The Orchard Blog

myspace: A Beautiful Blend – Sunday 11.26.06

Setlist:
Salvation is Here – Hillsong United
Blessed Be Your Name – Passion
From The Inside Out – Hillsong United
Sound of Melodies – Leeland

This weekend, Scott shared with us some great thoughts on how to do life better together as a family, especially for those who are in blended families. He reminded us to be praying for our relationships within the family, to talk things through with our children, and to close the door – discuss disciplinary issues with our kids behind closed doors. As parents, we need to be in agreement (present a united front), we need to listen to our children, and we need to be consistent in our rules and consequences. Lastly, in a blended family, we need to give it time.

Like many families around us, the church is a big blended family… children adopted by our heavenly Father.

Posted by Mike Jones

Wow, can you believe that it’s already that time again? Thanksgiving! Wow…

I’m looking forward to waking up in the morning to do some cooking, watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and then host some of our family for dinner at our home.

And then a movie. My choices are: Nacho Libre or Click. Any suggestions?

Anyway… I want to wish everyone at The Orchard a Happy Thanksgiving and tell you that Amanda and I are so thankful for each of you. We get overwhelmed every time we think about how God has surrounded us with some of the finest people in this world. (That is so, so true…)

I’m also looking forward to week #2 of our MYSPACE which will continue this Sunday at The Orchard! Hope to see you there!

Have a great Thanksgiving with your friends and loved ones!
Posted by Scott Hodge

myspace: Who’s Leading Who? – Sunday 11.19.06

Setlist:
The Time Has Come – Hillsong United
Forever – Chris Tomlin
Beautiful One – By The Tree
With Arms Wide Open – Creed

This last Sunday we began our new series MYSPACE, and Scott asked some tough questions of those of us who are parents, grandparents or are considering being parents in the future. How much space is too much space for our kids? Has our child become the family CEO? The key is understanding that we are preparing our children to leave well. Scott also used the following acronym to help us remember how to accomplish this task:

Knowledge that is grounded
Intimacy that’s intentional
Discipline that’s consistent
Structure that’s strategic

Posted by Mike Jones

Wow…what a weekend!! Not only did we launch our new “MYSPACE” series, but we also had a HUGE parent-child dedication! If you were there, you know – it was an awesome site to see SO MANY kids everywhere being dedicated to God by their parents. Here are a few pics:

(Click for larger images)

Posted by Scott Hodge

Meaningless – Sunday 11.12.06

Setlist:
Lord We Praise You – Todd Fields
Unchanging – Chris Tomlin
Why Georgia – John Mayer*****
How Great Is Our God – Chris Tomlin

God has created you with a purpose. Your life on this earth is anything but meaningless. Are you doing what you were made to do?

Posted by Mike Jones

*****(Please use discretion when previewing or purchasing other songs by this artist as other songs on this album may contain inappropriate lyrical content.)

Ted and I will be celebrating 5 years of marraige on Friday!!

Yes, we are still practically newlyweds, but we plan to make it the LONG HAUL. Marraige has taught me so much about myself (the good and the bad), as well as how to (and how NOT to) communicate! I am thankful for a spouse that believes in and encourages me on a daily basis!

I was reading something the other day, that I thought could benefit all of us who are married:

“Couples who made the LONG HAUL had a FIVE-to-one ratio of POSITIVE to negative communications.”

Take the time today (okay, take 5 times today) to compliment your spouse!

Posted by Kathryn Egly

BiG! Impact – Sunday 11.05.06

Setlist:
Worship You Forever –Todd Fields
Here is Our King – David Crowder Band
Give A Little Bit – Goo Goo Dolls

Great weekend! It’s amazing to see how much the Orchard has grown over the last couple of years. God is moving in this place, lives are being changed, and the community (and world) will be impacted in a big way! Thank you for allowing my family and I to be a part of this! The cool part is that we have just scratched the surface of all that God wants to accomplish through the church that meets at the Orchard!

Posted by Mike Jones

This blog title may sound funny, but November is a time for us to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for!

Here are some of the things that make my heart happy:

• Compliments from my husband
• Hanging out with my sisters
• The Orchard on Sunday morning
• Kids saying, “I get it!”
• Hearing stories about how God is working in one’s life
• Carabba’s Italian Restaurant
• Vacations
• A great book (and having time to read it)
• My God, my Friend, my Guide, my Love, my Savior

What about you?

Posted by Kathryn Egly

Tonight is our First Wednesday gathering at The Orchard! I hope you are planning on joining us. We’ll begin at 7pm and will wrap up around 8:15’ish…  We’re going to spend some time worshiping, listening and realigning our hearts with our Creator.

If you’ve never been to a First Wednesday I hope you will join us tonight!  I promise you will be glad you took the time to come out…

See you tonight at 7pm!

Posted by Scott Hodge