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Study it More
This is a little piece from the Free Methodist Communicator
written by Bishop David Roller. A little something to make you sit back and
think.
“We need to study it more” is committee-speak for “Are you
stark raving mad?”
And it’s always the wrong answer. Usually it’s a way to
avoid making a difficult decision, or to reject a proposal, or to say “no” when
we don’t have the energy to say, “yes.”
As a dad, I used to say, “We’ll see.” My kids knew that
meant “No, unless we find a suitcase of cash today.” But even “we’ll see” is
more optimistic than “we need to study this more.”
Here’s the way I see it ... if it’s a dumb idea find a kind
way to say, “it’s a dumb idea” rather than “we need to study it more.” Or, if
it’s a good idea but we don’t have the energy to jump into it, say, “Dude, your
idea rocks, but I’m a tired old man, could you do it alone if I give you
permission?” Or, and here’s a novel thought, say, “We don’t know all the answers but this sure seems right, let’s do it! If we need to make
mid-course corrections, we will. If we need to stop after a little while, we
will. We will study it as we go.”
The only time I like to hear, “Let’s study it more,” is when it’s the Bible.
Pick a Side –
Are You with God or Against Him
Let me ask you something – Are you with God or are you
Against Him? It seems like a straight forward question with a straight forward
answer – doesn’t it. Well actually it is, although we like to complicate things
far too many times. We have a tendency to complicate things because we are
looking at them through human eyes and along with that come human ambitions –
our wants; our goals and yes our own human pride. That’s not to say we don’t
want to help to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, but we don’t always
prioritize correctly what is and should be of most importance in our lives. We
spend so much time and energy setting and striving for goals in our future and
the future of our children that we will quite often loose site of the fact that
we have set other things ahead of God – things like our job; our home; our bank
accounts and our very own time.
Recently I had one of those times where I had to prioritize
and decide what was more important – my home or God. We started re-roofing our
home on the Friday before Memorial Day. We were going to try and get the second
floor done first and the rest could be done at a little slower pace. Of course
everyone thought that in two days we would be done. That is everyone but me; I
have a tendency to estimate differently. Some may say it’s pessimistic but I
say it’s just being realistic. From the very beginning of the project I told
people we would not be working on Sunday morning because we would be in church
and of course Saturday night came and one whole side was still open and exposed
with the threat of strong storms coming in on Sunday. I was asked again – was I
going to church Sunday morning or working on the house? The response was
church. That’s not to say I didn’t have a few prayers going through my head at
the time. For the most part though my prayer was that God would help me be
faithful to Him first and foremost and if it was His will to bless us because
of our faithfulness or help us to deal with the rain if it came.
Let’s make a long story short. Did it rain on the house?
Well it sprinkled where we live while different places around us had rain.
Different people came together in the afternoon and helped us to cover the roof
completely prior to the storms moving in. Did God bless us? You bet He did. Can something like this test
a person’s faith? Sure it can. Which was going to take priority God or my
house? After all, a house can be a major investment and needs to be taken care
of.
But see the major question for me that weekend was – am I
working with God or against Him? See I was to help lead Praise and Worship that
Sunday morning so was I going to do what God wanted or what I maybe thought I
needed. Earlier that week I was reading through the New Testament and came
across Matthew 12:30. “Anyone who isn’t with me
opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against
me.” NLT
When I read this verse what went through my head was
something like this – if I’m standing aside or don’t step forward when God
wants me to then I am actually working against God’s plan and a hindrance to
Him. So the question that Sunday morning was – am I going to work with God or
am I going to be against God? Looking at it this way made the choice that much
easier.
If you open your Bible up to Mark chapter 10 starting at
verse 17, you will find someone who was faced with the same question – what is
taking first place in your life? A rich young man approached Jesus and wanted
eternal life. Like so many of us today he asked the question of what must I do to have this eternal life
that I desire. In reality, there is nothing we can do as far as tasks, good
works or following certain rules and regulations in order to get this eternal
life. Jesus has already paid the price. He was and is the only one who could.
It is a free gift given to us through God's grace when we believe and except.
But it doesn’t or shouldn’t end there. We should grow and
strive to become closer to God by becoming more like Christ by using the
example Jesus gave us. There is a church along the highway as I go to work
every morning – they have a bulletin board out front where they put different
sayings from time to time. Right now it goes something like this – “We are not
saved by good works, rather we are saved for good works”. See, we are saved by
grace through faith in Jesus Christ – then we should grow in our faith through
study, prayer and interaction with other Christians – which in turn should
produce fruit with what we do as we use Jesus as our example.
This rich young man though was not willing to give up what
he loved here on earth. He wanted to put his own possessions, rather his money
as taking first place in his life. If you go back to Matthew – he wasn’t
opposing Jesus but he wasn’t working with Jesus either. So in reality he was
working against Jesus or in contrast to what Jesus was teaching.
You see the gray area starts to disappear here and there is
simply black or white. You are working at growing in your walk with God through
the study of His word, through prayer and through meeting with other believers
and then putting what you learned into practice by following Jesus’ example –
or you’re not. You are being obedient to God by getting involved in His church
and using the gifts and talents He gave you – or you’re not. You are putting
God first in your life – or you’re not. Or are you trying to be like the
churches mentioned in the book of Revelations. They were luke warm and not very
pleasant to God. Are we being the same today by trying to ride the fence and go
without having to completely pick one side or the other? We don’t want to deny
Jesus because we know what the consequences are and yet we don’t want to fully
commit to God either because of what we feel that would cost us as far as our time,
energy and money.
For some it’s time to jump off of that fence and pick a
side. Are you going to work with what God wants or are you going to do your own
thing. You are either working with Him or you’re not. So where are you in your
walk with God? Are you Growing or at least trying to grow? Are you putting things
ahead of God that would make you a hindrance to His plans or are you putting
Him first? ………Are you with God or are you against Him?
New Books
Added to the Church Library
There have been several new books added to the church
library. If you haven’t already taken the chance to use the resources in the
church library for either enjoyment or growth, now may be just that time. Here
is a listing of some of the new additions to the library.
Call # Author Title
.
230 Lew Lewis,
C.S. Mere Christianity
231.7 Pip Piper,
Don 90 Minutes in Heaven
242 Oma Omartian,
Stormie Just
Enough Light for the Step I'm on
248.8 Oma Omartian,
Stormie Power
of the Praying Woman, The
Fic Ten Tenney, Tommy One Night with the King
Fic Ale Alexander,
Tamera Rekindled - (Chronicles Book
1)
Fic Ale Alexander,
Tamera Remembered - (Chronicles Book
3)
Fic Ale Alexander,
Tamera Revealed - (Chronicles Book 2)
Fic And Anderson,
Becca Gathering Place, The
Fic Bel Bell,
James Scott Presumed Guilty
Fic Hof Hoff,
B.J. A Distant Music
Fic Hol Holton,
Chuck Island Inferno (Task
Valor Book 2)
Fic Kin Kingsbury,
Karen Sunrise ( Sunrise Series Book
1)
Fic LaH LaHaye,
Beverly Season of Blessing
Fic Nic Nichols,
Linda In Search of Eden
Fic Pet Peterson,
Tracie What She Left For Me
Fic Saw Sawyer,
Kim Vogel Waiting for Summer's Return
Fic Shr Shreve,
Anita Light On Snow
Book Club
Changes
There have been some changes to the schedule for the Book
Club. This is a great opportunity to grow by reading and meeting with others,
so if you love reading check out these changes – pick up a book and plan to
attend the following Book Club meetings.
June30 - Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
July 28 - NO Book (The Preacher and the
Presidents will be rescheduled for next year) Fawn has scheduled a
speaker from the Illinois Family Institute which will take place at the St.
John's Lutheran Church. If you recall we discussed this when reading the
book "Because they Hate" and talked about Christian Lobbyists.
IFI works with lawmakers at the Illinois Capital with parents contending
against secular humanistic indoctrination at public schools, and other social
issues including marriage, fatherhood, and other current family initiatives.
August 25 - Dandeline Dust by Karen
Kingsbury
September 22 - The Last Sin Eater (Book and
DVD) by Francine Rivers
October 27 - Stormie by Stormie O'Martian
November 24 - The Pursuit of God by A.W.
Tozer
December 29 - Mama Lena's - Book Exchange
and choose titles for next year.
A Fathers
Love, A Fathers Frustration
Anyone with children will probably understand more about
what I’m saying here. As a child I don’t think you fully understand some of the
things that go on in your life. The restrictions – the fact that your parents
get upset when it’s late and you don’t call – or sometimes just simply those
moments of silence even though you know they are not necessarily, well let's
just say thrilled with you at the moment. We don’t understand what the big deal
is after all it’s not like someone died – we are just being the kids we were
meant to be.
Becoming a father or mother changes your whole outlook on
things. See, the restrictions are there as teaching tools and safety barriers –
getting upset when you don’t call is simply because we love you and worry so
much about you that at times it hurts – and silence, yes usually means we are
as you would say ‘not thrilled with you at the moment’.
But it’s more than just that, as a parent you can see such
potential in a child and you want only the best for them. And yes that can mean
frustration and disappointment when mistakes are made, but also love and a
helping hand to get back on their feet. Frustration may come but the love
doesn’t end.
This morning I woke up and the thought came to mind that if
we are children of God, then how much we must disappoint and frustrate God at
times. Sometimes it must seem as we can hardly ever do anything right. God can
see so much potential in us, his children. Yet far too many times we come up
short and fail. Is that failure simply because we can’t do what is asked or do
we lack the faith. Do we need to say I believe Lord, help me where I’m coming
up short? Or are we just being rebellious and want to do our own thing and put
God down the line of our priorities.
I just couldn’t help but think of how much I have probably
frustrated God over the years. Like most children I have been disobedient and
at time just straight out rebellious. I have not always listened simply because
I didn’t want to listen. As children we tend to put our needs ahead of others.
Even through all of these years and all of the things that
have been done God still loves His children and wants what’s best for them. He
still sees the possibilities and potential that is there. As children we make
mistakes and fail, yet He still loves us and still reaches out that helping
hand.
It’s a father’s love without end.
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Sermon
Schedule
"This
Is Your Life" a series in the Psalms. We will be looking at the real
life trials and tribulations of the writers of some of the Psalms, and how they
related to God. We will also look at how their sentiments and struggles
relate to our own, and how the New Testament speaks to the issues raised.
The Game Show titles will each relate to the Psalm being studied. Why
don't you read the psalms before hand, and try to decipher the relationship
between the title and the Psalm!?!
June 15
"You Bet Your Life"
Psalm 1
June 22
"What's My Line"
Psalm 8
June 29
"Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader"
Psalm 14
July 6
"Bowling for Dollars"
Psalm 19
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Monthly
Scripture Reading
Follow this schedule to read
through the Bible in one year.
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June 1 – 1 Kings 15-17
June 2 – 1 Kings 18-20
June 3 – 1 Kings 21-22
June 4 – 2 Kings 1-3
June 5 – 2 Kings 4-6
June 6 – 2 Kings 7-9
June 7 – 2 Kings 10-12
June 8 – 2 Kings 13-15
June 9 – 2 Kings 16-17
June 10 – 2 Kings 18-19
June 11 – 2 Kings 20-22
June 12 – 2 Kings 23-25
June 13 – Acts 1-3
June 14 – Acts 4-5
June 15 – Acts 6-7
June 16 – Acts 8-9
June 17 – Acts 10-11
June 18 – Acts 12-13
June 19 – Acts 14-15
June 20 – Acts 16-18
June 21 – Acts 19-20
June 22 – Acts 21-23
June 23 – Acts 24-26
June 24 – Acts 27-28
June 25 – 1 Chronicles 1-2
June 26 – 1 Chronicles 3-5
June 27 – 1 Chronicles 6
June 28 – 1 Chronicles 7-8
June 29 – 1 Chronicles 9-10
June 30 – 1 Chronicles 11-13
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Promise
Keepers 2008
How about you men out there, are you working on your
relationship with God? Are you reading His word – going to Him in prayer –
meeting with others to be built up and to build up others? Promise Keepers may
not be for everyone in every situation, but it can be a great opportunity to meet
with a large group of men who are seeking the same thing as you – a closer walk
with God. So don’t just dismiss this event like some others rather pray about
it and discuss it with someone else. There are price breaks for early
registration and you can opt out of them supplying lunch for the day. Peoria is
not very far away so the distance shouldn’t keep you from working at becoming
closer to God.
The Manhood ‘08 program
is aimed at equipping men to get a handle on their life and mission, amidst a
shifting culture that is sometimes outright hostile. Promise Keepers
intends to deliver the message that a real man loves God more than anything
else and is willing to progressively receive his help in becoming more like
Jesus in how he thinks, lives, and relates to others this side of heaven. So,
how are you doing in your daily walk? Are you responding in the Spirit or in
the flesh?
Six Sessions to Help Equip Men for Battle
Friday Evening - 6:30 to 10:00 p.m.
Session I: “The Battle for Eternity”
Session II: “The Battle for Truth”
Saturday - 9:00 a.m. to Noon
Session III: “The Battle for Godliness”
Session IV: “The Battle for Freedom”
Saturday Afternoon - 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.
Session V: “The Battle for Priorities”
Session VI: “The Battle for Influence”
Mark this date on your calendar now and register to attend.
Simply go to: http://www.promisekeepers.org/2008/peoria-il
Striving to become the Men God intended.
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Lena Food Pantry
Every month there are families who struggle to
have some of the basic needs met. Not only in other countries, but also here in
the U.S. and in our surrounding communities, there are families that struggle
just to get the neccessities that are needed for everyday life. Some are single
parent families where the parent must work more than one job in order to support
their children.
Every month we put our efforts into meeting one
or two of those needs by scheduling one or two items that we as a congregation
will focus on for the local food pantry. Some of the items are everyday items
that are not usaully covered at the food pantry itself. We have shared this list
with other area churches hoping that they will be able to put a concentrated
effort into another needed item.
The items we are concentrating on for this month
are:
- Napkins / Paper plates
- Pork & Beans
- Ketchup / Mustard / Chili
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Game Night
The game night for June will be
June
28th starting at 6:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to come together for a night of
fellowship and games. Summer is here and we will be having camp fires
and some outdoor games when possible. Game night is the last Saturday of the month with the exception of
December when the game night is changed to New Years Eve.
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