The Church Is A Mission Outpost

Jesus, His Church, Mission Outpost

In those forty days between his ascension and his resurrection we have very few of his (Jesus) sermons recorded. Two of them were about his followers going into the whole world with a mission. The first occurred in Galilee on one of the mountains surrounding the Sea of Galilee. Matthew recorded that scene. Jesus said to his followers, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the world.” The second was immediately before he ascended. That is recorded in Acts 1. Jesus said, “Go down the mountain and stay in Jerusalem. Just wait. In a few days you are going to be bathed with the Spirit that I’ve been telling you about. And you are going to receive such power when that happens that you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus was ensuring his legacy. He was ensuring that his teachings and his compassion for the poor and his passion for people who are spiritually lost would be carried lived out by the church in the world.

Jesus didn’t found a retreat center. He founded a mission outpost. Retreat centers are great. But they are very different from mission outposts. I googled “retreat center” recently and the descriptions were similar. Here are a few:
Surrounded by lush green fields, relaxing streams and breathtaking sunsets, your experience at the Walking on Water Retreat Center will be harmonious and unforgettable. Our retreat center is a place to escape and enjoy and let your creativity soar. A great place to escape and just have some fun with your friends.

Those could be the mission statements of a lot of churches! A lot of churches have chosen to be retreat centers. But I don’t believe for a minute that Jesus intended to found retreat centers. Jesus wanted to found mission outposts! Mission outposts were and are those places where Christian missionaries go and plant themselves among people who are far from God and/or in great need. They are inconvenient and dangerous. They require an appreciation and understanding of the local culture and language. When I googled “mission outposts” I found stories of heroism and adventure. Like Frederic Baraga, “The Snowshoe Bishop” who came from Europe to establish a mission outpost in the harsh lands around Lake Superior in the early 1800’s to evangelize the Ojibway Indians. From his mission outpost he risked his life and nearly died more than once, but by the time he did breathe his last on earth he had baptized four thousand Native Americans.

See the difference between retreat centers and mission outposts?
A retreat center mentality builds walls.
A mission outpost mentality builds bridges.
A retreat center mentality wants guards.
A mission outpost mentality wants scouts.
A retreat center wants watch dogs.
A mission outpost wants search dogs.
A retreat center mentality says “the world out there is bad and we need to isolate ourselves.”
A mission outpost mentality says “God is just as interested in ‘out there’ as He is our sub-culture in here.”
A retreat center mentality fears being impacted by the culture out there.
A mission outpost mentality wants to impact the culture out there.
A retreat center mentality gives awards for the most congenial.
A mission outpost mentality gives awards for the most courageous.
A retreat center mentality’s theme song is “Kum Ba Yah.”
A mission outpost mentality’s theme song is, “Wherever He Leads, I’ll Go.”

Don’t get me wrong. People in a mission outpost depend on each other and help each other and, yes, love each other. When one is wounded the others help patch him or her up. The camaraderie in a mission outpost is deeper and more sincere than the shallow niceness of a retreat center. But the people of a mission outpost know that the place exists not for them, but for the people around them.

This information is from Travis Collins who is pastor at Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond, VA.

No Perfect People Allowed

This coming Sunday SCC will address the topic "My family is perfect. LOL." This title has generated a buzz and people are interested in this topic. It seems to me people are interested because we know the sentence is not true and we like to laugh. We are going to have fun learning just how we drive one another batty. Batty is good because then the grace of God can and will abound. Batty is good because we then can admit to own own battyness and allow others the same opp. When we do this we can begin to experience the grace of God more than we can imagine and grow in a healthier relationship w God, self, and others. The potential for you and I to grow in healthier and more meaningful relationships is mammoth if we will apply what is going to be shared this coming Sunday, 4-26-09. Admit you are Batty. Don't' down other Batties. Allow God to work in your life and change for His sake, yourself and healthier relationships.

One Another

love one another (John 13:35 - this command comes 16 times)
be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
honour one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
be likeminded towards one another (Romans 15:5)
accept one another (Romans 15:7)
admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16)
care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)
be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19)
submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5)
consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)
look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4)
bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)
teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13)
stir up one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24)
show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another (1 Peter 4:10)
clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)
pray for one another (James 5:16)
confess our faults to one another (James 5:16)
We are to do these things because we belong to one another (Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:25).

Awesome

Snagged this site from a twitterer.

Long Exposure Photos

Get The Word Out - HOPE

Town Hall For Hope With Dave Ramsey

A New Command

34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:34-35

For SCC - The Five Love Languages - 4-19-09

T

On Sunday, 4-19-09 SCC began a new series about building healthy relatioships. We had fun hearing from people about their primary love lanquage and learning about the five love languages and how to apply them in our relationships. visit http://fivelovelanguages.com/ and spend some time this month and into May learning and discovering the love languages. Applying these in your home will have a positive impact and help you build healthy relationships.

Freed

1It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. 8Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. 9Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." 12When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" 15"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." 16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place. 18In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

Acts 12:1-18

Answered "yes" prayer is a very real part of life. We often miss out on a "yes" from God because we do not ask or we ask with wrong motives and an impure heart. The angel delivered Peter, but it was prayer that delivered the angel. God really did it all, but the obedience of people to pray. The desire for people to call upon God. The willingness of Peter to listen to the angel. People praying in faith. Peter acting in faith. The young lady answering the door. The young lady reporting. The people listening. Together, all the above harmony deliverd Peter. All of this is prayer. We may often think that prayer is offering a request and going about our day. No, prayer is living in hope, desire, obedience, action, and relationship to God and others. Answered "yes" prayer is a very real part of life. Pray today. Move beyond requesting to praying. Ask. Desire. Watch. Listen. Expect. Act. Obey. WOW.

Others

A man (person) all wrappred up in himself makes a very small package. - Calendar in Kitchen

Five Love Languages

www.fivelovelanguages.com

Have some fun and Build Healthy Relationships. :)

Serious Times

Why Are We Killing Each Other?

Five Love Languages - Healthy Family

Thoughts about a healthy family

Maryland Inn - Hyde Suite

This pic is taken at the Maryland Inn In Annapolis, MD. We are in the Hyde Suite. Ruth and her cousin, Mary Ann, are descendants of the Thomas Hyde family, who is one of the founders of this Inn. This was a very exciting few minutes for all of us in the picture. Visiting the Inn and the room made me think of family, life, legacy, generational blessing or not. I do know that Bill and Mary Ann and Ruth and I want to be a blessing to God and to others as we seek to live a life of obedience, grace, truth and love so that our children will experience generational blessing as they seek to honor God and others with their lives. Historic Maryland Inn

Directions

The picture to the right was taken in the IKEA store in Northern Virginia. The IKEA store is large, colorful and fun to experience. The parking lot and the store are well marked with directions so that customers can make the most their time and know their way around the store. This directional arrow was painted on the floor. The store marks the floor and whole walls with directions and has very large signs that are well marked hanging from above. Very cool. Very helpful. God's Word is also very colorful, well marked and helpful. We just need to enter into it and enjoy as we are guided through life and live with anticipation.

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

Great Time

Easter

1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" 4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " 8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Mark 16:1-8

PRETTY

He Lives

I serve a risen Saviour,

He's in the world today;

I know that He is living,

Whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy,

I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him

He's always near.

Chorus:

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and He talks with me

Along life's narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives:

He lives within my heart.

In all the world around me

I see His loving care,

And tho my heart grows weary

I never will despair;

I know that He is leading

Thro' all the stormy blast,

The day of His appearing

Will come at last.

Chorus

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian,

Lift up your voice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs

To Jesus Christ the King!

The hope of all who seek Him,

The help of all who find,

None other is so loving,

So good and kind.

Chorus

Believing Thomas - John 20:24-29

24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Thomas, the follower of Jesus Christ, has been given a bad rap over the years with the nickname we have given him, "Doubting Thomas". Thinking Thomas, Wondering Thomas, Questioning Thomas, and I Want To See It To Believe It Thomas may have been better names for this follower of The Way. It seems he just wanted to be sure and was not going to buy some very inexpensive swamp land in FL just because it was listed as "swamp cheap" in Real Estate Mag.

He did however believe. He did follow Jesus to his death. He did proclaim the Gospel. He did give his life over to Christ. He did serve others as he told them about Jesus. He carried out Jesus' commission of making disciples. He gave his all to Jesus. Believing Thomas gave his life for the cause of Jesus. "He took up his cross, denied himself and followed Jesus." In the Gospel of John when Jesus is determined to go to Judea the disciples are resisting Jesus' decision to return to Judea because the Jews had previously tried to stone Jesus there. Thomas says bravely: "Let us also go, that we might die with him." When Jesus appears to Thomas after the Resurrection, Thomas declares, "My Lord and my God." Thomas the believer. May you and I be blessed as we believe. May our nickname be Believing ___________.

This Is A Cool Pic

Martin Sullivan captured this while we were on the backside of the Smithsonian Museum enjoying the smell of the Gardens on 4-3-09.

Christ

I have never been able to doubt Christ for very long, because he will not leave me alone for very long. I am much like the philosopher who after trying to be an athiest gave up all hope. Why? He said that if we try to dismiss Christ as a man, he haunts us as an idea. If we try to dismiss him as an idea, he haunts us as a man.

Calvin Miller, The Christ of Easter

It's Friday, But Sunday Is Coming

I Corinthians 15:1-20

1My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. 2You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing.
3I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is:
Christ died for our sins,
as the Scriptures say.
4He was buried,
and three days later
he was raised to life,
as the Scriptures say.
5Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve.
6After this, he appeared
to more than five hundred
other followers.
Most of them are still alive,
but some have died.
7He also appeared to James,
and then to all
of the apostles.
8Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time. 9I am the least important of all the apostles. In fact, I caused so much trouble for God's church that I don't even deserve to be called an apostle. 10But God was kind! He made me what I am, and his wonderful kindness wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's kindness at work and not me. 11But it doesn't matter if I preached or if they preached. All of you believed the message just the same. 12If we preach that Christ was raised from death, how can some of you say that the dead will not be raised to life? 13If they won't be raised to life, Christ himself wasn't raised to life. 14And if Christ wasn't raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith. 15If the dead won't be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying that he raised Christ to life, when he really did not.
16So if the dead won't be raised to life, Christ wasn't raised to life. 17Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins. 18And those people who died after putting their faith in him are completely lost. 19If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.
20But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. 21Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. 22Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us.

Easter Views

These clips are taken from the movie "Jesus" a ministry of the Campus Crusade for Christ.

Jesus Project

Who Is Jesus?

Who Is Jesus?

Nice

The Greater Things Workshop in DC was awesome. The workshop really was good. Enjoyed getting to know Martin Sullivan (Martini). Enjoyed the sessions. Very sharp people who are full of hope were great to be around. DC was beautiful. Ikea store is sooooo cool.

The "King" Is Alive

Lives again our glorious King...
Where, O death, is thy sting?...
Dying once He doth all save,...
Where thy victory, O grave?...

Charles Wesley

This Is Good - Crazy Good

Warning: A cuss word is bleeped out. A man uses a bad word out of shock.

Early

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" 38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Mark 1:35-39

Unity

Partnership (Unity) is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organized objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results…. Simply put, it is less “me” and more “we.”

God's Grace

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of his grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. Everyday should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone. - Jerry Bridges

How To Have A Decent Day

1. Make the choice to have a good attitude.

2. Do not depend on the weather.

3. Say, "Hello" to people who cross your path.

4. Slow down.

5. Take a brief walk during lunch or after supper.

6. Give a family member a hug.

7. Listen to someone intently.

8. Write a Thank You note to someone.

9. Give God your worries.

10. Get your fav candy bar or snack and enjoy.

Serious Times

Land Of Swedes

For SCC - The Name Is Right

Your prayers for a focus on reaching out, a spirit of unity and an attitude of cooperation are greatly needed. God is answering yes and will continue to answer yes to these prayers if we ask in humility and seek to live in line with our prayers. Your ideas, suggestions, and questions are welcome. We as leaders are serving alongside you as we follow Jesus Christ. All of the JLT members are excited about the union. We are glad to see God moving in our midst and touching lives. We are gazing forward to the future and a new beginning as two churches become one so we can better serve Jesus Christ, others, and one another. As we move forward all of the JLT members agree a new name needs to be determined, so we will seek to develop a new name for the new church. We want and need you to be involved in this process. Beginning, Sunday, April 5 through Sunday, May 17, 2009 we all will have the opportunity for six weeks to suggest names for the new church family. There will be cards all over the building that you can pick up and write your name suggestion on, and then place it in designated and colorful boxes located at the entrance to the 10:00 and 11:15 AM worship services. Please be praying about this opportunity and let’s have fun being creative as we build unity through the process of choosing a new name. All the names suggested will be looked at by the JLT and eventually a name will be recommended after much prayer, discussion and agreement.

Job News

http://www.cnbc.com/id/29347712?__source=vtyjobs&par=vty

Jobs/Careers - From 3 Minutes

7 Costly Interview Mistakes

Here's a good one referred from my colleague Eddie Heath, who deals with a million pastors and churches "courting" in Tidewater, Virginia. Thanks,Eddie!

When interviewing for a job, you can increase your chance for an offer by avoiding a few costly mistakes. Work toward eliminating these mistakes and watch your potential for a job offer escalate.

Being Late. Make sure you plan your route to the interview in advance. The best preparation is to make a trial run around the time of your interview. The trial run allows you to check out the traffic flow and to anticipate normal delays that you might not otherwise know about. Plan to arrive around 30 minutes in advance of your appointment, but don't announce your arrival more than 15 minutes ahead of the appointment. The extra time will allow you to review any notes or comments you plan to make.

Poor Paperwork. The paperwork is the person's first introduction to you as a person. If your paperwork doesn't pass the first inspection, you might not even make it to the interview. Ask a friend to review your entire package, including your resume and cover letter It is difficult to note even glaring errors if you have spent a lot of time reviewing and updating your information. If you are asked to present some special paperwork and you fail to do so, the interviewer will consider that an indication of how you follow through on assignments.

Failing to Listen. One of the most difficult portions of the interview process is listening. Some people stop listening and begin planning their answers before the interviewer has actually asked the questions While you might be formulating a great answer, you might be answering the wrong question. In this situation, you are getting ahead of the interviewer. In a similar way, you can lag behind the interviewer by worrying about your previous answers.
It is best to listen, replay the question in your head, decide on your response, and then respond with an appropriate response. Interviewers are not concerned with thoughtful silence for brief periods. Silence can help you formulate your answer and respond with confidence.

Venting. You should not use the interview time to explain how things could have been better at a previous job or to speak poorly of others. The interviewer will sometimes ask about a difficult situation or a change in your employment. Strive to be professional and factual in stating your answer. On the other hand, you don't need to pretend that you never had a difficult situation in the workplace. The best response includes how you handled yourself and what you learned in a less-than-ideal situation.

Being in Charge of the Interview. You should not be the one in charge of the interview. Being too aggressive will not get you to the top of the "need to hire" list. Allow the interviewer to choose which topics are covered. Assertiveness is needed in getting an interview, but you don't want to be so assertive that you step over the boundaries usually implied for the interviewee.

Not Being Professional. Your professionalism needs to shine during the job interview. Your first impression will usually come from your physical presentation. Although clothing plays a large part of the first impression, your body language, eye contact, health, and grooming also impacts a first impression. If you come across as arrogant, it is unlikely that you will be hired. But if you come across as professionally competent, your name will rise to the top.

Failing to Research the Company. At some point in the interview you need to indicate your awareness of the work of the company. Before the interview, you should have some knowledge of what would be expected of you in your position. Knowledge of the company's history and reputation in the community will help you know how to ask questions about the company during the interview time.

Individuals have lost job offers for making some of these common interview mistakes. Remember to approach each interview with the goal of getting a job offer. As you work at perfecting your job interview skills, you will eventually get job offer.

Joy Emery is a wife, a mother of three, a conference leader, and a career and workplace writer for HomeLife magazine. She and her family live in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.

Related Articles:
4 Often-Overlooked Interview Tips
Closing the Interview
Things Not To Do In An Interview

Taken from http://www.rasnet.org/

How To Deal With Setbacks

Dealing With Setbacks

For SCC & LMBC - The Union

In the late Summer and early Fall of 2007 Sunrise Community Church and Lee Memorial Baptist Church began discussing the possibility of a ministry partnership between the two churches that involved various facets of ministry. The ministry partnership officially began on Tuesday evening, December 24, 2007 with a Combined Candlelight Christmas Eve Service held at Lee Memorial in the Family Life Center. The ministry partnership is moving along so well that on Sunday, November 2, 2008 both churches agreed to move forward and begin discussing the possibility of the two churches becoming one. The leaders from each church have since met once a month to discuss the union. The meetings are very positive and progress is being made toward a union. Five special Ministry Transition Teams (MTT) have been formed to discuss specific areas of ministry and develop a plan to help the churches transition from two to one church. Please continue to pray for a focus on reaching out, and for unity and cooperation. Please feel free to contact any leader with questions, ideas or suggestion you may have.

The following people are serving together on the Joint Leadership Team (JLT) and work close with one another, the Ministry Transition Teams (MTT) and people who are involved in each church: Tommy Bower, Mike Bailey, Jerry Onhaizer, Jeff Gardner, Jim McNeil, Scott Salsman, Ruth Nethery, Steve Gabriele, Jon Trude, Jenny Michonski and Steve Nethery. The JLT currently meets every third Saturday of each month from 9:00-11:00 AM to discuss the union of the two churches, hear reports from the MTT, pray, plan and prepare ministry. We serve Christ, you and those who do not yet know Christ. We are working together to stay focused on leading people to become totally committed followers of Jesus Christ. The meetings are upbeat, positive, full of energy and dialogue, and lead to positive results and work to be done by leaders and others, like you, who are involved in making a difference. As we move through the year and seek to become one church we all will need to keep praying, be involved and keep having fun as we touch lives in this area, nationally and internationally. We will need to adopt the motto, “All (us) for One (Jesus Christ) and One for all”, and live it out as we encourage one another and help others discover God’s love.

The five MTT’s that have been formed are evaluating, studying, discussing and making recommendations for various aspects of ministry that will help us better be the church, bring glory to God and develop followers of Jesus Christ. The teams are: Worship Team, Evangelism Team, Financial Team, Children’s/Student Ministry Team, and a Constitution/Guiding Document Team. These teams are represented by people from both Sunrise Community Church and Lee Memorial Baptist Church. They are meeting monthly and you may hear from them for your input and ideas.

Your prayers for a focus on reaching out, a spirit of unity and an attitude of cooperation are greatly needed. God is answering yes and will continue to answer yes to these prayers if we ask in humility and seek to live in line with our prayers. Your ideas, suggestions, and questions are welcome. We as leaders are serving alongside you as we follow Jesus Christ. All of the JLT members are excited about the union. We are glad to see God moving in our midst and touching lives. We are gazing forward to the future and a new beginning as two churches become one so we can better serve Jesus Christ, others, and one another. As we move forward all of the JLT members agree a new name needs to be determined, so we will seek to develop a new name for the new church. We want and need you to be involved in this process. Beginning, Sunday, April 5 through Sunday, May 17, 2009 we all will have the opportunity for six weeks to suggest names for the new church family. There will be cards all over the building that you can pick up and write your name suggestion on, and then place it in designated and colorful boxes located at the entrance to the 10:00 and 11:15 AM worship services. Please be praying about this opportunity and let’s have fun being creative as we build unity through the process of choosing a new name. All the names suggested will be looked at by the JLT and eventually a name will be recommended after much prayer, discussion and agreement.

We are under construction. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 NLT. It is energizing to be part of what God started. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 NLT. May we continue to serve together as we share the good news of Jesus Christ with our family, friends, neighbors, communities and many others. Please know that the JLT members need your prayers. Please know that people you serve with in this alliance need your prayers. Your family members need your prayers. Please take time on a daily basis to offer yourself to God and lift others up in prayer. We as leaders pray for you. We thank God for you and pray that you will live in His love and strength.

As we venture forward feel free to contact any JLT member. Remember, we are in this journey together. As we move forward we will learn, grow and have fun on this voyage of developing one church that is touching lives, growing, sharing, and serving so others can join us on this adventure called “following Jesus Christ”. Thanks for your time. God bless you.

Funny Pics From A Friend

A Sign Of The Times - Spring

Quotes - The Christ Of Easter, Calvin Miller

Do you long for the power of living in Christ's power? Stand still. Receive.

He lives! What marvelous madness. What glorious insanity.

Live in such genuine simplicity that who you are is who you seem to be.

"Thy will be done" is loves noblest proverb.

Work Pray Hope

Our daughter recently received a letter of acceptance from George Mason Univ. (The Green Machine). She has thus far been accepted to all colleges to which she applied. This letter was the most exciting because this is where she really wants to attend at this time in her life. We celebrated with balloons, many congrats, phone calls and a dinner. She has worked, prayed and hoped. Now she will work, pray and hope even more. Her mom and I will work, pray and hope even more. I must say, "there are open doors in life, we just have to work, pray and hope, and MOVE."

In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23

The horse is prepared for battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. Proverbs 21:31

Involvement - Getting In The Game

This couple recently helped "Extreme Homemaker: Home Edition" with a project in NC. They just drove down, jumped in and started helping. They went for it and had a blast. They have a story to tell because they got involved. They are pumped. People they visit with about this experience are pumped. Serving and making a difference is a wonderful part of life. Get involved. Serve Christ in your local church. Give your life to Christ and serve. Thanks Jay and Crystal for your story and stories. Thanks for making a difference in NC and VA. Thanks for helping people in the Hampton Roads area accept JC and walk w JC. It is a privilege to serve w you guys and many other is SCC. Jay, "I got this." LOL.

Serve

1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

John 13:1-17

Serious Times - Day After St. Patrick's Day

SERIOUS TIMES Serious Times
Vol. 5, No. 5

May We All be Irish

It was a pagan world, outside the borders of the accepted disciplines and understandings of civilization. But spiritual. Deeply spiritual. The supernatural was everywhere, in places and days, people and events, filling their lives with images, symbols and ritual. The earth and all in it was sacred; gods and goddesses roamed the landscape; the world of magic was embraced; but there was no God who sat in Heaven, and no knowledge of a Christ who had come to earth.

Into this postmodern milieu, 1500 years before postmodernism was born, came Patrick, the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland (c. 5th century).

Patrick did not come to his task by choice. Kidnapped at the age of fifteen from his father’s villa in Britain, he was enslaved in Ireland and made to serve as a shepherd. There he came into the fullness of Christian faith, and after six years of praying, finally made his escape. But upon reaching his homeland, he had a dream where a man who seemed to come from Ireland handed him a letter titled “The Voice of the Irish,” and at the same time heard the voices of those who lived “beside the Wood of Foclut, which lies near the Western Sea” asking him to “come back and walk once more among us.” Patrick writes that he was “pierced to my heart’s core.”

Patrick returned to Ireland. Not as a slave, but as a missionary.

The legends surrounding Patrick are, well, legendary. He reportedly drove the snakes out of Ireland into the sea. Whether true or not, there are no snakes in Ireland to this day. Another is that he used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. There may be some truth to this; pointing back to Patrick, the shamrock is the national flower of Ireland. He is to have confronted and overpowered the druids; fasted for forty days and nights on a holy mountain; and openly challenged a king by lighting a fire for an Easter celebration in open opposition to the edict that only one fire was to burn in the land, and that for the pagan feast of Bealtaine.

What is most apparent is that Patrick looked for ways to connect the message of Christ to a pagan, but supernaturalized, world. In doing so, he imaginatively put himself in the position of the Irish. Looking for what they held in common, Patrick made clear that he, too, embraced a world full of magic. As Thomas Cahill noted, the difference between Patrick’s magic and the magic of the druids was that in Patrick’s world, “all beings and events come from the hand of a good God”. When Patrick arrived, the Irish were still practicing human sacrifice; Patrick made it clear that through Christ’s supreme sacrifice, such offerings were no longer needed. Patrick took an entire culture’s leanings toward the spiritual and led them to Christ.

During Patrick’s time, all who lived outside of the boundaries, or walls, of Rome were called “barbarians” (literally, “without the walls”), and were to be avoided at all costs. The Irish were barbarians. Cahill writes that Patrick was the first Christian missionary to a culture outside of Rome’s world; “The step he took was in its way as bold as Columbus’s.” Patrick simply wrote, “I came in God’s strength...and had nothing to fear.” As a result, Maire B. De Paor writes that Patrick “not only changed the course of Irish history but made Ireland the burning and shining light of barbarian Europe for the best part of the next thousand years.”

So on the day that “everyone is Irish,” let’s wish for it to be of the kind modeled by the saint whose name marks the day.

James Emery White

Sources

The Confession of Saint Patrick, translated by John Skinner (New York: Image/Doubleday, 1998). There are only two surviving works that can be attributed to Patrick: his Confessio (“Confession”) and Epistola (his “Letter to Coroticus”).

Thomas Cahill, How the Irish Saved Civilization, (New York: Nan Talese/Doubleday, 1995).

Maire B. De Paor, Patrick: The Pilgrim Apostle of Ireland (New York: Regan/HarperCollins, 1998).

*Adapted from James Emery White, Serious Times (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press).

A Little Secret - Comic Strip Bibles

Some Quotes

Quotes from The Christ Of Easter, Calvin Miller.

God's glory often lives in the deepest recesses of our pain.

For the Christian, weeping is seasonal, joy eternal.

To behold the Christ should call to life the wonder and worship lying dead within us.

No task to which the father has called you is insignificant.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick

Fear and Doubt

Some say if only my fears and doubts will leave I will get to work. But instead you should get to work and then your fears and doubts will leave. - D.L. Moody

First Century Oikos - 21st Century Social Networking

I have thought for about ten years now the 1st century church is needed in the 21st century. I do not know if I want to experience the persecution the early followers of JC experienced, but social networking is nothing new. - Neth

The Keys to Church Growth
author: Chip Arn

Chip Arn, president and CEO of Church Growth Incorporated, visited Group recently, and Rev! had the opportunity to sit down with him at length. This is a small excerpt from that discussion.
Between you and your father, Win, you've studied church growth and helped churches to accomplish it for 35 years. Our culture has changed a lot in that time. Are there some things that used to be true of church growth that we now need to unlearn?

It's important to understand that there's a difference between church growth principles and church growth methods. The methods change, but the principles are really timeless. One of the most important of them is as true today as it was in the New Testament: the social networking principle. In the hundreds of times I've surveyed congregations—a total of at least 50,000 people or more—and asked why each person became a Christian, there's a list of eight things that are always mentioned.
A special need arose in my life, such as a death or catastrophe. That's 1 percent to 2 percent.
A spontaneous walk-in—I just decided to go to church one Sunday. That's 2 percent to 3 percent.
I had a relationship with a pastor or someone else on church staff. That varies from 1 percent to 6 percent.
I was visited; somebody just knocked on my door. That's 1 percent to 2 percent and continually dropping.
I participated in Sunday school or some other Christian education. That's 4 percent to 5 percent.
Participation in evangelistic crusades, television, and radio ministries is less than 1 percent.
Church programs, such as special events or other advertised activities, drew 2 percent to 3 percent of those surveyed. If you've been following the numbers, the percentages are still very low and there's only one item left to list.
A friend or relative talked to me about Jesus. Of all the tens of thousands of people we surveyed, 75 to 90 percent of them said they're Christians because a friend or relative talked to them about Christ. That's not just a U.S. thing, that holds true from my visits to Korea and India as well.
The word that comes up often in the New Testament is oikos, frequently translated as household or house. In the first century that really meant a lot of people, such as extended family, servants, and servants' families. There's some indication that it might even have included work associates. So the timeless principle is that we need to be intentional about identifying and utilizing existing social networks.
It's amazing that the percentage is that high. How do you effectively utilize social networks?
That question really leads to another timeless principle: the principle of receptivity. When Jesus sent his disciples out, he told them to go to the towns and villages that will listen to you and shake the dust off your feet in the places that won't. Paul stayed much longer in places like Ephesus that were receptive, and less time in places like Athens that were resistant. So good church growth strategy says within your community there are different groupings of people, some of whom will be more receptive than others. And some people will be receptive to one church and not another, so you can't expect everyone to respond to your style. Look for receptive people and work there.
Another principle is to make evangelism a priority. It's a fascinating dynamic to observe the life cycle of churches. The general observation is that the longer a church exists, the more the people in leadership become concerned with self-preservation and self-service, and less concerned with their original goal of reaching people. Growing churches continue to focus on outreach.
Presumably the final principle is related to our conversation on assimilation (published in the 11/24/08 issue), so that once those friends do come to church they keep coming.
Exactly. Welcoming new believers into the fold and building community with them is a universal principle. It's not a natural thing for outsiders to be automatically welcomed into a new group. Effective growing churches will intentionally develop systems and strategies to build a consciousness in the congregation to welcome newcomers.

Chip Arn is president and CEO of Church Growth Incorporated.
© 2008 rev! properties and group publishing; all rights reserved

A Little Secret - Worship (3-11-09)

No More Breakfast

Made To Worship - Chris Tomlin

Saw The Watchmen

I went to see the watchmen yesterday afternoon with a friend and fellow leader in Sunrise. Interesting. Passionate, dark, cruel, philosophical, intriguing, and the list goes. Scread (scim and read) the graphic novel last night. Interesting read and even more striking was the way it is pieced together. Creative, to say the least.

This led me to pull out "The Graphic Bible" I purchased years ago.

Read the story of Elijah and Elisha this morn. Thrilling, convicting, passionate, sad, hopeful, and on the list goes. The illustrations, script, lettering and story are compelling. Thank God for the guys who put this together. If you have children go buy this book. Read it your children. Read it yourself. It will inspire you to walk with God and be a little more creative in your life at home and work. Enticing.

Worship - Everywhere I Go

Under Construction

SCC began a new weekend series on Sunday, 3-8-09. Under Construction is about God at work in our lives in in His church.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. Matthew 16:13-20

Enjoy

The Interview With God

Desire - Matthew 6:19-33

¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²²"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

²⁴"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A New Heart

²⁶ And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
Ezekiel 36:26-27

XXX Church

XXX Church is a ministry that is helping people all over the world. They are Christ centered and Biblical. They want to help people live pure lives. This site is full of information and inspiration.

The Money Rant

Baptism Celebration - Sunday Eve, 3-1-09

The Baptism Celebration was sweet. It is a beautiful privilege to celebrate Christ and new beginnings with people. Thanks to all who attended and brought a little bite to eat as a part of the celebration. Baptisms are sign of a church that is being the church and making disciples. Baptisms are important to the life of a church because they are testimonies of people accepting Jesus Christ, choosing to follow Jesus Christ and being supported by followers of Jesus in their faith walk. May Sunrise/Lee stay focused on helping lead people to become totally committed followers of Jesus Christ.

Money Quotes - Good Sense

The lust for affluence in contemporary society has become psychotic; it has completely lost touch with reality. - Richard J. Foster

The poorest man I know is the man who has nothing but money. - John D. Rockefeller

He who provides for this life but takes no care for eternity is wise for a moment but a fool forever. - John Tillotson

Their property held them in chains.

They think of themselves as owners;

whereas it is they rather who

are owned. Enslaved as they are

to their own property,

they are not the masters of their money but its slaves. - Cyprian

Give a person everything they want and at that moment, everything will not be everything. - Immanuel Kant

If you would make a person happy, add not to their possessions, but subtract from the sum of

their desires.

Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and receive without forgetting.

The modern American is a person who drives a bank-financed car over a bond-financed highway
on credit card gas to open a charge account at a department store, so they can fill up their savings-and-loan-financed home with installment-purchased furniture!

Possession is an obsession in our culture. - Richard J. Foster

It’s not the high

cost of living that gets you. . .

it’s the cost of high living!

Consumers are in an endless, hopeless search for happiness through the confiscation

of things. - Thomas O’Quinn

Affluenza turns the good life into the goods life. - Richard Swenson

When your outgo
exceeds your income,
your upkeep
will be your downfall!

These quotes are taken from Good Sense Budget Course, Dick Towner and John Tofilon

Right On

Dave Ramsey Article

Ahead

^12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. ^15-16So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.
Philippians 3:12-16

Let It Snow

Hoping for snow. Living in expectation. Fun stuff. The way to live. W/out expectation one really isn't living.

The Christain Life

The Christian life really should be Madi Gras (Fat Tuesday), Lent, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Birthdays are rolled up in a nice and tasty roll with lots and lots of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (or your fav) and enjoying it with our hearts and heads bowed along with lots and lots of other people.

Man, I Struggle With This. Thank God.

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”
36 “What is your request?” he asked.
37 They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
38 But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”
39 “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”
Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. 40 But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”
41 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:35-45

Lent

It was brought to my attention yesterday that Lent begins on Wed. 2-25-09. It was brought to my attention by my children and my wife. Not that we will participate (maybe), but my high school children are having mini Madi Gras in some of their classes today and my mother-in-law will participate in Lent. I know friends, peers, fellow ministers and a few SCC church members who have participated in Lent and may do the same this year a we look forward to Easter Sunday. I know a little about Lent and Easter. I know that I, as a follower of Jesus Christ, should practice Lent not just during Lent and that I should live Easter not just at Easter. Lent - Focusing on God. Giving God my desires, my hopes, my sins, my life. Easter - Hope. Life. New. Celebration. Both of them are about God. God's character. God's power. God's redemption. God working in my life and me living for God. So as I think about Lent and Easter and as you think about Lent and Easter may we think about God. Hope. Renewal. Cleansing. Service. Sacrifice. Giving. Purity. Forgiveness. Healthy relationships. God's Kingdom. Loving God and loving others, and ....

I am thankful for the season/days of Lent and for Easter Sunday, but may I realize they are much more than a season and a day. They really are the way I am to live. Same for you if you are a follower of JC.

7 He (God) is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:7-8

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10

20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

$3.00

“I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb not a new birth. I’d like to buy $3 worth of God, please.”- Wilbur Reese

MAY WE MOVE WAY PAST THIS.

From "expect" via podcast by Erwin McManus (2)

We've all known our moments of fear. We've all been the best of cowards. We've all been weak and feeble at times.

Here may be the dilemma for some. You may only know who you have been, but you do not realize who you are becoming. You are no longer one who has to shrink back.

It should not surprise you that you cannot live a life of dreams unless you begin to live a life of expectation.

If you are optimistic it is because you are deluded. You are wandering in the desert and you see and oasis. No wonder people thing you are out of your mind it is because you are. The pessimistic and cynic sees what is, the optimist sees what can become. What is possible.

The world needs you to believe. Believe. Expect.

For those who think you cannot do this:

Hebrews 12:12 "Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees." My Indian name is Feeble Arms and your Weak Knees. People need to see us step out and up of our fears so they can find healing through your faith. Hebrews 12:13 "Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed."

The idealist, optimist, the believer, the one who sees what doesn't exist but refuses to believe it cannot exist. That's the person who changes the world. Only the believer can create the future.

AMEN, Steve Nethery

From "expect" via podcast by Erwin McManus

There are some of us who are like the walking dead because when we wake up in the morning there is not something compelling, something that demands our lives, something that demands our existence.

The difference between those who overcome failure and those are overcome by failure:
Those overcome by failure take failure personally, think it is pervasive and view it as permanent. Those who overcome failure do not take it personally, do not think is is pervasive and do not view it as permanent. From Learned Optimism, Martin Seligman.

35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Hebrews 10:35-39

More Later On, Nethery

Oh Yeah!!!

A Child's Bible Report. Just For Fun. :)

Through the eyes of a child: The Children's Bible in a Nutshell
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says,'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did. Then God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars. Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something. One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check. After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat. Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable TV. God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more:Humor thy father and thy mother. One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town. After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me. After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them. After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.') During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had twelve opossums.The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him. Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead. Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

CAN

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can. - Charles Wesley

A Point to Ponder

Carefully avoid in yourself those things which disturb you in others. - T. aKempis