Logansport Church of Christ

IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT FOOTBALL

2012-02-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

I’m rooting for Manning in the Superbowl (after all, if Peyton can’t make it, Eli’s good). But if the Broncos had won their way to Indianapolis, I’d be rooting for Tebow.
Why?
Because he is a class act.

How can a Christian NOT root for a believer who is unashamed of his faith in Jesus. How can you a Christian not root for quarterback who honors sick and crippled children with a special place on the sidelines during a game. And how can a Christian put down a man who has football in perspective. After the monumenttal loss to the Patriots last month, Jeff Darlington (reporter for NFL.com) asked what he thought would be first of many questions: “How is the strength of your faith impacted after a loss?"

"It puts things in perspective," Tebow said. "God is still God. I still have a relationship with Christ, and a loss doesn't change any-thing. Win or lose, everything is still the same. What matters is the girl I'm about to see, Kelly Faughnan. If I can inspire hope in someone, then it's still a good day."

Some complain that Tebow should "beware of practicing your piety before others to be seen by them" (Matthew 6:1 where Jesus addressed showing off in our donations and public prayers). Then there's Bill Maher's now-notorious crudity about Jesus and Tebow in celebration of the Broncos being beaten. Others make fun of his virginity.

Personally I’m inclined to let Tim Tebow play football. While some athletes play the strutting-peacock role, notch their beds with willing partners whose names they won't remember in 30 days (or minutes), and make headlines for violating league policies on banned substances, let him live the conservative values his missionary parents taught him as a home-schooled Baptist child.

Please don't encourage Tebow to prove he is a peer to his pro colleagues by taunting him to violate his convictions or act more like a thug. If his religiosity seems a bit over the top and immature at times, make the same excuse for him as for the defensive back lined up against him who’s fathered 3 children by 3 different women. He's trying to find his way in a confusing environment - tho’ doesn't his goal seem a lot more wholesome and uplifting?

But did God decide the outcome of his loss to the Patriot’s? I suspect a seasoned pro quarter-back with a superior supporting cast dictated that score. Not divine whim.

(Much of this article is borrowed from an article by Rubel Shelly)

THE THREAT OF VALENTINE'S DAY

2012-02-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

About 10 yrs ago I read the following article:

“Valentine's Day in America means flowers, cards, boxes of chocolate, and perhaps, a
night out for special couples. Despite the sweet and loving connotations of the holiday, Muslim and Hindu leaders in Asia are trying to stamp out the celebration of Valentine's Day by young lovers. While the holiday seems trivial to Westerners, it is a serious issue of cultural tension in other parts of the world. Cities in India have outlawed cards, and guards spent the day searching campuses looking for couples daring to celebrate the holiday. In Brunei, Valentine's Day has been declared a threat to Islam. Religious leaders fear the ‘Christian practice’ of Valentine's Day could ‘erode moral values, weaken the community and destroy Islam.’”

Valentine’s Day—a Christian holiday?

How does a day, where kids and grownups buy cards to give to friends and loved ones, end up being a Christian practice?

Well, Valentine’s Day originated from the early church’s effort to replace the pagan Roman festival of Lupercalia (which cele-brated the story of Romulus and Remus founding Rome). According to Plutarch, the rite was a licentious activity involving sacrifices to the god Luperci of goats and young dogs—animals where were regarded as being remarkable for their strong sexual instinct, and who were considered appropriate sacrifices to the god of fertility. The festival carried a sensual current and was often celebrated by excessive drinking.

As you might expect, the early church saw that as highly immoral. And as Christianity gained influence in Rome, the church managed to bend the meaning of the festival to a more chaste attitude toward love and marriage.

So, why would Valentine’s Day pose a threat? Partly it’s because there are many in the “Christianized West” who prefer to celebrate it with the sensuousness of ancient Rome. But even more than that, I believe Hinduism and Islam are threatened by the Christian concepts of love and forgiveness this holiday embodies. Valentine’s Day stresses a selfless love that elevates women to a position of affection and respect. By contrast, Hinduism and Islam often relegate their feminine population to a status of 2nd class citizens… even as property. So, the next time you buy a Valentine’s card—remember that.

PURE INNOCENT CHILDREN

2012-02-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

SHE WAS ABOUT 7 YEARS OLD and in the group of VBS kids listening to me tell the story of Joseph. Joseph was spoiled and clearly the favorite son. It made his brothers so mad that they wanted to kill him. So I asked if anyone in the class ever fought with their brothers and sisters. She held up her hand, then said that her sister was mean to her and never told her she loved her. The next words are the ones I will always remember:

" ... but I love her anyway because she's still my sister."

I wonder how long until she grows up and deals with reality. After all, we adults know better than that, don't we? We know that people are mean, you can't trust anyone, life's not fair, you can't be nice to everyone or they'll take advantage of you. Pretty dogs sometimes bite, life's hard, and then you die. Cynical. Unhappy. Selfish.

So when did we change? What happened to the pure, innocent hearts we had as children? Life happened. People hurt us. We made poor choices. We did things we should not have. We did not do things we should have. And sometimes we wish things could be like they were before we became so cynical. We wish we could be like the child we were: innocent, loving, pure. Jesus said if we become like little children, we can enter the kingdom of heaven. He helps us do that. He came to make all things new, including us. He makes us pure -- innocent again. He forgives the wrong choices. He teaches us to see people differently. He restores our soul. He gives us hope. He gives us life. He makes it possible to be born again. Jesus is the opportunity to have the innocence and purity of a little child.

By Steve Ridgell, Heartlight.org 7/21/10

“COURAGEOUS” MOVIE HERE

2012-02-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

WHAT: Meal and Movie
(Meal provided by our Iron Man Prayer Breakfast Team)

WHEN: February 19th (Sunday Night)

TIME: 6:00 pm meal, 7:00 pm Movie.

The Meal is free. The Movie is great family entertainment. In Courageous, we join a group of 4 sheriff’s deputies and a manual laborer named Javier. These men face daily dilemmas related to job and family and learn to rely on each other and God in this inspiring, but humorous flick. The movie received a rare "A+" rating from moviegoers via CinemaScore. Adam R. Holz of Focus on the Family Plugged In Online said Courageous has "A compelling story line with plenty of action and just the right amount of humor. The Film underscores the importance of fatherhood...plus I like how it creatively weaves in the Gospel. I am happily giving Courageous 4.5 shiny badges out of 5 for family friendliness."

Why Join A Church?

2012-01-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

Most congregations have “membership” rolls. It’s a list of people who belong to their church family. But why should you or I want to be a member of a church? I mean, the Bible doesn’t say I have to belong to a local church to be saved… so why bother?

1. To Belong: Membership says “I belong to a specific body of believers.” It says “I’m committed to that congregation and I’m going to invest my time, talents and treasure to make that church fellowship strong.”

2. To Give Encouragement: When a person decides to join a church, they are telling the people there that they like them. They are declaring they want to be part of that family. They are saying this is a group of people they want to work with and work beside.

3. To Strengthen the Church: A church thrives on volunteer labor. Few workers—little ministry. But a church needs to be able to trust their volunteers. And so most churches (like ours) require that only members be allowed to teach. The concept is: this person joined because they believe what we believe, and they’ve publicly stood up before the congregation and said so.

4. To Receive Help and Encouragement: Galatians 6:10 tells us “...as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Churches should help all kinds of people, but members of the “family of believers” have top priority in receiving that help. Anyone can say “I’m part of that family”, but the church can only be sure of those who belong to their congregation.

WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN A CHURCH?

1. Because you Agree with what they teach. This is your first priority. If you can’t agree, don’t join. This is partly because a church has to know they trust you. BUT it’s also critical that you don’t put your time, talent and treasure into a church that teaches false things.

2. Because you Like the people. The church is a family if you don’t like them or don’t feel at home there, eventually you’re going to just be a pew sitter rather than a team player.

3. Because you want to accomplish more for Jesus. Ecclesiastes 4:9 tell us “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work”. It’s called “synergy” - where two people can accomplish more than one person by themselves.

The GOD Particle

2012-01-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

The scientific community is all aflutter with news of the “God Particle”. Researchers working at the world's largest atom smasher in Geneva have found tantalizing hints of the tiny, elemental bit of matter that has been labeled "the brick that built the universe" or the “Higgs Boson”... but have stopped short of announcing the discovery of this tiny particle.

This tiny particle is believed to be one of the essential building blocks of all matter. It’s the one thing that is thought to “hold all things together” if you will.

Isn’t that interesting. Scientists believe that “something” has to hold this world together. They believe a small unseen particle is the glue that binds all other matter in the universe together.

The Bible teaches us that there IS glue that holds the world together, but that glue is not some small unseen particle. The glue is something much more powerful and impressive:

“(Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17.

Jesus holds all things together! And that makes sense if you think about it. If all things were “created by Jesus” you can imagine He has a vested interested in things “staying together”. How does Jesus have this power? The Gospel of John says: “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1 and 3)

Jesus is God. He had the power to create all things, and He holds all things together. HE is the God particle, and He is the glue that holds our universe together.

The Power Of The Palm Tree

2012-01-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

The Scripture says: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree." One scholar has noted that: "The palm grows not in the depths of the forest or in a fertile loam, but in the desert. Its verdure (flourishing greenness) often appears to spring from the scorching dust. It is a friendly lighthouse, guiding the traveler to the spot where water is to be found."

The Palm tree is remarkable for its beauty. Its erect aspiring growth, its leafy canopy, its waving plumes, the emblem of praise in all ages. Its very foliage is the symbol of joy and exultation. It never fades, and the dust never settles upon it. It was, therefore, twisted into the booths of the feasts of tabernacles, was borne aloft by the multitude that accompanied the Messiah to Jerusalem, and it is represented as in the hands of the redeemed in heaven.

For usefulness, this tree is unrivaled. Gibbon says the natives of Syria speak of 360 uses to which the palm is applied. Its shade refreshes the traveler. Its fruit restores his strength. When his soul fails for thirst, it announces water. Its stones are ground for his camels. Its leaves are made into couches, its boughs into fences and walls, and its fibers into ropes or rigging. Its best fruit, moreover, is borne in old age; the finest dates being often gathered when the tree has reached a hundred years. It sends, too, from the same root, a large number of suckers, which in time, form a forest from their growth.

This is the emblem God uses to describe the strength and impact the righteous can have in the desert of a guilty world! (Adapted from an article by Joseph Angus)

Leadership Meeting Jan. 10th

2012-01-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

Elders, Deacons, and other leaders in the congregation are reminded that here is a monthly leadership meeting at 6:30 pm the 2nd Tuesday of each month. We will discuss Bob Russell’s book, “When God Builds a Church”, examining ideas that will make our church more effective.

POTTER’S HELPING HANDS HAS IMPACT

2012-01-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

Jan Wilkerson has begun a ministry called “Potter’s Helping Hands” to help the poor. One of her first projects enlisted “Maurices” clothing store to offer discounts for clothing donations. The response was so overwhelming that the Maurices in Indianapolis called to find out why Logansport sales were up so high. When they found out, they offered the same deals and is giving their donated items to “Potter’s Hands” as well.

An Inconvenient Christmas

2011-12-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

People are looking ahead to December. That is immediately followed by the realization that Christmas falls (Oh, how can that be?) on Sunday this year. The questions are flying. What about our family traditions? When will we open the gifts? How will the dinner be prepared if we're not home to get things started? If we attend the Christmas Eve service the night before, will we be expected to return the next morning? Some churches have even said they'll be closed for Christmas... it's just too inconvenient for their members.

Perhaps we are overly concerned with being inconvenienced.

I wonder if the Wisemen were inconvenienced by having to leave their families and friends to travel to a foreign country? It would have been so much easier to send a letter of congratulations.

I wonder if Joseph felt inconvenienced to be traveling with an expectant wife? Those 'rest stops' must have slowed him down considerably.

I wonder if Mary felt inconvenienced to give birth in a stable? A bed with clean sheets seems a small thing for the arrival of God's Son.

Feeling inconvenienced? In thinking about it, Sunday is the perfect day for Christmas. It is the day for our rejoicing in the arrival of our Lord and Savior who agreed to go through the greatest inconvenience of all that we might have eternal life.

(from an article in the Scottsdale, AZ. Chaparral Christian Church's newsletter)

Who Appointed Santa

2011-12-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

In a cartoon-strip of Calvin and Hobbes, the mischievous imp Calvin is listening to the tune, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town":

He sees you when you're sleeping.

        He knows when you're awake.
        He knows if you've been bad or good;
        So be good, for goodness' sake!

Reflecting deeply on this theme of Santa, Calvin reports his musings to Hobbes, his striped sidekick and co-conspirator.

"This Santa Claus stuff bothers me... especially the judge and jury bit," Calvin mutters. He wonders why Santa carries such moral authority:

"Who appointed Santa?

How do we know he's impartial?

What criteria does he use for determining bad or good?

And what about extenuating circumstances?

Kids should have the benefit of legal counsel, don't you think?"

Many of us view God in the same way.

¨ Who appointed him?
¨ Why does He get to make all the rules?
¨ How do we know that He will be fair?
¨ What right does He have to judge me?

What bothered Calvin was that, while he wanted the gifts Santa might bring, he didn’t want to face any judgment that might deny him those gifts. If he objected to Santa’s right to judge him he felt that would allow him to still get the “good stuff” and continue to live the way he liked.

But the Bible tells us that it won’t work that way with God. Unlike Santa, God is real and His judgment is inevitable. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In other words, none of us deserve to get the “good stuff”. We all deserve a lump of coal.

But the good news is that—even though we have sinned and do not deserve any “presents” - God still loves us and He has supplied us with the most wonderful and treasured gift of all time. He gave us His Son “a gift wrapped up in swaddling clothes” and laid in a humble manger. It is when we come to God and accept it from Him that we then have access to all the other “good stuff” He wants to give us.
(Adapted from an article by Dave Bootsma)

Christmas Was Hard

2011-12-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

Life is complex and hard. There are anxieties. People are worried about taxes and healthcare, family crises and personal problems. It's a far, far cry from that first tender Christmas. Or is it? Move past the hype and look at the facts!

* Caesar Augustus required that everyone register in a census for the sake of a Roman taxation program that people feared and resented.

* Mary was in the final month of a pregnancy -- almost a hundred miles from home and without her mother or a physician or midwife.

* Joseph surely felt a combination of fear about Mary's precarious state and irritation over having no better lodging for her than an animal shelter.

* Before that awkward night, both Joseph and Mary had been the objects of whispering and gossip in a shame culture on account of her pregnancy.

* Shepherds were there as well, but they were more confused than anything else because of what they were seeing and trying to interpret.

* There is no reason to think the cave-shelter where all this was happening was anything but smelly and noisy as usual -- only punctuated on that night by the birth pangs of a young mother and the wailing of a newborn.

God has come to be with us in all things human. God’s presence is not judged by the absence of threatened or real troubles. His presence in the manger was intended to contradict the notion that anyone is alone in their trouble or crisis. His birth in a dark and smelly cattle stall was meant to supply hope and courage in dark times:

The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us' " (Matthew 1:23). Christmas says God knows and cares; he has come to be with you in these anything-but-tranquil times in Jesus.

(Rubel Shelly, heartlight.org, 12/13/10)

Christmas At A Glance

2011-12-05T10:33:00.000-08:00

WORSHIP SERVICES AT
The Church of Christ at Logansport

18th—ONE SERVICE at 10:30 a.m.

* Cantata and the sermon “The Star On The Tree”

24th—Christmas Eve at 7:00 pm. Featuring our youth under the direction of Wendy Cotner

25th—Christmas Day Worship featuring our Bell Choir and a sermon on “The Reason For The Lights”

WHY ARE YOU SO HAPPY?

2011-11-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

Michael Booth (of the Booth Brothers Gospel trio) told of the a man at one of their concerts who asked him “Why are you so happy?”

At first Michael thought the man was joking. But then he realized he was deadly serious, and was struggling with some very serious personal issues of his own. In his despair it was hard for this man to believe that anyone could really be as happy as this singer seemed to be.

As I remember it, Michael told the man “I have had problems in my life too. But whenever it seems they’re going to overwhelm me I go back to what ‘I believe.’ I believe that God will never leave me or forsake me. I believe that I am saved, that God loves me, and that all things will work together for good for me because I love and obey Him” (Romans 8:28).

An old Imperials song said “there are people never receiving anything from God at all. Oh, they are shaken from their believing. When they don't see results they quickly fall.” Why do they “fall”? Because they’re looking for everything in their life to be pleasant and exciting as a Christian. But Jesus taught: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

In this world you and I will encounter job loss, divorce, rejection, death of a loved one. This world is a tough place to be. In this world you WILL have trouble. But take heart… Jesus is still there beside us. We may be bruised and battered by the hardships of this world, but God still loves us. He’s our “good Shepherd” who leads us even “through the valley of the Shadow of… death.”

Paul wrote: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty, or in want.” Philippians 4:12

Paul had a secret??? He says he had learned the secret of being content (happy) in any and every situation? What secret could that be?

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Joel Osteen and the Mormon Cult

2011-11-09T07:08:00.000-08:00

Joel Osteen went on record a few days ago saying that he believed Mormons were Christians. In a video posted by The Washington Times, Osteen stated that while he didn’t know whether Mormonism was the "purest form of Christianity," he had heard Romney say that Jesus was the Son of God and was his Savior -- and Osteen believed that was one of the "core issues.”

Ok. He’s wrong. But in being wrong, Osteen exposed some very dangerous thinking in modern religious circles.

1st—Many religious teachers believe that if you could just reduce Bible doctrine down to a few basics (the “core issues”) you could unite all Christians under one banner. Thus, since Romney said he believed that Jesus was the Son of God and was his savior, Osteen believed this made him a Christian. If Joel had bothered to look a little deeper he’d have realized how dumb that statement really was. Mormons teach that Jesus is the Son of God… and so are you. Yes YOU can be a son of God just like Jesus. In fact, according to the false teachings of Mormonism (which Romney believes in) you can even be a greater god than the Father or the Son. That’s heresy of the basest sort.

2nd—Many religious leaders believe that what they “feel” is right IS right. Osteen is a gifted public speaker, but he is not a Christian preacher. His sermons are short on Scripture, short on Jesus being the only way to be saved, and long on “feeling good”. When evaluating whether Mormonism was a cult, Osteen didn’t use the Bible as his yardstick… instead he used his “feelings”. Because of his lazy attitude toward the importance of being faithful to God’s Word, Osteen has become a false teacher. His heresy may lead many who follow him and believe him—to hell.

3rd—There’s a tendency in the religious world to embrace success. Osteen is the preacher of a mega-church (attendance around 30,000 each Sunday) and he is loved and adored by thousands more as he preaches on TV and sells countless books and CDs. Many think: he’s got to be right—look how successful he is. In Deuteronomy 13, God tells His people not to listen to “successful” false prophets (like Osteen). Then God says: “The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 13:1-5

ANNUAL MEETING INFORMATION

2011-11-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

We had 17 baptisms and 17 transfers this past 12 months.

Ben Bonsett reported about his ministry to the Jr. and Sr. High youth but he also reported on the church webpage that he maintains for us. Over the past year we’ve had a total of 34,524 visits to that webpage. There folks can learn about what we believe and what we’re doing, as well as having access to my sermons in audio and written form. Ben has even come up with a square barcode (pictured at left) that people can scan with their smart phones and—when they do scan it—they’ll be taken directly to our church webpage.

Trampas Young told of how his Bible class is progressing, as well as his exciting plans for Upward Football next year. He also shared the plans he and Ben have to start a Sunday Night Worship service this January for those who can’t make to morning worship.

Greg Peck unfortunately has been sick and wasn’t able to be present to give a report on the Elementary youth group, but I can tell you he has been working hard and the numbers of children present have grown over last year.

Juanita Hurd shared about our missions giving (at least 10% of our annual giving).

Bev Seybold told about our food pantry—we’ve helped 100 people the first 6 months and 150 the next 3. She also shared how Rainbow Christian Camp has blessed our congregation and how many of our youth over the past years are in full time ministry because of this.

Jan Wilkinson shared her vision for an outreach to single and unwed mothers in the area called “Potter’s Helping Hands”. You’ll hear more about that in the months to come.

SPOKEN4 and SonShine Boys in concert

2011-11-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

November 19th at the Grotto in Kokomo, Spoken4, SonShine Boys and the Minister’s Quartet will be singing together in a Southern Gospel Night at the Grotto in Kokomo (150 S. US 31—across from Dairy Queen). Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased through Canaan Bible Bookstore, or Larry Pierce. This includes both the concert, and a tastefully prepared dinner. Kids under 8 get in free.

Dinner will be at 6:00 pm; Concert at 7:00

"NOT a Fan” Movie and Study

2011-11-09T06:59:00.000-08:00

Fan: “an enthusiastic admirer.”

Jesus was never interested in fans—He wanted fully committed followers. Find more about it in the popular video and Bible study “Not A Fan” beginning November 13th from 6:00 til 7:30 pm at church building. Ben Bonsett will be leading.

What If There Were Cameras In Hell?

2011-10-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

I once received an appeal letter from Kentucky Christian College that held these interesting thoughts:

Our world would be a different place if there were TV cameras in Hell. As you read this letter, I'm sure you'll understand what I mean.
Over the last year, television has carried the scenes of countless tragedies into our homes.
* Rwanda... we watched helplessly as thousands died of starvation, disease, and violence. Who can forget the faces of those little ones who had lost hope?
* Bosnia... countless witnesses shared atrocities too horrible to mention.

And the list could continue for pages.

After witnessing these tragedies, Christians have been moved by compassion to give millions of dollars for relief to these suffering souls. This is as it should be. We Christians should have compassion, and share with those less fortunate than ourselves.

My concern is this: Did those suffering ones know the Lord? While thousands have died in these tragedies, tens of thousands have died and gone to Hell because they never heard, and obeyed the gospel message.
This tragedy has never made front page or network news. No one in our national media is telling of this greatest of all tragedies!
Why? Because, there are no TV cameras in Hell.
If you and I could peek into the depths of Hell, our lives and priorities would be transformed in a moment. Since this is not physically possible, we must turn to the Scriptures to get a glimpse of what we would find there.

For the next few weeks, we’re going to take our figurative “TV Cameras” into hell, and ask ourselves some probing questions. There may be “preachers” like Rob Bell that want to tell us Hell doesn't exist… but Jesus said it exists, and we need to take it seriously.

Of Dinosaurs and DNA

2011-10-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

This month, we’re planning a visit to the Creation Museum on Saturday, October 29th. The Creation Museum is dedicated to presenting the Biblical view of Creation—a goal that has made them the target of evolutionists even before they opened. In fact, I found it intriguing that the King’s Island Amusement park (located less than 50 miles from the museum) even decided to get into the act. This summer they just opened a new section called “Dinosaurs Alive” which is dedicated to pushing Dinosaurs having evolved 65 million years ago or so.

That would interesting… except they didn’t.

In 2007, a former evolutionist pointed out that the recent discovery of DNA in a dinosaur bone does not prove evolution, as many scientists have claimed. Recently, scientific journals and secular news sources reported that bits of protein taken from a dinosaur bone provided the first genetic proof that the T-Rex is a distant cousin to the modern chicken. Dr. Grady McMurtry, president of Creation Worldview Ministries, noted that the discovery offered proof for a young Earth. "Most molecular biologists will tell you that DNA could not possibly exist for more than 10,000 years."

So, since evolutionists believe DNA does not last millions of years, he says the discovery of DNA in a dinosaur bone is consistent with the biblical account of creation.

Scientists who discovered the DNA are not telling the entire story, McMurtry asserts. "If one really looks at the science behind what they found today, evolutionists talk about chimpanzees and humans being ... 99 percent the same genetically," he says, "but what they fail to tell the public is that they're only looking at three percent of the total genome."

Evolutionists failed to report that they only used a small amount of the dinosaur DNA for comparison, that "they're only looking at three percent of all the DNA," the scientist contends. And media journalists, he says, often do not check the facts, as "most journalists today are not good reporters. They're not investigative reporters even though they will claim to be investigative reporters."

THOUGHTS ON CREATION

2011-10-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth.” Genesis 1:1

Creation is a marvel of design and order. Take, for instance, a snowflake - so fragile and light, yet with intricate beauty and perfect symmetry. Or consider the heavens, teeming with planets and stars that spin with perfect precision through the trackless reaches of space. Who has not felt the pull of nature arousing his curiosity, exciting his imagination, and filling him with awe? Yes, everything points in one direction-upward, beyond, to an all-wise Creator and Sustainer.

     One warm autumn day a man sat under a walnut tree observing his pumpkin vines. "How foolish God is!" he mused. "He puts a heavy pumpkin on a tiny vine that has no strength, and hangs tiny walnuts on a tree whose branches can hold the weight of a man. If I were God, I could do better than that!" Just then a breeze dislodged a walnut and it fell on the man's head. Gently rubbing the point of impact, a sadder and wiser gentleman remarked, "Suppose there had been a pumpkin up there instead of a walnut! Never again will I try to plan a world for God, but I shall thank Him that He has done so well."

à   Patrick O’Boyle recalls the late-1940s Hyde Park "Speakers’ Corner" appearances of Frank Sheed, the Catholic author and publisher: Sheed could be devastating with hecklers.
Once, after Sheed had described the extraordinary order and design to be seen in the universe, a persistent challenger retorted by pointing to all the world’s ills, and ended shouting, "I could make a better universe than your God!"
   "I won’t ask you to make a universe," Sheed replied. "But would you make a rabbit—just to establish confidence?"

TRUNK OR TREAT—OCTOBER 16th—4 til 7 p.m.

2011-10-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

Decorate your cars and buy plenty of candy—we’re going to have a fun time for the kids. The will begin with a costume parade (no gory or scary outfits please), followed by a devotion, games, food, a hay ride… and did I mention candy? Sign up now to help out with events (remember it’s for the kids). We’ll let the kids visit your trunks for the first hour… then everybody can get involved in the games and food.

CREATION MUSEUM TRIP OCTOBER 29th

2011-10-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday at 9:30 am we’ll be taking a bus trip (or you can drive along with us) to Kentucky to visit the Creation Museum. This powerful presentation of the Biblical view of Creation and the Flood will feature a Planetarium, a Dinosaur Den, and a Special Effects Theatre. Cost: 24.95 per adult, 14.95 for children 12 and under (if you need help with the cost let us know).

ANNUAL MEETING and CARRY-IN

2011-10-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

This past year has been eventful in many ways, and next year promises to hold new excitement and challenges, so if you were ever going to come to an Annual Meeting—this would be the one.

WHEN: Sunday, October 30th beginning at Noon

WHAT: Carry-in followed by reports of the past year, and information about the future.

THE VALUE OF SUNDAY SCHOOL

2011-09-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

A 2009 survey by the Barna Group asked adults to think back on their upbringing and to describe the frequency of their involvement in Sunday school or religious training. The resear-chers then compared these responses to the current level of faith activity of these adults.

More than 80 percent of adults remembered consistently attending Sunday school or some other religious training before the age of 12. Seven out of 10 adults (69%) said they attended such programs weekly.

About 70% also recalled going to Sunday school or other religious programs for teens at least once a month. Half indicated they had gone to such teen programs at least once a week when growing up.

In connecting childhood and teen engagement with adult spirituality, the Barna team used 4 elements of adult religious commitment: attending church, having an active faith (defined as reading the Bible, praying and attending church in the last week), being unchurched and switching from childhood faith.

"Those who attended Sunday school or other religious programs as children and teens were much more likely than those without such experiences to attend church and to have an active faith as adults," concluded the report.

* Fifty percent of those who attended such programs as a child said they have attended a worship service in the last week, which is slightly higher than the national average and much higher than those who did not attend such programs as children.

* Among those who frequently attended religious programs as teens, 58 percent said they had attended a worship service in the last week.

Being unchurched or changing from one's childhood faith were also correlated to early-life spiritual experiences. The study asked if people had the same faith perspectives today as when there were children or whether they had ever significantly changed their views.

* Twenty-two percent of those who recalled frequent religious attendance as children had changed their faith views from those held as a child.

* Among those who attended religious programs as teens, 21 percent had changed their core faith views.

David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group, noted, "(this information) provides clarity that the odds of one sticking with faith over a lifetime are enhanced in a positive direction by spiritual activity under the age of 18."

What Did We Learn From 9/11?

2011-09-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

On September 11th, a series of attacks were mounted against the U.S. by Islamic Terrorists under the direction of Osama Bin Laden. It was a vicious and cowardly attack, but it raised questions about the nature of Islam. Some have asked:

Is Islam a violent religion?
Yes.

It’s been a religion:

* founded in bloodshed

* spread by the bloodshed

* and dedicated to accomplishing its goals by bloodshed.

Violence is codified by their Sharia law (the Muslim code of Law) which is a violent and cruel system of justice. Thieves can have their hands cut off (in 2002, Amnesty International recorded 42 incidents in Saudi Arabia where such amputations took place). And Sharia Law calls for Muslim wo-men to hide behind veils and heavy garments andtheir husbands can beat their them with a cane that is roughly as thick as a man’s thumb.

It must be remembered: the attack on the World Trade Center 10 years ago was accomlished by Muslims dedicated to the establishment of Sharia Law. And the man at the centre of the storm over plans for the “Ground Zero Mosque” in New York last year (Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf) recently declared that his goal was the incorporation of Sharia law into the legal systems of the UK and the United States.

So, have we learned the lessons of 9/11?
Apparently not.

Government efforts to memorialize 9/11 have shown careful respect to Muslims.

* The Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Penn., featured a “crescent of embrace” motif that was altered after a public outcry over the use of Muslim symbolism on a site desecrated by Muslim fanaticism. They will not mention the fact that the Sept. 11 terrorist attackers were Muslims.

* The memorial space at Ground Zero will name all the victims of the attack but will not make reference to why they died.

* In addition, the accompanying National 9/11 Memorial and Museum will also soft-pedal the events of Sept. 11. According to Daisy Khan (director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement) it will represent the “voices of American Muslims in particular, and it will honor members of other communities who came together in support and collaboration with the Muslim community on September 11 and its aftermath.” It is bizarre that the voices of American Muslims would dominate such a memorial, especially since the Muslim community was never in the forefront of denouncing the actions of their coreligionists after the Sept. 11 attacks.

(portions of this article taken from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/27/the-911-mosque/)

HOW TO WITNESS TO A MUSLIM

2011-09-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

In the previous article of this newsletter, I was very clear on the evil nature of Islam ("The Lessons Of September 11). Islam is a violent religion that has an agenda of ultimately making the entire world subject to Sharia Law. That being said, it would be a mistake to view all Muslims as violent and evil people. Many of them would be good neighbors and friends, and if approached properly, would even be open to hearing about the Christ you love.

In the Muslim faith, the New Testament is called the “Injeel”. The Qur’an commands the “Injeel” to be read, however few Muslims have ever read it because of the following myths they are taught by their Imams (leaders of Mosques):

1. The Injeel (the New Testament) is full of mistakes.
2. The only reliable part of the Injeel is only the Gospels.
3. The New Testament has been changed over the years.
4. The teachings of Islam and the Injeel are the same.
5. And the Qur’an (the Muslim Holy book) has replaced the Injeel.

So, if you encounter a Muslim, how can you witness to them?

1st—share why you believe.
2nd—always focus on the Injeel (the New Testament). Especially the parts about Jesus.
3rd—always give an Injeel as a gift. God has promised that His Word would not return to Him empty (Isaiah 55:11; Hebrews 4:12).
4th—think of your witness to them as a marathon not a sprint. A relationship to be built.

CHURCH LEADERSHIP CLINIC

2011-09-06T05:22:00.000-07:00

The Buffalo Christian Church is holding a Leadership Clinic September 9th and 10th.
George Faull will be the teacher.
When: Friday, Sept. 9th from 7:00 pm til 9:30 pm
Saturday, Sept. 10th from 8:00 am til 12:30 pm
Refreshments will be offered.

Christian Extremists?

2011-08-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

His name is Anders Brevik—a lunatic who murdered 76 people in Norway last month. He’s an evil, wicked man… but the New York Times declared he was a “Christian”. Part of their headline stated “Norway Charges Christian Extremist”, and their identification of this man as a “Christian Extremist” was parroted in the LA Times and Reuters.

Odd… the man didn’t belong to any church. He criticized the Protestant belief system and there is no evidence this evil man practiced Christianity in any way. So why would the media be so quick to label this man in this fashion without any of these explanations?

A couple of reasons come to mind:

1st—many in the media are uncomfortable with labeling the Islamic Fundamentalists as extremists, and this is one way for them to “balance” their coverage of religion. Islamic jihadists have slaughtered 10s of thousands of people all across the globe. The Taliban, Iran, and elements in Pakistan use governmental power to support terrorism by Muslims. And the media wants to compare this widespread evil with the sporadic barbarism of a few who they might be able to “claim” were Christians.

Secondly, many in the media simply don’t like Christians. They regard us judgmental. We oppose abortion, homosexuality, legalized narcotics and other things endorsed by many in the media. And the media recognizes that our opposition to these practices is based principally on our faith. Thus, many reporters and news outlets attempt to identify Christianity with extremism so that they can diminish our influence on the world, and maybe even shame some “Christians” into backing off their moral stands. (ideas borrowed from the “O’Reilly Factor” 7/25/11)

The fact of the matter is—that’s what we should expect anyway. Jesus said:
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Matthew 5:11

But then He promised:
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11

Christians Behaving Badly

2011-08-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

The previous article talked about the unethical practice of many in the media to brand Christians as “extremists”. But the following article by Rubel Shelly should warn us to be careful to follow Jesus in all things:

"The Christian faith can hold its own in the public arena of intellectual discussion. It is grounded in history and defensible on the basis of the facts of history, archaeology, linguistics, and other relevant disciplines. The one thing for which Christianity has no reasonable response, is the inconsistent behavior of those of us who present ourselves as Christians.

Suppose I present a convincing logical argument to an unbeliever about, say, the plausibility of Christ's resurrection. Then suppose I cheat him out of several thousand dollars in a business deal. Which do you think will have the greater impact? My good argument? Or my unethical behavior?

A few days ago, it was announced that Christopher Hitchens is having to cut short a book tour because of a medical crisis. He has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and will need to begin chemotherapy immediately.

In case you don't recognize the name immediately, Hitchens is the militant atheist who has debated a number of Christian apologists. His book "God Is Not Great" was a best-seller a few years back and created quite a stir. He writes with wit and sarcasm. Anger flashes at key points. He uses demeaning and insulting language of anyone who embraces the Christian faith.

A friend who doesn't share my view of Christianity sent me a news article about Hitchens' illness, and hinted it would be interesting to follow the blog comments about it. Indeed! And what a wide range of responses began.

Several were from believers who expressed concern, offered hope for his recovery, and said they were praying for him. There were also comments of the sort I feared: "How apropos, losing the throat with which he used to blaspheme"; "this foul reprobate in the end, knowing he shall die, will beg for forgiveness"; and "I can't wait until the last little breath in his miserable body starts to fade, and then he will know if there is a God or not." Others were even worse!

Faith should never be a justification for behaving badly."

SONSHINE BOYS IN CONCERT

2011-08-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

25th—Greentown

“At the Fountain” at 7 pm

28th—Young America

outside by the Fire Station

6 pm

NEW DORMS AT SUMMIT THEOLOGICAL

2011-08-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Summit Theological Seminary just outside Peru, IN now has dorms for potential students of the Bible. When Grissom Air Force Base shut down, there was a dormitory that once housed airmen. The Seminary has obtained this dormitory, and will now renovate this building, and begin offering full scale training for potential preachers. If you’d like to donate your time and labor to help in the ministry, call 765-472-4111.

MISSIONS SUNDAY – AUGUST 14th

2011-08-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

Our missions committee has invited Rafael Tirado to preach Sunday morning the 14th as the committee presents the various missions groups we support. This is a great time to find out where our mission money goes (10% of our budget is dedicated to support of missions). Make it a point to come encourage Rafael and learn of his efforts and the efforts of other fine missions.

TENT REVIVAL AND PICNIC—AUGUST 14th at 5:30

2011-08-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

This year, our Tent Revival will feature the Gateway Singers, a great group who’s been here before. The McSpaddens (their son is married to Dave & Susan Marks’ daughter) and the Hunts have been in the singing ministry for nearly 30 years, and their message of hope and love through Jesus is powerful.

ALSO Dave Larimore will be our cook, and the church will supply the food and drink… all we need do so is supply a dessert, and your friends and neighbors. Signs will be available to put in your yard.

BIBLE STUDY CARRY-IN, SUNDAY AUGUST 28th

2011-08-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

Each year we kick off our in-home Bible Studies with a special carry-in for anyone who is in a study or who wants to be. This will be a time for each group to share what they’ve been studying… or plan to study, and for new people to get acquainted with what is being offered. Sunday August 28th at Noon.

Benjamin Franklin's Prayer

2011-07-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 (which resulted in the writing of our U.S. Constitu-tion) was nearly abandoned because of the numerous conflicts between the delegates. IN the midst of this difficult time Benjamin Franklin rose to speak.

“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor.... And have we now forgotten this powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: "that God governs in the affairs of man." And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?

We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little, partial local interests; our projects will be confounded; and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, or conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move that, hence-forth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business.”

(In God We Trust edited by Norman Cousins, p. 42)

Sodom and Gomorrah Revisited

2011-07-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

In Genesis 18 God told Abraham he was going to destroy the two powerful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their great sinfulness. Then in Genesis 19 Scripture exposed some of the evil that characterized these people when it told of the Sodomite men wanted to sexually abuse two men (angels) who stayed with Lot and his family that night.

Many in that city of Sodom were homosexuals, and from Genesis 18 onward the Bible condemned the “gay” lifestyle as evil and destructive to society.

Leviticus 18:22 “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”

1 Corinthians 6:9 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals…”

Romans 1:27 “Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”

Progressively, some have pushed to make the practice of sodomy—not only acceptable—but a special class of protected citizen. Just last month, legislators New York “proudly” signed a bill that made sodomite marriages legal. Aside from the obvious Biblical condemnation of that decision, there are other reasons why this showed poor judgment:

1. The homosexual lifestyle is harmful.
The Death rate of homosexual men – at age 41. For heterosexual men – 82.

2. Homosexuals are rarely monogamous.
Back in 1978 (before the AIDS crisis) a landmark study found that homosexuals had between 100 and 1000 sexual “partners” throughout their lifetimes. A recent New York Times article indicated that many “gay” relationships are “open” partnerships… meaning they’re not monogamous.

So, why would homosexuals push so hard for “marriage rights”? Activist Michelangelo Signorile wrote that gays should "demand the right to marry not as a way of adhering to society's moral codes but rather to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution.” In other words, their objective is destroy the concept of commitment in marriage and replace it with their own form of immorality.

Want To Help Our Troops Overseas?

2011-07-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

Care packages for our troops.
Our Ladies group is collecting items for Brandon Davis and his troop.
Suggested items:
Non-melting cookies, Trail Mix, Nuts, Twizzlers (pull and peel type), Guy magazines (hunting, cars, fishing), travel size toiletries, any snack that can stand the heat.

SonShine BOYS IN CONCERT

2011-07-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

July 15th
Opening for Chuck Wagon Gang at the Gospel Barn at 6 pm.
Cost: $5. Located 3550 South SR 1, Bluffton, IN

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL ON MAIN STREET

2011-07-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

July 18th thru 22nd—5:30 til 8:30 pm each night
Get ready for another exciting week of VBS here at the Church of Christ. The decorating crew will be hard at work transforming our humble sanctuary into a bustling metropolis, complete with a main street running down the center of the building!

SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE PARK

2011-07-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday at Spencer Park at 6:00 p.m. we have special music (with an “open mic”), and congregational singing, as well as a message from God’s Word. And yes, we’ll have it on July 3rd too. It’s a great opportunity for those who have to work on Sunday Mornings to still be able to worship. Communion is offered each night. It’s been well received so far. Plan to bring your lawn chairs to the
park, and encourage others to enjoy this unique worship experience.
(We won’t have services on the 10th because “Reading Railroad” has reserved the entire park for that day).

Special Group on July 24th—The New Vision Band”

CHILDREN AND HEAVEN

2011-06-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Scripture tells us a little about what heaven will be like, but children often fill in gaps for us on this. (from gbryla@Glatting.com)

* “Mom, God's so neat, and heaven's supposed to be so great. Could me and Gloria go there Saturday for a sleep-over?” Age 6

* Our 7-year-old daughter, Clarisa, was not really excited about going to Sunday school, but her little friend talked her into it. After the first class, at lunch she said,
"I like my teacher, and she said if I come to Sunday school every Sunday, she'll show me how I can get a free trip to heaven."

* My three-year-old granddaughter, Morgan, came over one day and looked around the room and asked,
"Where's Grandpa?"
I answered, "He's in heaven."
Surprised, she looked at me and said, "Still?"

* Our six-year-old, Rachel, prayed,
"God, they keep telling us You love us kids. But I'm wondering: If You know my older brother, do You think he'll ever get to heaven?"

* When our daughter Sarah, seven, heard her great-grandmother had died, she asked her grandmother,
"Did she wear a pretty dress when she met Jesus?"

* “Grandma's gone to heaven, and she'll be happy there, because there's a Dairy Queen everywhere. Right?”

* When Jenny was four, she asked, "Does heaven have a floor?"
Surprised, I said, "Well, Jenny, what do you think heaven is like?"
She looked up at the sky and clouds and replied,
"Well, I can't see any floor, so I guess people are just up there on coat hangers!"

* “Mom, when you die and go to heaven, every time you hear Gabriel blow his horn, are you going to look to see if it is me coming?” Age 5

* I told nine-year-old Heather that someday we would have glorified bodies. She asked,
"Do you think we'll look like Barbie?"

* When my 9-year-old granddaughter addressed a letter to God at the Pearly Gates, Heaven, it was returned. Someone at the postal service wrote across the envelope:
"Nobody at the post office is headed that way. Sorry!"

* Sunlight in several hanging prisms was causing rainbows to flash across the wall of our Sunday school classroom. Observing this, Chris, four, whose mother had recently died, said,
"Know what? My mom's helping God make those rainbows!"

HAWKINGS AND HEAVEN

2011-06-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

Famous British physicist, Stephen Hawking has recently been quoted saying that heaven is a “fairy story for people who are afraid of the dark.” The 69 year old physicist has suffered with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) since he was 21 and was answering a question about whether he feared death. "I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years”, he said. “I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.”

The first thing we need to do is realize that Mr. Hawking is a remarkable man who has struggled with a terrible disease and achieved more than most healthy people have accomplished in the field of science. He is due our admiration and respect.

Having said that, it is important to understand that, as a scientist, Hawking has made a very unscientific statement.
Heaven exists whether he wants it to or not.

How do I know heaven exists? By what scientific measurements have I come to this conclusion? Hmmm. Well I do what many good scientists would do. I appeal to empirical evidence. Granted, I haven’t been to heaven, nor measured it’s streets, nor scaled its heights, but I know someone who has. Jesus said “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2

Ah Jeff… that’s just the Bible.
Well, yes it is, but I’ve learned I can trust that book—and Jesus— far more than any mortal authority or scientist. If heaven were a fairy tale, so would Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. But Jesus did die… and He did rise from the dead, so heaven (by empirical logic) is also real.

And because I trust Jesus, heaven has nothing to do with “fearing the dark”. As David observed: “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4). For that reason, the Christian has no need to be afraid of the dark - because He is with us.

But Jeff, that’s not scientific.
Oh, yes it is.
A good scientist will often refer to the research and writings of respected authorities to make their conclusions. The Bible has always been trustworthy, and the statements of Jesus have stood the test of time. Since no scientist has ever disproved the Bible on the basis of scientific fact, we can believe its promises.

THIEF IN THE NIGHT OR FRAUD ON THE BILLBOARD

2011-06-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

"Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" (1 Thess. 5:1-2).

Most of us who heard of Harold Camping's prediction of "the rapture" for May 21, 2011 just rolled our eyes. Or laughed. Or felt queasy that yet another counterfeit prophet had made it easier for unbelievers to mock our Christian faith.

Almost 20 years ago, Camping had gotten it wrong once. He had predicted the beginning of the end back then. "When September 6, 1994, arrives," he wrote in a book titled 1994, "no one else can be come saved. The end has come." Oops! That prediction didn't come to pass because of a mathematical error, Camping said. "I'm not embarrassed about it. It’s just the fact that it was premature," he explained. But about the May 21, 2011, date, he insisted "there is no possibility that it will not happen." By one account, he plastered his message of doom on some 2,200 billboards across the United States. A paid ad in Reader's Digest proclaimed: "The Bible guarantees the end of the world will begin with Judgment Day May 21, 2011."

Didn’t happen again.
Now he says he was off by just a few months.

Christians who have actually read the Bible know that the word "rapture" doesn't even appear in the Scripture & that Jesus said "no one knows" the time of his return. Indeed, he said, it would happen at "an unexpected hour." So much for Camping or anybody else who says they have figured out what Jesus said we would not know until it actually happened. Mark it down: anybody who says he knows the day or hour of Christ's return is a fraud.

Christ was an appealing character in history. His message of salvation was not a scare tactic designed to shake people loose from their money; it was an affirmation of His love for the broken and a willingness to forgive and heal. It is not Jesus, but those who speak in the name of "Christianity" that has given faith a bad name - not the honest and affirming Leader, but the false and fear-mongering who exploit religion. (Adapted from an article by Rubel Shelly, heartlight.org)

How’s that again?

2011-06-01T10:07:00.001-07:00

A Christian Youth Minister made an interesting observation:

“You hear Osama is dead with no proof of a body,
and people celebrate.
But you hear Christ died with no proof of a body,
and people speculate…”

Wonderful Wednesdays Begins June 15th at 6:30

2011-06-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday this summer, Kings and Queens will be the order of the day, as King Joe and Queen Angie teach our youth about how being a child of God makes us real royalty. Special activities will include “Bubbles and Cream”, a “Lord’s and Ladies” Day, a “Fair in the Field”. Lots of games and lots of teaching about Jesus. For Elementary youth from pre-school up through 5th grade.

SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE PARK—JUNE 19th

2011-06-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Beginning June 19th, and lasting through at least mid-August, we’re going to have a worship service at Spencer Park each night at 6:00 p.m.. Each night will include special music, and congregational singing, as well as a message from God’s Word. Plan to bring your lawn chairs to the park, and encourage others to enjoy this unique worship experience

Be A "Friend" Month

2011-05-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

May is “Friend Month” (and no, I don’t know who decided that).
Thus “Friend Month” has got to be a great time to start a sermon series on the church, because—the Church is the ultimate “friend club”.

Ephesians 5:25 tells us
“...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
Church is not optional for people who love Jesus. That’s not only because Church is highly important to Him… but it’s also because Christ created the church so that we’d have a community of friends.

John Milton once wisely observed:
“Loneliness is the first thing which God's eye named not good.” (Genesis 2:18)

But what does the Church DO that helps us?
A young girl once said “My true friends are those who are there for me, not just to cheer me up, but to cheer me on.” And that is the purpose of the church. Hebrews 10:24-25 describes it this way:
“...let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

In the June 2006 issue of the American Sociological Review, researchers cited evidence that Americans have a third fewer close friends than just a couple of decades ago. More disturbing still, the data seems to indicate that the number of us who have nobody to count as a close personal friend has more than doubled.

The findings hold for both males and females. They are consistent for people of all races, ages, and educational levels. Even within families, the degree of intimacy has diminished considerably. All this information can't be good news, for it translates into people who feel lonelier and more isolated than ever. Emotionally healthy people form meaningful ties with other human beings. They don't just exchange information, but share personal things. They talk about likes and dislikes, their joys and fears. They extend themselves to help others, and know how to accept assistance when they get in over their heads. When they have important decisions to make, they get insight and support from their friends. The same research shows not only that people have fewer friends these days, but that more and more of us are feeling the need for them. Jesus knew that would happen… and that’s why the church exists.

We believe so strongly in this ideal that we're holding a "Friend Day" to encourage members to invite their earthly friends to meet their best friend: Jesus. Friend Day will be on May 15th during the 8:00 am and 10:30 am services.

WHAT DOES OUR CHURCH BELIEVE?

2011-05-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

God established His church—just the way He wanted it—2000 yrs ago.

Many churches believe that the church of the New Testament was a “primitive” blueprint… and that they can improve on what was begun back then. If they are challenged on something they do that differs from what the early church did, they’ll often dismiss the Scriptural blueprint saying “Well, that’s just the way they did it back then” and then they’ll turn away from Scripture to do what they'd prefer.

We have no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, and no law but Love. Many denominations have “creedal” statements that tell you what you need to believe to belong to their group. We believe that if a creed says more than what the Bible says, it says too much. And if it says less than what the Bible says, it says too little. So, no creeds.

We want no name but Christ. Some churches are named after their founder (i.e. Wesleyan or Lutheran) or a practice (i.e. Methodists or Presbyterians). Now that doesn’t necessarily make them non-Christians… but we believe identifying ourselves with any name other “Christian” creates divisions between those who believe in Christ (it makes people think “I belong to this flavor of Christ, as opposed to your brand”).
Thus, if someone asks “are you a Christian?” we just say “yes.”

Bible Words for Bible Things. For example most of our churches prefer to not call their preachers reverend or pastor. Scripture speaks ONLY of God’s name as being “reverend” (Ps. 111:9 KJV). To “revere” something means that you “hold it in awe” and I'd just as soon God, rather than I, be the one held in awe.

As for pastor, the Bible uses that word to describe the Elders of a congregation (such as in I Peter 5) not the preachers. When Paul told Timothy and Titus to select Elders in their churches, he wrote that these men MUST be the fathers of children who respected them because if an Elder/Pastor didn't know how to manage his own household, how could he manage the Church God entrusted to their care?
Many preachers and church staff who refer to themselves as "pastor" don't have kids and thus could not be the Elders/Pastors Paul describes.
Also, many of the churches who use the term "pastor" literally believe their preacher IS the Elder of their church. That's why - in those churches - you'll not find anyone with the job of being an Elder. Those congregations usually only have Deacon boards.

We also avoid the term “Born Again Christian”. It's a redundancy.
If you’re born again, you ARE a Christian.
If you aren’t born again, you’re not.
So, why use the term?

Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where it is silent we prefer to be silent. There are denominations who “speak where the Bible doesn’t” by creating their own way for converts to become Christians.

Some groups teach people to sprinkle their babies to “make them Christians”.
This has 2 problems:

1) the Greek word “baptizo” means only to immerse.
(see Romans 6:1ff), and

2) babies are too young to believe, repent or confess Jesus as Lord
(all of which are required to become Christians; see for example John 1:12-13).

Other groups avoid baptism altogether and have converts “ask Jesus into their heart” and pray the “sinner’s prayer.”

Sorry, neither of those phrases or practices are in Scripture.

The Bible teaches us that we need to believe, repent, confess, and be buried in water (baptism) to become Christians. If that was good enough for the church of the New Testament... it's good enough for us.

(If you'd like to look at some sermons on these principals that explain them in more detail, I'd like to humbly offer four that I have placed on Sermoncentral.com: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/whatsa-motto-u-sermon-series-by-jeff-strite-4028.asp?series=Whatsa+Motto+U%2E

COULDN'T GOD THINK OF SOMETHING BETTER THAN SHEEP?

2011-05-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't think sheep would be so obstinate. Of all God's animals, the sheep is the least able to take care of himself. Sheep are dumb! Have you ever met a sheep trainer? Ever seen sheep tricks? Know anyone who has taught his sheep to roll over? Ever witnessed a circus sideshow featuring "Mazadon and His Jumping Sheep"? No. Sheep are just too dumb. And defenseless. They have no fangs or claws. They can't bite you or outrun you. That's why you never see sheep as team mascots. We've heard of the St. Louis Rams and the Chicago Bulls and the Seattle Seahawks, but the New York Lambs? Who wants to be a lamb? You couldn't even stir up a decent yell for the cheerleaders:

We are the sheep.
We don't make a peep.
Victory is yours to keep.
But count on us if you want to sleep.

What's more, sheep are dirty. A cat can clean itself. So can a dog. We see a bird in a birdbath or a bear in a river. But sheep? They get dirty and stay that way.

Couldn't David have thought of a better metaphor? Surely he could have. After all, he outran Saul and outgunned Goliath. Why didn't he choose something other than sheep? How about:

* “The Lord is my commanding in chief, and I am his warrior.” There. We like that better. A warrior gets a uniform and a weapon, maybe even an medal. Or,

* “The Lord is my king, and I am his ambassador." Who wouldn't like to be a spokesperson for God? Everyone stops when the ambassador speaks.

But God called us sheep.

Why? Because He knew we needed a shepherd.

And His sheep always listen to their Shepherd and they follows Him. God knows we have our faults, but our greatest strength is in our ability to listen and follow Him when He speaks.

Adapted from Max Lucado

SPOKEN4 QUARTET HERE IN CONCERT

2011-05-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Our friends in the Spoken4 Gospel Quartet are coming for a special concert here at the Church of Christ at Logansport May 15th at 5 pm. There will be a special carry-in dinner followed by the SonShine Boys and then Spoken4. Make it a special point to come out and encourage this group by your presence.

SonShine BOYS IN CONCERT

2011-05-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

May 11th—Cedar Lake Conference Grounds beginning at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $25. Phone: 219-374-5941

13701 Lauerman St. Cedar Lake, IN

May 14th—Opening for Chuck Wagon Gang at the Gospel Barn at 6. Cost: $5 at the door. 3550 South State Road 1, Bluffton, IN

May 15th—Opening for Spoken4—Here at the Church of Christ at Logansport, 2347 S. Burlington, Logansport, IN 5 p.m.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-04-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

The first month of Israel’s religious year is called Nisan… and that Jewish month begins on our April 4th. But why does their religious year begin in April? It’s because Nisan is the month when Israel celebrates Passover.

About 3500 years ago Israel was a nation of slaves in Egypt. God sent Moses to lead them out of their slavery and into the Promised Land. As you can imagine, Egypt’s Pharaoh was not excited about losing his slaves and he resisted their leaving. As a result, God brought 10 plagues upon Egypt to convince Pharaoh that it was in his best interest to “let My people go.”

The last of those plagues was the death of the firstborn son in every home that did not have the blood of an innocent lamb painted on its doorpost and lentil (the doorframe). God promised that, when He saw the blood on the door frames of a home, He would “pass over” those homes and death would not visit that family.

On that night, the faithful Israelites (and others who believe that promise) sacrificed a lamb, painted its blood on the doors of their homes, and gathered to take part in a meal that became known as the “Passover”. The next day Pharaoh, overcome with grief from the death of his own son, ordered that Moses take Israel and LEAVE Egypt. Thus, Passover celebrated the day Israel was given it’s freedom from slavery.

Every year—from that day til this—Israelites have eaten of that meal and remembered the day God gave them a new life as a free people. And that’s why Israel celebrates their religious New Year in the month of Nisan.

April 21st, we’ll be having a Passover Meal here the church building. It’s not just an opportunity to hear about what Israel has done for centuries… it’s an eye-opening explana-tion of what Jesus did at the Last Supper (it was a “Passover meal”) and the symbolism which tells about the freedom God has given us in Christ.

THE MAN WHO BETRAYED JESUS

2011-04-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Nobody that I know of names their son “Judas”. Judas has been synonymous with betrayal, cowardess and the “kiss of death”. But actually, there’s nothing wrong with the name itself. It’s a variant of “Judah” and means “He shall be praised.”

Over the years, some scholars have become uncomfortable with the idea that Judas was a “bad guy” and have tried to rehabilitate his character by “retelling” the story so that he comes out smelling a little sweeter. According to this more enlightened view, Judas wasn’t really trying to hurt Christ… he saw Jesus as the King of Israel and was trying to “out” him so that Jesus would take His proper place as the true Messiah. Unfortunately for these hopeful theologians, that’s all bogus. Matthew, Mark and Luke introduce Judas as “Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” (Lk 6:16). Then, there’s John’s Gospel where we’re plainly told: “he was a thief, as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” (John 12:6)

But there’s an even deeper story to be told here. Judas was chosen for the kind of role he played. Jesus said: “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.” (Jn 17:12 – KJV).

What? Judas “couldn’t help himself?” He’d been selected for this role and he “had to do it?” Yes… and no. You see, Jesus spent an entire night praying for just the right men to be his 12 disciples. Jesus knew exactly what kind of man Judas was: he was a thief. And Judas was selected to fulfill that specific role.

But we need to understand that Judas wasn’t the only one who betrayed Jesus on the night He was arrested. Peter denied Christ 3 times, and the other 10 disciples all ran away. It’s not like Judas was the only coward in the room.

Judas had the supreme opportunity to spend 3 years with Jesus. He walked with Him, and he talked with Him. Judas had the chance of a lifetime… and he could have taken repented of his sin. Matt. 27:1 tells us “When Judas…saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse”! Judas could have repented (just like Peter did) but he didn’t. As Paul tells us: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” II Corinthians 7:10

THEY DOUBTED THE RESURRECTION

2011-04-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

Dr. Simon Greenleaf was a skeptic from Harvard law school who wrote three volumes on the laws of legal evidence, and mocked Christians in his law classes. But he was challenged by Christian students to apply his own book to the resurrection of Jesus. Taking the challenge, he concluded that the evidence was so convincing, he became a believer. He later wrote, "The resurrection of Jesus is one of the best established facts of history."

Dr. Benjamin Gilbert-West and Lord Littleton were from Cambridge. So fed up with Christianity they wanted to destroy it, they took a leave of absence to study and write a book to refute both the resurrection and the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. As a result of their study, they too became ardent believers and wrote: "Reject not, until you have examined the evidence."

Dr. Frank Morrison, a lawyer and engineer, was brought up in a rationalistic background. He liked Jesus, but thought the resurrection was a myth that was tacked on. He, too, wanted to write a book to refute it, but in the process of writing, he like the others committed his life to Christ. His findings are in the book "Who Moved the Stone"?

PASSOVER—APRIL 21st

2011-04-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday April 21st beginning at 6:00 p.m. we will have our annual Passover Celebration. Come step back in time and partake of the meal Jews have eaten since their Exodus from Egypt. In addition to a sumptuous meal, you’ll learn how Jesus used the imagery of this Passover meal in His “Last Supper” and how even the smallest detail of Passover tells us an even deeper and richer insight into Communion.

EASTER SERVICES—APRIL 24th

2011-04-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday we will have only ONE worship service. In addition to the regularly scheduled sermon, the Choir will be singing an Easter Cantata and the Bell Choir will have a couple of songs. There will also be special activities for the kids during the Junior Church.
Make this an Easter Sunday for your whole family and learn about the difference Jesus has made in the lives of so many.

THREE CROSSES ON THE HILL

2011-04-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Three Crosses stood on Golgotha's brow that April.

It has been said that on one a thief died IN sin and was lost.

On another cross, a thief died TO sin and was saved.

On the third cross, a Lamb died FOR sin, and was the Son of God.

A Picture of God

2011-03-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

A Sunday School teacher asked her students: “What does God look like?” Some of the their responses were these:

* He looks like Jesus, but I’ll tell you a secret. I’m not sure ‘cause I’ve never seen him.

* He’s an old man because of all the years He’s been alive.

* He looks like whatever you want Him to look like.

* I think He’s an old man with a long, gray beard. And He sits on a throne like a king, and drinks all the Dr. Pepper He wants.

What do you think God looks like? One little boy gave a very insightful answer to that question

"Mommy, what does God look like?" asked 5 year-old Timmy. He put down his peanut butter sandwich and took a big swallow of milk.

"Well, God is a Spirit and we can’t see Him in the same way that we see people," his mother began, not knowing quite where to go from there.

"But if we can’t see Him, how do we know what He’s like?" he persisted.

"Well, suppose you were blind," she suggested to Timmy. "Would you be able to see Daddy, for instance?" He shook his head. "But would you know what Daddy is like?" He thought for a moment, and then vigorously nodded his head. "You’d know what Daddy is like by the things he says, wouldn’t you?" He nodded again.

"And we know what God is like, too, by the things He says in His Word. And you’d know that Daddy loves you, because he would tell you so & do everything he could for you. That’s how we know God loves us, too. He tells us so, and He has given us so much to help us have a wonderful life. But most of all, He gave us Jesus to take away our sins and to show us what God is really like. And even though you couldn’t see Daddy—if you were blind—you could hear his voice and feel when he is near. And in the same way, through Jesus we can hear God’s voice and feel Him near, too. That’s why, even though we can’t see God, we can be very certain what He is like."

Little Timmy picked up his sandwich. "I know," he exclaimed, "We don’t see God outside. We see Him inside."

What's A Bieber?

2011-03-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

Best Buy had a clever TV commercial featuring notoriously drug-damaged Ozzy Osbourne being upstaged by Justin Bieber and then asking “What’s a Bieber?”

Most of us older folks might just ask the same question. Justin Bieber is a 16 year old media sensation who has taken the music market by storm (“Never Say Never” is a movie of his life in theatres now). He’s appeared in commercials, a CSI TV show, and is adored by young girls everywhere. It would seem that sky would be the limit for this young man.

But then, in an interview with Rolling Stone, he was asked about abortion… and you’d think the sky had fallen.

What did he say? “I really don't believe in abortion . . . It's like killing a baby.” When asked about cases that involved rape, he replied that he believed “everything happens for a reason” but then he added, “I haven't been in that position, so I wouldn't be able to judge that.”

The response from the press was instantaneous and somewhat predictable. The View railed against him, the New York Times suggested Bieber had overstepped his bounds stating, “By taking a stand against abortion, Mr. Bieber risks finding out how frail and tenuous that bond might be” (in other words, it was their hope his success would falter because of this). CNN’s website touted an article with the headline: “Backlash over Bieber's view on abortion.” And a Boston Herald blog declared “Justin Bieber Sounds Like an Idiot.”

Rolling Stone reporter Vanessa Grigoriadis defended Bieber. “I think he meant that God has a plan,” she told PopEater. “Even for the most die-hard Christian, it's hard to justify rape as part of God's plan, and harder to justify rape that leads to pregnancy and abortion. I think he [Bieber] was wrestling with that in his answer, which I found to be solid and logical.”

Bieber goes to church at the Highlands Christian Ministries in Stratford, Ontario, and prays before every concert. He seems to try to take his faith seriously… and has attempted to be faithful to God throughout his professional career. As Grigoriadis indicated, Bieber struggles with the issue of rape (as many of us would), but on the whole his answer was solid, logical … and Biblical.

UpWard Football Try-outs

2011-03-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

Upward Football is starting up again this Spring. Try-outs (where kids are evaluated on their skill levels so they can be placed on the proper teams) will be each afternoon March 28th thru April 1st from 4 pm til 7 pm. Cost to sign up is $55 per student (some scholarships are available). First game will start May 1st. Also, if you’d like to help coach or ref or help in any other way, contact Trampas (trainertramp@yahoo.com). We can always use more workers for this great ministry.

3rd Sunday Craft Day

2011-03-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

March 20th, the Ladies will again be meeting after 2nd Service (about noon) to do crafts together. Bring your latest craft project (can be paper-crafting or card making, scrapbooking, crochet, knit - whatever you've got that you're working on).... and have fun sharing items or ideas and working with friends to chat with.

CHILI COOKOFF AND CONCERT

2011-03-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 12th at 5:30—bring your best chili. There will be a sign up sheet for that… as well as for other things you can bring, like sandwiches, desserts, crackers and cheese, and veggies and dip. We’ll have a contest with prizes to see whose chili is the hottest dish in church.

That same night –serenading you as you eat—will be “The Laverman Family”. Royce Laverman has worked with the Son Shine Boys (who will also be singing that night) when they performed up in Lowell, IN and was able to play all of our music in a way that made us sound really good.

The Blood Of Love

2011-02-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

In his book, "Written in Blood," Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from 2 years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor.

"Would you give your blood to Mary?" the doctor asked.

Johnny hesitated.
His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, "Sure, for my sister."

Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room - Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny's smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence, "Doctor, when do I die?"

Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he'd agreed to donate his blood. He'd thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he'd made his great decision.

Johnny, fortunately, didn't have to die to save his sister. Each of us, however, has a condition more serious than Mary's and it required Jesus to give not just his blood but his life. (John 15:13)

Whoever Loved A God?

2011-02-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

I recently watched the recent remake of “Clash of The Titans”. It told the story of the Greek god Zeus and his pantheon of gods becoming angry with mankind to the point of wanting to destroy the entire earth. Standing in their way was Perseus, Zeus’ illegitimate mortal son. Perseus succeeds and the wrath of the gods is satisfied... but what interested me was the conversation between Zeus and Perseus toward the end of the movie. When Perseus rejects Zeus’ offer to make him a god, Zeus lamented that he brought his wrath on mankind because he wanted their worship, but then he said: “but I didn’t want to it to cost me my son.” The message of the movie was that Zeus and his fellow gods were capricious deities who cared little or nothing for mankind.

In one of his books the late James Black tells of a dream he had. In this dream he moved among the old temples of ancient Greece. Near one of them he met a priest and began to talk to him. Pointing to some people approaching the temple, the dreamer said to the priest: "I suppose these people honor and love their god."
"Honor?" said the priest. "Love? What do you mean? They fear him because he may destroy them. But love . . . ."
"Even now," said the dreamer, "I shudder at the very memory of my dream, for with a harsh, coarse, horrible cackle of laughter the priest said : 'Whoever loved a god?' ''

"But," said the dreamer, "do not these people seek to know the will of the god?''
"Will?" said the priest. "He does not work by will, but by whim, by caprice. He may smite with illness, curse with barrenness, blight with disaster. No one can know the mind of a god. One may only appease his anger. The gods are not interested in men, though for their sport they sometimes plague them."

Whoever loved a God? The only ones who could love a God would be those who realized that the God of the Bible (unlike the Zeus of “Clash of the Titans”) loved them so much that it cost Him His Son, and so He gave His only begotten Son to die for their sake. God “lost” His Son, so that He might gain our love.

Watch Out For This

2011-02-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

We’d like to think that if a book is sold in a Christian Book store we can trust it to tell us the truth about God. But that’s not always the case. For example, there are a number of popular books being published by writers who make up something called the “Emerging Church”. This group is not an official denomination, but their churches often share the same teachings and attitudes because they’re influenced by the same group of writers who share common ideas (see below for a list of some of these authors).

What do they teach?

Many of the things they believe we’d agree with. For example, they teach that every Christian is a priest of God, and that we should focus on good works.

But much of their teaching is extremely troubling—if not heretical—especially when it comes to Scripture. Anyone who believes that the Bible is absolute truth is generally not welcome with this crowd. Rob Bell, for example, says he views the Bible as “a human product”.
Commenting on this movement, a Baptist preacher named Dave Breese noted that, for this group, "... the Bible 'becomes' the word of God when the Scriputre interacts within the questing soul. Inspiration is, therefore, an experience for the believer, rather than a definition of the provenance of the Holy Scripture." (my emphasis)
The end result (says another emergent writer - Leornard Sweet) is that "it is not your job to help people decide what is right and wrong. It is your job to help bring people to Christ, who through the Holy Spirit can reveal to them what is right and wrong.... It is your job to help people have an experience with God." Thus the church's leaders shouldn't teach "right and wrong" - they should simply allow the worshipper to "experience" the Holy Spirit without interference from teachers and preachers. As a result, Sweet concludes: "Churches in the postmodern communities (a phrase they use to describe themselves) will be built, not around great preachers, but around great experiences."

Emergent leaders tend to view Scripture not so much as the “final truth” - as much as it is a source of truth that they can ignore if it gets in the way of their objective to create a “worshipful atmosphere”. And these churches tend to believe that dogmatic insistence on Biblical doctrine is irrational since much of the preaching from pulpits is tainted by outside influences such as “the reformation”, “the enlightenment period” or even “language” itself (human language is suspect by them because it is too limiting to express the true realities of God and His love for us).

The emergent church often says it is“not your Grandmother’s church”. This is their way of implying that anyone who doesn’t believe and worship as they do is outdated and out of touch. They view such churches as judgmental, intolerant, and boring.

Often their worship services center on creating an “atmosphere”. This may include the use of “labyrinth walks” (an ancient pagan practice) where the worshiper takes “a burden, concern, gift, or person into the center for release to God” or they may use painting and sculpting as a “form of prayer”. There are often “stations” where worshippers are encouraged to read poems, finger paint, meditate, or tell what God has done in their lives throughout the week. Taken by themselves, these practices might not be thought to be overly disturbing. But when you combine the idea that these are supposed to help you to “experience” God, while at the same time these same groups downplay His Word, you have a recipe for self-centered (rather than God-centered) religion.

(Some of the writers in this movement: Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Erwin McManus, Alex McManus, Mark Driscoll, Steve Chalke, Spencer Burke, Dan Kimball, Leonard Sweet)

Valentine's Carry-in and Party

2011-02-01T10:35:00.001-08:00

Start bringing us pictures of you and your sweetie when you first met, or were just married so we can put them up on the overhead as we eat our Valentine’s Day meal together. February 13th (right after worship—Noon) we’ll eat together and even play a game or two to celebrate this season of romantic love.

COME SKATE WITH US

2011-02-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

Bring your own skates, or rent them at Logan Roller Rink (on the west side of town). Skating is from 6:30 pm till after 7:30 pm, and we’ll be dismissing JAM and our Middle School Youth Group to do this together. There will be food, fun and falling down for everyone. You don’t even have to be “part of our congregation” to join in.

RURAL KING WANTS TO TITHE

2011-02-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

Our local Rural King Store is running a special for the week of February 13th. Anyone who purchases anything in their store during that week should bring their receipts to church and give them to the treasurer. They tell us that when we return those receipts to Rural King, their store will give 1/10 of the total to the church.

A REASON TO CELEBRATE

2011-01-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are traditional times of celebration for us. Have you ever thought about what the word "celebrate" means? We always want to celebrate with a crowd of people - usually friends and acquaintances. Celebrating by yourself just doesn't seem to have the same feeling.

We need a reason to celebrate. We celebrate the start of the year, we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays that roll around once a year - but always, there is a reason for our celebration. It's most common that the reason looks to the past - such as birthdays or anniversaries, or national holidays. Even New Year's Eve, with its resolutions for the coming year, shows old Father Time on the way out as well as Baby Time coming in.

Sometimes we celebrate a person, rather than an event.
Memorial Day is for veterans;
Labor Day is for workers;
Valentine's Day for lovers -
and St. Patrick's day for anyone who can recognize the color "green."

Nobody celebrates with a diet.
The diet starts the day after.
Food and drink are a very real part of the celebration.

Finally, a celebration is a happy time - even a joyous one. The 4th of July may have its solemn moments of remembrance - but it must have fireworks.

We use the same word "celebrate" to mean that we are taking the Lord's Supper. We often speak in our public worship of "celebrating Communion." We celebrate the Lord's Supper in a group. It may be a small group, even as small as 2 people.

Do we celebrate for a reason? The greatest reason in the world: Jesus, the Messiah died on a cross that we might have eternal life. If eternal life is not celebrating both of the Crucifixion and the Crucifixion. That reason looks to the past, just like our other celebra-tions - to the hill at Calvary. It is a greater celebration in that it also looks to the present, as we examine ourselves. It is greater yet, for it looks to the future - when He returns.

Some celebrations are for events, some are for persons—ours is for both. It is the celebration both of the Crucifixion and the Crucified.

Surprisingly enough, even this most sacred of celebrations must be done with food and drink. In its roots, the Passover, it was referred to as "the Feast." Other celebrations fatten the body. This one fattens the soul. (John Rigle)

ATTAINABLE RESOLUTIONS

2011-01-01T15:26:00.000-08:00

This year, I resolve to:

* Gain weight. At least 30 pounds.

* Stop exercising (Waste of time).

* Read less (Makes you think).
* Watch more TV. I’ve been missing some good stuff.
* Not jump off a cliff just because everyone else does.
* Get further in debt.
* Break at least one traffic law.
* Focus on the faults of others.
* Mope around about my own faults.
* Procrastinate more... starting tomorrow.

Resolutions... With each new year comes the resolve to “start over again” - to get right this year what we didn’t get right last year. Of course, the joke is, very few people seem to keep those resolutions (leading one wit to resolve never to make New Year’s Resolutions again).

But the idea is sound. If you and I never decide to change, we never will. A new year is an excellent time to take stock of who we are and what we really want to do with our lives.

Most New Year’s Resolutions boil down to one of two decisions:

1. I want to get rid of a bad habit, or
2. I want to do something valuable with my life.

Now, that’s why we (who are Christians) were baptized into Christ in the first place. Romans 6:3 says: “...Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” In other words, the person who we used to be died when we became Christians. We buried the past when we were baptized. Romans goes on to say: “... anyone who has died has been freed from sin” (6:7). That’s another way of saying that being a Christian frees us to live lives that are valuable to God now that we aren’t shackled to the chains of bad habits.

But, don’t we still have bad habits? Well, yeah. Except that now, those old habits are not the habits of choice for us. We still may slip in our actions (or words or thoughts), but we have, “resolved” to no longer live like that. We refuse to accept those old patterns as being “normal” because they are not normal behavior for God’s children. Christians are the ultimate New Year's people, because we have resolved to live for God.

SHOULD THE RICH GIVE TO THE POOR?

2011-01-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

The short answer is “yes” (in fact, we all should do so).

But there’s been some debate on what role the government should play in getting the rich to help the poor. In a recent interview on “Meet The Press” Vice President Biden said he agreed with President Obama that the “Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy” were “morally troubling”. Bill O’Reilly and Stephen Colbert clashed over the morality of the rich not being taxed more to help the poor via the government.

So, let’s examine some of their statements.

Bill O’Reilly said the Bible teaches that “God helps those who help themselves.” Actually, that’s not in the Bible. It’s a pagan teaching from Aesop’s fables. If that concept were true, Judas would be a patron saint of some sort because he practiced “helping himself” (John 12:6 tells us he was thief).

However, Scripture DOES teach: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). And the Old Testament taught that the poor should be taken care of, but they needed to work for what they received (Leviticus 19:9; 23:22 and Deuteronomy 24:21).

By contrast, Paul told Timothy to command the rich “to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” (I Tim. 6:18). In fact, God tells us that whenever we give to the poor He is seriously impressed: “He who is kind to the poor lends to God, and He will reward him for what he has done.” (Pr. 19:17)

In response to O’Reilly scoffing about on tax breaks to the rich being morally troubling, comedian Stephen Colbert responded that Jesus commanded the rich to sell all they had and give it to the poor. Actually, that’s not true. Jesus only commanded one man to do so, seemingly because the man loved his money more than he did God (Luke 18:15-30) There’s no command for the rich to do that anywhere else in Scripture.

When the President and Vice President spoke of the rich not paying a higher percentage of taxes (some pay upwards of 50% now in combined Federal and State taxes) as being “morally troubling” they weren’t using Scripture as their guideline. The Bible doesn’t condemn the rich, nor does it teach that the government’s role is to redistribute wealth. What the Bible does condemn is putting our trust in money ( I Timothy 6:9-10). It also condemns those who misuse the poor (Proverbs 14:31) and those who do not personally share with the poor (Lk 16:19-31)

SONSHINE BOYS JANUARY CONCERT SCHEDULE

2011-01-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

Saturday January 15th at the Lake Cicott Methodist Church

8042 Church St., Lake Cicott, IN at 7 pm

Saturday January 29th at the Grotto in Kokomo, IN

This is a benefit concert to help the gospel group (Spoken4 who lost all their equipment in an auto accident)

ON AIR SERMON—JANUARY 9TH

2011-01-01T15:10:00.001-08:00

Sunday morning, January 9th, Jeff will be giving a sermon on WSAL at 6:30 am. It’s one of the “Sunday Morning Faith Break” series that is offered each Sunday by various preachers in the community.

A MOTHER'S CHRISTMAS POEM

2010-12-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime: but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity; but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return; but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things,

Believes all things,

Hopes all things

Endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, and golf clubs will rust;

But giving the gift of love will endure.

BE GOOD FOR "GOODNESS SAKE?"

2010-12-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago, the American Humanist Association staged an ad campaign to counter the influence of Jesus in Christmas.
(Christ in Christmas? Heavens!)
Borrowing a line from a popular Christmas jingle their ad proclaimed: “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.”

Hmmm. That’s interesting.

People have sung that Christmas song for ages, and that actually is the message in the song: “Be good (not for God’s sake, but) for goodness sake”

So, can people be good just for goodness sake?
Well, Jesus said not.
When the rich young ruler approached him and asked “what good things must I do to have eternal life?"

"Why ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "Only God is good.” (Matt. 19:16-17)

One preacher is said to have told his audience:
“I’m paid to be good… but you folks are good for nothing.”
The Bible teaches us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
That does not mean we can’t “do good” but it does imply that we can’t really “be good” on our own. In fact, for us to claim that we are “good” without God, is for us to claim a SELFrighteousness - and somehow that just doesn’t seem quite right.

Most people who are honest with themselves would agree with Mark Twain: “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side, which he never shows to anybody.” We all realize there’s a part of us that would bring us shame if others knew what we’d said, done or thought.

We are not “good” in and of ourselves. But when Jesus comes in to our lives, He works inside of us to change us and make us “gooder” (I know it’s not a word, but you know what I mean). As Ephesians 2:10 says: “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works...” God’s Spirit works inside of us to change why we do what we do.

John Smithson once observed: “Before I came to Christ, I practiced sin and committed acts of righteousness. Now, I practice righteousness and commit acts of sin.” Essentially, he was saying Jesus changed his motivation. Before he came to Christ, John Smithson alone decided what was good and what wasn’t. But then, when Jesus took over, Smithson wasn’t “good for goodness sake”... he was good for Jesus sake.

And that is truly the message of Christmas.

BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS

2010-12-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

December 19th at 7 pm, we’re having a birthday party for Jesus complete with cake and punch. Our “Bell Choir” and our “Vocal Choir” will both be performing songs that glorify Christ. In addition, the youth group has a play they’ll be putting on, and our younger youth will have a special part in the festivities. So, put this event on your calendar and be sure to come and share the reason for the season.

HARDY’S ANNUAL CHRISTMAS GATHERING

2010-12-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

Earlier on December 19th (from 1 pm til ?) Mike and Judy Hardy will open their home, filled with numerous Christmas trees (even one decorated with race cars if I recall). They’re inviting us to come enjoy the atmosphere and fellowship and food with them as they share Jesus with the community

COATS FOR KIDS

2010-12-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

The Lighthouse Youth Group (that’s our youth) will be collecting gently used hats, gloves and coats for local children in need. Items may be dropped off in the youth room through Dec. 12th. Any questions, talk to any of the Lighthouse Youth member, or to Ben Bonsett

SONSHINE BOYS IN CONCERT

2010-12-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas Concert ticket still available for the Christmas Dinner and Concert on December 11th— featuring Spoken4 and SonShine Boys: $20

OTHER CONCERTS:

December 4th—Kokomo (Walnut St) 11 a.m. and Lowell (bring pantry item) at 5 pm

December 10th at the Calvary Baptist Church in Winamac starts at 7:00 pm

Upcoming Neighborhood Events

2010-12-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

Summit Theological Seminary will offer a class on I Chronicles with George Faull. Thursdays at 7:00 pm. For more information call 765-472-4111. Seminary is located at 2766 Airport Rd. Peru, IN

Journey To Bethlehem is a special live inside nativity that features Roman Soldiers, Jewish Rabbis and live animals. Dec. 11th from 5 til 8 pm and Dec. 12th from 2 til 5 pm at the Zion Bethel Church at 415 S. Third St. in Monticello, IN. For more info: 574-583-9798 or http://www.zionbethel.com/

The new Narnia Movie “Voyage Of the Dawn Treader” is coming out Dec. 10th. Check a theatre near you. http://www.narniaweb.com/

For The Beauty of Gliese

2010-11-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

They named the new planetary discovery Gliese 581 C.
(Romantic isn’t it?)

Astronomers were excited about this newest find because it is an earthlike planet with possible water and life! It lies in the “Goldilocks zone” of its star - not too hot and not too cold to sustain life. And since Gliese 581 C is only 50% bigger than earth it’s thought the gravity on Gliese is similar to ours.

But of course, there is one small problem with Gliese.

It never turns as it orbits it’s sun.

One side of the planet is always faces its star and the other side is always facing away. This would make the sunny side unbearably hot and the dark side freezingly cold. This leads most astronomers to speculate that whatever water and “life” is found on the planet would be found around the edges where dark meets light

Now let us compare that planet to the earth God gave us.
Our earth is 98 million miles away from the sun - which (as Goldilocks said) is “just right”.
If it were much closer to our star, life couldn’t survive the heat.
And if it were much father away, everything would freeze.
AND unlike Gliese 581 – our earth rotates on its axis. This makes it so that the entire earth is exposed (every 24 hours) to the life-giving rays of our sun. AND our earth is tilted just enough to allow the maximum amount of places for life (23 °). If our earth didn’t have that tilt - the poles would be colder and less likely to support life, and the equator would be much hotter and make that area into a barren desert.

If during the next orbit around the Sun the Earth deviated only a fraction of an inch every twenty miles or so—within a year our world would either fry or freeze.

Then there’s our moon. The Moon pulls on the Earth in just the right way to cause the oceans to circulate. This movement helps the oceans to clean themselves and absorb and give off oxygen. Thus, the tides caused by our moon are needed for the ocean to support life.
If the moon were much closer or bigger tidal waves would be the size of tsunamis. If it was much smaller or farther away it would have little if any effect on the on ebb and flow of the ocean and our seas would become dead bodies of water.

Back in 1968, astronaut Bill Anders took pictures of the earth and he noted that
“It was the only color we could see in the universe…”
Our earth is the most unique planet in all of God’s creation.
That’s because God created it for YOU and for Me.

Thus the words of the old Hymn:
"For the beauty of the Earth, for the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise."

Be Thankful, Be Happy

2010-11-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

Ben Franklin once said: "The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it, you have to catch up with it yourself."

People want to be happy. And with good reason.
According to a study published in Time magazine in 2005 “People who rate in the upper reaches of happiness on psychological tests develop about 50% more antibodies than average in response to flu vaccines. And that, says Davidson (professor of psychology and psychiatry at the U. of Wisconsin), ‘is a very large difference.’ Others have discovered that happiness or related mental states like hopefulness, optimism and contentment appear to reduce the risk or limit the severity of cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension, colds & upper-respiratory infections as well. According to a Dutch study of elderly patients published in November, those upbeat mental states reduced an individual’s risk of death 50% over the study’s 9-year duration.” (Time 1/17/05 Michael D. Lemonick, p. A12)

So what can make me happy?

As Ben Franklin said, the pursuit of happiness is up to us.
And the Bible tells us our happiness is dependent less on what we have than in remembering what we have. Philippians 4 tells us that contentedness comes from focusing on being thankful. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice” (4:4).

It’s a command! Rejoice! In fact it’s such an important command that Paul repeats Himself “I will say it again: rejoice”. He then goes on to say “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (4:8).
Focus on what is RIGHT in your life rather than what is wrong.

The reason so many people are unhappy in life is because they constantly replay things that make them miserable while ignoring the blessings that are theirs.

So, what happens when I do this? What happens when I obey God and focus on my blessings?
“... The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7). It doesn’t make any sense! It “transcends all understanding”! But when we focus on rejoicing, the peace of God guards our hearts and our minds in Christ.

So, be thankful, and get happy.

Upcoming Events

2010-11-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

THANKSPIRATION—NOVEMBER 20th
5:30 pm on Saturday November 20th we’ll have a carry-in and get out the Hymnbooks for an old fashioned hymn sing. The SonShine Boys will sing a few songs as well as anyone else who wants to sing a song or read a poem.

THANKSGIVING MEAL FOR NEEDY ON THANKSGIVING
This year we’re going to have a special meal for the homeless, lonely and just folks in the church family who haven’t somewhere to go. It will run from 11 am til 2 pm, and it’s FREE. We’ll run the bus to pick people up starting at 10:30 am. Call the church after 9:30 am for a ride. There will be sign up sheet for those who wish to help setup the night before and helping on Thursday.

CHRISTMAS DINNER THEATRE TICKETS AVAILABLE
For the Christmas concert December 11th at the Grotto in Kokomo. Spoken4 and SonShine Boys will be singing. Concert and dinner ticket: $20. If you wish to purchase a ticket contact the church office (574-753-8552)

Exciting Possibilities

2010-11-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

If you missed our Annual Meeting in October you missed more than just a good meal. We talked about how great it had been to have had 350 people at our Trunk or Treat. And we were pleased with the strong attendance at worship and other events over the past year (we had 168 last Christmas, 184 on Friend Day in February and 190 for Easter). Ben Bonsett shared about how often our church website has been visited each week and everyone was pleased with the design he’s worked so hard to develop.

Then we took note of our new van. For the past 3 years we have leased a van for and used it regularly to pick people up for our youth groups and worship. But we’d realized it would be nice to have a van that would allow us to transport the handicapped. And God supplied. Our new van has an “elevator” to lift wheelchairs into the back of the bus where the riders can be strapped in securely. We used it for the first time that Sunday to pick up Robin Melroy and hope to use it to help others get to worship. This new van is even nicer than our last one and it only costs about $4 more a month.

As exciting as that new bus is, even it paled next to the main topic of the day: a new building. A new worship center has long been a dream of this congregation and by the end of this year we should have $200,000 in the bank for that purpose. Larry Philips reported that he’s been talking with a number of church building companies to find out how much it would cost to make this dream a reality.

AND we now have one new Elder: Dave Broad, and 3 new Deacons: Mark Cotner, Dave Larimore, and Larry Philips.

What's Wrong With Being A Witch?

2010-10-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

With this being both the season of "Halloween" and of a major political election, I thought it might be interesting to combine the two.

When Republican Candidate Christine O’Donnell admitted that she’d dabbled in Witchcraft it lit up the internet. Granted, that was over 20 years ago when she was in High School, but the very mention of the topic became a weapon for those who opposed her.

And she’s not been the only one who’s dabbled. Bewitched was a bewitching show back in the ‘60s… and of course Charmed was regarded as charming by many.

So, what’s so wrong with witchcraft?

* Plenty, apparently. The major problem with witches is that God has plainly said they’re evil. "Let no one be found among you who ... practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft" (Deut. 18:10).

* In fact God warned "I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people." Leviticus 20:6

* When King Saul went to consult with the Witch of Endor, he sealed his doom and died because of his unfaithfulness to God in this. (I Chronicles 10:13)

But isn’t that just in the Old Testament? Apparently not. In Acts, we are told about a revival in the city of Ephesus (a city famous for its pagan “Ephesian Letters” which were used in incantations). Those who were baptized into Christ collected all of their books on magic and publicly burned them (yes, the Bible endorses burning of books if they belong to you). Apparently these new Christians understood the evil nature of these writings and wanted to make sure they never influenced anyone ever again.

But what is so wrong with someone being a witch? Aren’t there good witches that do good things? Maybe in the land of Oz, but not in realm of Christ. In practical terms, if witches (whether they are white or black witches - the terms used to describe good and evil witches) aren't getting their information from God, there is only one other source of power.

So, can Christine O’Donnell be forgiven by God for “dabbling” in witchcraft? Unlike the teachings of the bizarre Salem witch trials, the New Testament says we can be forgiven of any sin. I Corinthians 6 lists a number people we’d consider evil, but then it says: "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:11

EINSTEIN ON DESIGN

2010-10-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Albert Einstein was at a dinner party once in Berlin and everybody there assumed he was an atheist. He shocked many of them by saying, “No, I have a deep feeling of faith, a deep religiosity that comes from my appreciation of the way the Lord made the universe.”

But at one time Einstein was indeed a complete atheist. What changed his mind? It was his mathematical proof of the “General Theory Of Relativity” – now one of the foundational concepts in Physics. “General Relativity” is the idea that matter, gravity, time, energy and acceleration are all interrelated.

Over the years scientists have conducted many experiments in applied physics verifying this concept and its mathematical equations. Among many other things, several important conclusions have been drawn:
1. Time itself had a beginning.
2. Space and matter had a beginning.

These two facts imply that there must have been a Creator. (For something to have a beginning, it had to have a "beginner".) In 1992, major discoveries added strong support to the idea of a "beginning" of the universe by helping define when and how the universe began (that is, the process God employed). This has had a major impact on the body of scientists who are aware of the implications. Such prominent scientists as Carlos Frenk, and Michael Turner have considered these discoveries possible (or even likely) evidence of a Creator. Major news media gave unusual front-page and prime-time television coverage to several discoveries-highly unusual for such events. Dramatically and suddenly the last hope of people committed to evolution was dealt a fatal blow (namely, the hope of an infinite universe). While Newtonian physics allowed for an infinite universe, general relativity and "big bang" evidence have disproved it.

The Bible has many places where it mentions the beginning of time and space (for example, 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2; 1 Corinthians 2:7). Tragically, it will be many more years before libraries and textbooks catch up with the recent discoveries.

(Adapted from “Science – Was the Bible Ahead Of Its Time?” by Ralph O. Muncaster)