ERock: newsletter

A Word From Bill Young

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). I recently had an intense conversation with a dear friend on the importance of having proper priorities. I told him about an illustration I used in one of my teachings years ago. When I first heard the illustration, I knew I’d never forget it.

I placed a medium-sized clear container on a table for everyone to see and proceeded to fill it with rocks about the size of my fist until it couldn’t hold any more. The audience seemed amused by my antics, so I asked them, “Is the container full?” One tentative person responded, “Yes!”

“Wrong,” I gleefully declared. I smiled and pulled out a bag of pea-sized gravel and began pouring that over the top of the larger rocks. Again I asked, “Now is the container full?” The congregation was catching on, and several shouted, “No!”

I then took out a container of sand and poured it over the rocks until no more could fit. “Full?” I asked. In unison, the audience said, “No!”

Finally, I took out a large cup of water and slowly poured the liquid into the container until it threatened to spill over the edges. “Now,” I said, “it’s full.”

What’s the point? The point is NOT that no matter how busy we get, we can always cram more activities into our schedule! No! The lesson to be learned is that when it comes to our lives, we need to put the big rocks in first. The big rocks represent those things that matter most to us — God, our families, and people. The gravel, sand and water represent the things that have lesser priority in our lives — work, recreation, hobbies, etc. You see, if I had put the water or sand in first, I wouldn’t have had room for the big rocks, and we need to be absolutely certain that the things which are truly important are not left out!

Don’t let the lesser things in life squeeze out the things that really matter. Take a look at your priorities today. Are the big rocks in first?

Prioritizing,

Bill

There’s always reason to celebrate when we hear how the Lord changes lives. Consider this e-mail we received last Sunday: “At the end of last night’s service, when we prayed for one another and gave our burdens to God, that was exactly what I needed. I also think it’s exactly what we needed as a church, going deeper with each other and the Lord. I don’t know where I’d be without this awesome church and body of believers. It’s been an amazing six years for me, and my life is utterly changed for the Lord. One life at a time — one world in our lifetime!”

Our three locations have varying people demographics, so our small groups are handled differently at each location with the hope of providing a relevant way for everyone to get plugged in. For more information regarding life groups at our Provo location, please contact Steve McInroy. For information regarding midweek house churches at the downtown location, please contact Steele Croswhite. And Sandy will be starting their fall session of small groups at the end of September. The deadline to get your information in to the church office is September 15, so contact us if you have any questions or click here for a small group application. Small groups are a huge part of The Rock, so get plugged in!

Help the Scouts
Does your lawn need final prep for winter? The Rock’s Boy Scout troop will be doing lawn aerations this Saturday and Sunday, September 11-12, for a suggested donation of $25 (or less) to help offset their fall expenses. Contact Andy Peterie to be scheduled.

The Rock Music

TRM Arts Festival
Don’t miss our very first TRM Arts Festival, a musical and artistic outreach of creative expression designed to welcome and embrace the unsaved in our community. There will be original art on display as well as live music, exemplifying that all creativity comes from the Creator. We hope to attract many who might not typically step inside a church, and in the spirit of outreach we’ve even invited a non-Christian band to play, that they too might see that “whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Be there — downtown on September 24 at 6:00 p.m. — and bring an unsaved friend!

Rock Solid
Do you want a marriage that is rock solid? If you’re engaged or newly married, don’t miss our Rock Solid marriage class at 9:00 a.m. running for four consecutive Saturday mornings starting September 25 at the downtown location. The class will cover the purposes of marriage as well as roles, in-laws, communication, conflict, money, love, sex, time management, parenting, and The Great Commission. Please note that all couples who wish to be married at The Rock will need to complete this class. Cost is $25 per couple — click here to register.

Ladies Night

Ladies’ Night (Sandy)
Something unique happens when a group of women gather together, so we’ve set aside a time each month when women can grow in their relationships with God while developing friendships with one another. Our theme for this year is Pleasing God. Join us for the fall kickoff at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, September 27, at the Sandy building!

Every Man's Monday

Every Man’s Monday (Sandy)
In today’s society, the media tries to dictate what a man is supposed to look like, talk like, act like, etc. But as Christian men, we must look to the Bible to define our identity in order to protect us from a path of destruction and to become the men God has called us to be. Join us as we strive to be Real Men, at 7:00 p.m. starting Monday, October 4, at the Sandy building. Don’t miss it — be a man!

September 8, 2010
In today's newsletter... Celebrate the Win Small Group Spotlight News Upcoming Events Prayer Requests series in downtown and Sandy this weekend: Coping With Confrontation coming up: Kingdom Parables To download messages, click here. series in Provo this weekend: All Aboard! coming up: Disobedience To download messages, click here. Pray for a man battling the bottle. Pray that Christ’s Kingdom will continue to expand through the various ministries of The Rock Church. Do you have a special prayer need? Click here to share your need and have people begin praying for you right now. TRUTH “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” (Psalm 143:10) THINK “Lord, let me make a difference for You that is utterly disproportionate to who I am!” FOLLOW	ROCKS A Word From Bill Young “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). I recently had an intense conversation with a dear friend on the importance of having proper priorities. I told him about an illustration I used in one of my teachings years ago. When I first heard the illustration, I knew I’d never forget it. I placed a medium-sized clear container on a table for everyone to see and proceeded to fill it with rocks about the size of my fist until it couldn’t hold any more. The audience seemed amused by my antics, so I asked them, “Is the container full?” One tentative person responded, “Yes!” “Wrong,” I gleefully declared. I smiled and pulled out a bag of pea-sized gravel and began pouring that over the top of the larger rocks. Again I asked, “Now is the container full?” The congregation was catching on, and several shouted, “No!” I then took out a container of sand and poured it over the rocks until no more could fit. “Full?” I asked. In unison, the audience said, “No!” Finally, I took out a large cup of water and slowly poured the liquid into the container until it threatened to spill over the edges. “Now,” I said, “it’s full.” What’s the point? The point is NOT that no matter how busy we get, we can always cram more activities into our schedule! No! The lesson to be learned is that when it comes to our lives, we need to put the big rocks in first. The big rocks represent those things that matter most to us — God, our families, and people. The gravel, sand and water represent the things that have lesser priority in our lives — work, recreation, hobbies, etc. You see, if I had put the water or sand in first, I wouldn’t have had room for the big rocks, and we need to be absolutely certain that the things which are truly important are not left out! Don’t let the lesser things in life squeeze out the things that really matter. Take a look at your priorities today. Are the big rocks in first? Prioritizing, Bill CELEBRATE THE WIN There’s always reason to celebrate when we hear how the Lord changes lives. Consider this e-mail we received last Sunday: “At the end of last night’s service, when we prayed for one another and gave our burdens to God, that was exactly what I needed. I also think it’s exactly what we needed as a church, going deeper with each other and the Lord. I don’t know where I’d be without this awesome church and body of believers. It’s been an amazing six years for me, and my life is utterly changed for the Lord. One life at a time — one world in our lifetime!” SMALL GROUP SPOTLIGHT Our three locations have varying people demographics, so our small groups are handled differently at each location with the hope of providing a relevant way for everyone to get plugged in. For more information regarding life groups at our Provo location, please contact Steve McInroy. For information regarding midweek house churches at the downtown location, please contact Steele Croswhite. And Sandy will be starting their fall session of small groups at the end of September. The deadline to get your information in to the church office is September 15, so contact us if you have any questions or click here for a small group application. Small groups are a huge part of The Rock, so get plugged in! NEWS Help the Scouts Does your lawn need final prep for winter? The Rock’s Boy Scout troop will be doing lawn aerations this Saturday and Sunday, September 11-12, for a suggested donation of $25 (or less) to help offset their fall expenses. Contact Andy Peterie to be scheduled. TRM Arts Festival Don’t miss our very first TRM Arts Festival, a musical and artistic outreach of creative expression designed to welcome and embrace the unsaved in our community. There will be original art on display as well as live music, exemplifying that all creativity comes from the Creator. We hope to attract many who might not typically step inside a church, and in the spirit of outreach we’ve even invited a non-Christian band to play, that they too might see that “whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Be there — downtown on September 24 at 6:00 p.m. — and bring an unsaved friend! Rock Solid Do you want a marriage that is rock solid? If you’re engaged or newly married, don’t miss our Rock Solid marriage class at 9:00 a.m. running for four consecutive Saturday mornings starting September 25 at the downtown location. The class will cover the purposes of marriage as well as roles, in-laws, communication, conflict, money, love, sex, time management, parenting, and The Great Commission. Please note that all couples who wish to be married at The Rock will need to complete this class. Cost is $25 per couple — click here to register. Ladies’ Night (Sandy) Something unique happens when a group of women gather together, so we’ve set aside a time each month when women can grow in their relationships with God while developing friendships with one another. Our theme for this year is Pleasing God. Join us for the fall kickoff at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, September 27, at the Sandy building! Every Man’s Monday (Sandy) In today’s society, the media tries to dictate what a man is supposed to look like, talk like, act like, etc. But as Christian men, we must look to the Bible to define our identity in order to protect us from a path of destruction and to become the men God has called us to be. Join us as we strive to be Real Men, at 7:00 p.m. starting Monday, October 4, at the Sandy building. Don’t miss it — be a man! UPCOMING TRM Arts Festival September 24, 6:00 p.m., downtown Rock Solid classes start September 25, 9:00 p.m., Sandy Ladies' Night (Sandy) September 27, 6:30 p.m., Sandy Every Man's Monday (Sandy) October 4, 7:00 p.m., Sandy Life Groups (Provo) most Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m., contact Steve McInroy for info House Church/Small Groups (downtown) most Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m., contact Steele Croswhite for info For the full calendar, click here.