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J. Grant Swank, Jr.

Marxist Muslim Barack Hussein Obama will be confronted by Senate Dems who oppose his baby killing when the health care debates fires up soon.

Obama and wife give no apologies for cheering on slaying of the womb innocents, though they photo themselves as the loving family with the caring father as head.

Lies lies lies abundant. Lies, by the way, are permitted by the Koran’s Allah to further Islam World Rule.

Obama, using the anti-Bible United Church of Christ (Congregational) as US cover for his Islamic devotion, continues the UCC furthering of infant slaughter.

But when pro-life Dems start declaring their convictions in the upcoming wrangle, then Obama will be faced with those of his own political kin who trounce his stance.

The House put strict restrictions on their version of the health care tumble. Will the Senate?

“’This is a horrible dilemma,’ said Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia. ‘The Democrats have to pass something – they have no choice,’ he said, adding that they have backed themselves into a corner by making healthcare reform a priority” per FT.com’s Anna Fifield in Washington.

The House passed a bill that “prevents abortion coverage in the public health insurance option but also prohibits private health insurers that have any customers receiving federal subsidies from offering abortion coverage to anyone else.”

Obama sidelines the abortion bit since walking into the Oval Office. But now he’ll have to speak up or be considered The Boy many consider him to be.

Read “Abortion clause raises problems for Obama´at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1da64700-d2dd-11de-af63-00144feabdc0.html

FOOTNOTE:

The Bible speaks of a fetus as a person, not simply tissue that can be discarded if found to be a bother or nuisance. Since the fetus is a person from the moment of conception, then the destroying of the fetus is killing a person.

“In the past, some people have mistakenly speculated that perhaps the body might be in the process of formation for some time, and then ‘God breathes a soul into it.’ They had it backward. The life that is present forms matter into a body for itself’” (Joseph Breig, “Life Forms Matter,” The Catholic News, Jan. 24, 1974, p. 8).

“Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? Did you not pour me out like milk … and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit” (Job 10:8-12 NIV).

“Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name…and now the LORD says–he who formed me in the womb to be his servant…” (Isaiah 49:1, 5).

“The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations’” (Jeremiah 1:4-5).

In the following passages we note that personality is ascribed to the unborn.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that fully well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:13-16).

“Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him” (Psalm 127:3).

Exodus 21:22-25 relates how Israel was to judge a circumstance relating to the death of the unborn:

“If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

All of the latter deals with unintentional hurt that comes to a pregnant woman; how much more will divine penalty come upon those who intentionally discard the fetus? The Gospel of Luke ascribes personality to the fetus within Elizabeth:

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit… As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (1:41, 44).

Mere tissue does not leap for joy; only personhood leaps for joy. The Bible regards the fetus as having personality. In Galatians, Paul speaks of himself as a person while still in his mother’s womb, but more a person consecrated by God for a holy mission (compare Jeremiah 1:5 for the same accent):

“But when God, who set me apart from birth, and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles…” (Gal. 1: 15-16).

Since the Bible regards the fetus as personality, then the aborting of the fetus is murdering personality.

Some verses from Scripture dealing with murder are then appropriate for study, such as Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” Also, read Exodus 23:7: “Have nothing to do with a false charge, and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.” Note I Peter 4:15: “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer…”

If the Republic returned to the biblical definition of personhood, we would defend every womb child.

John Adams said the following:

“Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”

Andrew Jackson said the following:

“The BIBLE is the rock on which our Republic rests.”

Daniel Webster:

“If we abide by the principles taught in the BIBLE, our country will go on prospering.”

“For all the talk of freedom and self-determination, the abortion movement is at its heart a movement denying rights to a silent segment of humanity and soliciting public sanction, support and subsidy to its own cause” (Donald P. Shoemaker, ABORTION, THE BIBLE AND THE CHRISTIAN, Hayes Publishing Co., 1976, p. iv).

Can Christians support the Death Penalty? 

Recently the man who was nicknamed the “D. C. Sniper” was put to death by lethal injection.  During a three-week killing spree in 2002, this man took the lives of 10 people.  In our local area, Brian Dugan recently received a death sentence for killing a little girl in 1983.  He also murdered a seven-year-old girl and a young woman, along with having a record of burglary, assault and rape. Prosecutors stated that with the required appeals, it could be eight years or more before he is executed.  And since former Governor Ryan imposed a moratorium on executions in 2000, he may never be executed. 

With these two cases in the news, it brought up the issue of whether we, as Christians, should support the death penalty.  As always, you can join this discussion by leaving your comments.  But you will also have a chance to vote in our poll by clicking on your answer at the bottom of this post.

There are several verses that come to mind which fall on the side of not supporting the death penalty: 

“You all have heard that it has been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” (Matthew 5:38) 

“. . . but I say ‘don’t resist an evil person!  If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too!  Love your enemies.”    (Matthew 5:39, 44)  *

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:24)

“Judge not, that you be not judged.”  (Matthew 7:1) *

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.  (Luke 6:37)

 “Dear friends, never avenge yourselves.  Leave that to God.  For it is written, ‘I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,’ says the Lord.”  (Rom. 12:19) and “Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus: 19:18)   * 

But if you read one verse further in Leviticus (19:19), it says, “You must obey all my laws.”  God instructs us in Romans 13:1 and 4 to “obey the government, for God is the one who put it there.  All governments have been placed in power by God.  So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be punished.”  And according to Genesis 9:6, “whoever sheds man’s blood by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God, He made man.”  (My study Bible points out that there are times we should not obey the government, such as when a law “clearly requires us to violate the moral standards revealed by God.”)  And just a thought regarding the verses marked with an “*”. . . were they intended to only apply to our personal relationships?

So there appears to be scriptural support for both sides.  But now all of these questions come into play: 

Does the death penalty deter crime?  In some states that have the death penalty, crime has decreased, but this is not always the case.  In a post by Kerby Anderson, president of Probe Ministries International, he printed a quote from Hyman Barshay: 

          “The death penalty is a warning, just like a lighthouse throwing its beams out to sea. We hear about shipwrecks, but we do not hear about the ships the lighthouse guides safely on their way.  We do not have proof of the number of ships it saves, but we do not tear the lighthouse down[1]“

 What if it was a family member or close friend that was the victim?  What if it was a family member or close friend that was the criminal? 

What if the wrong person is convicted?  In the case of Brian Dugan, two other men were originally convicted of this crime and sentenced to death, only to have their sentence overturned.

(Pastor Bill notes: “Well, there is no more famous case of an innocent person’s being condemned to death than when God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, endured an unjust trial on trumped-up charges, suffered, and died on a wooden cross. Yet God did not intervene. What if we had intervened and the Son of God had not been crucified? Where would salvation be?”)

Could you be on a jury charged with determining whether someone should be sentenced to death? 

God seems to require us to obey the laws of the land, of which capital punishment might be one, depending on where you live.  But we also know that God showed mercy to people in the Bible who had committed crimes.  (David being the first one to come to mind – sending Uriah to the battle front knowing that he would likely be killed, in order that David could marry his wife.) 

What do you think?  Add your comment to this discussion and vote in our poll:

Forgiveness is not that big of a deal . . .
by Pastor Bill

I know we don’t come out and say it, but in our minds, I believe many people allow unresolved conflict and bitter feelings to remain in them, without realizing how much it robs us of the life God wants us to enjoy. 

Forgiveness is the gateway to so much of God’s blessing in our lives, just as unforgiveness is a gateway into so much negative in our lives.

An unforgiving heart is poison to your spirit, soul and body. Hebrews 12:15 says that a root of bitterness springs up and defiles many.  It doesn’t just defile many other people, but it defiles MANY OTHER AREAS OF OUR LIFE.  

The thought that forgiveness is optional or that we can get around to it when we get a chance has to be eliminated from our mindsets.

Let’s do so today! 

1.    Faith works through forgiveness– One of the most important verses about faith is in Mark 11:24 that says, “All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted.”  But notice what it says next…  

2.   Mark 11:25 says, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him…” So you see, forgiveness is the gateway to answered prayer.  

3.   Deal with it today.  Ephesians 4:29 says, “don’t let the sun go down on your anger.”   There’s a reason that we need to forgive and be forgiven BEFORE the sun goes down. Our hearts are not designed to carry grudges longer than a day.  This is why so many people are weighed down with stress, anger and depression. A relationship is unresolved.  A heart is hardened.  A bitter feeling is being carried into our tomorrow.    

4.   Accept the fact that you were forgiven BECAUSE of the blood of Jesus.  Therefore, forgive others for the same reason—not because they deserved it. Forgiveness is a gift.    

5.   Forgiveness is the gateway to our inheritance. (Acts 26:17)  As we realize we are forgiven, we experience His blessing and inheritance in our lives.  As we forgive others, we empower them to experience it too.  

6.      YOU HAVE THE POWER TO FORGIVE. God gave us the Holy Spirit, so that we could forgive as He did. In John 20:22-23 it says, “He breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit. Whoever sins you forgive are forgiven, and whoever sins you retain are retained.” This is as much a part of the great commission as preaching the gospel—it’s the very act of forgiving people.  When you forgive /cancel someone’s sins, then you shine the light of God’s grace upon their darkened heart, enabling them to see that God really IS good; that He loves them; that He wants to share His life with them.

THINK IT & SAY IT:

My faith works because I refuse to hold anything against anyone.  When I pray, I choose to forgive because forgiveness is the gateway to answered prayer.  

I refuse to let the poison of unforgiveness defile me and others around me.  I will not let a day go by where I hold bitter feelings in my heart toward anyone.  

God loves me, and wants me to pour out my heart toward Him.  I can confess it all to Him, and be cleansed from unforgiveness and resentment.  

I accept the blood of Jesus as the only way to be forgiven, and I extend forgiveness to others through that same blood. I have the power to forgive and cancel someone’s sin, through the Holy Spirit in me. I release, this day, every person who I have ever held anything against.  I am free and so are they!  In Jesus’ Name. 

In His mercy and grace. 

What are you giving?

I don’t know if you can tell it or not, but this little girl is sitting in the offering plate.  Pastor Bill, during the Children’s Message, was telling the kids that God wants us to give more than just money – he wants us to give him our whole selves.

 
At this time of year, most churches are presenting their stewardship campaigns.  While we all know that monetary donations are needed to keep the church “in business,” it’s what we give of ourselves that makes the difference! 

God wants us to share our gifts through service . . . you can serve God by serving others.  1 Peter 4:10 tells us “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts.  Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you.”

We can all be friendly, speak a word of encouragement, send a note or a cheery card to someone who is sick or homebound, run an errand or do a chore for an elderly neighbor.  Everyone has something to offer!

“God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ.  Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do.  It is God’s gift.”  (Ephesians 2:8)  Our efforts to serve God do not “earn” us salvation, but should be our grateful response to his gift of Grace.

Thank a Veteran today!

Today is Veterans Day.  WWI officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919.  However, seven months earlier at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the fighting ceased . . . an armistice declared.  And so President Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919 to be the first recognition of what was then called “Armistice Day,” On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to “Veteran’s Day” to honor all veterans. 

 On June 28, 1968 a bill was signed with the intent of providing three-day weekends for Federal employees.  This bill took four holidays – Washington’s birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day – and declared they should be observed on Mondays.  It turned out that people were pretty “protective” of the day chosen to honor their veterans, and many states still observed Veterans Day on November 11th, no matter what day of the week it fell on.  So much so, that on September 20, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed into effect a new law stating that the annual observance of Veterans Day would revert back to November 11th. 

Some people confuse Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day.  Memorial Day was intended as a remembrance of those who gave their lives in the service of our country.  Veterans Day is not only a day to honor those who “gave their all,” but to also honor those veterans who are still living.

If you have a veteran in your family – why not take the time to call them today to thank them for their service. . . or if you see a veteran while you are out and about today, take a moment to say “Thank You.” Or you might like to check out the following ways you could honor a veteran this month:

There are only a few days left to do this, but if you hurry . . . you could welcome a sailor into your  home for Thanksgiving dinner.  If you live near the Great Lakes Naval Air Station in Glenview, IL, you can “Adopt  a Sailor” by filling out an application.  (download the form at www.cnic.navy.mil/greatlakes)  You can then fax the form to the Public Affairs office at 847) 688-4945.  Host families will be notified by Nov. 20^th.
(11/12/09 – Sorry . . . you missed it for this year – they are no longer taking applications . . . but maybe keep this in mind for next year!)

This suggestion comes from a young woman at our church whose husband is a member of the National Guard.  “Please watch PBS on Wednesday the 11th at 9:00.  They are airing the film ”The Way We Get By“, the story of the Maine Troop Greeters who welcome our service members  home at Bangor International.  Gerry has flown into Bangor a couple of times and says it is the most  patriotic thing he has ever experienced.  I’m so glad they have made a movie about these good,  good people that meet the planes and provide cell phones as the guys come in.  Having them offer  the cell phones alone brings peace of mind 5-6 hours sooner.

Consider making a donation to HonorFlight, the organization that takes WWII veterans to Washington, D. C. for the day – free of charge to the veterans.  Our church family had the great privilege of being in the “welcoming home” crowd at Chicago’s Midway airport in June. Two of our church family, Frank and Jim, were among the WWII veterans traveling that day.  The veterans were not expecting anyone other than their families to be on hand, but walked out to the baggage claims area into a huge crowd who applauded, shook the hands of and thanked those veterans.
   We currently have “one of our own,” Brian Novotny, serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. 

And the whole family can participate in this activity.  Visit the Red Cross web site to learn more about “Holidays for Heroes,” which allows you to send Christmas cards to our troops.

Yesterday on our blog, we asked the question “What are you grateful for?” and posed the challenge of posting one thing each day that we are grateful for.  Today would be a good day to say, “I am thankful for the freedom I enjoy because of the men and women who have served, or who are currently serving.”

Gratitude

Did you know that grateful people sleep better?  According to the results of a recent study that were printed in the November issue of  the Good Housekeeping magazine, this statement is true.  It stated that grateful people go to bed with less negative attitudes and therefore sleep better.

According to other studies, grateful people seem to do better all around – they have better health, are less depressed, are happier with their lives and are more satisfied with their relationships.

A quote from Melodie Beattie says, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ”

A friend recently posted a challenge to her facebook page:  that each day during this month of Thanksgiving we post one thing we are grateful for.
Are you up for this challenge?  What are you grateful for today?

Please add Maddie to your prayer list . . .

                                                                                                                                                         Maddie is a young girl who has recently been diagnosed with Leukemia and is currently receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee.  She received her first blood transfusion last week and has gone through 10 sections of chemo.  Maddie’s father         is a co-worker of Kevin Woodall’s.  By clicking on
caringbridge  you can read more about Maddie’s story.  Clicking on giveforward  will get you to the personalized donation web-site. 

Every so often on my Facebook page, someone’s response from a site they have linked to pops up.  It is a site where thought-provoking questions are asked, the latest being “What is your greatest regret?

At first, I took the question lightly and came up with a few “prospects” for my top regret.  But then I wondered what the Bible had to say about regrets.   I found that the two most common examples in the Bible were of Adam and Eve and Peter.  How Adam and Eve must have regretted their choice to sin, and losing the life they had with God.  And Peter – imagine his regret at having betrayed Christ not once, but three times!

Thirty Days to Live

A few months ago, Pastor Bill gave several messages dealing with the topic of “Thirty Days to Live.”  The message focused on asking us to think about what we would change in our lives, or what we would see or do, if we knew we only had thirty days to live.

If you knew you only had a short time to live, what would you do?

Do you believe the word “God” should be removed from American culture?

A recent e-mail making the rounds stated that NBC had conducted a poll that had “shocking results.”  The question asked was “Do you believe the word God should remain in American culture?”  Snopes.com, the on-line site people can go to confirm the validity of e-mail stories, etc., states that this poll never took place. 

It seems this question has been posed in various forms, however.  One CNBC poll in 2004 asked, “Do you believe the words ‘under God’ should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance?”  Results:  85% No, 15% Yes.  A 2006 MSNBC poll asked, “Should the words ‘In God We Trust’ be removed from U. S. currency?”  Results:  80% No, 20% Yes.  The same question was posed again in 2008, with the results being 78% Yes, 22% No and again in October of 2009, with 89% voting No and 11% voting yes.

 What do you think?

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Meredith’s Letter to God

On the TV show “The View” yesterday, they were talking they were talking about a young girl who had written a letter to God and sent it off in the mail. A few days later, she received a reply, and it was assumed that a postal worker had taken the time to write a letter back to the girl. The discussion centered around whether the letter should have been written. Would the young girl think that each time she wanted to speak to God that she could just write a letter and he would answer?

I searched on-line when I got home and came up with the letter and I’ve posted below.  What do you think?

“Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my
4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words: Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith. 

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith, and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith’ ….in an unfamiliar hand writing. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies’. Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note: 

Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I’m easy to find, I am wherever there is love. Love, God”   
The letter was posted to this site:  danesanders.com

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An uplifting start to your day . . .

http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org      click on “More Videos” – there are many to choose from!

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What are your gifts?

 Yesterday during his message, Pastor Bill spoke about the gifts (talents) each of us have been given.  Now your first reaction to that sentence was probably “What gifts?  What talents?  I don’t have any!”  But if you read
1 Corinthians 12:7 it states, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means to helping the entire church.” 

Still not convinced?  Do you think you aren’t “good enough” to deserve God’s blessing of a gift?  In 1 Peter 4:10 we are told “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts.  Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you.”  Pastor Larry Ollison (The Cutting Edge / Do You Deserve What You Get?) states “God’s grace is God empowering man to do what would normally be impossible for him to do. Grace is God willingly imparting His abilities into us so that we can do what He wants done.  So the next time you avoid requesting your need from the Father because you think you’re not good enough, then stop and remember this. It doesn’t matter how good you are and it doesn’t matter what you think you deserve. God’s gifts are given by grace and through faith and by His children asking according to His will with a pure heart.”

Pastor Bill mentioned that most of us, when called to do something, have all sorts of reasons why we can’t do this or that . . .  we’re too old, not smart enough, not . . .   I know I have said many times that I can’t speak in front of a group of people.  (I hesitated to even write that, lest God says “Ok, guess what I have planned for you next!)   But ask Bob and Lance if they thought they would ever be performing “The Chisel” during Sunday morning worship.  I think their answer would be “no,” but if you were there that day, you know how moving their performance was. 

The Bible also compares the parts of our body to the people of his church.  Each part has a function to perform, just as each of us has something to offer to our (God’s) church.  Jan and Stella have been blessed with musical talents. Tonia has been blessed with the gifts of enthusiasm and leading our children through music.  Arnie shares his gift of financial knowledge through his service as our Treasurer.  Our choir members have long shared their musical abilities with us.  Lately, the choir has experienced a growth spurt as new members have joined, again sharing their musical abilities.  Christy has been blessed with the gift of being a great Vacation Bible School leader. Frank and Marge’s gifts are their friendliness and enthusiasm not only for God and Plymouth, but also for life in general.  Betty and Eileen are always there to lend a helping hand. There are so many others with gifts, but these are justa few that come to me as I write this.

1 Corinthians 12:20 -27 tells us that “What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.  The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.  The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’ In fact, some of the parts that seem the weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.  Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. “

God wants us to share our gifts through service. Still aren’t sure that you have something to offer?  I read somewhere “God’s command is God’s enablement. That is, if God commanded us to do something, then He will enable us to do it. “  We really all ARE part of Christ’s body and each one
of us is a separate and necessary part of it.  Ask God to show you what talent of yours he wants you to put into use in this coming year. (Or start today!)  No service is too small!

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 Answered Prayer!

I had a much more serious topic in mind when I sat down to write this morning, the topic of forgiveness.  But then as I grabbed my cell phone as I was heading out the door for work, I noticed I had two voicemails.  One was from a friend who had been offered a new job . . . one closer to home, better pay . . . almost everything she had prayed for!  She told me she had said a little prayer during church on Sunday asking God to lead her to a new job and went home to find a message regarding a possible job opportunity.  
   While we all know that our prayers don’t always get answered so quickly, it’s nice to hear these types of stories. 
   The quickest answer I ever got to a prayer was the night I was driving, in a snowstorm, in the dark and in unfamiliar territory. I had been visiting my daughter in upper Wisconsin and planned to visit family about two hours away.  I had never met this part of the family before nor had I ever even been to their town. The radio weatherman had been warning all day about the “big snow” that was coming.  But in my optimism, I thought I could beat the storm, and besides, where I was going didn’t look that far away on the map.  I got a later start than I had wanted, and not too long into the drive the snow started falling . . . a lot of it . . . I was out in the middle of nowhere, and the car I had been following had turned off a while back.  I was by myself. Not one to normally get too stressed out in situations like this, thoughts of my car sliding off the road and down one of the hills that I was driving through, never to be found for days, caused me to whisper a quick prayer to God for help.  And a few minutes later, what “to my wondering eyes should appear?” but a snow      plow . . . that not only provided a guide to follow in the blinding snow, but drove all the way to the town to which I was headed!!  God was listening!
   So, we’ll get back to talking about forgiveness another day.  But for now, let’s hear about your answered prayer!

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Baptism and new beginnings

Our last blog entry asked the question “Where do you find hope?” In this past week, our Plymouth church family experienced three examples of hope . . . and new beginnings.

   This past Thursday, a man from our church family passed away after an illness. This man and his family have now experienced the fulfillment of God’s promise of new life in his presence and the peace and comfort that God provides at times such as these.

  On Saturday afternoon, two of our church members began a new life together as they were joined in marriage.  A new couple was formed and two children have a new Dad. We wish them all well in their new life together!

   During Sunday worship, another of our church family gave his testimony as to how God has been working in his life during the past few months and the change it has made in his life. After the service, we gathered at the DuPage River to witness this man’s baptism. Pastor Bill gave the man a large rock to leave behind in the “water grave” as a reminder and as a point of  reckoning (from the 6th chapter of Romans, giving some reasons for baptism in the terms of knowing, yielding and reckoning), to always have a place that he can point to and remind himself and anyone else that would question the fact that a change had been made in his life. The rock also had his name marked on it. The term Water Grave came from a song by the same title sung by the Imperials a long time ago and seemed appropriate for the occasion!
Baptism – Randy Travis and Kenny Chesney  (Click on photos to enlarge.)
plymouthcongregational.org

Where do you find hope?

I was reading a blog recently that asked the question ”Where do you find hope?”  (http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon) The writer stated that he found hope in the fact that most people living today, have it much worse than most of us, yet they live “lives of dignity, meaning and even joy.”    He also adds, “that hope is what we Christians must have. I mentioned over the weekend that hope is not optimism, but the conviction that our suffering has meaning, even if we cannot understand it. I should have added that it is also the conviction that everything, in the fullness of time, works out for the Good. All this suffering today has meaning because in ways we cannot understand, it is for the best. That’s what hope is: evidence of things unseen. If I didn’t have Christ, I would probably be overwhelmed by despair sometimes. But because I have Christ, it is possible for me to have hope.”

To keep or give away . . . a baseball

This is a totally non-religious topic, but I thought it raised some good questions. 

I attended the Cubs game the other day with my daughter, her husband and their friend.  We had really good seats; about 5 rows back from the visiting team’s dugout on the first base side.  When the other team would come back to the dugout at the end of the inning, one of the players would throw the ball to a child, which is always a nice gesture.  But later in the game, a young man about 20 rows behind us caught a foul ball.  A young boy, say about 10 or 12, had run over from the next section in an attempt to get the ball.  He wasn’t even close to getting it, but when the young man sat down with the ball, the crowd booed.  He stood up and celebrated like everyone who catches a ball does, and the crowd still booed.  Eventually, he threw the ball over to the young boy and the crowd cheered. 

This led to a discussion amongst our little group as to whether the young man should have been pressured into giving up the ball.  I know in the big scheme of life, this is a pretty unimportant issue, and we’re not talking about a playoff winning home run ball.  But it raised the question of what would we have done?  Two in our group thought the young man should have given up the ball and two of us, the only real baseball fans in the group, said he should have or could have kept it.

One person said it would have meant more to the kid to have the ball.  Two of us thought that it would have meant just as much to the adult, whose probable life-long (misplaced?) love of the Cubs made it just as thrilling as it would have been to the youth.  On the other hand, one of those two said that if they had caught the ball, they probably would have handed it over to one of the two young kids sitting behind us, as there was no way they would have stood a chance to catch the ball with all the adults around them. 

Sure, the unselfish thing to do would have been to give the ball to the child; after all, it really was just a ball. But . . . what would you have done?

plymouthcongregational.org

Forgiveness shown by Kinetic Church

Kinetic Church is a church in Atlanta Georgia that meets weekly in a movie theatre. All of their supplies for their services and classes are stored in a trailer. Each week they everything up and at the end of their time together, they dismantle and once again store items in the trailer. One day someone stole their trailer. Click here, Kinetic Church, to read about their unique response, and let us know what you think!

Bright Side of Life

WGN radio used to broadcast the “Kathy and Judy” show.  On Wednesdays, they would have a segment called “Speak Your Piece,” where people could call in and and have 30 seconds to basically complain about anything.  But on Friday nights, WGN’s John Williams would have a segment called the ”Bright Side of Life.”   It would begin with the music “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” and then featured people who would call in with whatever made them smile that week.   It was so nice to hear what people were grateful for and by the end of the segment, I was usually in a much better mood.  
   Tell us about your ”bright side” story.

On Saturday, October 17, at 7pm, the Falmouth Congregational Church (267 Falmouth Rd, Falmouth – next to Town Hall) will feature an evening of the music and sounds of Zemya and !zing to support the Honduras Construction and Medical Mission of 2011.

Zemya is a group of eleven women who have performed all across Maine singing vibrant world music, while “!zing” creates group vocal versions of jazz, pop, and original songs that are unique, interesting, and fun.

The event is one of various fundraisers to support the Honduras Missions – Friends Working Together mission of traveling to Honduras to provide medical and infrastructure construction services for one week, once every two years. During these visits and time between, the group hopes to nurture personal connections that transcend time, distance, and the individual circumstances of their lives.

For more information on the group, their cause, and their mission, please visit; HondurasMission.org

Hampton Congregational Church, Hampton, CT

Timothy Pearl, the 7th child of John and Elizabeth (Holmes) Pearl, born 23 Feb. 1694/95 in Boxford, MA, moved to eastern Connecticut about 1720. He was a tanner by trade. He bought 100 acres of land on Appaquage Hill in Windham County, Connecticut from Ebenezer Jennings for a sum of 45 pounds. This area was then known as Canada Parish. It is now called Hampton Hill. In 1724 he joined the Congregational Church which met in the first meeting house planned in 1717. Around 1753 a new meeting house was built and in 1762 Timothy was one of twenty five who purchased a pew in the church for his family. *

Timothy had 2 wives. The first was Elizabeth Stevens with whom he had six children. Elizabeth died in 1736 and she is buried in North Cemetery in Hampton. His second marriage was 15 Nov. 1737 to Mary Leach, born in 1709. Timothy and Mary had 9 children. The first was James Pearle, born 24 March 1739 or 1738. It is from James that our Hampton Pearl family is descended. Mary Leach Pearl died 27 Feb. 1790 and Timothy died 9, Oct. 1773. They are both buried in North Cemetery. **

* This information on Timothy Pearle and his settlement in Hampton is from The Family Tree of John Pearl(e) by Norton Lee Bretz.

**This information of Timothy Pearle’s family is from The Pearl & Jewett Family Genealogy & History, 2003 by Dorothy Vander Meulen.

Lately there’s been lots of chatter about sexual orientation  in churches all over the country.  As states debate the legality of same-sex marriage, churches debate the issues as well.  However, it’s not all about same-marriage in the churches -it’s about whether or not churches will open their doors and be accepting of gay, lesbian, and bisexual members.  Will they allow homosexuals and transgendered persons in their church?

Yesterday I was invited to speak about homosexuality to the members of a large Congregational church in Connecticut.  This church has been debating ONA (short for “Open & Affirming”) issues, which are policies for public statements of welcome to all persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities.  While many churches might claim they friendly and open to everyone - the facts often don’t support this.  Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered are often not included in the “everyone” definition.  One gay student I was talking to last week told me that when his church found out he was gay, the pastor asked him to give up his homosexuality or stop coming to the church.  In the meantime, the pastor told this student he would pray for him.   Another gay student told me that she doesn’t go to church because she felt they did not want her there.  Many gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered youth feel alienated and alone.  They are often discriminated against and experience higher levels of depression and suicide than their heterosexual counterparts. This happens because many people around them reject them, including parents, relatives, friends, and teachers.  Should the church reject them as well?

I was thrilled to meet with the Connecticut congregation yesterday and I found they had many questions about sexual orientation – Why do people become gay?  How many gay people are there?  Do gay people hate straight people?  Are most gay people pedophiles?  Do gay parents make gay kids?  Can gay people be converted?  Only through education can we teach and help people understand what these issues are all about. 

I believe that congregations who adopt ONA policies will be enriched by the presence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered persons.  These people will bring a wealth of experiences, understandings, viewpoints, and opinions that can only add a new dimension to the churches that they might otherwise lack.  And for the youth who are out there struggling for acceptance and understanding - ONA might just might save their lives.

I am currently a regular guest musician at a small Congregational Church in Cherryfield, Maine–just down the road from our residence in the town of Milbridge. I lead the traditional worship music–including prelude, postlude, the Doxology, and the Gloria Patri–all on guitar. Why guitar? Because that’s the only instrument I currently have any real facility with. It’s unusual, but it seems to be working for this small group of faithful Christians. Anyway, here’s the Adventure Team’s homemade Gloria Patri . . .