Click here for details!

May 26           No Youth- Memorial Day

June 9-15      Mission Trip

June 23-27    VBS

June 30         Shareholders Luncheon

July 3             No Youth- Fourth of July

July 12           Hawaiian Falls Slide Night

July 29- Aug 2 Music Camp

If we are going to pay the price and take the risks it will cost to make people glad in God,  we move beyond the avoidance ethic.  This way of life is utterly inadequate to waken people to the beauty of Christ.  Avoiding fearful trouble and forbidden behaviors impresses almost no one.  The avoidance ethic by itself is not Christ-commending or God-glorifying.  There are many disciplined unbelievers who avoid the same behaviors Christians do.  Jesus calls us to something far more radical than that.

People who are content with the avoidance ethic generally ask the wrong question about behavior.  They ask, What’s wrong with it?  What’s wrong with the movie? Or this music?  Or this game?  Or these companions?  Or this way of relaxing?  Or this investment?  Or this restaurant?  Or shopping at this store?  What’s wrong with going to the cabin every weekend? Or having a cabin?  This kind of question will rarely yield a lifestyle that commends Christ as all-satisfying and makes people glad in God.  It simply results in a list of don’ts. It feeds the avoidance ethic.

The better questions to ask about possible behaviors is:  How will this help me treasure Christ more?  How will it help me show that I do treasure Christ ?  How will it help me know Christ or display Christ?  The Bible says, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1Corinthians 10:31).  So the question is mainly positive, not negative.  How can I portray God as glorious in this action?  How can I enjoy making much of him in this behavior?

God is in the business of behavior modification through his indwelling presence in your life and mine.  I challenge you to ask yourself the above questions before every action you choose to take.  If honestly answered, I think we will all be drawn closer to Christ.  I am up for the challenge, are you?

Love and Peace in Him,

John

John 14:6-7

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

The Spoken Word

1. Truth is Truth
2. Jesus speaks clearly on the process
3. Knowing Jesus is to know God

May 12          No Youth- Mother’s Day

May 19          Senior Sunday

May 19           Mission Trip Meeting for Students & Parents

May 26           No Youth- Memorial Day

June 9-15      Mission Trip

June 23-27    VBS

June 30         Shareholders Luncheon

In John 16:33 we read, “In the world you shall have trouble: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

An average view of the Christian life is that it means deliverance from trouble.  It is deliverance in trouble, which is very different.  “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High…there shall no evil befall you”   — no plague can come near the place where you are at one with God.

If you are a child of God, there certainly will be troubles to meet, but Jesus says do not be surprised when they come.  “In the world yet shall have trouble: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world, there is nothing for you to fear.”  Men and women who before they were saved would scorn to talk about troubles, often become spiritually dull after being born again because they have the wrong idea of a saint.

God does not give us overcoming life:  He give us life as we overcome.  The strain is the strength.  If there is no strain, there is no strength.  Are you  asking God to give you  life and liberty and joy?  He cannot, unless you will accept the strain.  Immediately when you face the strain,  you will get the strength.  Overcome your own timidity and take the step, and God will give you to eat of the tree of life and you will get nourishment.  If you spend yourself physically, you become exhausted;  but spend yourself spiritually, and you get more strength.  God never gives strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the minute.  The temptation is to face difficulties from a common-sense standpoint.  God uses uncommon-sense….for he is God!  Remember, when one trains for endurance one must stress the muscles so they will break down and can rebuild.  They always rebuild stronger than they were before.  So it is with the stress and strain of our lives.

So let us rejoice that God is so loving that he allows the stress and strain in our lives not to tear us down but to build us up.  It was Jesus who prayed, “ Father, I am glad you keep wisdom from the worldly wise and give wisdom to the worldly foolish. “  God is always there for those who lean on him because they have no other support.  Praise God for his presence in our lives.  Let us all lean upon God for strength born out of his mercy.  Amen.

John

The Written Word

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

John 14:6-7

The Spoken Word

The Path on the Way to Truth

1. What is the Way?
2. How do we become followers of the Way?
3. Come Holy Spirit

May 5             Youth Sunday

May 12          No Youth- Mother’s Day

May 19          Senior Sunday

May 19           Parent & Student Mission Trip Meeting

May 26           No Youth- Memorial Day

June 9-15      Mission Trip

June 23-27    VBS

June 30         Shareholders Luncheon

The words “holy” and “sacred” are sometimes used interchangeably. I don’t think this should be the case, as there is a huge difference between the two. Sacred comes from the Latin, “sacrum.” You might recognize that “sacrum” is also the name of the bones in your pelvis. The ancient Romans called this part of the human body “sacred.” It is where the reproductive organs are, and, particularly in the female, it is from where life springs.

Thus, as one line of thinking goes, the sacred was recognized as something that had to be protected and secured. That is an excellent picture, actually, of how we employ sacredness. Human beings create sacred rituals that draw lines, build barriers, and protect and secure our space and turf. We feel we have to keep everything that is perceived as a threat on the outside, so as to guard our life and our future.

A quick example: Not long ago I was preparing to speak at a church and had my always handy coffee cup with me. Without any thought, I sat it down on the pulpit while I was reviewing my sermon notes. This church had more than a lectern or podium. It was truly the “sacred desk.”

A person came up to me and said, “I would appreciate it if you removed your cup. This furniture is sacred.” I complied but then added, “Yes, it is ‘sacred,’ but do you know why? Because it has been designated so by a church committee, not by God. God’s holiness is not violated by a Styrofoam cup” (I didn’t mean to be snarky, but I don’t think this person became a fan).

And a second example: During one of my pastorates we moved from a shabby little storefront building to a beautiful, magnificent sanctuary. It was an incredible upgrade with actual pews, a baptistery, a steeple, and other sacred things. In our old location we had been picking up children in our little church van and bringing them to worship. These little people were tornadoes. Turned loose in an empty room, they would find something to destroy. When we moved to our new building, we kept picking up these children, but I knew it would not last.

During our first week of Vacation Bible School in the new building one of the church mothers retrieved me from my office. She was enraged. “I need you to come with me right now!” she said. She took me to a hallway, pointed at the wall, and asked, “What are we going to do about that?”

Two and a half feet above the floor was a swatch of dirt staining the white wall. It ran down the entire length of the hallway stopping at one of the classroom doors. A classroom of these “dirty bus kids” had all run their hands down the wall as they walked to class, that’s all. But I knew then that there would be no place for them in our new space.

The sacred is the ritualistic space, community, and people-dividing behavior of human beings. The holy, however, is something completely different. Something holy is something that is “whole.” The root word is “health.” In other words, holiness is something that cannot be divided. It is something that is complete, unbroken, and intact.

Thus, holiness is not something defined by lines of segregation or by different shades of acceptance. It is defined by openness and welcome. The holy doesn’t alienate, it invites. The holy doesn’t separate, it welcomes. The holy doesn’t divide, it embraces.

Whereas what is sacred is a small restricted space that must be sheltered and guarded, the old Norse word for “holy” means “a large living room,” where people are made to feel very much at home. I pray that God makes us holy: Whole, healthy, welcoming people! But I also pray that he never allow us to become a sacred people, for when we lose our ability to be hospitable, inviting the outsider in, we have lost our unique witness in the world.

Excerpted from MinistryMatters.com. Read more: http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/blog/entry/3790?utm_campaign=Feb.%2019%20eblast&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=nothing%20is%20Sacred&#ixzz2QjS8Vbao
Ministry Matters supports ministry leaders with resources, community, and inspiration.
Follow us: @ministrymatters on Twitter | ministrymatters on Facebook

Ronnie McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, pastor, and author of multiple books. You can read more and receive regular e-columns in your inbox at www.ronniemcbrayer.me. If you’re interested in checking out his books, visit Ronnie’s page at Amazon.