from the pastor's pen
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Dear Friends,
We
who live in a post-Easter era have a difficult time grasping the
confusion that swirled through the group of people who had been
following Jesus. They could only rely on rumors. They may have walked
to the tomb and saw that it was empty but how could they have known
what it meant. Could they really believe the women? They were so locked
into one way of thinking about life and death, how could they make such
a dramatic change. In the ensuing weeks they experienced a complete
change in their world view.
Our world view usually
does not change as dramatically as that of the NT community.
Usually such type of change is more gradual if at all. The worldview of
society may change but that of individuals in that society may not. Consider the article Students of Virginity. The
students of just developing their worldview. Few are actually changing,
the typical campus worldview of sex is still a "pick-up" view but many
are starting to realize the benefits of saving their virginity until
marriage. Now did Ted Turner
have an awakening that changed his worldview toward churches or did the
churches change? My guess is a little of both. These are only a few
minor examples about recent "awakenings" that are going on in our
world. These awakenings are changing the way people look at life.
I
wonder how many of us have ever had a really dramatic awakening since
our teenage years. One problem is so few adult take time to think
through their beliefs. They hold onto the beliefs of their parents and
just read article that reinforce those views. It then requires a
dramatic, nearly explosive event, such as a resurrection, to awaken
people out of their bigoted slumber. The challenge for us is, are we
ready for that to happen in our lives or do we want to just muck along
in a slumber, oblivious to the changes going on around us?
Under the Shadow of the Almighty
Pastor John
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from last week
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There is Fun in Being Picked on?
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from the scriptures
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Preparation
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Read the
Psalm aloud.
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Read the Scripture
from
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Take
a moment
to meditate on the Scripture.
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Questions for Reflection
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How often do you get heart burn?
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Do you know what gives you heart burn?
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When was the last time you had heart burn?
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Did you ever get heart burn after reading the Bible or attending
church?
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Studying the Text
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Where were the men going?
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What were they talking about?
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Who approached them while they were talking?
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Why did they not recognize him?
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What did he want to know?
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How di d the men react? Why did they react this way?
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What was the men's understanding of Jesus?
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Who do the men blame for killing Jesus?
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What did the man say to them?
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How di d the man act when the group approached the
village?
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What di the original group of men do?
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What did the man do when he was at the table?
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What happened to those who were eating at the table? Then what
happened?
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What did the men say to one another?
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Who did the two tell their story to?
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Living the Text
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When was the last time your heart burned within you while you
were discussing a spiritual topic? Describe the event.
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Why do you think it has been so long?
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Why do you think that it does not happen more often?
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Other then the fact that the actual Resurrected Jesus stood in
their presence, how does your event differ from the event in
Scripture?
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What does that say about your spiritual life?
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Closing
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Read
the
Scripture lesson again
and
take a moment to meditate on the passage.
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What
is God
saying to you?
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Thank
God
for
his presence
and ask him
to
apply what you have learned to your life.
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from the news
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Ted Turner to help raise millions to fight malaria in Africa
The effort will unite Turner's United Nations Foundation the People of
the United Methodist Church and Lutheran World Relief to fight the
disease, according to a release posted on the foundation's Web site. . . . read more
Face of Christianity Will Soon be Black, Says Scholar
The new face of Christianity will be the black woman,” said Dr. Kwok
Pui Lan to an audience at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky . . . read more
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from the net
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This is a must read article written by a brilliant NT scholar. . . . read more
Science or the Psalms?
A God Who Sees, Hears, and Acts
Einstein thought of himself as religious in the sense of humility and
awe at the mystery, rationality and complexity of the cosmos. "The
eternal mystery of the world," he said, "is its comprehensibility." For
Einstein, the mysterious book of nature betokened some superior
intelligence: "I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the
orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with
the fates and actions of human beings." . . . read more
 Narnia News
NarniaWeb.com is your complete source for Narnia movie news.
C. S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) wrote the seven Chronicles of Narnia from
1950 – 1956. Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures released their film
adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in December 2005, grossing over $740 Million worldwide. Now, work is progressing on the next two Narnia films. Prince CaspianThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader on May 7, 2010. The Silver Chair
has not been officially greenlit yet, but the filmmakers intend to make
that film next, and hope to eventually produce all seven. . . . read more
Students of Virginity
Many college students today, however, grew up with abstinence classes
and clubs in their communities, and so the movement has raised a
generation of activists. Among prominent abstinence activists is Wendy
Shalit, who wrote “Girls Gone Mild: Young Women Reclaim Self-Respect
and Find It’s Not Bad to Be Good,” which came out last year. She says
that talk of disease rates and the amount of sexual activity on
campuses is beside the point. A sex-saturated popular culture creates
certain expectations, she argues. “The key thing to remember,” Shalit
wrote me recently in an e-mail message, “is that many young people
involved in sexual activity feel pressured into it.” Many are
uncomfortable with “the hookup scene,” she continued, and “college
abstinence programs are growing out of this awareness that disconnected
sex is not as pleasurable as the media (and sometimes college
administrators) have led us to believe.” The awareness is especially
acute in the highly politicized environment of the elite schools,
where, according to Shalit, “there is just one lifestyle that doesn’t
get recognition” — premarital abstinence. . . . read more
What should our reaction be when others pray for our conversion?
We
have nothing to fear from those who pray for our conversion. For one
thing, I tend to think the people who are praying for you are not those
praying against you or who would prey on you. Second, if they are wrong
and you know the Truth, God won't try to change your heart. If your
conception Truth is flawed, then their prayers are in order. . . . read more.
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from history
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March 31, 1596: French philosopher Rene Descartes is born.
Though more famous for his saying, "Cogito ergo sum" (I think,
therefore I am), he followed that statement with a logical argument for
the existence of God. In essence, he argued that the idea of God, a
perfect being, could only be caused by that perfect God. Though fellow
philosopher-mathematician-scientist Blaise Pascal (an avid Christian)
considered Descartes a mere Deist, "letting [God] give a tap to set the
world in motion," Descartes repeatedly wrote about his devotion to
Roman Catholicism.
April 1, 1745: David Brainerd begins his missionary work among
the Native Americans of New Jersey, having previously worked in
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The New Jersey natives showed more
interest than most, but Brainerd died of tuberculosis only two years
into his work there. Still, his diary, published by Jonathan Edwards,
became a major force in promoting missions work, inspiring missionaries
like William Carey, Henry Martyn, and Thomas Coke (see issue 77:
Jonathan Edwards).
April 2, 1877: Fundamentalist Baptist evangelist Mordecai Ham is
born in Allen County, Kentucky. At the end of his ministry, he claimed
one million converts—including Billy Graham, who made a declaration of
faith at a 1934 Ham meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina (see issue 65: The Ten Most Influential Christians of the Twentieth Century).
April 4, 1507: Martin Luther is ordained a priest in Erfurt, Germany (see issue 34: Luther's Early Years).
April 4, 1968: Civil rights leader and Baptist minister Martin Luther King, Jr., is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
April 5, 1811: Robert Raikes, founder of English Sunday schools
in 1780, dies. Raikes built his Sunday schools not for respectable and
well-mannered children of believers, but for (in one woman's
description) "multitudes of wretches who, released on that day from
employment, spend their day in noise and riot." In 4 years, 250,000
students were attending the schools, by Raikes's death, 500,000, and by
1831, 1.25 million(see issue 53: William Wilberforce).
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from the store
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