News & Announcements
Will You Take The Garbage Out?
‘Garbage matter’ is a major problem in this country! There is so much of it the major cities scarcely know how to get rid of it. And what is the case nationwide is true on a much smaller scale in every household. It just seems to accumulate so rapidly. While we’d rather not have any of it in our houses at all, yet facing reality, it’s there. Thus, almost every husband has heard his wife say many times, "Honey, will you take the garbage out?" So he takes the garbage out to the curb and lets someone else deal with it.
What is a far greater problem in our country today, though, is ‘mental garbage! And facing reality, there is such an avalanche of it that it is becoming almost impossible to keep it all out of our minds. This present world is so filled with spiritual contaminates and pollutants that it is unbelievable. In that regard, we indeed live in dangerous times! There is so much evil extant, and Satan is such a master of deception (Revelation 12:9), that he manages to get some of his garbage into our minds without our even realizing it. He can, with all his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11), dupe us, and seduce us from God, if we are not extremely careful! He can entice people to feast on spiritual garbage, instead of casting it out.
In particular, I make reference to what people (1) see, (2) hear, and (3) read. First, let us note what people see... so many of the movies (and television programs also!) are saturated with lascivious content. Lasciviousness is "that which tends to produce lewd emotions." And certainly the same is true in the matter of sexually oriented/pornographic magazines. Such ‘junk’ is nothing but mental garbage! Read what the apostle Paul said about it in Galatians 5:19-21. And yet, many Christians falter in this matter of carelessness in what is viewed.
Second, many teenagers and young adults listen to more ‘garbage’ masquerading under the guise of music. So much ‘noise’ is highly suggestive and often specific...a verbal exercise in degeneracy! Add to this the constant barrage of vulgarities, obscenities, and curse words used so openly in our society, and you can readily see that large doses of ‘mental garbage’ are tossed into people’s minds every day.
Third, the sale of trashy, sex dominated novels is a billion dollar industry in our country. Add to that what can be read in most any of the magazines that are displayed in grocery stores, drug stores, etc. Folks who should know better purchase this garbage for mental consumption.
Every Christian family unit and/or every individual Christian needs to sit down and make a determination "to take the garbage out!" The Bible tells us: "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). It also tells us: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8).
Will you take the garbage out? This is something each of us must deal with personally. We can’t shift the responsibility. Let’s clean up our minds and hearts and get rid of the garbage as best we possibly can, and keep it out!!!
Great Race and Honor Bus Award
Congratulations to the Green bus workers and riders for winning the Great Race and Honor Bus award for May 2013. Workers are Garry, Carla, Brian, Keith and Tina.
106 Blue - Great Race
193 Green - Great Race
This Week's Sermon - The Life Of A First Century Shepherd
This week's sermon: The Life Of A First Century Shepherd
Scripture Reading: John 10:1-5
Unfortunately, due to technical issues, this week's sermon is unable to be posted to the site. We do apologize.
Recipe For A Happy Day
Take a little dash of cold water,
A little leaven of prayer,
A little bit of sunshine gold
Dissolved in morning air.
Add to your meal some merriment,
Add thought for kith and kin,
And then as prime ingredient,
A-plenty of work thrown in.
Flavor it all with essence of love
And a little dash of play;
Let the dear old Book, and a glance above,
Complete the well-spent day.
JOY Bus News
Well, there are only a few more days of school left and summer vacation for the children will be here. The JOY Bus Ministry will be running and we hope and pray that the riders will stay faithful to worship services. This family has been Blessed with a Ministry for 33 years that knocks doors in the community and brings souls under the sound of the gospel. Through those years many workers have come and gone, and the Word of God was and is being planted into the hearts of many souls. Many little ones are now adults with children. We are safe in saying this JOY Bus Ministry has sought, brought and taught thousands of souls. We pray that the desire to evangelize stays strong in this family and that the safety and soul winning hearts of all the workers continue to enjoy the privilege of bringing the lost under the sound of the Gospel. Continue to enjoy to pray for the routes and Captains and may the hearts of the community respond to the invitation.
Do You Believe In Answered Prayer?
Do you believe in answered prayer? I don't mean do you believe in going through the ritual of prayer because it is commanded. What I'm asking is, do you really believe in answered prayer.
It has always amazed me that many of the people who appear to be the most religious do not actually believe that their prayers are answered. Often they make up excuses or alibis as to why their prayers are not answered . . . or they come up with elaborate theological reasons why prayer should not be answered.
But what does the Bible say? 1 John 5:14-15: "And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask, anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him."
Also consider Matthew 21:22, Here Jesus promises: "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."
Also look at John 16:23, when Jesus was saying farewell to his friends, he said: "Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name."
These are only three of the many passages which promise an answer to prayers made in faith, in the name of Christ. Sounds like Jesus and the apostles believed in answered prayer . . . so much so that Jesus promised an answer. So I repeat my original question —- Do you believe in answered prayer?
Only God’s people have the promise of an answered prayer! (Matthew 21:22, compare with 2 Chronicles 7:14). God might choose to hear non-Christians' prayers but he has not promised to answer them. But the good news is that anyone can become a Christian and have this promise.
~Larry Fitzgerald
Bulletin Digest
Great Race and Honor Bus - April 2013
Champions! Congratulations to the Blue Bus #2 for winning the Great Race and Honor Bus for April 2013.
Senior Sunday
On Sunday, May 26 the church will honor the seniors. A beautiful handmade quilt will be given to each graduate. The ladies of the church make these beautiful quilts out of love; Each stitch is a symbol of kindness. We pray that God's seniors will always remember and focus on God's Word each day of their life.
If Jesus Came To Your House
If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two -
If he came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do.
Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such an honored Guest,
And all the food you’d serve to him would be the very best,
And you would keep assuring Him you’re glad to have Him there -
That serving Him in your own is joy beyond compare.
But when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly visitor?
Or would you have to change your clothes before you let him in?
Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they’d been.
Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn’t heard?
And wish you hadn’t uttered that last, loud hasty word?
Would you hide your worldly music and get some hymn books out
Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you run about?
And I wonder - if the Savior spent a day or two with you,
would you go right on doing the things you always do?
Would you go right on saying the things you always say?
Would life continue as it does from day to day?
Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace?
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?
Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you read,
And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?
Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you’d planned to go?
Or would you, maybe, change your plans for just a day or so.
Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends?
Or would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?
Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?
Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?
It might be interesting to know the things that you would do -
If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.
- Lois Kendall Blanchard
