A Long Week

This is going to be a long tough week of cooking, cleaning and picking up after myself. Debbie left me! Not for good. She went to Oklahoma to care for her mother who had knee replacement surgery last week. We will meet up again on Saturday at Vernon's Wedding in Augusta.

Hope Craig likes cereal............................

A Dog's Purpose from a Six-Year Old

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa,and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, andthey were hoping for a miracle.I examined Belker and found he was ill and dying. I told the familywe couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform theeuthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it wouldbe good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt asthough Shane might le arn something from the experience. The next day,I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surroundedhim. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time ,that I wondered if he understood what was going on.Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without anydifficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker'sdeath, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives areshorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, pipedup, "I know why."Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth nextstunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said,"People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life --like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" Thesix-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, sothey don't have to stay as long."

Live simply.

Help for Kansas Tornado Victims

How to Help Tornado Victims

Offices of the American Red Cross are accepting donations for storm victims.
In Topeka, monetary donations can be taken to the Kansas Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, 1221 S.W. 17th.

You Are So Good to Me

You are so good to me
You heal my broken heart
You are my Father in heaven
You ride upon the clouds
You lead me to the truth
You are the Spirit inside me
You poured out all your blood
You died upon the cross
You are my Jesus who loves me
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet, song
I will sing again
You are my strong melody
You are my dancing rhythm
You are my perfect rhyme
And I want to sing forever.

“You Are so Good to Me” by Waterdeep.

Summer Workshop

Every fourth year there is a gathering of Christ-followers from the three branches of the Restoration Movement (Churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Christian Churches) to promote unity.

The past meetings have been:
1930 Washington, DC, USA
1935 Leicester England, UK
1947 Buffalo, NY, USA
1952 Melbourne, VIC, Ausralia
1955 Toronto, ONT, Canada
1960 Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
1965 San Juan, Puerto Rico
1970 Adelaide, SA, Australia
1974 Mexico City, Mexico
1980 Honolulu, Hi, USA
1984 Kingston, Jamaica
1988 Auckland, New Zealand
1992 Long Beach, CA, USA
1996 Calgary, ALB, Canada
2000 Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2004 Brighton, England, UK

This summer, the 17th meeting of the World Convention will be in Nashville — July 30-August 3.
You can find more information here or here.

Order of Worship

Welcome

2 We Praise Thee O God (Verse 1 and 2 only)

869 We’re Marching to Zion (Verse 1 only)

103 He Has Made Me Glad

96 I Stand in Awe

Prayer:

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

364 Come, Share the Lord

Lords Supper

Contribution

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16

We Are The Body of Christ

Message Evan Burdan

Invitation 701 My Jesus I Love Thee

Announcements

711 Blest Be the Tie That Binds (Verses 1,3 and 4 only)

Closing Prayer

The Body of Christ

One heart
one spirit
One voice
to praise You
We are the body of Christ

One goal
one vision
To see You exalted
We are the body of Christ

And to this
we give our lives
To see You glorified

© 1997 ThreeFold Amen Music/Songward Music

A Verse for Today

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among any brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Shepherds

I found this picture the other day of a confident Shepherd leading his sheep. During this transition period may God be with us as He leads Central to even greater heights during the next few months.

Suggestions

Now that we have sold the building, the Elders are interested in input from members of the congregation on possible Sunday and Wednesday evening formats.

Many have been to congregations that have experienced moving and transitions. What did you do to make it a successful move? How did you do Sunday evening and Wednesday evening services?

Need input......................

What Will We Look Like............

Jerry asked the question last week at our elders meeting, "What will we look like on September 2?"

What will the Central Church of Christ look like, and become, after we leave the corner of Huntoon and College where we have worshipped for 100 years?

What did the first church look like?

The first real church was Jesus and His 12 disciples. The first church was actually a training school for those who would establish the second-generation churches after Jesus ascended back to the Father. It was Jesus showing His disciples, first hand, how to have church. They met in houses and gardens, by the sea and on boats in the sea, in the middle of the road, on hillsides and on mountaintops. They met wherever Jesus happened to be. These meetings formed their understanding of what church was supposed to be and established a pattern for the next generation of churches.

Acts 2 talks about a church family meeting together continually. Trying to live like Jesus.

I see us doing the same thing.
I see us reaching out.
I see us ministering in homes, schools, hospitals, and in the work place.
I see us celebrating new births, marriages and grieving with our family members that have struggles and difficulties.
I see an eldership that will be on their knees asking God for continued direction as they lead their flock toward an even more exciting and rewarding life that is found only in Jesus Christ.

What will we look like on September 2?

We will look like His disciples!

We Hear You

We Hear You

We hear you calling us, Lord.
On good days we hear you loud and clear.
And even on bad days the world’s siren song
never completely drowns out your voice.
We hear you asking us to
follow you
trust you
honor you.
We hear you begging us to
seek you
find you
love you.
We hear you reminding us that you alone
are worthy of our
admiration
reverence
confidence.

We hear you, Lord.
And part of us wants more than anything
to find comfort and encouragement
in your voice, and to
respond to you with the best that we
have and are.
Part of us longs for the place of rest
your call offers.
Part of us knows that life
in you
would be the very best
of all possibilities.

We hear you, Lord.
But part of us finds it hard to let go
of our own ambitions
and the solutions we have
figured out for ourselves.
Part of us demands that we keep
trusting in ourselves
or at least in what
we can see and touch.

Cut through our layers of defense, Lord. Our
defiance
arrogance
self-sufficiency
greed
and all the things in us that keep telling us
to ignore your call.

Go to work on us, Lord.
In us.
Remake us in your image
so we can love you first and best.

We hear you calling us, Lord.
Help us, please,to listen.

(Submitted Via Internet Blog)

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is much more than a three-day weekend that marks the beginning of summer. To many people, especially the nation's thousands of combat veterans, this day, which has a history stretching back all the way to the Civil War, is an important reminder of those who died in the service of their country.

Dress Appropriatelly

The job I hated the most as a high school principal was dress code enforcement. Kids always tried to see what they could get away with wearing to school that was inappropriate. When it got warm………the shorts, tank tops, low cut shorts and sleeveless shirts came out. It was always such an enjoyable time explaining to the girls that the new low cut blouse you are wearing (just bought for $50) is not appropriate to wear to school, you will need to go home and change. After getting an ear-full from the parents on why they felt is was appropriate to wear, they were sent home to change. As a Superintendent, I don’t have to make those day-to-day decisions with students about dress any longer (unless the principals are gone) but there are times I have to talk to teachers and staff about appropriate dress. I never thought it would come to that. Our society has gone from one that covered up to one that wishes to display and flaunt. As a Christian, it’s sad to say it has come to church as well. I have been to congregations where I couldn't believe some of the revealing attire that was being worn.

I hope that all of us can re-examine our dress and what is appropriate attire this summer when we worship and in our daily living.

Remember we are the example of Christ, even in how we dress.

Thought for the Day

An optimist expects his dreams to come true;
A pessimist expects his nightmares to.

The Last Day of School

180 days later we come to the end of another school year.

Great memories.

Happy stories.

Sad stories.

Fun.

Suspense.

Tragedy.

Excellence.

Failure.

All make up the course of a school year.

Kids enjoy the summer. Be careful!

Parents I'm praying for you. Only 85 days until school begins in August.

A New Beginning

Sitting in my office on Friday morning reading Gary's e-mail that we sold the building made me think about what the church really is...

"The Church is not a physical building, but a group of believers; not a denomination, sect, or association, but a spiritual body. The Church is not an organization, but a communion, a fellowship of one body." (The Church - The Body of Christ, John MacArthur)

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus spoke firmly of His plans ... "I will build My Church; and the gates of Hell shall not overpower it."

"The Most exciting happening in history is the building of Christ's church. This church is not constructed with wood and stone, but with people who have come to trust Christ's loving forgiveness to the point of becoming His disciples.

His Church started with a few disciples who gathered together for prayer. When the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them, Peter preached a heart-stirring sermon and 3,000 new disciples were converted and baptized. Now the super-structure of His church began to take shape. These new disciples became participants in the greatest building project in the history of the world, They started to build Christ's Church and thus become part of the fulfillment of Jesus' promise, 'I will build My church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it."

We need to remind each other during this exciting period of transition that we (Central) are the Church. And we will be his people wherever we go.

Craig Home for the Summer

Craig returns home tomorrow from New York City. Looking forward having our little boy home for the summer...............

If That Isn't Love

My favorite Dottie Rambo song........

If That Isn't Love

He left the splendor of heaven,
Knowing His destiny,
Was the lonely hill of Golgotha,
There to lay down His life for me.

Chorus

If that isn't love;
The ocean is dry,
There's no stars in the sky,
And the sparrow can't fly.
If that isn't love;
Then heaven's a myth,
There's no feeling like this,
If that isn't love!

Even in death He remembered,
The thief hanging by His side;
There He spoke with love and compassion,
Then He took him to paradise.

Chorus

If that isn't love;
The ocean is dry,
There's no stars in the sky,
And the sparrow can't fly.
If that isn't love;
Then heaven's a myth,
There's no feeling like this,
If that isn't love!

Dottie Rambo Dies in Accident

Gospel singer Dottie Joyce Rambo dies
Associated Press

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Gospel singer-songwriter Joyce "Dottie" Rambo died early Sunday when the bus she was in ran off a road in southwest Missouri and struck an embankment.
Rambo, 74, of Nashville, Tenn., died in the crash about two miles east of Mount Vernon on Interstate 44, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. Seven other people in the bus were injured, and were hospitalized in Springfield with moderate to severe injuries, the patrol said.
It was unclear if the accident, which occurred about 2 a.m., was weather-related, the patrol said. Severe storms and tornadoes hit the region about 6 p.m. Saturday, killing 14 people. Sustained winds and storms swept through the area later in the night, according to the National Weather Service.

"She was a giant in the gospel music industry," said Beckie Simmons, Rambo's agent. "Dolly Parton recorded some of her songs."

Parton sent condolences to "everyone involved in this terrible tragedy."

"I know Dottie is in heaven in the arms of God right now, but our earth angel will surely be missed," Parton said in a statement. "Dottie was a dear friend, a fellow singer, songwriter and entertainer, and as of late my duet singing partner."

Rambo was on her way to a Mother's Day performance in North Richland Hills, Texas, according to her Web site.

Rambo was inducted to the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007.

Rambo has had more than 2,500 published songs, including gospel classics such as "He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need" and the 1982 Gospel Music Association Song of the Year, "We Shall Behold Him."

Waiting

I am very impatient at times. Waiting is not one of my attributes. The Lord’s perspective is very different. He says those who wait on Him will be blessed. (Isaiah 30:18) Pausing to hear from our Father is always the wisest action we can take. That’s how we receive clear direction. As believers, we’re not to operate as the world does. We don’t determine our course by human reasoning or the example of others. Our guidance is to come from God—the one who instructs us in the way which we should go. (Psalm 32:8)

Deputy Carriger

Friday morning we traveled to Hutchinson for Brian's graduation from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Academy.


Brian and his Grandparents.


Brian and cousin Emma.


Brian and his grandparents.

Brian and Sheriff Scot Brownrigg of Anderson County

Brian and his new 2008 Dodge Charger. Drive slow through Anderson County!

Brian and the proud Mom and Dad!

Brian and Allison.

Thursday Thought

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”
Titus 2:11-13:

A Good Evening After a Hard Day at Work

Catfish season begins in about 4 weeks. This was a 4 pound cat I caught last week at my secret fishing hole. You should have seen the 10 pounder that got away on Monday.....it made me sick!

Worship

I like what Robert Webber wrote about worship...

We need to let go of our intellectual idea of worship and realize there is more to worship than a sermon; we have to let go of our evangelistic notion of worship and reckon with the fact that worship is not primarily directed toward the sinners who need to be converted; we must let go of our entertainment expectations and remind ourselves that we are not in church to watch a Christian variety show. We have gathered together in worship to be met by God the Almighty. God, the Creator of the universe, the One who sustains our lives, our Redeemer and King, is present through proclamation and remembrance. He wants to communicate to us, to penetrate our inner self, to take up residence within us. And, as we go through the experience of meeting with him in this mystical moment of public worship, we are to respond. But response is not just singing a hymn, not just saying a creed, not just saying a prayer. Response, from the very beginning of worship to the end, must be a powerful inner experience of actually being in the presence of God. When we sing a hymn or say a confession or prayer, we are not singing or saying words, but expressing a feeling, bringing our souls, truly responding and communicating to the living and active presence of a loving and merciful God. (Worship is a Verb, by Robert Webber, pg.114)

National Teacher Appreciation Week

"The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth."--Dan Rather

Tuesday, May 6, 2008, is National Teacher Day. Thank a teacher for making our public schools great! Teachers in communities across the nation will be in the spotlight this week, as students, parents, school administrators and the general public learn how teachers are making Great Public Schools for every child.

Few other professionals touch as many people as teachers do. National Teacher Appreciation Week is a good time to learn about the contributions educators make to our community every day. We recognize them as role models.

Thank you teachers for making a difference in the lives of our young people.

Order of Worship

Order of Worship
Sunday, May 4, 2008

Welcome

47 Holy, Holy, Holy (Verse 1 Only)

797 Lord, We Come Before Thee Now (Verse 1, 4)

Lord Reign in Me

Prayer

454 Rock of Ages (Verse 1 Only)

325 Boundless Love (Refrain Only)

365 How Beautiful (Verse 1 and 3 Only..NO BRIDGE)

Lords Supper

Contribution

452 Standing On the Promises (Verse 1 and 4)

Message Evan Burdan

Invitation 552 Have Thine Own Way

Announcements

Seniors Presentation

Closing Prayer

National Day of Prayer

What are you planning to do for the National Day of Prayer?

This yearly event, which has roots as far back as the Continental Congress and its call to prayer in 1775, marshals all prayer warriors to intercede for our nation.

In 1863, President Lincoln called for a national day of "humiliation, prayer and fasting" and in 1952 a joint resolution by congress, signed by President Truman, made it an annual event. In 1988 President Reagan set the day at the first Thursday of each May, which is the day we will gather this week - on May 1st.

To see the events planned nationwide, and get info on the NDP, go to the National Prayer Committee's website at http://www.ndptf.org/.

A Thought for the Day

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two imposter's just the same;... then you'll be a man, my son."

Kipling

Who was Jesus?

"Jesus was short on sermons, long on conversations; short on answers, long on questions, short on abstractions and propositions, long on stories and parables; short on telling you what to think, long on challenging you to think for yourself; short on condemning the irreligious, long on confronting the religious."

Brian McLaren

ACU Changes Policy

ACU Changes Alcohol Policy

April 13, 2008
ABILENE, Tex. (BNc)-

Abilene Christian University will no longer penalize students 21 and older who drink “responsibly” off campus. The amended policy will be presented in detail in the 2008-09 handbook. Dr. Jean-Noel Thompson, vice president for Student Life and dean of students, arrived at ACU in July, 2007, and began a comprehensive study of the university’s student conduct policies and procedures, including the debated alcohol policy, according to the student newspaper The Optimist. The present policy prohibits students of any age from drinking on or off campus. “We want to embrace a strong Biblical principle,” Thompson said. “While our intent is not to encourage drinking, it is important to acknowledge that it’s not the alcohol that’s the sin - it’s the drunkenness that’s the sin. And we can’t deal with challenging our students if we’re not having the conversation. If we really want to hold them accountable in this area, there’s risk in that.” In a report by the Abilene Reporter News, Thompson stated, “In addition to all the other things listed in Scripture — things that don’t glorify God or that don’t move you into his kingdom — drunkenness is mentioned,” he said. “The last thing I want to do is to turn this into a theological debate. Drunkenness is mentioned, and those things associated with it. It’s not alcohol in and of itself.” Thompson apparently believes that allowing drinking off campus will contribute to less drunkenness and greater responsibility among students. He said the policy change will open “a window of opportunity to address it and be authentic in our approach.” Thompson promised stricter enforcement and heavier sanctions against the rules of the new policy. “[If a] 21-, 31-, 50-year-old student is seen somewhere drinking within the legal means and not in drunkenness or destruction, how do I call myself to punish or sanction them for that? And how do I know that in the first place? We’re not going to catch all that. It’s impossible to have the staff and folks to follow students where ever they go,” Thompson said. “We’d say we will rather equip you for making moral, ethical Christian and legal decisions when we don’t see you.”

http://brotherhoodnews.com/2008/04/13/acu-changes-alcohol-policy/

Cherish God's Word

If you heard the sports news last week, you probably heard an interesting story out of the University of Florida.

The University of Florida won the NCAA Football Championship in 2006. The champions receive a Waterford Crystal Trophy that is shaped like a football. A very expensive and beautiful piece of artwork

Last week it was broken. It was on a coffee table in one of the coaches offices, the table was bumped, the crystal fell to the floor and broke.

What surprises me about this story is a trophy that is so valuable, and one that should be under glass was on a coffee table in a office. No protection to keep it safe.

At the University of Oklahoma, their NCAA Championship awards are under security glass with special lighting and security cameras. Something that valuable needs to be cherished and taken care of.

Something that Christians need to do is to cherish and take care of God’s Word. In today's society we need it more than ever.

The Bible is God’s revelation to mankind. For the Christian its our daily bread, our daily guide, it shows us how to deal with every situation that will arise during the day and during our lifetime. But what do we do with this special book? Many times we lay it on a coffee table and allow it to collect dust.

I encourage you to open this book, and share it with others and see what God has in store for our lives as we drink from his Holy Words.

Cousin Jethro from Arkansas

I needed a little humor today.......................

Be Used

"Today, even amongst Christians, there can be found much of that spirit that wants to give as little as possible to the Lord, and yet to get as much as possible from Him. The prevailing thought today is of being used, as though that were the one thing that mattered. That my little rubber band should be stretched to the very limit seems all important. But this is not the Lord's mind. The Lord wants us to be used, yes; but what He is after is that we pour all we have, ourselves, to Him, and if that be all, that is enough."

Watchman Nee

The Pope

The following is a blog from Jim White, Minister of the Southwest Church of Christ in Omaha, Nebraska.

I have been somewhat bemused by the visit of the pope to the United States. I don't even think that's probably the right word. Perhaps I can use a number of others to better describe my thoughts. Amazed. Amused. Glad. Confused. I could probably come up with a few more, but right now I'm at a loss.The pomp and circumstance that has happened. Limousines, helicopters, the popemobile; Holy Father, Reverend, Supreme Shepherd; Elaborate robes, miters, kissing of the hand, and on and on. I just heard a cardinal express their extreme loyalty to this man. I haven't heard the name Jesus very much. Mother Mary, yes. Our Savior. Some. But I really haven't heard Jesus' name. When you read Paul's epistles, over and over he invokes the name of Jesus. You get the impression he really does mean it when he expresses his devotion to Jesus. I don't know. I don't see Jesus coming to this earth in the midst of this publicity. I see Him walking down the streets of New York City, not in the elaborate cathedrals of the city. I see Him talking to the poor and downtrodden, not to world leaders and those in positions of power. Perhaps I'm wrong. But I don't think so. I see Him speaking from the heart, not from a book held in front of Him. I see Him among the common people, not those wearing the fancy robes. Where do I get this? How many times die He heal and tell the recipient not to tell anyone? His popularity wavered, not declined. There is an upside to this, though. How many are at least getting a glimpse, albeit a small one, of Christianity? How many are being called to repent? Only God knows the sincerity and the value of this. I'm just praying that the world will see Jesus as He is, not the pomp that is being placed before it. I hope your day is a good one.

Order of Worship

Order of Worship
Sunday, April 20, 2008

Welcome

Step By Step

These Are the Days of Elijah

Prayer:

Scripture: Ephesians 1:6-9

I Will Sing of My Redeemer

Lords Supper

Contribution

Children 2x2 Class

Break Thou the Bread of Life

Ancient Words

Message Evan Burdan

Invitation Restore My Soul

Announcements

Closing Prayer

Praise God

Early this morning I received word from my son Brian. His future bride (Allison) was in a car accident last night in Oklahoma City. She is fine just shaken up. Her car is totalled, but Allison and the other driver were not injured.

It's in moments like this that we stop and praise God. We remember that the gift of life is precious.

I think Brian summed it up best..."all I know is that God is so amazing and forgiving. He answers prayers so fast and without him I'd be so lost."

Me too son!

What Makes Worship Great!

What makes a Sunday Worship really special?

I had an e-mail from someone a couple of weeks ago asking me why are some Sunday’s really celebratory while some are like a trip to the dentist’s office?

I believe there are three things that can make our Sunday worship experience more fulfilling for the worshippers and more pleasing to God.

One is having the right spirit and attitude to worship. What do you do to prepare for the worship that you will be giving to God on Sunday morning? Do you prepare the night before? It’s a special time. Do you prepare and contemplate what you will be experiencing as a corporate body?

Many times we hurry out the door after oversleeping and maybe we have even had a fight with the kids on the way to church. It's tough to be in a worship mood if all these distractions are on your mind.

Second, have you prayed about the worship that you will be giving to God? Have you prayed for the leaders of our worship service? Have you prayed to God to take all the distractions away so you can really worship the Living God?

Third, do you take an active part in the service? Do you sing or do you complain they are too new or too old of hymns? Do you give God the praise that He deserves?

Remember worship begins with the right frame of mind and what you give determines what you receive.

What Do You Say

In a couple of hours I am to meet with a couple I’ve never met before. Their 18 year old son drove his car into the back of a parked flatbed and died at the scene two nights ago. He was a senior to graduate in a month. This family has no church, no preacher, etc. Mercifully, they do have dear friends who attend Memorial and we have been chosen to assist this family, school, and community by conducting the funeral services. So, young leaders, what does one say at this meeting?

First, I want you to know I’ve been blessed years ago by encountering such personal tragedy. Once again God is a “Yes” as I learned something ministers needed to know: how people feel in the center of stunning loss. Therefore, I pass what I regard as important factors along to you which I learned in the center of the pit.

1. The parents will hear of my desperate sympathy.
2. Their world has been destroyed.
3. Realize they can barely hear the simplest of words as their minds and hearts have taken a direct hit and they can barely function, let alone take in information.
4. Because you know they can’t hear, don’t expect response from many things you counsel. Some matters must be discussed, but don’t gage success of the meeting on your “connection” for a part of them is not in the meeting, although their bodies are.
5. I will share with them the day will come they will be okay. Right now they can’t envision such.

It will be important to share with them how life will go for the next few months:
They will look to see if it’s their son every time they see a car like his just to make sure theirs isn’t a dream.

Every holiday during the first year will make this death arise to its fullest pain again. The second year will begin to ease.

They will resent foolish bickering/complaining over nothing they overhear in checkout lanes and at work.

It will be important for them to not blame anyone or each other for this tragedy.

Finally, I will share with them the truth that God lost his son and the lights went out in His world for three days. But the third day carries hope.

The above can sound awfully sure about myself. To the contrary, it tears me up and breaks me open. I will fumble and sob and ache (I have in just writing this blog). God will say things to them I have not planned. Words will just come out of me….and you when you hit your hour to deal with such devastation. The main thing I want you to know, which they can’t understand at the moment, is God will work. Watch for God. He will work. He promises….II Cor. 1:18-20.

Terry Rush

Thought for the Day

"The righteous man carves his name upon the Rock. The wicked man writes his remembrance in the wind. The righteous man plows furrows of earth and sows and has a harvest here which shall never be fully reaped until he enters eternity.

But as for the wicked man, he plows the sea. And though there may seem to be a shining trail behind his keel, the waves pass over it and the place that knew him shall know him no more forever."

Charles Spurgeon

Lord, Prop us Up On Our Leaning Side

A great story that was sent to me....

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side. After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently. He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this...I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time, it's withstood a lot of weather, it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years. It's still standing. But one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall. Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time.

I've withstood a lot of life's storms. I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning, at times.

Sometime we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't. So we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on our leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.

Committed Christians at Central

I am amazed at the various ministries going on at Central. We have a great youth program, children’s program, MOPS, Ladies Bible Class, mission efforts and other visible ministries, but we have several that are not as visible that are reaching a variety of people in our congregation as well as community.

Committed Christians who love people and love the Lord who are reaching out to those that need a “cup of water” during a very thirsty period in their lives.

I am so impressed with Central and the care and love shown for people.

It is truly a place of rescue from the hard realities of the world.

May God continue to be glorified in all our efforts.

Good Luck Lady Vols

Good Luck Mom as you cheer on Tennessee tonight in the NCAA Championship Game!

Good Luck Kansas

Order of Worship

Welcome

60 He is Exalted
227 On Zion’s Glorious Summit

Prayer

Scripture: Romans 8:35-39

286 Wonderful Story of love (Verse 1 Only)
18 Faithful Love
386 He Loves Me (Verses 1 and 3)

Communion
Contribution

2x2 Class Dismissal

524 I Know Whom I Have Believed (Verses 1,2 and 4)

Message

Invitation 116 God Will Make A Way (Sing Twice)

Announcements

Closing Prayer

Thoughts on the book of Jude

As I was listening to Mike Wright on Wednesday evening teach our class on the book of Jude, I could not help from reading the last two verses of the book of Jude over and over.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.

Jude closes the letter with a famous doxology (a brief declaration of praise to God). Jude’s doxology reminds us of God’s care and of our destiny.

Jude’s message of warning and doom might have depressed and discouraged his readers. Perhaps they thought that with so much false teaching and immorality around, very few Christians would ever reach heaven. Here he reminds them that the answer lies only in the power of God. He is able to keep you, and you aren’t able to keep yourself.

As the song states….He is Able to Make Me What He Wants Me to Be!

The Lords Prayer

A very special prayer...........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR4PQ30VkBk

Thought for the Day

“To do the work carefully and well, with love and respect for the nature of my task and with due attention to its purpose, is to unite myself to God’s will in my work. In this way I become God’s instrument. God works through me.”

Thomas Merton

Women in Jesus Day

In the Gospel of John, women are key characters in the narrative. Jesus' mother initiates his public ministry (ch.2); Jesus reveals his true identity to a scandalous woman (ch. 4); Jesus stands up to the religious power-brokers who want justice over mercy (ch. 8); and Jesus tells Mary and Martha "I am the Resurrection and the Life," (ch. 11).

We should not be surprised that Mary Magdalene is tending the tomb (ch. 20). She does not equate an empty tomb with resurrection. Yet, she wants to remain near Jesus, because, he is "the Lord."

Jesus comes to her as a gardener. He speaks her name and she instantly knows who stands in her midst.

Unlike the men of power (Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians), and the men concerned with reputation (disciples)--the women in Jesus' day had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Perhaps, that kind of sociological "thing" happens today.

But those are the questions we usually avoid asking.

Josh Graves

I Finally Have A Daughter!

On Saturday afternoon, near a waterfall at Turner Falls, in southern Oklahoma, I finally got the daughter that I have always wanted. Brian asked his beautiful sweetheart, Allison Carroll to be his bride. She said yes. During the past 22 years, Debbie and I have prayed for that special Christan woman to enter Brian's life. God has blessed us with a beautiful, talented Christian girl to be part of our family. Not only does she love God and Brian, but she graduates this December from Oklahoma Christian with an education degree. She wants to be an elementary teacher. Can't get any better than that. We are so happy and thankful for God's new and special blessing.

Just Before Sunday Morning

Just before Sunday morning …

His body was still resting …

His mother was still pondering ….

His disciples were still hiding …

His enemies were still gloating …

His Father was still waiting …

In just a few hours His body would be raised by the power of God …

His mother would have her questions answered …

His disciples would have their hope restored …

His enemies would be confounded …

and His Father would begin revealing His eternal purpose and promise.

But just before Sunday morning … was Peter still weeping?

If it were not for that Sunday morning … even this Sunday morning …

I would still be living in my shame … still believing that my life was over … still hiding from

friends and enemies.

But the sun did rise on that Sunday morning … the Son did rise. Thank God.



Rex Boyles

A New Restoration Movement

I don't agree with the entire article, but its something to think about.

http://www.wineskins.org/filter.asp?SID=2&fi_key=152&co_key=1535

Happy Birthday Craig

Happy Birthday to my liitle boy who is 19 years old today.

Easter

Frozen at Grand Central

And I let Craig go to New York City??????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo

I Will Never Again Complain About Snow!

Watertown, New York had 142 inches of snow during a two week period this winter......

I See God

A sister sent this to me this past week. She was touched that she sees God at work in the Central Body. Where do you see God?

At Central:

I see God in the way people treat each other regardless of race, socioeconomic status, age, gender....

I see God in our elders who fervently pray for the flock and take the time to pray for specific individuals as the need arises...

I see God in our children's ministry through women who take the time out of their busy schedules and coordinate the classes for the children and arrange activities for them. These women are not paid a penny for their efforts and Central has one of the best children's ministries around...

I see God in our prayer pager ministry. People who receive the prayer pagers are so encouraged when they hear the pager buzz over and over again and even in the middle of the night because people are praying for them...

I see God in the forgiving spirit in the people. No one is ostracized when they fall in sin and ask for forgiveness. When a brother or sister is in sin, they are lovingly encouraged to turn away from that sin. When someone has been delinquent, people are constantly trying to encourage them back and when they do come back, they are welcomed with open arms...

I see God when someone is moving and 30 people show up with trucks and trailers to help them...

I see God when people are in the hospital. Case in point, when a sister recently was taken to the hospital on a Sunday and found out she had a brain tumor. Her and her family had not been to church regularly in a few months. When people found out at Sunday night services, many people showed up at the hospital to support the family, her husband, and to pray with them. I saw God's forgiveness, love and mercy in that situation...

I also feel God when Evan gives a sermon that pricks my heart and steps on my toes. Because of God's love, I know that I can be forgiven and God gives me chances over and over again. I do not have to feel guilty...

I could go on and on and give you countless situations where I have seen God and felt God at Central. I wanted to share that with you.

Preaching Christ

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit with two pastors trying to bring Christ to Osage County. Two men who have spent their entire lives preaching Christ trying to reach out in two completely different ways.

One is seeking those with no church background by using modern technology to preach the Good News. He knows it could cost him his position but understands this might be the only way for his congregation to survive.

The other one is seeking families who need an active youth ministry and children’s ministry programs. They are pushing 700 and have individuals driving from Johnson County to be part of a vibrant church body.

They reminded me of an important item.............the church building is the least important part of their ministry. It's the people.

Enjoy

Where is Your Treasure?

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6

Money Problems-Spiritual Problems?

The number of homes facing foreclosure jumped 57 percent in January, compared to a year ago, with lenders increasingly forced to take possession of homes they couldn't unload at auctions, a mortgage research firm said this past Monday.

According to a recent survey conducted by the National Association for Business Economics (www.nabe.com), the combined threat of subprime loan defaults and excessive indebtedness has overtaken terrorism and the Middle East as the biggest short-term threat to the U.S. economy. 32% of the survey participants cited loan defaults and excessive debt as the biggest threat, compared to only 20% citing terrorism as the biggest threat.

In 1968, consumers’ total credit debt was $8 billion (in current dollars). Now the total exceeds $880 billion.

Why are so many people having money problems in our society today?

Why has credit card debt increased billions in the last few years?

What can we do to get out of debt as individuals and as a country?

I visit, almost weekly, with people about money problems and bills they can’t take care of. I see wage garnishes come across my desk every week on employees that I know are struggling.

It’s time, as a society, to begin to live as Christ intended for us to live. A simple life.

It surprises many Christians to learn that approximately two-thirds of the parables that Christ used in teaching deal specifically with finances. Christ never said money or material things were problems. He said that they were symptoms of the real problems. He constantly warned us to guard our hearts against greed, covetousness, ego, and pride, because these are the tools that Satan uses to control and manipulate this world. "He said to them, ‘Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.’ " (Luke 12:15).

So where can we start?

If parents do not operate on a budget, seldom will the children. If parents use credit readily and make buying decisions based on the ability to make monthly payments, rather than on the initial price of items purchased, so will the children. Once married and on their own, young couples attempt to duplicate in a few years what perhaps has taken their parents decades to accumulate. In order to accomplish that goal, they use credit, as they were taught. Before long, they have numerous assets, but the assets are all tied up in liabilities.

We need to teach living within our financial realm. Being content.

If Christian families truly lived by sound biblical financial principles, they would not only be lights to show the way to financial freedom for their friends and acquaintances, but their children would grow up with the knowledge of God's principles and how those principles should be used.

Order of Worship

Order of Worship
Sunday, March 2, 2008

Welcome: Bill Carriger

Worship Leader: David Carriger

797 Lord We Come Before Thee Now

718 We Shall Assemble

155 Highest Place

Prayer

666 I Am Thine O Lord (Verse 1 Only)

334 Tis Midnight and on Olives Brow

Lords Supper

Contribution

Dismiss 2x2

533 I Am A Sheep

Message Evan Burdan

Invitation 792 My Eyes Are Dry (Sing Twice)

Announcements

Closing Prayer

Leap Year

Leap Year has been the traditional time that women can propose marriage. In many of today's cultures, it is okay for a woman to propose marriage to a man. Society doesn't look down on such women. However, that hasn't always been the case. When the rules of courtship were stricter, women were only allowed to pop the question on one day every four years. That day was February 29th.

My Next Occupation

With many of my friends close to retirement, I have been contemplating that special time in my life. If you don't start to plan or prepare for that time in your life, you might have real difficulty.

In just a few years, I hope to be placing the donuts in the display cases at Dave's Daylight Donuts somewhere in the southern part of the United States.

That has been my dream for many years. Many people look at me like I'm crazy, but there are some reasons why this could be the very best job after working as an educator and administrator........

1. People are happy when they are eating donuts.
2. I wake up every morning around 3:00 a.m. anyway, why not go to work?
3. Its just me and my flour, other ingredients and fryers.
4. I can close when all the donuts are sold.
5. Golf can begin at noon each day.
6. I get to eat donuts every day.
7. No board meetings.
8. I do not have to drive the roads and decide if it's safe enough to make donuts today.
9. People love donuts
10. Debbie never has to fix me breakfast again.

A Summer Movie

In July of 1981, Debbie and I had just been married and were spending our second day of our honeymoon in beautiful Branson, Missouri at the lavish Kirkwood Motor Lodge. Being a big movie fan back in my younger years there was a movie that I had been wanting to see that summer. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was a big adventure movie that was the talk of the summer. Just across from the lavish Kirkwood Motor Lodge was the beautiful Branson Cinema (where movies cost $2.50) We decided to go watch this movie and enjoyed the action packed adventure.

This summer the fourth installment is coming. Here is a preview of the new adventure that will hit theatres this summer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPTJ4v6KPrg

Thought for the Day

"A disciplined follower of Jesus is someone who discerns when laughter, gentleness, silence, healing words, or prophetic indignation is called for, and offers it promptly, effectively, and lovingly."

John Ortberg

Harding University

A big recommendation for Harding University in 1988............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFff_bV_8Jw&feature=related

Interruptions

I remember that hot sunny day playing golf in Mississippi fives years a go. Debbie and I were on a links golf course just outside of Memphis having a great time. Debbie had just teed off on a par three hole and made a great shot. I was next. I was in the middle of my swing and my cell phone goes off. I got a lot of grass on that swing.

Interruptions happen daily in our lives. Sometimes they are tough to handle. Not prepared (much like the cell phone going off) for what is about to happen. Sometimes we have prepared knowing it will happen at some point in time.

Just this past Saturday an elderly lady, who was a gracious caregiver to so many in Osage City, was killed in a car accident. Interruptions can happen at any time. The family was devastated, as well as the community.

How do we prepare for interruptions?

By fixing our eyes on the Master each day. By giving him all of our troubles, sorrows and successes in life. By being prepared if this might be our last day on this earth.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mother's birthday. I know she is going to have a special birthday, because she is going to a special event tonight.

She is a very special woman who has taught me many important things in life. Her spiritual direction that she gave me has influenced my entire life. Her laughter and love of basketball has also.

I am looking forward to sharing with her this special day as we celebrate in the very best possible way.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Love,

David

P.S. Don't Forget Your Red Sweatshirt Tonight!!

Rescue the Perishing

The Times-Reporter of New Philadelphia, Ohio, reported in September 1985 a celebration at a New Orleans municipal pool. The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at any New Orleans city pool. In honor of the occasion, two hundred people gathered, including one hundred certified lifeguards.

As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, thirty-one, but it was too late. He had drowned surrounded by lifeguards celebrating their successful season.

I wonder how many visitors and strangers are among us drowning in loneliness, hurt, and doubt, while we, who could help them, don’t realize it. We Christians have reason to celebrate, but our mission, as the old hymn says, is to “rescue the perishing.” And often they are right next to us.

Think It's Cold in Kansas?

Valentine's Day

The day of love is finally here. I have noticed that this special day has been so commercialized this year that it has lost a lot of its significance.

The day after Christmas the stores were packed with Valentine’s gifts. Candy, cards, perfume, flowers, teddy bears……What is a guy suppose to buy for their sweetheart?

I’ve tried it all. Debbie has appreciated all my gifts to her. The item she appreciates the most is a card with my thoughts and feelings each year and a night with no meetings or school activities.

I hope this Valentine’s Day 2008 will be one that you can share with that special person in your life and tell them how much you care and cherish their love.

Love

Love is the greatest medicine.
I ask to be healing medicine for others.
I ask my heart to expand its boundaries
and to love others as they wish to be loved.
I ask my heart to expand its boundaries
and open to my being loved
as I wish to be loved.

Julia Cameron

Love Never Fails

Though I speak with the tongues of people and of angels,
but have not love,
I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy,
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and though I have faith, so that I could remove mountains,
but have not love,
I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned,
but have not love,
it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind;
love does not envy;
love does not parade itself,
is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely,
does not seek its own,
is not provoked,
thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity,
ut rejoices in the truth;
bears all things,
elieves all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never fails.

I Corinthians 13: 1-8

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

I'm not sure if there has ever been a more beautiful song ever written. As we begin a week centered on LOVE there is nothing greater than the love God has for us.......

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

-George Matheson

All the Way to the Bottom

One night a man was brought into New York’s busy Bellvue Hospital. He appeared to be just another bum with a slashed throat.

He had been brought in from the Bowery, which in many cases was the last stop before the morgue. The Bowery was a synonym of filth, loneliness, cheap booze, drugs, disease, and the dead end of many a life.

He looked like all the rest. It was obvious that he had only lived to drink. His health was gone. He was cold and starving. On that icy January morning, this man who looked twice his age, was found lying in a heap, naked and bleeding from a deep gash in this throat. His forehead was badly bruised and he was semi-conscious.

A doctor was called…however, time ran out. The man died…and was sent to the morgue.

There among dozens of colorless, nameless corpses with tags on their toes, the man was identified. When they scrapped together his belongings, they found a ragged, dirty coat with 38 cents in one pocket and a scrap of paper in the other. This was all his earthly goods. Enough coins for another night in the Bowery and five words on a piece of paper; “Dear friends and gentle hearts.”

Once upon a time before his tragic death at age 38, this man
had written songs that literally made the whole world sing:

Camptown Races
Oh! Susanna!
Beautiful Dreamer
Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair
Old Folks at Home
My Old Kentucky Home and over 200 more.

The bum found in the Bowery was Stephen Foster. What happened? Who knows for sure, but one thing is obvious. Sin and Satan can and will take a person to the bottom!

Services Cancelled Tonight

Services have been cancelled for tonight. Stay safe on the roads.

Tulsa International Soul Winning Workshop

A Week Without E-Mail?

What would happen if I decided on March 14 not to check my e-mail for an entire week (including weekends)?

I couldn’t imagine the amount of e-mails I would have stored up. I usually receive about 100 e-mails a day as a school superintendent. Some are family related, some church related but the majority are school business.

Spring break would be a quieter period to go e-mail free for a week. Could I make it?

Many involved in business are trying to practice this once a year. A way to reduce stress and have a “quiet down period” of rest.

Debbie and I are thinking about taking a much-needed relaxing spring break trip to a warm southern state. Could I actually go e-mail free for that week?

The only bad thing…………when I get back from the trip and check my e-mail I might need another vacation.


"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."--Matthew 11:28

Order of Worship

Order of Worship
Sunday, February 3, 2008

Welcome: Roger Hamm
Worship Leader: David Carriger

144 O Worship the King
96 I Stand in Awe
Doxology
Glorify Thy Name

Prayer:

454 Rock of Ages (Verse 1 only)
361 Nailed to the Cross (Verse 1 Only)
Wonderful, Merciful Savior

Lords Supper

Contribution

Dismiss 2x2

Jesus You’re My Firm Foundation

Message Evan Burdan

Invitation 679 Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus (Verse 1 and 4 Only)

Announcements

Closing Prayer

Days of Elijah

Consider Him

This is the time of the year, every basketball player is dinged a bit. They have aches and pains, ligaments that are stretched, bones that are sore, and they probably ache everywhere pretty much all of the time (KU is probably feeling it a little more this morning). It's then that they are asked to play their best.

Ministry is often the same...except that playing hurt doesn't mean playing through physical ailments (though it can)...but more through emotional or spiritual pain. Many in ministry are experts at it...that's what makes them so amazing to me. Many of them have ministered through unbelievable personal or congregational pain and thus set an example for many. Their role model was Jesus.

Hebrews 12:3 reads, "Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted."

It's true...much of the Christian life is lived through some sort of less-than-optimal state of being. We are to play anyway. If you are in pain today...emotional, spiritual, or physical...consider him.
Consider Him...
Consider Him...
Consider Him...And you will not grow weary or lose heart.

I Am the Blind Man

Lord, without you I am the blind man.
Sitting on the sidelines of life,
I am a beggar. Hoping someone will notice
me and toss me some spare change. Maybe enough to make
it for one more day. My hope of
anything better has long since vanished.
And I am reduced to despair.

Lord, without you I am the blind man.
I can’t see the beauty of the world.
A smile escapes my notice. A sunset
fades unseen. A friend’s need goes
unmet in my darkness. And your
bounty and beauty are wasted
on me because no light gets
into my eyes or brightens my way.

Lord, without you I am the blind man.
How did all this start? Did
my vision begin to fail when my
pride began to rule? Did my sight
dim when carelessness or
greed gained a foothold in my heart?
Have I for so long depended on
myself instead of you that darkness won the day?

Lord, without you I am the blind man.
Pass by, please, one more time
and call me to your side. I’ll tell
you, as before, that what I want—
what I need—more than anything
else is to see clearly. I want to see
your face. I want to see what is real.
I want to see you and follow, praising.

Author Unknown

Who We Are

"We are a fellowship of Christians, bound together by our mutual faith in Jesus Christ, and respect for one another. We are not limited by any denomination, not responsible to any authority but God, and not obligated to promote anyone but Christ.

We are a Bible-centered church. We are aware that we are not perfect, but we strive to please God by "fixing our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2). We believe that God expects us to demonstrate the Christian life through love, purity of life and commitment to others.

We respect the freedom of opinion of individual Christians, recognizing that there will be honest differences in all of us. We look to the Scriptures as our only doctrinal authority, and where those Scriptures are silent, we honor the wisdom of God by refusing to bind human opinions as creed."

Batsell Barrett Baxter

Happiness

Dennis Prager, author of the shrewd and perceptive "Happiness is a Serious Problem," writes,
"There is a 'secret to happiness,'" Prager writes, "and it is gratitude. All happy people are grateful, and ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that it is being unhappy that leads people to complain, but it is truer to say that it is complaining that leads to people becoming unhappy. Become grateful and you will become a much happier person."

Would They Miss Us?

It’s exciting to think about the endless possibilities of a new church building for the Central congregation. The outreach, the expanded education program, easier access for our senior saints, more parking, areas for growth. But I’m also sad about leaving the inner city area. So my question this morning, would anyone in this neighborhood miss us if we move?

See there is a growing frustration among church leaders these days. Seems as if they are believing that their churches ought to make more of a difference in the community than they do at present. So I ask the question this morning, would anyone miss us if we disappeared?

Martin Luther King Jr.

“I hope you can find some consolation from Christianity’s affirmation that death is not the end. Death is not a period that ends the great sentence of life, but a comma that punctuates it to more lofty significance. Death is not a blind alley that leads the human race into a state of nothingness, but an open door which leads man into life eternal. Let this daring faith, this great invincible surmise, be your sustaining power during these trying days.”

Martin Luther King Jr.
1963

York College Tragedy

Published Friday
January 18, 2008

York College wrestler killed in crash

BY JASON KUIPER AND ANDREW J. NELSONWORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS
ONAWA, IOWA - A member of the York College wrestling team was killed after a van carrying the team and its coaches rolled in the median of Interstate 29 about ten miles south of here.

The York College wrestling team, including Brock Pigorsch who is the back row, on the left. His brother Brandon is third from the left in the middle row.The school identified the victim as Brock Pigorsch, 21, of Herington, Kan. Pigorsch was a freshman physical education major. His brother was also on the wrestling team.The van was carrying 10 members and two coaches, said Sgt. Dan Schaffer of the Iowa State Patrol. The crash took place about 4:30 p.m.The team was bound for Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, where it was scheduled to compete in the Red Raider Invite Saturday morning.The others in the van were taken to a Onawa hospital for treatment. Once released they will return to the college, located in York, Neb., or their homes.It is not known whether Pigorsch was wearing a seat belt.

Worship

The following are three quotes that describe worship. This one is from Israel’s worship.

"Come, let us bow down in worship,let us kneel before the LORD our Maker." Psalm 95:6

This one is out of the idea in Churches of Christ in the 1950s that there are five and only five acts of worship.

"To be scriptural our Lord’s day worship must contain all of these five required items...To have less than these required five is to render the worship vain! To have more than these, is to corrupt the worship!" John Banister (1951)

Finally, this one is from a contemporary writer who follows the “Edification Model” that sees no special presence of God in the assembly but views worship as a way of filling the tank of discipleship to go on living in “daily worship.”

"You won't find any place in the New Testament where these ideas of special presence or encounter with God are part of the Christian assembly...There is no more special presence of God on Sunday morning at the church building than there is in your car Monday morning ... The idea of limited or special presence of God comes from temple traditions and cathedral thinking ... What happens in the assembly of the saints is totally up to you!" Mike Root (2000)

I Really Hate Snow!

My future January home...............

Celebrate and be Glad!

One of my favorite passages is the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Every time I read the story I think about my own journeys away from God. Those moments when I foolishly decide I can do life on my own out of my selfishness and stubbornness.

Then what happens? I fall flat on my face and can’t get up. I see the error of my way and realize there is only One that can’t pick me up, clean me up, and bring me back to life.

That last verse is one that we all need to remember. Because when a brother or sister has realized where they have been and need that forgiving grace, we need to celebrate and thank God for the change of heart.

“Celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

Thought for the Day

"The grand point is not to wear the garb, nor use the brogue of religion, but to possess the life of God within, and feel and think as Jesus would have done because of that inner life. Small is the value of external religion unless it is the outcome of a life within."
--Charles Spurgeon.

Nothing in My Hand

Nothing in My Hand
A Prayer last Sunday at the Highland Oaks COC in Dallas

I wanted to bring you the best of last year, Lord.
Something beautiful.
Or holy or special.
Something that would make you smile
on me—make you proud of me.
I looked and searched for just the
right gift, but as you see
I’ve come to you again with
nothing in my hand.

I thought of collecting my tears for you, Lord,
tears for my sins.
I found plenty of sins
and a pool of tears I’d shed.
But I was caught short in my collecting
by the streams of mercy that
washed over me—taking my
tears with it, leaving me clean and with
nothing in my hand.

Maybe my energy or my zeal or
my hours of work in the
kingdom could be bundled and
wrapped into a suitable gift for
you, Lord. But my gathering
and wrapping only produced a
shabby offering—not fit for a
king and surely not valuable enough
to exchange for your forgiveness.

Everything I tried to make into a gift
for you, Lord, from the inventory of
my life, turned out to be light
as air—my goodness, my
good works, my understanding,
my care, my intentions—
all collapsed into nothing. And in
truth I found myself naked,
helpless and very much in need.

Walk with me through this
year, Lord. Show me what
is real and valuable.
Open my eyes to my need
and to your bounty
so that at year’s end
I may have the privilege
of coming to you—rescued, and with nothing in my hand.

Dealing With Difficult People

Dealing with difficult people is something each one of us will have to do so long as we live on planet earth. The world is, of course, filled with individuals who are each unique in their combination of age, health, personality, experience, upbringing, faith, and reasoning abilities.

In this sense, it will be somewhat of a challenge for anyone to relate to another. But we were called by Jesus who commanded us: "Love one another" (John 13:34, NIV). If everyone strived to love one another as our LORD commanded, there would likely be no need for a course on difficult people. The reality is that not only are people individuals but many strive to create strife and turmoil for others.

Difficult People

"I try to get along with Jim, but we always seem to be on different pages. I try to work with him, but a conflict always arises. Then I feel guilty. I don't like the tension, but I don't seem to understand how he thinks and acts or how to get along with him."

Sound familiar? We all have people in our lives that are difficult to understand, work with, or be around. We say things like, "I'm tired of his pushiness," "She's so picky,” "I can't seem to get him involved."

As long as we live, we will experience conflicts. Some persons are more difficult to get along with than others. They seem irregular to us.

Getting along with people takes effort. It means loving them when we don't feel like it and when they are not lovable.

When I look at material for our young professional class I usually look for relevant biblical topics that can be used in the stress filled daily walk that we must live each and every day. The current series that we are studying is one that I chose because it was one that I needed for the New Year. How to Deal with Difficult People is challenging. So many personalities, so many different types of people. Jesus knew just the right way to deal with so many challenging people. The critical Pharisees to his bubbling disciples.

How did he do it?

A Christian Nation?

Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of Scripture for the people of this nation. Patrick Henry, a leader of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, "Give me liberty or give me death"; but in current textbooks, the context of these words is omitted.

Here is what he actually said: "An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death."

These sentence s have been erased from our textbooks. Was Patrick Henry a Christian? The following year, 1776, he wrote this: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."

Consider these words that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the front of his well-worn Bible: "I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our creator." He was also the n chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his highest and most important role. On July 4, 1821, President Adams said, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this! : "It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."

Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President of the United States reaffirmed this truth when he wrote, "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country."

In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: " The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools." William Holmes McGuffey is the author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for over 100 years in our public schools, with over 125 million copies sold, until it was stopped in 1963.

President Lincoln called him the "Schoolmaster of the Nation." Listen to these words of Mr. McGuffey: "The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our nation, on the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free Institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. For all these extracts from the Bible, I make no apology."

Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian, including the first, Harvard University, chartered in 1636. In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the Scriptures: "Let every student plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies, is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation for our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."

James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: "We have staked the whole future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."

Most of what you read in this article has been erased from our textbooks. Revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country's Christian roots.

Something to think about as we elect our next president!

OU Plays for National Championship Tonight

GO SOONERS....................

Daily Bible Reading in 2008

One blog I read offered the following eight suggestions for daily Bible reading in 2008. Writing and underlining is the key. Having some margin space in whatever Bible I'm reading...and a good pen. This can be a wonderful alternative to journaling or supplement to journaling, if you really take your time with the text.

Here are the eight suggestions:

1. Prepare the night before
2. Pray
3. Same time, same place every day
4. Keep track of what you read
5. Write in your Bible
6. Read consecutively (regular succession)
7. Use a journal
8. Respond to what you’ve read

To Die Young

This morning I drive south to one of the Carriger family cemeteries in Oklahoma to bury a cousin who I didn't know very well but have been asked to officiate the graveside service.

Tough to articulate what needs to be said about someones life when you don't really know the person as well as you needed too.

Trying to comfort a mother who lost their son is always a difficult task.

A New Year's Prayer

Holy God of Heaven and Earth,
I know that a thousand years are as a day to you, but we humans are bound up in time. As a new year is beginning, please teach me to ...
care more about people and less about money,
enjoy my work but not let it enslave me,
and laugh more easily than I did last year.
As I get ready for 2008, help me to remember things that are easy to forget ...
that it might well be my last year,
that some people are counting on me,
and that you have things for me to do.
Lord, with the things I have accumulated over the years, please let me ...
shake off the monotony of life,
try some new things in this new year,
and mend some broken fences.
And, Father of Mercies, please teach me in this new and unspoiled year to ...
lighten up and enjoy children, sunsets, reading, and long walks,
avoid quarrels and work at being a peacemaker in this world,
and start next year with fewer regrets than I bring to 2008.
May we live it for your glory!I cannot know what this year will bring, and I am grateful for that! But help me ...
eat less junk food,
exercise and take better care of my body,
and learn to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Above all other things, Father, I want to be your instrument for ...
easing somebody's too-heavy load,
relieving some sad person's misery,
and introducing some lost soul to Jesus.
Come what may in the year about to begin, may we live it for your glory, within your will, and to your delight.
We pray in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

by Rubel Shelly
http://www.heartlight.org

Simple Times in 2008

One of my favorite Christmas movies is one that that came out in the late 70’s that was the pilot for the Walton’s television show called The Homecoming.

I taped the movie several years ago and watch it each holiday season. The story is about a family growing up in West Virginia during the depression that is very poor waiting on their Father who works out of town to return for Christmas. The weather is turning bad and the family is very concerned if he will arrive.

I love the show and the simple way of life for the Walton’s family. They didn’t have all the stuff and luxuries that we enjoy today but they enjoyed true happiness and contentment. Their faith in God was very evident in their daily life.

Simple times. Family times. Faith in God. That sounds like a life that each of us needs as we look forward to 2008.

Happy New Year!