this thought came to me: “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.” It was at that moment I realized that Jesus knew the situation I was in and He loved me. I sensed He was right there with me.

No matter what you or your family are facing, Jesus is there with you and He will see you through. This advice is truly the best advice you’ll ever receive because it is from God’s Word: Keep your eyes on Jesus!

Holidays March 10 – Daylight Saving Time

March 17 – Saint Patrick’s Day

March 20 – Spring Begins

March 20 – International Day of Happiness

HK EventsMarch 3 – MYT Training

March 30 – Harvest Kids Webcast Training

Church EventsMarch 2 – Youth Soccer Begins

March 15 – High School Camp

ServicesRiverside Main CampusChildren’s ServicesSunday: 8:00 AM; 10:00 AM;12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM

Wednesday: 7:00 PM