My Pop Is Tops Contest

Erica Brown won the "My pop is tops contest". All the children who wrote essays did a wonderful job. Their love and appreciation to fathers was more than words could describe. We fathers have an awesome responsibility to show our children that our Heavenly Father is always first in our lives and that personal connection between God and us is seen and heard by reading God's word, praying with our kids, bringing them to worship God and living a life that honors our Heavenly Father.

Happy Father's Day

We wish all the dads a Happy Father's Day. Each father has a responsibility to lead his child or children to the Lord. A child sees his dad reading the Bible. A father is a good example in speech and action toward his children. Children know if dad acts one way at home and another way at the church building. Good fathers discipline when needed. Jesus needs to shine in each father while at work or home.

We encourage our fathers to be the best you can, but we know that we are not perfect. Dads make mistakes and have bad days. Thank God that He forgives and lets pray that each dad continues to put God first in his life so they can be the spiritual leaders God intended them to be. To all the fathers we thank you for bringing your family to worship the one and only living God. Let's continue to train up our children in the way they should go. When it's all over, the only thing that count is your soul. Thank you dads for showing your family the importance of being at worship. Have a Happy Fathers Day!

Progress In India

The work continues on the church in India.  Please continue praying for this endeavor.  See the updated pictures of the work here.

A Father's Request

Lord, help me to be
A father in your sight,
Who trains his children
In what's wrong and right.

I know I can't do it
All on my own;
I am relying on You
To help me lead my home.

The Evil One will try
To steal their heart,
But with proper training
I pray they won't depart.

I want to be a father
Who is loving and true;
One who fully knows
He is accountable to You.

J.J. Turner

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!!!

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.

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.

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

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

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.