Tag: Annoucements

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Bulletin – November 24, 2013

Blessings:  The Good and The Bad

The story of the rebellious prophet Jonah shows us how God desires to use both blessings and trials to challenge us and change us for the better.  Five times in the book of Jonah it says that the Lord prepared circumstances for him—both good and bad.

In Jonah 1:4 we read that the Lord sent a storm.  It says He “sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea.”  After the mariners discovered that Jonah was the reason for this storm, they threw him overboard (1:15).  Then God “prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah” to save him from drowning (1:17)

Later in the book we read the “the Lord God prepared a plant” to shade Jonah (4:6).  Then we see that God prepared a worm to kill the vine as well as a scorching wind and sun to beat down upon him (4:7-9).  These circumstances were used to reveal Jonah’s rebellious attitude.  Only after that revelation could God directly confront Jonah’s heart problem.

As we face different situations, we should remember that God is sovereign over both the blessings and the troubles that come our way.  He desires to use everything to build our character (James 1:1-5).  He uses both good and bad to transform us and guide us on our journey.

The Maker of the universe

Knows every need of man,

And made provision for that need

According to His plan.  –Crane

The Lord gives and takes away.  Blessed be the Lord.

Article by Dennis Fisher, Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2013 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights  reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries

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2013Nov24

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Bulletin – October 13, 2013

Lessons From a Fence

When a section of fence around our house blew down in a howling March wind, my first reaction was to blame the man who built it for me only a few months before. On further reflection, I knew the fault was mine. As the fence was nearing completion, I told him there was no need to replace four existing posts from the previous fence with new ones set in concrete. “Just attach the new fence to the old posts,” I said. “It will be fine.” It was—until the winds came.

Jesus told a powerful story to emphasize the importance of building our lives on the solid foundation of obeying His Word. “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (Matt. 7:24-26). When the wind and rain beat against the houses, only the one built on the rock remained standing.

Hearing God’s Word is essential, but doing what He says is the key to weathering the storms of life. It’s never too late to start building on the Rock.

The wise man builds his house on rock
Instead of sinking sand;
For when the storms of life descend,
That house will surely stand. —Sper

When the world around you is crumbling, God is the Rock on which you can stand.

Article by David C. McCasland, Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2013 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights  reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries

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2013Oct13

 

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Bulletin – October 6, 2013

The Slingshot Principle

by Mary Loudermilk

 Life doesn’t always go as expected. Trouble comes to all of us, unexpectedly and sometimes intensely. Such times define our character and test our strength. It has been said that, “Adversity introduces a man to himself.

 Oliver Wendell Holmes stated, “If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I would not pass it round.  Trouble creates a capacity to handle it.  I don’t embrace trouble; that’s as bad as treating it as an enemy.  But I do say meet it as a friend, for you’ll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it.”

 A minister friend has developed what he calls “The Slingshot Principle.” Like the stone in the pocket of a slingshot, we want to move forward in life but it seems that the more we strive, adversity pulls us back and back and back some more. Eventually, when we feel we can take no more, the pressure releases and we shoot forward beyond what we could even anticipate. It seems we must go back before we go forward, and this is not easy to understand, especially in the middle of a difficult situation.

 The Bible story of Joseph, found in Genesis 37-41, illustrates the Slingshot Principle. Joseph was the favored son of his father-and despised by his older brothers. This was more than a simple case of sibling rivalry. When the opportunity presented itself, the brothers placed Joseph in a pit and devised a plan to kill him. Then followed a better plan. Joseph was “in the slingshot”-sold to a passing caravan, taken to Egypt, sold as a slave, falsely accused, and put in prison. Years passed, and the backward pressure was intense.

 Joseph’s story does not end there. A series of events brought him before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. Joseph revealed that a time of plenty followed by a great famine would come upon Egypt, and he told how they should prepare. The pressure of the slingshot released, propelling him from the pit and prison to the palace. Pharaoh asked, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God? … You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

 A modern day story of triumph is that of Admiral Jim Stockdale, who for eight years endured torture as a prisoner of war in the “Hanoi Hilton.” When interviewed by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great, Stockdale stated of this horrific period of his life, “I never doubted not only that I would get out but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which in retrospect, I would not trade.”

 All of us will face trouble in life and feel that backward stretch. We must remember that, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

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2013Oct6

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Bulletin – September 29, 2013

Little By Little!

Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. —Exodus 23:30

When I was a little girl, my mother gave me her prized “reader” to help me learn, just as it had helped her years earlier. I loved one particular story, never dreaming how much it would affect me years later.

It was about a little boy with a small shovel. He was trying to clear a pathway through deep, new-fallen snow in front of his house. A man paused to observe the child’s enormous task. “Little boy,” he inquired, “how can someone as small as you expect to finish a task as big as this?”

The boy looked up and replied confidently, “Little by little, that’s how!” And he continued shoveling.

God awakened the seed of that story at a time when I was recovering from a breakdown. I remember how my “adult” self taunted the weak “child” within me: “How can someone as inadequate as you expect to surmount so great a mountain as this?” That little boy’s reply became my reply: “Little by little, that’s how!” And I did overcome—by depending on God. But it was one small victory after another.

The obstacles facing Israel as they considered claiming the land God had promised them must have seemed insurmountable. But He didn’t ask them to do it all at once.

“Little by little” is an effective strategy for victory.

He does not lead me year by year,
Not even day by day;
But step by step my path unfolds—
My Lord directs my way. —Ryberg

Trust God to move your mountain, but keep on digging.

Article by Joanie Yoder, Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2013 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights  reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries

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2013Sep29

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Western Day – September 29, 2013

Get your cowboy get-up on and let’s have some “devil stompin” church!!  There will be a “best western-dressed” Cowboy, cowgirl, Man and Woman.

We will be sharing a pot-luck western grub dinner – whatever you cook up..and bring a bunch!  There will be a community outreach on Saturday morning inviting those in the community, friends, family and neighbors to join with us for a great time of worship, food, and fellowship!  There will be NO EVENING SERVICE.

 

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Bulletin – September 15, 2013

Fire And Rain

In mercy the throne will be established; and One will sit on it in truth . . .  judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness. —Isaiah 16:5

When a wildfire raged through the beautiful canyons near Colorado Springs, Colorado, it destroyed the habitat of all kinds of wildlife and hundreds of homes. People across the nation cried out to God, pleading with Him to send rain to douse the flames, put an end to the destruction, and give firefighters relief. Some people’s prayers had an interesting condition attached to them. They asked God to show mercy and send rain without lightning, which they feared would start even more fires.

This reminds me of how we live in tension between things that save us and kill us. With fire, we cook our food and keep warm, but in it we can be consumed. With water, we keep our bodies hydrated and our planet cooled, but in it we also can drown. Too much or too little of either is life-threatening.

We see the same principle at work spiritually. To thrive, civilizations need the seemingly opposite qualities of mercy and justice (Zech. 7:9). Jesus scolded the Pharisees for being sticklers about the law but neglecting these “weightier matters” (Matt. 23:23).

We may lean toward justice or mercy, but Jesus keeps them in perfect balance (Isa. 16:5; 42:1-4). His death satisfies God’s need for justice and our need for mercy.

Father, for personal reasons I sometimes lean toward
showing mercy, and sometimes I just want justice now.
Teach me the balance as I look at Your character and
give me the wisdom I need in specific situations.

God’s justice and mercy met at the cross.

Article by Julie Ackerman Link, Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2013 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights  reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries

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2013Sep15

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Bulletin – August 11, 2013

Are You Conformed or Transformed? 

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

 If we allow it, the world will squeeze us right into its mold or shape. We will find ourselves taking on its morality, its way of thinking, its value system. From constant exposure it is easy to become desensitized to the sin around us. Profanity does not make us uncomfortable, and there is no blushing at dirty jokes. Seeing an unmarried couple live together may not be condoned but is tolerated. Killing the unborn is not shocking. Magazines and books portray lifestyles and language in conflict with biblical standards. Entertainers set dress and morality standards of society.

 But there is a way to keep ourselves from this conformity. We must daily renew our minds through the Spirit of God. Our thought patterns must be those of God rather than of the world around us. As we are changed by the Spirit, the world will not have the power to squeeze us into its shape. We will know what “is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 Pray that God will keep you sensitive to His Spirit and His Word.

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2013Aug11

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December 2, 2012

Be Prepared with Prayer

By Will Davis, Jr

 Make prayer a daily habit with these tips and you’ll be ready to face life’s challenges.

 

 One of the most important factors in praying is to be a person of prayer before a crisis hits. A crisis is not the time to start praying; it’s the time to keep praying. That isn’t always easy. It’s typically a crisis that drives us to prayer.

 When things are just rocking along, we usually don’t feel the need to pray. But we need to pray “in season and out” (2 Tim. 4:2), in good times and bad. Be a praying person before the hurricane blows through your life, and then when it does, you won’t have to try to start praying.

 Here are three suggestions to make prayer a daily habit so that you can be prepared for your next crisis.

 1. Have a regular prayer time. Don’t wonder when or if you’ll get to pray again. Have a set time for prayer and ruthlessly protect it. Be as committed to prayer as you are to meals.

 2. Have a regular prayer place. Don’t wonder where you’ll be able to find a quiet place for prayer. Build a location into your discipline of peacetime praying. When your set time for prayer rolls around, be unyielding about staying in your set place.

 3. Have a regular prayer plan. Don’t wonder what you’ll say to God when you pray. Be systematic about your conversations with him. I use my Bible as my daily prayer guide. I can open it on any day and have plenty to talk to God about. Should the Spirit choose to lead me to different subjects, I try to be sensitive and obedient to that. But when I sit down to talk with God, I know where I intend to go. It takes much of the guesswork and wasted time out of my precious moments with God. He’s your best friend…tell him everything!

 Pray in advance, pray before crisis. That way, when the fire does break out in your life, you’ll be prepared to keep right on praying.

This article is excerpted from Pray Big.

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2012Dec2

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Bulletin – October 7, 2012

My Life Preserver

In the state of California, where I live, there is a town by the name of San Juan Capistrano. There is something  very amazing that takes place at the very same time every year here.

On March 19, not a day earlier or a day later, the swallows (little, tiny birds) arrive here flying 6,000 miles from across the ocean from Argentina. Then, every October they make the return trip.   For years bird watchers have wondered how these tiny, little birds, that cannot swim, can fly such a long distance non-stop over the ocean. That is, until they discovered their secret. They noticed that every time the swallows begin their long flight, each one picks up a tiny twig that they carry with them over their ocean voyage.

A tiny twig is a very heavy burden for such a small bird! But they do not see it as a burden. The twig is their most necessary item, for it becomes their life preserver.

When they become weary and can go no farther, they place their twig on the surface of the water in the vast sea. As it floats, they rest upon it, as it becomes a life-saving device. When they have regained their strength to continue their journey, each swallow picks up its twig and continues its flight until it reaches its destination safely.

What a resting place we, as children of God, have in Jesus Christ. This is a place in Him where He BECOMES your life – not just a part of it. There is a secret place in Him that will keep you afloat when the sea of life get too vast, too big, or too overwhelming for you to handle alone. HE is a secret place, a hiding place, and a resting place.

David was no stranger to this secret when he penned, “when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the ROCK that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me” (Psalm. 61:2, 3 King James version of the Holy Bible).

The more you take time to be alone with God, the more you will learn to lean upon Him. Learn to be still. Then, you will find your refuge in the midst of the never-ending sea because in a quiet, still place He will strengthen you, change you, and give you a new heart that beats closer to His. Then you will have the strength to continue on.    

By Kim Haney from More to Life Today Studies

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2012Oct7

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Bulletin – September 30, 2012

Legacy of Worship

One of the first places we see the word Worship is in Genesis 22:5 “And Abraham said to his servants, Settle down and stay here with the donkey, and I and the young man will go yonder and worship and (a)come again to you.” (AMP)

Abraham, the “Friend of God”, is being called to approach worship in a place of supreme sacrifice. Responding with reverent obedience, he turned toward the high place of devotion. After telling the servants to stay behind, he and Isaac went up to worship.

Abraham left the security of fellowship and beast, which may have made the climb easier. Why?  It was a voyage of God’s divine choosing; how could the servants possibly understand what he was about to do? The donkey may have slowed his pace or perhaps he just needed to feel the weight of the burden himself. Comforts forgotten, he completed the journey and the covenant promise met the covenant maker.

Can we grasp the importance of Abraham including Isaac in the difficult task? By placing the wood upon Isaac’s shoulders, he taught the covenant promise to bear the burden of worship. Lifting the fire pot and knife, father and son made the climb together.

The word worship evokes memories of great church.  While prayer sets the atmosphere, the praise team leads us in a concert of praise making it is easy to respond in a form of worship. However; we shouldn’t forget, the summons to true worship is frequently met with a demand to ascend alone.

I continually witnessed my parents answering the summons  to their place of worship. The climbs were difficult, often met with loss; yet, with divine purpose. Each time, I discovered  great faith infused with heartfelt worship in the face of suffering. They simply released the covenant promise into the presence of the covenant keeper. What a powerful Legacy of Worship!

By Donna Ten Eyck, (Mississippi’s Daughters of Zion Director and Promotions Director for the District Ladies Ministries Committe)

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2012Sep30

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