Mixed Bag – …and Mr. Hyde

Key Bible Verse:  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.  – 1 John 1:9

Bonus Reading:  Romans 7:15-19

When I reclaim the language of sin, I see a different self.  I micromanage, consume more than my share of resources, and harbor bitterness from past losses.  I hoard my time and resent others for intruding on it.

I am vain and consumed with how others perceive me.  I wrestle with my sexuality and have strayed away from Lisa with my eyes and my heart.  I am prideful in my heart and my head. I have learned how to pretend to listen without really listening.  I have corrected my children when they need affirmation.

I gossip, care more about eating popcorn at the movies than about feeding the hungry, am envious of highly successful men, and overlook the oppressed.  I think more about being great than about being good.  I act more spiritual than I am.  I am a mess—broken in every way—and my only hope is in God’s mercy.

We are sinners through and through.  Once we see this truth, we can cast our gaze on the One who forgives perfectly, redeems us constantly, and embraces us in arms of compassion and forgiveness.  In the strength of grace, God lifts us to our feet, draws us away from sinful choices, and grants unspeakable hope.

—Mark McMinn in Why Sin Matters

My Response: What faults and struggles do I need to admit to myself and to God?

Thought to Apply: The beginning of a cure must be the recognition of the real disease.—Halford Luccock (pastor)

Adapted from Why Sin Matters (Tyndale, 2004)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, help me to stop kidding myself about what I’m really like. Thank You for loving me even though You know the worst.

Mixed Bag – Dr. Jekyl…

Key Bible Verse:  If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.  – 1 John 1:8

Bonus Reading:  Luke 18:9-14

Do you ever feel like a pretty good person? I do sometimes.  I’m usually nice to my students, treat my colleagues fairly, deeply love my family, pay my taxes, provide psychological help to pastors in crisis, go to church and tithe.  I don’t steal, commit adultery, use illegal drugs, or swear.  And I floss regularly.

Then I remember the religious leader in the temple (see Luke 18:9-14).  He had the same list.  His prayer is the formula for self-absorbed disappointment and disillusionment. When we see ourselves as “pretty good,” we misunderstand the gravity of sin and our desperate need for grace. We place ourselves above others, become their judges, and give them the power to disappoint us.

A physicist friend uses this analogy: Each of us is like a light bulb. One shines with 50 watts of holiness, another has only 25 watts. Maybe the most stellar Christians are 200 watts. But these comparisons become trite in the presence of the sun. In the face of God, our different levels of piety are puny and meaningless. It makes no sense to compare ourselves with one another because we are all much more alike than we are different.

—Mark McMinn in Why Sin Matters

My Response:  Do I rate myself more like the Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14) or the tax collector?

Thought to Apply: One of the first things for which we have to pray is a true insight into our condition.—Olive Wyon (writer)

Adapted from Why Sin Matters (Tyndale, 2004)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, help me to stop kidding myself about what I’m really like. Thank You for loving me even though You know the worst.

Mixed Bag – Corruption Fighters

Key Bible Verse:  The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked.  Who really knows how bad it is?  – Jeremiah 17:9

Bonus Reading:  Isaiah 64:5-9

The subject of sin is full of ironies, and surprises.  During the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Improvement Association led thousands of blacks through months of hardship and to bring down city walls of injustice and break municipal bus segregation.

Many black citizens supported the boycott with a spirit of mutual help and accountability. They rode bicycles, trudged miles to and from work, and formed car pools that local police regularly harassed. They stopped and interrogated drivers, making them demonstrate their wipers and lights, and writing them up for tiny, often bogus, violations. Drivers adapted. According to historian Taylor Branch, they “crept along the road and gave exaggerated turn signals, like novices in driving school.”

Remarkably, a number of blacks also figured out ways to defraud their own movement. By submitting phony reimbursement claims, they hustled the Montgomery Improvement Association for “oceans of gasoline and truckloads of imaginary spare tires.” The MIA, says Branch, was constantly trying to deal with the corruption within and “plug the holes in the reimbursement system.”

—Neal Plantinga in Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be

My Response: Have I undermined a virtue I believe in? If so, how?

Adapted from Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be (Eerdmans, 1995)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, help me to stop kidding myself about what I’m really like.  Thank You for loving me even though You know the worst.

Mixed Bag – Light and Shadow

Who Said It…Donald McCullough

Two earthquakes mark Donald’s life.  As San Francisco Theological Seminary’s president, he led a successful capital campaign to repair the school’s buildings, damaged by the 1989 quake.

Then in 2000 he experienced a personal quake when earlier marital infidelity was uncovered by his presbytery.  His ordination was suspended, and he resigned his post.

Donald’s book, The Consolations of Imperfection (Brazos, 2004), shares hard lessons he’s learned about himself.

What He Said…Light and Shadow

We’re a confusing mixture: loving and selfish, generous and stingy, encouraging and envious, hardworking and lazy, angelic and devilish; we’re both light and shadow.

Who can see into the depths of the shadows?  Who can name all the cantankerous, aggressive troublemakers out of sight and out of mind in the cellar?

This is more a wading through sorrow than a wallowing in it.  Admission of wrongdoing should have a matter–of–fact quality to it.  It says, “Yes, this is who I am.  It’s not all I am, for I’ve written some good parts to my story, too.  Yet I can’t deny my failure (and my propensity to further failure) any more than I can deny my blue eyes.”

As someone who’s had to do more than his share of this confession, I can testify that it’s liberating.  As we pray for courage to see ourselves as we really are, we find ourselves—somehow, surprisingly—lifted above it.  We’re actually being raised by the updraft of grace.

Adapted from The Consolations of Imperfection (Brazos, 2004)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, help me to stop kidding myself about what I’m really like.  Thank You for loving me even though You know the worst.

Be a Builder-Upper – Paul in Thessolonica

Chapters 2 and 3 of 1 Thessalonians form a unique section of Scripture.

Paul is inviting the believers in Thessalonika to reminisce with him about his initial visit to them (recorded in Acts 17:1-10a) and their subsequent contacts.

This “rememberfest” affords us our best window into how Paul went about putting a young congregation on its feet.

Interact with God’s Word

1 Thessalonians 2:7-12

1. Why isn’t gentleness a valued trait among guys today?
2. How can we relate gently to our children? … to other men?
3. What kept Paul from making demands of the Thessalonians?
4. How good are people at sensing if our love is for real?
5. What personal characteristics (v. 10) are prerequisite to a ministry of building others up?
6. What kinds of fatherly treatment (v. 11) do you think Paul had in mind?
7. How could you put the kinds of interaction recorded in verse 12 to work in your discipling?

Spend Time in Prayer:  Ask God to make you a father who gently challenges not only his own children, but other believers as well.

1 Thessalonians 2:7-12

7 As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but we were as gentle among you as a mother feeding and caring for her own children. 8 We loved you so much that we gave you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. 9 Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that our expenses would not be a burden to anyone there as we preached God’s Good News among you.

10 You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were pure and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. 11 And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. 12 We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you into his Kingdom to share his glory.

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, please help me become a motivator of others by the way I affirm, patiently challenge, and encourage them.

COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 6-24-2021

Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of June 24, 2021, showing some additional improvements over last week.

• The Incidence Rate moved down 2.58 points (22.7%) to 8.5 from last week’s 11.0 in the Low category for the first time in more than a year.
• The PCR Positivity Rate has moved down to 1.3% from last week’s 1.4%, in the Low category.

(Allegheny County’s figures moved down during the past week to 10.0 and 1.5%.)

• • Beaver County is now classified as LOW.  

(If both metrics are Moderate, the PA Dept. of Health’s recommended school instructional model is In-Person Learning.)

• Deadlier COVID-19 variants have now replaced the original coronavirus as the predominant strains here in the United States, making it more important every day that we do all that we can to protect the people who come to our Church.

On April 5, the CDC issued a “Science Brief” outlining that, in addition to people becoming infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects,  the principal mode by which people are infected with COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus.

---

• Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):

The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.

For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:

• • 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
  • Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
  • Our current level is 1.2, so resuming small group meetings will not be feasible until we can provide sufficient active air filtration in light of the latest CDC guidance and the deadlier variants now moving into the USA.

---

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

• Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and

• We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary.    
  

Central Church

Be a Builder-Upper – Chewed Out?

Key Bible Verse:  And you know we treated each of you as a father treats his own children.  – 1 Thessalonians 2:11

Bonus Reading:  1 Thessalonians 2:7-12

For six summers Jim Slevcove was my supervisor at Forest Home, a Christian conference center in California.  I held a responsible position over junior high and high school kids, but couldn’t pass up a chance to play a prank.  Like the time I passed off a laxative gum as chewing gum to some coworkers.  Word of the rigorous purgative’s effects got back to Jim.

He asked me to come to his office the next day for “a little chat.”  I was still a little defiant when Jim called me in.  There was a long, awkward silence as he leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.

Were those tears in his eyes?  Then he whispered “Benny” with tender affection.  “Benny,” he repeated twice while he got control of his emotions.

My arguments disappeared like the vapor they were.  I’d gone way over the line of propriety, not to mention compassion.  I owed and paid Jim and my victims an apology.  We talked about my impulsiveness and vindictiveness, the meaning of Christian community, and the responsibilities that go with leadership.  Even in saying the hard thing to me, Jim was always gracious.  His goal was not to tear down but to build up.

—Ben Patterson in He Has Made Me Glad

My Response:  A person who needs affirmation and grace from me today is …

Thought to Apply:  Correction does much, but encouragement does more. Encouragement after censure is as the sun after a shower.—Johann Von Goethe (German poet)

Adapted from He Has Made Me Glad (InterVarsity, 2005)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, please help me become a motivator of others by the way I affirm, patiently challenge, and encourage them.

Be a Builder-Upper – Puzzling Patron

Key Bible Verse:  Timothy, I thank God for you. … Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.  – 2 Timothy 1:3

Bonus Reading:  Hebrews 10:24

As a teen, I waitressed at a Coco’s restaurant.  Around 9 o’clock one February night, I started feeling sorry for myself.  My friends were at the movies, but I had to work until closing.

That’s when the hostess grabbed my arm. “This is really creepy,” she whispered, “but there’s a man over there who said he wouldn’t eat here unless you were his waitress.”

I swallowed hard.  “Is he a weirdo?”

“See for yourself,” she said.  We peered through the decorative foliage at the mysterious man in the corner.  Slowly he lowered his menu, revealing thick, white hair, silver-blue eyes, and a wide grin beneath his white moustache.  He lifted his hand and waved.

“That’s no weirdo,” I said. “That’s my dad!”

“Coming to see you at work?” the hostess balked.  “Pretty strange, if you ask me.”

I thought it was cool.  But to Dad I acted nonchalant, rattling off the soup of the day and scribbling down his order before anyone could see him squeeze my elbow and say, “Thanks, Honey.”

As he watched me clear tables and refill coffee cups, his unspoken words bounced off the wall: “I’m here.  I support you.  I’m proud of you.  Keep up the good work.  You’re my girl.  I love you.”  It was my best valentine that year.

—Alice Gray in Stories for a Teen’s Heart

My Response:  I’ll plan an “un-card” valentine for a loved one.

Thought to Apply:  Encouragement is oxygen to the soul.—George Adams (Newspaper columnist)

Adapted from Stories for a Teen’s Heart (Multnomah, 1999)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, please help me become a motivator of others by the way I affirm, patiently challenge, and encourage them.

Be a Builder-Upper – Natural Wonder

Key Bible Verse:   How we thank God for you!  Because of you we have great joy in the presence of God.  – 1 Thessalonians 3:9

Bonus Reading:  Titus 2:6-8

When my son Joel was 12 years old, we hiked into the Grand Canyon with a close friend.  On our last evening we sat on the edge of the canyon munching on summer sausage, cheese, and crackers, and watching the majestic play of changing colors as the sun sank.

Our conversation turned from the arduous hike earlier that day to deeper things—God and creation and the kind of girl Joel ought to marry someday.  I was intensely aware of how much I loved this wonder of a son whose profile was outlined against the glories of canyon and sunset.

Pointing toward the canyon, Joel turned and said, “There’s no place on earth that shows more of God’s glory than this place!”

Ah!  The perfect moment to say what was welling up in my breast.  “There is, Joel,” I said, “something that shows God’s glory even better.”

His eyes flashed, ready to debate the point. “Where, Dad?”

“Right here, buddy,” I said, pointing at him.  “This whole canyon doesn’t add up to you.  There’s no canyon, river, mountain, or ocean that better shows the majesty of God than you, or any other human being.”

—Ben Patterson in He Has Made Me Glad

My Response:  This week I’ll watch for an occasion to affirm my son or daughter.

Thought to Apply:  There is no such whetstone to sharpen a good wit and encourage a will to learning as is praise —Roger Ascham (English scholar)

Adapted from He Has Made Me Glad (InterVarsity, 2005)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, please help me become a motivator of others by the way I affirm, patiently challenge, and encourage them.

Be a Builder-Upper – Moving Moment

Key Bible Verse:  I have the highest confidence in you, and my pride in you is great.  – 2 Corinthians 7:4

Bonus Reading:  Colossians 2:1-5

When my oldest son was 11, we built a 3′ x 4′ bookcase to put his stereo and junk on.  I’m a doofus at woodworking, but we measured, drew up plans, bought the wood, pulled out the tools, and got busy.

The result sat next to his bed for six years.  Unbeknownst to him, I’d written on the bottom: “Troy: You and I built this together on August 11, 1996.  This note is to remind you that I’ll always love you more than my life and be your biggest fan.  Never forget that. Love, Dad.”

In 2002, Troy moved into his own place, taking everything that’s his.  He hadn’t noticed anything as he wedged the bookcase into his Subaru Outback for the one-hour drive to Denver.  When we arrived at his place, we began unloading.  His roommate noticed the writing on the bottom of the bookcase as he carried it into the house. “What’s this?” he asked.

Troy came over. “What’s what?”

“This writing.”  He began to read it out loud.  I stopped in the hallway and watched Troy as he read it silently.  The roommate filled the silence.  “Uh-oh, Father-son hug moment.”  Troy smiled sheepishly as I walked over.  His hug and that look were worth the wait.

—Greg Johnson in Dad’s Everything Book for Sons

My Response:  Something tangible from me to a child of mine could be …

Thought to Apply:  I don’t care how great, how famous or successful a man or woman may be, each hungers for applause. —George Adams (Newspaper columnist)

Adapted from Dad’s Everything Book for Sons (Zondervan, 2003)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, please help me become a motivator of others by the way I affirm, patiently challenge, and encourage them.

Be a Builder-Upper – Boos or Bouquets?

Key Bible Verse:  Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement.  – Ephesians 4:29

Bonus Reading:  Proverbs 15:23; 16:24

When Jacques Plante, the great National Hockey League goalie, retired, someone asked him how he had liked being a goalie.  He quipped, “How would you like a job where if you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?”

Families, and churches, can be like that.

We have a family birthday tradition I really love—a kind of “rite of affirmation.”  The way it works is simple.  We bombard the birthday person with compliments.

If it’s my daughter, Mary, being celebrated, I tell her I love the way she laughs so hard that tears squirt out her eyes like little saline projectiles. I let her know what a thoughtful, interesting person she is, how I love her kindness, and what a pleasure it is to take a walk with her.

Her mother, brothers, and friends also speak their appreciation. She grows quiet and warm and even more beautiful. And her eyes show how hungrily her heart drinks it in.

She’s enlarged in her soul, made deeper and stronger. Although she and her brothers are now young adults, they still respond the same way. So does my wife. So do I. This kind of grace evokes joyful gratitude in all who hear.

—Ben Patterson in He Has Made Me Glad

My Response:  I’ll tell one family member what I admire and love about him or her.

Adapted from He Has Made Me Glad (InterVarsity, 2005)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, please help me become a motivator of others by the way I affirm, patiently challenge, and encourage them.

Central Church – Online Worship Service – 4th Sunday after Pentecost – Fathers’ Day – 6-20-2021

On this hot, humid fourth Sunday after Pentecost, when we also celebrate Fathers’ Day, and when the coronavirus prevents many of us from gathering in Central Church’s Sanctuary to worship in body, let us join together in spirit for with our online worship experience! Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along! AND… Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!  To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”. To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off. A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy!  Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said. To begin, simply click on one of the links below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary.  You can find this week’s online worship service on both Facebook and YouTube at the following coordinates: Facebook –   https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=860754554541010 YouTube –     https://youtu.be/rF77UltIF1Ahttps://youtu.be/rF77UltIF1A (If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.)

Happy Father’s Day

Be a Builder-Upper – Call Forth the Best

Who Said It…Ben Patterson

Ben used to be an avid wrestler and weightlifter.  Now he focuses on a different kind of building up.  He disciples students. He is currently the campus pastor at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.

He previously served in the same role at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Ben has written a number of books.  He’s also pastored churches on the east and west coasts.

What He Said…Call Forth the Best

Gracious words build up and strengthen others, calling forth their best.

I read of a professor at a small New England college who year after year was voted by his colleagues and students as the school’s outstanding instructor.  When he retired, the college held a banquet in his honor and asked him to give a speech explaining the secret of his success as a teacher.

The professor blushed as he began and said, “Well, I guess I can say it now that I’m leaving.  At the beginning of every semester, in every class I taught, I would identify the student who seemed most likely to fail.  On the first exam, I gave this person a far better grade than he or she deserved.

And then I somehow made it known to the rest of the class, in the student’s hearing, how well the student had done.  In 40 years of teaching, it never failed to produce the desired result. Every student rose to a higher level.”

Adapted from He Has Made Me Glad (InterVarsity, 2005)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, please help me become a motivator of others by the way I affirm, patiently challenge, and encourage them.

Unboxing God – Feeling Like Job

After Eliphaz, one of the suffering Job’s critical “comforters,” has lectured him to stop quarreling with God and clean up his life (Job chapter 22), Job makes his rebuttal (chapter 23).

He puts into words the frustration that you—and a host of other believers—have felt at one time or another in seeking to relate to the Almighty.  But it’s a frustration that avoids despair by hanging on to faith.

Interact with God’s Word

Job 23:1-10

1. What does Job feel about the “sentence” he’s been served (v. 2)?
2. What qualities of his divine Judge does he remain confident about (vv. 6-7)?
3. What frustrates Job about God’s immaterial nature (vv. 3, 8-9)?
4. But does God have any trouble locating him (v. 10)?
5. Have you felt God to be elusive when you’ve attempted contact?
6. What does Job feel about communicating with God (vv.3-5)?
7. How can you listen for God’s voice and understand what it’s conveying to you?

Spend Time in Prayer: Ask God to overwhelm you with His greatness. And ask Him to make His spirit—presence as real to you as the flesh-and-blood world you touch and hear.

Job 23:1-10

1Then Job spoke again:

2 “My complaint today is still a bitter one, and I try hard not to groan aloud.

3 If only I knew where to find God, I would go to his throne and talk with him there.

4 I would lay out my case and present my arguments.

5 Then I would listen to his reply and understand what he says to me.

6 Would he merely argue with me in his greatness? No, he would give me a fair hearing.

7 Fair and honest people can reason with him, so I would be acquitted by my Judge.

8 “I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him.

9 I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find him.

10 But he knows where I am going. And when he has tested me like gold in a fire, he will pronounce me innocent.

Prayer for the Week:   Although You are beyond my comprehension, Lord, I long to know You better.  Give me a closer glimpse of Your glory.

How should Delta change the way parents think about Covid?

For most American adults, the Covid-19 situation is now straightforward. Vaccine shots are widely available, and once you’ve had one, Covid no longer needs to dominate your life. You are unlikely to contract any form of the virus and are virtually guaranteed not to suffer serious symptoms.

You can socialize with friends, indoors or outdoors. You don’t need to wear a mask to protect yourself or others. For you, Covid has come to resemble a mild flu that you are unlikely to get.

For children under 12, however, the situation is more complicated. They are not yet eligible to receive a vaccine. And with the spread of the Delta variant of the virus, many parents are understandably anxious. Over the past week, I’ve received emails and social media messages from some of those parents, asking for help in thinking about Delta. I will try to provide it today.

How bad is Delta?

As each new coronavirus variant has emerged, people have feared that it would be a game-changer — resistant to the vaccines or vastly more serious. So far, though, all the variants have been much more similar to the original version of the virus than they have been different.

The vaccines are effective on all of them, and many of the early fears about severity of variant symptoms have not been borne out. That’s why some public-health experts use the term “scariants.”

Delta does appear to be worse than most, as I described in Monday’s newsletter. It may be the worst variant yet, in terms of contagiousness and severity. Yet it also seems to be in the same broad range as the earlier ones.

The best assumption seems to be that Delta will be modestly worse for children than earlier versions of the virus.

COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 6-17-2021

Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of June 17, 2021, showing some additional improvements over last week.

• The Incidence Rate moved down 13.4 points (54.9%) to 11.0 from last week’s 24.4 in the Moderate category.
• The PCR Positivity Rate has moved down to 1.4% from last week’s 2.3%, in the Low category.

(Allegheny County’s figures moved down during the past week to 5.0 and 1.0%.)

• • Beaver County is now classified as MODERATE.  

(If both metrics are Moderate, the PA Dept. of Health’s recommended school instructional model is Hybrid Learning.)

• Deadlier COVID-19 variants have now replaced the original coronavirus as the predominant strains here in the United States, making it more important every day that we do all that we can to protect the people who come to our Church.

On April 5, the CDC issued a “Science Brief” outlining that, in addition to people becoming infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects,  the principal mode by which people are infected with COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus.

---

• Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):

The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.

For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:

• • 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
  • Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
  • Our current level is 1.5, so resuming small group meetings will not be feasible until we can provide sufficient active air filtration in light of the latest CDC guidance and the deadlier variants now moving into the USA.

---

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

• Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and

• We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary.    
  

Central Church

This Fathers’ Day – Be a Better Man!

All of us, men and women know we aren’t all we want to be in our Christian lives.

To help us along, here are some links to a variety of resources to help men grow in their spiritual lives.  Such contemplation might not be a cuddly, upbeat way to celebrate Father’s Day, but it might have an eternal impact that is far more important.

Be a better man

Explore or start a personal relationship with Jesus

http://www.whoisjesus-really.com/

http://www.needhim.org/who-is-jesus

http://goingfarther.jesus.net/

 

Grow in the Basics of Christianity

http://christianity.about.com/od/newchristians/p/christianbasics.htm

http://bible.org/

http://www.keepbelieving.org/resources.htm

http://goingfarther.jesus.net/

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/dr-ray-pritchard/five-excellent-bible-study-websites-11633090.html

 

 Start or become involved with a Men’s Ministry

http://www.menoftheword.org/starting_mens_minist.html

http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/161203-yvon_prehn_dont_kill_your_mens_ministry_before_it_starts.html

Learn to defend the Christian faith

Two great sites that will answer your questions and prepare you to answer others

http://www.str.org/

http://www.equip.org/

Recover from an addiction

Alcoholics Anonymous

http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=1

Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery is a biblical and balanced program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-ups, and habits, please note that the current website status is not reflective of the quality of the ministry.

http://www.celebraterecovery.com/

Overall resources for recovery, good explanation of Celebrate Recovery

http://www.drug-rehab-center-hotline.com/celebraterecovery.html

 

Pornography, sexual addition, related issues

http://www.pureintimacy.org/pornographyaddiction/

 

Download an ap with daily Bible encouragements and other resources

http://www.join1millionmen.org/resourcesorder-today/

 

Help with internet filters, accountability, online help

http://www.mensministry.info/pornography.html

http://www.menofintegrity.org/porn.html

 

 

 

 

Unboxing God – Speechless

Key Bible Verses:  O God, don’t sit idly by, silent and inactive!  – Psalm 83:1

Bonus Reading:  Isaiah 64:1-12

“Chess master and mentor Bruce Pandolfini discussed, in a Fast Company magazine article, how he works with his students.  “My lessons consist of a lot of silence.  I listen to other teachers, and they’re always talking. … I let my students think.

If I do ask a question and I don’t get the right answer, I’ll rephrase the question—and wait.  I never give the answer.  Most of us really don’t appreciate the power of silence.  Some of the most effective communication—between student and teacher, between master players—takes place during silent periods.”

Could this be how God mentors us?  Is God’s apparent silence the method of a Master Teacher?

When I go through seasons when God’s answers don’t come quickly or on the surface of things—but the way God interacts with my prayers draws me into deeper trust, dependence, and obedience—the answers I find radically transcend what I initially sought to find.

1. I get introduced to sin that I need to confront.
2. I recognize patterns of behavior I need to break.
3. I gain insights into who I am that I didn’t have before.
4. I discover a depth of relationship with God that I’ve never before experienced.

—James Emery White in Embracing the Mysterious God

My Response:  Which numbered sentence fits where God’s silence is pointing me now?

Thought to Apply:  Sometimes Thou dost withdraw Thyself from us that we might know the sweetness of Thy presence.—Thomas À Kempis (Dutch monastic)

Adapted from Embracing the Mysterious God (InterVarsity, 2003)

Prayer for the Week:  Although You are beyond my comprehension, Lord, I long to know You better.  Give me a closer glimpse of Your glory.

The Selfish Reasons We Skip Church

In the last several years, observers of American church life have noted that the definition of a regular church attendee is changing. To skip church is a regular thing now. With increasing affluence, mobility, commitments and entertainment options, many Christians gather with their church family less often than they did 10 years ago.

Previously, a regular church attendee was a person who “only” gathered with their church one time a week. Now a regular attendee is a person who may attend twice a month.

We often don’t think about what happens when we don’t regularly gather with our church. Sure, we may think about what I might miss. “I won’t hear the sermon today, but I can read a book, listen to Christian radio, or catch up on the podcast.” “I love to sing worship music, but I can do that in the car on the way to where I am going today. I don’t have to go to a building to sing praises to Jesus.” We make these excuses to ourselves and use them to justify how I can make up for what I am missing when I miss gathering with the church.

WHEN WE SKIP CHURCH, WE NEED TO SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE

What if you miss something bigger than missing out on a sermon or singing when you don’t gather with your church body? We have heard the words of Hebrews 10:24-25 often. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

These Christians faced the temptation to stop meeting together because of the persecution faced, but they could not stop. The writer reminded them of their responsibilities to each other. They must stir up each other to love and good works. The way they accomplish this is by “not neglecting to meet together” and instead regularly meeting to encourage each other. The writer’s logic here is simple and we can’t argue with it—you cannot encourage people you do not see.

You come to an important realization when contemplating the message of these verses. Instead of only thinking about what you miss when you miss gathering with your church family, also think about what others miss because of your absence.

Do you see the difference in perspective here? When only thinking about what you aren’t getting, you view the church with a consumer mentality. The church becomes another place where you receive goods and services. However, when you begin to see the church as a people to whom you belong, your motivation for gathering changes. The main worship gathering, community groups and having people over for dinner become a means for you to give as well as receive.

WHEN WE SKIP CHURCH, THE CHURCH IS MISSING A LIMB

You may think people don’t miss much when you aren’t around, but consider the metaphors the Bible uses to describe the church. Paul pictures the church as a body, a temple and a family. Each of these metaphors stresses the church’s interdependency. If the church is a body and you go AWOL, the body will not function properly. Since the church is a family, when you don’t gather with them there is an empty seat at the table. The church is a temple and you are a brick in it, so the whole structure is weaker and more vulnerable when you are not there.

How many times have you been encouraged by a quick word from another Christian? How often have you shared your burdens with another Christian in a short conversation and discovered they were praying for you a month later? When you first visited the church you currently attend, wasn’t it helpful to see people there you already knew? You have the opportunity to be the same blessing to others.

The Sunday you want to sleep in could be the Sunday one of your neighbors decides to attend and feels more comfortable because he sees someone he knows. The week you gather around the table with other Christians for lunch instead of running home to catch a football game might give you the opportunity to encourage someone who has been suffering in silence. This week, you may get the opportunity to be a strong shoulder for a hurting friend because you gathered with your group instead of scheduling something else.

BEFORE WE SKIP CHURCH, WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT GOD USES MEANS

God could accomplish all of his purposes without us, but he works through means. The Lord uses our lives to accomplish the spread of his kingdom and to build up his people. His ministry of encouragement takes place through ordinary Christians praying for and helping each other. He often brings comfort to his hurting children not through an angel from heaven, but through the people he redeemed.

In two years, you may not remember the sermon you heard when you gathered with the church this week, but a hurting or discouraged friend will remember the kindness you showed them.

Today, begin to see the church as something more significant than a place where you go to get the religious things you need. Start viewing the church as a people to whom you belong and who need you so they can grow into the image of Christ. If you belong to Jesus, he has gifted you to build up his people and his kingdom. Gather with his people this week not only thinking of yourself but also about how you might be God’s means of building up another.

Central Church

Unboxing God – Hide-and-Seek

Key Bible Verse:  Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel.  – Isaiah 45:15

Bonus Reading:  Job 19:7-12, 23-27; 23:1-10

When my children were small, I’d come home from work, kiss my wife and children hello, and, when their backs were turned, quickly hide in our linen closet. 

Why would I do such a thing?  The kids swiftly discerned that Dad was initiating a game of hide-and-seek.

They’d look everywhere for me, except that linen closet.  After a little while, when the kids were searching some other part of the house, I’d slip out and sit at the table, drinking coffee with my wife.  The kids would see me, do a double take and say, “Where were you?”  I wouldn’t tell them my secret hiding place.

One day I kissed my family hello, vanished into my linen closet and heard the kids scampering around trying to find me.  After a few minutes, the house became silent. When I came out of hiding, I found them downstairs playing with Legos.  They’d lost interest in finding Dad!

Does God ever hide from us?  Yes.  Sometimes God hides Himself from us because of our sin.  Perhaps at other times He hides Himself so that His people might seek Him on a deeper and more intimate level.

Don’t assume that because God knows all things He has no desire to be known Himself.

—Larry Dixon in DocDevos

My Response:  Am I willing to keep looking when God “hides”?

Thought to Apply:  Ever since the days of Adam, man has been hiding from God and saying, “God is hard to find.” —Fulton Sheen (Roman Catholic bishop, broadcaster)

Adapted from DocDevos (Christian Publications, 2002)

Prayer for the Week:  Although You are beyond my comprehension, Lord, I long to know You better.  Give me a closer glimpse of Your glory.

Unboxing God – Security Check

Key Bible Verse:   How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods!  – Romans 11:33

Bonus Reading:  Isaiah 40:13-14; 27-29

God isn’t limited by us, nor our predicaments.

I met a Hong Kong resident who’d arranged to take some Scriptures—contraband at the time—into China.  They were for pastors in a northern province who’d arranged to meet him in the southern city of Guangzhou.  He discreetly packed just over 100 Bibles into his suitcases.

But at the border, customs officials searched his bags.  They discovered and confiscated the Bibles but allowed him to proceed.  He checked into his Guangzhou hotel, discouraged at the prospect of the next day having to face pastors who’d traveled for several days to obtain these Scriptures.

That evening there was a knock on his door.  He opened to a European couple who told him they were Christians who’d been behind him at the customs checkpoint.  It so happened that they’d filled their bags with Bibles too, but the officials hadn’t searched them. 

Checking into their hotel, they received a message that the person for whom their Bibles were intended was unable to come.  While having dinner in the hotel restaurant, they’d spotted my Hong Kong acquaintance and followed him to his room. 

Could he use the 200 Bibles in their suitcases?

—Paul-Gordon Chandler in God’s Global Mosaic

My Response:  A time when God brought deliverance out of an apparent disaster was …

Thought to Apply:  God often takes a course for accomplishing His purposes directly contrary to what our narrow views would prescribe. —John Newton (slave trader, pastor)

Adapted from God’s Global Mosaic (InterVarsity, 1997)

Prayer for the Week:  Although You are beyond my comprehension, Lord, I long to know You better.  Give me a closer glimpse of Your glory.

3 Times Jesus Modeled How to Treat Sinners

Here is a helpful article by Matt Brown outlining our best response when we interact with (other) sinners.

---

Jesus modeled well for us how to treat sinners. The SCOTUS decision in the United States, which legalized gay marriage has brought lots of scathing comments from all sides and an overwhelming amount of questions about how Christians should respond to the culture around us.

The best thing we can do is follow Jesus’ regarding how to treat sinners.

How Did Jesus Treat Sinners?

1. Jesus told us not to judge other sinners.

Jesus clearly tells us not to judge others (Matthew 7:1-2). We can’t expect non-Christians to behave like Christians. Instead, we should focus on being a light to them and loving them.

Over and over again, the Bible tells us the importance of loving others (1 Corinthians 16:14; 1 Corinthians 13:1-6, 13).

It is hard to love others, and show the gospel to them when we are angry at them or hating on them. Anger and hate are not the way of Jesus.

2. Jesus showed mercy to the sinner caught in sin.

One day Jesus was teaching crowds of people in the temple, and religious leaders brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to him and set her in front of the crowd accusing her—asking Jesus what should be done with her.

Jesus does the weirdest thing, something that still leaves Bible experts confounded. He doesn’t respond at first … he literally stoops down and starts writing in the dust on the floor.

They kept demanding an answer, and Jesus finally stood up and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.”

Then he stooped down and kept writing in the dust!

One by one, the crowd began to leave. The Scripture says, “beginning with the oldest.” The oldest likely left first because they had realized over the years how weak and vulnerable they were to sin themselves, and how many times they had failed throughout their life to adhere to God’s law.

What was Jesus writing in that dust? It’s almost like Jesus didn’t draw a line in the sand for the sinner. Instead, maybe he was writing the sins of the various religious leaders or crowd members in the dust? Maybe he was pointing out that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) or “if anyone claims to be without sin, they are a liar and the truth is not in them” (1 John 1:8-10).

Either way, weird, right?!

Jesus shows overwhelming, astonishing mercy to this woman caught in sin. His response to her after every single person had left like dogs with their tails caught between their legs, was …

“Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

In a very real sense, Jesus shows overwhelming, astonishing mercy and undeserved grace to sinners, and yet Jesus send the self-righteous scurrying off like dogs with tails caught between their legs.

Jesus doesn’t give her a free-pass to remain in her sin. He tells her to “sin no more.” With another man Jesus encountered, Jesus says, “Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you” (John 5:14).

So Jesus doesn’t condone the sin, but He also doesn’t condemn the sinner. He is the only One who can rightly condemn, and yet he offers overwhelming, astonishing grace to all of us.

While many Christians are out condemning sinners, Jesus did the opposite—He gave His very life to bear sinners’ sin and condemnation on the cross—he showed us how to treat sinners.

3. But Jesus didn’t hide the truth about sinners.

Some conclude Jesus was only gentle with sinners (and he often was) but we must also remember there were times when his hard teachings caused great crowds to leave in droves (John 6:60-68).

Jesus was clear about the truth, even when it was not popular, and even when it caused crowds to scatter. He wasn’t just trying to build a large following—He was on a mission to share both truth and love in profound ways, ways that still shake the world today.

Keep in mind that the crowd didn’t scatter because Jesus was rude and judgmental. If our attitude or anger turns people away from Jesus, we are dead wrong.

However, there are times to share truth gently and respectfully (1 Peter 3:15), but stand for it nonetheless. Even though sometimes the world will hate us for it (John 15:18; Matthew 10:22; John 3:19-21).

There is a time to warn people, even non-Christians, against the deadly effects of the ways of this world (see Ezekiel 3:18; Acts 20:26-27). Although mainly we should focus on preaching the hope and truth of the gospel—because only the gospel can change hard hearts—it is the only thing that worked for us.

When it comes to how to treat sinners, we need both gentleness and holy truth. We can’t be afraid to be clear about Christ’s truth. It makes me sad when Christian leaders, or Christians in general, won’t admit to the truth of God’s Word simply because it is unpopular in culture and might turn people off. There may be times when the crowds leave us too, as they did for Jesus, and only those true remain.

We shouldn’t be surprised by times of declining Christianity—if the crowds left our Lord Jesus because of hard teachings, there are bound to be times like this for us too.  Even in America.

So, when it comes to how to treat sinners, no more angry judging. Offer overwhelming, astonishing mercy to sinners. But don’t hide the truth or be afraid of the crowds scattering.

---

Central Church

LCMS-Related Christians Charged for Teaching the Bible

---

Here is a timely article by Gene Vieth addressing freedom of speech abroad and pending legislation here in the USA.

---

Last year I blogged about how a Finnish pastor and a laywoman who is a member of the Finnish parliament were being investigated by authorities for teaching what the Bible says about homosexuality.  Now prosecutors have taken the step of issuing criminal charges against them and taking them to trial.  

And lest we think that such persecution of believing Christians, while regrettable, at least is a problem on foreign shores far away from us, the individuals facing prison for their beliefs have direct ties to the Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod here in the United States.

I blogged about these two cases last year in my post Criminalizing Christian Teachings about Sex.  Please read that.

Dr. Päivi Räsänen, a medical doctor and a member of parliament–who once was Minister of the Interior, no less–wrote a booklet in 2004 entitled Male and Female He Created Them (for an English translation, click the link), arguing that “Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity.”

Her book was published by the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF), a church body in full altar and pulpit fellowship with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  Its bishop-elect is Rev. Dr. Juhana Pohjola, who earned his STM from Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, an LCMS institution, where he also served as a Visiting Scholar.

Finnish prosecutors began investigating Dr. Räsänen in 2019, believing that her book–printed with the support of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, a Recognized Service Organization of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod–could constitute a violation of the law against “incitement against a group of people.”  They also began an investigation of Rev. Pohjola, since he approved the book’s publication.

Prosecutors also found other incidents that could be considered criminal:  she posted a tweet critical of the state church for being a sponsor of the Gay Pride parade, quoting Romans 1:24-27; and she gave the wrong answer when she was invited to speak on Finnish public radio on the topic of “what would Jesus think of the homosexual?”

Now both Dr. Räsänen and Rev. Pohjjola have been formally charged.  They face up to two years in prison.

The Prosecutor General said that the book and statements from the pair are derogatory to homosexuals and therefore “overstep the boundaries of freedom of speech and religion.”

Finland, as a liberal democracy, ostensibly holds to the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion, but, according to this determination, those are trumped by the LGBT cause.  Nevermind that the book came out 13 years before Finland legalized same-sex marriage, when the issue was still a matter of debate.

Rev. Pohjola said this after he was charged:

“As a Christian, I do not want to and cannot discriminate against or despise anyone created by God. Every human being, created by God and redeemed by Christ, is equally precious. . . .This does not remove the fact that, according to the Bible and the Christian conception of man, homosexual relations are against the will of God, and marriage is intended only between a man and a woman. This is what the Christian church has always taught and will always teach.”

A European evangelical site quotes Dr. Räsänen:

Räsänen has repeatedly said “the teachings concerning marriage and sexuality in the Bible arise from love, not hate”, because “the core message of faith, i.e. grace and atonement, is founded on the Christian view of humanity seen in creation, on the one hand, and the great fall, on the other”.

She also has made clear that she supports the dignity and human rights of all homosexuals, because “the Christian view of human beings is based on the inherent and equal dignity of all persons”. . . .

The Christian politician underlined the importance that citizens in democratic countries use the fundamental right to express their opinions: “The more Christians keep silent on controversial themes, the narrower the space for freedom of speech gets”.

I met both Päivi Räsänen and Juhana Pohjola when I was in Finland for a series of speaking engagements and had lunches with each of them.  This was before their legal troubles broke out.  I was greatly impressed with both of them.  Here is a Christian living out her faith in her vocation as a public official and doing so effectively–rising in her party to be named Minister of the Interior– in a highly secularist country.  Here is a pastor who is faithfully proclaiming the Word of God and presiding over congregations whose members adhere to that Word, despite the secularism even of the state church.  I was inspired by the many devoted Christians I met there.  (See my post on the state of confessional Lutheranism in Finland.)

I believe that the opposition they face makes them stronger in the faith.  We Americans have it so much easier.  And yet, we too may someday face similar persecution.  It is already touching us Missouri Synod Lutherans because of our fellowship with the Finnish church body that is under attack.

A FINAL THOUGHT:  Is this what conservative Christians will all face if the Equality Act, which allows LGBT claims to trump religious liberty claims, becomes the law of the land?

Photos:

Rev. Dr. Juhana Pohjola, dean and bishop-elect via The Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland

Päivi Räsänen by Eurooppalainen Suomi ry, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons

---

Central Church

Unboxing God – Beyond Me

Key Bible Verse:  “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”  – Isaiah 55:8

Bonus Reading:  Isaiah 55:9-11

Psychiatrist Robert Coles asked a girl if she thought much about God.  It turned out Meaghan did. 

She reflected on a friend of her father, hospitalized with lung cancer.  She wondered aloud how a “God in heaven” can find the time to take note of each and every “Mr. Boyle” in this world of billions and billions of people.  “How can it be?” she asked Coles.  He admitted that he’d never been able to answer that question.

Well, she reflected, “I guess He’s not one of us!  He was, but then He went back to being God.  I guess if you’re God you know everything, but the way you know everything—it’s different.

In church they say we should pray a lot, and I try to remember … I think of Him, and I try to talk to Him.  I ask Him the same questions, like how He remembers everything.  You know what He says: ‘I just do!'”

Coles concludes, “At only 12 years of age she’d learned of His inscrutability; she’d also learned that ‘His ways are not ours’ …  He lives beyond the eyes and the ears, she told me, beyond the human mind—and she struggled to bridge that infinite distance with her imagined scenes of God in heaven, her provocative questions.”

—Timothy Jones in Nurturing a Child’s Soul

My Response:  Is my inability to fully comprehend God frustrating or reassuring?  Why?

Thought to Apply:  Dear God: Are you really invisible or is that just a trick? —Lucy (in Children’s Letters to God)

Adapted from Nurturing a Child’s Soul (Word, 2000)

Prayer for the Week:  Although You are beyond my comprehension, Lord, I long to know You better.  Give me a closer glimpse of Your glory.

Unboxing God – Sum and Substance

Key Bible Verse:  He lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him.  No one has ever seen him, nor ever will.  – 1 Timothy 6:16

Bonus Reading:  Acts 17:22-31

How could anyone possibly know the One who animates galaxies and energizes each atom?  Who are we to think we can comprehend a trillionth of this incredible power?  God is, in Anselm’s words, “That than which no greater can be conceived.”

As a youngster, I attended Bethel Congregational Church, where in every worship service, Mr. Blakeslee, the organist, sat front and center behind a soft burgundy curtain. I could glimpse only the back of his bald head. Somehow with my small eyes and ears watching and listening each week, I came to connect Mr. Blakeslee with God.  God played unseen music with hidden hands and a mysterious face.  Was he smiling or scowling?  I had no clue.  If I had chanced a guess based on the music, he’d be minor-chord prone, majestic, gloomy, and loud.

For many of us who’ve carried similar images into adulthood, God remains inscrutable and distant.  Is a grin playing on the lips, a tear moving, a glint of anger flashing?  We try to discern the face of the player by the music, but all we know is the back of a bald head.  We’re also curious: What is this musician like away from the instrument and the score?  Gentle?  Petty?  Vindictive?  Fun-loving?

—Chris Blake in Searching for a God to Love

My Response:  The mental picture I have of God is …

Adapted from Searching for a God to Love (Word, 2000)

Prayer for the Week: Although You are beyond my comprehension, Lord, I long to know You better.  Give me a closer glimpse of Your glory.

Central Church – Online Worship Service – 3rd Sunday after Pentecost – 6-13-2021

On this warm, humid third Sunday after Pentecost, when the coronavirus prevents many of us from gathering in Central Church’s Sanctuary to worship in body, let us join together in spirit for with our online worship experience! Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along! AND… Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!  To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”. To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off. A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy!  Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said. To begin, simply click on one of the links below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary.  You can find this week’s online worship service on both Facebook and YouTube at the following coordinates: Facebook –   https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=547704353273142 YouTube –     https://youtu.be/At29Yv1EpDg (If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.)

Unboxing God – This Is Dumb!

Who Said It…Steve Brown

Steve Brown is a broadcaster whose rich bass voice is a familiar sound to radio listeners on his Key Life Network.

He is also a seminary professor, teaching preaching at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.

Steve writes books, too. His latest is A Scandalous Freedom (Howard, 2004).  Prior to these pursuits, Steve served as a pastor for more than 25 years.

What They Said…Little Things

Many Christians know a lot about God but don’t know Him or how to apply their faith to their everyday situations.  Conversely, other Christians don’t know anything about God but have experienced Him and, like Apollos (Acts 18:24-28), need to know more accurately how and why God works.

When I was a pastor, I was offering an invocation at the beginning of the worship service.  For those liturgically uninformed, an invocation is where the pastor invites or “invokes” God to come to the worship service.  In the middle of the prayer, I realized that it was silly to invite God to come to a worship service.  He’s God and was already there.

So I stopped mid-prayer and told the congregation that praying for God’s presence was really dumb and that, from then on, I wasn’t going to do it.  I then started the prayer over and thanked God for being present in our service of worship and asked that we would realize and know His presence.

Adapted from Follow the Wind (Baker, 1999)

Prayer for the Week:  Although You are beyond my comprehension, Lord, I long to know You better.  Give me a closer glimpse of Your glory.

How God’s Word Works – Reading the Bible

Timothy’s Jewish mother had made sure that he was taught the content of our Old Testament.

Some materials included in our New Testament weren’t yet written when Paul wrote this second letter to Timothy.

But others were already considered equal in authority to the Old Testament.

In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, for instance, he identified (in5:18) quotations from both Deuteronomy and Luke as Scripture.

Interact with God’s Word

2 Timothy 3:14-17

1. What are some Old Testament truths about God and mankind that lay the groundwork (v. 15) for trusting in Jesus as the Messiah?
2. How does the assertion of verse 16 that all Scripture is God-breathed make the Bible different from every other book?
3. So what weight should you give its pronouncements as you evaluate other truth claims?
4. How systematically are you internalizing truth benchmarks from God’s Word?
5. How has Scripture made you realize that an area of your life has been deficient?
6. How has Scripture prodded you to straighten out some aspect of your behavior?
7. How fully equipped do you feel (v. 17) for living as a disciple? … for defending God’s truth?
8. What influences could tempt you to not remain faithful (v. 14) to the truths of Scripture?

Spend Time in Prayer:  Ask God to use His Word in your life for its purpose: to strengthen your faith and lead you to do good.

2 Timothy 3:14-17

14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. 17 It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.

Prayer for the Week: Lord, give me a fresh grasp of Your truth as I open myself to Your Word.

 

COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 6-10-2021

Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of June 10, 2021, showing some additional improvements over last week.

• The Incidence Rate moved up 1.8 points (7.9%) to 24.4 from last week’s 22.6 in the Moderate category.
• The PCR Positivity Rate has moved down to 2.3% from last week’s 3.1%, in the Low category.

(Allegheny County’s figures moved down during the past week to 10.0 and 1.5%.)

• • Beaver County is now classified as MODERATE.  

(If both metrics are Moderate, the PA Dept. of Health’s recommended school instructional model is Hybrid Learning.)

• Deadlier COVID-19 variants have now replaced the original coronavirus as the predominant strains here in the United States, making it more important every day that we do all that we can to protect the people who come to our Church.

On April 5, the CDC issued a “Science Brief” outlining that, in addition to people becoming infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects,  the principal mode by which people are infected with COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus.

---

• Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):

The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.

For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:

• • 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
  • Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
  • Our current level is 3.4, so resuming small group meetings will not be feasible until we can provide sufficient active air filtration in light of the latest CDC guidance and the deadlier variants now moving into the USA.

---

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

• Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and

• We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary.    
  

Central Church

God’s Purpose Made Personal – Obeying Like Abraham

Ur (near Nasiriya in modern Iraq) was the center of a flourishing pagan civilization in Abram’s day. Leaving its sophisticated commerce and culture for a nomadic existence made little sense.

But because Abram and his father, Terah, were unusually open to God’s revelation, God by stages revealed how they should respond to Him in true worship, and through them established a people of His own.

Interact with God’s Word

Genesis 11:27-12:8

1. When God called Abram to move to a new land (12:1), do you think this was an abrupt summons or the transfer of direct guidance from father to son (11:31)?
2. How had Abram positioned himself to receive God’s instructions?
3. Do you agree with the portrayal in Monday’s reading of Abram as clueless about the direction in which he was being asked to move out?
4. Did following God’s directions make life easier or more difficult for Abram?
5. Could the comfort and security of your current situation make it difficult to respond to God’s plan for your life?
6. How did God affirm Abram’s obedient steps of faith (12:7)?
7. How did Abram create tangible reminders of God’s intervention in his life?

Spend Time in Prayer:  Ask God to help you obey the guidance you already have received from Him, and make you responsive to further guidance as He reveals it to you.

Genesis 11:27-12:8

27 This is the history of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran had a son named Lot.28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.29 Meanwhile, Abram married Sarai, and his brother Nahor married Milcah, the daughter of their brother Haran. (Milcah had a sister named Iscah.) 30 Now Sarai was not able to have any children.31 Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai, and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But they stopped instead at the village of Haran and settled there.32 Terah lived for 205 years[e] and died while still at Haran.

1 Then the LORD told Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.2I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others.3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”4 So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people who had joined his household at Haran—and finally arrived in Canaan.6 Traveling through Canaan, they came to a place near Shechem and set up camp beside the oak at Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.7 then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I am going to give this land to your offspring.[a]” And Abram built an altar there to commemorate the LORD’s visit.8 After that, Abram traveled southward and set up camp in the hill country between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar and worshiped the LORD.

Prayer for the Week:  I want my life to count for you, Lord. Help me to discover and follow your best purpose for my life.

God’s Purpose Made Personal – Dinner Decisions

Key Bible Verses:  “You may freely eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”  – Genesis 2:16-17

Bonus Reading:  Galatians 5:16-25

In the Garden of Eden, God was very clear to Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:16-17 about His moral will.  But He also gave freedom of choice.

Imagine that Adam said to Eve, “I’m hungry.”

She responded, “Go get some fruit, and I’ll fix it up.”  So Adam picked some fruit and brought it back.

Eve said, “Which of these do you want me to fix?  I want to follow God’s will.  Would you go ask Him what I should do for supper?” So Adam goes out to talk to God and comes back.  Eve asks, “What does God want us to do?”

“He didn’t really say,” Adam answers.  “He just repeated what He told us before.”

Eve asks, “Did any of this fruit come from that tree?”

“Nope.”

“So what should I make?”

“Well, let’s start off with cherries.”

“How should I fix them?  Should I slice them, dice them, mash them, bake them in a pie, make them into a cobbler, or just pull together a fruit salad?  I don’t want to do anything displeasing to God.  Be a sweetheart. Go back one more time to ask Him.”  So Adam goes back and returns. Eve asks, “What did He say?”

“Same thing.”

—James Emery White in You Can Experience … a Purposeful Life

My Response:  One decision I expect God will leave to my discretion is …

Thought to Apply:  There’s wide latitude within the limits of God’s will. We won’t feel cramped.—Vance Havner

Adapted from You Can Experience … a Purposeful Life (Word, 2000)

Prayer for the Week:  I want my life to count for you, Lord. Help me to discover and follow your best purpose for my life.

 

10 Bad Excuses For Skipping Church

Here is an interesting article by David Peach debunking 10 excuses people use for skipping church.

Have you used any of these?  (If so, we’ll look for you in church this Sunday!)

---

Spiritual growth comes from building a relationship with God through prayer, His Word, and being with other Christians. Skipping church and saying that it is not necessary is like someone who claims they want to become stronger and get in shape yet they never spend time learning about exercise and healthy eating. Then they wonder why nothing has changed, or maybe even become worse, in their spiritual life since last year. God has ordained that the local church is the way He wants to build spiritually mature Christians.

Please understand that I am not saying you should never skip church, but when you say it is important for your spiritual life and you try to teach this to your children, then you need to stick to that commitment. Don’t look for reasons to stay at home when your relationship to God and His Word are so important to your spiritual growth.

Here are 10 bad excuses for missing church services.

“I’m too tired”

One of the 10 Commandments is to take a day of rest each week. We are told to honor that day—protect it as though it were something valuable. God even modeled this day of rest when He rested on the 7th day of creation. Yet, we have created so much busyness in our lives that we have trouble slowing down so that we can enjoy regular time with God. The purpose of the day of rest is to give our body a break but also so that we can commune with God without the cares of the world encroaching on that time. If you are too tired to worship God weekly, then you have created a busyness that God never intended.

Certainly there are seasons of increased activity in our lives, but we should acknowledge that we have created an inappropriate sense of urgency if we are too tired to set aside time for worshipping God at His house. This urgency and lack of rest is physically and spiritually unhealthy.

Who creates the busyness for them? We as parents need to help our children learn discipline and responsibility. We should also help protect them from poor choices that affect their relationship with God. If church attendance is a priority to you, it will be much easier for your children to make it a priority to them. Be a good example for them.

“I got up late”

There are times this happens. But every week? How often do you not go to work because you overslept by 30 minutes?

Maybe we should be less boastful about our lack of discipline.

“The pews are too hard”

No one would be offended if you took a small cushion with you to sit on. I know no one likes to hear about how much more difficult things are in other countries, but this is one of those areas where we really should not complain. I think back to the many church services I’ve been in where we’ve sat on logs or hard benches for 2 and 3 hour services and I never heard anyone complain about the rock or ground they are sitting on being too hard. Not even 90-year old grandmas.

“It’s too hot/cold”

If it is too cold, take a sweater. If it is too hot, take a fan. Don’t let a few degrees keep you from learning from God’s Word.

“The church is full of hypocrites”

I saw this saying recently and thought it was appropriate: Saying that you won’t go to church because of hypocrites is like saying you won’t go to the gym because of out of shape people. Don’t let others keep you from doing what is right.

“The preacher preaches too long/loud/soft”

This could be a problem with the preacher, but it could also be a problem with you. Are you hungry for God’s message? Do you even want to hear what God has for you? I know God speaks to us through His Word, but He also uses those He’s given charge to teach His Word.

Pray and ask God to give you a hunger for the Bible. Ask Him to give you a desire to learn from the preacher. It could be that the preacher needs your prayers and help to know how to present the message of God in a way that helps you learn.

“I’ve heard it all before”

A humorous event happened a few months ago in a Sunday night service with our daughter. The pastor was preaching from Genesis and telling the story of Adam and Eve. Instead of paying attention our daughter started playing and acting bored with the message. My wife asked her to sit up and pay attention. Our daughter whined, “But, I’ve already heard this story!”

Do you really think you have exhausted the depths of God’s Word? People spend their whole lives studying the Bible wanting to understand it better. Ask God to give you a desire to hear it all again.

“Church is boring”

Public worship with other Christians may not always be the most exciting thing for me to do, however it could also be a matter of my own heart condition and attitude that makes church less interesting. There are many things we do because we know they are good for us, not just because we enjoy doing them. Perhaps you have heard people say something like this: “I used to hate exercise, but I loved the way it made me feel. Now that it has become a habit, I hate missing my daily routine.” When we grow stronger as Christians and closer to God we learn to crave those times of worship and fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ.

“I will go after I stop… Or, I’ll go after I start…”

Many people think that God won’t accept them until they give up some particular sin or start doing some certain activity. What they don’t take into account is that we are sinners by nature; therefore, we can never earn our way to God’s favor because of doing (or ceasing to do) certain things. We have salvation granted to us by God’s grace. Our daily Christian lives are no different. We should develop a hunger and thirst for God’s Word and His institution—the church. If you wait until you are perfect to start worshiping God with His people, then you will never enter the doors of a church again.

Don’t allow bad excuses to keep you from attending church and growing spiritually in the Word of God.  Ask God to help you develop a new attitude towards His house and determine to spend some time with the Lord in public worship this week.

---

Central Church

God’s Purpose Made Personal – Religious Roulette

Key Bible Verse:  Give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart.  – Psalm 119:34

Bonus Reading:  James 1:21-25

My friend and mentor Howard Hendricks often comments, “God didn’t give us the Bible to make us smarter sinners!”

The only reason God speaks to us is so that we might obey His voice.  We can expect to hear the Master’s voice only when we approach the Bible with a submissive mind.

John Ortberg illustrates the relationship between obedience and understanding with a story from his past.  “Guidance only makes sense for people who are resolved to respond.  Responding begins, of course, with obedience to God’s clear guidance from Scripture.  One of my college friends had been sexually involved with his girlfriend for two years.  As we neared graduation, he wondered about marriage.  ‘Is it God’s will for me to marry this girl?’ he asked.  My friend didn’t really want guidance.  He already had clear scriptural guidance about sexual behavior that he wasn’t the least bit interested in.  He just wanted to know if this girl was the Big Deal of the Day or if he should wait to see what’s behind Door No. 2.”

God only speaks to those who have a submissive mind.  As the saying goes, “Light obeyed brings light; light rejected brings night.”

—Robert Jeffress in Hearing the Master’s Voice

My Response:  What part of God’s known will do I need to respond to now?

Thought to Apply:  The plain fact is that not everyone who professes to seek guidance honestly desires to be guided into God’s will.—J. Oswald Sanders

Adapted from Hearing the Master’s Voice (WaterBrook, 2001)

Prayer for the Week:  I want my life to count for you, Lord. Help me to discover and follow your best purpose for my life.

God’s Purpose Made Personal – The Next Step

Key Bible Verse:  How can we understand the road we travel?  It is the Lord who directs our steps.  – Proverbs 20:24

Bonus Reading:  Psalm 143:8-10

Worn out by a spell of sleepless nights, I sat down to figure out what was bothering me.  I jotted down four problems and realized I’d been paralyzed by procrastination.

None of my dilemmas had simple solutions, so I kept putting off dealing with them.  After writing them down, I asked a simple question about each one: “What little step can I take right now toward addressing this?”

One required a phone call.  With another I had to make a tentative decision.  The third problem needed a conversation.  The fourth was a matter of sitting down with my calendar.  I wasn’t able to tackle the whole of each problem at once, but I got off dead center by figuring out the next step.

My daughter and son-in-law are doing the same with their finances.  They started marriage with too much debt.  Now they’ve cut up their credit cards, reduced their spending, and started paying off their bills-beginning with the smallest.  Step-by-step they’re gaining ground.

We’re never sure what will happen a year from now.  But the next step is often more or less obvious.  So in facing any vexing problem, make up your mind to prayerfully take the next logical step by faith.

—Robert Morgan in The Red Sea Rules

My Response:  A next step I need to take now is…

Thought to Apply:  I have found that if we go as far as we can, God often opens up the rest of the way. —Isobel Kuhn (missionary to China)

Adapted from The Red Sea Rules (Nelson, 2001)

Prayer for the Week:  I want my life to count for you, Lord. Help me to discover and follow your best purpose for my life.

God’s Purpose Made Personal – Onboard Navigation

Key Bible Verse:  “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you”   – Genesis 12:1

Bonus Reading:  Genesis 11:27-12:8

God made His will known to Abram in Genesis 12:1.

But did you notice what God left out? Where he was to go!  You can just imagine Abram saying, “So God, let me get this right. You want me to go?”

“Right,” God answers.

“Just go?  That’s it?  Not even a north, south, east, or west—just … go?   God says, “Yep, you go, and I’ll show the way.”

We don’t often think of God’s will coming that way.  But more often than not, that’s exactly the way He’ll operate. God’s will seldom comes in a final, finished package with everything from start to finish laid out for you.

What usually happens is that God’s will for your life will come bit by bit, step by step, unfolding as you follow Him in obedience and trust.

But that’s not all.  God also has a tendency to reveal His will to us to the degree that we have followed His will up to that point.

When Abram followed what he knew of God’s will, God gave him more knowledge.  God reveals Himself to those who not only want to know His will, but who’ll act on it.  The more we obey, the more He reveals!

—James Emery White in You Can Experience … a Purposeful Life

My Response:  If my long-term destination is unclear, how can I focus on my next step instead?

Adapted from You Can Experience … a Purposeful Life (Word, 2000)

Prayer for the Week:  I want my life to count for you, Lord. Help me to discover and follow your best purpose for my life.

Central Church – Online Worship Service – 2nd Sunday after Pentecost – 6-6-2021

On this hot, humid second Sunday after Pentecost, when the coronavirus prevents many of us from gathering in Central Church’s Sanctuary to worship in body, let us join together in spirit for with our online worship experience! Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along! AND… Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!  To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”. To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off. A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy!  Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said. To begin, simply click on one of the links below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary.  You can find this week’s online worship service on both Facebook and YouTube at the following coordinates: Facebook –   https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=802678564011871 YouTube –     https://youtu.be/NAfZ_gpGavk (If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.)

God’s Purpose Made Personal – Go with Which Flow?

Icebergs are classified by size and shape.  Sizes can range from small bergy bits to large bergs with lengths of tens of kilometers.  While Arctic icebergs do not reach the size of their Antarctic cousins, they can still present a formidable hazard.

Who Said It…Skip Heitzig

After troubled years as a young musician involved in the drug culture, Skip received Christ while watching a Billy Graham TV crusade.

After studying about his new faith, he began a home Bible study in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that grew into the 12,000-strong Calvary of Albuquerque!

After 23 years there, Skip last year moved to Ocean Hills Church in San Juan Capistrano, California.  Skip has visited world trouble spots with friend Franklin Graham.

What He Said…Go with Which Flow?

In the icy waters off the coast of Greenland are innumerable icebergs of varying size.  Even casual observation reveals that the small ice floes move in one direction while the massive ones flow in another.

The reason is simple.  Surface winds drive the little bergs while deep ocean currents move the larger ice masses along their routes.

Likewise, people carried by an awareness of God’s will for their lives are pulled by a deeper current than the surface winds of trends or societal pressures.

In what direction are you traveling?  What’s the purpose of your life?

If you’re like most people, you long to know that your life counts for something, that you have a purpose for being on earth. Everyone whom God calls has a purpose.  There’s a part of His program on earth that only you can fulfill.

One of life’s greatest pursuits is to discover what that purpose is and to live within its flow, even though you may feel as if you’re going against the cultural flow.

Adapted from Jesus Up Close (Tyndale, 2001)

Prayer for the Week:  I want my life to count for you, Lord. Help me to discover and follow your best purpose for my life.

Believe the Best – Benefit of the Doubt

A prison ministry wants to establish a halfway house in your community for just-released felons who profess coming to faith while incarcerated. The location for this controversial facility would be in your block.

Do you oppose this as a security hazard to your family and neighborhood?  Or do you actively support returning these new believers to society?

Barnabas faced a parallel situation in the passage we consider this week.

Interact with God’s Word:  Acts 9:26-28

1. Why could believing the best about Saul (see Acts 8:3) seem naïve and foolhardy?
2. What else did Barnabas risk by becoming a sponsor for Saul?
3. How did Barnabas overcome the apostles’ suspicions about Saul?
4. Barnabas’s real name was Joseph (see Acts 4:36).  Can you see from this paragraph how he got his “Son of Encouragement” nickname?
5. How might you come alongside, encourage, and teach a new or misunderstood believer, and introduce him to other believers?

Spend Time in Prayer:  Ask God to help you shed a critical spirit and trust the Holy Spirit’s working in the lives of other believers.

Acts 9:26-28

26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him.  They thought he was only pretending to be a believer!27  Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus.  Barnabas also told them what the Lord had said to Saul and how he boldly preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus.28  Then the apostles accepted Saul, and after that he was constantly with them in Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, you received me when I was down and out.  Help me to accept others in the same spirit.

Believe the Best – Flight School Flop

Key Bible Verses:  I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare.  – Philippians 2:20

Bonus Reading: Acts 9:26-28

A pilot never forgets his primary flight instructor.  Mine was Captain Gunness.  He was an old helicopter pilot who’d seen lots of action.  I was so impressed with him I could hardly speak in his presence.

Things started off well; Captain Gunness was a great instructor, and I learned quickly.  Then, about halfway through, things hit a snag.

I’d had a terrible day.  I was lagging so far mentally that I felt like the plane was landing when I was taking off.  I was all over the sky, and I just knew Captain Gunness was going to give me a failing grade.

As we walked back to the ready room for debriefing, my head hung low as I waited for the ax to fall.  About halfway across the flight line, as I walked beside my instructor, he called out to another instructor, “Hey, my student can fly circles around yours!”

I was stunned.  He was talking to the instructor who had the top-rated student.  I looked up at him, and he smiled and said, “I’ve invested too much in you for you to fold on me now.  And you have what it takes.”

His words totally turned me around, and proved prophetic.  Thanks to Captain Gunness, I ended up graduating at the top of the class.

— Ted Roberts in Pure Desire

My Response:  Whose confidence could I boost today with a compliment?

Thought to Apply:  A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, but is miles ahead in results.—Ella Wilcox (writer)

Adapted from Pure Desire (Regal, 1999)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, you received me when I was down and out.  Help me to accept others in the same spirit.

Believe the Best – Vote of Confidence

Key Bible Verse:  He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love.  – John 13:1

Bonus Reading:  John 21:15-19

[continued from yesterday]  Yesterday’s reading is what I’d have wanted to say.  But what did Jesus do?

He knew very well how most of the men He loved had treated Him.  He’d put all His eggs in the basket of these disciples, and they, who’d watched His miracles, not only didn’t believe He’d be raised from the dead, but actually turned on Him.  How did He respond?

His response grabs me.  He looked at them and said, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

In essence, He told them that the history of mankind was in their hands and that He had enough faith in them to pass the spiritual baton to all humanity through them.

How do you handle it when people fail you?  Expressing confidence in people builds them up.  Try complimenting, comforting, coaching, and expressing confidence, and see the changes your uplifting statements bring.

—Ron and Matt Jenson in Fathers and Sons

My Response:  A person who might step up if given responsibility is …

Thought to Apply:  People whom we trust tend to become trustworthy.—Solomon Freehof (rabbi, scholar)

Adapted from Fathers and Sons (Broadman & Holman, 1998)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, you received me when I was down and out. Help me to accept others in the same spirit.

Believe the Best – Write-Off

Key Bible Verse:  No one was with me.  Everyone had abandoned me.  I hope it will not be counted against them.  – 2 Timothy 4:16

Bonus Reading: Isaiah 42:1-7

Imagine that you were Jesus after your resurrection facing your disciples who’d deserted you.  You’d poured your life into them.  Now you’re back to see them before you go to heaven.  If I were in His position, I’d have been tempted to say something like this:

“Yeah, it’s Jesus and I’m here for one reason: to tell you that you’re all out of the game.  Off the team.  Through with the program.  Good-bye.  I poured my life into you guys.  I fed the five thousand, healed the sick, brought dead people to life, told you I’d die, told you I’d come back—and what was your response?  You people are pathetic.

“Okay, Thomas, once and for all, why don’t you come up here and feel my hands.  Thomas, you’re a negative guy.  You’re an administrator, that’s what you are.  You’ve been griping and complaining since we started.  You always see the problems.

“Peter, what are you laughing about over there?  Good night!  You’re impetuous, you’re a loud mouth, you denied me three times in front of a little girl, and you’re a coward.  You’re fired, Peter.

“And you’re out, Thomas.

“In fact, you’re all out!

That’s what I would have wanted to say.   [continued tomorrow]

— Ron and Matt Jenson in Fathers and Sons

My Response:  Who may I have been too quick to write off?

Thought to Apply:  The men who are lifting the world upward and onward are those who encourage more than criticize. —Elisabeth Harrison (writer)

Adapted from Fathers and Sons (Broadman & Holman, 1998)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, you received me when I was down and out. Help me to accept others in the same spirit.

Believe the Best – Cagey Christians

Key Bible Verse:   Each of us will have to give a personal account to God.  So don’t condemn each other anymore.  – Romans 14:12-13

Bonus Reading:  Romans 14:1-13

 When I first went to work for the correspondence department of a high-profile ministry whose motives were frequently questioned in the media, I assumed I’d spend most of my time responding to secular critics. Instead, I found that most of my energies would be spent defending ourselves to fellow Christians.

I’ve been amazed—both within this ministry and in church—to witness the “prove-something-to-me” posturing that frequently occurs before one Christian will extend the benefit of the doubt to another.

Why don’t we want to believe the best about other brothers and sisters in Christ?  We typically gauge them not by where they genuinely stand before God, but by comparing them to ourselves.

In Romans 14:1-13, Paul explains that that’s the wrong standard.  Christians are called to accept one another, even if we think the other person’s faith is weak.  We’re called to build up our fellow believers.

Think of how often Jesus encountered a person whose actions, motives, or beliefs He could have questioned.  How many times did He do that?  Shouldn’t we do the same?

—Jeffrey Leever in Colorado

My Response:  I could affirm a believer I’ve avoided by …

Thought to Apply:  Never believe anything bad about anybody unless you positively know it to be true; never tell even that unless you feel it is absolutely necessary—and that God is listening while you tell it. —Henry Van Dyke

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, you received me when I was down and out. Help me to accept others in the same spirit.