West Main

 

 

REMEMBERING . . .

 

 

Everyone is invited to services for Frank on Saturday, April 5, at 11:00 a.m. at the building. Following the services, everyone is invited to a potluck luncheon. Please bring plenty of food to share with family and our guests.

 

 

 

DRAWING AROUND THE THINK

 

A small boy who could draw very good circles was asked how he was able to do it so well. He replied that he first thought a circle and then drew around the think! This writing echoes the need to think clearly before we draw – conclusions – when reading the Bible.

 

 

Some scholarly thinkers may decide that knowledge of the Bible text is the whole duty of man. But those who disconnect learning and practice have not seriously read Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven.” In Hebrews 5:8-9, even Jesus is said to have been made perfect through his obedience in suffering.

 

 

Granted, it takes most of us a long time to practice everything we know. In fact, it is downright humbling to find that I am still having a daily battle with matching up what I believe with what I do. And all of my dear brothers seem to be in the same boat. Christ living in us, or the Holy Spirit, is a great help. But it is imperative that we make serious progress in obedience. Jesus said so. Grace is a fundamental part of the gospel, but is not meant to cover the ongoing deliberate crossing of swords with the Lord. See Romans 6:1-4.

 

 

And yet a rush “to do” before we understand God’s will is perilous as well. For sloppy Bible study will surely result in sloppy circles of obedience. To put it otherwise, doing without knowing what God wants of us is to develop a system of righteousness of our own that is without the authorship of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

There are many forms of careless Bible study. When we are attempting to learn what the Bible teaches on a given subject, we must not select out the passages that bolster what we want to believe, but to consider as many texts on the subject as possible. The whole truth on any given matter stretches our minds beyond simplistic and limited conclusions. When arising from such a comprehensive study, we are much better equipped to draw good circles...that is, conclusions that fuel better practice.

 

 

Another form of sloppy study is that of ignoring the context. In my eighty-plus years on a church bench, I have heard the exposition of many scriptures and what I should know from them – only to find later in careful reading of the context of that same passage an entirely different meaning. What a jolt!

 

 

In reply, someone might say that we cannot all be brilliant scholars. Very few of us fall into that category. As for me, I am often humbled by my ignorance. But reference here is to careful reading that an ordinary man is capable of. Most of the time, the difficulty is not with the complexity of the text, but with lazy reading.

 

 

It has been said that learning a new language is simply renaming things we are already familiar with. In Spanish, for example, “madera” is simply a new word for wood. However, in Bible study I am constantly faced with learning new meanings of familiar words. In this exercise, I must read carefully to think God-like thoughts I have never thought before.

 

– James Gibbs

 

 

 

 

New Directories  -- Our new 2014 Directories are now available on the information center in the courtyard and on the lobby tables. Please take only one directory per family. The directories in the binders are for new members only or those members who did not get a binder. (Our Elders are revising the 2014 Ministry Responsibility and Resource pages and we will publish them as a supplement to the directory later.)

 

Bible Busters Art Show hosted by the 4th-6th grade class will be on Sunday, April 6, at 6:00 p.m. All Bible Busters classes will have featured art from their classes. The Youth Group and adults are invited to submit art for the show as well. Please contact April Olson or Jessie Pannell for information. See you there!

 

 

Sunday Evening Ladies Bible Study  -- Ladies and No Gentlemen: You are welcome to join us at a Bible Study meeting at the building from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Sunday nights beginning April 13^th. We will be studying Exodus using Priscilla Shirer’s study, One in a Million. The study is eight weeks long with seven DVD sessions. Member books are available for $12. Contact Jessie Pannell for more information or to order a book.

 

 

Prime Timers Spring Luncheon will be held on Thursday, April 10, at 11:30 a.m. at Hometown Buffet. Please call Joan Tisdel to RSVP.

 

 

95^th Birthday Party  -- The family of Al Vice invites you to celebrate Al’s 95^th Birthday on Saturday, April 12, at the Clubhouse at Mountain View Estates from 2-4:00 p.m. at 333 Mt. View Drive, Talent, OR.

 

 

 

The Daddy-Daughter-Dinner-Dance is scheduled for April 26 for all young ladies ages 5-18 years old and their favorite adult gentleman. Tickets will be on sale through April 9 for $12.00 per person. Contact Marcie Dixon for more info.

 

 

Learn to Sew Teddy Bears  -- Liz Dunlap will be teaching a class on how to make Teddy Bears on Tuesday, April 22, at 11:30 a.m. in the Fireside Room. These Teddy Bears will be given away for our Christmas hospital and basket programs. Liz will provide all the fur necessary for the Teddy Bears - just bring your sewing scissors, quilting pins and a sewing machine, if possible. Please contact Liz or Dorothy Trimmer if you would like to join us!

 

 

Lost and Found  -- Sunday, April 6, will be the LAST CHANCE to claim any items that have been stored in the “Lost and Found” since January. Please check the blue bin in the Fireside Room to see if any of these items are yours. Any leftover items will be free to anyone who can use them or given away to charity.

 

 

 

 Prayer Requests . . . Thank you for your prayers for my son’s knee surgery - the surgery was successful, Clara Arnold...For Carissa Sweet and Cory Murray who are on a mission trip with the OSU University Christian Center - please pray for safe travel and safety and that lives will be touched with this mission...For our members who are traveling and working in San Felipe, Mexico on a mission trip...Dawn Lake requests prayers for several friends...Josiah, as he recovers from appendicitis; for the Remy Family after the loss of a loved one; and for Katie and Brandon who are missionaries in Ukraine...For K Li - prayers for recovery for a broken left arm...For Jenny Way that she can become more fluent in her thought patterns...For our President and all of our military men, women and families.
 

 

 

Thank You Note  -- Dear Church Family: I thank you so much for the beautiful flowers, cards and prayers. Through you and with God’s help I am up and feeling better.  With Love, Evelyn Bates