Winter

Submitted by matruan on Wed, 12/14/2011 - 15:17

As published in our December 11th bulletin       

Left-overs

Submitted by matruan on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 13:49

As published in our December 4th bulletin      

If you shared a meal of thanksgiving with your family last week, you were probably faced with the dilemma of what to do with all those left-overs; turkey, ham, green-beans, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.  And if you are like most families, you will craft the remains into numerous other dining delights: casseroles, turkey sandwiches, soups & stews.  Left-overs are a joy filled expectation of the Thanksgiving meal. 

The same is true when one partakes in the feast of GOD through faith in Jesus Christ.

Wise Words

Submitted by matruan on Wed, 11/30/2011 - 08:48

As published in our November 27th bulletin     

Proverbs 12: 1-7

Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
but a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.
A man is not established by wickedness,
but the root of the righteous cannot be moved.
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.
The thoughts of the righteous are right,
but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
The words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,”
But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous will stand. 

Thanksgiving

Submitted by matruan on Wed, 11/30/2011 - 08:42

As published in our November 20th bulletin     

Thanksgiving Day will soon be here
It comes around but once a year
If I could only have my way,
We'd have Thanksgiving every day.
- Anonymous

For Christians, Thanksgiving is more than a special day on the calendar.  In fact, we could say that every day is a day of thanksgiving.  We don’t feast upon turkey every day, in observance of a secular holiday, but we can and should be offering our thanks to God in prayer every day for all the blessings we receive. 

Your Shepherds

Make a Bold Decision

Submitted by matruan on Sat, 11/12/2011 - 12:48

As published in our November 13th bulletin    

We as Christians are holy, meaning we are ‘set apart’ or ‘abnormal’ from those of the world because of our love and faith in the redemption provided by our Christ Jesus.  Our being ‘set apart’ extends in the financial area as well. The ‘normal’ for most of the people in this country is to be in the bondage of credit debt. We have to change our attitudes to be ‘abnormal’ so we can be in line with what God wants for us in all things.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Where does God Fit in our Plan?

Submitted by matruan on Tue, 11/08/2011 - 09:43

As published in our November 6th bulletin   

From the time we awake there are an infinite number of choices and decisions we must make. We must choose what clothing to wear, breakfast to eat, and the route we take to work. Our days are filled with choice after choice; we establish priorities to determine where to put our time, efforts, resources, and money. Do we buy a new car or save for our children’s education?

God can NOT keep us out of debt!

Submitted by matruan on Tue, 11/08/2011 - 09:34

As published in our October 30th bulletin  

God would love to see His children living debt-free lives. But, as stewards of the money that He has entrusted to us, we have a free will to do what we wish with it. We can choose to give it, save it, spend it, or even spend more than we have. To cover this excess spending, we must borrow money directly or use some form of credit to pay for it, (for example, a credit card), which is borrowing from the credit card company. Proverbs 22:7 teaches us, "

The rich rule over the poor, the borrower is servant to the lender". Thus, we have voluntarily placed ourselves in financial bondage to the credit card company at a high rate of interest. We should be extremely cautious how we use credit!

First Fruits for God

Submitted by matruan on Tue, 11/08/2011 - 09:28

As published in our October 23rd bulletin 

God wants to occupy first place in our lives – in our hearts and in our minds.  I call this the principle of “first fruits”.  Consider these firsts from the pages of scripture: 

God's View of Success

Submitted by matruan on Tue, 11/08/2011 - 08:53

As published in our October 16th bulletin   

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Pr 12:15, 16:25).   “All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart” (Pr 21:2).

God wants his people to be wise and to make decisions accordingly.  When we choose God’s way, he grants us wisdom.  His word, the Bible, teaches us to live rightly, have right relationships, and make right decisions 

“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” (Pr 22:1). 

Jesus Teaches with Parables

Submitted by matruan on Tue, 11/08/2011 - 08:46

As published in our October 9th bulletin       

When Jesus apostles came to him and asked “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” …  “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”  (Matt 13:10-13)  

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