The Bible

The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by about 40 authors, in three different languages, on three different continents, over approximately 1600 years. The Bible claims to be inspired and inerrant. This means that the Bible claims to be from God and that it is without error in everything it addresses. The Bible contains many different styles of writing such as poetry, narration, fiction, history, law, and prophecy and must be interpreted in context of those styles. It is the source of the Christian religion in that the Bible contains the words of God and how the Christian is to apply the words of God to his life. Basically, the Bible describes the origin of man in the Garden of Eden along with his fall into sin and out of fellowship with God. It then describes how God called out a special people to Himself, the Israelites. He promised the Israelites a future Messiah who would restore mankind's relationship with God. The Bible is the account of the work of God in history bringing to fruition His prophetic declarations concerning Jesus. Jesus was born of the Virgin, died on the cross, and paid for sins, just as the Bible prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New. In short, the Bible points to Jesus, "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me," (John 5:39). Furthermore, the Bible teaches us that forgiveness of sins is found in Jesus alone, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12). Some say that the Bible is nothing more than fairy tales. But this cannot be for it contains great wisdom and truth and it has been verified throughout history as being accurate. Its historical accounts are flawlessly accurate. In fact, archaeology routinely demonstrates the accuracy of the biblical records concerning locations and events recorded in the Bible.

The Old Testament Books written by the prophets such as Moses, David, Isaiah, etc.
Pentateuch - 5 books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books - 12 books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings, First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
Poetical - 5 books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
Prophetical - 17 books: Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel; Minor Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

The New Testament Books written by those who knew Jesus or were under the guidance of those who did know Jesus
Historical Books - 5 books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
Pauline Epistles - 13 books: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians. 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
Non-Pauline Epistles - 9 books: Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation
A. Note: Some authors attribute Hebrews to Paul.

Adapted from carm.org

"I was blind, but now I see."

John 9
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind 1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
6Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" 9Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man."
10"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.
11He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."
12"Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said.
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing 13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. 15Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."
16Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.
17Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet."
18The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 19"Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?"
20"We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. 21But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ[a] would be put out of the synagogue. 23That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
24A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God,[b]" they said. "We know this man is a sinner."
25He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
26Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"
27He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"
28Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from."
30The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
34To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.
Spiritual Blindness 35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
36"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."
37Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."
38Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.
39Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."
40Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"
41Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Jena 6 Case

If you have watched or read any news as of late you are familiar with the phrase "Jena 6". The Jena 6 involves racism and racial tension in Jena, LA. This Jena 6 Case goes back to last year about this time and involves a high school, a town, teachers, students, parents, and the courts. As I read about it and watch some news coverage my heart is broken. This stuff is crazy. Not just the racism stuff, but the whole fighting, brawling, hanging noose, division, lack of discipline, the white tree, the courts, the seemingly lack of proper school action, and now the rallies throughout the states supporting the young men arrested for badly beating a another young man.

God help us all. I need it. We need it. Jena High School needs it. Jena, LA needs it. Racism is wrong. The whole "Jena 6" is wrong. The case may be about six students, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. This goes way beyond the six on trial. It does seem that injustice is being done in the court room and so people are speaking out via rallies and news media, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The white tree needs to become the prayer tree and a place where people meet God, confess there sins and get right with God and one another. The city and county leaders need to get over themselves, learn from the past, and move forward in new relationships. The white students need to rally for the black students and the black students need to rally for the white students. It seems some parents need to get off of their butts and begin to get over themselves, learn from the past, and move forward in new relationships. It may be that teachers in the local schools need to get over themselves, learn from the past and move forward in new relationships. You and I need to get over ourselves, learn from the past and move forward in new relationships.

THE THEME:

Get over ourselves.:

We are not our own. God created us and we need to understand that truth. We have gone astray in the way we treat God and one another. This is called sin. The word for sin really means missing the mark, not hitting the bulls eye on the target, falling short. I do not have to look very hard to see how I have missed the mark, not hit the bulls eye and have fallen short in my life in regards to decisions, actions, and thoughts. You most likely do not have to look very hard either. If you do you are blinded by self righteousness and ought to move to Jena, LA. You would fit right in with the others.

Learn from the past:

Racism is wrong. It is a sin. We all have it in us. History is clear on this matter and many other matters of our undoing.

Move forward in new relationships:

God loves us. All of us. He sent His son to die for our sin and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have life, a new relationship and new relationships. I have accepted this fact by faith and need to move forward in new thoughts, new relationships, restoration and reconciliation. I do not always do this even in my own family and friendships because I often need to get over myself, learn form the past, and move forward in new relationships. Sound familiar.

"Jena 6". God help us. Help us move past black, white, brown, tan, etc. God help me. Help me move past myself and allow you to move in my life. I admit this is hard for me the type A, driven, my way or the highway person I am, but I want you to take these traits and use them for your Kingdom and not my kingdom. God as I read your word, the news and learn from my family and from my mistakes move me in a new direction of healthy decision making for me, my family and my friends. Thanks for the hope you give. Thanks that my hope is in you. That you have brought life to me. May your healing and restoration take place in Jena, LA.

Next Steppers

My Parents (Eldon and Dawn Nethery), Ed Lane, Bill Pursley, Bill Whitney Terry Hitt, Jack and Joy Hathaway, Eldon and JoAnne Burks, Kyle Klemke, Mark Foley, Dr. Ritchie, Mom Merriman, Debbie Morgan, Joe Taylor, James Smith, Mike and Patti Paschall, Morris and Jodi Chapman, Lynn Holly, and others.

I accepted Christ by faith in 5th grade. In late high school and early college as I began to wander about life and such people in my life were able to help me through some hard times, help me have fun and grappled alongside of me with some difficult God and life questions along the way. I thank God that these and others introduced me to Jesus Christ and helped me grow in my walk with God. As I began to grow in my walk with God and and was given the opportunities to serve in various roles in a local church I then started sensing God's direction for my life was to serve Him in what is called "ministry". Some of the above helped me in that process and due to them I have been able to help a few others in their walk with God for over 23 years. THANKS to God and to the above named.

For SCC - Living In 3D 9-16-07

We continued our stroll through the series Just Walk Across The Room this past Sunday and it was really cool to see all the movement during the service when Scott Salsman asked us to write down on a card someone who helped us take a next step in our faith walk with Christ and then bring the cards to the front and place them in a basket. An individual from the back was the first to come forward and then the crowd started moving from there seats to the front of the auditorium. I was able to watch from the back and see the encouraging smiles and glances as people came together in the isle or made eye contact with one another. It was a beautiful site to see people remembering those who touched their lives. I placed the names of my parents, Ed Lane, the pastor of the church I attended as a kid and the pastor who gave me my first shot at ministry, and Mark Foley, a man who mentored me and helped me grow in Christ in my early college years on my card. There was not enough room on my card to place other names nor enough time in the service so I listed them in a blog titled Next Steppers.

During the service Scott help us understand what we can do as we move outside of our comfort zone and move into the zone of the unknown. He spoke to us about living in 3D.

1. Develop Friendships

2. Discover Stories

3. Discern Next Steps

As we walk across rooms, streets, fields, and offices and begin to meet new people we can live in 3D and have an eternal impact on a friends life. My life was has been touched by people that practiced these three steps and yet I had no idea they were practicing these three steps. God worked through people who cared for me, sought to understand me and then helped me understand Christianity. You and I have the same wonderful opportunity to care for people, listen to them and introduce them to the God who loves them and desires to offer them hope and eternal life. As we think about Living In 3D this week my give thanks for those who lived in 3D for us and then begin to live in 3D for others. During the service Ruth Nethery sang a powerful song about sharing the love of God with others because we do not want to be without them in heaven. May our prayers, desires, and living be in tune with God as we seek to walk across rooms for His sake.

Dear God, Thank You for eternal life. Thank You for life. I want others to experience the hope that You have given to me. Open my heart up to You, help me learn to be clear and non- religious when I am visiting with others about Your love and hope. Open up their hearts and minds to Your life and love found in Jesus Christ. Amen.

For SCC - The Single Greatest Gift 9-9-07

We started a new series this month called titled Just Walk Across The Room. The goal of this series is for us to begin walking across rooms, develop friendships and give away what God has given to us. The series is about you and me sharing with others how they can enter into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The series verse is John 3:16. Jesus speaking to a person in a one on one conversation said the following: "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." This past Sunday service was well received and many positive remarks were made after the service. I can tell that you and I are going to have fun together just walking across rooms.

Sunday the worship service focused on The Single Greatest Gift. The single greatest gift Christ-followers can give to the people around them is an introduction to the God who created them, who loves them, and who has a purpose for their life. THIS is what walking across the room is all about - constantly watching for ways to give that gift to someone living far from God. Let me write that again. The single greatest gift Christ-followers can give to the people around them is an introduction to the God who created them, who loves them, and who has a purpose for their life. You and I like to give gifts. We like to receive gifts also, but most of us find it fulfilling and rewarding to give gifts to loved ones, family members, and friends. We find it exciting to celebrate a persons birthday with them and give them a gift we know they will enjoy and appreciate. There is something about shopping for, finding, purchasing and giving the gift that is fun and adds a little pep to our step. For those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ the single greatest gift we can give is to a person, friend, family member or acquaintance is an introduction to the God who created them, who loves them, and who has a purpose for their life. Giving away the single greatest gift is exciting and and will definitely place some pep in your spiritual step. We have the opportunity to give a life and death changing gift. Three steps that you and I can take to begin to give away the single greatest gift are:

1. Be willing to enter the Zone of the Unknown.

2. Listen to the Spirit's promptings.

3. Just Walk.

Be willing to enter the Zone of the Unknown. Just be open to move out of your circle a comfort for a brief time and walk across the room, your street, the office, the hall, a field and meet a new person and begin a conversation with them. You never know how God might take your willingness to move into the Zone of the Unknown and move the person you met into eternal life through your friendship and story. Be aware of God. Listen to the Spirit's promptings. God will speak to you and prompt you to share His live with others if we a just open. Begin to look at people as more than just people. Begin to see them as God's priority. Begin to see them as God's most important creation. Begin to see them as John 3:16 " For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." As you do this God will prompt you and nudge you to speak to them about His love in a very casual, everyday way. Just be willing to listen to the Spirit's promptings and then Just Walk. Take some action. God will go before you. God will walk with you. Just Walk. Walk across the room, say hello and see what God does as you seek to give away what God has given to you. As we begin to grasp that God has given to us the single greatest gift of eternal life and a real and vibrant relationship with Him we will be willing to enter the Zone of the Unknown, listen to the Spirit's promptings and begin walking. I look forward to the stroll through this series and walking with you as we all begin to walk across rooms, develop friendships and give away what God has given to us.

Children's Prayers

Dear God: Please send a new baby for Mommy. The new baby you sent last week cries too much. - Debie, 7
Dear God: Who did you make smarter? Boys or girls? My sister and I want to know. - Jimmy, 6 Dear God: How many angels are there in heaven? I would like to be the first kid in my class to know the answer. - Norma, 8
Dear God: This is my prayer. Could you please give my brother some brains. So far he doesn’t have any. - Angela, 8
Dear Lord: Thank you for the nice day today. You even fooled the TV weather man. - Hank, 7
Dear God: Please bring me a new brother. The one I got socks me all the time. - Agnes, 6
Dear God: Please help me is school. I need help in spelling, adding, history, geography and writing. I don’t need help in anything else. - Lois, 9
Dear God: Do you have any helpers in Heaven? I would like to be one of Your helpers in Heaven when I have summer vacation. - Natalie, 7
Dear Lord: Tomorrow is my birthday. Could you please put a rainbow in the sky? - Susan, 9
Dear God: I need a raise in my allowance. Could you have one of your angels tell my father. Thank you. David, 7
Dear God: I am saying my prayers for me and my brother, Billy, because Billy is six months old and he can’t do anything but sleep and wet his diapers. Diane, 8

Just for laughs.

Becoming A Follower Of Jesus Christ

1. God Loves You!
The Bible says, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life"
The problem is that
2. All of us have done, said or thought things that are wrong. This is called sin, and our sins have separated us from God.The Bible says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God is perfect and holy, and our sins separate us from God forever. The Bible says “The wages of sin is death.”
The good news is that, about 2,000 years ago,
3. God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”Jesus rose from the dead and now He lives in heaven with God His Father. He offers us the gift of eternal life -- of living forever with Him in heaven if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me."God reaches out in love to you and wants you to be His child. "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name." You can choose to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and come in to your life as your Lord and Savior.
4. If you want to accept Christ, you can ask Him to be your Savior and Lord by praying a prayer like this: "Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life to be my Lord and Savior. I want to serve you always."