May 2015
By Russell Moore www.russellmoore.com About a year ago, I found myself seething, over a compliment. Someone in Washington political circles said, “It’s really amazing; you’re a real-deal born-again type, and yet you are really intelligent and thoughtful.” I rolled my eyes, because I have seen this before. When I showed up in Washington as an 18 year-old congressional intern, a colleague from Massachusetts said, “You’re from Mississippi and you sure read a lot; good for you!” In both cases, I simmered inside, because both compliments were really forms of ridicule. In my mind, I was upset because I was protective of the reputation of evangelical Christianity. I thought: “Are
The Most Dangerous Prayer
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you so ignorant that you’ve never heard of Augustine or Justin Martyr or Blaise Pascal or Carl Henry?” And, years ago, I thought I was protective of my home state. I thought, “Yes, I think maybe W i l l i a m Faulkner and Eudora Welty and Tennessee Williams read more than I do.” But in both cases, I was wincing at a personal slight. I’m a born Mississippian and a born-again Christian. When one insults
these categories, one is insulting me—and I didn’t like it. In recent weeks, we’ve seen an unprecedented and nasty turn in American culture against basic religious freedoms, freedoms that once were at the bedrock of the American consensus. In the years to come, we will be called upon to advocate for religious liberty and soul freedom for everyone, over and against a government and a
“When we work for religious liberty, we are working in the interest of the common good; we are not just protecting ourselves”.
Assisted Suicide
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media culture hostile to the very idea. In order to do that, though, we must learn to differentiate between persecution and insult, between religious liberty and freedom from ridicule. They are not the same thing. Religious liberty matters because religious liberty is an issue of worship. The state is given the power of the sword to coercively act against threats to public order and justice (Rom. 13:1-7). The state does not have the power of the sword to regulate what is owed to God (Mk. 12:17). What God requires is not forced or feigned worship but that which flows from an open and pure conscience (1 Tim. 1:5; Heb. 9:14). A state that forces a
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Community Leader ProfileMeredith Curry
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THE AMBASSADOR ?The Ambassador is a free, monthly publication promoting unity and revival among the local Yuba-Sutter area Bible-believing churches. ?The Ambassador has a circulation of 6,000 - 7,500 and is distributed in local churches and businesses in the community. ?The purpose of The Ambassador is to pursue the great commission of Christ by making disciples and to encourage, inform, challenge and connect the local body of Christ. ?We believe in the inspiration and authority of the Bible as the written word of God. We believe that God exists as One, in three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ?We believe that the atoning work of Christ (His death) on the cross and His resurrection is the ONLY means of salvation and the only way to Eternal Life in Heaven. ?We welcome editorial content from anyone wishing to promote the mission of The Ambassador. All articles and advertisement content is subject to the approval of the editor. Views expressed in The Ambassador do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors or advertisers
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THE PRAYERS OF A CHILD By Paula McBride Hogar Para Ninos, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico Two-year-old Ari sat on the floor examining my shins. She was intent for such a long time that I shot a questioning glance to her house mom. “She’s looking for an owie,” Sara said. “She wants to pray for you.” “You want to pray for me, Ari?” I asked. “Si,” she replied. “Well, my back kind of hurts,” I told her. Ari put her tiny hand on my bare shin and proceeded approach the throne of grace on my behalf. She went on and on for several minutes in her baby-speak Spanglish, and I know the heart of Jesus was thrilled. My back felt better, too! Four-year-old Luis stood in front of more than a hundred staff and visitors in the mission dining room, holding the microphone with mature confidence. “Vamos orar!” he commanded. “Let’s pray!” Luis prayed for a long time. I couldn’t understand most of it, but there’s no language barrier with God. The food was well blessed and so was my heart. Aylen’s last day at school came unexpectedly, and she and her friends were sad. “Who wants to pray for her,”
I asked. Half her kindergarten class got up, gathered around her, and several volunteered to pray. The sadness lifted, and we were able to send off Aylen to her next great adventure with joy and hope. “Do you want to pray in Spanish or English today?” I asked my kindergarteners another day. “English!” they shouted, and before I could guide them, they enthusiastically launched into a memorized prayer that they learned in both languages. Lord, teach a little child to pray And, oh, accept my prayer. I know You hear the words I say For you are everywhere. I have various reactions to hearing children pray. Sometimes it’s goosebumps. Other times tears flood my eyes. Always, my heart melts, and I am awed by the simple trust kids have in their Friend, the Lord Jesus. They don’t pray as a performance—out of duty or to be seen by others, but out of the overflow of who they were made to be. Ari is compassionate and looks for ways to help, Luis is a natural leader, Aylen’s friends share her anxiety, and the kindergarteners love to learn. Perhaps this is another “upside down”
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God’s Got Answers By April James Having the name April lends itself to some good humored teasing, especially this time of year. One familiar scenario goes “April showers bring May flowers”, to which I question “and what do Mayflowers bring?” With a shoulder shrug the answer is typically “I don’t know”; I playfully respond with “Pilgrims, or so history tells us.” As I contemplate the flowers of May and all the flowers of spring, I marvel at the display of colors. There are not just yellows, blues and purples, but the entire spectrum of the color wheel; vivid and soft hues to please the senses. Oh how God colors our world; how creative his designs in nature and our lives. He imagined the unimaginable and brought it into existence from nothing. If he can do that, God surely has a creative answer to every problem, situation and question in the world. He knows how to do things, He
sees what we do not, and can open doors we don’t even know about. We don’t have to settle for how the world says it has to be or be done. There is another way, which often is a better way; He is waiting for us to ask Him about it, taking all of life’s happenings to Him in prayer. It would benefit us to keep God first and let all of life flow from a place of relationship and intimacy with Him. Doing all with excellence, morality and integrity; as we do - life and lives will never be the same. I like what King Darius said about Daniel’s God in Daniel 6, “He is the living God, world without end. His kingdom never falls. His rule continues eternally. He is a savior and rescuer. He performs astonishing miracles in heaven and on earth.” Let us color our world in living color; it’s okay to color outside the worlds lines and into the greater picture of God’s kingdom.
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INSPIRATION
DO YOU KNOW THE MOST DANGEROUS PRAYER? By Carol Round Special to ASSIST News Service (Assistnews.net)
“And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy—the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you”—Romans 12:1-2(TLB). In May 2002, I began to pray what some call the most dangerous prayer of all: “Lord, use me.” Each day that month, I walked down to the lake where I had been living since my 28-year marriage had ended the previous
August. Sitting on a concrete picnic table overlooking the lake, I sought God’s will for the rest of my life. Each prayer ended with asking God to use me for His purposes. While I was still three years away from retirement, God was working in my heart to prepare me for the next chapter of my life. Fast forward to April 2005 when—after nine months of arguing with God about that direction—He made it clear to me I was to leave the area where I had lived since I was 16-years-old and move to a larger community where I knew very few people. May 2005 marked the end of my 30-year teaching career and the new adventure He had planned. What happens when we surrender our plans to Him? You can bet He will use us, as well as bless us as a result. Born in 1870, author Lettie B. Cowman, along with her husband, were used by God when they left the United States in 1901 to work as missionaries in Japan. Along with other friends, they co-founded the Oriental Missionary Society as well as several Bible Training Institutes. A former student of mine, now a veterinarian, has also answered God’s call to serve. Since 2008, Kathy has gone on 10 overseas mission trips, including Mongolia, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda,
where she has shared her knowledge of animal care as well as her love for God. God won’t call all of us to serve overseas. Maybe that’s why some fear asking Him, “Lord, use me.” Actress Roma Downey stepped out in faith with her husband, Mark Burnett, to produce “The Bible” television series, “Son of God,” and more recently, “A.D. The Bible Continues.” She says, “It’s very true that that prayer, ‘Lord, use me,’ can be dangerous. You never know what will be asked of you.” So, how will you know what God wants you to do? You’ll just know! He’ll tell you. And, He’ll repeat it, again and again, if you aren’t paying attention the first few times. And, if you are as stubborn as I was, He’ll probably have to hit you
over the head with a 2 x 4. That’s what happened to me. If you really want to be used for His purposes, you’ll know it’s from God. Ask God to use you and see what happens. Be ready because He will. I’m living proof of that.
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The Voice of the Christian Community, Serving Yuba, Sutter, and Butte Counties
CALENDAR PRAYER VIGIL FOR LIFE! Yuba-Sutter Right to Life is hosting peaceful, prayerful vigils in front of the Yuba City Planned Parenthood. All you need to participate is one hour and the desire to pray for LIFE. Please contact Heather Pugh at 751-9349 for date and time if you are interested. CROSSROADS CLOTHES CLOSET Crossroads Community Church, YC Shop at our - FREE Clothes given away! Open Mon - Fri 10am - 4pm
SUNDAY •CELEBRATE RECOVERY Praise Chapel Church - Sunday 6:30 p.m. Join us for great worship and open share group. For more info call 530-923-7204
MONDAY KNIT & CROCHET WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP First Baptist Church of Olivehurst 1777 - 8th Ave. Mon 10 a.m. - Noon Practice your yarn craft or learn a new one with us. Knifty Knitters are welcome. Bring your own project or work on a charity item that we donate to those in need in the community. Email yarncraftersforchrist@hotmail.com for info.
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Ongoing Events TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
•ENCOUNTERING GOD 9:30 - 11:30 AM Every Tuesday Morning Embassy of Heaven Campus 1179 Eager Rd., Yuba City (Hwy 99 @ Eager Rd.) 530-671-3160 www.churchofgladtidings.com Our Tuesday morning meetings begin with a time of worship. Afterwards we rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us to minister to each other, encourage each other, and build our hunger and desire for the things of God. Childcare is provided.
FREE BIBLE COLLEGE CLASSES First Baptist Church of Olivehurst 1777 8th Ave., Olivehurst Wednesday Mornings 10:00 AM Starting in January 2015 you can earn an accredited bible college degree … all books are in public domain and you only need a tablet, computer or some type of electronic reader. We can print them out for a small charge. You will need a King James Bible to get started. fbco@comcast.net for more information. ENROLL TODAY!
•CHRISTIAN BUSINESS ALLIANCE LUNCHEON Every 1st Tue @ Noon Bonanza Inn, Yuba City Join us for Lunch, Fellowship and God’s Word! For info contact Dave Kugelman 530-632-9292 •SAMARITAN VILLAGE MONTHLY MEETING 3rd Tue of each month, 6:30pm This meeting is open to all who are interested in helping with an orphanage in Tanzania. For info call Victor Savage at 671-2219.
FREE KARATE CLASSES First Baptist Church of Olivehurst Mon 5:30pm FREE karate classes taught from a Christian perspective. 743-1831 for info, Pastor Miguel.
•CRAFTSMEN FOR CHRIST The Bride Church 655 Colusa Hwy, YC Meets every Tuesday at 6:30pm Men’s fellowship around the word and worship. All in the Body of Christ welcome!
CELEBRATE RECOVERY Crossroads Community Church Mondays 6:30pm-8:30pm We are a Christ-Centered recovery group that provides a safe place to share your struggles, experiences, victories, and hopes with others who are also going through to Christ_Centered recovery. For more info call 530.755.4149. Follow us on Facebook @ Celebrate Recovery Crossroads Community Church
FOOD ADDICTS IN RECOVERY F.I.R. Building: 723 D St., Msvl Every Tuesday 7-8:30 p.m. Food Addiction: Are you having trouble controlling the way you eat? Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) is a free Twelve Step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, under-eating, or bulimia. Meetings are held Tuesday at F.I.R. www.foodaddicts.org or call (503)960-5850
AWANA Wed 5:45-7:45pm during school year Evangelical Free Church 3785 Olive Hwy. Oroville For information please call 533-6866 Awana is a boys & girls club consisting of small group time, games, large group time. LIFE @ HOPE POINT Hope Point Nazarene 600 N. George Washington Blvd, YC Wednesday @ 6:30pm for kids, 7pm for adults Join us for Life@Hope Point - groups for Nursery through High School ages and classes for adults - Parenting, How to Study your Bible, more so contact the church office at 671-1130 for more details. •DIVORCE CARE Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:30pm Embassy of Heaven Campus Church of Glad Tidings - Bldg 500 1179 Eager Road, YC (Hwy 99 @ Eager Rd) Info: Duane Russell 530.777.8543 Divorce Care is a divorce recovery support group where you can find help and healing from the hurt of separation or divorce. Weekly meetings provide you with an ongoing “support team” as you deal with the issues surrounding your separation or divorce. You’ll learn how to deal with the pain of the past and look forward to rebuilding your life.
multiple days of the week •AHOP Ascending House of Prayer Every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 6:00 - 9:00 PM Embassy of Heaven Campus Church of Glad Tidings 1179 Eager Road, YC (Hwy 99 @ Eager Rd) 530-671-3160 Praying and preparing for a new Jesus Movement, raising the Life of the glory of God in the face of Christ in America and in the nations. Come join us and experience the richness of His Love!
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•PRAYER Every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, 7:00 PM Embassy of Heaven Campus Church of Glad Tidings 1179 Eager Road, Yuba City 530-671-3160 “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” (Matt. 21:13). The church today in is an all out war against the evils of darkness. The body of Christ is called to step up and be aggressive in their prayer life.
•WOMENS CLOTHES CLOSET Twin Cities Rescue Mission Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:00 a.m. - Noon 940 14th Street, Marysville We now have a womens clothes closet at the mission! It is free and available to everyone. We accept donations Monday - Sunday of women’s men’s, and children’s clothing!
TUESDAY SATURDAY •BETHESDA HEALING WELL Saturday, April 18th at 10am Embassy of Heaven Campus - Bldg 200 1179 Eager Road, YC - Ed Han 209-298-6102 Gathering for a time of soaking in God’s presence and then spending time to receive focused prayer for healing. CELEBRATE RECOVERY Loma Rica Community Church- Moy Hall. Fri., 7pm. Call church office for more information 743-5435 •SATURDAY NIGHT SERVICE Word Of Life Church 1229 Buchanan Street, Marysville 6:30pm Contemporary Worship led by Leanne Whitley & Robbie Jellsey Relevant & Anointed PreachingPastor Stan Reynolds
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Special Events
WE DO WINDOWS & BBQ FUMC – YC, 3101 Colusa Hwy, Y Monday, May 4th, 11th, 18th from 12pm to 1pm Does your card need a little spring cleaning? Enjoy a BBQ lunch while we clean your car’s exterior windows! All at no cost to you. NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER BREAKFAST Thursday, May 7th - 7:00 am Embassy of Heaven Campus Church of Glad Tidings - Bldg 100 1179 Eager Road, YC Info: Dave Kugelman 530.671-3160 ext. 225 www.churchofgladtidings.com Guest Speaker: Pastor Sean Blount from Hope Point. Buffet Breakfast - Beale Air Force Base Color Guard. Tickets $18 - $130 table of 10 Sponsored by the Christian Business Alliance and The Ambassador Christian Newspaper
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOUNTAIN EVENT- “LORD, HEAR OUR CRY” Thursday, May 7th- 6:00pm Meet at the Fountain on Plumas Street, YC This is a National Day of Prayer Community Event. It is an opportunity for churches to come together to pray for our region, state and nation. We are encouraging pastors and congregations to join in prayer. A HAND UP MINISTRIES Tri-tip Fundraiser Dinner FRIDAY, MAY 15th- 7:00pm Embassy of Heaven Campus Church of Glad Tidings - Bldg 100 1179 Eager Road, YC Info: Ron Brasier 530-613-2859 Guest Speaker Bob Ouzts - Pastor, The Bride Church. All proceeds benefit A
HAND UP MINISTRIES helping to make a difference in the lives of those in need. Tickets $20 - $180 table of 10. SAMARITAN VILLAGE BENEFIT CONCERT Crossroads Community Church 445 B St., YC Sun, May 17th; 6:00pm Please join us for an evening of worship and praise to bless the children of Samaritan Village Orphanage. Hear wonderful music from our area’s best musicians, see pictures of the precious children who call this Orphanage “home” and listen to an inspiring testimony of the work being done to rescue even more abandoned babies. UNITY DAY PRAYER AND WORSHIP Lake Oroville Dam, 460 Glen Dr, Oroville June 6, sunrise prayer 6:30am ends in sunset prayer 8:30pm FREE EVENT 8:00 am music for worship all day and prayer. Bring your own food,water and chairs . Will have shade. It is a day of unity in prayer, fellowship and worship with all our heart and soul to show our Honor and love to GOD/JESUS in unity. God is all about unity love worship and prayer PAUL KEITH DAVIS Sat June 7th- 7pm & Sun June 8th-10am Embassy of Heaven Campus Church of Glad Tidings - Bldg 100 1179 Eager Road, Yuba City Info: 530.671-3160 www.churchofgladtidings.com Paul has a unique gift for imparting prophetic understanding of times and seasons with a message of preparation and expectance for the Lord’s empowering presence.
CALENDAR Prayer Calendar for May 2015 1-May Christian Businesses-Ambassador Sponsors & others. 2-May Local Pastors and their families 3-May Elderly/Care Facilities-staffing needs 4-May Adoptive families & birth moms - Lifetime Adoption (p.3) 5-May Atheists/Agnostics- Pray to know Truth 6-May Orphan children- Samaritan Village (see p. 3) and other orphanages 7-May National Day of Prayer! Pray for our Nation 8-May Addicted, Rehab ministries- Feather River Mens Center, Joshua House, Celebrate Recovery 9-May Teen Depression, Suicide 10-May Mother’s Day! Pray for moms everywhere 11-May Local schools - Teachers and Students 12-May Marriages, Restoration and Strength 13-May Missionaries -Fruit, Provision 14-May Sex Trafficking - pray for victims 15-May Military, All armed forces & their families. 16-May The Ambassador Newspaper-Increased readership and Impact 17-May A Woman’s Friend - Unborn children/Pregnant Women 18-May Global Persecution-Safety/Courage of Believers 19-May Local officials and community leaders 20-May Middle East - For the peace of Jerusalem 21-May Marketplace Ministries-Opportunities to share at work 22-May Homeless/Poor- Twin Cities Rescue Mission, A Hand Up, Salvation Army 23-May Local ministries (see p. 3) 24-May Unity in and among local churches 25-May Memorial Day! Thank God for those gave their lives for ou freedom 26-May Sick/Afflicted, Healing and Comfort 27-May Singles, Single Parents, Divorce healing 28-May Caregivers of elderly and disabled 29-May First Responders-Police, Firefighters, EMT, TIP 30-May Unemplyed and Underemployed for more opportunities 31-May Children and Children’s Ministries
The Brownsville Mercantile A Great Selection of Quality Items! Brownsville Mercantile sells quality items from over 100 consignors, mostly locals. We offer a wide range of items including: Home Decor, Kitchen, Bath, Cards, Gifts, Jewelry, and much more! Mon thur Sat 10-5 6838 Willow Glen Rd. Brownsville 675-1133
(across from the Golden Eagle Market)
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Sunday
Born 3-19-2013 Sunday was found abandoned in Kisongo on May 19, 2013 in an area just outside of Arusha, Tanzania near a mosquito net factory. He was found with bruises and was taken to the hospital where he remained for nine days receiving care until being discharged to Samaritan Village. A gift of $60. monthly will provide for Isaac’s care at Samaritan Village Orphanage. A monthly sponsorship for a child is $60., but any amount - either one time, monthly or even yearly is greatly appreciated. Our website provides a
link to Paypal and donations may be made online via credit card for your convenience, or checks may be mailed to Samaritan Village at the address shown below. You may follow us on Facebook @ Samaritan Village Orphanage, on our website @ http://www. samaritanvillageorphanage.org and through our quarterly Newsletter. The all volunteer Board and friends of Samaritan Village meet monthly and you are invited to attend the meetings to learn more about this life saving work. Please call Joan @ 530-755-2588 for information and meeting information. To sign up for our Newsletter, please drop us a note at the address below and include your name, mailing address and email address (if available). As always, we solicit and covet your prayer partnership for these little ones whom God has placed in our care. Samaritan Village Orphanage, Inc. P.O. Box 444 Yuba City, CA 95992 Tax ID#68-0214955 501c 3
“...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matt 25:40
Are you prepared for a natural or man-made disaster? The above headline appeared in the opening paragraph of an article in a recent edition of the Appeal-Democrat. It contained practical and extremely important information. We should take heed! However, most people are not prepared for an emergency. In other parts of the country when a hurricane is imminent, news reports show, long lines at the gas station, grocery stores sold out of bottled water and hardware stores sold out of tarps, flashlights and other relevant supplies. I attended a disaster preparedness workshop seven years ago and was told that many major house fires could have been prevented if they simply owned a $50 (or less) fire extinguisher. (I now own two and also gave them as gifts to my adult children after the workshop). So, for those who know me or have read my articles, you already know the
point that I want to make. In this life, we should be making preparations for unknown emergencies, and many people do. I stress “unknown.” However, Jesus Christ has made it clear that we need to prepare for what is “known.” Heaven or Hell? Choose Jesus Christ and His forgiveness of sins with a desire to live for Him OR reject Him and live for yourself. Two clear options. I hear all the time from many that reject Him that they would not serve a God that would send anyone to Hell. Answer: He doesn’t send anyone to hell, people choose their ultimate eternal destination. God’s desire is none perish but all come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 So, let’s share the Good News with others and make it clear that in not preparing, their choice has already been made!
When a disaster strikes, will you be ready? It’s critical that you are, for your safety and your family’s. The key is to have a winning game plan. David Kugelman is the president of the Christian Business Alliance which meets each Tuesday at noon at various locations. Dave welcomes your questions or comments on this article at drkug@comcast.net
by Kug
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Roe vs. Wade invented a “zone of privacy” where women could retreat to kill their children, so long as the children were not yet born. From that convoluted illogic, a disregard for human life began to erode our collective conscience until today it is applied not only to the beginning of life but to its end as well. As with abortion, what once was abhorrent is now seen as potentially good: a survey found that 77 percent of Canadians believe the debate about assisted suicide is a sign of social progress. However, in a letter to the editor of a newspaper in Langley, British Columbia, one Canadian wrote: “I believe in the value of life, and the idea of assisted suicide being legalized in Canada terrifies me….. We would like to imagine that we live in a society where only those who absolutely want this procedure to take place would be subjected to it, but unfortunately there is always corruption present, and innocent people would be harmed every day. The law would label as a burden anyone who fits into the category of those expected for euthanasia. The elderly, disabled, and dependent would appear to be a burden on the families and supporters because they choose to live, even if it means possibly a little extra work for
those around us…..” The writer strikes a nerve exposed by Ezekiel Emanuel, an Obama administration health policy adviser. Although Emanuel publicly opposes euthanasia and assisted suicide, he nevertheless floated the idea that there’s
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a good age to die, generally when a person is no longer able to be creative and contribute to society. For himself, he put the age at 75. From this pernicious perspective, a person is valued for what he or she can do, not for his or her intrinsic value as a
human being. Beyond philosophical considerations, assisted suicide shows its weakness as public policy in the harsh light of soaring health care costs and aging populations. “The reality is that legalizing assisted suicide is a deadly mix with the broken, profit-driven health care system we have in the United States,” said Marilyn Golden, senior policy analyst with the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. “At less than $300, assisted suicide is, to put it bluntly, the cheapest treatment for a terminal illness. This means that in places where assisted suicide is legal, coercion is not even necessary. If lifesustaining expensive treatment is denied or even merely delayed, patients will be steered toward assisted suicide, where it is legal. Golden’s grasp of the situation played out in Oregon in 2008, when Barbara Wagner’s insurance company refused to pay for an expensive drug to treat her lung cancer after it returned. The company did, however, offer to pay for assisted suicide. (In 1997, Oregon enacted the Death with Dignity Act, legalizing assisted suicide). *Facts taken from February 2015 Issue of Life Issues Institute publication.
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Current members: A-1 Carpet Cleaning - (530) 673-3634 - www.a-1clean.com George Barlow - The Crave - (530) 790-0792 Kathy Baum - Operation Christmas Child - (916) 747-2212 Ron Brasier - A Hand Up Ministry - (530) 671-1360 Marty Brown - KCYC-LP FM - (530) 674-5296 Kathleen Caldwell - City of Live Oak - (530) 695-2112 Ruben Chavez - R&B Judgment Recovery - (530) 693-8087 Fred Cox - Richard's Tree Service - (530) 673-7993 LaDonna Curteman - Band Together for Christ - ladonna.curteman@gmail.com Chuck David Carol Dodds - A Woman’s Friend - (530) 741-9136 Dennis Gable - Operation Christmas Child - (530) 695-1495 Bob Gilbert - www.yourbettertomorrows.acndirect.com - (775) 722-1212 Steve & Cash Gilliss - Crosspointe Christian Books - (530) 673-6188 Pamela Givans Marcos Gonzalez - Ultimate Business Maintenance - (530) 671-1564 John L. Guth - Attorney/Estate Planning - www.johnguthlaw.com Seth Halpern - Ambassador Newspaper - editor@ambassadornewspaper.com David Hobbs Painting - Cont. Lic#880562 (530)742-2428 David Holycross - Holycross Memorial - (530) 751-7000 Brad Indelicato - Dolco Packaging - bdi26@comcast.net Bill Jens - Yuba Sutter Healthy Marriage Project - (530) 671-6069 Dave Kugelman - Proforma by Kug - (530) 742-2423 Clay Maynard - Consultant - (530) 790-6611 Jerry Munz - JM Construction Co. - (530) 682-5316 Jared Nunes - Sutter Health Chuck & Miriam Page Ernie Phelan - Intero Real Estate Svcs - (530)-790-7000 Ronda Putman Darrell Sayles - Love Unlimited Body of Christ - luboc2004@yahoo.com Roger Shadd - Shadd Janitorial Supply - (530) 673-0083 Robert Stark - Sutter county Auditor/Controller - suttercountyauditor.org Dwayne Tanabe - Taylor Accountancy Corp - dktanabe@yahoo.com Jenine Tanabe - Jenine L. Tanabe, MD Dematology - (530) 743-0301 Rich Fellowship, Powerful Prayer, Refreshing Presence of God! We meet at the Bonanza Inn the first Tuesday of the month from noon – 1pm.
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LADY ANTEBELLUM’S BIBLE SURVIVES TOUR BUS FIRE
would like to thank the following people for their Individual Sponsorship
Kathy Baum Marty Brown Warren & Lucy Campbell Chuck David Christine Emerson Bob Gilbert Rich & Joan Hackney Tom Harris Marie Hiebert Brad Indelicato
April James Sandi Juri Sue Kochi Clay Maynard John Nicholls Carrie Pederson Wendell Prine Jeff Royce Julie Stamper
God Bless Each of You for your support of this ministry and our community If you would be interested in supporting The Ambassador as an Individual Sponsor ($20/month) please contact Seth Halpern at: editor@ambassadornewspaper.com or call 530-933-1385 or visit us online at www.ambassadornewspaper.com
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Carrie Dedrick | Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com Singer Hillary Scott of country band Lady Antebellum is thanking God after no one was harmed in a tour bus fire last week. Christian Today reports all personal items inside the bus burned except for one: Scott’s Bible. The singer was traveling to the American Country Music Awards in Dallas with her husband and tour manager when one of the bus tires caught fire. All three passengers and the bus driver were all able to exit the bus safely, but Scott’s personal possessions were consumed by the blaze. She wrote on Instagram responding to the incident, “Today, when our bus
caught on fire we had quite a few personal belongings in the back (where I was asleep before evacuating the bus) one of them being my Bible.” “I kid you not, EVERYTHING in the back lounge was destroyed from the flames, except my Bible. The outside cover was burned and messed up but NOT ONE PAGE was missing.” She continued, “Yall, God’s Word will always stand. He is FOR YOU, WILL PROTECT YOU, AND HIS LOVE FOR YOU WILL NEVER FADE. My faith is forever deepened because of today. I hope this story deepens yours.” “Thanking God for our safety and the safety of all of those who helped put this fire out and keep us safe. Everyone is safe and sound.”
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community leader profile Name: Meredith Curry Position: Founder and President, Restoration Railroad; Homeschooling Mom Home Church: Hope Point Nazarene Church
Life Verse/Quote/Motto: Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Family: I have a wonderful husband of 16 years and two boys ages six and three.
Prior Occupation:
Years in Yuba/Sutter: I was born and raised in Yuba-Sutter, moved away for my husband’s military service and graduate school, and then we returned to raise our children here.
Jane Eyre (a beautiful story of love and redemption)
Previous places I’ve lived: Anchorage, Alaska; Chicago, Illinois; Davis, CA; Den Haag, Netherlands Favorite place I’ve visited: Florence, Italy (the art, the food, the music, the atmosphere!); Dubrovnik, Croatia (the sea); Seward, Alaska (peacefulness in the midst of winter)
Teacher, Researcher
Favorite book (other than the Bible):
Favorite Movie or Movie Genre: I enjoy watching documentaries. And I absolutely enjoy the BBC versions of all the great 19th century novels, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Sense and Sensibility.
Inspiring Person/Role Model: One of my role models is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His understanding of faith as equal to obedience and obedience as equal to faith helped shaped my understanding of following Christ. Also, living as a Christian in the years leading up to and during WWII, he spoke boldly against
Hitler and his regime and their usurpation of the Christian Church in Germany. As a pastor, he chose to take his congregation (a seminary) underground rather than submit to Hitler’s rules for Christian churches to profess allegiance to Hitler and his regime above all else. Bonhoeffer was eventually in a position to attempt to assassinate Hitler; after much prayer and struggling, he threw himself at God’s mercy and participated in the plot to kill Hitler. He was caught, thrown in prison and executed at a concentration camp just days before it was liberated by Allied Forces. His “Cost of Discipleship” and “Letters and Papers from Prison” are rich wells of understanding and beautiful testaments of living out faith in Christ in the complexity of a fallen world.
“Human”(embarrassing) moment: Recently, when it was time for me to address a gathering of people, I was crying so hard, so moved by a film I had just seen (for the fourth time), I could not speak. The silence was awkward and uncomfortable. Thankfully, there was someone else there to speak!
My hobbies: I enjoy spending time with my family and close friends, reading, and
going for long walks. Something unique/unusual you may not know about me: I used to dance ballet and spent my senior year of high school studying ballet and performing in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Message to the Community: When we love God with all our heart and we love our neighbor as ourselves, we are growing into the people God made us to be. Imagine each of us in Yuba-Sutter living this way, growing into His purposes for our lives and being empowered by His spirit. Can you imagine the healing in our hearts, in our families, in our homes? The healing between churches, between agencies? The visibility and the healing of those who are unseen and voiceless: those who are homeless, trafficked, abused, forgotten, unborn? And it’s happening in churches across our community. It’s like Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of the dry bones being raised back to life, back to a people, an army for God. An army that will fight God’s battle to restore, through love and relationship, each of us and creation itself back to Him. Bam! That’s the Yuba-Sutter, the community, the God-power I pray we live in!
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BRAVELOVE: THANK YOU MOM
Finding Freedom in God’s Perfect Peace If you would like to experience the peace and transformed life that God can provide through Jesus Christ and you are willing to commit your life to the only one who can truly set you free from your sin, you can pray to the Lord right now and ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Because of what His Son, Jesus, did by dying on the cross, your sins will not be held against you by God anymore. You can experience freedom for the rest of your life on earth and then have a life in Heaven with God for eternity. God’s part of the deal is already done. Your part is to confess your sins, repent (or change your ways) and believe that He is Lord. If your life is out of control, let Him take over control. For help, questions, or more information, contact us at The Ambassador or any of the churches listed on page 3.
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Mother’s Day can be a bittersweet day for birth moms who chose adoption. This year we’re sending a Mother’s Day card to birth mothers everywhere to show we care. The card will appear on billboards around the country, signed by thousands who love and support birth mothers for their brave choice to place for adoption. Will you take a second to sign it? (Credit: Bravelove)Irish author Oscar Wilde once said, “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.” A mother knows things before they happen, loves you despite the fact that they happen, and reminds you continually after they happen. She is a woman whose grace is only exceeded by her love, whose warmth makes the sun feel like a freezer. It has been said that mothers hold their children’s hand for a short while, but their hearts forever – which can make Mother’s Day either a day of great joy or silent sorrow. This Mother’s Day, many families will come together to celebrate the one who has loved them deeply. But for others,
Mother’s Day is a stinging reminder of what might have been. For these moms, the sting draws its power from their earlier decision to give up their child. In the process of adoption, one person’s greatest joy comes from another’s greatest loss. But this year, an organization known as BraveLove is trying to alleviate the sting. On a day that might otherwise bring shame or regret from a painful decision, BraveLove is attempting to overwhelm those feelings with joy. By visiting www. tobirthmomswithlove. com, individuals can digitally sign a “Happy Birth Mother’s Day” card that will be displayed on billboards across the country. BraveLove knows that it cannot change the past, but it can change the trajectory of the future. BraveLove is a pro-adoption movement that desires to change the perception of adoption through honest, informative, and hopeful communication. Two percent of women faced with an unplanned
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
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10 Things You Shouldn’t Say to a Pastor Right After the Sermon By Thom Rainer I’ve actually assembled more than ten things church members have told pastors immediately after they preached. But these are ten responses where pastors have had the most visceral reactions. • “I am going to be late for lunch because you preached so long.” • “You must not have had much time to prepare that sermon.” • “My former pastor preached a much better sermon from that text.” • “I wish {fill in the blank} would have heard that sermon.” • “You act like you weren’t feeling well while you preached.” • “I’m sorry I fell asleep while you were preaching. Your voice just puts me to sleep.” • “Your subject/verb agreement was incorrect three times in your sermon.” • “I wish you wouldn’t preach from the Old Testament.”
• “Let me tell you what you missed in your sermon.” • “Are we ever going to be done with this sermon series?” Pastors often take 10 to 20 hours to prepare a sermon. They pray for God to speak through them. They preach with conviction and fervency. And then they hear one of these sentences. These ten responses are close approximations of what pastors have actually told me. I am sure there are many more. This article was originally published at ThomRainer.com on March 2, 2015. Thom S. Rainer serves as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Among his greatest joys are his family: his wife Nellie Jo; three sons, Sam, Art, and Jess; and seven grandchildren. Dr. Rainer can be found on Twitter @ThomRainer and at facebook.com/Thom.S.Rainer.
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THE PRAYERS... - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
Religious Liberty... - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
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concern. He is accused of drunkenness, of insanity, and even of demon possession, and through it all Jesus is frustratingly tranquil. As a matter of fact, whenever Jesus is received well, he presses on with his strange talking until people are outraged by the weirdness or subversion of what he has to say (Lk. 4:22-28; Jn. 6:22-70). Jesus didn’t hide the strangeness of the gospel because he knew only a gospel strange to the course of this world can save us (1 Cor. 1:21). We should seek to keep our conduct honorable “among the Gentiles,” as the Bible tells us (1 Pet. 2:12), but we shouldn’t chafe at being strangers and aliens to them (1 Pet. 1:11). When we are ridiculed and mocked, it’s probably a sign that people are starting to actually hear what we are saying. Our gospel isn’t safe and normal. Our gospel is a strange message of turned cheeks and bloody crosses and empty tombs, of coming judgment and of poured-out mercy. Some will point out, rightly, that the ridicule is part of a cultural wind that brings with it religious liberty violations. That’s true. But we can combat bad laws with better laws. We don’t combat ignorant insults with better insults (Rom. 12:14-21). If we are a free people in a constitutional government, we should expect our government to leave consciences free. We will work for liberty and justice, for all. But that means that we should also expect many free people to jeer at us as crazy or stupid. We will walk with Jesus and bear such reviling, without reviling back (1 Pet. 2:22-23). As citizens, we should expect freedom of religion. As Christians, we shouldn’t expect freedom from ridicule.
lesson from the Bible. God calls us to simplicity as children, yet in prayer we are to battle unseen forces. Sometimes in our adult prayer battles we get mired by duty and expectations. I know I feel guilty or fearful or disobedient if I miss my times of worship and intercession. My prayer life becomes one of performance when it should be a spontaneous delight. So how can we pray with the trust of a
child and the strength of a warrior? Let’s not perform, but lean in and converse with God as friend to friend. It doesn’t matter how many words; it’s the heart behind the words that counts. Then, let’s call down the God of the angel armies to fight our battles and His. That’s what King David did, and he saw miracles. We can, too, when we pray like a child.
BRAVELOVE... - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 pregnancy choose adoption. This Mother’s Day, and everyday, the people of BraveLove want birth mothers to know they are heroes, adoption is beautiful, and they are not alone. Joining alongside these women, BraveLove is a heavenly voice that is doing eternal work. They desire to speak words of life saturated with hope. These words fall onto hearts where hope is a stranger and minds are consumed with ‘what ifs.’ If actions speak louder than words, then you might not hear their words because BraveLove’s actions testify to the love they show and speak. BraveLove is about adoption, and adoption is an earthly echo of heavenly reality. Adoption seeks to bring close and lavish with love those who are far away.
The compelling love of the parent chooses a child, prepares for the child, and brings the child in as one of their own. While it is costly, it is worth it. God, in his initiating and abounding love, desires those who are far away. He has prepared a place for us, paid the price for us, and wants to bring us home to him. Though distance makes the heart grow fonder, unrequited love makes the heart break more deeply. His heart is broken for us, but it only compels him all the more to pursue after us. BraveLove is an embodiment of this gospel truth. Oscar Wilde was partially right. Though there is great tragedy in not becoming your mother, there is greater tragedy in not pointing to the Father.
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person to act against conscience is a state that has overstepped its bounds, a state that is attempting violence on persons at a Judgment Seat at which the state is not a party. Moreover, in an American system of government, religious liberty is everyone’s problem because the state is accountable to the people, who are, ultimately, the governing authorities. A Christian, then, who doesn’t care about working for religious liberty is a Christian who is not only wishing to be persecuted, and to consign others to persecution, but is also a Christian who wishes to be, by his silence, a persecutor of others. This is contrary to the way of Christ (1 Pet. 2:12-17). That said, there is always a temptation to conflate the right of soul liberty with the idea that we should be outraged when we are marginalized or ridiculed in the public square. We should fight this temptation. When we work for religious liberty, we are working in the interest of the common good; we are not just protecting ourselves. We are working to keep ourselves from participating in the evil of a consciencerestricting coercive government. The apostles denied the authority of a decidedly non-democratic authority to intrude into such matters (Acts 4:19-20), much less should we expect it of a government with constitutional guarantees of the natural rights of religious freedom. This doesn’t mean, though, that we should vent outrage when we are ridiculed or insulted or slighted by the culture around us. In fact, this impulse will leave us less equipped for contending for religious liberty. Behind our hurt at insults, after all, is a desire to be seen as “normal.” If people just saw us as we are, we think, they would see that we’re not as stupid or backward as they think. Nowhere in the gospels does Jesus have such a
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By Dr. Ted Baehr, Publisher (Movieguide.org) Recently, a brilliant astrophysicist said he couldn’t understand why some Muslims had become so violent, reacting to the beheadings in Iraq, Syria, Tunisia, Libya, Kenya, and, of course, many more. His perplexity seems to reflect many statements coming out of Washington and the best colleges and universities today. The fact of the matter is, Mohammed, the founder of Islam, was a military commander as well as a religious leader who urged, as reported in the Quran and Hadith, Muslims from their inception to kill, rape, pillage, and plunder anyone who isn’t Muslim, in the interest of abolishing all other faiths, especially Judaism and Christianity. So, if you read any of the ancient texts about the early history of Islam, you will find horrible descriptions of terrible violence. Also, if you read THE CRUSADES by historian Hilaire Belloc, the evils are enumerated in great detail. Even if you read a more recent book, Paul Johnson’s MODERN TIMES, when France withdrew from North
Africa, the Muslims did such vile acts of violence that you can’t describe them in MOVIEGUIDE(r). Up until the 1960s, literature, art, movies, and politicians, as well as the intellectual elite, understood the dangers and evils of Islam. One of the most successful Hollywood movies during the Golden Age was Cecil B. DeMille’s 1935 movie THE CRUSADES, and many other such movies dealt with defending men, women and children from the scourge of Allah. Then, in the 1960s, Cultural Marxists from the Frankfurt School in Germany and other places started rewriting history and turning lies into so-called facts and truth into fables and legends. Christianity, however, had rescued the world, including Europe and then America, from all the evils of paganism, including false religions like Islam. Jesus
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said that He came to set people free and give them abundant life (John 10:10), and the message of Christianity is the love of God for each and every person, whereas there is no love associated with Allah in the Quran. When the West cast Christianity aside in the 1960s, however, it had lived in abundance for so long that it forgot the horrible sinful nature of man that perpetrates the evil reported every day from Islam, and even the evils of Hinduism, Buddhism, totalitarianism in the case of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and communism in the case of Castro. By casting off the Good, the True and the Beautiful, the West has opened itself to a conflagration of evil. It also opened up the masses to such erroneous portrayals of history as Ridley Scott’s KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, which whitewashes the Muslim hordes trying to take Jerusalem
from the Christians who had lived there for centuries before Mohammed was a gleam in his father’s eye. The antidote to the evils of Islam, and the rosy picture of Islam that deceitful, ignorant politicians propagate, is Christian revival, and going back to academic texts such as Hilaire Beloc’s that tell the truth rather than give a false political opinion. Anything written after Marxist professor Herbert Marcuse, who talked about the “ethics” of rhetoric, is suspect. In trying to bring faith back to England in the 1940s and 1950s, C.S. Lewis urged people to go back 50 years for accurate histories. Now, we could probably urge them to go back 100 years. But, when you do so, remember that the Good News is Jesus Christ, who so loved the world that he laid down his life to set you free not only from the bad news but also from the lies of the Adversary, Satan, the lies emanating from the corrupt political chambers of Washington, the corrupt newsrooms of Big Journalism, and the corrupt halls of Academia. Note: Dr. Tom Snyder also contributed to this article.
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EDITORIAL HAVING THEIR CAKE AND EATING IT TOO By Jon Skillman A lot has been said and written about religious freedom of late. Just the other night I heard Chuck Todd, NBC’s political director, state e m p h a t i c a l l y, “Religious Freedom is code for…against gay marriage.” Silly me, I thought it had something to do with the first amendment. I think, religious freedom is really about conscience and the right to conscientiously object to things that go against one’s beliefs. As America continues its slide into godlessness, man’s laws increasingly come in direct conflict with God’s. This is especially true in the battle between “gay rights” and God’s moral laws. A recent article told the tale of two bakers. One baker, a Christian, was asked to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. The second baker was asked by a Christian to bake a cake in the shape of a Bible with a scripture-based “anti-gay” message. Both bakers refused. Well, needless to say, both were promptly sued for discrimination. In the case of the gay couple versus the Christian baker, the judge ruled as follows: “It may seem reasonable that a private business should be able to refuse service to anyone, but that wouldn’t take into account the cost to society and the hurt caused to persons whom are denied service simply because of who they are.” Well in this case it isn’t who they are… it’s what they do. And what they do, goes against the conscience of the Christian baker. Question: Does participation in a celebration of sin, constitute a sin? And
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what is “the cost to society?” In the case of the Christian versus the secular baker, state investigators concluded, the Christian wasn’t denied because of his faith, but because the baker considered his message hateful and offensive and in good conscience was not required to comply. I get that! What I don’t get is, why is one baker’s conscience valid while the other is discriminatory? Maybe it’s just me but it appears discrimination is being defined by…discrimination. Well, I found an answer to this conundrum near the end of the article. An attorney for the secular baker stated; “Mr. Jack’s (the Christian) actions had nothing to do with religion or being Christian, but everything to do with forcing someone else to publish his hateful speech that was intended to discriminate against a protected class of individuals.” And there you have it…”a protected class of individuals!” You see while we were focused on same-sex marriage, gay activists and their minions were busy slipping LGBT into state anti-discrimination laws thus granting them “protected class” status. Pretty slick huh? Boy, those gay activists are, not only vindictive they’re pretty darn cunning too. Hey! Did that attorney refer to the Bible as hate speech? I never dreamed in a nation founded on religious freedom and equality, a person’s livelihood or life could be ruined for standing up for righteousness. I’m afraid this means…no liberty and justice for you! Christians.
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“Face(book) Off” There has been a lot of talk about samesex marriage and whether it’s right or wrong. Of course, most Christians (hopefully) believe that it is against God’s Word. However, within the body of Christ there is a sharp difference of opinion about the idea of attending a gay wedding. So, the other day the thought of posting that question came to my mind. The question I posted on The Ambassador Facebook page was this “Would you attend a same-sex wedding if you were invited by a close friend or family member?” I just wanted to see what people thought. The first two responses were actually private messages. One asked why I would want to get Christians fighting one another. Another said they would be surprised if anyone answered because they thought there was no way to answer without fear of persecution. So, I thought it was a lost cause until I began seeing comments. Lots and lots of comments. People in the church had an opinion about it…A STRONG opinion. At first I thought maybe I shouldn’t ask this question. Then I realized that we NEED to discuss these things. These moral dilemmas are the essence of our daily lives, what we believe and where we stand. We SHOULD talk about it. Of course, as believers especially, we should be able to discuss it peacefully and respectfully. If we can’t, then how can we expect the
Seth Halpern - Editor unbelieving world to be open to discuss anything with us? Well, the comments continued, some said a simple “yes” or “no”, while others launched into very passionate discourses (some very well thought out and well written…others not so much) in stating their case. Because this is a question that involves our relationships and our beliefs, it is a very challenging one. Much was said about showing Jesus love. Much was said about not offending God. How do we do both in one situation? Let’s talk about these things and help each other through them. I believe some ministry was also taking place in the discussion as a few of the commenters shared how they painfully experienced this very situation. I was glad to see that there was a dialogue, no name calling or disrespect but discussion about what we may each be called upon to decide. Afterwards, I wanted to see what the local pastoral community thought. After all, these are our leaders and the ones who are guiding us on those life decisions as they pertain to biblical principles. I emailed all the pastors for whom I had email addresses. Only one answered and his answer summed up my feelings simply and perfectly. His response: “If I must offend someone, I know one thing for sure. It will not be God”
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