preacher smith

new blog location

2006-11-04T07:43:00.000-06:00

http://wordsthatbless.wordpress.com/ is my new blog site. I'm pullin' up stakes and moving on to WordPress. Blogger served me well as a first foray into the blogging world, but its time for a fresh look and a new location for ye old blog. Change your bookmark/favorites list. You'll find me at Words That Bless that's http://wordsthatbless.wordpress.com/

3 interesting posts

2006-10-02T08:38:00.000-05:00

Three interesting blog posts I've read of late:

Faith - Larry James
The Art of Cultural Exegesis - Mark Batterson
The End of the Lectern - Douglas Groothuis

know his voice - Oct. 2006

2006-09-30T09:16:00.000-05:00

October marks the start of the final phase of this year’s Bible reading project here at MoSt Church. This year's trip - the Know His Voice project - has been a journey through the Gospels with an emphasis on the words and ways of Jesus. The remainder of this year we’ll focus specifically on some of the questions Jesus asked. Questions tend to stick with us longer than most other forms of communication and so it only stands to reason that when Jesus asked a question, he wanted the thought to linger with us. How would you reply to Jesus' questions if/since they were made to you personally? How would Jesus want you to respond? Those are two good questions!

And let me suggest the following method to you to use as you ruminate on these questions our Lord asked of people: (1) read the passage three times slowly and aloud (yes, outloud to yourself), (2) do the same with the focus question, (3) thoughtfully pause and ruminate/meditate over the question for a minute or two, (4) pray about this question and it's meaning for you in your life at this time and (5) then carefully consider what comes to your mind. Repeat steps 2-5 throughout the course of the day as you have opportunity.

Sun., Oct. 1 – Matt. 5:13 – vs.13a – “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?”

Oct. 2 – Matt. 5:43-48 – vs.46-47 – “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?”

Oct. 3 – Matt. 6:25-34 – vs.27 – “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?”

Oct. 4 – Matt. 7:3-5 – vs.3b,4b – “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye … ?”

Oct. 5 – Matt. 7:9-12 – vs.9-10 – “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?”

Oct. 6 – Matt. 7:15-20 – vs.16b – “Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”

Oct. 7 – Matt. 8:23-27 – vs.26a – “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”

Sun., Oct. 8 – Matt. 9:1-8 – vs.4-5 – “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?”

Oct. 9 – Matt. 9:27-34 – vs.28b – “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

Oct. 10 – Matt. 11:1-19 – vs.7b – “What did you go out ... to see?”

Oct. 11 – Matt. 12:22-37 – vs.26-27a,29a,34 – “How can [Satan’s] kingdom stand?”

Oct. 12 – Matt. 12:46-50 – vs.48 – “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

Oct. 13 – Matt. 14:22-35 – vs.31 – “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Oct. 14 – Matt. 15:1-20 – vs.16-17 – “Are you still so dull?”

Sun., Oct. 15 – Matt. 16:13-20 – vs.13,15 – “Who do people say the Son of Man is? ... what about you?”

Oct. 16 – Matt. 16:21-28 – vs.26 – “What good will it be for you to gain the whole world . . . ?”

Oct. 17 – Matt. 18:10-13 – vs.12 – “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep . . . ?”

Oct. 18 – Matt. 19:1-12 – vs.4-5 – “Haven’t you read ... the Creator made them male and female ... ?”

Oct. 19 – Matt. 19:16-30 – vs.17a – “Why do you ask me about what is good?”

Oct. 20 – Matt. 20:20-28 – vs.22a – “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

Oct. 21 – Matt. 20:29-34 – vs.32 – “What do you want me to do for you?”

Sun., Oct. 22 – Matt. 21:12-17 – vs.16 – “Have you never read ... you have ordained praise?”

Oct. 23 – Matt. 21:28-32 – vs.28a,31a – “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

Oct. 24 – Matt. 21:33-46 – vs.42 – “Have you never read ... the stone the builders rejected ... ?”

Oct. 25 – Matt.22:23-33 – vs.31-32a – “... have you not read ... I am the God of Abraham ... ?”

Oct. 26 – Matt. 22:41-46 – vs.42 – “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?”

Oct. 27 – Matt. 23:13-39 – vs.19 – “Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?”

Oct. 28 – Matt. 24:45-51 – vs.45 – “Who then is the faithful and wise servant ... ?”

Sun., Oct. 29 – Matt. 26:36-46 – vs.40b,45a – “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me one hour?”

Oct. 30 – Matt. 26:47-56 – vs.53-54 – “Do you not think I can call ... twelve legions of angels?”

Oct. 31 – Matt. 27:45-50 – vs.46 – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

5 interesting posts of late

2006-09-29T06:59:00.000-05:00

Here are five interesting blog posts I've read of late:

Full Nelson - by Grant Boone
People Go On With Their Lives - Regardless by Jim Martin
Prayer of Jabez by Chris Benjamin
Pressing God for Prosperity by Matt Soper
Schizophrenic Spirituality (Matthew 6:1-18) by Larry Chouinard

BYOB

2006-09-25T06:05:00.000-05:00

Heads up and a word to the wise - be sure and Bring Your Own Bible to class and worship this coming Sunday morning (Oct. 1). I'll be checking to see if you're totin' yours! :-)

recent pantry stats

2006-09-22T11:36:00.000-05:00

Do you realize how many people in our community MoSt Church regularly assists with food? Following are a collection of assorted stats from just over the course of the past month. To all who serve in our pantry or help support it in some way - may God bless you as you bless others!

Tues., Aug. 22 - 47 families (169 individuals)
Thur., Aug. 24 - 44 families (186 individuals)
Total - 91 families (355 individuals)

Tues., Aug. 29 - 65 families (218 individuals)
Thur., Aug. 31 - 33 families (112 individuals)
Total - 98 families (330 individuals)

Tues., Sept. 12 - 52 families (179 individuals)
Thur., Sept. 14 - 45 families (185 individuals)
Total - 97 families (364 individuals)

Tues., Sept. 19 - 39 families (132 individuals)
Thur., Sept. 21 - 43 families (151 individuals)
Total - 82 families (283 individuals)

humor - the end is near

2006-09-22T06:18:00.000-05:00

A local priest and a preacher were fishing on the side of the road. They thoughtfully made a sign saying, The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it's too late! and showed it to each passing car. One driver who drove by didn't appreciate the sign and shouted at them, "Leave us alone, you religious nuts!"

All of a sudden they heard a big splash, looked at each other, and the priest said to the preacher, "You think maybe we should have just said Bridge Out instead?"

interceding prayer

2006-09-19T21:44:00.000-05:00

Judging by the comments some of you shared with me as to the reading I read from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book Life Together on a recent Sunday night, I thought you might like to have the whole text in front of you to consider and share with others. Here it is. Yes indeed, it is rich! It's hard to imagine a passage more relevant to the needs of many of us at the moment, no?

"A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses. I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me. His face, that hitherto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transformed in intercession into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner. This is a happy discovery for the Christian who begins to pray for others. There is no dislike, no personal tension, no estrangement that cannot be overcome by intercession as far as our side of it is concerned. Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual and the fellowship must enter every day. The struggle we undergo with our brother in intercession may be a hard one, but that struggle has the promise that it will gain its goal.

"How does this happen? Intercession means no more than to bring our brother into the presence of God, to see him under the cross of Jesus as a poor human being and sinner in need of grace. Then everything in him that repels us fall away; we see him in all his destitution and need. His need and his sin become so heavy and oppressive that we feel them as our own, and we can do nothing else but pray: Lord, do Thou, Thou alone, deal with him according to Thy severity and Thy goodness. To make intercession means to grant our brother the same right that we have received, namely, to stand before Christ and share in his mercy.

"This makes it clear that intercession is also a daily service we owe to God and our brother. He who denies his neighbor the service of praying for him denies him the service of a Christian. It is clear, furthermore; that intercession is not general and vague but concrete: a matter of definite persons and definite difficulties and therefore of definite petitions. The more definite my intercession becomes, the more promising it is."

"Finally, we can also no longer escape the realization that the ministry of intercession requires time of every Christian, but most of all the pastor who has the responsibility of a whole congregation. Intercession alone, if it is thoroughly done, would consume the entire time of daily meditation. So pursued, it will become evident that intercession is a gift of God's grace for every Christian community and for every Christian. Because intercession is such an incalculably great gift of God, we should accept it joyfully. The very time we give to intercession will turn out to be a daily source of new joy in God and in the Christian community."

"Since meditation on the Scriptures, prayer, and intercession are a service we owe and because the grace of God is found in this service, we should train ourselves to set apart a regular hour for it, as we do for every other service we perform. This is not 'legalism'; it is orderliness and fidelity. For most people the early morning will prove to be the best time. We have a right to this time, even prior to the claims of other people, and we may insist upon having it as a completely undisturbed quiet time despite all external difficulties. For pastors it is an indispensable duty and their whole ministry will depend upon it. Who can really be faithful in great things if he has not learned to be faithful in the things of daily life?"

Source - Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, translated from German by John W. Doberstein (Harper & Row, 1954), pp.86-87. First published in 1938 under the title Gemeinsames Leben.

eat this book - together in Jesus

2006-09-19T10:11:00.000-05:00

"No can be understood outside of its entire context. The most 'entire' context is Jesus. Every biblical text must be read in the living presence of Jesus. Every word of the scriptural text is a window or door leading us out of the tarpaper shacks of self into this great outdoors of God's revelation in sky and ocean, tree and flower, Isaiah and Mary, and, finally and completely, Jesus. Meditation discerns the connections and listens for the harmonies that come together in Jesus."

Source: Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson, p.102

looking ahead - MoSt Church

2006-09-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

- Potluck lunch (Caleb's Classics) - Sept. 21

- Ladies bunco night - Sept. 21

- Hawk-watching trip to Smith Point - Sept. 23

- 24/7 small groups - Sept. 24

- Combined JH/HS youth huddle - Oct. 1

- 24/7 small groups - Oct. 8

- Memory Walk - Oct. 14

- Combined JH/HS youth huddle - Oct. 15

- Fall retreat - Nov. 18-19

buried with Jesus - Troy Saultz

2006-09-17T21:32:00.000-05:00

Troy Saultz was baptized into Christ at 11:45 a.m. this morning! Our sister church, the Lakewood Church of Christ, was kind enough to let us use their baptistery, seeing as how ours is out of commission at the moment due to renovation work. Troy is Jorge Hernandez's brother-in-law (i.e. - Ana Saultz and Jorge Hernandez are brother and sister). Welcome your new brother!

eat this book - living it

2006-09-11T10:28:00.000-05:00

"We are in the odd and embarrassing position of being a church in which many of us believe in the authority of the Bible but, instead of submitting to it, use it, apply it, take charge of it endlessly, using our own experience as the authority for how and where and when we will use it. . . . This book make us participants in the world of God's being and action; but we don't participate on our own terms. We don't get to make up the plot or decide what character we will be. . . . We enter this text to meet God as he reveals himself, not to look for truth or history or morals that we can use for ourselves . . . We do not read the Bible in order to find out how to get God into our lives, to get him to participate in our lives. That's getting it backwards." (pp.59,66,67)

"We are fond of saying that the Bible has all the answers. And that is certainly correct. . . . But the Bible also has all the questions, many of them that we would just as soon were never asked of us, and some of which we will spend the rest of our lives doing our best to dodge. The Bible is a most comforting book; it is also a most discomfiting book. Eat this book; it will be sweet as honey in your mouth; but it will also be bitter to your stomach. You can't reduce this book to what you can handle; you can't domesticate this book to what you are comfortable with." (p.66)

"Obedience is the thing, living in active response to the living God. The most important question we can ask of this text is not, 'What does this mean?' but 'What can I obey?' . . . Not that the study is not important." (p.71)

"Reading the Bible, if we do not do it rightly, can get us into a lot of trouble. The Christian community is as concerned with how we read the Bible as that we read it. It is not sufficient to place a Bible in a person's hands with the command, 'Read it.' That is quite as foolish as putting a set of car keys in an adolescent's hands, giving him a Honda, and saying, 'Drive it.' And just as dangerous." (p.81)

Source - Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson

eat this book – on exegesis

2006-09-06T06:20:00.000-05:00

"Many of us have picked up the bad habit of extracting 'truths' from the stories we read: we summarize 'principles' that we can use in a variety of settings at our discretion; we distill a 'moral' that we use as a slogan on a poster or as a motto on our desk. We are taught to do this in our schools so that we can pass examinations on novels and plays. It is no wonder that we continue this abstracting, story-mutilating practice when we read our Bibles. . . . It takes the whole Bible to read any part of the Bible." (p.48)

"Exegesis is the discipline of attending to the text and listening to it rightly and well. . . . All our masters in spirituality were and are master exegetes. There's a lot going on here; we don't want to miss any of it; we don't want to sleepwalk through this text. . . . exegesis is . . . noticing and responding adequately (which is not simple!) to the demand that words make on us, that language makes on us." (pp.50-51)

"A close relationship doesn't guarantee understanding. A long affection doesn't guarantee understanding. In fact, the closer we are to another and the more intimate our relations, the more care we must exercise to hear accurately, to understand thoroughly, to answer appropriately. Which is to say, the more 'spiritual' we become, the more care we must give to exegesis. The more mature we become in the Christian faith, the more exegetically rigorous we must become. This is not a task from which we graduate." (p.53)

"These words given to us in our Scriptures are constantly getting overlaid with personal preferences, cultural assumptions, sin distortions, and ignorant guesses that pollute the text. The pollutants are always in the air, gathering dust on our Bibles, corroding our use of the language, especially the language of faith. Exegesis is a dust cloth, a scrub brush, or even a Q-tip for keeping the words clean. . . . But exegesis does not mean mastering the text, it means submitting to it as it is given to us. . . . Exegesis is an act of sustained humility." (pp.53,55)

"It is useful for readers of the Bible to keep company with some of our master exegetes; the easiest way to do it is to use their commentaries. Biblical commentaries are, for the most part, employed by pastors or teachers in the preparations of sermons or lectures. They are treated as 'tools.' But there are treasures in these books for the ordinary reader of the Bible. . . . biblical commentaries have for too long been overlooked as common reading for common Christians." (p.54)

Source: Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson

three posts worth reading

2006-09-02T07:14:00.000-05:00

Here are three interesting blog posts I've read of late:

Faith - Larry James

The Art of Cultural Exegesis - Mark Batterson

The End of the Lectern - Douglas Groothuis

know his voice

2006-09-01T06:07:00.000-05:00

This month at MoSt Church we continue to center our Bible reading each day around our Know His Voice project. This project's reading consists of something Jesus said about a specific topic, something said about what Jesus did in light of a certain subject or a record in the Gospels dealing with a specific theme. So, read and reflect on the following passages this month and get to “know his voice” better. Consider the verse in in parenthesis at the end of each day’s reading as a suggestion as to a good verse to come back to again and again throughout the day in contemplation.

Sept. 1 - accusation - Matt.12:10; 27:11-14 / Mk.3:1-2; 15:1-5 / Lk.3:14; 6:6-7; 23:1-12 / Jn.10:36 (Jn.10:36)

Sept. 2 - angels - Lk.1:5-38; 2:8-21; 9:26; 12:8-10; 15:8-10; 16:19-22; 20:34-38; 22:41-44 / Jn.1:43-51 (Jn.1:51)

Sept. 3 - baptism - Matt.3:13-17; 28:18-20 / Mk.1:9-13 / Lk.3:21-22 / Jn.1:29-34 (Matt.28:19)

Sept. 4 - blessed - Matt.5:3-11; 11:4-6; 13:16; 16:13-17; 21:9-11; 23:39; 25:34-36 / Lk.11:27-28 (Lk.11:28)

Sept. 5 - communion - Matt.26:26-30 / Mk.14:22-26 / Lk.21:14-20 (Lk.21:19)

Sept. 6 - conspiracy - Matt.27:62-66; 28:11-15 / Jn.5:1-18; 7:1-36,40-46; 11:45-57; 12:9-11; 18:1-14 (Jn.11:47b)

Sept. 7 - cowardice - Matt.27:15-26 / Jn.12:42-43; 13:36-38; 18:15-18,25-40; 19:1-16 (Jn.12:43)

Sept. 8 - crucifixion - Matt.27:32-56 / Mk.15:21-41 (Matt.27:46)

Sept. 9 - darkness - Lk.11:33-36 / Jn.8:12; 12:35-36,44-46 (Lk.11:35)

Sept. 10 - demons - Lk.4:31-37,40-41; 8:1-3,26-39; 9:1,37-43,49-50; 10:17-20; 11:14-26; 13:32 (Lk.13:32)

Sept. 11 - denial - Matt.26:69-75 / Mk.14:66-72 / Lk.22:54-62 (Lk.22:62)

Sept. 12 - discernment - Matt.13:44-46; 16:26; 26:6-13; 27:1-2 (Matt.13:46)

Sept. 13 - diversity - Mk.9:38-41 (Mk.9:40)

Sept. 14 - emptiness - Matt.12:43-45 (Matt.12:45b)

Sept. 15 - hate - Matt.5:43-44; 14:1-12 / Lk.6:22; 21:17 / Jn.15:18 (Matt.5:44)

Sept. 16 - invitation – Matt.11:28-30 / Mk.1:16-20 / Lk.5:27-32 / Jn.1:35-42 (Mk.1:17)

Sept. 17 - Jerusalem - Matt.24:1-35 / Lk.21:20-24 (Matt.24:34)

Sept. 18 - John the Baptist - Matt.11:1-2,7-15 / Lk.7:18-35 (Lk.7:28)

Sept. 19 - leadership - Jn.10:1-16 (Jn.10:11b)

Sept. 20 - lostness - Matt.18:10-14 / Luke 15:1-32; 19:1-9 (Matt.18:14)

Sept. 21 - Messiah - Matt.22:41-46; 26:57-68 (Matt.27:64)

Sept. 22 - misunderstanding - Jn.8:12-30 (Jn.8:25)

Sept. 23 - reserve - Jn.2:23-25 (Jn.2:25)

Sept. 24 - rescue - John 12:27-28 (Jn.12:28)

Sept. 25 - return - Matt.16:27; 25:31 (Matt.16:27)

Sept. 26 - rewards - Matt.6:33; 19:27-30 / Mk.10:28-31 / Lk.18:26-30 (Lk.18:30)

Sept. 27 - self-awareness - Lk.22:66-71 / John 8:54-59; 10:22-42; 13:20; 16:28; 17:4-5 (Jn.8:58)

Sept. 28 - self-control - Matt.26:62-63; 27:12-14 / Mk.3:1-6 (Mk.3:5a)

Sept. 29 - Scripture - Lk.24:13-49 (Lk.24:25)

Sept. 30 - world - Jn.1:9-12; 3:16-21; 6:51; 7:7; 12:31-32; 14:30-31; 17:6-26; 18:36-37 (Jn.3:17)

eat this book: some good quotes

2006-08-29T07:32:00.000-05:00

". . . Austin Farrar [once] referred to 'the forbidding discipline of spiritual reading' that ordinary people have characteristically brought to this text that forms their souls. Forbidding because it requires that we read with our entire life, not just employing the synapses in our brain. Forbidding because of the endless dodges we devise in avoiding the risk of faith in God. Forbidding because of our restless inventiveness in using whatever knowledge of 'spirituality' we acquire to set ourselves up as gods. Forbidding because when we have learned to read and comprehend the words on the page, we find that we have barely begun. Forbidding because it requires all of us, our muscles and ligaments, our eyes and ears, our obedience and adoration, our imaginations and our prayers." (p.10)

"I want to counter this widespread practice of taking personal experience instead of the Bible as the authority for living. . . . I want to place personal experience under the authority of the Bible and not over it. . . . It is a matter of urgency that interest in our souls be matched by an interest in our Scriptures. . . . An interest in souls divorced from an interest in Scripture leaves us without a text that shapes these souls. In the same way, an interest in Scripture divorced from an interest in souls leaves us without any material for the text to work on." (p.17)

". . . not everyone who gets interested in the Bible and even gets excited about the Bible wants to get involved with God. But God is what the book is about. C.S. Lewis . . . talked about two kinds of reading, the reading in which we use a book for our own purposes and the reading in which we receive the author's purposes. The first ensures only bad reading; the second opens the possibility to good reading." (p.30)

"If the culture does a thorough job on us - and it turns out to be mighty effective with most of us - we enter adulthood with the working assumption that whatever we need and want and feel forms the divine control center of our lives. The new Holy Trinity. The sovereign self expresses itself in Holy Needs, Holy Wants, and Holy Feelings. . . . The new Trinity doesn't get rid of God or the Bible, it merely puts them to the service of needs, wants, and feelings." (pp.32-33)

"God and his ways are not what most of us think. Most of what we are told about God and his ways by our friends on the street, or read about him in the papers, or view on television, or think up on our own, is simply wrong. Maybe not dead wrong, but wrong enough to mess up the way we live." (pp.34-35)

"When we submit our lives to what we read in Scripture, we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but our stories in God's. God is the larger context and plot in which our stories find themselves." (p.44)

Source: Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson.

the faith of twenty-somethings

2006-08-23T07:09:00.000-05:00

How do twenty-somethings view faith in Christ and how do they see church? That's a very important question. If you parent or lead twenty-somethings, you'd do well to read these two interesting blog posts, one being an interview of Sarah Cunningham on paradoxology and the other being a post by Brian McLaren on Leadership Journal's blog, Out of Ur.

i need more stuff!

2006-08-21T14:03:00.000-05:00

This has got to be, in my opinion, one of Rubel's best! He nailed it!

David
_

Conspicuous consumerism is considered the mark of success in America. Why, it is even considered downright unpatriotic by some crazy standard for anyone not to keep spending in times of economic downturn. (Maybe the credit card companies convinced the politicians to sanction and sell that idea!)

A friend in Atlanta recently called my attention to a series in the Journal-Constitution about huge and expensive houses in his city. He also quoted part of a letter to the newspaper's editor that said: "People live in a constant state of 'What I have is not enough because somebody else has more.' This is stressful and creates anxiety. What are we teaching our children with this mentality?"

Not to worry. The kids have gotten the point already. Just try to put the wrong brand of footwear or jeans on them for the coming school year. They'll let you know in a heartbeat that they've picked up on their parents' and peers' label-conscious, status-conferring, wouldn't-be-caught-dead-in-that kind of snobbery.

We're all caught up in it to some degree. And I'm not referring to the fact that some more expensive items are cheaper in the long run because of their quality or that certain brands are trusted more because of a history of better value. I'm talking about the salivation I can feel when I see the newsprint ads for new cars or stare down the TV for the new electronic gizmo being hawked. The three-year-old car I'm driving is fine, and I don't begin to need another gizmo.

Shania Twain sings the mantra of an I-need-more-stuff world: "We've created us a credit card mess / We spend the money that we don't possess / Our religion is to go and blow it all / So it's shoppin' every Sunday at the mall." Sounds like the words of an ancient prophet, don't you think? But the song continues: "All we ever want is more / a lot more than we had before / so take me to the nearest store." Then comes the punch-line: "Can you hear it ring / It makes you wanna sing / You'll live like a king / with lots of money and things / Ka-ching!"

One of the businesses that has boomed over the past few years is mini-storage warehouses. Those companies have figured out a way to make even more money by fostering our consumerism. Once we fill up our living spaces, they'll rent us storage area to put the stuff we don't need enough to use -- so we can go out and buy more unnecessary things. Do you see the insanity of it?

It's just a tiny little seed idea. But would you join me this week to put something of real value into a stranger's hand instead of into storage? It's called loving your neighbor. It is the only known antidote to the wicked idolatry of greed.

Reprinted, with permission, from Rubel Shelly's FAX of Life.

Renovation Q & A

2006-08-19T09:24:00.000-05:00

Q. When will MoSt Church's auditorium renovation begin?
A. This coming Mon., Aug. 21.

Q. What work will be done?
A. The auditorium will be completely re-painted and re-carpeted. All of the pews will be replaced with brand new pews and the the pulpit furniture will be refurnished. The ceiling will be re-painted.

Q. What color will the new carpet be?
A. I don't know; I haven't been told. It won't be green and white shag.

Q. Will we get additional lighting in this renovation?
A. Our auditorium is a bit "dark" right now and some of that is simply due to the fact we have a number of bulbs out in the chandeliers (perhaps 10+%). New paint will brighten the room a bit, too. And yes, in addition, we are looking into ways to get more light out of the existing fixtures, whether it be direct from the chandeliers or indirectly from the fluorescent bulbs to assist in reading and to make things generally more 'cheerful.'

Q. What will happen to the old pews?
A. We have no use for them here; they will be carried way by the company providing the new pews.

Q. Why did we purchase new pews?
A. A number of our existing pews are in fairly good condition, but there are a number that have definitely seen better days. After quite a bit of research we learned that the cost of refurnishing the old pews would be only slightly less expensive than new pews. In addition, the new pews will come with a 25 year warranty whereas refurnished pews would have only a one year warranty.

Q. Is it too late to donate toward this renovation work?
A. By no means are you too late to contribute toward this effort. You need only place your contribution in an envelope, clearly mark it (along with your check) as going to the auditorium renovation work and drop in the offering plate. If you would like to purchase a pew in memory of someone, the cost of a pew is $1,400.

Q. How is this renovation being funded?
A. We have had one special collection back in May to defray a portion of the cost of this renovation. That collection ($26,000+) covered about 25% of the estimated cost. There will be another special collection in just a few weeks so do make plans now to help with such then if possible.

Q. How long will the work go on?
A. About six weeks is what is forecast (Aug.21 - Oct.10).

Q. Where will we worship on Sundays?
A. We'll gather at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in the Annex.

Q. What about seating in the Annex? Is there room?
A. There will be room, yes. We'll have seating set up for very close to 300 people. We have 75 chairs on order. We'll be a little "cozier" than we are in the pews and there won't be any extra room for us to be a "holey" people so it is very important for you not to leave an empty seat between yourself and the next family. Adjust your perception of "personal space" accordingly the next few weeks and deliberately "welcome one another."

Q. How will we be seated in the Annex?
A. Bill Ehlig has done a superb job of designing a layout that maximizes the number of people the Annex can accommodate while still allowing for freedom of movement and easy access/exit. We'll be facing north (with our backs to the kitchen) and the chairs will be set up in three sections with the two flanking sections angled slightly in. During the Sunday evening assemblies (5:00 p.m.) we'll close the accordion doors off to the back third of the Annex.

Q. What about projection and books?
A. We will have video projection as we normally do for announcements, songs and during the sermon. Neither songbooks or pew Bibles will be available.

Q. What about audio translation of the sermon into Spanish?
A. We're checking into that and hope to be able to continue that ministry during this time of re-location.

Q. Where will the Sunday 9:00 auditorium class meet?
A. In the "Big Room" of our Annex as of Sun., Aug.27.

Q. Where will the 20/20 class meet?
A. Starting on Sun., Aug. 27, 20/20 will meet in the Annex kitchen while the renovation work goes on.

Q. Where will the coffee pot and donuts be located?
A. Starting on Sun., Aug. 27, the ol' watering hole will be relocated from the Annex kitchen to the Annex foyer while the renovation is in progress.

Q. Will there be other adult classes that will be relocated?
A. We do not think such will be necessary at this time. Plan on the usual times and locations, but be open to the need for flexibility should the need arise.

Q. Will Kids for Christ continue, and if so, where? Will any childrens classes be relocated?
A. KFC will continue unchanged in time and location during the renovation. The renovation should not affect any of the childrens classrooms, either.

Q. Where will the nursery be?
A. The nursery will continue unchanged in time and for our Sunday morning assemblies; however, it will be moved elsewhere on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights and that location could be a bit flexible. Contact Linda Howard for details.

Q. Will the baptistery be usable during the renovation?
A. During much, if not all of the work, yes. If for some reason it is not available; however, our sister congregations have facilities available to us.

Q. Will there be a Wednesday night meal during the renovation work?
A. The Wednesday night meal will be suspended during the renovation work, but it will resume when the work is completed.

Q. What of the Wednesday night auditorium class?
A. That class will meet in the Annex's "Big Room" starting this coming Wed., Aug.23.

available in stereo on CD

2006-08-18T06:09:00.000-05:00

Many of the sermons and some of our other assemblies (such as singing nights) here at MoSt Church are digitally recorded and are available on CD on request through our church office. And thanks to the recent acquisition of some new computer hardware, the labeling of our CD's just took a quantum leap forward (i.e. - from Sharpie to LightScribe). If you'd like to donate something to cover the cost of a CD that you're requested, may we suggest $1 per CD. Each CD has two sermons.

TX emergency portal

2006-08-17T07:07:00.000-05:00

Bookmark this site if you live along the Texas coast - The Texas Emergency Portal. It provides a great deal of information as to how to prepare for a hurricane, maps of evacuation routes, etc.

a society of cheaters?

2006-08-14T08:18:00.000-05:00

Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa – the greatest home-run hitters of all time? Or the biggest cheats ever to put on baseball uniforms and sully the game? Pete Rose should go into the Hall of Fame for his skill? Or into permanent exile from the game because of breaking its rules about gambling?

The Tour de France makes more headlines for suspicions and charges of doping by cyclists than for any other feature. This year’s winner, Floyd Landis, cried foul when charged with cheating on the basis of drug testing. Now his team sponsor has fired him, and he has been stripped of the coveted yellow jersey.

Track and field is notorious for its ability to create new ways to take unfair advantage through designer drugs and performance-enhancing tricks. Sprinter Justin Gatlin is in trouble now for failing a drug test and could be banned for life from the sport that has made him famous and wealthy.

Ah, fame and wealth. Those seem to be the driving forces behind the sordid phenomenon of seeking unfair advantage in competition. And there is little comfort in being reminded that it is nothing new in sports. Do we simply accept it?

A survey last year by the Center for Academic Integrity says that 70 percent of American college students it surveyed admitted to some form of cheating. Plagiarism, stealing exam questions, crib sheets, hiring someone to take an exam, buying a research paper – all sorts of creative ways have been found to try to defeat the purpose of education. One doesn’t learn by cheating – except, perhaps, how to be a less-likely-to-be-caught cheater.

This really isn’t meant to be an exercise in venting my spleen. It is intended to be a plea for those of us who aren’t professional athletes or college students to recommit ourselves to being people of integrity in our little corners of the world.

Give a full day’s work, even if you don’t think you are being paid enough for it or appreciated for your effort. Don’t claim someone else’s effort or contribution as your own. Don’t cut corners in quality or service. Represent your service or product as truthfully as possible. Stand behind your word or your warranty.

In the fundamental relationships of your life, be upright and honorable. Let your word mean something. Keep your commitments. Never cheat on a mate or violate the boundaries of trust with a parent or child. Let your word be your bond.

Here is how Jesus put it: “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). That isn’t just a good motto for the coming week. It is an ideal to embrace for all you do in life.

Reprinted (by permission) from Rubel Shelly's FAX of Life.

Jack McKeown

2006-08-05T09:15:00.000-05:00

A memorial service will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. today at the Mid-County Church of Christ in Troy, OH for Jack McKeown, age 56. A native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Jack served as a preaching minister for more than 35 years for churches in AR, CA, FL, OH and OK, as well as Ireland. He preached on numerous occasions throughout the United States and Great Britain and returned on two occasions to Britain to work as a missionary. Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth, three adult children and three grandchildren. Send memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society, T-Cell lymphoma – Sezary Syndrome.

Oddly enough, I don't recall the first time we met. I say "oddly" because it was difficult to meet Jack McKeown and not remember him. What was it you noticed first? His easy smile or his hearty laugh? Was it his bright eyes (how they ever danced with interest and wit!) or his dapper appearance? Most likely of all it was his passion for God's good news, Jesus Christ. His courage in the face of difficulties could command your attention and his swiftness to encourage others was often inspiring. He was, quite simply, nothing less than a prince of a man to me and one of the dearest friends with which God has ever blessed me.

When God gave us the gift of friendship, we wasted no time unwrapping the gift. We quickly came to speak with each other as if we had been brothers from birth. We readily shared our hopes and dreams as well as our troubles and concerns. Quite simply, we literally rejoiced with each other when joy was at hand and we wept with each other when only tears would do.

But Jack was much more than a friend to me; he was an instructor to me of Christ. Several years my senior and a veteran minister while I was just a pup in preaching, I watched Jack, yea, studied him some. As he served God's people in a variety of places and ways, I made it a point to learn what I could from his ways with God and his people.

Jokingly, and with just a hair of jealousy, I often teased Jack about how I had to work like a dog just to get together something people might half listen to in a sermon, while all he had to do was begin to speak and by the fifth word he would have every heart in his hand and every listening ear charmed, given his wonderful, Irish brogue.

But it was not what he came by naturally that I admired most in Jack, but what God's Spirit worked in him and through him. For in so, so many ways Jack was the incarnation of oh, so many virtues I have longed to see more fully formed in me. To listen to Paul's description of the fruit of God's Spirit in a person's life was to hear a listing of qualities I saw in abundance in the life of Jack McKeown:

". . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)

And he was, to me, the epitome of Christ-like ministry in his shepherding of people with sensitivity and care, grace and deep, genuine love. He was a leader of leaders, a visionary par excellence, ever able to see, and willing to convey, precisely what people needed to hear most at any given time.

And so I can say today not merely as an admiring friend, but as an attentive student of his life, Jack was a gifted man of God and a man who laid down his life as an offering to God.

If Jack had a favorite Scripture, it surely was the one I heard him quote most frequently: "Preach the word." (2 Timothy 4:2) But there is a passage I cannot hear or read without thinking of him, for it speaks precisely in terms of how, and why, Jack McKeown lived his life as he did:

"If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:11)

Of the following I know Jack was persuaded. Surely now his persuasion has become reality:

". . . to be depart and be with the Lord is far better . . ." (Philippians 1:23)

With these words, I encourage myself and offer them to you for the same. May God grant us a good remembrance of this very good man and may we, in our remembering, truly honor and revere the One he served. Amen.

know his voice - august

2006-08-01T07:03:00.000-05:00

This month marks the fourth month of phase three of our Know His Voice project. In this phase, we’re centering each day’s reading on something Jesus said about a specific topic or something said about what Jesus did in light of a certain subject. Read and reflect on the following passages this month and get to “know his voice” better! Consider the verse in parenthesis at the end of each day’s reading as a suggestion as to a good verse to come back to again and again throughout the day.

Aug. 1 - Accountability – Luke 12:35-48 (Luke 12:-48b)

Aug. 2 - Authority – Matt.9:1-8; 21:23-27; 28:18 / Mark 1:21-28 / John 10:17-18 (Matt.28:18)

Aug. 3 - Betrayal – Matt.10:16-25; 24:9-14; 26:17-25 / Luke 22:1-6 / John 6:70-71; 13:21-30 (Matt.26:25)

Aug. 4 - Childlikeness – Matt.18:1-4 (Mt.18:4)

Aug. 5 - Comfort – Matt.5:4; 11:28 / Luke 6:22-26 (Mt.5:4)

Sun., Aug. 6 - Commitment – Luke 9:43-45,51-56; 13:31-35; 18:31-34 (Luke 9:51)

Aug. 7 - Discipleship – Luke 14:25-33 (Luke 14:33)

Aug. 8 - Division – John 7:40-44; 9:13-16; 10:19-21; 12:17-19 (John 7:41a)

Aug. 9 - Evil – John 3:17-21; 7:7; 17:13-19 (John 17:15)

Aug. 10 - Flattery – Matt.22:15-16; Luke 6:26 (Luke 6:26)

Aug. 11 - Friends – John 15:12-17 (John 15:14)

Aug. 12 - Gentleness – Matt.11:28-30; 21:1-11; Luke 8:40-56 (Matt.21:5)

Sun., Aug. 13 - Guilt – John 9:1-41 (John 9:41)

Aug. 14 - Holy Spirit – John 7:37-39; 14:25-26; 16:4b-15 (John 16:13a)

Aug. 15 - Incarnation – John 1:1-18; 8:48-58; 14:1-7 (John 1:14)

Aug. 16 - Inspiration – Luke 1:1-4; John 14:25-26; 16:13 (John 14:26)

Aug. 17 - Judgment - Matt.12:36-37; 19:28-30 / Luke 10:13-16; 11:29-32 / John 5:19-29; 9:39-41; 12:44-49 (John 12:48)

Aug. 18 - Knowledge - Matt.11:25-27; 13:10-17 / Luke 1:76-79; 5:17-26 / John 1:18; 3:11; 8:31-32; 13:17 (Luke 1:77)

Aug. 19 - Legalism – Matt.23:23-24 / Luke 11:45-54 (Luke 11:46)

Sun., Aug. 20 - Life – Matt.6:25; 7:14; 10:39; 16:25; 18:8-9; 20:27-28 / Luke 14:26; 17:33; 21:16-19,34 (Luke 17:33)

Aug. 21 - Love – John 13:1,34-35; 15:9-17; 17:24-26; 21:1-25 (John 13:34)

Aug. 22 - Meekness – Matt.5:5; 11:29; 12:15-21; 21:1-17; 26:47-56; 27:11-14 (Matt.5:5)

Aug. 23 - Miracles – Matt.8:1-17,23-34; 9:1-8,18-38; 11:20-24; 12:9-14,38-41; 13:53-58; 14:13-36; 15:29-39; 16:1-4; 17:14-21; 20:29-34; 21:18-22; 28:1-10 / John 10:25; 20:30-31 (John 10:25)

Aug. 24 - Neighbors – Mark 12:28-34 / Luke 10:25-37 (Mark 12:31a)

Aug. 25 - Praise – Luke 1:68; 2:28; 4:15; 5:26; 7:16; 10:21; 13:13; 17:18; 18:43; 19:37; 23:47 (Luke 1:68)

Aug. 26 - Promises – Matt.5:33-37; Luke 1:45,55; 24:49 (Luke 1:45)

Sun., Aug. 27 - Sacrifice – Matt.7:18-22; 9:9-13; 16:24 / Mark 12:41-44 / John 10:15-18 (John 10:15b)

Aug. 28 - Suicide – Matt.27:3-10 (Matt.27:3-4)

Aug. 29 - Traditions – Matt.15:1-20 / Mark 7:1-13 (Mark 7:13)

Aug. 30 - Uselessness – Matt.25:14-30 / Luke 13:6-9 (Luke 13:9)

Aug. 31 - Word – Matt.4:4; 8:16; 13:1-9,18-23; 15:6 / Mark 4:1-9,13-20 / Luke 1:2,37-38; 8:21; 11:28 (Matt.4:4)

my blogging habits

2006-07-30T06:03:00.000-05:00

My blogging habits have changed. I used to post nearly daily, but of late, it seems more like a weekly thing, if that. I suspect it will remain closer to the weekly end of the scale than the daily posting for the forseeable future. Do make good use of my blog; don't just consult the posts but surf the links over in the right hand column. There's all sorts of good stuff referenced there.

the fear of the Lord

2006-07-25T21:51:00.000-05:00

There is this strange phrase that occurs again and again in Scripture. It tends to confuse readers – although some never realize the confusion in which they are tangled! It centers around the notion of "the fear of the Lord."

The obvious confusion is for those who come across the phrase only to be revolted. "How dare some preacher try to scare me into religion! Threatening me with a horrible fate if I don't confess what I don't believe, join something I don't like, and support what I would never want spread abroad!" This person is confused in the sense of being horrified or astounded but clear about why she feels that way. She can't believe in a deity who is a cosmic bully. At least, she can't believe in that sort of deity so as to admire, love, and worship him.

The non-obvious confusion belongs to the person who sees terror and dread of the sort I feel for venomous snakes as the motivation for religion and embraces it. This is the person who joins or avoids or tithes lest he go to hell for doing otherwise. I've seen lots of this in religion and find it hard to separate from self-interest. God isn't sought and obeyed for his own sake but for dread of the horrible consequences if one doesn't. That isn't very pious or noble.

In spite of the obvious truth that there are dreadful consequences to firing a .38 into someone's brain, tying a plastic bag over one's own head, or rejecting God, I am willing to state my conviction that panic over those possibilities is by no means the purest or even the most sensible reason for avoiding them.

When either the Hebrew Bible or Christian Scripture sanctions "the fear of the Lord," it is referring to what Eugene Peterson describes as "a fear that pulls us out of our preoccupation with ourselves, our feelings, or our circumstances into a world of wonder." Not dread but astonishment. Not terror but reverence. Not shaking-in-your-boots panic but enraptured-with-love fascination.

Thus we begin to understand why Scripture says: "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him" (Psalm 33:8). "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom . . ." (Proverbs 9:10). "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others . . ."
(2 Corinthians 5:11).

The God who has showed himself in history as Jesus of Nazareth is not a thug who threatens and pushes people around. He is the God who creates such beauty in the world that we stand speechless, upholds us in our crisis moments so that we do not collapse, and would rather die on a cross than live without us.

Stand in awe! Fear his name! It is for your sake that he has given all.

Reprinted, by permission, from Rubel Shelly's FAX of Life.

know his voice

2006-07-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

Know His Voice reading for this week (July 23-29)

Use the verse in italics/parenthesis as focal point for the day.
Here's a link to a good site to look up the Scripture texts.

Sun., July 23 - self-importance
Mark 12:38-40 / Luke 20:45-47 (Luke 20:47b)

Mon., July 24 - sexuality
Matthew 5:27-30 (Matt.5:28)

Tues., July 25 - testimony
Matthew 5:13-16 / Luke 14:34-35 (Matt.5:16)

Wed., July 26 - transfiguration
Matthew 17:1-13 / Mark 9:2-13 / Luke 9:28-36
(Mark 9:2b)

Thur., July 27 - unbelief
Matt.13:53-58 / Mark 6:1-6 / John 5:30-47;
6:25-67; 7:1-5,45-52; 12:37-41 (John 6:67)

Fri., July 28 - uncleanness
Mark 7:1-15 (Mark 7:15b)

Sat., July 29 - women
Luke 8:1-4; 23:48-49,55; 24:1-12 (Luke 24:9)

this blog is on a break

2006-07-14T14:33:00.000-05:00

We're signed off here on the ol' blog until Tues., July 26.

north korean christians

2006-07-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

What is life like for Christians in North Korea? There's an interesting article in Christianity Today that answers a bit of that question.

fulfilling your needs

2006-07-12T14:39:00.000-05:00

"No one person can fulfill all your needs. You have to move gradually from crying outward - crying out for people who you think can fulfill your needs - to crying inward to the place where you can let yourself be held and carried by God, who has become incarnate in the humanity of those who love you in community." - Henri Nouwen

(Source: Philip Yancey's book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, p.307)

knowing who to thank

2006-07-11T14:38:00.000-05:00

"A Christian is one who is on the way, though not necessarily very far along, and who has at least some dim and half-baked idea of whom to thank." - Frederick Buechner

(Source: Philip Yancey's book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, p.255)

remembering him

2006-07-10T14:35:00.000-05:00

"I have no problem with miracles. I'm a long way from agnosticism, and no longer even remember how that a lot of things used to be problems for me were. To me, the real question is, 'How in the world will we remember God?'" - Annie Dillard

(Source: Philip Yancey's book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, p.236)

death, be not proud

2006-07-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

"Though so disobedient a servant as I may be afraid to die, yet to so merciful a master as thou I cannot be afraid to come." - John Donne

Source: Philip Yancey's book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, p.218.

of politics and faith

2006-07-08T21:29:00.000-05:00

"What bothered me most, as I reflect, was the lack of scholarship by Christians - as if they felt that by leaning on a theological principle they didn't have to be very accurate with the facts. People talk about knee-jerk liberals. The liberals have no corner on the market; I've learned there are also knee-jerk conservatives. Christians should be involved in politics, and use their Christian principles, morality, and ethics in that process. But they shouldn't jump over the process and voice their beliefs as the only possible outcome." - Dr. C. Everett Koop

Source: Philip Yancey's book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, p.197.

God is

2006-07-07T21:27:00.000-05:00

"Without God, everything is permitted. Man must bow down to something." - Feodor Dostoevsky

Source: Philip Yancey's book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, p.143.

the face of our Lord

2006-07-06T09:24:00.000-05:00

"Sometimes as I sit and watch a child struggle to do just the right job of representing God's face, His features, the shape of His head, the cast of His countenance, I think back to my days of working in Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker soup kitchen. One afternoon, after several of us had struggled with a 'wino,' a 'Bowery bum,' an angry, cursing, truculent man of fifty or so, with long gray hair, a full, scraggly beard, a huge scar on his right cheek, a mouth with virtually no teeth, and bloodshot eyes, one of which had a terrible tic, she told us, 'For all we know he might be God Himself come here to test us, so let us treat him as an honored guest and look at his face as if it is the most beautiful one we can imagine." - Robert Coles

Source: Philip Yancey's book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, p.117

your thumb knows its maker

2006-07-05T21:22:00.000-05:00

"I've found it helpful to try to think like the Creator. . . . After operating on thousands of hands, I must agree with Issac Newton: 'In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence.'" - Dr. Paul Brand

Source: Philip Yancey's book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, p.69.

this day

2006-07-04T21:18:00.000-05:00

"Here dies another day
During which I have had eyes, ears, hands
And the great world around me;
And with tomorrow begins another.
Why am I allowed two?"

- G.K. Chesterton

Source: From Philip Yancey's book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, p.53.

green burial - sounds good to me

2006-07-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

I hadn't heard of such until I read this article. Have you? It's different, but it sure makes sense to me!
_

at MoSt tonight, not the park

2006-07-02T06:13:00.000-05:00

Well, we won't meet in Jenkins Park tonight, but the food will still be just as good and the worship together will be a blessing! We'll still meet to eat and worship together tonight at 5:00 p.m., but at here at MoSt Church instead of in Jenkins Park (the weather changed our plans). We'll still "picnic," but in our Annex at 5:00 p.m. and we'll worship together, too, at 6:00 p.m. Do help spread word of this change around, won't you?

cross, crown; in that order

2006-07-01T09:10:00.000-05:00

"Christianity has always insisted that the cross we bear precedes the crown we wear. To be a Christian one must take up his cross, with all its difficulties and agonizing and tension-packed content, and carry it until that cross leaves its mark upon us and redeems us to that more excellent way which comes only through suffering." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

(Source: Philip Yancey's book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, p.25)

the tniv study Bible

2006-06-30T21:07:00.000-05:00

Start saving your nickels and dimes because the TNIV Study Bible will ship soon and you just might want a copy! Here's a link to its place on the sales shelf and here's a link to a sample of several pages of its content.

meerkat manor

2006-06-30T09:02:00.000-05:00

Hmmm, let's see, when God washed the earth clean once before he saved more critters than he did people. He must like critters. Deep fried or grilled, I wonder? Bad joke, I know.

I like animals, too (preferably grilled). But among those I enjoy watching rather than eating, the meerkat has been number one on my list for a long time. Now, wouldn't you know the Animal Planet has a series going on Friday nights that is all about meerkats. This show was made for me! Meerkat Manor.

Seems as how a group from Cambridge University followed a group of meerkats around in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa for ten years(!), filmed their every move and then let meerkat life unfold, from a meerkat's perspective, before your very eyes via the Tube. If you do any TV tonight, you could do a lot worse than this, but you might want to get up to speed a bit on "who's who" in the plot before you watch.

expanding your circle of friends

2006-06-27T07:03:00.000-05:00

More and more of us appear to have fewer and fewer people in our lives whom we would consider friends. And lest the word friend be left too ambiguous, let a friend be defined as someone with whom you have confided matters that are truly important to you within the past six months.

In the June issue of the American Sociological Review, researchers cite evidence that Americans have a third fewer close friends than just a couple of decades ago. More disturbing still, the data seem 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.

Everybody needs a handful of people with whom to connect in these intimate ways. Nobody is smart enough, strong enough, or competent enough to negotiate something as complicated as this human adventure called life alone. John Donne protested the idea that men and women could function in splendid isolation from one another. "No man is an island, entire of itself," he wrote.

I know. You're busy! So is everybody else – including the people who are healthy enough to have emotional ties. You don't have time for the obligations in your life already? I understand that excuse too. But the issue here is priorities. Which is more important? Playing computer games or having a friend? Getting a bigger house or loving (and being loved by) the people in the house you have now? Making extra cash or having a real life?

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. With the circle drawn so tiny, people are feeling lonely. Everybody needs people to count on.

If you are one of those people in need of friends, the best advice I can give you is this: Don't go looking to find friends but to be one to somebody else. Would you care to guess what dividend is returned on such an investment?

Reprinted, with permission, from Rubel Shelly's FAX of Life.

the fear of the Lord

2006-06-27T06:32:00.000-05:00

“Only a serious fear of God and what God is capable of doing, independent of our notions of what God should do, will carry a disciple through a world in which people are so imposing. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Frederick Dale Bruner, in his commentary, Matthew 1-12: The Christbook

worthy of your help?

2006-06-26T07:29:00.000-05:00

"Do not judge who is worthy and who is unworthy, for it is possible for you to be mistaken in your opinion. In the uncertainty of ignorance it is better to do good to the unworthy for the sake of the worthy than to fail to encounter the good by guarding against those who are less good. For by being sparing and trying to test those who are well-deserving or not, it is possible for you to neglect some who are loved by God, the penalty for which is the eternal punishment of fire. But by helping all those in need you in turn must assuredly find some who are able to save you before God . . ."

Clement of Alexandria, a Christian teacher and, quite probably, an elder; @185 A.D

Source: Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers by Everett Ferguson, pp.286

know his voice this week

2006-06-25T07:22:00.000-05:00

(use the single verse reference given in italics as a 'focus thought' through the course of the day)

Sun., June 25: trustworthiness
Luke 16:1-13; 19:1-27
(Lk.16:10)

Mon., June 26: vigilance
Matthew 24:36-51 / Mark 14:32-42 / Luke 21:34-36
(Mt.24:47)

Tues., June 27: violence
Matthew 11:12; 27:27-31 / Luke 22:49-53,63-65; 23:26-34 / John 18:10-11
(Lk.23:34)

Wed., June 28: wisdom
Matthew 7:24-29; 11:16-19; 12:42 / Mark 6:1-6 / Luke 2:40,52
(Matt.11:19c)

Thur., June 29: worship
Matthew 15:1-9 / Luke 4:5-8 / John 4:21-24
(Jn.4:24)

Fri., June 30: zeal
Mark 6:32-34 / John 2:12-17
(Jn.2:17b)

on sickness & suffering

2006-06-22T07:48:00.000-05:00

The following passage was written by a Christian and church leader named Cyprian about 255 A.D. during a time of plague in North Africa.

"It disturbs some that the power of this disease attacks Christians and pagans alike. They think that if a Christian is immune from contact with evils, then they should happily have full enjoyment in this world and age and be preserved for future joy without experiencing all of the contrary things here. It disturbs some that mortality is common to us as well as to others. For what in the world is not common to us and others, as long as we have this body in common, according to the law of our first birth? As long as we are in this world, we are joined equally with the human race in the flesh, but we are separated in spirit. Therefore, until this corruptible is clothes with incorruption and this mortal receives immortality [1 Cor.15:53], and the Spirit leads us to God the Father, whatever disadvantages of the flesh there may be are common to us and the human race. When there is a lack of food owing to the earth being barren, famine distinguishes no one. When any city is captured by the invasion of an enemy, captivity devastates all alike. When the calm clouds withhold rain, there is one drought for all. When craggy rocks break up a ship, the shipwreck is common to all who sail on the ship without exception. A weakness of the eyes, an attack of fever or health of the members is common to us and others, as long as this common body is borne in the world. Moreover, if the Christian knows and maintains the condition and law in which he believes, he knows that he must have more difficulties than others in this world, since he must struggle with the attacks of the devil." - Cyprian

Source: Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers by Everett Ferguson, pp.264

tonight at MoSt Church

2006-06-21T09:59:00.000-05:00

In our Annex tonight at 7:00 p.m.

The Faith Like a Child series continues in our Annex this evening for children ages K-5. The Bible character for study this evening is David and the items to bring tonight for the shoebox project for the Houston International Seafarers' Center are: toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss.

In our auditorium tonight at 7:00 p.m.

Yours truly will speak this evening at 7:00 p.m. in our Summer Series in the auditorium. The Series theme is Jesus Is ... and the title of tonight's message is "Jesus is Open." We'll learn more about our Lord, ourselves and others as we observe and listen to Jesus at the banquet at Levi's house (Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:15-17 and Luke 5:29-32). This is a very challenging thought!

another quote to consider

2006-06-21T07:56:00.000-05:00

"We are not called primarily to create new structures for the church in this age; we are not called primarily to a program of service, or to dream dreams or have visions. We are called first of all to belong to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and to keep our lives warmed at the hearth of His life. It is there the fire will be lit which will create new structures and programs of service that will draw others into the circle to dream dreams and have visions. To understand this is to be thrown back upon those disciplines which are the only known gateways to the grace of God; for how do we fulfill the command to love, except that we learn it of God, and how do we learn it of God, except that we pray, and live under His word and perceive His world?" (Elizabeth O'Connor)

why temptation is allowed

2006-06-20T06:43:00.000-05:00

"It is said that there are five reasons why God allows the demons to wage war against us. The first is so that, through fighting and resisting, we might come to the discernment of virtue and vice. The second is so that, through warfare and labor, we might obtain virtue and possess it firmly and unchangeably. The third is so that not become so proud as we progress toward virtue, but learn humility. The fourth is so that when we are tempted by evil we may hate it with a hatred made perfect. The fifth and principal cause is so that as we become free of passions we will forget neither the weakness that is common to humanity nor the power of the One who helps us." - Maximus the Confessor (@630 A.D.)

Source: Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers by Everett Ferguson, pp.262

getting around in Houston

2006-06-19T13:23:00.000-05:00

Where is road construction active in the greater Houston area? How can you know what roads have problems with high water at the moment? Would you like to look at a specific stretch of road or intersection through one of the traffic cameras?

If any of those questions latch hold of your interest, bookmark the Greater Houston Transportation and Emergency Development Center's website. Here are some sublinks on that site:

* Travel map

* Rainfall gauge

* Road closure list

* Construction listing

* Camera links

know his voice readings

2006-06-18T08:09:00.000-05:00

For the week of June 18-24
(use the single verse reference given in italics as a 'focus thought' through the course of the day)

Sun., June 18 - obedience
Matthew 28:20 / Luke 11:27-28 / John 14:22-24
(John 14:23a)

Mon., June 19 - poverty
Luke 6:20; 11:37-44; 12:33-34 / John 12:1-8
(Luke 12:34)

Tues., June 20 - quiet
Mark 6:30-31 / Luke 5:15-16
(Mark 6:31b)

Wed., June 21 - reward
Matthew 10:40-42; 25:31-46 / Mark 10:28-31
(Matthew 10:42)

Thur., June 22 - Satan
Luke 4:13; 10:17-20; 13:10-17; 22:3 / John 8:39-47
(John 8:44b)

Fri., June 23 - speech
Matthew 12:33-37; 15:10-20 / Mark 3:20-30
(Matthew 12:36)

Sat., June 24 - taxes
Matthew 17:24-27; 22:15-22
(Matthew 22:21)

pray tell: for what did Jesus pray?

2006-06-17T07:09:00.000-05:00

Jesus prayed Scripture, as a word for his Father, and for people, to hear

"Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' — which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" (Matthew 27:46; cf. Psalm 22:1a)

For him not to ever get his own way in things, but for his Father to always have his way in his life

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42 TNIV)

For all of his followers to be united here on earth

"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity." (John 17:20b-23a TNIV)

For all of his followers to be with him and his Father forever

"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." (John 17:24 TNIV)

Question: for what do you pray?

pray tell: who did Jesus pray for?

2006-06-16T07:05:00.000-05:00

For individual followers, with specific requests for spiritual concerns in their lives

"I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:32 TNIV)

For groups of disciples who made practical, vital requests of him

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.' He said to them ..." (Luke 11:1-2a TNIV)

For all of his disciples of all time everywhere

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message . . ." (John 17:20 TNIV)

For people who did not believe in him, who hated him and killed him

"Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’" (Luke 23:34 TNIV)

Question: who do you pray for?

pray tell: how did Jesus pray?

2006-06-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes alone

"Jesus got up . . . went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35 TNIV)

Sometimes in secluded places in the company of a few others he had asked to pray with him

"Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him . . ." (Luke 9:18 TNIV)

". . . Jesus . . . took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray." (Luke 9:28 TNIV)

Sometimes with his face toward heaven and his eyes open

"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed . . ." (Luke 17:1 TNIV)

Sometimes silently with a look toward heaven and a sigh from a heavy heart

"He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said . . ." (Mark 7:34 TNIV)

Sometimes audibly where anyone could hear, with joy and praise

"At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.'" (Luke 10:21 TNIV)

Sometimes with thankfulness and gratitude that his Father just heard his prayers

"So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’" (John 11:41-42 TNIV)

Sometimes with passion beyond words, involving his body as well as his heart and mind

"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:44 TNIV)

Question: how do you pray?

pray tell: where did Jesus pray?

2006-06-14T06:55:00.000-05:00

"At the dinner table"

"Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks and . . ." (John 6:11 TNIV)

". . . he took bread, gave thanks and broke it . . ." (Luke 22:19 TNIV)

"When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them." (Luke 24:30 TNIV)

In places he could be alone and pray by himself

"Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16 TNIV)

In "the usual places" he had set aside for prayer

". . . Jesus was praying in a certain place." (Luke 11:1a TNIV)

"Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him." (Luke 22:39 TNIV)

Up on a mountainside, above everyone and everything around him

". . . he went up on a mountainside to pray." (Mark 6:46 TNIV)

Out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded with people and their needs

"And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people." (Matthew 14:19 TNIV)

Question: where do you pray?

pray tell: when did Jesus pray?

2006-06-13T06:48:00.000-05:00

Even Jesus, the unique Son of God our Father, did not rely on his own guidance, strength and courage. Rather, he prayed. He was quite intentional, passionate and consistent in his prayer life:

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” (Hebrews 5:7 TNIV)

So when did Jesus pray? Listen to Scripture's answers:

When he was baptized

"When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened . . ." (Luke 3:21 TNIV)

Very early in the day, before a long day of ministry

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and ... prayed.” (Mark 1:35 TNIV)

Late in the day, after (and right before) another long day of ministry

"After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone . . ." (Matthew 14:23 TNIV)

Frequently, despite the unceasing, urgent demands of a multitude of people

"Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew . . . and prayed." (Luke 5:15-16 TNIV)

Sometimes for extended periods of time

"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." (Luke 6:12 TNIV)

When his heart was simultaneously weighed down with great woe and jubilant with true joy

"At that time, Jesus said. '. . . Father, Lord of heaven and earth . . .'" (Matthew 11:25; cf. vs.20-24 and vs.25-30)

When everyone else around him felt like they were too worn out to pray

"When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. ‘Why are you sleeping?’ he asked them. ‘Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.’" (Luke 22:45-46 TNIV)

When you would think he would be too upset to utter very many words at all, and perhaps was

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. ‘Father, glorify your name!’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’" (John 12:27-28 TNIV)

With his dying breath

"Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last." (Luke 23:46 TNIV)

Question: When do you pray?

know his voice this week

2006-06-11T07:14:00.000-05:00

(use the single verse reference given in italics as a 'focus thought' through the course of the day)

Sunday - innocence
Matthew 10:16 / Luke 23:13-25, 44-47
(Matthew 10:16)

Monday - justice
Matthew 12:15-21 / Luke 11:42
(Matthew 12:20)

Tuesday - kingdom
Matthew 3:1-3; 13:1-52 / Luke 4:42-44; 17:20-23 / John 3:1-14
(Luke 17:21b)

Wednesday - laziness
Matthew 25:14-30
(Matthew 25:29)

Thursday - ministry
Matthew 9:35-38
(Matthew 9:38)

Friday - mission
Luke 4:14-30
(Luke 4:18)

Saturday - newness
Matthew 13:52
(Matthew 13:52b)

20/20 & boomers combined tomorrow

2006-06-10T07:21:00.000-05:00

Yours truly has been down with some sort of crud like the flu since the wee hours of today, consequently the 20/20 class will be combined tomorrow with Ike Paulk's boomer class. Those two classes will meet together in the 20/20 classroom - our Annex's "Big Room." Ike's study in the boomer class this quarter is entitled The Top Ten Reasons for Doing That Christianity Thing. This combination of classes is for this Sun., June 11 only; the 20/20 class will resume their study of How to Talk to Your Father: The Lord's Prayer on Sun., June 18.

why pray?

2006-06-09T07:25:00.000-05:00

"We must devote ourselves to prayer. For prayer is like the leader of the chorus of virtues. Through it we ask for the other virtues from God. . . . what pleases God is the rejecting of all idleness of thought and every improper attention to the body in order to deliver the soul over to prayer. . . . In prayer, a person is present with God, for the person who prays is separated from the enemy. Prayer safeguards self-control, controls the temper, restrains pride, cleanses us of malice, overthrows envy, destroys injustice and corrects impiety. Prayer is the strength of our bodies, the prosperity of the home, the good will of the city, the strength of the kingdom, the victory in war, the security of peace, the bringing together of enemies, the preserver of allies. Prayer is the seal of virginity, the pledge of marriage, the shield of the traveler, the guard of those who sleep, the courage of those who keep watch, the productivity of farmers, the deliverance of sailors . . . Prayer is conversation with God, the contemplation of unseen things, the fulfillment of things desired, equal in honor with the angels, the progress of good things, the overthrow of evils, the correction of sinners, the enjoyment of the present and the substance of things hoped for." - Gregory of Nyssa, @385 A.D.

"There is no need to make long prayers, but extend your hands and say, 'Lord, as you will and as you know, have mercy.' If the conflict is urgent within you, say, 'Lord, help me.' He knows what is good for us, and he acts with mercy toward us." - Macarius, @350 A.D.

Source: Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers by Everett Ferguson, pp.248,250-251

making the MoSt of summer

2006-06-08T18:01:00.000-05:00

June 11: first sign-up day for Olan Mills shoot

June 16-24: Venture 360 (aka: Wilderness Trek)

June 29 - July 2: Tammany Oaks mission relief effort trip

June 29 - July 2: Gulf Coast Conferencia

July 2: Area-Wide Picnic in Jenkins Park

July 5-8: Olan Mills picture shoot

July 9-16: Kadesh Camp at ACU

July 16: MoSt serves lunch to Impact Church/Houston

July 23: Kyle Bratcher family (missionaries; Germany) here

July 23-28: Mission McAllen

Aug. 6: KFC graduation (note: change of date)

faith in the suburbs

2006-06-06T09:17:00.000-05:00

Very rarely do books leap to my "want list" simply upon reading a single review of them, but today, there were two exceptions to that rule. Some key words here for you - suburbs, money, security, time and spirituality. If any of those words strike you, perhaps this article/review and will strike you as it did me. If you you've read Goetz's book, I'd like to know what you think of it (Hsu's is yet to hit the press).

Death by Suburb: How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul
by David L. Goetz
Harper San Francisco, 2006, 241 pp. $23.95 retail, paper

The Suburban Christian: Finding Spiritual Vitality in the Land of Plenty
by Albert Y. Hsu
InterVarsity, 2006
176 pp. $13 retail, paper

remember

2006-06-06T07:21:00.000-05:00

Several of you have asked me about the quote I shared with you Sunday morning from Thomas A Kempis. Here it is. This is classic a Kempis - simultaneously simple and profound, clear and remarkably relevant, settling and yet, revolutionary.

Try this, it could be wise - stick this quote on your bathroom mirror, the dashboard of your car or make it the text for your screensaver. And this would be true wisdom - live by it.

". . . a man is unwise if he occupies himself with any things save those that further his salvation." - Thomas A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, ch.2.

By the way, you can read a translation of The Imitation of Christ online.

eternal life in John's Gospel

2006-06-06T07:19:00.000-05:00

Eternal life is the blessing that comes to believers, disciples of Jesus Christ

"For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. . . . Very truly I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life." (John 6:40,47)

Eternal life comes to disciples as a gracious, glorious gift

"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. . . . Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. . . . “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 6:27; 4:13-14; 17:1-3)

Eternal life is a disciple's present possession

". . . everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. . . . Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. . . . Even now those who reap draw their wages, even now they harvest the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together." (John 3:15-16,36; 4:36)

Eternal life offers disciples helpful hope

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. . . . Those who love their life will lose it, while those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 5:24; 12:25)

Eternal life gives disciples clear confidence

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. . . . I know that his command leads to eternal life." (John 10:28; 12:50a)

Eternal life comes to disciples from Jesus

"You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you possess eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. . . . Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. . . . Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to who else could we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 5:39-40; 6:54,68)

you could wish it were so

2006-06-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

Dr. Samuel Weinstein does what many health professionals do that goes above and beyond their duties. He makes trips into parts of the world that are very poor and where specialized medical care is often unavailable. In this case, the heart surgeon from New York was performing an operation in San Salvador.

Weinstein, chief of pediatric cardio-thoracic surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, had an eight-year-old patient on the surgical table. The team was already 12 hours into a complex procedure to repair his defective heart.

The surgery had been going well, but the little boy was bleeding more than the doctors would have liked. Because the hospital did not have all the medicines Weinstein could have requested at his customary medical center, he inquired about more blood for him. At that point he was told that no more was available because of his rare blood type. The blood bank was depleted.

Weinstein was told that his patient had B-negative blood – a type shared by only about two percent of the population. The surgeon informed his colleagues that his blood type was also B-negative. And he proceeded to interrupt surgery for about 20 minutes to donate a pint of his own blood. After a couple of bottles of water and a Pop-Tart, the 43-year-old surgeon went back and finished the operation. In a manner I suspect is typical of him, Weinstein declared there was no one on the surgical team who wouldn't have done the same thing.

The young patient, Francisco Calderon Anthony Fernandez of San Salvador, had his surgery on May 11, 2006. He came off his ventilator the very next day and had some lunch with Dr. Weinstein. He continued to recover nicely and has since gone home to be with his family.

"His mother was very happy with me," reported Weinstein in an interview after his mercy trip with Heart Care International, "and she said to me, ‘Does this mean that he's going to grow up and become an American doctor?' "

The story of the doctor who saved a boy's life with a gift not only of his skills but of his own blood as well will surely be told to the child repeatedly. One can only hope that the retelling of so wonderful a story will have a positive impact on him. He may not become a doctor, but he can be an unselfish human being.

Take a few minutes to remind yourself of some of the kindnesses invested in your life. Teacher, Scout Master, parent, coach, mentor – all of us have people who were there at critical moments. Be sure to pass along the legacy.

Reprinted, with permission from Rubel Shelly's FAX of Life.

what is the emergent church?

2006-06-05T19:47:00.000-05:00

If you have paid attention at all to the winds blowing across American Christianity these past few years, no doubt you have come across the phrase "the emergent church" or "the emerging church movement" in your reading before. But what exactly do such phrases mean?

For a well-rounded answer to that question, consult Scot McKnight's article entitled The Future or Fad: A Look at the Emerging Church Movement.

Or go to what some would call "the guru" of the emergent movement, Brian McLaren, and read his article entitled Emerging Values. Though three years old, it still sums thing up quite well. Finally, Wade Hodges, has a series of posts on
his blog that discusses such from the perspective of the heritage of Churches of Christ. The series of posts is entitled "An Emerging Church of Christ?".

Bible tabs that actually work

2006-06-04T21:43:00.000-05:00

So, you've thought about getting some of those stick on tabs that go in your Bible that will enable you to turn to that obscure reference in Habakkuk lightning speed, huh? But, you've held off because you've questioned whether or not they might cause some of the pages in your Bible to tear over time due to their sharp-cornered square or rectangular shape, right?

Don't give up hope, instead, get yourself a set of the round Bible tabs made by Lawton Printing in Spokane, WA. I've used them for years and they work very well. They're available in both English and Spanish. I use their "ABC" tabs, too (concordances, dictionaries, etc.). Really speeds things up!

'know his voice' readings

2006-06-04T05:44:00.000-05:00

Stay in the word this week. Try focusing on the verse given in (italics) throughout the course of the day.

Sunday - children
Matt.19:13-15 / Mk.10:13-16 / Lk.18:15-17 (Mark 10:15)

Monday - divorce
Matt.5:31-32; 19:1-12 / Mk.10:1-12 / Lk.16:18 (Mark 10:9)

Tuesday - eternal life
Jn.3:15-16,36; 4:13-14,36; 5:24,39-40; 6:27,40,47,54,68; 10:28; 12:25,50; 17:1-3 (John 17:3)

Wednesday - failure
Matt.26:31-35 / Mk.14:26-31 / Lk.22:31-34 (Luke 22:32a)

Thursday - growth
Matt.13:31-32 / Mk.4:26-34 / Lk.13:18-19 / Jn.15:1-8 (John 15:8)

Friday - hospitality
Matt.25:35b,43a / Lk.14:12-14 (Luke 14:14b)

Saturday - hypocrisy
Matt.23:1-39 / Lk.12:1-3 (Matthew 23:13b)

happening tomorrow at MoSt . . .

2006-06-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

A new Bible class quarter will begin at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow!

Our auditorium class will start a very practical study of the book of James.

The 20/20 class will begin an in-depth study entitled How to Talk to Your Father, an in-depth study of what is commonly known as "The Lord's Prayer" or "The Model Prayer" (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). I'll start and conclude this series, but other guys in the 20/20 class will direct the heart of this study.

Our boomer class will be led by Ike Paulk in a study entitled The Top Ten Reasons for Doing That Christianity Thing.

Bill Ehlig will lead the builder class in a study entitled When Poverty Knocks, How Do You Answer?

There will be a meeting of the Contact Ministry in our Annex kitchen following our 5:00 p.m. assembly.

There will be a Combined Huddle for our JH/HS youth in the home of Wally & Joella Whitley following our 5:00 p.m. assembly. Students entering 6th grade this fall are welcome, too.

This Sunday is the sign-up and payment deadline for Kids Kamp. Orange forms are available in our auditorium's main foyer. Submit them to Bill Ehlig.

Sign-up to help with VBS. Forms will be available in the songbook racks in the pews. Contact Janette Kelley or Lesa Brassette.

Come!

definitions, please

2006-06-02T06:41:00.000-05:00

I'm stealing (and very slightly modifying) some thoughts from Dallas Willard here. It's good stuff that needs to be said!

The common understanding of some words . . .

Discipleship - being serious about church involvement.

Grace - God's forgiveness for our sins that takes away our guilt.

Kingdom of God - the church, heaven, or the perfect realm that will exist at the end of history.

Love - a feeling of desire for, or to act nicely toward, another.

Salvation - going to heaven, not hell, after death.

Some more accurate, more Biblical, richer definitions of those same words . . .

Discipleship - learning to live your life as Jesus would if he were you. An apprentice of Jesus.

Grace - God acting in our life to accomplish whatever we cannot do on our own.

Kingdom of God - the present range of God's effective will, where what he wants done is done.

Love - to will the good of another and, as much as it is within our power, to act on that will.

Salvation - being caught up into the life that Jesus is living right now and on into forever.

know his voice readings

2006-06-01T09:15:00.000-05:00

I'll no longer be posting the Know His Voice readings on a daily basis. Instead, I'll post the week's readings on Sundays. For example, a post on this coming Sunday (June 4) will list the daily readings for June 4-10. It's still the same plan - read the passages given with the specified subject in mind and you'll have something of an idea of what Jesus thought/said/did about such things. The Scripture reference in ( ) is a good one to memorize and focus your thoughts on throughout that day. Here are the readings for today and the remainder of this week.

Thur., June 1 - Acceptance & inclusion
Luke 19:1-10 / John 4:1-42 (Luke 19:9b)

Fri., June 2 - Burdens
Matthew 26:36-46 / Luke 19:41-44 (Matthew 26:39b)

Sat., June 3 - Change
Matthew 9:16-17 / Mark 2:21-22 / Luke 5:36-39 (Luke 5:36)

know his voice: weariness

2006-05-31T14:19:00.000-05:00

It won't wear you out to read Matthew 11:28-30 today and you'll find strength as you focus on vs.28 throughout the day.

the Bible wasn't written for you

2006-05-31T14:15:00.000-05:00

This is surely one of the more helpful articles you'll read this week, whoever you might be. It's a very practical, well said reminder. The title? The Bible wasn't written for you.

MoSt youth & family blog

2006-05-30T06:54:00.000-05:00

MoSt Church members will want to check out Chad Nall's youth/family ministry blog. He's updated recently with things you'll want to know.

know his voice: unity

2006-05-30T06:49:00.000-05:00

Take the time to read John 17:20-23 slowly and thoughtfully then mediate on vs.23b today. By doing so, you'll allow Jesus to stress the place of unity to you.

blog on break

2006-05-21T06:12:00.000-05:00

This blog is now on break. It will receive fresh posts again starting Tues., May 30.

But the blogger isn't on a break. The Austin Graduate School of Theology puts on a sermon seminar in the latter part of May every year. I try to be in attendance whenever possible and this year is no exception. If you're curious as to what all is on tap for the seminar this year, you can read more about it online.

happening today at MoSt

2006-05-21T06:11:00.000-05:00

Remember . . .

* Today is Senior Sunday, so plan to linger a bit after the morning service, congratulating our seniors and signing their books.

* Today is the day of the special contribution to help fund our auditorium's renovation.

* There will be a Combined JH/HS Huddle from 4:30-8:00 p.m. in the home of Paul & Kristen Fagala today. Bring a change of clothes, but one set of clothes will be getting quite wet!

* The New Creation 24/7 group will meet tonight in our Annex at 6:00 p.m. for a light meal and meeting together. If you' re a part of the New Creation group, please bring finger foods.

know his voice: this week

2006-05-21T06:01:00.000-05:00

The Know His Voice readings for this week are:

Today - May 21 - prayer
Luke 11:1-13; 18:1-14
focus on Lk.11:2-4

Mon., May 22 - procrastination
Matthew 25:1-13
focus on Matt.25:13

Tues., May 23 - rejection
John 15:18-16:4
focus on Jn.15:18

Wed., May 24 - repentance
Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 15:1-32
focus on Mk.1:15

Thur., May 25 - revenge
Matthew 5:38-42
focus on Matt.5:39

Fri., May 26 - sadness
John 16:16-24
focus on Jn.16:20

Sat., May 27 - service
Mark 10:35-45; John 13:1-17
focus on Mk.10:45

surfing while at work

2006-05-20T06:52:00.000-05:00

A new study reports that employees spend a quarter of their online time visiting non-work related sites. More than sixty percent (60%) of those surveyed admit to using the Internet for personal reasons, such as reading the news or checking the weather. And more than half surveyed said they would rather give up their morning coffee than change their surfing habits! You can read all about it right here - at home.

google notebook

2006-05-20T06:49:00.001-05:00

Google Notebook enables you to keep clippings of text, images and links in your own "notebook" without ever leaving your browser window. You can keep your notebook private it or share it with all by making it public. It's free, but to use it, you will need to open a free Google Account and must be logged in. Then you need to download a browser extension to enable the service. No biggie. However, there is one fly in the ointment - it's currently only available for Internet Explorer 6 (not the beta version of IE 7) and Firefox 1.5+. Google says a version for the Opera browser will be available soon, though.

good quotes from ElderLink

2006-05-20T06:49:00.000-05:00

"We need to be working on how we do what we do as a church, not so much what we do."

"The church is to be about becoming a community of virtue."

"Being a Christian is about how you live here and now. It's not just about having a hope when you die."

"Spirituality involves thinking and theology is practical. Theology is as much about how you behave as it is about what you believe and if you are truly spiritual, thinking is comfortable ground, and practical to you."

know his voice: mercy

2006-05-20T06:33:00.000-05:00

Matthew 5:7, Luke 23:39-43 and John 8:1-11 tell us something of what Jesus said about mercy. Today, center your spirit on John 8:11.

caleb's cafe

2006-05-19T22:03:00.000-05:00

Imagine having a website or blog dedicated just to your group online. It could be any group of people - a 24/7 group, a Bible class, a ministerial staff, a committee, an eldership - you name it. Imagine anyone within the group being able to put up posts and/or photos quickly and easily on that site, as easily as e-mailing the content to your group's own e-mail address. Imagine all of this being done online but only available for viewing by the group's members. And then imagine that you could do this only for the cost of your time, as a free service.

That's what you've got at Caleb's Cafe. Imagine the possibilities.

like water on a rock

2006-05-19T22:01:00.000-05:00

"The nature of water is soft, that of a rock is hard. But if a narrow-necked bottle is hung above a stone, drop by drop the water wears away the rock. So it is with the word of God: it is soft and our heart is hard. But when a person hears the word of God, often then his heart is opened to the fear of God." - Apophthegmata Patrum, a collection of proverbs from monks of the 4th & 5th centuries

(Source: Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers by Everett Ferguson, p.229)

know his voice: loneliness

2006-05-19T21:56:00.000-05:00

Carefully read John 10:14-16,27-30; 14:15-21 and you'll hear Jesus address, among other things, the subject of loneliness. Listen to him speak to you afresh his words in John 14:18 throughout today.

experimental aircraft

2006-05-19T21:54:00.000-05:00

What a kick it was to learn that my best friend's dad was an experimental airplane builder! I was just in grade school, but I remember the first time I walked into his shop/hanger and saw the skeleton of a bird that would be up and flying a couple of years later. I never got to go up in it, but I sure imagined myself there many a time.

If aircraft is an interest of yours, you'll like this link. It's a bit of a clearinghouse to all sorts of experiemental aircraft related sites.

Now I better get back to work on my Velocity -in my dreams!

Jacobson funeral today

2006-05-18T06:36:00.000-05:00

Our hearts continue to go out to the Jacobson family upon the recent death of one of our own, Nan Jacobson. We'll have an opportunity to gather and share a common meal in our Annex from noon until 1:00 p.m. today with Pete, John and the rest of the Jacobson family and other guests. With this in mind, bring food sufficient for yourself and for others for this meal, please. Also, bring cake, cookies, etc. to go with coffee/lemonade as a bit of a refresher before people begin their travels home following the service.

The service will begin at 3:00 p.m. today here at MoSt Church. Interment is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. tomorrow in Bastrop, TX at the Fairview Cemetery.

know his voice: listening

2006-05-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

Mark 4:21-25 and Luke 8:4-18 tell us what Jesus said about how we listen. Listen again and again throughout the day to his words in Luke 8:18.

understanding 'parent speak'

2006-05-17T06:56:00.000-05:00

Given that last Sunday was Mother's Day and Father's Day is not far around the corner, it seems appropriate to offer these definitions used by experienced parents:

amnesia: condition that enables a woman who has gone through labor to have kids again.

defense: what you'd better have around the yard if you're going to let the children play outside.

drooling: how teething babies wash their chins.

feedback: the inevitable result when a baby doesn't appreciate the strained carrots.

full name: what you call your child when you're mad at him.

grandparents: the people who think your children are perfect even though they're sure you're not raising them right.

hearsay: what toddlers do when anyone mutters a bad word.

independent: how we want our children to be as long as they do everything we say.

look out!: what it's too late for your child to do by the time you scream it.

owww!: the first word spoken by children with older siblings.

prenatal: when your life was still somewhat your own.

puddle: a small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes.

show off: a child who is more talented than yours.

sterilize: what you do to your first baby's pacifier by boiling it and to your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it.

storeroom: the distance required between the supermarket aisles so that children in shopping carts can't quite reach anything. temper tantrums: what you should keep to a minimum so as to not upset the children.

top bunk: where you should never put a child wearing Superman jammies.

two minute warning: when the baby's face turns red and she begins to make those familiar grunting noises.

whoops: an exclamation that translates roughly into "get a mop."

what's for supper tonight?

2006-05-17T06:54:00.000-05:00

To MoSt Church members and their guests from 5:15-6:30 p.m. in our Annex today, the following will be available: King Ranch chicken, ham, vegetable beef soup, Texas rice, salad, squash and various desserts (lemon cake, chocolate pudding, angel food cake, cookies, etc.). Come and enjoy!

what Christians are about (4 of 4)

2006-05-17T06:29:00.000-05:00

"They observe carefully the precepts of God and live in a holy and just manner, as their Lord commanded them. They give thanks to him every morning and every hour for food, drink and other good things. If any righteous person among them dies, they rejoice and offer thanks and pray concerning that one; and they escort the body as if he were setting out on a journey. When a child is born to one of them, they give thanks to God; and if it should die as an infant, they give thanks the more, because it has departed life sinless. But if anyone should die in sin they weep, since that person goes to punishment." - Aristides, a Greek Christian who died in 134 A.D.

(Source: Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers by Everett Ferguson, p.210)

know his voice: humility

2006-05-17T06:22:00.000-05:00

Luke 14:7-11; 17:7-10 speak something of Jesus' thoughts on humility. Rest your thoughts on Luke 17:10.

ministering with a meal Thursday

2006-05-16T10:56:00.000-05:00

". . . do not grieve like the rest, who have no hope . . . . we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." (1 Thes.4:13-14 TNIV)

Nan Jacobson's funeral service is this Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. here at the church building. Nan was a long-time MoSt Church member and a former church secretary here. We typically prepare a meal for MoSt Church members who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Our monthly potluck lunch (aka: Caleb's Classics) is from noon until 1:00 p.m. the third Thursday of the month. This Thursday, all three of matters will be combined together for a special time of ministry.

From noon until 1:00 p.m. this Thursday, the "typical Caleb's Classics crowd," all the Jacobson family and friends who will be attending Nan's funeral and anyone else who can attend will all gather in our Annex for a meal together. Our building will be a convenient, spacious place for folks to gather following the meal for Nan's service. Since the interment is not until 3:00 p.m. Friday in Bastrop (Fairview Cemetery), we will have an opportunity to gather in our Annex following the service to share some sweets and desserts together.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." (Romans 12:15 TNIV)

So, if you have been wondering about plans for a meal for the Jacobson family or if you have been wondering about Caleb's Classics this Thursday, the answer is - come prepared as you normally would for Caleb's Classics plus extra food that you would share with the Jacobson family and friends.

"Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.'" (Revelation 14:13 TNIV)

when Jonny Quest ruled

2006-05-16T08:18:00.000-05:00

Now back when I was about six or seven years old, they had real cartoons like Jonny Quest! At least in my neighborhood, the world stopped for most of us if JQ came on. We were big into JQ; I even had one of those JQ Decoder rings you could send off for from P.F. Flyers (B.F. Goodrich). The only thing that could seriously compete with blocking out the rest of life to watch JQ was if one of my buddies showed up with his older brother's BB gun (tough choice, but we went with the BB gun). It didn't phase us if JQ was in production only one season (1964-1965) and we had to watch the same episodes over and over; JQ was just plain cool!

what Christians are about (3 of 4)

2006-05-16T08:01:00.000-05:00

"They are gentle, moderate, modest, and truthful. They love one another. They do not overlook the widows, and they save those who are orphaned. The person who possesses material goods ministers ungrudingly to those who do not. When they see strangers, they take them under their own roof and rejoice over them as true brothers and sisters, for they do not call themselves brothers and sisters according to the flesh but according to the soul. And when they see that one of their poor has died, each one of them contributes ungrudgingly to his burial, according to their ability. And if they hear that some are condemned or imprisoned on account of the name of their Lord, they make contributions and send them what they need; and if possible, they redeem them. And if there is any that is a slave or a poor person, they fast two or three days and what they were going to set before themselves they send to them, considering themselves to give good cheer even as they are called to good cheer." - Aristides, a Greek Christian who died in 134 A.D.

(Source: Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers by Everett Ferguson, p.210)

know his voice: gratitude

2006-05-16T07:59:00.000-05:00

Read Luke 17:11-19 and understand what Jesus spoke regarding gratitude. Fix your mind on Luke 17:17.

thanks for helping, Mr. Brown

2006-05-15T06:30:00.000-05:00

Dan Brown is the now-famous, now-fabulously-wealthy author of The Da Vinci Code. With over 40 million books in print, the movie hits theaters this week. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, it too stands to be a smash hit.

Christians generally and Catholics in particular have been either confused or offended by the misrepresentations of Scripture, history, and ancient literature in The Da Vinci Code. The confusion comes from a lack of information; ignorance has people asking, "Is that really true? Is that how we got the Bible?" And the anger tends to come from people who have information; it causes them to say, "That isn't correct! How dare anybody so misrepresent the Bible or history!"

Brown can get away with his frequent substitutions of fiction for fact only because so many of us are so poorly informed about Christian faith and history. Yet the furor generated by The Da Vinci Code is provoking people to study. It sends them to helpful books such as Ben Witherington's The Gospel Code or Bart Ehrman's Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code. In spite of what may have been Mr. Brown's intention, I am seeing good things come from his project.

In summary, the book and movie deny Christ's deity, attack the authenticity of the Four Gospels, and accuse Christians of suppressing the "sacred feminine." The facts are that New Testament writings affirm Jesus' deity 200 years before Brown says the notion was promoted, the Four Gospels were accepted long before Constantine knew they existed, and the "sacred feminine" is a hoax.

And if Christianity is a conspiracy against women, it has been terribly botched! The Gospel of Luke, for example, goes to great lengths to show how Jesus affirmed, included, and honored women. While males such as Peter and John were sometimes "slow of heart" and "dull of understanding," the female followers of the Son of God grasped his true identity. They didn't flee and hide when he was crucified. And they were the first witnesses to his resurrection.

There is no historical evidence – contrary to The Code's claim – that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus. She was, however, one of several women in the Gospels whose lives found meaning as loyal disciples to him.

Some Christians may feel obliged to boycott or picket the movie. Others of us will attempt to use it as a teaching opportunity. But I don't anticipate any riots or embassy burnings or assassinations! In the end, we may owe a debt of gratitude to Dan Brown for creating an opportunity for authentic faith to shine.

Reprinted from Rubel Shelly's FAX of Life.

what Christians are about (2 of 4)

2006-05-15T06:12:00.000-05:00

"They do not worship idols [made] in the image of man; and whatsoever they would not that others should do to them, they do not do to others; and of the food that is consecrated to idols they do not eat, for they are pure. And their oppressors they appease and make their friends. They do good to their enemies. Their women are pure and virgins do not offer their wombs; and their men exercise self-control from every unlawful union, and especially from impurity; their wives similarly exercise self-control, for they cling to the great hope of the world to come. If they have bondmen and bondwomen or children, they persuade them to become Christians so that they might be friends, and when they have become such, they call them brethren without distinction. They do not worship strange gods." - Aristides, a Greek Christian who died in 134 A.D.

(source: Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers by Everett Ferguson, p.209-210)

know his voice: generosity

2006-05-15T06:04:00.000-05:00

Matthew 6:1-4 and Luke 21:1-4 are two good texts to read to grasp what Jesus had to say about generosity. You might want to settle your mind on Matthew 6:1.