A World of Turmoil

Right now there is a lot going on in the world around us. Those of us that have jobs are considered lucky. It’s amazing that even something as simple as a job is something we take for granted. Well on January 19, 2011 I found out that my job will be going away. American Express has decided to close the facility in which I work. Now a building full of life and business will soon become an empty desolate vacant building.
As an employee, I am now faced with a couple options. I can either re-locate or go on unemployment. Decisions I make today are going to affect me tomorrow, they not only affect me, but they will affect my children, husband and my extended family as well. Relocation options are to Phoenix, Salt Lake, or to Fort Lauderdale. For me and my family relocating is just not in the cards for us.
As I go thru the next few months facing unemployment, I am reminded about a verse in the bible. If you would turn to Philippians 4:6. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV) So I will not worry about the trial I am faced with for I know God is in control. My best option would be to be thankful my needs are being met and seek out the guidance from God on my next steps. I encourage each of my friends and peers to do the same. It is never promised that we will have a smooth ride, but are told as Christians we will face challenges. It’s best to never hold your head down, hold your head high and look up. The answers are up.
Humble yourself and pray. When it gets hard, pray harder. Remember God is the one in control and he does things on His watch and in His time.

Things to think about

At church we had a Missionary Names Gilbert Tenorio. These are my notes from his service.

We read Acts 8:

There are 4 things that Man like and enjoy, but do NOT provide or give Salvation:
1> Authority and Power. WOW, to be a king or a president of a nation and have such power like that. It doesnt save us and we need to realize this. No single person on earth is above going thru Jesus to get to Heaven.

2> Wealth and Money...We all dream of having money, some of us would like to just have enough money to be able to live comfortably and not worry where our next mortgage will come from, but again, God wont accept the money of the wealthiest person for salvation. It doesnt work that way.

3> Religion and Being a member of a church. Altho the church will help guide you and point you in the right direction, they will not give you salvation.

4> Being well Educated. This will help you secure great employment, but will not save you

So what saves you from spending an Eternity in Hell? God's Grace saves you. Jesus died for your sins and he died for mine too. We have to believe that and have faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. "No one will come to the Father except thru Jesus Christ"

God wants his followers to do the following:
1> GO....Go where God wants you to go. If you get a calling from him, you should answer him, get up and GO!

2>TALK to the person God wants you to TALK to...If you get a feeling to speak to someone about their salvation, that is God and you need to speak to that person. Their salvation may be depending on your witness.

3> PREACH...Preach the Message God wants you to preach. God wants you to preach the Message about Jesus. You do not have to be a pastor to tell others about Jesus.

So what will you do? Go with me into the battle field and be armored with "the belt of truth", Your "Breastplate", "Sandals of Peace", "Shield of Faith", Salvations Helmet", and your "Sword of the Spirit!"

HOW TO FACE RPOBLEMS

A couple of weeks ago I went on a women’s retreat to TN. This particular weekend was a fantastic weekend full of worship and praise music by Michael W Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Charles Billingsley. We had guest speakers like Kay Arthur, writer: Karen Kingsbury, Comedian: Anita Renfroe, and Lori Salierno.

Today I am going to cover the things Lori talked about in her lesson. (it’s not word for word) There are 3 things you need to do when facing rough times:
Put Praise before the problem:
Don’t face problems alone. Pray and sing praise songs as you face the trouble. Read 2 Chronicles. Get that Praise out there. Don’t hesitate to sing and worship God. He is there with you and will comfort and guide you thru this time.
Walk thru the pain:We can’t keep our eyes closed and ignore the problems. We must continue on in life and keep moving, as you move forward thru the valley you are in it will get easier. Read the 23rd Psalm. Tho I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death. See we walk thru, not around, not backwards, not running, just simply walking thru. What are we walking thru? We are walking thru the shadow of death, not death it’s self. Sure it may feel and look and seem just like death, but don’t be fooled, it’s just the shadow. We can make it thru.
Walk in the light:We need to set an example as Christians. When the tough gets going, it doesn’t mean we can have mouths like sailors and be grouchy and rude. We need to allow God’s love to shine thru us and live according to God’s word.

Times are rough and everyone has something they are going thru, perhaps it’s something major, perhaps it’s not. Either way, if we live by these 3 rules, it will help us get thru the day.

Easter

He Did That For Me
Alan Riley

Theologians have a fancy phrase for it... they call it "Substitutionary Atonement." What it means in plain English is that Jesus died on the cross paying the penalty for sin. From the beginning of the church, there has been a clear understanding of what Christ's death on the cross meant. It was not simply the unjust murder of an influential if somewhat unorthodox Jewish teacher on a Passover weekend. It was the only begotten Son of God willingly giving up His life to pay the price for sin. Your sin. My sin.

But for any truth to be a life-changing one, we must come to the place where it moves from being simple fact to being a truth that we embrace with our entire being. It is one thing to know that Jesus died for you, but another thing altogether for the full weight of that truth to become painfully clear to you. Someone once said this process involves making the 18-inch journey from your head to your heart.

I remember when I was 17 years old and a brand new Christian, so excited about my new-found faith. It was the Easter season, so the old movie "King of Kings" was on TV. When the movie showed the crucifixion, I was deeply moved as I saw Him beaten and mocked. As Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do," tears began to roll down my face. How could they have done this to Jesus? Why would they want to crucify Him? Why didn't He call down angels to destroy them all and save Him?

It was then for the first time in my walk with the Lord I clearly sensed the Holy Spirit speak to my heart, as clearly as if I had heard it audibly. Just five simple words that pieced my heart like a knife: "I did this for you."

For the first time the full weight of that truth hit me like a ton of bricks. It was my sin that put Him there. He suffered and He died in my place. He did that for me.
Many years later I was reminded of that experience again, as I saw someone else experience the same thing. We went with a group from church to see the film "The Passion of the Christ." I wept along with most everyone in the theatre as I watched a much more true to life depiction of Jesus' suffering and death. As we were leaving the theatre, I noticed a member of our church - a 92 year-old retired physician who walked with two canes - make his way to a seat in the lobby and begin sobbing loudly. Several of us walked over to him. No one said anything for a few moments. The doctor struggled to regain enough composure to speak. When he finally did, he cried out through his tears, "That was for me!"

How long has it been since the reality of God's grace and forgiveness reduced you to tears? When was the last time you wept over your sin and what it cost the Lord Jesus? For most of us it has been way too long.

I encourage you to get caught up - again, as if for the first time - in the awe and wonder of the fact that the only begotten Son of God would give His life for you.
Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life... my all.

The Tornado

As I sit here today at work, I see the world around me and I see individuals with turmoil in their lives. I am not excluded from this turmoil. Life in this world can be like being in a severe wind storm.
Have you ever seen the movie Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton? In this movie at one point they get stuck in a major tornado and everything around them is sucked into the sky. They are holding onto a steel pipe that runs deep within the ground and is the only thing stable to hold onto. They have a belt that they can us to aid them in holding onto the pipe. Now the tricky part is that they have little time to brace themselves for this stage 5 tornado coming at them. The barn that they had gone into is now gone. This is a life and death situation and their only safety is this pipe. They Use the belt for added assistance and they soon find that their feet are flying in the air and they are close to being sucked up by this tornado. Once it is gone we can see that the pipe that went deep into the ground was the only thing that saved them.
Our lives as Christians are a lot like this picture. Take a moment to reflect on 2 Sam 22:2. “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.” Think about your life. Think about the things going on around you in the world. There are trials and tribulations going on all around you. Some folks are dealing with a sick loved one, some with the stress of losing a job or have lost their job and now face foreclosure. Some are facing the death of a loved one. There are some who have lost their jobs, then their homes and cars and are on the streets now losing their hope and their faith. These are their own personal stage 5 tornadoes that are facing them threatening to take their lives. If you find yourself in the midst of your own stage 5 tornado, don’t give up and let Satan win. Satan isn’t going to love and cherish you for all eternity, but there is one who will and that is God. When you ran from the tornado chasing you, you came up on a steel pipe that runs deep in the ground, it is very sturdy, and cannot be moved. You cannot run anymore. On the walls around you, you will notice a strap. Grab it, loop it around the pipe and then around your self. Grab hold of the pipe with everything you have, it’s the only way to survive. In doing this you have grabbed your Bible and a firm grip on God’s hand. God is the sturdy pipe in our lives and the strap we have used is our Bible. The reason this is our only way to survive is that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
So if you are having a rough time with life these days, don’t give up. Let go and Let God direct you. Don’t let go of God, let go of the worldly ways. People will see how close you are to God, they will see that the storm you are in has not gotten the best of you and that you are holding firm with Jesus by your side.
As we face a New Year, lets all let go of 2009. For some it was a great year, but for many it was an awful year. Stay in prayer, stay in your Word of God and listen for God’s voice. He is the calm of the storm. He cannot be moved or destroyed or sucked up by a tornado. He is the anchor of life.

Any thoughts or comments on this?

The crocheted tablecloth

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything
done in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.
They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.
The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.
By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. 'Pastor,' she asked, 'where did you get that tablecloth?' The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria . When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again.
The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn
for the day for a housecleaning job.
What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.

One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike.
He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between.
The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.
True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
Who says God does not work in mysterious ways. I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today, to guide you and protect you as you go along your way. His love is always with you, His promises are true, and when we give Him all our cares you know He will see us through.
So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best. Just remember I'm here praying and God will do the rest.

Don’t Check NO

Don’t Check NO
Guest Speaker Wed Night Service Notes



How man of you remember being a kid and writing a note to someone you had a crush on that said “Do you like me check yes or no?” How about the note you got back that said the same thing, because they wanted your answer first. In our walk with God its much the same thing. God doesn’t want to be rejected by us, just as we don’t want to be rejected by him. Read these verses: Zechariah 1:3/Malachi 3:7/James 4:8. These verses all have something in common. They all speak of Turn, Return, and draw an eye unto the Lord and he will do the same. I am going to break this down for you as it was broken down for me.

1. Turn to Christ. Seek the saving grace of Christ, he will then turn to us and give us all the benefits of salvation. God wants us to have fellowship with him. He doesn’t NEED us—he WANTS us.
2. Return to God. We have broken fellowship with God. We need to repair this fellowship with him. Once we do this he will return to us as well. 1 John 1:9/Isaiah 59:2. We need to re-establish our relationship with god by Confessing our sin before we pray for about other things, and we must also repent of the sin as well.
3. Draw close to God. Get to know God by
a. Reading your Bible each Day
b. Praying every day
c. Be in church every chance you can
We are the branches that should be bearing fruit for God.

God has already given us the invitation. It’s our move. We must make the decision to RSVP to His invitation. Once we answer Him and Turn, Return, and draw close to Him, He will do the same to us.

***Have you accepted Christ into your life today? Have you responded to His invitation to join Him in Heaven and live eternally? If you haven’t you really should get back with God about that. There are only 2 places to go once our earthly bodies give up life. We will either live eternally in Heaven with God where there will be no pain and suffering, no starvation, no evil, no illness, and there will only be good things to come. Or we will spend our eternity in Hell with Satan in a lake of fire longing for a drip of water on our tongue. I pray that each of you will make the decision not to allow Satan to drag you down into the pits of despair with him. Answer God’s invitation and become a child of God. Walk in faith hand in hand with our creator.***

Message from God:

Will you follow me?
___________Yes _____________No