September 5, 2012
TIME FLIES
Time seems to go faster with each passing year. Where did our summer go? This week finds most of us scratching our heads wondering HOW school could be starting again. That first day back to school is always an exciting one! The kids have that strange mix of anxiety, sadness and excitement. The parents feel pretty much the same. There are new clothes, backpacks, and school supplies. It is a big day on most of our calendars.
Each year as a parent I wonder if I’ve equipped my kids enough. Did I get the right kind of glue sticks? Did I make them read enough over the summer? Have I explained the Pythagorean theorem well enough? :) We fret over what friends they will make, how they will react to adversity, and how they will conduct themselves. It is somewhat stressful.
What I’ve learned is that all we can do, is to teach our kids in the truth of the Lord, and trust Him! I must admit that I struggle letting my children go. I want to make sure they are safe. I want to test that slide before they do it. I want to warn those kids how they should treat mine. But I can’t do this. And for me, this is often difficult.
What I CAN do is teach them to love. I can pray for them. I can teach them about grace and hope. I can teach them how to treat people and how to depend on the Lord. And then . . . I can let them go! My role is not to arrange every facet of life for them, but to help them individually choose to fulfill God’s purpose and plan for their lives. God gives us our children as a gift. “As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of your youth.” (Psalm 127:4) Our desire should be to fulfill Deuteronomy 6:6-7 and “train, teach, discipline, direct, instill values and then release them to all God has for them.” May this be our joy, to hold them with an open hand and surround them with a hedge of prayer.
I am so thankful for the kids we have at West Main. They inspire me. May we all be in prayer for all of them this year as they embark on a new year of adventure.
– Pannell
WORDS, WORDS, WORDS
Polonius: What do you read, my lord?
Hamlet: Words, words, words.
Polonius: What is the matter, my lord?
Hamlet: Between who?
Polonius: I mean, the matter that you read, my lord.
You may recognize above the well-known exchange from William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet. The main protagonist, Hamlet, had been seeking the truth concerning his father being murdered, but truthful words were elusive in a royal court full of lies and intrigue. Hamlet was falling into despair as he could not seem to discern the reliability of what those around him were saying. Without truth, our language becomes meaningless words—empty tin cans devoid of substance.
Hamlet’s frustration is but a late echo of the frustrations expressed in Scripture. The prophet Isaiah says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). Of course the grandest perversion of words is the original lie, “You shall surely not die,” spoken by the father of lies, Satan, to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; a false word that plunged us into sin and death.
Our Lord Jesus rebuked the Pharisees about the abuse of words saying, “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34-37).
God knows the truth or falsehood of our words coming from our hearts, and so our words are the telltale sign of the condition of our hearts; whether they are good or evil. Since we will be judged by our words, then no wonder Jesus warned, “Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil” (Matthew 5:37).
Truthful words since the Fall have been hard to come by, but truthful words appear especially difficult to come by in this day and age. We live in a society awash in a seemingly endless sea of words. We have words on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, email, and text messages. We are bombarded by ads on TV and radio. However, the massive exposure to the amount of words is not alone problematic. What is truly troublesome are the words of propaganda and human ideologies that we must face virtually on a daily basis. Our two recent political conventions are an easy target. Each day after one of the political conventions there would be various reports about the false information, slanted presentation, or obfuscations of various speakers. Of course, I was reading words of reporters who have their own agendas and so I would have to read other words of other reporters to attempt to grasp even a modicum of the truth. There seems to be no escape from the web of words in seeking the truth of other words.
When I find myself slipping into a kind of despair regarding words uttered in human society, I recall the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1-3). On this earth we will be perpetually exposed to lies and more lies. Words here on earth will not always mean what they say and say what they mean. Yet, our God who spoke this universe into existence by the power of His word will one day set all wrong words right. When Jesus comes again we will glorify in the reality that Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the light. Until then, we are left with just “Words, words, words.”
– Terry
New Sunday Morning Bible Classes to Begin:
We want to encourage all of our members to come join us for one of our new Fall Bible Study Classes.
*In the Auditorium: The Book of Romans with Grant Newton.
*Upstairs, Room 22: Principalities and Powers with Terry Christopher.
*In the East Room: Young Men’s Class with Don Walker.
*In the Fireside Room: Ladies Class with Denise Beeks. Ladies: If you plan on attending our Sunday morning class and you do not have lesson materials, let Denise know so she can order them.
Life Groups, Ladies Class, Bible Institute
*Life Groups will start up again on September 9. At the Home of Gerry & September Flock:
Sunday Evenings: Life Group: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday Evenings: College Age Life Group: 6:30-9:00 p.m.
At the Home of Nate & Nikki Walker: Young Marrieds Life Group. In September: Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Beginning in October: Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Please call Terry Christopher or Trevin Robbins to confirm the day and time.
At the home of Bruce & Linda Farris: Time and date to be announced later.
Services at the building: 6:00 p.m.
*Ladies Tuesday Morning Class begins September 11 with a Potluck Luncheon at 11:00 a.m. Class will actually start the following week.
*West Main Bible Institute begins Thursday, September 13, at 7:00 p.m. at the building.
Our Monthly Deacons’ Meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 10, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room. Please make plans to attend.
Leadership Retreat – Deacons and Elders please mark your calendars for the Leadership Retreat scheduled at Cantrall-Buckley Park on September 22 for you and your family. We will begin about 10:30 a.m. and plan to be together throughout the afternoon. More details to come.
Women’s Retreat -- Our Annual Women’s Retreat will be held October 5-7 in Bend, Oregon, at The Riverhouse. Our guest speaker will be Katie Turner, a long time friend of the Zielke’s. Her theme is “His Story in Her Life: The Journey of Leah.” Registrations are available in the courtyard. The cost is about $100.00. Cutoff date to insure your discounted room rate is September 18. (Each attendee is responsible for booking and paying for their room at the hotel and arranging for their roommates. See registration form for details.)
Please see the registration forms for complete details on what to bring, costs, and directions. If you need more information and to sign-up, please contact Jessie Pannell.
Life in a Culture of Death is the theme of the seminar being hosted by the Savage Street Church of Christ in Grants Pass on September 14-16. Guest speaker will be Tyler Young. Please see the courtyard bulletin board for complete details on seminar times.
Prayer Requests . . . . For Matthew York who has an enlarged blood vessel in his head. He will have a procedure done in Portland, Sept. 9-11. Please pray that the procedure will be successful and end his need for medication...Dayna Park, friend of the Liles’ family, had an eye injury - please pray for healing that her eyesight loss will not be permanent...For a friend of the Dave Reavis family, Barbara Jovich, who is in critical condition after a car accident...Jude Pannell wants to give thanks to the Lord for the amazing summer this year...For Mary Gilley, Bill Kelton’s sister, who will be having spine surgery on September 7 for pinched nerves - this is a very delicate procedure and please pray for her complete healing...Jennifer (unknown last name) requests prayers for her and her family and friends - for the Lord to work in their lives and comfort and guide them...For David Mayes that he be a good example and for his friends, Cora and her mother to accept Christ; for Randy Rodriquez - that his health issues be resolved; and for LaLa’s recovery...For our President and all of our military men, women and families.
The Memorial Service for Katherine Martin will be held this Saturday, September 8, at 2:00 p.m. at Fountain Plaza. Katherine passed away last Friday morning. Everyone is invited to attend the services for Katherine.
Also, for the husband and children of Sarah Armstrong who passed away last week from cancer. Please pray for peace and comfort for her family.
Calendar of Events
Sept 8: Memorial Service for Katherine Martin at Fountain Plaza; 2:00 p.m.
Sept 10: Deacons’ Meeting; FSR; 7:00 p.m.
Sept 11: Ladies Class Potluck Luncheon; FSR; 11:00 a.m.
Sept 13: West Main Bible Institute Begins; 7:00 p.m.
Sept 22: Leadership Retreat; Cantrall-Buckley Park; 10:30 a.m.
Oct 5-7: Ladies Retreat in Bend, Oregon
