God is a God of Love

If you are looking to find out how to live prosperously while also pursuing a spiritual life, please read on.


“The world has provided many ways through which you can make money and propser, but those ideas often include taking from others. Let's see how to do this while seeing your brothers with love.”

There are many ways the world has provided through which you can make money, or prosper, but so many of those ideas include taking advantage of anothers situation, and this is not a healthy spiritual practice.

In a spiritual reality, nothing can be lost and therefore, nothing can be taken, but while we perceive this physical reality, the idea of losing when you give or gaining when you take, are inbred into the worlds thinking.

If you embrace this form of getting, you might succeed, but this may come at the cost of your peace. This might seem to be an acceptable compromise that you are willing to make, but when you lose your peace, all things in your life will become tainted, unhealthy and sickly. This has nothing to do with any punishment from God. Quite the contrary, it is a direct result of you allowing your mind to go to a place where you are not allowing God to enter due to the fear of hearing Him say you should be doing something else...and He would, but this is not a fearful thing. This is a joyous thing since this involves the knowledge that God is now helping to lead you towards a more beneficial place of mind where finances and health will fall nicely in line since they are but the effects of having your spirit mind in a good place.

The key to living prosperously is in letting go of how the world has taught you could prosper and also to let go of what you believe it means to prosper.

You are a glorious child of God. You are an eternal being with all the creative capacity of your Creator. With this in mind, there is nothing in all existence that is unworthy of you, nor are you unworthy of anything in existence. Everything is already at your disposal...so the idea that you must fight or struggle to survive, let alone prosper, is not a natural state of being. This 'less than' form of living is simply the direct result of us believing we do not deserve abundance...even though we so often cry for it, but we still feel undeserving...and so we experience what we believe we deserve.

How do we get past this? We move on by doing everything we can to quiet our lives and open our minds to hear the Holy Spirit, the voice of God. It may not be that you hear words, but that you feel inspired or simply lead to do something that you might have otherwise not done. The inspiration may come in many forms, but the overall idea is that you let go of what you have believed to be the way to prosper and allow the Holy Spirit and Jesus to rewrite how your mind sees this and then be open for these new ways of seeing to take hold in your life.

For example, if you have lost a job or hate your current job, you might feel very fearful as to what is going to become of you. You might be very fearful of how you will survive, how you will maintain medical insurance or how you will take care of your family. These concerns may seem valid, but the simple fact that you have fears is preventing your mind from hearing the answers that God would provide.

For Jesus and the Holy Spirit, fear does not exist because they know only love. You can't hand your fears over to them because they are not real thoughts, but simply experiences you are choosing to have based upon how you perceive other thoughts. So the thing to do is to find those root thoughts that bring about your fear and hand them over to the Holy Spirit and Jesus to correct. They will shine perfect love on those thoughts and those thoughts will be returned to you as healed.

By releasing these thoughts, your fears will begin to subside and your mind will become quieter. You will slowly begin to become more and more aware of the presence of God...Who never ever left, but was just obscured by your fears and overactive misuse of mind.

A Course in Miracles states that whatever you want for yourself, give that thing first to another and then you shall also have it for yourself. The Course also states that how you see and treat your brother is how you see and treat Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit. So if you truly desire to stop punishing yourself and truly want to prosper, see your brothers with love. See all people with compassion. Ignore what they are doing with respect to using their actions to paint a picture of who they are. Instead, know that they are all wonderful, shining, perfect and glorious Sons of God. Know that anything they do does not represent who they really are, but simply represents who they currently believe they are, and they are merely mistaken.

Stop identifying your brothers by their mistakes, and you'll stop identifying yourself by your own. Stop judging them by their actions, and you'll stop judging yourself by your own. Stop seeing them as being unworthy of everything the universe has to offer, and you'll stop seeing yourself as being unworthy as well. Choose to see your brothers this way, and you will have opened the door to be prosperous. Not because you deserve it, because we all deserve it, but because you will have allowed it.

I know it's hard to fathom that our struggles are a result of what we have done to ourselves. You may ask, "How or why would we do this to ourselves?", and the answer is simple... we hate who we have become. Inherently, we know we are deserving of all things, and we know we have chosen to settle for less. This has split our mind to where we do not make rational choices. We often do exactly what is not in our own best interests, and then we ignore or forget that we had any part in bringing about the situation. We blame the world or God for the situation, but this does nor make it true. This just makes it the experience we have settled for, but we don't have to settle for this experience.

Open your mind right now and stop thinking about the world for a moment. Be sincere and say to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, "I choose to see that I am worthy. I choose to allow you to bring into my life the perfect experiences that will help me to draw closer and closer to you. I open my mind to you. I choose to see the root of all my fears, and then hand those thoughts over to you as I become aware of them. I will work with you to heal my mind so that I do become willing, once again, to experience all the blessings that God has already provided, but I had simply chosen to hide from. I hid because I thought He would control me, but now I choose to see that He and I are one, and are working together to bring happiness and joy to all. I am thankful and happy to know I am moving forward. Life will never be the same again, and that is what I really want. I set aside all images of what I believed was true, and I allow you to help me see clearly. I open my mind to you. You are my brother and my advocate. I will be like you someday because of the love you have for me and because I will allow you to heal my mind so that I too see that I have that same love for you and all creation. I am a creator like my Father and I am one with Him. I cannot be destroyed or harmed in any way. We are one."

Know you are loved. Know you are not alone. Know you are worthy. Know that your experience until now was simply the result of what you thought you knew, but now, your experience of this world will transform into what God would rather have you see.

Go in peace and all the love of creation with you. You are loved. You are one. Be in peace.

Video submitted by Harold McDonald

David Garibaldi: Jesus Painting from Thriving Churches on Vimeo.

Kisses From Katie

I am reading this book by Katie Davis called Kisses from Katie. Katie also has a blog.

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-10-17T21:04:00-07:00&max-results=7

(Katie lives in Uganda and runs a orphanage. She is from Brentwood Tennessee. She moved to Uganda when she was 19.)

 This is a post of hers that is so beautiful.

Today I look around and my breath catches in my throat.

Surely I should take off my shoes. Or fall to my knees. Or raise up my hands. Surely this moment is holy.

Not because of anything spectacular. This morning is going the same way every morning goes. Still in my pajamas, hair disheveled, placing porridge dishes in the sink before grabbing another cup of coffee, I look around.

Regina moves into place beside me to help scrub the dishes. All four of her once-malnourished children play in the yard in front of us, strong and healthy. We both look out the window at them and look at each other and smile and don’t say a word.

As we look back out the window, Makerere walks by, not limping, raking the leaves in our back yard. He looks up and he smiles and I think of whole months when he didn’t smile and whole months when he just couldn’t leave his alcohol addiction and whole months when I could see his leg bone.

And it fills up my heart and I know it with my whole body and it tumbles out of my mouth in a barely audible whisper, “God has been good to us.”

Some days, babies die and children don’t obey. Some days, friends won’t leave their addictions or take the ARVs that could save their lives or listen when I try to share the gospel. Some days the hurt of the world muddles my vision and I forget to remember that every moment is holy and I could live here on my knees with shoes off and hands raised if I would just choose to see it.

Tomorrow or next week or in ten minutes I will forget. A devastated friend will sit on the couch and I will struggle to find words that encourage. I will cry as I peel carrots over the open, already-stained pages of Psalms. But right now I breathe deep and bend knees and raise hands high. And I say it to you and I say it to me: God has been good to us.

And to Him, the Good Father, I say thank You.

Your Prayers Needed

I just received a call from Charlene Johnson about her sister. The doctors are saying there is nothing that can be done for her and suggesting the family make the decision to withdraw life support from her today. They have come to that decision to let her go, so please pray as this family goes through this rough day in losing one they all love. I'd especially like you to pray for Charlene after just losing her other sister a few weeks back and now losing her last sister so close together. This must be a great burden for her to deal with. We need to lift her up to the Lord today. So, as you go about your business today, please pause for a moment of prayer for Charlene and her family.

Thank you

Matthew 25

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
   ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

1 John 3:16-19 — “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence ...”

James 2:14-17 ESV 

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

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Special Prayer Request

 http://www.sgnscoops.com/2012/01/25/special-prayer-request/

Dear prayer warriors! Im Mary Tom Speer Reid’s grandaughter. Im asking if you can post for everyone to please pray for this precious woman who has touched so many lives. She was hospitalized yesterday for dehydration. Our family has to make some hard decisions in the next few days and weeks. We will need all the prayers we can get.

I am a church member.

 http://www.thomrainer.com/2012/01/i-am-a-church-member.php

I am a church member.

I will seek to be a source of unity in the church. I know there are no perfect pastors, staff, or other church members. But neither am I. I will not be a source of gossip or dissension. One of the greatest contributions I can make is to do all I can in God’s power to help keep the church in unity for the sake of the gospel.

I am a church member.

I will not let my church be about my preferences and desires. That is self-serving. I am in this church to serve others and to serve Christ. My Savior went to a cross for me. I can deal with any inconveniences and matters that are just not my preference or style.

I am a church member.

I will pray for my pastor every day. His work is never-ending. His days are filled with constant demands for his time; with the need to prepare sermons; with those who are rejoicing in births; with those who are traveling through the valley of the shadow of death; with critics; with the hurts and hopes of others; and with the need to be a husband and a father. My pastor cannot serve our church in his own power. I will pray for God’s strength for him and his family every day.

I am a church member.

I like the metaphor of membership. It’s not membership as in a civic organization or a country club. It’s the kind of membership given to us in 1 Corinthians 12: “Now you are the body of Christ and individual members of it” (I Corinthians 12:27). Because I am a member of the body of Christ, I must be a functioning member, whether I am an “eye,” an “ear,” or a “hand.” As a functioning member, I will give. I will serve. I will minister. I will evangelize. I will study. I will seek to be a blessing to others. I will remember that “if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

I am a church member.

I will lead my family to be good members of this church as well. We will pray together for our church. We will worship together in our church. We will serve together in our church. And we will ask Christ to help us fall deeper in love with this church, because He gave His life for her.

I am a church member.

This membership is a gift. When I received the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, I became a part of the body of Christ. I soon thereafter identified with a local body and was baptized. And now I am humbled and honored to serve and to love others in our church. I pray that I will never take my membership for granted, but see it as a gift and an opportunity to serve others, and to be a part of something so much greater than any one person or member.

I am a church member.

And I thank God that I am.

Food Pantry

Please remember on Sunday to bring an item for the Food Pantry basket~ If everyone brought in one item every Sunday we can make quite an impact.

Shirley &Roscoe

I just heard from Shirley and both she and Roscoe are 
feeling much better.
He is home from the hospital and they are both on the road to recovery and expect to be at church on Sunday.
Shirley says "thank you" for all of the prayers.

WRCC Food Pantry Newsletter-Submitted by Trish Butcher

How many nights a week do you hear or even ask yourself, "What are we going to have for dinner?" Imagine hearing that question and not really knowing what you are going to have for dinner because your cabinet is empty. More and more people each day in one of the richest counties around are facing that situation. Our pantry saw 99 families this past Thursday. The biggest family which had 11 people living under 1 roof, told us Thursday that they took in 2 more people that had nowhere to go. Wow! I am honestly not sure if I could live in that type of situation but if you have no choice you do what you have to do. We continue to see new families each week. There were 6 new families this week. On Tuesday 9 people came out to stock and on Thursday 53 volunteers assisted guests.
Our needs this week include healthy cereals, oatmeal, cake and brownie mix, canned meat, boxed dinners, dry beans, rice, sugar, flour, boxed potatoes, and toilet paper and diapers.
There is an awesome opportunity that your family can enjoy. David Crowder will be performing a FREE concert, made possible by a donating a bag of groceries per ticket. Food donations will be accepted for tickets TOMORROW at Northview Church Lobby, 12900 Hazeldell Pkwy, Carmel from noon to 9pm. The concert is Friday, February 3 at 7pm. Only 2200 tickets are available. The food collected will be distributed to local food pantries. This is part of the "Souper Bowl Extravaganza."

Prayers for Shirley and Roscoe

Hello all,

I just received a message from Shirley Gray asking for prayer for her and Roscoe. Roscoe was admitted into the hospital today with pneumonia. Shirley said she is under the weather as well and is taking antibiotics. She said that her nerves are shot and I think she is just worn down. Please pray for them, their healing and that they are able to sense Gods love for them and his plans for them. With all of the extreme weather changes we've seen lately here in Indiana we all need to take extra care to rest well, eat well and stay warm. And take vitamins if you have them!

THE WIDOW’S MITE -­ LUKE 21:1-­4

 http://www.fh.org/devotions

 Luke 21:2 
“And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in
thither two mites.”

KEY THOUGHT: 
NOT HOW MUCH, BUT HOW WILLING
 
It isn’t hard to see that times are rough for a lot of people. The
economy, at least for many, offers unprecedented challenges. It
seems that money is spent before paychecks arrive. It’s during times
like this that we recognize that Second Century author, Terence, was inspired by God when writing, “Charity begins at home.” However,
sometimes giving isn’t based on charity at all. It’s based on faith in
the relationship that God has with us.
As well as the widow who cast her two mites in Luke 21:-­14, there are several other widows who show the importance of the combination of faith and charity, such as the one who shared her last cake with Elijah
or the widow of Zarephath and her bottomless cruse of oil. How
intriguing it is that sometimes those who have the least to share are
the ones who are the most generous.
Today, we need not be as much concerned with how much we have
to share, but how willing we are to share what we have. Every penny given to help feed a mouth, every prayer uttered to help feed a soul, every action to right a wrong – this not only shows that we have generous hearts, but that we are strong in faith as well!
As you seek to discover and fulfill the cause that God has put in
your heart, know that all of your life experiences – and all of the
people with whom you have had any kind of relationship – will come together to prepare you for what God has planned for you. Your job is to be willing to allow Him to mold you and work through you.

Unbound: Going Head to Head -- National Geographic Traveler

Unbound: Going Head to Head -- National Geographic Traveler

Discover & Respond to God’s Call

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS -­ EXODUS 20: 2-­17
Exodus 20: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

KEY THOUGHT: RELATIONSHIPS MATTER

 
Isn’t it interesting that the majority of Americans will tell you that
the Ten Commandments are a list of “thou shall nots?” Actually,
close scrutiny reveals that they deal with relationships – the first four
with man’s relationship with God, and the next six are about man’s
relationship with each other.
How fitting it is that the liaison between God and man for the Ten
Commandments was Moses. His relationship with God is truly
legendary. His time in God’s presence found him anointed with
Shekinah Glory. It caused him to hide his face from Aaron and others
when returning from Mount Sinai. How wonderful it would be to
enjoy that closeness to God!
Moses was chosen by God, however, because he understood the need
of God’s people. A prince in the house of Pharaoh, he saw their
despair and suffering. He lashed out to right the wrong himself,
slaying an Egyptian overlord. It took 40 years in the wilderness for
him to learn what God really wanted him to do to bring relief to His
people.
Hopefully, it won’t take 40 years for God to get through to us. As you seek to do what God requires of you, become attuned to how you can help quell physical, emotional and spiritual suffering in the world today and the role relationships play in that. You will find that God does not require guilt from you. He offers no condemnation. He just wants you to be in healthy relationship with Him, His creation and other people. That often means that serving Him means simply doing the next right thing – the thing that honors those relationships.

http://www.fh.org/devotions

From the Practical Family Living Blog

We have all experienced the pain of suffering. Suffering comes in many forms.  It can come in the form of grief when a loved one dies or when a couple gets a divorce.  It can come in the form of shock as in the event of an accident or violent crime.  Suffering can also be long standing as in illness, unemployment, or homelessness. Whether the suffering is anticipated or unexpected, long or short duration, it is always unwelcome.  Sometimes we try to make sense of our suffering and we ask "why." Assigning blame to others, ourselves or God becomes our mission.  Worse yet, sometimes we try to figure out the reason for someone else's suffering.  The most famous example is found in the book of Job.  Job's friends had all sorts of explanations for the suffering he was enduring.  However, their explanations did not comfort Job.  Truthfully, God does not often tell us the reason for suffering.  He did not tell Job even though Job was "...blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (Job 1:8b NIV)   Suffering is not an "I'll get you" from God.
We can be assured that God is with us, even in our suffering.   He does not abandon us, rather He promises "never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)  Admittedly, it can be difficult to see His hand or feel His presence in our lives during suffering.  That is where faith begins and active looking for Him continues.  The lives of Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom offer a poignant example.  The Ten Boom family lived in Haarlem, Holland.  During the German invasion of 1941, the Ten Boom family helped many Jews to escape to freedom.  In 1944, Corrie was reported to authorities by a man who had pretended to need her help. Corrie, her sister and father were taken to jail.  Ten days after his incarceration, her father died.
After several different jails and prisons in Holland, Corrie and her sister, Betsie, were reunited and transferred to the Ravensbruck Concentration camp in Germany.  Ravensbruck was known as the women's death camp.  Here, the sisters and other inmates experienced horrendous atrocities.  Subjected to hard labor with little food or water, Betsie became ill.  Whippings and beatings were commonplace in the camp.  While living in such horrible conditions, Corrie was quite angry and resentful.  It was Betsie that helped her to see the blessings of such a place.   Heroically, Corrie and Betsie began to hold small secret prayer meetings in their Barrack at night.    Eventually, these meetings became quite large, and the scripture reading was translated into several languages.  Wanting to stay away from the large infestation of fleas, the guards stayed away from their Barrack and did not disrupt the prayer meetings.  Their Barrack was known as "the crazy Barrack filled with hope."  Somehow behind the barbed wire, near the chimneys that threw out the gray smoke of incinerated bodies, underneath the whips of the guards, in the midst of unspeakable suffering and pain, the inmates felt God's presence and found hope.
Shortly before her death in the camp, Betsie told Corrie "We must tell them what we have learned here.  We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still."   True for Corrie and Betsie, it is also true for us.  Not only is God with us in our suffering, there is no suffering so great that He cannot comfort.  Ten days after her sister's death, Corrie was released from the Camp.  Her release was said to be due to human error.  Certain that God's plans had more to do with her release, Corrie continued to walk with God and trust God throughout the rest of her life.  In the wise words of Corrie Ten Boom, "God has plans - not problems- for our lives."

 http://pfl.org/article/gods-presence-in-the-midst-of-suffering/

A Tribute to the Real Pastors

I've been privileged to grow up and serve under some wonderful pastors.  Today I was praying for these men, and thanking God for them, and I began to think about how each one of them influenced me.

My first pastor, that I can remember, was Pastor Bob Benefield, at Sequoia Baptist Church.  I remember him being a giant.  (Of course I was five and under during those years!)  He preached long services, and I remember waking up in my dad's arms on the way out of the building many times.  I liked it.  I loved the singing at church.  To this day, when I hear the song, "There's a New Name Written Down in Glory", I think of Bro. Benefield. I used to belt that song out.  I wasn't saved, but I was learning to enjoy church.  I wanted to please God.  Missions Conferences and Revival services were something very very special.  Bro. Benefield loved the Bible, and it's a big emphasis at Sequoia Baptist.  I was small, but I remember that very well.  I also knew that if my mom put my hair in a side ponytail, Bro. Benefield would squat down to my level, look me in the eye, and inform me seriously that my mother had put my head on sideways.  I knew he cared about me, as a pastor should care about the little ones in his church.  Every time I see him and his sweet wife I still get that impression.

My next pastor was my father, Pastor Roger Margerison at Oat Valley Baptist Church.  He pointed me to Christ every chance he got.  He led me to a knowledge of my sin, and the saving grace of God.  He baptized me.  When I needed a pastor's counsel he would always drop what he was doing to put on his pastor's hat and give me his best.  I knew I could count on him.  He gave me a love of the study of Creation.  He infected me with his curiosity in  the personalities that populate the Bible, and showed me how to ask questions while I'm reading God's Word.  Most importantly, I saw that he lived his faith, and God rewarded it in real, miraculous working right in front of my eyes.  I wanted that same kind of relationship with God.  It was under my father's pastorage that I learned to walk with God independently from my parents.  That's the job of a pastor!  He's to challenge every member to be right with God, and to seek out His heart on their own.

The next man who pastored me was at college.  Pastor Paul Chappell is the pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church, a church that seemed dauntingly enormous to me, when I first started out my freshman year.  The theme that year was "Serving God From the Heart".  It's something that sank down into my heart and stayed there, and I'm still learning new truths about what it means to serve our Lord from a heart of love.  One of the first things I noticed when I arrived was a joy and excitement about the service of the Lord.  I enjoyed all my ministries there, and learned so much by just observing the spirit.  Love for God really does make a difference!  This ministry  stands for God without compromising, and is full of grace, love, and joy.  I made so many great decisions under Bro. Chappell's preaching.  I learned to bring my heart to the altar before the preaching started, to be ready to make changes in my life, and hold nothing back from God.

After college I got married and we went to serve in the church that reached my husband for Christ.  Pastor Jerry Schiedbach became my pastor.  He was also my employer at first, as I taught in the school while my husband worked in the offices.  He's one of those fellows who just believes every single word in the Bible, and acts on his beliefs. He emphasizes God's Word, knowing it, studying it, and applying it consistently.  He has a gift for study, and for teaching, and he teaches the church to study the Bible for themselves.  Because of this understanding of the Bible, and the heart of God revealed in the Bible, Bro. Scheidbach has a passion for revival, walking under the control of the Holy Spirit, and having a relationship with God that is clear of offense.  He and his wife are also two of the most "real" people you will ever meet, and he is a fearless preacher, pastor, and friend to my husband and I.  The kind of friend who will give you what he believes you need, even if it sometimes hurts!   If you sit under his preaching you will be convicted of the seriousness of a lack of revival, of any sin you might be cherishing in your life.  You will be challenged to get right with God, to start spending time building a relationship with God, and to begin going to battle in prayer and in service, as a Christian ought to.  I made some things right with God as a result of Bro. Schiedbach's preaching, some things I'd been ignoring for a long time, and it still influences me to today to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

I know there are charlatans and wolves out there, fleecing the flock.  God will judge them, but I've been privileged to be pastored by four of God's shepherds, and here is some things I've learned about pastors, from my own experiences.

• God's shepherds don't do it for the people, or the money, or the fame, they do it for Christ.

• They are willing to help you if you are hurt, abused, in sin, in jail, or just need a shoulder to cry on, no matter what time of day or night it is.

• Sometimes when they help you, it smarts.  "Faithful are the wounds of a friend..."*  A man called "pastor" who won't confront your sin doesn't love you with Christ's love, and is not one of God's men.
• They are courageous.  They are on the front line of attack, and they know they will be hurt by people they love and pray for, but they keep right on keeping on, eyes on Christ, Who did the same thing for us.**
• They are human, and they make mistakes.  Not one of the men who have pastored me were sinless, neither were their families!  The outrage!  That's it.  The church is full of hypocrites, so I quit.  (Tongue in cheek there.)  Pastors have to deal with the burden of people who expect them and their families to be paragons of righteousness.  It takes guts, and grace to deal with that!
• They are accountable to God personally for what they teach out of the Bible, and how they comport themselves in God's church.  If I have a bad attitude about my pastor, because of a fault I see in him, or because I'm feeling convicted for a sin in my life, Hebrews 13:7*** says he will give account to God with grief, and if he does, it will be unprofitable for me!  That sounds like I have an account to make too, doesn't it?  I want those men to have joy when they give account, seeing that God used them in my life, and that God did great things.

If you have a real pastor, one of God's men, thank the Lord for him today, and let your pastor and his wife know that you appreciate them!

 http://sarahjoyscorner.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog

Rise up, O men of God!

Have done with lesser things.

Give heart and mind and soul and strength

To serve the King of kings.

-

Rise up, O men of God!

The kingdom tarries long.

Bring in the day of brotherhood

And end the night of wrong.

-

Rise up, O men of God!

The church for you doth wait,

Her strength unequal to her task;

Rise up and make her great!

-

Lift high the cross of Christ!

Tread where His feet have trod.

As brothers of the Son of Man,

Rise up, O men of God!

 

William P. Merrill

In thinking of another year...what's it hold?
All in all He is enough.
Thankful 2011 finishes and our family is healthy.
Hope in Jesus' finished work is a continual state.

In-Dwelling by Holy Spirit -- a real time streaming--
a continual lesson in peace and contentment,
The power of heaven's love is a goodness beyond all man's wisdoms.

Have I had an obstacle in my soul?
It's a burden cast on Him

Embrace spirit...there is no better hug!

Eyes upward into the grace of the Father,
by an act of will, I choose His righteous leading,
He holds my family and me,
Come 2012, Come Lord Jesus

http://spiritinthewildwood.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog

 

IYM Sessions

July 26-29 2012 at Quaker Haven Camp
Remember, if we have the most people in attendance we get to bring home the banner!!!

Growing up in the 1960’s I still remember vivid images on our black and white television of people being beaten, attacked by police dogs and sprayed with fire hoses, simply because they wanted to be treated with equality. Dr. Martin Luther King was a minister of the gospel who was the leader of the civil rights movement. He preached nonviolence because of what our Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

We live in a world that is still filled with inequality based on religion, race, gender and social status. The result is social injustice, racism, discrimination and war. This is not God’s kingdom. We who are born again are members of God’s Kingdom. And when it fully arrives there will be no inequality. In God’s Kingdom there is liberty, justice and equality for all. That’s the dream that Martin Luther King, Jr. had and spoke about so articulately. It’s the dream that followers of Christ share. That is why we pray to God “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done...”

We not only pray for God’s Kingdom to come, but we also live now for social justice and equality. We who are saved are empowered and enabled because of God’s Holy Spirit that has been placed within us. With this deposit of God’s Kingdom within us, we become one in Spirit.

Every person in the world has an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to accept or reject Christ. It’s the opportunity of the cross that allows an individual to be born into God’s family regardless of who your parents are, what color you are, where you are born, or what gender you are. This opportunity is not just for the rich or the poor; the educated or the uneducated. This opportunity is for all of us.

Jesus Christ died for all. The reason that Christ died for all is because God loves all people. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17

When you receive Jesus Christ and make Him your Lord and Savior, you are born into God’s family. It’s a supernatural birth that defies all logic. At the moment of true belief in Jesus and what He did for us at the cross, saving faith becomes operable. At that moment, we are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit. We get a new nature, a new mind and a new heart that is regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit and we also get a new Father…a Father that will never change on us; never lie to us; never abuse us and never leave us. We also get new siblings…siblings that love us unconditionally. We get a new family.

In this new family we are all one, with no friction and schism. What makes us one? Jesus. We are baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Race, gender and social status are all gone and we are all treated equally and operate as one. We are part of one body ministering at the point of need in the power of the Holy Spirit in the midst of an unjust world. We have been born again into God’s Kingdom and we are ushering in His coming Kingdom. The best is yet to come!

What about you? Have you been born again? Have you been baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit? Today is the day that you can be born into a new family and receive a deposit of God’s coming Kingdom. Kneel at the foot of the cross and make Jesus your Lord and your Savior. He will take you on an exciting journey through abundant life that will lead you from earth to Glory!

“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done...” Keep praying for God’s Kingdom to come. His Kingdom is coming in full. He has placed a deposit within you through the Holy Spirit. He is the earnest. He is the down payment on our glorious redemption. The best is yet to come!

 http://moonius.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog

Food Pantry

Please remember this Sunday to bring an item to put in the Food Pantry basket in the front hall.

a prayer request

Please help us pray for Kyndrick, our daughter, Stephanie's boyfriend. He recently had surgery and had his gallbladder and his appendix removed. The surgery has done nothing to make him feel any better. We just don't know why. Please help us pray for his healing.
thank you~
Kelly

When I survey the wondrous cross

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

New Feature

I've added a new "gadget" to the blog. If you look just below the title yo will see where it says email address. If you enter your email address there and hit submit you will be notified bty email anytime there is a post on the Blog. Let me know how it works, if you like it... Thanks! ~ Kelly

Lisa TurKeurst quote

If I could only give one gift to every (person) on this planet it would be the gift being able to glimpse God all throughout their days—the miraculous mixed in with the mundane. It would radically change the way we think, the way we process life and certainly the degree to which we trust God.

Monthly Meeting

This Sunday is our Fellowship Breakfast at 9:30 am

this is a carry-in meal 

then immediately following Worship will be our first Monthly Meeting of the New Year.

All Committee Chairman are to attend and have their budget decided to report to the Monthly meeting for approval. 

Thank you!

  

IYM Communicator

Ground Hog Retreat

at Quaker Haven

January 27-28

Begins Fri. evening meal—6:30

Ends after lunch Sat.

Don Wimmer, Friends Disaster Service representative of Marion First will be the speaker.

Call or email camp to let them know the number coming for fun fellowship, food, fire, & FDS

Cost—$50

Some men are coming to the retreat a couple of days early to help work on the renovation of Friendship Lodge.

If others are interested in helping either before or after the retreat, that would be very welcomed.

Please let Brandon Dennis know ahead of time.

574-834-4193 or info@quakerhaven.com

From the IYM Communicator - A nice letter from our Superintendant

Good Morning!

     “Do everything without complaining or arguing,” is a message written by Paul to the church in Philippi (Phil. 2:14). When my mother-in-law was still living she had a  banner with this verse on it hanging in her garage where    she would see it every time she got in or out of the car. Her husband often remarked, “I think it’s helping her.”

     When I turned 22 I had already pastored a small church for over two years. I loved my tiny elderly congregation, but I didn’t love their frequent bickering. One Sunday I was leading a Sunday School class where the lesson focused on arguing. I really tried to avoid the subject, but sure enough, in the middle of the class an argument broke out. I must have been shaking my head as I called time out and announced, “We are arguing!” The initial response was to argue with me that this wasn’t really arguing.

     In recent Bible reading I’ve stumbled across the phrase “selfish ambition” several times. What the New International Version of the Bible translates as “selfish ambition” the King James Version translated as “strife.” (Phil. 2:3, and James 3:14.)  I’m beginning to conclude that if I find myself frequently being argumentative it may point to selfish ambition,  a self-centered lack of humility on my part, something that scripture warns me to avoid.

     I’m sure your business meetings seldom include strife, but if it ever shows up it may be evidence that someone values being right over having a right attitude. Let me know if you need to borrow my mother-in law’s banner.

-Doug Shoemaker

Forgiveness

BE KIND TO EACH OTHER, TENDERHEARTED, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, JUST AS GOD THROUGH CHRIST

HAS FORGIVEN YOU.

                                                                         EPHESIANS 4:32

"Remember Invite A Friend To Service Sunday"

A visitor to a Quaker meeting stands up after five minutes of silence and asks, "When does the service begin?"  An old Friend rises after a brief reflection and says, "Service begins when the worship ends"                           

                                                                        Anonymous Quote

I found my new years resolution!

A couple of old pictures I found

Message from Trish Butcher about WRCC Food Pantry

We need food at the food pantry! What a wonderful weekend, is this really January? We have to enjoy it because I am sure the snow is coming. We had 121 families last Thursday including 3 new families. They were assisted by 51 volunteers and 18 that helped stock on Tuesday.  It doesn't take long to figure out that our volunteers love what they do. Guests are hugged, loved on and prayed with. For many, the pantry may be the only Jesus that they come into contact with all week. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Deb Diaz or Kim DeMasie. We are in need of cereal, sugar, flour, pancake mix and syrup, pop-tarts, oatmeal, juices and snacks, cake and brownie mixes.  I was at Meijer in Noblesville today and they still have our food pantry listed for gift cards that they will match a portion of.  We also need paper bags and plastic bags.  We were fortunate enough to receive a lot of canned goods during Thanksgiving and Christmas but our donations are starting to fall off so we really need your help. Please remember someone in our community is in need of your kindness. KIM DE MASIE

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday 

to 

Mr. Bill Stubbs 

who is 

90 years young today!

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

Hebrews 13:15

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Really beautiful Blog ~ check it out!

http://www.aholyexperience.com/