There's a big difference between hearing a sermon and listening to a sermon. Hearing is the simple act of perceiving sound by the ear. How many times have you left church on Sunday morning having heard the sermon with your ears, but your mind was somewhere completely different? Tim Wolf taught us at the last Resolved meeting that one of the ways we learn more about the bible is through listening to sermons. Active listening is a spiritual discipline that we must practice in order to grow in our ability to retain God's word in our hearts for it to make a lasting impact in our lives.

As a follow up to Tim's message, check out this article by Phil Ryken on How to Listen to a Sermon.

Just a few events for the month of February. Don't forget to mark you calendars!

Kim Boettcher, Laurie Reyes, and Darlene Yoder will be sharing at this month's Titus 2 Ladies Book Study.

For the married couples in Resolved, we will also be getting together on February 24 for some married fellowship. Reach out to your community group leader for more details.

Looking forward to an awesome weekend!

1. Come dressed in your favorite ugly Christmas sweater.

2. There will be a cookie contest. If you like to bake, bring a batch of your favorite recipe.

3. Bring a $5 giftcard to your favorite store. We'll be having a giftcard exchange.

For the past few months at Resolved we've had the privilege of hearing from various missionaries and ministries. At our last meeting, we were presented with two missions trip opportunities. If God has placed a burden on your heart for international missions, please prayerfully consider going on a short-term missions trip for the sake of fulfilling the great commission and spreading the gospel to the unreached countries of the world.

This missions trip will be taking place in the summer of 2012. It involves volunteering at a camp with the Esperanza Project. Similar to a Vacation Bible School, children will be attending the camp and participating in sports, games, arts & crafts, etc. Although the Esperanza Project is a secular organization, this trip will still be a great opportunity to share the gospel with unbelieving volunteers, children, and families. There is an informal meeting for anyone interested in finding out more information. It will be happening right after church on Sunday, November 20th at the house of Natalie Fazzone. Her address is 302 Filmore Street, Riverside, NJ 08075. Dominican food will be provided for lunch, so come with an empty stomach! If you aren't able to make it to the informal meeting, you can reach out to Natalie Fazzone for more information at nkfazzone@liberty.edu

This missions trip will also be taking place in the summer of 2012. Partnering with One Mission Society, volunteers will be participating in "English Camps" in Ukraine. At the English camps, college-age Ukrainians are taught how to speak English, while at the same time being told the good news of Jesus Christ. Anyone interested in this missions trip should contact Reese and Rebekah Locken at reese.locken@gmail.com