Now in our 10th Year! • November 2014 Only
$1.50 Playing For The Same Team...
see story in centerfold
Robert Griffin III • Drew Brees • Aaron Rodgers
Peyton Manning • Colin Kaepernick • Russell Wilson
Is Tim Tebow Good Enough to Play in the NFL? page 8 FULL PAGE OF
• How to Treat Unbelievers ................. page 16 PUZZLES! page 27 • Pornography: the Family Killer ....... page 24 • Munnerlyn Beats Odds w/ Vikings .... page 3 • Dee Wampler ...................................... page 29 • Max Lucado .......................................... page 5 • Who Is Charles Krauthammer? ....... page 31 • Football: Life’s Great Metaphor ........ page 6 • Dave Ramsey ...................................... page 35 • Computer Tips ................................... page 14 • Courtship Flawed? ............................ page 40
Inside This Issue:
November 2014
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Iqf"Ejcpigu"Nkxgu"⁄"Ecrvckp"Owppgtn{p"⁄"Okppguqvc"Xkmkpiu by Christopher Page y journey through the NFL teams begins where I live – in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, with one of their offseason acquisitions, defensive back Ecr/ vckp"Owppgtn{p0"Munnerlyn began his career with the Ectqnkpc"Rcpvjgtu and now is in his first season with the Xkmkpiu. First of all, he has a great story behind his name. He was named after his great-great grandfather, and what a great name to take on. It speaks to leadership, dedication and responsibility – all great areas of life to grow and thrive in. But if you check out the story of his life, as recorded by mhcp, his journey to the NFL was rooted in his faith in God. It is a faith that he came to at a young age and in the face of deep tragedy and difficulty. His father was killed when Captain was 6 years old, and a few years later, his oldest brother Timothy was convicted of killing someone. His other older brothers were involved in the drug trade in and around
Mobile Alabama. The outlook was grim for Captain. But his mother, having suffered through all these tragic episodes and losses, turned to God for comfort and direction. Her new found faith changed not only her life, but her son’s life too. “If the head of the household can change her life, it can change everyone’s l i f e , ” Munnerlyn said. Part of her turn to faith meant that Captain – still in elementary school at the time, would also go to church, attend Sunday
School and Wednesday night Bible study, too. And with the positive, God-centered environment now in the picture, Captain chose to surrender to God, too – as a sixth grader.
Him control, He can take us from wherever we are – on top of the world, or in the depths of despair, and make an amazing story out of our story.
With God on his side, Captain was able to overcome, not only his past and the hurt that it involved, but also his size. Seen by many as undersized for football, he has worked hard to change those perceptions. God used sports to help guide Captain out of the difficult life situation that he had experienced.
4/"Pq"Oqtg"Gzewugu"⁄ I work as an after school program director. In my job, I have the privilege of telling a daily bible story to a group of elementary aged students. For the past couple weeks, we have been talking about the life of Moses. What stood out to me about the part of the story we covered today is how often the Israelites complained.
And God’s plan was to lead Captain to the NFL, where he has played and played well for 5 seasons. His sixth NFL season is his first for the Vikings. Here are my takeaways from Captain’s story 3/"Nkxkpi"wr"vq"o{"pcog"⁄ The name “Captain” implies leadership, responsibility, and dedication. Names are a point of focus for this blog. It is named as a challenge to live up to my name – Page – which means a servant to the King. I strive to serve God – the King of Kings – each and every day. I also call myself a Christian. To live up to that name means to follow God and do what He asks. God calls us to different things, but he also calls us all to some certain things. He calls us all to go into the world and make disciples. He calls us to Love one another as this will be the demonstration. He calls us to decrease, so He can increase – to die to ourselves and allow Him to take control. When we are following Him and giving
What is your name? What do you call yourself? Are you living up to it? Let’s ask God to help us live up to has who He has created us to be.
They complained when Moses led them away from the Egyptians to the shores of the Red Sea (Exodus 14). They complained when they didn’t have water or food immediately available for them (Exodus 16 and 17). And they are just getting started. Looking at Captain Munnerlyn’s story, I think back to my own upbringing. I grew up with loving parents and siblings, all of whom are following God. I can’t even begin to understand all that Captain has gone through. But I also know that I have always been prone to spend more time complaining and seeing the negative side of life then I ever spent showing gratitude for what God has been up to. I am challenged by Munnerlyn’s story to see how great God is and to be grateful that I have breath, a loving God, and forgiveness for my sins. I have no reason to complain about anything. How I wish that all the words from my mouth were words of praise to the Almighty God who provides for me in miraculous ways. He is all I need and His plan is the only one I wish to follow! Christopher Page can be contacted at his website at:
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What four NFL teams have never had a Super Bowl appearance? Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans.
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Fqwdv"Uvqtou"by Max Lucado ~ From In the Eye of the Storm
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ometimes I wonder…how can our world get so chaotic? And I sometimes wonder why so many hearts have to hurt? Do you ever get doubt storms? Do you have turbulent days when the enemy is too big, and the answers too few? Every so often a storm will come, and I’ll look up into the blackening sky and say, “God, a little light, please?”
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thing is for sure, they were not looking for Jesus to come walking on the water. “It’s a ghost,’ they said and cried out in fear.” And since Jesus came in a way they didn’t expect, they almost missed seeing the answer to their prayers. And unless we look and listen closely, we risk making the same mistake! Listen to UpWords with Max Lucado at
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The light came for Jesus’ disciples. A figure came to them walking on the water. It wasn’t what they expected. Maybe they were listening for a divine proclamation to still the storm. One
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Hqqvdcnn<"Nkhg‚u"Itgcv"Ogvcrjqt by John G. Sacoulas, editor, American Christian Voice
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didn’t instantly love football. Living in the Pittsburgh area when the “Steel Curtain” (Rkvvudwtij Uvggngtu) was obliterating their opponents, it was easy to get caught up in the excitement but hardly glued to the TV for the whole game. In 1972 the Okcok Fqnrjkpu became the only team to have an undefeated season, a record still held to this day. (Sorry, Pgy Gpincpf" Rcvtkqvu, God created dolphins; man created patriots) I had family in south Florida and even when young wanted to live there so it was exciting when at the age of 12 (don’t bother doing the math, I am 55) to get caught up in the hype but still would rather ride my horse as fast as possible through the pastures. When eventually moving to Boca Raton, I dated a girl whose family were “Dolfans”. You could be a member of the
Aluminum Hat Society but you couldn’t root for any other team. I attended College in Denver (Dtqpequ) at Eqnqtcfq"Ejtkuvkcp"Wpkxgtukv{"during
When we finally did win a few Super Bowls, time stood still as we reveled in the glory that was ramped up due to our prior humiliations. Having lived in southwest Missouri for a decade now, I didn’t really cotton up to the Mcpucu Ekv{" Ejkghu until the impressive year they had last season. It’s not that I’m a fair weather fan it’s just that I have been burned before. You know, you crush on a girl for some time only to find out when she starts to show you some attention, turns out to be a Patriots fan.
“The Great Disappoint”. That is to say, even with the awesome Lqjp" Gnyc{ guns, we could get to the Super Bowl (embarrassingly several times) but just couldn’t win it.
However, slowly over time the game became more interesting as I began to understand the greater nuances of the sport. My life parallels that in a strange and wonderful way as I grew in grace and knowledge and hopefully continue to do so. In life as in football you have some good runs only to get sacked. Then penalized and then the pressure of overtime and then defeated.
leap was so high, I got a ridiculous looking haircut from the ceiling fan. It may appear that Satan is winning in the world today. He almost looks undefeated. But wait! Fast forward to the near future when the precious feet of our glorious Savior, Jesus the Christ splits the Mount of Olives in half as the entire world sees a brand new government ushered in to a new world order. The celebration of the saints will be rejoicing like no party ever thrown in all of recorded history. Why the euphoria? Well, as the famous theologian Ctejkg"Dwpmgt once told his atheist son-in-law, when asked if there was a loving and good God why was the world such a pit, answered, “It’s so that when you die and go to heaven you’ll notice the difference you meathead!” Well, at least Mr. Bunker got one thing right. Every living creature needs a gauge of pain, emptiness and lack to experience joy and happiness. Did you ever realize that Adam and Eve never knew it was a nice day? That’s why they could be tempted by Satan. Maybe there is something better out there? Living in southwest Missouri, it seems that the weather is generally too warm, cold or windy most days. But occasionally we experience some awesome, gorgeous weather that makes even the crankiest folks greet strangers with, “Beautiful day today, isn’t it? They know the difference!
Some seasons you have greater hope with a nice long run of successes and then you lose it in the playoffs. The next season you do better and win in the play offs but when your team makes it to the Super Bowl you are sidelined with a torn ACL injury. If life is like football, it would mirror the New England Patriots 2007 season. (did I mention I love them? They are fun to boo) They went undefeated that year. They won 18 games in a row. Then, went to the Super Bowl and lost to the Pgy" [qtm Ikcpvu. The Giants quarterback was Gnk Ocppkpi0 That’s right, Peyton’s brother. (Does God love those Mannings or what?) When the game was over, my vertical
Some one asked me recently if Satan knows his future,7 why does he even bother messing with human folks? Well, did you ever witness a teenager that was furiously pushing buttons on his video controller to the point that smoke was wisping off the keypad? You ask him what are you doing? He answers, “I am running out of life and only have a few seconds left so I am going to take out as many people as I can before I die!” I suppose Satan operates on the same pitiful premise. How great the triumph when there is no more sadness, sorrow or tears! Truly, anyone whoever drew breath will notice the difference!
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.YAK BAK
Hggf"Dcem"htqo"qwt"Tgcfgtu Dave Ramsey missed the boat with his admonition (outside of tithing) not to give donations if you are in debt. He is a brilliant financial mind but there is a deeper spiritual truth to sowinging seed for future harvests. Carl Klum, Oklahoma City, OK We loved the cover of the October ACV! We will never forget when Akiane Kramarik stunned the world with her miraculous talent. Especially coming from atheist parents. You have to love the irony. Keep up the good work, We love the ACV and can’t wait for each new issue. We have enclosed a small donation to help you all with such a Kingdom ministry as yours. Bob and Kara Miller, Branson, MO Thank you for calling out the Noah movie with Russell Crowe. I am so angry I blew a $1.30 at Redbox for that piece of junk. Not to mention a few hours of my life I will never get back. What arrogance to rewrite the Biblical narrative in to a droll, myopic waste of cellulose acetate. Timothy Wurton, Green Bay, WI
Trisha Solomon, Springfield, MO Your Mark David Chapman article in the October issue made me mad. Talk about narcissism. I think Chapman would do anything for attention including becoming a Christian. He probably figured it would cause a rise in most descent people. Gert Jones, Tulsa, OK Nice balance on the Feast of Tabernacles article in October issue. Anything that we think makes us in right standing with God outside of Christ’s righteousness given to us is futility. Billy Petricki, Canfield, OH Send your “letters to the editor” to:
Okuu"cp"kuuwgA"Rj{ukecn"eqrkgu"qh"dcem"kuuwgu"cxckncdng"hqt qpn{"&7022"gcej0"Ugg"ocknkpi"kphq"qp"rcig"70 Rcuv"kuuwgu"ctg"HTGG"qpnkpg"wpfgt" ›Rtgxkqwu"Kuuwgufi"dwvvqp"qp"qwt"ygdukvg0
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or mailing address:
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A man was standing in line at the McDonald’s. Behind him was a boy screaming, “I want a ****ing apple pie!” He politely turned around and asked the woman, “Could you please stop your son from screaming?” She replied, “Hey, don't tell me how to parent my child.” And she returned to her conversation on her cell phone. The man reached the counter, and added to his order 23 apple pies. The result? Hmm, ...they were now all sold out.
ACV Contributors
Re New mo ly de led !
In a sad way I believe that our homosecterian natures are the “veil
over the eyes” of the Gentiles. Thanks for pointing out the stark reality that our pre-conceived ideas come from our self imposed dogma.
Cross-Word Answers from Page 27
Barbara Fairchild crrgctkpi"kp"vjg" Iqnfgp"Eqttcn"Ujqytqqo"
Everyone deserves a good meal
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Tim Davis- Columnist Veeda Smith - Branson Frontline Jeremy Storch - Ask the Rabbi... Mike Endecott - Computer Tips Dave Ramsey - Act Your Wage Dee Wampler - A Minute with a Man Lee Grady- Fire in My Bones Stephanie Hallowell - Poetry George Kurland - Staff Photographer Max Lucado - Crosswalk John Sacoulas - Steward & Editor Lorri Sacoulas - Steward & Publisher Harriet Ford - Monthly Devotionals Marvin & Regina Reynolds- Archivists Jeff Wilson - Account Manager Facebook.com/healingprayercall
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*:27+"5;;/3222 Call every Mondays & Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. cst. Access Code 124763# Give us a call and we’ll pray for you in Jesus name.
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Vko"Vgdqy"Jcu"PHN"Vgcou"flKpvgtguvgf‚"Kp"Tgvwtp."Dwv"Lqg"Vjgkuocpp"Kpukuvu"Vko" flEcp‚v"Vjtqy"Vjg"Hqqvdcnn‚ from Inquisitr.com im Tebow’s NFL return is either Tebow, he was rather blunt:
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heralded with angels blowing horns or bemoaned by critics spitting on his throwing motion, depending on whether you are a Tebow fan or not. But the former NFL quarterback is not giving up hope despite admitting he will be perfectly happy with where he currently is at. In a related report by The Inquisitr, multiple Arena Football team owners have been offering to make Tim Tebow’s return to football a reality. There’s also those who believe that Tebow should go to Canada’s CFL, but he continues to hold out for the NFL dream while working with the SEC Network. Fans had a glimpse of hope recently when Tim revealed that his agent had received a few calls from “interested” NFL teams, although the way it was said it did not seem like he was getting ready to hit the field. We also do not know who exactly has been talking to Tebow about a NFL job, but Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera was full of praise: “I’m a big fan of his and he knows it. He has always given me fits when I’ve had to coach against him. He’s a playmaker and he plays a different kind of football. All the guy has ever done is win…. He’s one of those guys if you were struggling at quarterback, hey, why wouldn’t you give him a shot?” Joe Theismann would disagree. When the former quarterback was asked why has not a NFL team picked up Tim
“Tim can’t throw the football accurately enough to compete at this level.” Theismann did soften the blow by saying that Tebow was a “fantastic human being,” although he did criticize the other former QB by saying Tebow should have negotiated a better exit package with the Denver Broncos, the New York Jets, and the New England Patriots. Tebow is taking such criticisms seriously and has apparently been working on his much-criticized throwing motion in Los Angeles. He’s also been working out with trainer Ian Danney at Performance Enhancement Professionals in Scottsdale, Arizona. But Tim Tebow won’t let such talk get his spirits down. Despite not being on the field, he enjoys just talking about the action with the SEC Network: “I love doing this. I want to do this for a long time. I love talking football and I love being around it. I don’t like to talk hypotheticals. I deal with the real life situations. I treat every day as a blessing. And it’s a blessing to be here doing what I’m doing.”
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Vjg"Pwodgtu"Fqp‚v"Nkg0"by DB Jacksone
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here is something refreshing about numbers. They have no opinion, no bias, and no prejudice. Numbers don’t care what the name on the jersey is or how good or bad you are supposed to be.
games when a player plays a minimum of 2 quarters regardless of season or number of games between. If a playoff games occurs before the first 16 regular season games are reached, then they are counted in the first 16.
touchdowns with a meager 11, he had a lower 46.6 Completion %, fewer Passing Yards at 2282, an Average Yards per Completion of 14.1, he threw 19 Interceptions, finished with an 8-8 record and had an abysmal QB Passer Rating of 55.25.
The statistics to be compared are the standard quarterback stats:
It should be understood that the list of QBs is only a partial list and will grow over time and become more complete, however the current names on the list represent some of the greatest quartgtdcemu vq"gxgt"rnc{"vjg"icog"kpenwfkpi"Rg{vqp Ocppkpi." Vqo" Dtcf{." Lqg" Oqpvcpc. Ftgy"Dtggu."Lqjp"Gnyc{."Uvgxg"[qwpi. Lqpp{" Wpkvcu." Vgtt{" Dtcfujcy." Fcp Hqwvu." Lqg" Pcocvj." Cctqp" Tqfigtu. Dtgvv"Hcxtg."Dqd"Itkgug."cpf"Vtq{"Ckm/ ocp as well as other current and past players.
Pwodgtu"fqp‚v"nkg0 Numbers reveal a truth that is too often hidden behind the opinions, personal bias, and unfair prejudice that we use as tools to help us see the world the way we want. Pwodgtu"ukorn{"ctg0 Within this world of numbers however, there are subsets. Some numbers mean more than others. Some numbers carry more weight. Some numbers tell more of the story. When it comes to Vko"Vgdqy, numbers have been used to show how ineffective he is, to demonstrate how inaccurate he is, and to illustrate how inept he is at the quarterback position. However the comparisons have been selective, dismissing his good performances against the Xkmkpiu and the Uvggngtu as flukes or luck and picking his worst single game or preseason performances and highlighting them over and over again on GURP to reinforce his ineptitude as a quarterback. The question that seems to be asked, answered and argued all of the time is whether or not Tebow is a good enough quarterback to play in the NFL. To help answer that question without bias or opinion we need to use numbers. To have a fair comparison of quarterbacks, the numbers to be compared need to be from the same period of time within a players’ career. The obvious time period to compare since Tebow has only played 16 games, and there are 16 total games in a season is the first 16 games. For most quarterbacks their first 16 games take place in multiple seasons and may have gaps where they ride the bench for a few games, so the first 16 games are those
Vqvcn"VFu Eqorngvkqp"' Vqvcn"Rcuu"[ctfu Cxgtcig"[ctfu"rgt"Eqorngvkqp Kpvgtegrvkqpu Y/N"Tgeqtf SD"Rcuugt"Tcvkpi When a comparison was done between Tebow and 15 Super Bowl winners, 10 Hall of Fame inductees, and several past and present quarterbacks, the numbers lead to one very decisive conclusion....Tim Tebow can play quarterback in the NFL.
Pqv"qpn{"ecp"jg"rnc{"swct/ vgtdcem" kp" vjg" PHN." jg tcpmu" coqpi" vjg" gnkvg" cu eqorctgf"vjtqwij"vjg"hktuv 38"icogu0 While Tebow scored one of the highest number of total touchdowns with 28, he doesn’t excel in all of the categories, as you would suspect he ranks lower in Completion %, with a 47.1%, and he is average in Passing Yards with 2753, however he had the highest Average Yards Per Completion with 15.64, the fewest Interceptions with only 9, a W-L Record of 97, and a QB Passer Rating of 78.12.Those numbers rank him #2 overall only behind Cctqp"Tqfigtu over the first 16 games of the 28 quarterbacks compared in the study. For a heads up comparison, Lqjp"Gnyc{ came in with the lowest number of total
The next time Tebow comes up in conversation, and you know he will, and someone tries to explain to you why he was such a bad quarterback and never should have played in the NFL, ask them for some statistics to back that up. Not statistics from practice scrimmage games against his own defense, or meaningless preseason games with rookie third and fourth string players, but statistics from real games that go in the W-L column and determine if a team makes the playoffs or not. Games that matter. Now this isn’t really fair because you already know those statistics and how he compares to some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but let them mumble around like Ogttknn"Jqfig"and wait for them to throw out Tebow’s 2/8 for 69 yards, 1 interception and 1 TD game against Kansas City. Then casually respond by reminding them that the Fgpxgt Dtqpequ"won that game. Then ask them if they were aware that Lqjp"Gnyc{, who went to 6 Super Bowls and won back to back Super Bowls, went 1/8 for 14 yards and 1 interception in his first 16.
Did they know that Gnk" Ocppkpi who won 2 Super Bowls went 4/18 for 27 yards and 2 interceptions in a loss in his first 16. Were they aware that Vgtt{"Dtcfujcy, who won 4 Super Bowls, went 3/12 for 30 yards and 2 interceptions in a Loss, and also went 3/20 for 110 yards and 4 interceptions in a Loss during his first 16. Continue by informing them that Dqd Itkgug who went to 3 Super Bowls winning 2 of them, who also quarterbacked the only undefeated team in NFL history, the 1972 Okcok"Fqnrjkps, went 2/17 for 24 yards and 2 interceptions in a Loss in his first 16. That is an 11.7 Completion % with a QB Rating of 0.0. Eventually they will get the idea. Statistics show that every quarterback has those moments, those games when they look like anything but an NFL quarterback. One thing statistics don’t show is that Tebow’s first 16 took place with a coach, Lqjp"Hqz. who mocked his faith in the post-game press conference and with a VP in Charge of Football Operations, John Elway, who reminded everyone of the team owner, The Judge in "The Natural" - just waiting for the team to lose to secure a decent draft spot and secretly cringing every time Tebow won, and lets not forget the media circus and constant scrutiny that surrounded his entire first 16. Under those conditions, to put up the numbers that he did and rank where he does against the games’ best over their first 16, the numbers don’t lie....Tebow is an NFL quarterback. Source: http://www.tebowsfirst16.com/tebowarticle3.html
Teams with Super Bowl Appearances but no Victories Dwhhcnq"Dknnu (4), appeared in Super Bowls XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXVIII. • Okppguqvc"Xkmkpiu (4), appeared in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX, and XI. • Ekpekppcvk"Dgpicnu (2), appeared in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII. • Rjkncfgnrjkc Gcingu (2), appeared in Super Bowls XV and XXXIX. • Ctk|qpc"Ectfkpcnu (1), appeared in Super Bowl XLIII. Cvncpvc"Hcneqpu (1), appeared in Super Bowl XXXIII. Ectqnkpc"Rcpvjgtu (1), appeared in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Ucp"Fkgiq"Ejctigtu (1), appeared in Super Bowl XXIX. • Vgppguugg"Vkvcpu (1), appeared in Super Bowl XXXIV.
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he WHY question is all about being human. Servants of the Lord seek to understand. Often there is no answer other than the fact we live in a fallen world and we have an enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy. Knowing why might give a false sense of control when ultimately, all we can do is to trust the goodness of the Lord, as Job learned to do. Nevertheless, here is one possibility. As a reporter, I have come across many testimonies of how the Lord prompted individuals to do something, drive some place, or avoid a particular destination. When they obeyed the inner urge, they found themselves in a place where they could rescue a life in danger or avoid an accident themselves. When they ignored the feeling, talked themselves out of the urge and dismissed it as just their imagination, they may
never have known what they could have prevented. For instance, a county deputy kept feeling drawn to a particular abandoned road that he knew led only to an old mine. As he passed the turn for that road twice that day, the urge grew stronger. Finally he turned his squad car around and headed toward the mine. He was startled to find an elderly couple who had been riding a motorcycle which had overturned. The husband was unconscious. The wife couldn't move, but she smiled at the deputy and said, “I was praying that God would send help. He sent you.” Pondering these stories, I observe the fol-
by HL Ford lowing: Hktuv and most obvious, the Lord hears and answers the cries of His people. Still, would He have sent help if the wife had not been praying? Both were elderly believers and ready to “go.” Ugeqpf, God directs people to accomplish His purpose. Can He use angels? Certainly, but this seems to be a rare event in biblical history. Vjktf, the fact is that some people don't recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. The deputy could easily have shrugged off the feeling. Would God have prompted another person to respond to the desperate pleas of that injured woman? Perhaps He did. We don't know. We do know was that the deputy was nearest in proximity to the injured couple. EMTs later said they would
Pqtocnk|g"cpf"Fgetkokpcnk|g"Rgfqrjknkc"” c"Dki"OkuvcmgA"by Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow.com CEX"Okuukqp"Uvcvgogpv< A constitutional attorney believes the move to normalize pedophilia is a mistake, but that they should receive therapy behind bars. A recent opinion/editorial by Octiq Mcrncp"in The New York Times suggests that pedophilia, the unnatural interest of adults in intimacy with children, should be treated as a disorder and not a crime. Attorney Dtcf"Fcewu, the president of the Pacific Justice Institute, utterly disagrees. “To say that this is something that should not be punished is to say this is something that people can't be held responsible for and that is simply well beyond the confines of reasonable justice and human behavior,” Dacus argues.
Dacus also points out the highest level of repeat offenders, serving time for an offense, being released and re-jailed is among child molesters. “However unsuccessful historically it may be, they still nonetheless need therapy,” Dacus contends. “But by all means, we need to be prudent and reasonable to protect children and make sure that these people are locked up.” Years ago, homosexuals and transgendered began a campaign to normalize their behavior irrespective of what the Bible says about the issues of gender and marriage. But, before pedophilia is normalized, Dacus suggests that liberals first pose the question to the parents of a child who has been victimized by a molester.
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Pgzv"Ujqykpi<"Vq{u"qh"Yct by Joseph Ransom; music by Rob Epler Rgthqtokpi"Pqxgodgt"35"vjtqwij"Fgegodgt"42."4236 A musical, true story of how a toy maker became a nation’s hero in his war to save Christmas.
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November 2014
The Cogtkecp" Ejtkuvkcp" Xqkeg is published under the direction of the Ozarks Christian Foundation, a 501(c)3 non profit agency. Its primary purpose is to edify the body of Christ through inspirational articles of Christian faith and courage, educate the body of Christ through informative articles promoting the cultivation of a Christian world view, and encourage the body of Christ to support one another. We are dedicated to be Kingdom builders as we realize that our unity can only represent God in our diversity as we love the lost through Christ. Our focus is on, and to, the invisible church which Jesus said, “The gates of hell would not prevail against.” We announce the current events of the visible church, and we believe the Body of Christ is made up of people who have found salvation by faith in Jesus Christ evidenced by the good works they are doing and have done. We report the good as well as the bad within our church family as a testament
soon have succumbed to hypothermia. Ponder this: We do not know how many people the Lord prompted to pray and intercede before the Twin Towers fell. How many people stayed away that day for various and curious reasons? How many others ignored an inner urge and went to work as usual? The question raises another reason for believers to listen to the voice of the Lord, learn to recognize his promptings, and be quick to obey. Failure to 'hear' may be one more reason why bad things happen to good people. HL Ford is a Stonecroft Ministries inspirational speaker, an award winning faith writer, and can often be found signing books at The Copper Coin ministry on Commercial Street in historic downtown Branson.
for the necessity of a Savior. Our observations are made from a fairly moderate to conservative viewpoint. Yg" gpeqwtcig" qwt" tgcfgtu" vq guejgy" tgnkikqp" cpf" rwtuwg" c tgncvkqpujkr" ykvj" Iqf" vjtqwij Lguwu" Ejtkuv" cu" ngf" d{" vjg" Jqn{ Urktkv." vjwu" cnnqykpi" cp" qrgp okpfgfpguu"vq"fkhhgtkpi"qrkpkqpu"qp pqp/guugpvkcn"ocvvgtu0
We strive not to be the fire alarm, but the fire extinguisher Please be advised that the contents of this publication often do not represent the positions held by many of the sponsors of the American Christian Voice (or for that matter, the publishers). Would you remember to favor the advertisers here in the ACV. They help keep our John & Lorri cover price so Sacoulas low! Publishers, ACV
Vjg"CEX"ku"cxckncdng"cv<" 4944"Uv0"Jy{"46:"ß"Dtcpuqp."OQ"87838 Across from Branson Events Center *639+"766/2428"ß"46:rk||ceqorcp{Biockn0eqo Qrgp"Oqp"/"Ucv"33"CO"/";"RO"ß Uwpfc{"Enqugf
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3;"Mkfu"cpf000Ctg"[qw"Mkffkpi"OgA"VNE Egpuqtu"Fwiict"Hcokn{"by Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow.com vcpf"Vtwg"Rtq/Nkhg"okpkuvtkgu has launched a campaign to convince cable ejcppgn"VNE to allow the prolife message.
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Stand True executive director Dt{cp Mgorgt received a request from vjg Fwiict" hcokn{ for t-shirts with the ministries message, so he shipped them an order to accommodate their family, husband and wife Jim Bob and Michelle, and their 19 children. He has since learned that during last week's TLC program of "19 Kids and Counting," the Duggars wore the shirts. So Kemper watched for the pro-life shirts on the next episode. "Sure enough it did," Kemper
recalls. "But this time TLC had literally blurred out all of the words so you couldn't read it." "19 Kids and Counting" is supposed to be a reality show and the reality is the Duggars are vocally pro-life. Kemps says of the censorship: "It blows my mind because everybody knows what the Duggars stand for. Everybody knows their beliefs, and for them to wear that shirt is nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever."
The pro-life ministry lists the Twitter and email addresses of TLC on it Mgorgt website. "We're just asking people to let TLC know that they shouldn't be censoring the Duggars," Kemper says of contacting the cable channel.
Sometimes God does not give you something you want, not because you don’t deserve it, but because of what Jesus did on the cross, He believes you deserve more. -John G. Sacoulas
Page 11 For Reading and Supporting the American Christian Voice!
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Vjgtg"ctg"9"vjkpiu"vjcv"yknn"fguvtq{"wu<"Ygcnvj"ykvjqwv"yqtm= Rngcuwtg" ykvjqwv" eqpuekgpeg=" Mpqyngfig" ykvjqwv" ejctcevgt= Tgnkikqp" ykvjqwv" ucetkhkeg=" Rqnkvkeu" ykvjqwv" rtkpekrng=" Uekgpeg ykvjqwv"jwocpkv{="Dwukpguu"ykvjqwv"gvjkeu -Mahatma Gandhi
Jqy"Eqwnf"Ujqgu"Chhgev"Gdqnc"Gogtigpe{A" by Russ Jones, OneNewsNow.com
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s the spread of Ebola continues around the world, and now with multiples confirmed cases in America, one pastor who is familiar with the deadly disease has a suggestion for curbing it. Pastor Palmer Chinchen of The Grove Church in Chandler, Arizona was raised by missionary parents in the jungles of Liberia, where 1.3 billion people walk barefoot each day. So shoes are a rare and valued treasure. "Now Ebola, unfortunately, one of the ways it's spreading is when children walk through animal waste, they contract Ebola," the pastor reports. "It's just tragic how something as simple as a pair of shoes can help. It's not the ultimate end to stopping Ebola, but it certainly can help curb the spread of Ebola." Pastor Chinchen goes on to tell OneNewsNow about his new book, Barefoot
Tribe: A Manifesto for a New Kind of Church. "The message of my new book … one of the messages is live simply, because we need to realize we have more than we need," he shares. "The average American has 18 pairs of shoes, and … we can make a difference with something as small as a pair of shoes. But where I grew up in Liberia, here's the thing -- when they walk barefoot, they get bilharzia, they get filaria, a parasite, a hookworm, and their stomachs bloat, and their hair turns orange, and their tongues get infected because they walk barefoot." Pastor Chinchen has returned to Liberia several times with suitcases full of shoes, and he now encourages the members of his congregation to leave their shoes at the church after the service.
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November 2014
Hcuv"Ejcv"ykvj"Lghh"Jqnfgp with American Christian Voice see ad below CEX: Jeff, what was your earliest memory of the industry you now work in? Lghh< Wow my earliest memories are working with my dad. He had me picking up shingles as young as I can remember. My dad had all the kids working in the business teaching us what hard work does. Not relying on hard work alone but quality of service was in grained in us early on. That's what has kept us in business for last 20 years.What are some of the changes you have seen in the industry since you first started. CEX<"What are some of the changes you have seen in the industry since you first started? Lghh<"The biggest changes I've seen is not in the products but in the information surrounding the products. There are so many "gimmicks" out there it is hard to distinguish quality products from some of the
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new & untested products. CEX< You have done some impressive commercial work in the past. What are a few of the projects? Lghh<" Ya we have bitten off some good size projects. From 7 story tall Surry Vacation Resort to Branson Towers wiped out after the big hail storm we had, working with insurance companies after the tornado & of course a landmark everyone recognizes the chicken house. But I would say my favorite projects is the individual homes we transform back into dream homes. No matter how large or small a project we always give it everything we can. CEX<"What advice would you give business or home customers when looking for roofing or siding needs? Lghh<" The advice I would give is for
homeowners need to do their homework. CEX<"How has your personal faith influDon't just go with the first person you find enced your business ideals? or the lowest bidder. You get what you Lghh< That is a huge question... pay for. First you need to For years I treated my faith get multiple bids comparas something that I did in ing similar products, almy spare time. If I had time ways check references & after work & anything else choose a contractor that I wanted then I may go to has completed projects like church or try to help out your own. If a contractor is here & there. asking for a lot of money After a series of events I up front, it is probably a began to understand who sign that they are not on Jesus Christ is & what He solid financial ground. Lghh"cpf"Fgddkg"Jqnfgp wants for my life. I would Above all communicate like to say that I have been well with your contractor & they should perfect since that time but it would me a communicate well in return. liar. I make mistakes like everyone else, I For most of us, our home is the largest in- learn from them & grow from them. We vestment we'll ever make. Choose a con- have committed this business to the Lord tractor that will love your investment the & try to do our best to give glory to God way you do. in all we do.
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LEAVES ON THE VINE Cicrg" Nkhg" Hgnnqyujkr • Pastor Twila Bridges • 6185 W. State Hwy 266 Springfield, MO • (417) 831-2333 www.agapelifefellowship.org
Ecnxct{"Ejcrgn"qh"Dtcpuqp."OQ 611 6th Street • Branson, MO (417) 561-1000 • (417) 336-1297 Sunday Service 10:15 AM Pastor Sparky Ferguson Ecnxct{"Ejcrgn"qh"Equvc"Oguc."EC 3800 S Fairview St • Santa Ana, CA 92704 (714) 979-4422 Ecnxct{"Ejcrgn"qh"Hc{gvvgxknng."CT 2418 N Gregg Ave Fayetteville, AR • (479) 301-2313 Phil Heppner www.calvaryfayar.com Ectrgpvgtu"Jqwug (417) 334-0081 • 187 1st St Hollister, MO 65672 Hckvj"Egpvgt"Ejwtej1 ETC"Okpkuvtkgu."Kpv)n 8537 Missouri 76 Branson West, MO • (417) 338-8537 www.Faith-Center-Church.org/ www.CRAministries.org Gn"Ujcffck"Okpkuvtkgu 4501 Quail Court Harrison, AR. 72601 (3 miles down Bellefonte Rd.) services: Saturdays at 2:30pm 870.365.0004 www.ElShaddaiMinistries.net
Hckvj"("Ykufqo"Ejwtej 3950 Green Mountain Drive Branson, MO • (417) 335-9991 www.fwcbranson.com Icvgyc{"Cwuvkp."Vgzcu Northwest Austin: McNeil Campus South Austin: South Campus Internet Campus: email to get connected internetcampus@gatewaychurch.com Branson, MO: Gateway Branson www.gatewaychurch.com
Icvgyc{"Dtcpuqp."OQ Located in the Vista Plaza Shopping Center on the backside 2005 West Highway 76 • Suite 106 Branson, MO • (417) 335-9915 www.gatewaybranson.org Itceg"Eqoowpkv{"Cuugodn{ 440 State Highway 248 Branson, MO • (417) 336-2422 www.gracecommunityassembly.com Oqtpkpiukfg" Ejwtej • Pastor Kevin Shorey • 180 Grace Chapel Rd Blue Eye, MO • (417) 779-9000 www.jimbakkershow.com/morningside/ church-services/ Rgceg"Nwvjgtcp"Ejwtej"*GNEC+ 350 State Drive Hollister, MO • (417) 334-1499 www.peacelutheranchurchhollister.com Urtkpihkgnf"Ejwtej"qh"Iqf"*9vj"Fc{+ 1521 East 24th Street North Springfield, MO • (417) 831-6721 www.springfieldcog7.org Uvknn"Ycvgtu"Kpvgtpcvkqpcn"Okpkuvtkgu 124 Deer Mountain Road Walnut Shade, MO • (417) 598-1231 www.stillwatersintlministries.com
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Yj{"ku"kv"Korqtvcpv"Pqv"vq"Vtgcv"Ugzwcn" Kpvkoce{"Ecuwcnn{A by Dan Vander Lugt
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od intended sexual intimacy to mold a man and a woman physically, emotionally, and spiritually into “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Seeking a “one-flesh relationship” outside of a long-term, committed relationship is like a long-distance runner substituting performance-enhancing drugs for discipline and training or a graduate student hiring someone to write his/her master’s thesis. Because we are not just animals, the human value of sexual experience is derived mostly from spiritual and emotional intimacy. Casual sexual experiences actually make it harder for people to yoke genuine intimacy with sexual arousal. This is why ordinary married people usually have a more deeply satisfying and longlasting relationship than promiscuous
celebrities who look spectacularly attractive and desirable. We have fallen far from God’s plan for sexual intimacy. Contraception now allows the wholesale separation of sex from conception, birthing, parenting, and family bonding. Ewnvwtcn ejcpigu" jcxg" cnuq kfgpvkhkgf"rqtpqitcrj{. rtqokuewkv{."cpf"ugz/ wcn" tgncvkxkuo" ykvj ugzwcn" nkdgtcvkqp0 Consequently, we see unprecedented rates of divorce, family instability, and social problems. Rather than experimenting with sexual experiences that scar and break hearts, Christians—whether single or married—should focus on establishing and nurturing genuine friendship and intimacy, the kind that will stand them in good stead for a lifetime.
Vjg"Vcdgtpceng"kp"Dtcpuqp 256 Church Road Branson, MO • (417) 334-7373 www.thetabernacleinbranson.com Wpkvgf"Ogvjqfkuv"Ejwtej 1208 W 76 Country Blvd • Branson, MO (417) 334-3423• Rev. Stacie L. Williams Sunday Services: 8 am Traditional 9:30 Contemporary, 11 am Traditional yyy0dtcpuqpwoe0qti
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November 2014
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The Ministry Directory is brought to you in part by: Nqxg"Kp"vjg"Pcog"qh"Ejtkuv"*Nqxg"KPE+ is a movement of Christian churches working together to show God’s love to the poor and needy. • 7347 W. Hwy. 76 • Branson • (417) 336-7056 • Toll Free: (866) 568-3462 Jennifer Maupin, Executive Director, jmaupin@omcloveinc.com Jodi Lilley - Client Coordinator jlilley@omcloveinc.com CFQRVKQP Ejgtkuj"Mkfu"may be contacted at 6100 North 19th Street, Ozark, Missouri 65721, by telephone at (417) 581-KIDS (5437) or by emailing: info@cherishkids.org ODEJ"Ejknftgp"("Hcokn{"Okp0 Adoption & foster care services 1837 E. Cherry St. Springfield • (417) 831-2342 CUUKUVCPEG Ucnxcvkqp"Cto{ Lt. Shawn DeBaar 1114 Stanley • Branson, MO 65616 (417) 339-4434 EJKNFTGP Fqnn{"Rctvqp)u"Kocikpcvkqp"Nkdtct{ FREE books for children John Richardson PO Box 6850 • Branson, MO 65615 (417) 337-9400 johnr@dixiestampede.com yyy0KocikpcvkqpNkdtct{0eqo" GORNQ[OGPV"CUUKUVCPEG
Lqdu"hqt"Nkhg Work training program 5004 West Hwy 76 Branson • (417) 335-9915 FKUCUVGT"CUUKUVCPEG Eqpxq{"qh"Jqrg Assisting those in need 330 S. Patterson Ave. Springfield • (417) 823-8998 HQQF Uoctv"Ejqkeg"Hqqfu Discount food program To find a local host: www.smartchoicefood.com National Office (866) 643-0877 Ejtkuvkcp"Cevkqp"Okpkuvtkgu Food assistance program 610 South Sixth Street, Ste 102 Branson • (417) 334-1157
EQWPUGNKPI Cogtkecp"Eqnngig"qh"Eqwpugnqtu" 273 Glossip Ave. Highlandville, MO 65669 A Non Profit 501(c)(3) yyy0CEEpqy0qti A professional organization offering membership at various levels of academic and experience expertise in mental health, substance abuse, health education to improve positive life styles. ACC is infused altruistically with outreach programs like Vjg Pqcj‚u"Ctm"Rtqlgev"+ (See listing under HEALTH) Itceg"Eqoowpkv{"Cuugodn{ Ask about Divorce Care Tuesday night meetings held at 440 State Hwy 248 Branson • (417) 336-2422
Grief recovery support group If you’ve lost someone close to you, or know someone who has, please call us to find out more information about our weekly seminar/support groups. We know it hurts, and we want to help! Branson/Forsyth • (417) 544-4177 JGCNVJ [OEC Fitness for families 175 Industrial Park Dr. Hollister • (417) 337-9622
Pqcj‚u"Ctm"Rtqlgev."providing probono services in mental health and substance abuse evaluations for treatment in North, Central and South America. Referral sources such as judicial, law enforcement, religious and medical agencies will be utilized to accommodate persons unable to afford these services and will be available to Costa Ricans and foreigners (There are over 50,000 North Americans living in Costa Rica). Please check out our web site to see and perhaps feel our commitment. pablitolobo@aol.com Pura Vida yyy0EquvcTkecpJgtdcnHwukqp0eqo
reached at the 0115216461630752 international number. Cpvqpkq"Ucpejg| is a current Board Member for The Ranch and will assist in helping those that will be coming from The U.S. who desperately need deliverance from these addictions. Antonio lives in The U. S with his wife Qnic and has been alcohol and drug free since January 5th 1975. He was once a leader of AA but JESUS delivered him! Antonio can be contacted at *784+ 544/66:2 or at cpvqpkqqnic"Bcqn0eqo. The only requirement to come to Rancho Poiema is that a person be willing to provide $150.00 dollars a month to help offset cost of food and utilities and not be detoxing at the time of entry. There are other ministries that can assist with that need.
JQOGNGUUPGUU Xkevqt{"Okuukqp Residential work program 824 W Commercial St. Springfield • (417) 864-2244
UWKEKFG"RTGXGPVKQP Yg"Ectg"Cdqwv"[qw#"" Call (888) 667-5947 or Email contact@ christiansuicideprevention.com 9 pm to 1 am Central Time
RQTPQITCRJ[ Hkijv"vjg"Pgy"Ftwi exists to provide individuals the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding pornography by raising awareness on its harmful effects using science, facts, and personal accounts. dnqi0HkijvVjgPgyFtwi0qti RTKUQP Dknn"Incuu"Okpkuvtkgu Prison visitations 1101 S. Cedar Ridge Drive Duncanville, TX • (972) 298-1101 TGJCDKNKVCVKQP EQTG" Eqoowpkvkgu"qh"Tgeqxgt{"Gzrgtkgpeg Cary McKee PO Box 6224 • Branson, MO 65615 (417) 339-3804 cmckee@churcharmyusa.org yyy0EQTG/WUC0qti
Tcpejq"Rqkgoc" The vision of Rcuvqt"Ejtku"Octvkpg|"of Ecnxct{"Ejcrgn"Vklwcpc."Ogzkeq0 The goal of this Ministry is to reach out to those individuals that are dealing with drug and alcohol problems. The Ranch is 25 miles inland from the city of Gpugpcfc." Ogzkeq and is located in a place of serene and tranquil Jgcnvj"Ectg" atmosphere which is ideal for seeking for the uninsured. The Lord and far removed from old *639+"558/YGNN( friends and contacts. The Ranch offers 9 month Discipleship though The Holy Scriptures and personal involvement with a team of dedicated staff members, who were once yyy0HckvjEqoowpkv{"Jgcnvj0qti also in bondage to drugs and alcohol but Q|ctmu"Tgikqpcn"[OEC have been set free by The Power Of God Julie Eaton, Director of Marketing, and The Holy Spirit! jeaton@orymca.org • 417 S. Jefferson Eguct" Fgnicfq is The current Springfield • (417) 862-8962 ext. 2117 Director of Rancho Poiema and can be
PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA)
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YQOGP Vjg"Ectkpi"Rgqrng Weekly care groups designed to provide love and support to Single Moms 164 Corporate Pl • Branson, MO 65616 (417) 334-0131 info@thecaringpeople.org yyy0VjgEctkpiRgqrng0qti
[QWVJ Dtkfigu"Hqt"[qwvj Youth ministries 834 N National Ave. Springfield • (417) 864-8430 Ecor"OgYg."Kpe0 Fork Road, Highlandville, MO 65669 P.O. Box 7077 • Branson, MO 65615 Telephone: 417-334-6313 connect@campmewe.org Lceqd‚u"Jqwug 4661 State Hwy 176 E Chestnutridge, MO 65630 penny@jacobshouse.org yyy0LceqduJqwug0qti Nkxgu"Wpfgt"Eqpuvtwevkqp"Dq{u"Tcpej 296 Boys Ranch Rd, Lampe, MO 65681 (417) 779-5374 Vggp"Jctxguv"[qwvj"Tcpej Christian, Bible-centered ministry To boys mainly between ages 12-17 who need assistance in a good home to establish a proper environment in which to grow and learn. Located at County Road 402, Ava, MO 6560. Call Pastor Paul Neighbour at (417) 683-1080 For more info or visit web site: yyy0VggpJctxguv0eqo
Eqpegtpgf"Yqogp"hqt" Cogtkec"*EYC+ Conservative political women ministries 1015 Fifteenth St. NW, Ste 1100 Washington, D.C. • (202) 488-7000 Etkuku"Egpvgt Becky Vermeire PO Box 282 • Branson MO 65615 (417) 561-5105 • (866) 379-0074 crisiscenter@centurytel.net yyy0YqogpuEtkukuEgpvgt0pgv" Guvjgt)u"Jqwug"qh"Tgfgorvkqp Residential discipleship program for women with life-controlling issues PO Box 1438 • Hollister, MO 65673 (417) 449-5122 • info@ehor.org yyy0GJQT0qti Qrvkqpu"Rtgipcpe{"Egpvgt Crisis pregnancy center 192 Expressway Ln. Branson • (417) 336-5483 Rtgipcpe{"Nkhg"Nkpg Crisis pregnancy center 15765 Missouri 13 Branson West • (417) 272-5210
XKUKVQTU"YGNEQOG WORSHIP SERVICES: Rtckug"("Yqtujkr"/" Uwp0"B":<52"c0o0
Education Hour - 9:15 a.m. Liturgy &Traditional Service - 10:30 a.m. HIGHWAY #165 AND STATE DRIVE
350 State Dr. • Hollister
*639+"556/36;; Pastor Emil Bartos rgcegnwvjgtcpejwtejjqnnkuvgt0eqo
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November 2014
Yjcv"Fqgu"Lguwu‚"Nkhg"Tgxgcn"Cdqwv"Jqy"vq"Vtgcv"WpdgnkgxgtuA by Allison Stevens
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esus’ entire adult life was characterized by a deep concern for the spiritual condition of the nonbeliever. He saw them as desperately lost, and His heart was broken because of that. His compassionate purpose for their well-being was deeprooted, and He showed this concern specifically in the way He met them where they lived, fed them, taught them, and healed them (Matthew 9:9-11; Mark 1:33-34; 6:30-42; Luke 5:1-11). The example Jesus set for us is to build relationships with people who don’t know Him. When we meet a person who has not yet experienced God’s saving grace, we are to have the heart of Jesus and extend a helping hand at their point of need. If they are thirsty, we can give them a cup of water; if they’re hungry, we can feed them (Matthew 25:35-40). Let’s not forget that Jesus came to our rescue when we were lost. So now, out of gratitude and love, we can find opportuni-
ties to do what we can to help others who are separated from God. Isolating ourselves from sinners misses the point of sharing the good news of Jesus, and it feeds into a self-righteous attitude.
disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and “sin-
We won’t be much good to the spiritually sick, however, if we ignore our own spiritual health. Just like getting enough rest, exercise, and nutritional food will help build strong physical bodies, meditating on God’s Word, praying, and listening to God will strengthen our spiritual lives. It’s equally important to make sure our closest friends are Christians who encourage us in the faith. It matters who we spend most of our time with, because friends can either make us stronger or bring us down (1 Corinthians 15:33).
Nonbelievers are spiritually sick (like we were), and they need saving faith in Jesus. They need His love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. And it’s important to remember that the only difference between a believer and a nonbeliever is the condition of the heart. He who has a redeemed heart should be broken over the one who has the sinsick heart. Matthew 9:10-13 reads, “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ came and ate with Him and His
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not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ ”
ners”?’ On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have
I think it’s clear that we, in countless ways and opportunities, can and should reach out to non-Christian people. We can show them love by offering them a meal, a job, or friendship, and most importantly, we can introduce them to Jesus, the Savior of our souls.
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November 2014
www.AmericanChristianVoice.com
Page 17
Yjcv‚u"Dgvvgt"vjcp"LWFIKPI"Pqp/EjtkuvkcpuA by Carey Nieuwhof
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It bothers me that Christians continually express shock, disapproval and judgment at the way non-Christians live.
Please don’t get me wrong.
feel like I need to get something off my chest.
You’ve seen it, and maybe even done it: • Doesn’t anyone believe in marriage anymore? • I can’t get over how many people today smoke weed. • Can you believe they just sleep in in stead of coming to church? • Did you hear they moved in together? That’s so bad! • What’s wrong with our government? Why don’t they uphold biblical values? Whenever I hear that, I feel like saying, “Do you seriously expect non-Christians to behave like Christians?” Think it through. Oquv"rgqrng"kp"vjg"Yguv"pq"nqpigt"eqp/ ukfgt"vjgougnxgu"Ejtkuvkcp0 Or even if they use the term “Christian” to describe themselves, few believe in the authority of Scripture or profess a personal faith in Jesus Christ. So why would we expect them to behave like Christians? Why would we expect people who don’t profess to be Christians to: • Wait until marriage to have sex? • Clean up their language? • Be celibate when they’re attracted to people of the same sex? • Pass laws like the entire nation was Christian? Seriously? Why?
I’m a pastor. I completely believe Jesus is not only the Way, but that God’s way is Vjcv‚u"tkijv# the best way. K"wugf"vq jcxg"c"rncpm When you kp"o{" follow biblig{g000 cal teachings about how to live life, your life simply goes better. It just does. I 100 percent agree. I do everything I personally can to align my life with the teachings of Scripture, and I’m passionate about helping every follower of Christ do the same. But what’s the logic behind judging people who don’t follow Jesus for behaving like people who don’t follow Jesus? Why would you hold the world to the same standard you hold the church? Dghqtg"{qw"lwfig"c"pqp/Ejtkuvkcp"hqt dgjcxkpi" nkmg" c" pqp/Ejtkuvkcp." vjkpm cdqwv"vjku< 30"Vjg{"cev"oqtg"eqpukuvgpvn{"ykvj"vjgkt xcnwg"u{uvgo"vjcp"{qw"fq0 It’s difficult for a non-Christian to be a hypocrite, because they tend to live out what they believe. Chances are they are better at living out their values than you or me. Jesus never blamed pagans for acting like pagans. But he did speak out against religious people for acting hypocritically.
If God had a cell phone He would say to you...
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40"[qwt"fkucrrtqxcn"ku"fguvtq{kpi"vjg tgncvkqpujkr0 (If you have even have a relationship in the first place.) Some of the most judgmental Christians have zero non-Christians friends. Is that a surprise, really? I mean, on a human level, how many people have you made time for this week that you know disapprove of who you are and the way you live? Exactly. 50"Lwfiogpv"ku"c"vgttkdng"gxcp/ ignkuo"uvtcvgi{0 People don’t line up to be judged. If you want to keep being ineffective at reaching unchurched people, keep judging them. 60"Lwfikpi"qwvukfgtu"ku"wpEjtkuvkcp0 Paul told us to stop judging people outside the church. Jesus said God will judge us by the same standard with which we judge others. Paul also reminds us to drop the uppity-attitude; that none of us were saved by the good we did but by grace. Uq"yjcv"ecp"{qw"fqA
30""Uvqr"lwfikpi"pqp/Ejtkuvkcpu0 Start loving them. Very few people have been judged into life-change. Many have been loved into it. 40""Gorcvjk|g"ykvj"pqp/Ejtkuvkcpu0 Ask yourself, “If I wasn’t a Christian, what would I be doing?” Chances are you might be doing exactly what the nonChristians in your neighborhood are doing. Understanding that and empathizing with that completely changes how you see people. And they can tell how you see them.
Jesus did. And caught plenty of disapproval for it. I have a friend who continually drops f-bombs in my presence. As much as it bothers me, I never correct him (he’s not a kid, he’s my peer). But I do pray for him every day and we talk about my faith. I pray I see the day when he’s baptized. 60"Rtc{"hqt"wpejwtejgf"rgqrng0 It is impossible to remain enemies with someone you genuinely pray for daily. 70"Nkxg"qwv"{qwt"hckvj"cwvjgpvkecnn{0 Your actions carry weight. Humility is far more attractive than pride. When a nonChristian sees integrity, it’s compelling. I just have a feeling if we in the church loved the world the way Jesus did, the world might come running to Christ. And then the change we long to see might actually begin to happen. Carey Nieuwhof is the lead Pastor at Connexus Community Church north of Toronto Canada, Carey also speaks at conferences and churches throughout North America on leadership, family, parenting and personal renewal.
More from Carey Nieuwhof or visit Carey at:
yyy0Ectg{Pkgwyjqh0eqo 50"Jcpi"qwv"ykvj"pqp/Ejtkuvkcpu0
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November 2014
Qh"Eqwtug"Ctokpkcpu"Dgnkgxg"Kp"Rtgfguvkpcvkqp# by Kevin Probst
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ith certainty, there will be both Calvinists and Arminians in heaven. A Calvinist may arrive in heaven to find out he was right all along. Perhaps the Arminian will discover that he was right all along. But one thing is certain, both the Calvinist and Arminian can never conclude that they were both right. These two Christian doctrines are in such contradiction a shipwreck for one is assured. I still firmly believe that both ships will arrive safely in the harbor. As one sailing on the Arminian ship I would like to address a myth that is common on that other ship; the idea that Arminians do not believe in predestination. Arminians shake their heads at the absurdity of this accusation. Of course Arminians believe in predestination. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." - Romans 8:29. Arminians are strong proponents of predestination. We see no conflict between free will and predestination. But, we struggle with the idea of making free will compatible with determinism. We believe in God's foreknowledge, of course. God foreknows every person' ultimate and final decision regarding Jesus Christ. We believe the focus of predestination should be primarily on Jesus Christ. God foreknew that Christ would make the right choices regarding the cross. God predestined Christ’s death and resurrection based on the decisions he knew Christ would make.. We believe Calvinism ship wrecks on the issue of double predestination. It is illogical to believe that God predetermined some to believe and go to heaven but he did not predetermine others to NOT believe and go to hell. We believe that a holy and pure and sinless God cannot predetermine individuals to hell. This is contrary to God's nature. Can God do all things? Can God do anything he wants?
Some may be surprised that he answer is no. He cannot do anything that contradicts his nature. It is unimaginable, had I power to condemn one of my sons to spend eternity in hell that I would do such a thing. It is even more unimaginable to believe that God would assign people to hell based on his own arbitrary nature even before they had an opportunity to make any decisions or participate in any actions t h a t might m a k e GOD...I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT I CAN’T FIND ANSWERS FOR! them reI NEED ANSWERS NOW! sponsible or accountable. Scripture teaches that God I CAN’T WAIT extends THAT LONG! salvation to all m e n . "Whosever believeth in him...", (John 3:16) "If any man come to me..." Luke 14:6 "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people." (Titus 2:11) “He is a propitiation for the sins of the whole world” [1 John. 2:2.], “He tasted death for every man” [Heb. 2:9.], “He gave himself a ransom for all” [1 Tim. 2:6.]. It is a gracious decree given of God through his Son Jesus Christ that he is determined to justify and adopt all who will believe. Does not God become a hypocrite if he so clearly extends this invitation to all men knowing that he has already determined some of those men to be lost? Therefore, Arminians believe in predestination but it is conditioned on the choices men make. We don't believe they can make those choices apart from the spirit of God.
Most would agree that it is logically impossible for God to predestinate to heaven but not to hell. To choose some for heaven and not all to heaven is going to assure that some are chosen for hell. Where are those verses in the Bible that indicate that an arbitrary God sends men to hell unconditionally? I believe this is unproven in scripture because it makes God the author of sin and this, too, is illogical and nonsensical because the B i b l e teaches that it is God's YOU’LL HAVE TO will that WAIT UNTIL AFTER n o n e YOU DIE! should perish and all should come to repentance. (Tim 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9) YOU CAN’T WAIT God deTWO WEEKS? clares a universal desire that all men be saved. But, he gives them the gift of free will and in so doing he realizes that some will not use their gift in the manner he wishes and therefore must be punished for their disobedience. He places the onus on man. Believe and be saved, or rebel and be lost. Arminians do not downplay the role of faith in salvation. Faith is the condition for being elected, a gift of God. Faith is NOT the cause of election, God alone is the cause of election. Therefore, God causes the election of those who will have faith in Him. Election is conditional, not on the provisions of God, he will! It is conditional on whether man will choose to believe, he may, he may not. God allows this freedom of man's will because he is not a club-bearing God who will arbitrarily take people to heaven whether
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they want to go or not and cast people in hell whether they have any accountability or not. "Election and predestination are not the unconditional and mysterious choosing of certain individuals known only to God, but is rather the election and predestination of those who have faith in Christ their Redeemer. Election is in Christ but no one is in Christ without faith." -William Witt Though I don't agree with all of Philip Limborch's theology, I certainly agree with him regarding 'absolute reprobation'. "The doctrine of absolute reprobation (Because God elects some to heaven he must therefore elect others to hell) is repugnant to the divine perfections of holiness, justice, sincerity, wisdom, and love." (A Complete System, or, Body of Divinity, p. 371). The core problem for Arminians is that unconditional predestination is totally incompatible to the very nature or God. It is not who God is. "Surely it is dishonorable to the name of God to suppose that he would charge on sinners a resistance which was to them a necessity, and complain of outrage on His Spirit whose influences were only partially put forth." -William Burton Pope. Would God infect a man with sin, determine him to never have an opportunity to be free of it and then, in a rage, condemn him to an eternal hell? This is an absurdity in the minds of Arminians. Those who respond to the call of the Spirit of God and who, with God’s help, choose to believe (have faith) are predestined to an eternity with the Savior. Who said Arminians do not believe in predestination? Kevin Probst teaches Bible and Apologetics to high school students at Lafayette Christian School in LaGrange, Georgia. He loves writing about theology, apologetics and politics.
yyy0MRRtqduv0dnqiurqv0eqo
Pqxgodgt"44 @ 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm Jcpqej"[qwpi *Note: The meeting place has been changed! Hanoch Young is coming from Israel to share! yyy0tqqvuqhhckvj0pgv1rtqhkng1Jcpqej[qwpi 34<22"RO Sack Lunch Fellowship; 3<22 Hebrew Class; 4<22 Service-Hanoch’s Teaching; 6<52"Covered Dish Dinner (Biblically Clean please)
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November 2014
www.AmericanChristianVoice.com
Page 19
Nkxg."Nqxg."Dngpf<"Vjcpmuikxkpi"Yqgu"qh"c"Hqqvdcnn"Ykfqy"by Andi Parker
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hat do you most look forward to at Thanksgiving? Gathering with family? Eating turkey and all the fixings? Or is it the time honored tradition of spending the afternoon watching football?
while I go shopping. How long would you like me to shop?” That will definitely make him more aware of the time he’s planning to spend parked in the recliner.
In our house, football rules… at least for my husband. I realized quickly when we were dating that he was a fan, but like so many things, you really don’t understand the extent of someone’s obsession until you marry them. I was totally unprepared for the grief associated with being a football widow.
50"NCEM"QH"EQOOQP" KPVGTGUVU
Here are 3 ways I think football hurts our blended family… 30"VKOG"UWEMCIG
understand this by comparing it to the way he feels when I make the family listen to show tunes during a road trip. 40"OKZGF"WR"RTKQTKVKGU
I can understand having a favorite team you love to watch, but my husband follows every team. Does yours do that fantasy football stuff? What I’ve learned is that it requires them to follow all their players, and all those players come from different teams. Hence, my husband wants to watch and/or listen to every game possible. Did I mention he’s on about 5 different fantasy leagues?! Yes, I’ll be donning my mourning attire until football season is over. Oh, and it doesn’t help that listening to sports on the radio makes me want to stick a fork in my eye. I finally got him to
Wives want to feel like they are their husband’s number one priority. And wives who have been through a divorce already have baggage from a time when they did not feel like number one. I’ve told my husband many times that it really hurts my feelings when it appears that football is more important than our time together. With full time jobs and 5 kids, it’s not like we have a lot of time to spare. Now, don’t think I’m saying we need their attention 24/7. There are ways to work around this. For example, “sure honey, you watch football
Kids in blended families can have a difficult time connecting with their step-parents. And in our home, football has widened that gap. My 2 “originals” had virtually no knowledge of sports until I met and married their step-dad. I thought, being boys, that they would naturally warm up to his love for sports. So far, though, more often that not, I hear them comment that they have nothing in common with him. We’ve all tried various ways to remedy this. My husband coached a YMCA flag football team one season that my younger son played on. And now my oldest son has started playing football at school, and my husband will volunteer to run chains (whatever that means). It’s nice to see everybody trying. I doubt we’ll find our common ground on this particular turf, but we’ll keep trying. And that’s what you must do – keep trying… Whether it’s football or another sport, or any job or hobby…. if there’s one thing
that’s pulling the focus of a parent so strongly that the rest of the family starts to resent it, something’s gotta give. This can be especially challenging in blended families, I think, because the obsession might have started as a welcome distraction in a bad situation. Perhaps it was a way to avoid a fight during the first marriage, or a way to protect yourself from feeling lonely while you were single. Now that life has changed and the family dynamic is different, those needs have to be reevaluated. They may not be necessary any more. Or perhaps they just need to be brought down to a level everyone can live with. As for football, I’d be happy if we could just pick one team to follow. And given where we live, Go COWBOYS! Andi Parker is a sweet but stubborn wife, and a motivated, multitasking mom of five. Kids include two “originals”, boys ages 13 & 9, and three “steps”, boys ages 18 & 14, and a 7-year-old girl. Andi works as a TV Producer for a Christian TV Network and freelances as a Traffic Reporter for an NBC affiliate. Her heart is set on sharing victories and life experiences in order to encourage and inspire other blended family working moms… or any gal who’s ever had to juggle a man, a job, kids, friends, chores, etc. Andi blogs at:
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November 2014
Ejtkuvkcpu"Ewtgf"qh"Gdqnc" from the ACV Newsdesk Nurse Codgt" Xkpuqp, 29, was discharged after spending the last the last few weeks of October in Atlanta undergoing treatment in its biocontainment unit. "I’m so grateful to be well," Vinson said. "First and foremost, I want to thank God," she said, adding that God gave her the “hope and strength to fight” Ebola.
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Vinson had cared for Liberian national Vjqocu"Gtke"Fwpecp, who became the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, at Texas Health Presby-
terian Hospital in Dallas. Duncan died Oct. 8 The families of Ebola victims Amber Vinson and Thomas Eric Duncan have spoken out to give thanks for the public's prayers, God's presence in their lives, and ask for continued prayers for the country. Pkpc" Rjco, a Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola after treating Liberian national Thomas Duncan in Texas, said she believes in the power of prayer, after she was declared virus-free and released from a Maryland hospital Friday. She also met Rtgukfgpv"Qdcoc at the White House, and received a hug.
"I first and foremost would like to thank God, my family and f r i e n d s . Throughout this ordeal I have Ft0"Mgpv"Dtcpvn{ put my trust in God and my medical team," Pham said at a briefing about her treatment outside the Pcvkqpcn Kpuvkvwvgu"qh"Jgcnvj"Enkpkecn"Egpvgt in Bethesda, Md., Friday. "I believe in the power of prayer because I know so many people all over the world have been praying for me," she added, according to W U C Vq f c {0 "Although I no longer h a v e Ebola, I know that it may be a while before I have m y strength Pkpc"Rjco back."
She said she feels "fortunate and blessed." She added, however, that the experience was "stressful and challenging" for her and her family. Pham also thanked Ft0"Mgpv"Dtcpvn{, a Scoctkvcp)u" Rwtug missionary from Texas who survived Ebola after contracting the deadly virus on a mission to Africa, for "his selfless act" of donating plasma during treatment. Pham was confirmed to have Ebola in Dallas on Oct. 12. She was later shifted to NIH. "She has no virus," declared Cpvjqp{ Hcwek, director of the Pcvkqpcn"Kpuvkvwvg qh"Cnngti{"cpf"Kphgevkqwu"Fkugcugu, who was also at the briefing.
Dear Lord, Help me not despise the things I do not know or understand. ~William Penn
It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love. -Billy Graham Rcvu{"Enkpg"Tgogodgtgf Celebrate Patsy Cline's greatest hits and discover her life beyond the music!
Theology is hard, but church potlucks are even harder when you don’t know what to bring. That’s why Banquet offers a variety of pre-cooked frozen dishes that are perfect for the churchgoer’s discerning palate. Choose from our three gourmet selections: Classic Green Bean Casserole, Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and Tuna Noodle Surprise. Serving in church was never so easy!
Patsy Cline Remembered is the tribute show that celebrates the life and songs of legendary vocalist Patsy Cline. Get up close and personal as the critically acclaimed C.J. Newsom and the Re-Cliners band share Patsy's hits and unique stories. Learn about the stars who influenced Patsy and who were influenced by her including Judy Garland, Loretta Lynn, and Reba McEntire. Join us on the trip down memory lane at Patsy Cline Remembered, the journey through the music that made Patsy famous. Come see C.J. Newsom and her live band! Tuesday through Saturday in the Hamners' Variety Theater at 3 PM. For more information, call: 417-334-4363 or visit at:
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Vjg"CEX"ku"cxckncdng"cv< vjg"Dtcpuqp"OQ" Rtkeg"Ejqrrgt
November 2014
www.AmericanChristianVoice.com
Calvanist Cartoon
Oqtg"Rtqqh"vjcv"Ecvu"ctg"kp"Ngciwg"ykvj"vjg"Fgxkn
U v k n n " Yc v g t u " " Kpvgtpcvkqpcn"" Okpkuvtkgu Waking the World to their Loving Creator
Okay, so we are not a typical church but we are a training ground to make disciples for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit! Come visit us Sunday morning at 9:45 am and you will see what we mean. What does it mean that “Favor is better than Finance?” Why is it a blessing to “sow seeds in someone else’s field?” “Why does taking one step towards self sufficiency cause God to withdraw one step back from supplying all your needs?” 124 Deer Mountain Road Walnut Shade, MO
*639+ 7;:/3453 7 miles north of Branson on Hwy 160. One quarter mile west of 65. First property on left.
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Qypgtu< Doug & Julie Smart Gockn<"SmartBuyTireInc@sbcglobal.net 1045 S. Campbell Ave, Springfield, MO
yyy0UoctvDw{Vktg0eqo A Smart Family!
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4944"Uv0"Jy{"46: Dtcpuqp."OQ" Across from Branson Events Center
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We offer Create Your Own and Specialty pizzas. Also Wings, Salads, Cookie Dough, Calzones, Coke Products and Iced Tea. You can bake your pizza right on our special trays so you don't even have to dirty a dish and the pizza is hot and ready on your time. Perfect for Superbowl Parties and other gatherings. Our drive through makes it quick and easy to call ahead and swing by! Fkpg/Kp"pqy"cxckncdng0
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November 2014
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www.AmericanCh
Rnc{kpi"hqt"vjg"Ucog"Vgco000"from the Front Cover Rg{vqp"Ocppkpi
Ftgy"Dtggu
by Jim Dennison, DennisonForum
by Shawn Brown, The 700 Club, CBN.com
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ecord breaking Rgv{qp"Ocppkpi is the NFL quarterback for the Fgpxgt"Dtqpequ."born in New Orleans into a football dynasty. His father, Ctejkg"Ocppkpi, was an NFL quarterback and his brother, Gnk, is an NFL quarterback as well.
t was the day that Pgy Qtngcpu" Uckpvu fans waited on for over 40 years – the day their beloved Saints would finally win the Super Bowl. It came on the leadership and arm of game MVP and quarterback Ftgy" Dtggu, who did what many thought was close to impossible.
He is famous for his charity work, very funny commercials, and numerous appearances on TV shows such as Saturday Night Live.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Drew told Vjg"922"Enwd. “It’s surreal to think that it actually did happen.”
In his book Manning, co-authored with his father, Peyton tells the story of his conversion: “My faith has been number one since I was thirteen years old and heard from the pulpit on a Sunday morning in New Orleans a simple question: ‘If you died today, are you one hundred percent sure you’d go to heaven?’ “It was a big church, and I felt very small, but my heart was pounding. The minister invited those who would like that assurance through Jesus Christ to raise their hands, and I did. Then he invited us to come forward, to take a stand, and my heart really started pounding and from where we sat, it looked like a mile to the front. But I got up and did it, and I committed my life to Christ, and that faith has been most important to me ever since.” Peyton says his four priorities, in order, are: faith, family, friends, and football. He testifies, “My faith doesn’t make me perfect, it makes me forgiven.” He describes his spiritual life: “I pray every night, sometimes long prayers about a lot of things and a lot of people, but I don’t talk about it or brag about it because that’s between God and me, and I’m no better than anyone else in God’s sight.” He doesn’t pray to win games. Rather, “I pray to keep both teams injury free, and personally, that I use whatever talent I have to the best of my ability.” He has made this character commitment, “Dad says it can take twenty years to make a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it. I want my reputation to be able to make it through whatever five-minute crises I run into. I’m a lot more comfortable knowing where my help is.”
A great story isn’t just about the ending; it’s also about the journey. Drew and his younger brother Tgkf grew up in Austin, Texas. Football wasn’t his favorite sport. “Baseball was my favorite sport. I played all sports. My brother and I were just sports junkies. Every free second we had was out in the yard playing tennis or running around.” But by high school, Drew excelled in football as a quarterback. He looked forward to playing at the college level, but in his junior year, he suffered a torn ACL; at the time his future in football looked dim. “I had seen a lot of my friends tear their ACLs, and some of them hadn’t come back as good as they were before – not as fast, not as mobile, whatever it might be. So the thought of a torn ACL was devastating to me, because I thought that I might be in the same boat as them.” One Sunday at church, something the pastor said changed everything. “I was 17 years old sitting in church one day with a torn ACL, on crutches, wondering what if football were not here for me or if sports weren’t here for me. What’s my calling in life? What am I? What’s my purpose? What am I here to do? For some reason, it all hit me. His call to the congregation was that God was looking for a few good men to carry the torch and to represent the Christian faith. I just remember thinking to myself, Man, I’d like to be one of those few good men.” Drew became a Christian that day. With a new purpose, he was determined that noth-
ing would stand in his way. "God does have a purpose for me that’s much greater than football.” Drew went on to finish his high school football career with 28-0 record. He spent the next four years at Rwtfwg where he led the Dqkn/ ocmgtu to the 2001 Rose Bowl. Though they came up short, there were bigger things in store for Drew that year. He was drafted by the Ucp"Fkgiq"Ejctigtu. He spent five seasons there until he dislocated his throwing shoulder while trying to recover a fumble. Once again Drew’s future in football was questionable. “I was given a 25 percent chance of coming back and playing by some. That could very easily put a lot of doubt in your heart. But, ever since that moment in high school when I truly accepted the responsibility of being a Christian, I knew that my faith was strong. As long as I relied on that, I knew that there was a plan and I just had to believe it.” In just two months, Drew had fully recovered. By then, the Chargers' organization decided to go with Philip Rivers as the starter. Drew decided to move on. He had two choices: the Okcok"Fqnrjkpu, a team on the rise and championship potential, or the New Orleans Saints, a losing team, in a city still picking up the pieces from Hurricane Katrina. “Here’s Miami. Pkem" Ucdkp was a first year head coach the year before. They went 9-7. They won their last 7 in a row. I mean, they were a team on the up and up. Then there’s New Orleans, which [had] a first year head coach. Nobody knew what to expect out of Ugcp"Rg{vqp. The city had just been completely devastated by Hurricane Katrina; 85% of the city under water. The team had been displaced, 3-13 record. These are my choices. From an outsider’s perspective, you would think that the obvious choice would be the Miami Dolphins, yet when you get past the surface and dig a little deeper, you see the heart and soul of a city that just needed somebody to believe in them. Here I was, just needed somebody to believe in me.” It was during his visit to New Orleans with Saints new head coach Sean Peyton, that Drew and his wife Brittany made their decision.
“I think that’s when Brittany and I both looked at each other and thought this is much more than just coming to be a part of a team. This is coming to be a part of something much greater and that is the rebuilding of a city.” Drew signed with the Saints in 2006. Four seasons later he led them to not only their first Super Bowl but to victory. It wasn’t just through football that Drew has become a beacon of hope to New Orleans and the state of Louisiana; together with his wife he founded, the Dtggu"Ftgco"Hqwpfcvkqp to advance research in the fight against cancer and to help rebuild what was lost in Hurricane Katrina. Drew has also written a book, Coming Back Stronger, which chronicles his journey with the underlying message of never giving up and following God’s plan. “I live for God, for the faith that I have in Him. Knowing the sacrifices that Jesus Christ made on the cross for me and feeling like it’s in God’s hands, all I have to do is just give my best, commit the rest to Him. Everything else is taken care of. That takes the weight off anybody’s shoulders. It’s to give you confidence to know that you’ve got somebody looking out for you.”
Tqdgtv"Itkhhkp"KKK from GospelLightMinute.wordpress.com
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obert Griffin III, better known as TI5 is the NFL quarterback for the Ycujkpivqp"Tgfumkpu. He was selected by the Redskins in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football for Dc{nqt"Wpkxgtukv{. and won the Heisman Trophy in 2011. Hailing from a military family, with a strong, strict father, he began college at 17 years old. With dedication and hard work, he graduated in 3 years with a degree in political science, and a 3.67 GPA, all while appearing on the Dean’s List two times. He is currently studying for a Masters degree in Communications. He won the Cuuqekcvgf Rtguu"Eqnngig"Hqqvdcnn"Rnc{gt"qh"vjg"[gct" Cyctf, the Fcxg{"Q‚Dtkgp"Cyctf, the Manning Award, and the Consensus AllAmerican Award in 2011. He said of his faith, “I was heavily influenced by my parents to learn discipline. But my relationship with God was my
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November 2014
most important influence… I’ve been in the church since I was 7. My parents didn’t push it on us but they made sure we grew up in the church, so that’s all we know, that’s what we do.” He went further to say, “Whenever you can be a Christian and come to a Christian university like Baylor and make a difference like this whole football team has, it’s great. [God] gives you the stage to make a difference and not to just talk about yourself, but lift Him up. There are a lot of different types of Christians everywhere, but my biggest thing is it’s not our job to judge; it’s just our job to go out, praise Him, let people know what He’s doing, and let people follow if they want to. So I praise God, I thank him for everything. Purposefully, you live every day for Him, and when He gives you the opportunity to speak up for Him or to do something in His name, you do it.”
ing quarterback for the Pack since 1992. His steady play was largely overshadowed by Favre’s “unretirement” and subsequent trade to the Pgy"[qtm"Lgvu. Aaron and his two brothers grew up in a Christian home in Chico, Calif. His parents, Ed and Darla Rodgers, were a great influence in their lives. Rodgers says, “I grew up knowing what a stable relationship was by my parents’ example, and how it centered on Christ.” He went on to say, “When our family had its ups and downs, I knew my parents relied on God for everything, and He always got us through the rough spots.” Until he was 17, Aaron says he went to church because his parents went to church. But about this time, he began to make some choices with his buddies that were not right. It was then that he rededicated his life to the Lord.
Cctqp"Tqfigtu by Tom Rust, host of the radio program, Face to Face, which focuses on Christian athletes.
“Ever since then,” he says, “I fall on my face and get back up, get on my knees and confess, and keep on trying to live for Jesus.”
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n Feb. 6, 2011, Aaron Rodgers led the Itggp"Dc{"Rcemgtu"to their first National Football League (NFL) championship in 14 years. The Packers defeated the Rkvvudwtij" Uvggngtu, 31-22, and reclaimed the Xkpeg" Nqodctfk" Vtqrj{, which was named after the former Green Bay coach.
Aaron says, “I try to live my life in a way that reflects the Lord. I use that as a model as I relate to my friends and family, teammates and coaches. I want them to see that I really love and care for them as individuals. I try to build relationships. This is what I like about Jesus. Jesus is about relationships.”
Rodgers was selected the Oquv"Xcnwcdng Rnc{gt for his spectacular play and consistent leadership during this game.
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After Rngcucpv" Xcnng{" Jkij" Uejqqn" in Chico, Rodgers played for Dwvvg"Eqoow/ pkv{"Eqnngig in Oroville, Calif. He led the team to a 10-1 record and a number 2 national ranking. After one year, he signed to play for the University of California, leading them to a number 5 national ranking in 2004.
from MarioMurilloMinistries.wordpress.com/SEATTLE (CBS Seattle)
In the 2005 NFL draft, the Packers made him their number one pick overall. His uncanny ability to find receivers and get the ball to them has made him the NFL alltime career leader in passer rating at 98.4 It hasn’t been an easy road for Rodgers. After three years as a backup quarterback, he was called on to take the place of legendary Brett Favre, who had been the start-
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eattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson espoused about his Christian faith in a recent documentary entitled The Making of a Champion. In the video, Wilson, 24, describes how he found God at the age of 14. “I had a dream that my dad passed away and that Jesus came into the room and he was basically knocking on my door, saying, ‘Hey, you need to find out more about me,’” Wilson said. “So that Sunday morning I ended up going to church and that’s when I got saved.”
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Unfortunately the dream was a foreshadowing of sorts because Wilson’s father died six years later. Wilson also explained in the video that he was a “bad kid” and that his Christian faith helped him to mature. “I think that got me through a lot of adversity … because I used to beat up kids and bite kids and do stuff all the time,” Wilson said. The star quarterback thanks God for the talent God has given him. “No one can stop what God has for you,” Wilson said.
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by Melissa Steffan Barna announced this year that two-thirds of Americans think pro athletes have more influence on society than pastors.
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he NFL bans Bible verses on players’ eyeblack or uniforms, but Super Bowlbound Ucp"Htcpekueq"6;gtu quarterback Colin Kaepernick wears his favorite verses on his arms–permanently. Kaepernick, whose successful season launched him into the national spotlight, making headlines last November when one Sporting News columnist criticized the quarterback’s arm tattoos, likening the player to “inmates at California’s state prison.” The commentary sparked response from other bloggers who came to Kaepernick’s defense. But Kaepernick’s adoptive parents also went straight to the media in support of their son’s tattoos, pointing out that he “chose Bible verses and had them inscribed on his biceps.” “Colin’s a fairly religious kid, but he’s not in your face about it,” his father told USA Today. “It’s more about him and what he believes.” In 2001, the Nevada Sagebrush reported that “Kaepernick’s parents raised him in a Christian household, even taking time away from youth football practices to at-
tend Confirmation classes.” Kaepernick told the University of Nevada student newspaper that religion is “a foundation to build your life off of.” So, when he chose to tattoo his upper body, he chose Bible verses. According to Sports Illustrated, the psalms tattooed on Kaepernick’s arms are all about his competitive instinct. The verses include Psalm 27:3, which says, “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.” On the other arm is Psalm 18:39, which reads, “You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me.” Kaepernick also explained his tattoos to sports reporter and former NFL quarterback Mwtv"Yctpgt: “My first tattoo was a scroll on my right arm, Psalm 18:39...It’s just my way of showing everybody that this is what I believe in.”
editor’s note: Christians should not be disparaging against believers in professional sports or for that matter, the music industry, the arts, acting or any other form of entertainment that isn’t blatantly immoral. Some vessels are meant to be just salt. It is God’s plan to pepper his children among the heathen as a testimony to His plan of Grace and Mercy to those who place thier trust and faith in Jesus Christ. No matter where you look it seems there are people of faith working behind the scenes, many times quietly. Not every believer needs to be on the street corner yelling at the wicked or lost passing by. Yes, when celebrity believers offer their testimony in a public manner the scrutiny can be unbearable. Haven’t there been times when you wanted to take the Jesus fish off the back of you car so you could zoom around some clod who chooses to go 20 mph on a two lane winding road that is posted 45? We need to pray for our brothers and sisters that have no anonymity in public.
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November 2014
Rqtpqitcrj{<"Vjg"Swkgv"Hcokn{"Mknngt by Gary Abernathy/for AllProDad.com
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he effects of porn on marriage are widespread and devastating. Researcher Patrick Fagan, Ph.D., completed a major study of pornography and called it a "quiet family killer." His study found that 56 percent of divorces had one partner with an obsessive interest in porn. On the average, 40 million Americans regularly view porn, and the overwhelming majority are men. That's the admitted figure. I feel safe writing to you that I believe well over 90 percent of the men that will read this (including the one writing it) have viewed porn on the Internet. It's a simple click away at all times. It is the number-one temptation facing all adult men. If allowed to fester in our lives, porn slowly erodes not only our rational senses but also our very souls. A marriage is diseased when outside sexual influences work their way into it, and as those influences progress, the marriage falls deeper and deeper into despair.
This is a difficult topic for us to talk about. It's one of those things that we prefer to keep silent. But the reason for this article is to teach us to strive to become better men. Something as treacherous as pornography undermines everything we
try to achieve as husbands and fathers. With that in mind, let's focus on the effects of porn on marriage: 30"Vtwg"rcuukqp"ku"pwnnkhkgf0 Great marital sex has little to do with technique, stamina or experience. The genuine passion built up between two people in love connecting in the highest physical form of intimacy is what makes for great marital sex. This is difficult to achieve even without porn being introduced into the equation. Children, stress and busyness all take their toll on genuine passion. Pornography will outright destroy it. In studies, many women will say they don't feel that their porn-addicted husband is truly present when they make love. 40" Tkfkewnqwu" gzrgevcvkqpu0" Porn is a multibillion-dollar per year industry. It has to be visually exciting and instantly grab your attention to be successful. It's entertainment performed by actors. Just as your marriage and family life are much different than a 30-minute sitcom, the same applies with your sex life. When we fill our minds with the false images of
porn, we naturally take those expectations with us to the bedroom. This leads to disappointment for the husband and a wife with a wrecked self-esteem.
it afterward. Porn has no chance of ever producing that feeling. It's not real, and it leaves a man feeling only shame and emptiness after the fact.
50"Vjg"nquu"qh"vtwuv"cpf"kpvkoce{0 Most, if not all, wives (if they are being honest), consider their husband viewing pornography as cheating. Another woman, even just her image, has been introduced into your relationship, and the wife now is having to compete with it. Continual viewing of porn will erode the trust built in your marriage until it is gone completely. Meanwhile, the ability to actually feel intimacy together will wear away at the exact same pace as the trust.
70"Rtqitguukxgn{"yqtug"cpf"wpucvkuh{/ kpi0"Addictions all work the same way. As they progress, you need more and intensified versions of your addiction. In time, no matter how much is consumed, that satisfied feeling that was felt in the beginning can never be reached.
60"Etgcvgu"ujcog"cpf"gorvkpguu0 A husband addicted to porn will justify his actions to himself. He'll find blame to place on his wife or his life, but what he's really trying to cover up is the shame he's feeling. The best way to explain this is to imagine the best sex ever had with your wife and the euphoria that accompanied
A porn addict is no different than a drug addict, in that they are both desperately trying to find that high that keeps eluding them. In the end, the addict either will seek help or watch his life fall apart piece by piece. There is hope in the resiliency of the soul. For the sake of all involved, shut the porn down. Seek help. Here is a place to start: OcttkcigIgou0eqo142321261241rqtp/ wug/kpetgcugu/kphkfgnkv{/fkxqteg1 Cuddle up with your wife tonight and ask her if she's ever felt like you weren't really present during sex. For the original article, visit:
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ouston Oc{qt"Cppkug"Rctmgt"has received a flood of Bibles — somewhere between 500 and 1,000 according to a spokesman for the mayor’s office — after the city subpoenaed the church sermons of five local faith leaders opposed to the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which the mayor signed in May. “This is more dangerous than anything I’ve ever seen,” Ingpp" Dgem" said last week after interviewing one of the five subpoenaed religious leaders. “This is not about equal rights. … This is about shutting people down.”
religious leaders by flooding the mayor’s office with religious texts.
Eqoowpkv{ Ejwtej in Houston, told Beck that the city not only demanded his sermons, but anything he had said about Mayor Parker in 17 different forms of communication.
“Go find the best sermons you can find on religious liberty and send them to city hall in Houston,” Beck said. Mayor Parker acknowledged Monday that she has received a number of Bibles, telling MJQW/VX that Huckabee is “doing what he can to pump ratings for Fox News.”
“People of faith are under attack,” Beck said. “Our churches and our institutions, our pastors, our preachers, our priests, our rabbis are under attack.”
Uvgxg" Tkiing, the pastor of Itceg Yjgp"xkukvkpi"Dtcpuqp."Okuuqwtk"dg"uwtg"vq"rkem"wr"vjg"pgyurcrgt"vjcv"cnn"vjg"nqecnu"tgcf#
Beck, in addition to former Republican presidential candidate Okmg"Jwemcdgg and Texas Ugpcvqt" Vgf" Etw| (R), encouraged Americans across the country to stand in support of the subpoenaed
The ACV is available at: yyy0Dtcpuqp Mtkpingu located in the The Grand Village Shops VtkNcmgu Branson, MO Pgyu0eqo
But she also added that it was a “very productive way for folks who disagreed with our legal strategy to express that disagreement,” and she will be distributing the Bibles to local churches.
www.AmericanChristianVoice.com
›Uwrgtxgpvkqpfi"Igvu"7"Uvctu# wrgtxgpvkqpfi is a captivating faith builder. Jcttkgv" Hqtf has chosen stories of encounters with God that range from miraculous healing to life-changing personal words spoken to the heart; from personal protection in physical crises to supernatural release from addiction. If you ever were in a situation where you doubted God's love, the chances are you'll find a story here to reassure you. I found myself late at night finishing one story and thinking, "Just one more!". Then, "One more!" Finally, I'd turn out my light with a deep sense of the security of a God who cares and involves Himself in the lives of His children. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to bathe in the love of a God who cares enough to supervene or as a gift to someone who is struggling with life issues on their own and needs to know the powerful, active love of God.
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Blessings, Ft0" Fcxg Ycnmgt You can visit Dr. Walker’s Blog, Iqf"kp"vjg"KEW
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he work of Jesus is a never-ending story. As a believer, J" N Hqtf says she has never raised a dead person, but as a reporter, she has interviewed people who have. She has never seen the Shekinah glory of God, but has encountered others who have. She has never glimpsed heaven, but she has met people who've been there in the spirit. In her newest book, Supervention, thirty-eight people from around the world—evangelists, missionaries, doctors, authors, and believers—have contributed their stories. These include such well known authors as million-seller Lquj"OeFqygnn, Branson's Outrageous Grace Rcuvqt"Ujgnkcj"Jctv"Ctvv, awardwinning author and Lceqd)u" Jqwug founder Rgpp{"Tqdkejcwz/Mqqpv|, and evangelist Ft0"Ict{"Yqqf, who speaks
Rkem"wr"{qwt"eqr{"qh"vjg"CEX"cv<
vjg"Ujtkpg"qh"vjg" Jqn{"Urktkv for sale in the gift shop
with no vocal cords, and many others with life-changing stories to tell. As Ford saw the many titles on Amazon which repeat the words miracle or God encounters, she asked the Lord for a different word that would describe these experiences. He dropped supervention into her head. Was that even in the dictionary? Not in Webster's or a few others on her desk. However, she found it in the Oxford American Dictionary. Supervention is defined as an interruption or change from some condition or process—the perfect word for what God is doing in the lives of His people. Interrupting and redirecting their paths. Healing a condition. Changing the process. Not every story has the hoped-for miraculous outcome. Some describe unexpected guidance, impossible peace in the midst of tragedy, or receiving Christ's empowerment to do something impossible.
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ince the release of Uwucp Cdct/Dgtigt)u book, Cickpuv Cnn"Qffu."Vyq"Rgppkgu."C"Tckp/ dqy." cpf" c" Yqocp" ecnngf Ogte{. and Ford’s book, Kh"Iqf Ycpvu" Og" Ygnn." Yj{" Co" K UkemA, the shop ministers continue to hear miracle stories from visitors to the Eqrrgt" Eqkp" Ikhv Ujqr in historic downtown Branson, Missouri. They believe these stories should be told to declare the glory of God and to plant seeds of hope. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Proclaiming what He does for one, also foretells what He will do for others. This is the seed of hope. Some readers will find their theology challenged. Some will shake their heads in outright skepticism. We ask the readers to base their faith, not in other people's experiences, but solely in the Word of God and to remember that He says all things are possible to them that believe. Supervention is available on Coc|qp 0eqo in both paperback and Kindle formats. H L Ford, a member of Stonecroft Womens' Connection, can be reached for speaking engagements at 639/7:9/;;3;. 39;"Gzrtguuyc{"Ncpg"ß"Dtcpuqp."OQ" Oqp"/"Ucv"ß";"co"/"7"ro" Uwpfc{"jqwtu"xct{ Vgn<""639055909::: yyy0ujtkpgqhvjgjqn{urktkv0eqo
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Ask the Rabbi... with Rabbi Jeremy Storch Ycu"Vjcpmuikxkpi Rcvvgtpgf"Chvgt"c Lgykuj"Jqnkfc{A
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merican pilgrims, who originated the Thanksgiving holiday, borrowed the idea from Uwmmqv0 The pilgrims were deeply religious people. When they were trying to find a way to express their thanks for their survival and for the harvest, they looked to the Bible for an appropriate way of celebrating and found Sukkot. This is not the standard story taught in public schools today - but the Sukkot explanation of Thanksgiving fits better. The original Thanksgiving was a harvest festival (as is Sukkot), that was observed in the fall (as Sukkot is), and that Pilgrims would not have celebrated a holiday that was not in the Bible. Research shows that the first Thanksgiving was "a harvest festival that included feasts, sporting events, and other activities," concepts very much in keeping with the Jewish religious observance of Sukkot. In Jewish tradition, the Festival of Sukkot is a joyous occasion to give thanks and praise to the Source of Creation for the bounty we enjoy. In fact, we are told that during Sukkot, "you shall have nothing but joy." [Lev. 16:15] Jews erect a sukkah, a harvest booth, in which they eat their meals, and sometimes sleep, during the festival. It is a reminder of the booths in which their ancestors are said
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to have dwelled during their forty-year Sinai sojourn. While we cannot be certain about what motivated those Pilgrim settlers to initiate a feast of thanksgiving, it is likely that they consciously drew on a model wellknown to them from the Bible they cherished. Seeing themselves as new Israelites in a new "promised land," the Pilgrims Lord, why did surely found you have to inspiration in Deuteronmake me kosher? omy 16 in which God commands the ancient Israelites to observe the Feast of Booths--in Hebrew, Sukkot, "to rejoice before Adonai your God" at the time of the fall harvest [16:13]. To contact Jeremy for ministry in your congregation, for a radio or television interview or other special event, or for information on his albums or teachings, please call or email:
Vjg"Vcdgtpceng Dtcpuqp‚u"Oguukcpke" Eqpitgicvkqp 256 Church Road Branson, MO 65616 (417) 334-7373
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Sudoku Answers to Page 27
November 2014
Rkem"wr"vjg"CEX"cv< Vjg"Eqrrgt"Eqkp Unique & Inspirational Gifts *639+"773/342: 32;"P0"Eqoogtekcn"Uvtggv"ß"Dtcpuqp
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November 2014
November 2014
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Page 27
ThanksGiving!
Answers to Cross-Word Puzzle on Page 7
Answers: 1.Breath 2. A Staircase 3. A Chair 4. Sunday 5. A Flea 6. A Cupcake Answers to Sudoku Puzzle on Page 25
52 Father of Abel 54 Second month (abbr.) 56 Sacrificial table 58 Fall behind 61 Churns 65 Roman thirteen 66 Mary's song of praise 68 Son of Seth 69 Defame 70 Affection 71 Refuse to believe 72 Sample 73 Breaking sound FQYP 1 Meat and potatoes dish 2 Chichi 3 Fraud 4 KJV possessive pronoun 5 Chop down 6 Afresh 7 Doing nothing 8 Spoke 9 Internal Revenue Service 10 Afloat (2 wds.) 11 Magician (KJV) 12 Eye infection 13 Not far 18 Invitation (abbr.) 22 "Raven" author 24 Airport (abbr.)
25 BB association 26 Biblical Greek word for love 27 Locale 28 Trial 30 Singing parts 31 Parable of the __ and Goats 33 “Remember the __” 34 Become tighter 36 Body of water 38 Spacecraft detachment 39 Microgram 44 Revolutions per minute 45 Clod 48 Motor vehicle 50 Land worker 53 Spring flower 55 Plague of Egypt 56 Fired 57 Straight mark 58 Dalai __ 59 Gets older 60 Tiny insect 62 Computer picture button 63 Volcanic rock 64 Stair 66 Mountain Time 67 Wrath
APPLE AUTUMN BAKE BASTE BLESSINGS BREAD CARVE CASSEROLE CELEBRATE CIDER DISH DRUMSTICK EAT FAMILY FEAST GIBLETS GOBBLE
Answers 1.feast 2.pumpkin 3.turkey 4.dinner 5.pie 6. family
CETQUU 1 Poetic "has" 5 Island nation 10 Association (abbr.) 14 Flex 15 A witch lived here 16 Carry 17 Elevator alternatives 19 Soybean 20 Religious songs 21 Marry 22 Fisherman disciple 23 First woman 25 He built the ark 26 Alternative (abbr.) 29 School group 31 South by east 32 Stood opposite 35 Leaves 37 I am the __ and the Omega 39 Lad 40 Peak 41 Digit 42 Greenish-blue color 43 Insect in a cocoon 44 Cowboy show 46 Pearls 47 Eastern Time 48 Cycles per second 49 Old-fashioned Dads 51 Fish eggs
GRATITUDE GRAVY HAM LEFTOVERS NAPKIN NOVEMBER OVEN PECAN PIE PILGRIMS PLATTER ROLLS SAIL STUFFING TURKEY WISHBONE YAMS
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November 2014
Lceqd‚u"Jqwug<"K"Vjqwijv"[qw"Jcf"C"Dkiigt"Ftgco autobiography released by Penny Robichaux-Koontz 2nd edition will hit next month on the 18th but is available through Jacob’s House NOW!
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still remember the first conversation I thing for me and something in me at that sight of who I was or the things I moment resolved to be a learned from my conversations had with Ms. Penny better person because for with Ms. as a 16 year old girl the first time someone Penny who standing in her office had given me a reason to. I still see as for the first time. I'd I'm almost 19 now and I a mentor. never had much of a always look back at the The happy life before that time I spent on the ranch passing of moment and I wasn't as my sunshine days time is expecting anything because everything I inevitable and memories fade but going from this tiny stranger know about being happy I back to the ranch to visit is like being able whose personality learned while I was there. to spend one more day carefree and happy made up for her size. I know that creating like I'd never left. It's nice having that one I remember that and writing and enjoying place to go back to where they know the she looked me straight Xkevqtkc."itcfwcvg"qh" the simple things are what best and worst sides of you but love you in the eyes and told $Tqqvu"cpf"Ykpiu$" make me really happy, not enough to only remind you of the good. me, "Victoria, when ngxgn"vyq"rtqitco"hqt"vggpu I've moved around so much in my life possessions or money you come here to although I need that to and lost so many people that I didn't know Jacobs House it survive now. Kh"K)f"pgxgt what being emotionally attached even felt doesn't matter what like. In you did in your past or what anyone said iqpg"vq"Lceqdu"Jqwug"K"pgxgt retrospect I about you, you're starting fresh with me yqwnf)xg" jcf" vkog" vq" dg" c realize that I and I'll trust you until you give me reason ejknf, to not have worries or hadn't just not to. And tgogodgt."K)nn"nqxg"{qw"pq responsibilities other than ocvvgt"yjcv0$" chores and while that time was moved into Maybe some kids are used to hearing brief I cherish every memory of the ranch for that from their parents but it was a new it. Sadly I can't stay a child and a brief time, have a the ranch successful had moved life but I'll into my never lose heart to stay. Yjgp"vjg{"eqog"vq"Lceqd‚u"Jqwug" vjgkt"YCKV"ku"qxgt0
It's bittersweet because I've grown up and can't go visit whenever I want to but i know I have roots that dug into the ground there and Rgpp{"kp"n;;3 everytime I ykvj"dcd{ think of Jacobs House I feel them tug at me, so that Ngxgn"Qpg"rtqitco hqt" no {qwpigt"mkfu"cpf"gzrgtkgpeg matter where I go in the world K ecp cnyc{u hqnnqy vjgo Rgpp{"kp"4235 jqog0" ykvj"dcd{
Coc|qp"Tgxkgyu000 Vyq"yqtfu<"Nkhg"Ejcpikpi#"ß"5.0 out of 5 stars by Robin J. Timmons, Murrieta, CA No one can read this book and remain the same person they were before being taken on this journey of Penny's life. The author, Penny Robichaux-Koontz, attended the same high school as I and I am particularly blown away to learn of her incredible childhood. It certainly was a far cry from the norm and anyone I have ever known. I found great difficulty reading through my tears. Occasionally, I just had to lay my head down and cry...to resume reading later, as I tried to comprehend the pain, the courage, the sadness and the unbelievable strength, faith and sheer guts. If you had seen Penny in high school...you would never have known the depths of anguish and triumph she experienced leading up to high school. And it just gets better and better. Ejqugp"d{"Iqf."K uc{0 This is a life story that must be made into a movie. And it is more, so much more than a good
read. It is real. With the negative times we find ourselves in this world today, folks need to know and experience how much good there is. This book oughtta get that job done! If you never believed in miracles before, surely you will upon reading this book. God is for real and you will see Him vividly in action in Penny's life story. My life is forever changed. C"Ikhv"vq"[qwtugnh#"ß"5.0 out of 5 stars by Lynn from Sugar Land This is a one-of-kind story that will inspire you to venture to places in life where God walks and love blooms with a little attention. Penny Robichaux has the heart and faith of a Mother Teresa, the courage of a lioness, arms to enfold hundreds of children and a twinkle in her eye for Cajuns! Her voice in this book ranges from innocent and tender to challenging to sexy and downright sassy. It's a gift and blessing to read, and one that remains with you long after.
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November 2014
A Minute with a Man Our founding fathers, together with the famous law book Blackstone’s Commentaries often spoke of natural law or the laws of nature. They wrestled with whether such natural law included or excluded divine revelation. Was it man centered or God centered and where do our laws come from? Read the words of Pqcj"Ygduvgt."on of
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by Dee Wampler, Urtkpihkgnf."OQ"Cvvqtpg{"Fgg"Ycorngt"has 50 years trial experience as a Greene County prosecutor and defense attorney, and is the author of “The Myth of Separation of Church and State” and “The Trial of Christ: A 21st Century Lawyer Defends Jesus.” our founding fathers: “The law of nature is a rule of conduct arising out of the natural relations of human beings established by the creator and existing prior to any positive human law...these...have been established by the Creator and are, of such peculiar felicity of expression, denominated in scripture as ordinances of Heaven.” This clearly proves that our founding fathers viewed the “law of nature” from a biblical view and believed that the foundations of all of our laws came from God.
The greatest law book ever written is the Blackstone’s Commentaries, written by Ukt" Yknnkco Dncemuvqpg in the mid-1700’s. He was an English barrister whose law book was in every office of every attorney in both England and the United States. Blackstone wrote about the source of all of our laws which he believed was inspired by God. Blackstone wrote that: “The law of nature being co-equal with
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mankind and dictated by God Himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe in all countries and all times: no human laws are of any validity if contrary to God’s laws.”
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Rqrg"Htcpeku<"Gxqnwvkqp."Dki"Dcpi"Vjgqt{"Ctg"Vtwg"from Inquisitr.com qrg"Htcpeku"has been turning heads in the Catholic and Christian communities with his declarations recently. For a while, he was in the crosshairs for deciding that same-sex marriage isn’t wrong after decades of stygma, even performing the wedding himself.
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The Pope is certainly gaining traction among new believers as a man who isn’t sticking to what could be considered old fashioned beliefs. His predecessor was even responsible for making pop star Ct/ kcpc"Itcpfg"turn away from the faith she was raised under, as previously reported by The Inquisitr. The latest revelation involves something that could shake the very foundation of religions based on the belief in Jesus Christ. It has long been debated that the Big Bang theory and evolution were science’s ways of disproving the existence of God, but it seems Pope Francis has now declared the contrary. The religious leader is likely to be vigorously attacked for his statement, as the church itself could have a difficult time accepting it. Even Atheists might disagree
with his announcement, because it affects their stance as well. The Pope announced his shocking revelation on Monday, according to Vjg"Jwhh/ kpivqp"Rquv0 “When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so. He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment. God is not a divine being or a magician, but the Creator who brought everything to life. Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the cre-
ation of beings that evolve.” Francis wasn’t the first Pope to suggest the validity of evolution, as Rqrg"Rkqwu ZKK" also embraced it, and Rqrg" Lqjp
Of course many will contest the Pope’s revelation, such as Ectfkpcn"Ejtkuvqrj Uejqgpdqtp"qh"Xkgppc, a close associate of former Rqrg"Dgpgfkev"ZXK. “Evolution in the sense of common ancestry might be true, but evolution in the neoDarwinian sense – an unguided, unplanned process … is not.”
Rcwn"KK"stated evolution to be “effectively proven fact.” Ikqxcppk"Dkipcok, president of Italy’s Pcvkqpcn" Kpuvkvwvg" hqt" Cuvtqrj{ukeu. says Pope Francis’ view on Evolution ignores “pseudo theories” and also ties in with the Big Bang theory.
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Vjg"CEX"ku"cxckncdng"cv< Ejtkuvkcp"Rwdnkujgtu"Qwvngv
Pgy"Xkevqtkcp"Xknncig"ß"Dtcpuqp *639+"766/;293
6367"U0"Pcvkqpcn"Cxg"ß"Urtkpihkgnf."OQ *639+":;3/4422
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“The Pope’s statement is significant. We are the direct [descendants] from the Big Bang that created the universe. Evolution came from creation.”
The Pope’s controversial statement will undoubtedly create ripples across the religious community and backlash against his authority as a leader. Steadfast believers will likely stand by the Holy Bible as the ultimate source of fact, even though Francis is now challenging it at what many call its roots. Do you agree with Pope Francis that evolution and the Big Bang theory are true?
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Life Extension Expert
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Iqf"Urqmg"cpf"DCPI"Kv" Jcrrgpgf#"by Michael Licona
Affordable Chiropractic Care for the Whole Family
Find out how we can help YOU achieve VICTORY in YOUR life!
November 2014
S
EJKTQRTCEVKE"ECTG Please let the professionals do it. Do not try this at home!
You are Invited to Meet & Greet with Dr. Bo at the Victory Social Are you sick & tired of being sick & tired...come meet Dr. Bo New people are encouraged to join us & enjoy some frozen yogurt with Dr. Bo! Date: Sat. November 15th Time: 2pm Location: Cherry Berry RSVP to 337-7077 to SAVE your SPOT (seating is limited)
So Call Today A Few of the Many Benefits of Chiropractic Regular Chiropractic Care removes Nervous System Interference. The nervous system without interference properly controls every aspect of your body to allow for: • Healthier Children = fewer ear infections, asthma, bed-wetting, etc. • Healthier Adults = increases energy & productivity • Healthier Moms = easier pregnancy & delivery • Healthier Seniors = better balance = decreases likelihood of falling • Improves Posture • Increases productivity at work • Improves Overall Health • Better Immune System Function • Counteracts the effects of gravity • Makes you feel great • Relieves stress • Slows or stop spinal degeneration • Prevents many health problems • Slows the aging process • Relieves tension • Makes spinal discs healthier • Increases vitality • Quicker recovery • Spend less on health care expenses • Increases energy • Improves digestive function • Improve athletic performance • Clearer/better/sharper vision • Allows for better sleep • Improves circulation • Better mobility • Decreases ringing in ears • Improves spinal structure • Diminishes acne/eczema • Relief from chronic pain (fibromyalgia) • Relieves painful menstruation • Prevents many surgeries • Asthma & Allergies diminish Most people are not aware that Subluxation (misalignments in the spine, often unfelt) cause malfunction of the Nervous System, thereby reducing health & causes dis-ease. The Chiropractic Adjustment RESTORES FUNCTION & in turn RESTORES & MAINTAINS HEALTH! Optimal Spine & Nervous System = Optimal Health.
800 State Highway 248, Suite 2-B • Branson, MO 65616
ome scientists said that since we know that the universe began with a bang, God is no longer needed to account for its origin. These scientists spoke too soon. During our generation, further results from the field of astrophysics have revealed that subsequent to the big bang, the universe must have been fine-tuned and balanced with an incredible precision to sustain intelligent life. There are factors referred to as “cosmic constants” that must be precisely what they are, or intelligent life would not be possible. If these varied slightly, our universe would be life-prohibiting, rather than life-permitting. Cosmic constants provide the strong appearance that the universe was designed with life in mind. The prominent astronomer and former atheist, Htgf"Jq{ng, concludes that, “a superintellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology.” Similarly, Rcwn"Fcxkgu, a prominent physicist moved from promoting atheism in 1983 to conceding in 1984 that “the laws [of
physics] . . . Seem themselves to be the product of exceedingly ingenious design.” One year after this statement, Davies said that there “is, for me, powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all. The impression of design is overwhelming.” Tqdgtv"Lcuvtqy, Founder-Director of PCUC‚u"Iqffctf"Kp/ uvkvwvg"qh"Urceg"Uvwfkgu"refers to cosmic constants as “the most theistic result ever to come out of science.” Isn’t it interesting that the big bang, if it occurred, points to a Creator of the universe? The bumper sticker “God spoke and Bang! It happened” is correct. Oh, the infinite wisdom of Christ! The apostle Paul wrote of Jesus being the Creator and Sustainer of the universe: For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible … all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17, NIV)
Going on a Mission at Home ODEJ Children and Family Ministries (an affiliate of Missouri Baptist Children’s Home) is seeking Christians willing to serve God by supplying foster care for teens. The Therapeutic Foster Care ministry provides a daily rate of pay that allows one foster parent to remain at home and care for the child. Training and licensing is provided for the foster parents at no cost. You can make a difference in the life of a hurting child by “Going on Mission at Home”. For more information about becoming a licensed foster parent, call:
*639+":53/4564"qt"xkukv< yyy0odej0qti
Creation Experience Museum is Free Admission and open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10am to 5pm. It is located seven miles north of Branson on US 65 on the Northwest Access Road off the State Route 160 Forsyth/Reeds Spring exit (the long brown building with the Ship). *639+"783/2972 Come visit us and bring your family – they need to know how loved and valued they are!
November 2014
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Ejctngu"Mtcwvjcoogt by Nancy Baker
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harles Krauthammer is a citizen of the US. He is a winner of Rwnkv|gt Rtk|g0""He won this prize because of his significant contribution in the field of mass communication and media. He writes columns for different newspapers, not restricted to America only. He also writes for newspapers which are published outside the America. Mr. Krauthammer was born in the city of New York in the year 1950. He started his studies in Montreal and joined OeIknn" Wpk/ xgtukv{. He earned his honors degree from the same university in Economics & Political Science when he was twenty years old. In the year 1971 he joined Qzhqtf. Later he returned to the US and joined the Ogfkecn"Uejqqn"qh"Jctxctf. When Mr. Krauthammer was in the first
year at Harvard he was met with an accident (diving into a swimming pool and hitting his head on the bottom). He became paralyzed in this accident by injuring his spinal cord but completed his studies. He graduated as Psychiatric from the Harvard and started practicing in a General Hospital at Massachusetts. There he worked as a psychiatric for the next three years and finally quitted his practice of medicine. Charles then headed towards the Washington for a research in Psychiatry. He started his career in mass media by writing articles which were related to politics. In the year 1981, he became the
editor of a daily newspaper of the US. He also contributed his services as a writer for the same newspaper. Later, after two years he started working for the magazine Time. He wrote essays for the magazine. For his weekly column in The Washington Post, he was able fetch the famous Pulitzer Prize in the year 1987. He received this prize just after two years when he started writing for weekly column. By this achievement he became famous in the US. People started recognizing his talent and his capability. Charles Krauthammer is also a winner of many other awards which includes Dtcfng{"Rtk|g. He also owes excellence award in journalism, which is awarded by the foundation called Gtke"Dtgkpfgn. The famous news channel of the US, Fox has also featured a documentary showing the different stages of life of Charles Krauthammer. One could easily get the inspiration from this very talented and
hard working person. His will power and his hunger to excel had crossed the barrier of his wheelchair. Charles Krauthammer married Tqd{p in the year 1974. Professionally M/S Robyn is an artist. Robyn is graduated in law and has started her career by practicing law but later became a full time artist. Robyn and Charles are Jewish by religion. Robyn felt much pity that people are neglecting the traditional Jewish music, so she founded an PIQ to spread the Jewish music. The family of Charles Krauthammer is completed with his wife Robyn and a child Fcpkgn. The couple is in the thirty-seventh year of their marriage and are enjoying their status of being married to each other and parent of their only child. The married life is running very smooth and there is no whiff of divorce in their life. See below for Charles’ article.
Octegn."O{"Dtqvjgt by Charles Krauthammer, written Friday, January 27, 2006 in the Los Angeles area emergency room. egpg< White male, around 50, brought in by ambulance, pale, short of breath, in distress. Kpvgtp<"You’re going to be all right, sir. I'm replacing your fluids, and your blood studies and electrolytes should be back from the lab in just a few minutes. Rcvkgpv<"Son, you wait for my electrolytes to come back and I’ll be dead in 10 minutes. I ran the ICU here for 10 years. I’m pan-hypopit and in [circulatory] shock. I need 300 milligrams of hydrocortisone right now. In a bolus. RIGHT NOW. After that, I’ll tell you what to run into my IV and what lab tests to run. Got it? Kpvgtp< Yes, sir.
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This scene played itself out at least a half-dozen times. The patient was my brother, Marcel. He'd call later to regale me with the whole play-by-play, punctuated with innumerable, incredulous can-you-believe-its. We laughed. I loved hearing that mixture of pride and defiance in his voice as he told me how he had yet again thought and talked his way past death. Amazingly, he always got it right. True, he was a brilliant doctor, a professor of medicine at UCLA and a pulmonologist of unusual skill. But these diagnostic feats were performed lying flat on his back, near delirious and on the
edge of circulatory collapse. Marcel instantly knew why. It was his cancer returning -- the rare tumor he'd been carrying since 1988 -- suddenly popping up in some new and life-threatening anatomical location. By the time he got to the ER and was looking up at the raw young intern, he'd figured out where it was and what to do. I loved hearing these tales, in part because it brought out the old bravado in him -- the same courage that, in the 1980s, when AIDS was largely unknown and invariably fatal, led Marcel to bronchoscope patients with active disease. At the time, not every doctor was willing to risk being on the receiving end of the coughing and spitting up. "Be careful, Marce," I would tell him. He'd laugh. Friends and colleagues knew this part of Marcel -- the headstrong cowboy -- far better than I did. We hadn't lived in the same city since he went off to medical school when I was 17. What I knew that they didn't, however, was the Marcel of before, the golden youth of our childhood together. He was four years older and a magnificent athlete: good ballplayer, great sailor and the most elegant skier I'd ever seen. But he was generous with his gifts. He taught me most everything I ever learned about every sport I ever played.
He taught me how to throw a football, hit a backhand, grip a 9-iron, field a grounder, dock a sailboat in a tailing wind. He was even more generous still. Whenever I think back to my childhood friends -- Morgie, Fiedler, Klipper, the Beller boys -- I realize they were not my contemporaries but his. And when you're young, four years is a chasm. But everyone knew Marcel's rule: "Charlie plays." The corollary was understood: If Charlie doesn't play, Marcel doesn't play. I played. From the youngest age he taught me to go one-on-one with the big boys, a rare and priceless gift. And how we played. Spring came late where we grew up in Canada, but every year our father would take us out of school early to have a full three months of summer at our little cottage in the seaside town of Long Beach, N.Y. For those three months of endless summer, Marcel and I were inseparable, vagabond brothers shuttling endlessly on our Schwinns from beach to beach, ballgame to ballgame. Day and night we played every sport ever invented, and some games, such as three-step stoopball and sidewalk spaldeen, we just made up ourselves. For a couple of summers we even wangled ourselves jobs teaching sailing at the splendidly named Treasure Island day camp nearby. It was paradise.
There is a black-and-white photograph of us, two boys alone. He's maybe 11, I'm 7. We're sitting on a jetty, those jutting piles of rock that little beach towns throw down at half-mile intervals to hold back the sea. In the photo, nothing but sand, sea and sky, the pure elements of our summers together. We are both thin as rails, tanned to blackness and dressed in our summer finest: bathing suits and buzz cuts. Marcel's left arm is draped around my neck with that effortless natural ease - and touch of protectiveness -- that only older brothers know. Whenever I look at that picture, I know what we were thinking at the moment it was taken: It will forever be thus. Ever brothers. Ever young. Ever summer. My brother Marcel died on Tuesday, Jan. 17. It was winter. He was 59. ngvvgtuBejctngumtcwvjcoogt0eqo
Cicrg"Nkhg"Hgnnqyujkr A Word of Faith Church (non-denominational) 6185 W. St. Hwy 266 Springfield, MO
*639+":53/4555
Sun. Services 10 am & 6 pm • Wed. Bible Study 6:30 pm
Rcuvqt"Vyknc"P0"Dtkfigu
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Ngv‚u"Pqv"Igv"Iqxgtpogpv"Qwv"qh"Octtkcig"by Bryan Fischer, Guest Columnist, OneNewsNow.com q" Ejtkuvkcp" ujqwnf" tgvtgcv" htqo uwrrqtvkpi"vjg"iqxgtpogpv‚u"tqng kp"fghkpkpi"octtkcig"gxgp"qpg"nkvvng"dkv0
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A number of well-meaning and wellintentioned Christians have begun to argue it’s time to just get government out of the marriage business altogether. Marriage ought, they say, to be a religious matter only with no role whatsoever for the state. Rand Paul might even campaign for the White House on this premise. There are two profound problems with this view. The first is that recognizing, affirming and defending natural marriage is in fact a proper role for the state. Let’s not forget that, according to Romans 13, civil government is God’s idea, not man’s. The authority civil government possesses, every last bit of it, has been delegated to it by God himself. “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1). In an often overlooked verse that touches directly on the proper role of government, Scripture tells us that political authorities are “to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good”(1 Peter 2:14). Government, then, by God’s
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veryone is having leftovers and looking for just a little something different to perk them up, this is perfect! And Easy! And they really do taste like Red Lobster Biscuits! Todd Wilbur who imitates restaurant recipes shared this recipe on ABC’s Good Morning America. We had these for the first time with my Broccoli and Cheese Soup. Since then we’ve had them so many other times, These are perfect when you need something fast but still want some taste!
Tgf"Nqduvgt"Dkuewkvu [kgnf<"32/34"dkuewkvu Red Lobster Biscuits Ingredients 2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix 3/4 cup milk 4 tablespoons cold butter
design and intention, is not to be neutral on matters of morality. It is not designed by God to be a bystander in the culture wars, but to take sides. And the side it has been instructed to take is the side of what is right and good. It has a divine responsibility to know the difference between good and evil and to reward the former while punishing the latter. We know that natural marriage, oneman, one-woman marriage, is a good and right thing. It was designed by God from the dawn of time for our benefit. It meets man’s need for companionship, sexual intimacy and procreation. It is the state’s job, according to Scripture, to recognize the immense value of this institution, and to affirm it and protect it. So when government defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and prohibits recognition of immoral and unnatural same-sex counterfeits, it is doing a good thing, a divinely-ordained thing. It is fulfilling its role as a “minister of God” (Romans 13:6). It is doing what God designed it to do. No Christian should retreat from supporting the government’s role in defining marriage even one little bit.
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Kpuvtwevkqpu Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine Bisquick with cold butter using a pastry blender or 2 knives. There should still be small bits of butter visible. Add cheese, milk and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic. Mix by hand until combined but don't over mix. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are a golden brown. Combine melted butter, parsley and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic. When biscuits are done, remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter mixture. recipe source EjqeqncvgEjqeqncvgcpfoqtg0eqo
Secondly, if these Christian libertarians want to keep government out of the marriage business, this is the perfectly wrong way to go about it. In fact, withdrawing governmental recognition of marriage guarantees even greater governmental intrusion into the affairs of the family over time. Why? Because divorce happens. When a marriage tragically falters, someone with authority will have to decide whether a divorce is granted, how property is going to be divided, who gets what part of what pension, whether alimony will be assessed, and who will have custody of the children. There is no chance that the state can be kept out of those life-altering decisions, and its work will be immensely complicated by the lack of any recognized legal basis for the marriage itself. How can a legal divorce be granted if there is no legal marriage to begin with? It’s fine to say we’ll just have the church perform weddings and keep the state out. But unless the law reserves to church authorities the exclusive right to decide who gets to keep the house and the kids, the state will have to insert itself into such matters whether Christians want it there or not.
It is a proper role of the state, using the authority God has granted to it, and following the guidelines God has established in Scripture, to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. It is altogether right for the state to grant natural marriage special protections in law, to identify it as the relationship in which sex may be legitimately enjoyed and as the optimal nurturing environment for children to be brought into the world and raised to become responsible members of civil society. Let’s not keep the state out of marriage. Instead, let’s work to see that it uses its God-given authority to define and defend the institution that is the bedrock of any healthy civilization. Our future as a nation depends on it. Bryan Fischer is the Director of Issues Analysis for the American Family Association. He hosts "Focal Point with Bryan Fischer",
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Ku"Ctvkhkekcn"Kpvgnnkigpeg"flOqtg"Fcpigtqwu"Vjcp"Pwmgu‚A by Dr. Jim Denison, President
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he latest Harvard Business Review's cover story claims that "smart, connected products will transform your business." The article tells us that Ralph Lauren's Polo Tech Shirt, available next year, will send distance covered, calories burned, movement intensity, heart rate, and similar data to the wearer's mobile device. Babolat's latest tennis racket is the Play Pure Drive, with sensors and connectivity in the racket handle to track ball speed, spin and impact location through a smartphone app. And a Tesla vehicle needing repairs can autonomously call for a corrective software download or send notification to the customer with an invitation for a valet to pick up the car and deliver it for service. But all is not well in the technology world. Elon Musk is the chief executive of Tesla and also founder of SpaceX, a revolutionary space transport services company. Speaking recently at MIT, he
was asked about artificial intelligence (AI), the growing capacity of robots to think like humans. His response: we need to "make sure we don't do something very foolish." H e later tweeted that AI is "potentially more dangerous than nukes." Our world has more knowledge than ever before. But how is our escalation of information working for us? No generation has adapted to technology more than today's teenagers. Last night I spoke at a youth ministry event, where I was asked to describe the need for more outreach to their generation. I had to report that 62 percent
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of high school seniors have had sex; 70 percent of teenagers access porn regularly; America has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the Western world. Would you say our moral trajectory is upward or downward? We have knowledge, but what we need is wisdom. We need to know how to apply knowledge to the practical problems we all face. And since wisdom is one of the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8), we need the Spirit to have true wisdom. If you and I will seek and share the wisdom of God, others will want what we have. In 1 Kings 10, the queen of Sheba (present-day Ethiopia or Yemen) had heard of Solomon's wisdom, so "she came to test him with hard questions" (v. 1). And not only the queen: "the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind" (v. 24). The whole earth is still seeking the wis-
dom of God. How can you and I know God's wisdom for our day? In Daniel 10, an angel told the prophet, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words" (v. 12). "Set your heart" translates Hebrew that means "surrender your will." God cannot reveal his wisdom if we are not willing to follow it. So give God a blank check—tell him you will do anything he asks you to do. Submit yourself completely to his will, whatever it turns out to be. Then, "if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). Every time. Jesus is Truth (John 14:6), so every search for truth leads ultimately to him. Are you seeking his wisdom today?
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Cev"[qwt"Ycig"by Dave Ramsey
Page 35
Jggf"Oguucig"qh"›Ucxg"hqt"Tgvktgogpv"Yggmfi This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.
Fgct"Fcxg. O{"jwudcpf"cpf"K"tgegpvn{"kpjgtkvgf o{"rctgpvu‚"jqog0"Kv‚u"kp"c"uocnn."twtcn vqyp" ykvj" nkvvng" kpfwuvt{." cpf" yg‚xg dggp" vqnf" vjcv" vjg" rnceg" yqwnf" dg yqtvj"&:7.222"kh"kv‚u"engcpgf"wr."eqo/ rctgf" vq" &97.222" cu/ku0" Ujqwnf" yg urgpf"cdqwv"&32.222"vq"tgcnn{"engcp"kv wr."tgrnceg"c"hgy"vjkpiu"cpf"ocmg"kv rtgugpvcdng"vq"ugnn"kv"hcuvgtA Vgttk Dear Terri, It’s really up to you guys, because both options — whether you’re sitting on the house or rehabbing it — are going to take time and emotional energy. From a real estate person’s perspective, houses always sell better when they’re shined up and looking nice. When a prospective buyer walks in and sees and smells new carpet and fresh paint, they don’t have strain their imaginations looking past everything. When you force potential buyers to look past things, it usually ends
up costing you money. In most cases, if you spend $10,000 you gain more than what you put into the house. Honestly, I think one of the numbers you’ve given me is wrong — either the $85,000, the $75,000 or the $10,000 you think it will take to fix up the place. In other words, if you spend $10,000 on a project like this, you’ll usually gain $20,000 when you’re talking about stuff like a thorough cleaning, new carpet and flooring, fresh paint and basics like that. My guess is if the place is worth $85,000 fixed up it’ll probably bring about $65,000 as-is. If it’s me, I’m going to clean the place and fix it up. I’ve done hundreds, if not thousands, of these kinds of deals, and I can’t stand to try and sell something that’s dumpy, grungy and out of shape. —Dave
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ou won’t see it on the calendar, and it doesn’t inspire any greeting cards, but National Save for Retirement Week is here again. The goal of this week is selfexplanatory, but what does it mean to you? Are you vulnerable to the possibility of reaching retirement without sufficient financial resources? If so, how can you ease this risk? Let’s look at the “vulnerability” issue first. How prepared you’ll be for retirement — or at least how prepared you think you’ll be — seems to depend, not surprisingly, on whether you are currently participating in a retirement plan such as a 401(k) or an IRA. Consider these statistics, taken from the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey: • Nearly half of workers without a retirement plan were “not at all confident” about their financial security in retirement, compared with only about one in 10 with a plan. • 36% of workers say they have less than $1,000 in savings and investments. Of this group, 73% said they and their spouse did not have a retirement plan, compared to just 11% of those with a plan. Clearly, it pays to contribute to your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored plan, such as a 403(b) or 457(b). And, even if you do have a 401(k) or similar plan, you may want to consider funding a Roth or traditional IRA. Besides contributing as much as you can afford to your retirement plans, what else can you do to help boost your retirement savings? For one thing, try to control your debts. It’s not always easy, but try to consistently live within your means and make wise spending decisions. Every dollar you don’t spend on debt payments could be going toward your retirement savings. While it’s essential that you save and in-
vest for retirement, you can’t forget other objectives you may have, such as helping pay for your children’s college education. Of course, if you’re like the vast majority of people, you don’t have unlimited resources — so working toward two major financial goals at the same time can certainly be challenging. Nonetheless, a college education can still be a springboard to a successful career, so you may well feel that you should do everything within your power to help your kids through school. How can you balance the two important goals of investing for your retirement and for your children’s college expenses? Your best move may be to start saving for college just as soon as possible — even when your children are quite young. By starting early, you’ll put time on your side, so you can put away smaller amounts each year than if you waited until the years right before your kids head off to school. Consider investing annually whatever amounts you can afford to a tax-advantaged college savings vehicle, such as a 529 plan. By investing as much as much as possible in your retirement plan, managing your debt load and balancing your retirement goals with other key objectives, you’ll be honoring the message of National Save for Retirement Week.
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Jcu"Ujkc"NcDgqwh"Tgcnn{"Hqwpf"IqfA"by Neil Kennedy
A
fter four years of young manhood, graduated from High School and working in a strip coal mine, life had beaten and bruised me up pretty good. The long 12-hour work shift at night was becoming monotonous and leading me to unhealthy habits. My physical frame seemed sickly—barely a 30-inch waist and 150 pounds. When I walked into the small Pentecostal church, heads turned and eyes wide open, the faithful stared—even gawked. In a small town, I must have been a little bit notorious. My behavior was well known, especially to the few teenagers who sit in the first three rows, not because they wanted to but to prove to their parents the sincerity of their faith. I took a seat at midpoint in the pews. I wasn't a believer. I was visiting. I had never been to a church where the order of service included standing, singing, lifting hands, everyone praying simultaneously—out loud. There was the southern gospel singing, the handful of choir members, and a fiery sermon with a very long appeal for "sinners" to come forward. I enjoyed it and found it interesting, but I didn't respond. Nor did I respond at the Sunday night service, just before I went to work. When I came back for Wednesday night service, the pastor knew that I was serious.
When Rcuvqt"Vc{nqt"gave the altar call that night, he was determined. After several minutes with bowed heads and closed eyes, he gave up attempting to draw me to the altar—he left the pulpit and came to me. He sat down beside me and asked, "Brother, don't you want to be saved?" My response didn't cause him to flinch, "Yes, but, if I am going to do this, I am not (expletive) with it." I stood up and walked to the altar with him, knelt down, for him to lead me in a prayer of salvation. I confessed, "Jesus is Lord." I was saved. Unfortunately, I didn't know the rules and traditions to mimic. I failed to cry, which caused the "faithful" to question the sincerity of my experience. They seemed disappointed.
A few weeks later, I visited a county fair with some old friends, where a fight broke out and I got into the middle of it. When the skirmish was over, I looked over to see some of my new friends from the church. Without hesitation, I smiled and waved at them. Their look of disappointment was obvious. By the time that I returned to the next service, I discovered that "Christians" love to gossip. They were already "interceding" for me because I had "backslidden." When I read the headline that the notorious actor Ujkc" NcDgqwh had become a "Christian man," I was thrilled—and a bit concerned. Especially when I read the interview filled with passionate expletives, I knew that the "faithful" would have a hard time computing that testimony. In the movie, Hwt{, with fellow actor, Dtcf" Rkvv, who grew up in a Christian family and attended a Pentecostal church, Shia plays a man of faith and this experience had a dramatic effect upon him, causing him to confess, "I found God doing Fury. I became a Christian man." Shia goes on to say, "Brad was really instrumental in guiding my head through this." Interestingly, even though Brad Pitt has said that he has moved away from his faith, he helped guide Shia to understand what he had experienced in a "very real way." Here's my challenge: What are we going to do with men whom we reach? How are we going to respond to them when they don't immediately adopt our rules and traditions, and when their unsanctified language is filled with expletives? Not long ago, I spoke at a conference for men and used some pretty crass language to describe the stupidity of men gawking at women when they walk by them. I did so to mock the men who are so juvenile that they would look upon women in such a way. Interestingly, after the close of the service, several men accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, others recommitted their
lives to follow Him, and still more dedicated themselves to living as authentic men, refraining from impure lifestyles. Several men told me that my use of that language actually helped them see the stupidity of their sophomoric behavior. It was only a few days later that I received a couple of phone calls from a couple of pastors who were offended by my language and went so far as to question my faith because of it. My heart is truly not to offend, but to convey the truth when speaking to men. I have committed to use more tactful and appropriate language to convey my point. When Saul, the murderous zealot had his miraculous conversion, the faithful questioned the validity of it. "How could God save someone so disgusting as Saul, or Shia, or Neil?" they reasonably ask. We often marvel at the grace that is afforded us, and question the grace afforded others at the same time. LaBeouf has said, " I'm trying to find a way to have some control over my actions, my behavior, my ideas, my thoughts, my path in life. But it's very new for me." After a violent man becomes a believer, it is very important that he has someone to help navigate the course of his next few steps. Following his commitment to Christ, Saul tried to join the disciples in Jerusalem, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. If we're going to reach men we must get over our fear of them. In my experience of leading men to reach men, I've noticed a hesitancy and timidity that paralyzes them from taking bold action. We must step up and come along side these guys taking the risk and help them navigate the next few steps. Barnabas stepped up and took Saul with him to the apostles. In the course of time Saul becomes the Apostle Paul, persecuted, often stoned, beaten, shipwrecked, and imprisoned—yet, also the key player in bringing the Gospel to the gentiles and writing the letters that bring such revelation to our faith.
Page 37 We're living in serious times that are causing men to question everything about modern society. Culture is being reprogrammed and manhood is being redefined. This is causing men to have an identity crisis. LaBeouf was quoted as saying, "I've been going through an existential crisis. If you look at my behavior, it's been motivated by a certain discourse. Metamodernism has influenced a lot of my action in the public in this last year and a half—the idea of diametrically opposed ideas happening all at once: the irony and the sincerity, birth and death, the immediacy and the obsolescence." In this statement, Shia is defining metamodernism as his personal suffrage of looking for something as a man. It's him looking around the rubble of crisis—societal, environmental, financial, even existential crisis. In playing a man of faith in the movie, Shia experiences a very real truth—namely, Christ. I believe that the Holy Spirit is speaking to the heart of men. Now is the time for us to strategically position ourselves with wisdom and without prejudice to be the voice of authentic manhood, guiding men to the reality of Christ and helping them navigate their course. My prayer for Shia, is simple, "Holy Spirit, bring alongside Shia a man of encouragement to help him navigate this challenging course. Strengthen his faith. Amen." My prayer for myself after seeing the story about Shia, "Holy Spirit, don't let me call any man impure or unclean whom you have saved" (Read Acts 10:28). Neil Kennedy, author of several books, including FivestarMan: The Five Passions of Authentic Manhood, Centurion Principle, Mother's Guide to Raising a FivestarMan, God's Currency, and Speaking the Father's Blessing and is founder of FivestarMan, an international movement of men.
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from the editor... Yj{"ujqwnf"{qw"uwrrqtv"vjg"Cogtkecp
Ejtkuvkcp"XqkegA"by John G. Sacoulas
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e have subscribers in 20 different states and it continues to grow as a Kingdom unifier. We pray the contents will help us all grow in our journey of faith and wisdom. We are now in our 10th year of printing the only Christian magazine of its kind in the nation that is fun and inspirational wpkswgn{ tgrtgugpvkpi"vjg"yjqng Dqf{"qh"Ejtkuv0" We have served the Christian community to the best of our ability, trying to be fair and balanced to more than one position on the non-essential matters. Of course, it is the human, religious nature to make twigs into trunks. You can imagine the difficult task we have to try to educate and spiritually mature the believer without creating a great offense in the process. If this publication took a left-wing, flaming liberal position or a stinking, right-wing, conservative position (extreme opinions either way), folks on both sides of that spectrum would get pretty generous to support their own ignorant bias. Having a Christian magazine be moderate to conservative usually generates moderate to conservative financial support because it doesn’t get us all fired up. However, we believe a moderate approach to the majority of hot topics is the most prudent and, dare
we say, Christian approach?
Vjg"Dqf{"qh"Ejtkuv"ku gzvtgogn{"fkxgtug"dgecwug"kv o{uvgtkqwun{"ugtxgu"Iqf‚u rwtrqug"vq"dg"vjcv"yc{0 The CEX is a Kingdom paper. We know a $36.00 yearly subscription in this economy is a huge amount. Maybe a friend ink! can split it with you and you both can share it. If that is not possible, could you please try to get the CEX at your favorite vendor? They are mentioned at the bottom of the pages. That’s only $15.00 a year. It would be a shame for this magazine to disappear only to have people saying that had they known our needs, they would have helped out in some way. If we were all ads, we would need no support from the reader, but we hope the contents are a blessing to you and to others and is worthy of your financial assistance.
Qh"eqwtug."kh"{qw"lwuv"hggn"ngf"d{"Iqf vq"ocmg"c"vcz"fgfwevkdng"fqpcvkqp"qh cp{"uk|g."yg"yqwnf"dg"oquv"itcvghwn0" (Please send check to address in the subscription box or hit the donate button on our website. We publish 10 issues annually. Please tell us which month to start your subscription.)
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Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Do you have any idea how much God loves you right now, exactly the way you are, with all your sins, flaws and shortcomings? Think about it... did you believe you would love your children more when they grew up and were out of diapers and selfish little personalities? If religion has made you believe you cannot measure up, please visit S.W.I.M. this coming Sunday. Info on page 21. It’s not your Momma’s church!
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Rcuvqt."Fq"[qw"Uognn"Nkmg"[qwt"UjggrA by Justin Lathrop
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ere’s the Most Important Quality for Any Pastor to Have
Rcuvqt." fq" {qw" uognn" nkmg" {qwt ujggrA Pastor Justin Lathrop explains. If you were to ask 100 pastors how they wanted to grow, you'd hear a variety of answers: becoming a better speaker, leader or influencer. There are countless books on these subjects—tips and tricks and skills to hone. While being a better speaker, leader or influencer is a good thing, I'm wondering lately if none of those things are the most important quality in a pastor. There's a book I ran across recently by Dr. Lynn Anderson, and the premise of the book is that the most important quality for any pastor to have is that they smell like their sheep. Did you expect me to say that? I know. I thought there was a typo in there the first time I read the title. But the idea is that the most important quality for a pastor to have isn't to be a great speaker or an amazing, innovative influencer. It's that he is in close proximity to the people put in his care as a leader. So what does this look like, practically? What does it look like for a pastor to "smell like his sheep?" Consider this:
30"Dg"gpicigf0 For a pastor to know his congregation intimately, he has to be engaged with it. This looks like being involved in their lives on days other than Sunday. If your church is particularly large, a way you can be engaged is through social media, being available and engaged online.
naturally, to be great leaders for our congregation, but this sometimes causes us to want to cover up our struggles. Our congregation doesn't need this.
40" Dg" c" iqqf nkuvgpgt0 I think that
Authenticity is key for being amongst your sheep. They need it, and so do you.
maybe the most important prerequisite for being a good speaker is being a good listener. You've been in those conversations before, the ones where the other person is performing a monologue in front of you and calling it a conversation? Pastoring a church does not have to be this way, even though we're the primary ones speaking on Sunday mornings. We need to be listening throughout the week, observing, hearing what's going on within our church body. That's how we listen and how we know what our congregation needs. 50"Dg"eqorcuukqpcvg0"To be a great pastor, we need to have sympathy and empathy for what our people are going through. We need to seek to understand where they're coming from, ask questions and, again, listen to their responses. 60"Dg"cwvjgpvke0 This is where we get in trouble most as pastors. We feel pressure,
Paul Norman
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In fact, I don't know anyone who would rather follow a "perfect" person than an authentic one.
70" Dg" tgrncegcdng0" It's tempting in any position of leadership to want to feel irreplaceable. It's difficult to feel like someone could easily come in and either repeat or top what you've spent so much time and hard work doing. But as pastors, it's important for us to be replaceable. We are not doing anyone a favor if we're the only leader in our church. It's our job to train up other leaders. That's the only way to create growth that's beyond us.
istry, Justin Lathrop has spent the last several years starting businesses and ministries that partner with pastors and churches to advance the kingdom. He is the founder of Helpstaff.me (now Vanderbloemen Search), Oaks School of Leadership and MinistryCoach.tv, all while staying involved in the local church. For the original article, visit:
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This is a humbling list—much more difficult than becoming a better speaker or memorizing a few leadership strategies. But this is a list that truly makes you someone worth following, and that's an area worth growing in. With more than a dozen years of local-church min-
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Page 40
www.AmericanChristianVoice.com
November 2014
Yj{"Eqwtvujkr"ku"Hwpfcogpvcnn{"Hncygf by Thomas Umstattd Jr.
I
grew up as a member of the homeschool community back when we were hiding from the cops and getting our textbooks from public school dumpsters.When I was a teenager, my friends started reading this new book called I Kissed Dating Goodbye. For months we could talk of little else. After reading it myself, I grew into as big an opponent of dating as you could find. Dating was evil and Courtship, whatever it was, was godly, good and Biblical. My grandparents would often ask why I wasn’t dating in high school. I explained what courtship was and quoted Joshua Harris, chapter and verse. Their response surprised me. “I don’t think courtship is a smart idea,” my grandfather said. “How can you tell who you want to marry if you aren’t going out on dates?” my grandmother wondered every time the topic came up. I tried to convince them but to no avail. They both obstinately held to the position that courtship was a foolish idea. Well, what did they know? They were public schooled. I ignored their advice on relationships, preferring to listen to the young people around me who were passionate advocates of courtship. As I grew older, I started to speak at homeschool conferences and events. I talked with homeschool parents, students and alumni all over the country and started to see some challenges with making courtship work. Some of the specific challenges I identified were: • Identification (Finding that other person) • Interaction (Spending time with the other person) • Initiation (Starting the relationship) So I founded PracticalCourtship.com. Its purpose: to instigate a national conversation about how to make courtship more practical. Visits and comments poured in from all over the country about how to make courtship work and why it did not work. Each year I waited for courtship to start working and for my homeschool friends to start getting married. It never happened. Most of them are still single. Some have grown bitter and jaded. Then couples who did get married through courtship started getting divorced. I’m talking the kind of couples who first kissed at their wedding were filing for divorce.
Vjku"ycu"pqv"vjg"fgcn# Vjg"fgcn"ycu"vjcv"kh"yg"rwv"wr"ykvj"vjg twngu" cpf" cymyctfpguu" qh" eqwtvujkr pqy"yg"eqwnf"cxqkf"vjg"rckp"qh"fkxqteg ncvgt0"Vjg"yjqng"rqkpv"qh"eqwtvujkr"ycu vq"jcxg"c"jcrr{"octtkcig."pqv"c"jkij fkxqteg"tcvg0 So I humbled myself and took my grandmother out for dinner to hear why she thought courtship was a bad idea all those years ago. She had predicted the failure of courtship back in the 90s and I wanted to understand how and why. But first let me define what I mean by “courtship”.
Uq"yjcv"ku"eqwtvujkr"cp{yc{A After 20 years there still is no general consensus as to what courtship is. But here are the elements most conservative communities have in common: • The man must ask the woman’s father’s permission before pursuing the woman romantically. • High accountability (chaperones, monitored correspondence, etc). • Rules about physical contact and purity. (The specific rules vary from community to community). • The purpose of the courtship is marriage • High relational intentionality and intensity • High parental involvement. Fathers typically hold a “permission and control” role rather than the traditional “advice and blessing” role held by their fathers.
Vjg"Ecug"hqt"Vtcfkvkqpcn"Fcvkpi My grandmother grew up in a marginally Christian community. People went to church on Sunday but that was the extent of their religious activity. They were not the Bible-reading, small-grouping, mission-tripping Christian young people common in evangelical churches today. And yet her community of friends all got married and then stayed married for decades and decades. So what on earth were they doing that worked so well? Over dinner, my grandmother shared her story about what dating was like back in the the 30s and 40s. When my grandmother dated in middle school (yes, middle school) her parents had only one rule for her. Vjg"Qpg"Fcvkpi"Twng< Don’t go out with the same guy twice in a row. So if she went out for soda with Bob on Tuesday, she had to go to a movie with Bill on Thursday before she could go to the school dance with Bob on
Saturday. That sounded crazy to me. So, I asked her the rationale behind it. She explained that the lack of exclusivity helped them guard their hearts and kept things from getting too serious too quickly. The lack of exclusivity kept the interactions fun and casual. “The guys wouldn’t even want to kiss you!” She said. The lack of exclusivity helped the girls guard their hearts and kept the boys from feeling entitled to the girl. How could a boy have a claim to her time, heart or body if she was going out with someone else later that week? She went on to explain that by the time she graduated from high school, she had gone out on dates with over 20 different guys. This meant that by the time she was 17 years old she knew which Bob she wanted to marry. They got married and stayed married till my grandfather passed away half a century later. “If I had only gone out with 3 or 4 guys I wouldn’t have known what I wanted in a husband,” she said. It is not that her parents were uninvolved; it is that they played an advisory role, particularly as she entered high school and they relaxed the rules about not going steady.
Vjg" Fkhhgtgpeg" Dgvyggp" ›Fcvkpifi cpf"›Iqkpi"Uvgcf{fi She went on to explain that there used to be a linguistic differentiation between “dating” and “going steady”. “Going steady” meant you were going out with the same person multiple times in a row. It often had symbols like the girl wearing the guy’s letter jacket. This telegraphed to everyone at school that she was “off the market” and that she had a “steady beau”. It seems that my great grandparents’ rule forbidding my grandmother from going out with the same guy twice in a row was a common rule in those days. The Greatest Generation was encouraged to date and discouraged from going steady while in middle school. This is different from my generation, which is encouraged to “wait until you are ready to get married” before pursuing a romantic relationship. This advice, when combined with the fact that “the purpose of courtship is marriage”, makes asking a girl out for dinner the emotional equivalent of asking for her hand in marriage. I am not convinced that anyone is ever truly ready to get married. Readiness can
become a carrot on a stick, an ideal that can never be achieved. Marriage will always be a bit like jumping into a pool of cold water. A humble realization that you are not ready and in need of God’s help may be the more healthy way to start a marriage. As the decades moved on, our language and behavior changed. We stopped using the phrase “going steady” and changed “dating” to mean “going steady”. For example, we would now say “John and Sarah have been dating for 3 months.” when the Greatest Generation would have said “John and Sarah have been going steady for 3 months.” We then started using new pejoratives like “dating around” and “playing the field” to describe what used to just be called “dating”. Each decade added more exclusivity, intensity, and commitment to dating and saw a subsequent rise in temptation and promiscuity. It is easier to justify promiscuity when you are exclusively committed to just one person, even if that commitment is only a week old. In the late 80s and early 90s this promiscuous culture reached its peak. People would “go steady” for just a few weeks and then move on to the next relationship. It was this “hookup and breakup” culture that the founders of courtship were reacting to. But their proposed solution involved adding even more commitment, exclusivity and intensity, the very things that lead to the problem in the first place. This is why courtship is fundamentally flawed. Vjg" eqwtvujkr" oqxgogpv" gnkokpcv/ gf"fcvkpi"cpf"tgrncegf"kv"ykvj"pqvjkpi0 Or, put another way, they replaced dating with engagement. Vjg" qpn{" vcp/ ikdng" fkhhgtgpeg" dgvyggp" cp" gpicig/ ogpv" cpf" c" eqwtvujkr" ku" vjg" tkpi" cpf vjg"fcvg0 Young people are expected to jump from interacting with each other in groups straight into “pseudo-engagement”. This is a jump very few are prepared to make. The result is that a commitment to courtship is often c"eqookv/ ogpv"vq"nkhgnqpi"ukpingpguu0
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November 2014 Recently I have seen a spike in divorces amongst couples who courted. I have a few theories as to why this is. Young people whose parents often maintain veto power on all of their decisions are then expected to make this most important decision without any experience in good decision making. They have no context of who they are, past decision making or an idea of what they are looking for in a spouse. How can you know what personality you fit well with if you only go out with one other person? The result can be a mismatched couple and a marriage that is difficult to sustain. Right now all we have little research to go on in terms of the courtship divorce rate. In my observations, some homeschool communities have a much higher divorce rate than others. I would be very interested in seeing some research on this phenomenon. This blog post is my call for more research on the divorce rate amongst couples who “courted” before getting married.
Cfxcpvcigu"qh"Vtcfkvkqpcn"Fcvkpi Nguu"Vgorvcvkqp"– It is hard to fall in love with Bob on Tuesday when you know you are going out for coffee with Bill on Thursday. This lack of emotional commitment leads to less physical temptation. Less temptation leads to less compromise. I have no idea how women are supposed to guard their hearts while in an exclusive relationship with the purpose of marriage. Oqtg" Kpvgtcevkqp" – I know many homeschool girls who are frustrated that they never get asked out on a date. It is not uncommon to find a 21 year old stay at home daughter who has never been asked out on a date. The reason for this is not because the girl is unattractive (although that may be the story she convinces herself of over time). The real reason is that few guys are willing to ask permission from a woman’s father to marry her before being able to ask her out on a date to get to know her. Even when this permission is requested, it is unlikely to be given. K" mpqy" ugxgtcn" iqfn{." jctfyqtmkpi cpf" cvvtcevkxg" jqoguejqqn" iw{u" yjq jcxg" dggp" tglgevgf" d{" cu" ocp{" cu" c fq|gp" fathers. I respect their tenacity. Getting turned down by courtship fathers is tough on guys because the fathers are rarely gentle or kind. So if you are a courtship-minded girl wondering why the guys are not calling, you may want to ask your dad how many guys he has run off.
www.AmericanChristianVoice.com With Traditional Dating, asking a girl out on a date is no big deal. All the guy is asking to do is to get to know the girl better. Maybe this leads to a deeper relationship, maybe it doesn’t. Either way, the interaction is easier and more fun when it is not so intense. Nguu"Jgctvdtgcm – One of the promises of courtship is that it can lead to less heartbreak than dating. I laugh at this to keep myself from crying. This could not be further from the truth. Calling off a courtship can be as emotionally wrenching as calling off an engagement. It can take years to recover from a “failed courtship.” Also let’s not also forget the emotional cost for girls of not being asked out year after year and the emotional cost for guys of being rejected by father after father. Oqtg"Octtkcig – Let’s face it, most married people got married because they dated first. I would even submit that most homeschoolers who do get married supplemented with dating at some point in their journey. Courtship is not resulting in many marriages despite having been advocated by (sometimes unmarried) conservative leaders for nearly 20 years. Oqtg" Hwp – The institution of marriage is crumbling. Of the last two generations, one won’t get married and the other won’t stay married. A smaller percentage of people are married in America than at any other time. Part of what helps perpetuate the institution of marriage is making the process of getting married fun. My grandmother made dating in her day sound really fun. Courtship on the other hand can be awkward and emotionally heartwrenching. Dating also trains people to continue dating their spouse after they get married. It is important for married couples to be able to have fun with each other. The kind of parents who are the strongest advocates of courtship are often the ones who go on the fewest dates with each other. Oqtg" Ocvejocmkpi – Modern Courtship doesn’t really have a mechanism for matchmaking. How can there be blind dates if the man must first get permission from a father? Courtship relationships are so intense that even introductions can be awkward. I know many happily married couples who met through a blind date or an online matchmaking service like eHarmony. Matchmaking is a time-tested practice that Traditional Dating is fully compatible with. Courtship? Not so much.
Oqtg" Ngciwg" Cyctgpguu – Not everyone has the same level of attractiveness, character, intelligence and wealth. Parents tend to see their own children through rose-colored glasses. Homeschool communities can be a bit like Lake Wobegon where all the children are above average. It is easy for “no guy to be good enough for daddy’s little princess”. The sad result of enforcing this mindset is a daughter who becomes a spinster. With traditional dating guys learn their league by finding out what girls say “yes” to that second date. Girls learn their league by seeing what kind of guys ask them out.
Dwv"Kup‚v"Eqwtvujkr"DkdnkecnA Oquv" qh" vjg" oqtcn" ctiwogpvu" hqt eqwtvujkr" ctg" cevwcnn{" ctiwogpvu" hqt cttcpigf"octtkcig0"The arguments for the strong involvement of parents fit arranged marriage much better than they fit courtship. When I started PracticalCourtship .com, one of my goals was to never use the site to criticize arranged marriage. In countries like India, that have both arranged marriages and “love marriages,” the arranged marriages have the lower divorce rate. Arranged marriage has been used by many cultures for many years with good results. The problem is that arranged marriage is not a good fit for western culture. Many Americans value individual liberty more than life itself. Giving this most important decision to someone else is not something many of us are comfortable with. Also, parents are often hesitant to arrange marriages lest their child resent them if the marriage turns out to be an unhappy one. I don’t see Arranged Marriage taking off in Western Culture. We need a system to help young people make good decisions. Fortunately, we have one: Traditional Dating. Traditional Dating fits our culture like a glove. Most of Americans already intuitively know how it works because it is part of who we are as a people. If you don’t know how it works, ask your grandparents and they will tell you of the glory days when men were free. Watch the twinkle in their eye when they tell you of a time when men and women could fall in love and pick their own spouses.
Jcup‚v" Qwt" Ugzwcnk|gf" Ewnvwtg Twkpgf"FcvkpiA There is no denying that the media is far more sexually charged than it was when my grandparents were dating in
Page 41 junior high. Now while some of that is the media following culture (The Beatles sang about hand holding while hippies swapped STDs in the 60s), I do believe that media affects the culture. The question is how do we best respond to that culture. The commitment, exclusivity and intensity of dating is what lead to temptation and compromise in the first place. Courtship makes the problem worse by increasing the commitment which intensifies the temptation. The advocates of courtship know this, which is why chaperones are so critical to the system. The other problem with courtship is that it often delays marriage. Courtship communities expect young people to live celibate lives in a sexually charged culture for a decade or more before they get married. The Bible instructs us to flee temptation and to marry lest you burn with lust. Courtship teaches instead to delay marriage until you are ready. I recently heard a local pastor complaining about a rash of older 20 something women in his church who had given up on finding prince charming. They started making physical compromises in an effort to attract a man. Once they gave up on courtship they just grabbed whatever the world was offering. Vjg" dgpghkv" qh" vtcfkvkqpcn" fcvkpi" ku vjcv" vjg" ncem" qh" gzenwukxkv{" tgfwegu vgorvcvkqp0 It also helps young people find out who they are and who they are looking for faster. Early marriage reduces the number of years a young person must resist sexual temptation through celibacy. Finally, I should say this: Where sin abounds, grace abounds more. I understand Grace to be the power of God to do the will of God. Vjg" rqygt" qh" Iqf" ku itgcvgt"vjcp"vjg"rqygt"qh"qwt"ugzwcn/ k|gf"ewnvwtg0"There is nothing new under the sun and no new temptation that is not already common to man. This is not the first time Christians have lived in a sexualized culture. If you study history, you will find that this actually happens often. In each of those generations God provided a way out. I believe that for our generation that way is Traditional Dating. Thomas Umstattd Jr. is a Christ Follower, CEO of Author Media, Professional Speaker, Podcaster, Wordpress Lover, Marketer, Political Trouble Maker, & Homeschool Graduate. See article in its entirety at:
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Page 42
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November 2014
Lqjpu"Jqrmkpu"Uekgpvkuv"Tgxgcnu"Ujqemkpi"Tgrqtv"qp"Hnw"Xceekpgu by Sylvia Booth Hubbard
A
Johns Hopkins scientist has issued a blistering report on influenza vaccines in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Peter Doshi, Ph.D., charges that although the vaccines are being pushed on the public in unprecedented numbers, they are less effective and cause more side effects than alleged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Further, says Doshi, the studies that underlie the CDC’s policy of encouraging most people to get a yearly flu shot are often low quality studies that do not substantiate the official claims. Promoting influenza vaccines is one of the most visible and aggressive public health policies in the United States, says Doshi of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Drug companies and public officials press for widespread vaccination each fall, offering vaccinations in drugstores and supermarkets. The results have been phenomenal. Only 20 years ago, 32 million doses of influenza vaccine were available in the United States on an annual basis. Today, the total has skyrocketed to 135 million doses.
“The vaccine may be less beneficial and less safe than has been claimed, and the threat of influenza seems to be overstated,” Doshi says. Mandatory vaccination polices have been enacted, often in healthcare facilities, forcing some people to take the vaccine under threat of losing their jobs. The main assertion of the CDC that fuels the push for flu vaccines each year is that influenza comes with a risk of serious complications which can cause death, especially in senior citizens and those suffering from chronic illnesses. That’s not the case, said Doshi. When read carefully, the CDC acknowledges that studies finding any perceived reduction in death rates may be due to the “healthy-user effect” — the tendency for healthier people to be vaccinated more than less-healthy people. The only randomized trial of influenza vaccine in older people found no decrease
Urtkpihkgnf"Ejwtej" qh"Iqf"*9vj"Fc{+ "Sharing Freedom in Christ"
in deaths. “This means that influenza vaccines are approved for use in older people despite any clinical trials demonstrating a reduction in serious outcomes,” says Doshi. Even when the vaccine is closely matched to the type of influenza that’s prevalent, which doesn’t happen every year, randomized, controlled trials of healthy adults found that vaccinating between 33 and 100 people resulted in one less case of influenza. In addition, says Doshi, no evidence exists to show that this reduction in the risk of influenza for a specific population — here in the United States, among healthy adults, for example — extrapolates into any reduced risk of serious complications from influenza, such as hospitalizations or deaths, among seniors. “For most people, and possibly most doctors, officials need only claim that vaccines save lives, and it is assumed there must be solid research behind it,” says Doshi. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, he says. Although the CDC implies that flu vaccines are safe and there’s no need to weigh benefits against risk, Doshi disagrees. He points to an Australian study that found one in every 110 children under the age of five had convulsions following vaccinations in 2009 for H1N1 influenza. Additional investigations found that the H1N1 vaccine was also associated with a spike in cases of narcolepsy among adolescents. Doshi’s concerns echo those of Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon and author of “The Blaylock Wellness Report” who has deep concerns over the safety and efficacy of the flu vaccine. Not only is the vaccine not safe, Dr. Rcuvqt<"Cpf{"Jcuugp 1521 E. 24th Street N. Springfield, MO 65803
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Blaylock tells Newsmax Health, it doesn’t even work. “The vaccine is completely worthless, and the government knows it,” he says. “There are three reasons the government tells the elderly why they should get flu shots: secondary pneumonia, hospitalization, and death. Yet a study by the Cochrane group studied hundreds of thousands of people and found it offered zero protection for those three things in the general community. It offered people in nursing homes some immunity against the flu — at best one-third — but that was only if they picked the right vaccine.” A study released in February found that the flu shot was only 9 percent effective in protecting seniors against the 2012-2013 season’s most virulent influenza bug. What’s even worse is that small children who are given the flu vaccine get no protection from the disease. “The government also says that every baby over the age of six months should have a vaccine, and they know it contains a dose of mercury that is toxic to the brain,” says Dr. Blaylock. “They also know the studies have shown that the flu vaccine has zero — zero — effectiveness in children under five.” For most people, says Dr. Blaylock, flu vaccines don’t prevent the flu but actually increase the odds of getting it. The mercury contained in vaccines is such a strong immune depressant that a flu shot suppresses immunity for several weeks. “This makes people highly susceptible to catching the flu,” he says. “They may even think the vaccine gave them the flu, but that’s not true — it depressed their immune system and then they caught the flu.” Mercury overstimulates the brain for several years, says Dr. Blaylock, and that Sabbath School: 9:45 am Worship: 11:00 am Wednesday night: 6:30 pm
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activation is the cause of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases. One study found that those who get the flu vaccine for three to five years increase their risk of Alzheimer’s disease 10-fold. Doshi asserts that influenza is a case of “disease mongering” in an effort to expand markets. He points to the fact that deaths from flu declined sharply during the middle of the 20th century, long before the huge vaccine campaigns that kicked off the 21st century. Why do drug companies push the flu vaccine? “It’s all about money,” says Dr. Blaylock. “Vaccines are a pharmaceutical company’s dream. They have a product that both the government and the media will help them sell, and since vaccines are protected, they can’t be sued if anyone has a complication.” Doshi’s article “is a breath of fresh air,” says Dr. Blaylock. “This article exposes in well-defined and articulate terms what has been known for a long time — the flu vaccine promotion is a fraud. “Here’s the bottom line,” says Dr. Blaylock. “The vast number of people who get the flu vaccine aren’t going to get any benefit, but they get all of the risks and complications.” Source: newsmaxhealth.com, The British Medical Journal
The Rkvvudwtij" Uvggngtu (6–2) have yqp"vjg"oquv"Uwrgt"Dqynu with six championships, while both vjg" Fcnncu" Eqydq{u" (5–3) and Ucp" Htcpekueq" 6;gtu" (5–1) have five wins each. Hqt"Uwduetkrvkqp Kphqtocvkqp" Ugg"Rcig"5:
“Sh[’[lu sh[lom Y_rush[l[yim . . .” (Pr[y for th_ p_[]_ of J_rus[l_m) T_hillim/Ps[lms 122:6
A week without a Sabbath is perpetual bondage.