Aug 2010 The Latest Word by Downey Church

For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church

Why Prayer Lists Work by Pastor Mitch

Ginny and I feel blessed to know you are praying for us during our Sabbatical. Your prayers mingle with ours and give us a sense of connection with you. When we pray, we usually have our prayer lists close by. The Lord has taught us the value of using a prayer list. What follows is something I wrote some time ago trumpeting the value of a prayer list entitled Why Prayer Lists Work. Hearts are lifted and faith promoted when a

friend says, “You’re on my prayer list.” These six simple words carry a weighty message of caring support as well as scriptural obedience. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16 A prayer list is simply a sheet of paper containing the names of those you’re praying for. I’ve

used prayer lists throughout my ministry. The list is a constant reminder of those I’ve pledged to pray for and the list also serves as a score card when the God answers my prayers. Would you be surprised to know that the Lord has a prayer list? His list is called “the Lamb’s book of life.” (see Rev 21:27) The Lord lifts us in prayer constantly that we will make right choices and seek His friendship above all others. The Lord is praying for continued on page 2

“How Beautiful God’s Love” How beautiful God’s Love for us So broad, so deep, so clear; A gift that’s rich and personal, A joy that’s always near. —Peggy Ferrell,

Poems and Prayers

INSIDE File It Away on page 3

Hawaiian Shirt Day & Beach Party

Love is... Not Easily Angered is on page 4

Saturday, August 21, is Hawaiian Shirt Day at church. Be sure to get your favorite Hawaiian shirt out and come to church in a little more relaxed attire. The band will be leading the worship service that morning. They will be talking about music and how it helps them worship and helps them get through life during the week too.

Ginny’s Kitchen on page 5

After worship it’s off to the beach for a

Beach Party! You can come down any time after church, but things will really get going mid afternoon or so. We’ll plan to have a fire and some food at the beach. So bring some hot dogs or something else to share and we’ll have a good time. Since we don’t know what fire pit we’ll get, be sure to be at church that day so you will know where to go! =

What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Live Like the Rich is on page 7 Our Church Family page 10 Kid’s Page on page 11

THE LATEST WORD Why Prayer Lists Work (cont. from page 1)

“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours” (John 17:9).

sages this month will help us grow in the Lord and change our hearts. The first up is

“

mer. Teacher dedication allows our church family to extend their love and support to those who touch the lives of those who will grow up to lead our church, community, state and nation. May God bless the students and teachers.

Would you be surprised to know that the Lord has a prayer list?

Start your prayer list right away by taking out a sheet of paper and writing down the names of those on your heart. Don’t be concerned if it’s just a few names. In a short time, the Lord will lead you to others who need your prayers and your list will grow. Let’s fulfill James 5:16 and pray for each other daily. Let’s pray the mes-

Pastor Jim Fell will be with us on August 14 to share a message of hope and faith. Pastor Fell is the senior pastor of the Whittier Adventist Church. Many of our members know him personally and those who don’t will find a new friend. Ginny and I are special friends with Pastor Fell and have worshiped with him at the Whittier Church and we were blessed by his message.

”

Adventist Union School’s Principal Terry Tryon to speak on August 7. Teacher dedication is the theme of the day. All those who teach will be asked to participate in a prayer of dedication. The beginning of school marks the end of sum-

On August 21 is Hawaiian shirt day and the band will lead out in worship. We’ve invited Bill and Chris and all the band members to share their God stories on how music makes a difference in their faith walk with the Lord. In addition, everyone is invited to the beach party at Huntington Beach at 5 p.m. for games, food and fellowship. This is an outreach event so be sure to bring a friend or two to enjoy the day.

Pastor Glenn Gibson has a message from his heart prepared to share with us on August 28. Currently, Pastor Gibson is the associate pastor at the West Covina Hills church. He is married with two small children. Always know we love you and our hearts are one with yours when the church gathers for worship. =

The Latest Word V 22 N 08 BILL AUMACK

WE DID IT

those who have received his word and believe he is the Savior.

responsible for this

LINDA AUMACK proof reading

LETTY DURAN

paper distribution

MITCH WILLIAMS pastor

address mail to: Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd. Downey, CA 90240 office: 562.869.6013 fax: 562.622.1691

downeychurch@gmail.com www.downeychurch.com

August 2010 God, Webster & You by Linda Bewley

ebster says “captive” means “taken and held as or as if a prisoner of war . . . kept within bounds . . . held under control of another” (Merriam-Webster Online).

od says we should “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV). Filing is an inevitable part of my job. It’s something that, if ignored, can cause lots of wasted time. When things are filed where they belong, work is much easier. I am always looking for new, creative ways to maintain a client’s file so that it is easy find and retrieve needed documents. Given the nature of the files we handle at

File It Away work, this is not always easy, as many of them grow to a size which could consume an entire file cabinet.

It’s a file that allows him to know that he doesn’t need to understand all things, because God alone knows everything.

I was recently listening to a recorded book written and narrated by a popular Christian personality. He was talking about how we file things away in our minds. Take a sadness or tragedy for example. If we are able to see the cause, we are able to bring ourselves to know that, however painful, the consequence was inevitable and therefore we are able to file that away in our minds. But, he said, there are things in life which just don’t fit in any box, no matter how hard we try. They are seemingly inexplicable. Those are the issues he puts in his “I Don’t Understand” file.

Wow! That gave me an idea. Wouldn’t it be great to file things away in my mind so that I would have less clutter floating around? With that in mind, here are some mental files that might help to keep my mind organized.

Worship Schedule August 7 Terry Tryon

August 21 Praise Band

August 14 Jim Fell

August 24 Glenn Gibson

Teacher Dedication

• First there’s a file called “I Can’t Do Everything.” Utilizing this file would cause me to order my priorities and then re-order them as often as necessary. In so doing, I would be reminded that I should strive to accomplish my tasks with God’s kingdom as my top priority knowing that everything else will fall into place. • Next up, I think I need a file called “I Don’t Know What To Do.” Using this file would allow me rest. I don’t have the answers to all of life’s issues, but God does. God is in control, not me. He alone knows the end from the beginning. This file would cause me to remember God’s promise that “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). • Then I have the file entitled “I Don’t Have To Worry File.” Wow, this

is an especially tough one for me, because if there is anything I am good at, it is worrying. I really dislike admitting to that, but it’s true. That’s why I need to deliberately take a thought and put it in this file. In so doing, I would be choosing to trust the Lord and his many promises not the least of which is “your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). • Finally, I’m thinking I need a file called “It’s Not Your Battle.” Using this file enables me to acknowledge weakness. It causes me to assess the true condition of my human, sinful nature, realizing that I am a leopard who can’t change my own spots. I can’t save myself and, praise God, I don’t have to! I can choose, like the Apostle Paul, to say, “when I am weak, then I am strong,” knowing that the Bible says God’s “grace is sufficient. . . for [His] power is made perfect in weakness” (see 2 Corinthians, Chapter 12). Okay, so there you have some new mental files I’m going to do my best to utilize. Some of them seem to overlap, but I think that’s okay. How about you? I bet, without too much thinking, you might easily come up with some new files of your own. =

THE LATEST WORD Before the Father by Linda Fernandez

“Then the Lord said, Do you do well to be angry?” Jonah 4:4

I was swept away by all the negative thoughts and emotions that came flooding into my mind.

Love is ... Not Easily Angered I recently spent an entire night caught up in an angry tirade in my mind. I haven’t done that in a while and was surprised how quickly I was swept away by all the negative thoughts and emotions that came flooding into my mind. It all started with a comment from someone. Maybe it was innocent, maybe it wasn’t, but I chose to take the dark point of view when mulling it over. The mood invaded my sleep and even my dreams. When I awoke, I had the strongest urge to get right to my Bible reading for the day. I struggled with that, thinking in the back of my mind (actually talking to God, I guess), knowing somehow God had something to tell me. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t want to hear what He had to say. I had made my mind up about how I was going to respond to the supposed suggestion, but the draw was much too strong. I began writing in my journal. I poured out my anger to the Lord and asked Him to reveal his comfort to me through his

Word, but I am not sure I was all that sincere. When I discovered my reading for the day was in Jonah, I thought, “I knew it, this message is not going to address my issue.” Then I got to Chapter 4 where it says that Jonah was very angry. He points out to God that what he

feared when he was in his own country was indeed what God had planned for the wicked city of Nineveh and he was not happy about it in the least. But then God said, “Do you do well to be angry?” Now God was talking to me! The balloon of my justified anger was quickly being deflated. During my preparations to face the day ahead, the Lord showed me another

possible scenario that could have been in place at the time of the perceived slight. Hhmmm. Okay, that may have been the case. Then He had me look at the situation from a different point of view. Much like he was trying to get Jonah to see the Nineveh story from his perspective. Seeing the other person in this new light certainly didn’t do much to keep my flame of righteous indignation alive. Finally, later in the day, still holding on to the tattered edges of my anger, I received a text message from my husband. He knows me so well and his remark made me laugh away any lingering desire to seek justice over mercy. God’s Word is so amazing! I could have easily put off my Bible reading thinking I knew the story inside and out, but God pulled out a little nugget just for me. A simple question, asked long ago was the answer to a dilemma I faced today. Amazing! Father: Thank you for preparing the answer to a problem I would face long before it became evident. =

August 2010 From Ginny’s Kitchen Angel Cake While visiting with my daughter Sheri in Sacramento, she shared with me this fast, easy and cool summer “Angel Cake” recipe. We hope you will enjoy it too! 1 round angel food cake, (chilled for one or two hours) 1 round platter, chilled 1 qt. large size Cool Whip 4 cups of fresh mixedberries: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, cleaned

Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Washed, dried and set aside. 1) Place Angel cake on a round platter. Cut cake horizontally. 2) Cover bottom cake with Cool Whip, then top with some mixed-berries (about 1 ½ cup). These berries should be whole, except strawberries. Cut into bite sizes.

Cool Whip. Top with mixed-berries and mint garnish. 4) Puree 1 ½ cups mixedberries. Pour the pureed fruit around bottom platter. Garnish again with fresh mint. Serve immediately while cold so it won’t get soggy! =

3) Place top and cover entire cake with remaining

Church Wide Yard Sale Bring your stuff to Church Yard Sale on Sunday, August 1. The proceeds will go to help fund the CD the praise band is making. If you really want to support the band, you can bring stuff to sell and buy some stuff to take home with you!

Teacher Dedication Sabbath is August 7. If you work with students as a school teacher, music teacher, Sabbath School teacher, day care or other ways, then you should be at this worship service. We will be dedicating our teachers for the new year. Terry Tryon, from AUS, will be presenting the sermon that day. We look forward to seeing all of teachers on August 7th.

August Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Downey Adventist Church Thursday

Friday

Saturday

6 7:49 pm sunset

7 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Terry Tryon Teacher Dedication

8am to 2pm 7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

6:30 pm Band Practice

13 7:42 pm sunset

10 AM C.S.

14 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Jim Fell

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

6:30 pm Band Practice

School begins @ AUS & SGA

7:34 pm sunset

21 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Praise Band Hawaiian Shirt Day

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

6:30 pm Band Practice

27 7:26 pm sunset

Beach Party

28 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Glenn Gibson

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

6:30 pm Band Practice

31 Visit www.downeychurch.org C.S. - Community Service S.S. - Sabbath School

August 2010 Stewpot by Gordon Botting, DrPH, CHES At some point in your life, I’m sure you have said to yourself, “I wish I was really wealthy,” or “I would like to live like a millionaire.” In your mind, you visualized living in a palatial mansion surrounded by lush gardens. Inside all the comforts you could dream of: a spacious kitchen decked out with state-of-the-art appliances, a luxurious master suite and a closet filled with the latest fashions, a bathroom furnished with massage tub and bidet. Housed in the twelve-door garage, a dozen choice automobiles await your command to tour the town. Best of all, this mansion and all its amenities come equipped with gardeners to tend the gardens, chefs to prepare scrumptious meals, maids to tidy the rooms, and chauffeurs to care for the cars. While you’re still dreaming, you see yourself lying on the beach in exotic locations, touring Europe or making a pilgrimage to the Far East, as annual, extravagant vacations are customary for the wealthy. Even if my picture of ultimate wealth was a bit much for you, I’m sure you have had your moments when you said to yourself, “Having a little more money would

Live Like the Rich certainly help out our current situation.” However, the real truth is that the majority of millionaires live very modest lifestyles. In his most recent book entitled, Stop Acting Rich . . . And Start Living Like a Real Millionaire, Thomas J. Stanley, PhD, has discovered that the majority of millionaires live very unassuming and unpretentious lifestyles. As America’s foremost authority on the affluent, Stanley presents the results of his interviews and surveys of the well-to-do, and the results are quite different than the assumptions you have of the rich.1 If you would like to live above your means and begin to live like the “rich and famous,” the list below contains the economic realities and principles of basic money management, which millionaires tend to follow. Accompanying these are the unrealistic assumptions the majority of people believe are the core reasons most millionaires are wealthy.

Assumption:

Millionaires live in spacious mansions or at least in upper-class golf course neighborhoods.

Reality:

Approximately 90 percent of them live in homes

under a million dollars. Actually, three times more millionaires live in houses valued at less than $300,000.2 Most readers will be shocked that over 67,000 millionaires reside in mobile homes.2

Why So Frugal: In the United States most people believe real estate is an excellent long-term investment. It is true that homes usually increase in value, but large houses also have hefty expenditures such as heating and cooling, maintenance, property tax and insurance. Millionaires know purchasing a modest home in a middle class neighborhood decreases the pressure to not only spend money that could be invested in the stock market earning them more revenue, but reduces the social pressure to fit in a more expensive neighborhood.

Assumption:

Millionaires have many holiday homes and vacation residences.

Reality: When

it comes to secondary homes, 64 percent of millionaires surveyed have never owned a vacation home, a beach bungalow or a mountaintop cabin, let alone a lean-to or tree hut continued on page 8

Did you know that 1 percent of income producers pay 37 percent of the entire federal income tax, whereas the bottom 50 percent of the income producers contribute less than 4 percent?2 Page 231

Did you know that there are over 715,000 professional entertainers in the United States, with an average yearly income of just over $5,600? Of that number only 61 percent have a positive income, with only 6 out of 10 even generating enough income to pay their expenses.2 Page 63

THE LATEST WORD Live Like the Rich (cont. from page 7) in the woods. According to the National Association of Realtors, the typical second home buyer has a median household income of just over $80,000.2

Why So Frugal:

The majority of millionaires understand the real cost of owning a second home, both in time and money, including commuting to, maintaining, and furnishing the dwelling. Plus, millionaires do not want to be “locked into” having a holiday in the same vacation spot year after year.

Assumption:

Millionaires have lots of toys, such as boats, RV’s, etc., that most of us will never own in our lifetimes.

Reality: More than

93 percent of those who purchased a boat are not millionaires. The majority of American millionaires have never owned any type of watercraft, be it yacht or dinghy. Of the ones who did purchase a boat during their lifetime, they sold it and never again acquired another. What may surprise you more is two-thirds of decamillionaires have never been in possession of a sailboat, schooner, cruiser or any other type of vehicle that floats.2

Why So Frugal:

The same reason millionaires do not have second

homes applies to owning adult toys.

Assumption:

Millionaires not only drive the very latest luxurious automobiles, but they own the real exotic models.

Reality: During the

last decade, the millionaires surveyed have NOT owned or leased one of the following prestige automobiles: Aston Martin (100%), Lamborghini (99.9%), Ferrari (99.7%), Maserati (99.6%), RollsRoyce (99.6%), and Jaguar (92.6%). What may surprise you more is that they have not purchased these less luxurious vehicles: Lincoln (93%), Audi (93%), Saab (96%), Acura (89%), BMW (80%), Lexus (79%) and Mercedes Benz (75%). Eight-six percent of all expensive makes are driven by non-millionaires. The typical millionaire chooses a Toyota (11%) followed by Ford and Chevrolet. The median price paid by millionaires is in the $30,000 range, not the $75,000+ price range expected of this class.2

Why So Frugal: They were not looking for status, but for a vehicle that would cost less to maintain and be less noticeable to be broken into and stolen in a parking lot.

Assumption:

Millionaires always look like they are dressed for success by purchasing the top-of-the-line clothes, shoes and accessories.

Reality: Millionaires

shop for their clothes at a variety of stores and their favorites include: Macy’s (27%), Kohl’s (22%), Target (22%), and Costco (22%). With the ladies, Saks was on the bottom of the top ten places they like to shop. The top five included such retailers as Macy’s, T. J. Maxx, and Target. In Stanley’s surveys, the median range for the purchase of a suit was $299.50. It is a rarity that a millionaire buys a $5,000 suit; in fact, the ratio is 1 to 900. Only 1 in 944 millionaires indicated that his favorite brand of shoes were “custom made.” The top five preferred brands were Allen Edmonds, Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy, Florsheim and Rockport. Interestingly, when it comes to shoes, 70 percent of millionaires have them resoled. Surprisingly, one in five millionaires wear a Seiko watch and not far behind is another favorite – Timex.

The Bottom Line: The majority

of millionaires, in large part, became prosperous because of their frugal lifestyle. Hence, by the time they reached the status of

being really wealthy, they were so set in their ways they typically remained financially frugal. So if you are still single and desire to get married, then choose a spouse who is a tightwad.

Stewardship Perspective: If

you were a millionaire, owned a fabulous mansion with ten spacious bedrooms and had all the luxuries previously mentioned, you still could only sleep in ONE bed, drive ONE car and eat ONE meal at a time. A true steward knows that a life of need is better by far than a life of greed. = References: 1. Thomas J. Stanley, PhD, Millionaires, Bottom Line Personal, March 1, 2010, page 1 2. Thomas J. Stanley, PhD, Stop Acting Rich... And Start Living Like a Real Millionaire, John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Items and pages as follows: homes: pages 43-45; secondary homes: pages 40-41; boats: page 39; vehicles: pages 180-181; clothes: pages 70-73, 79-81; shoes: pages 68-69; watches: page 81.

August 2010

THIS MONTH

August Birthdays Zelina Archila – 1 Gabriela Miranda – 5 Flower Munguia – 6 Gabriel Miranda – 8 Frank Duran Jr. – 8 Armando Paredes – 9 Byron Molina, Sr. – 15 Orlando Archila – 15 Sarah Guerrero – 15 Marylene Morris – 25 Kirk Bathgate – 27 Celene Aispuro – 31

Upcoming Events 2nd Sunday - 10 a.m. Community Service Thursdays - 7 p.m. Women’s Prayer Group Fridays - 6:30 p.m. Band Practice Aug Aug Aug Aug

1 - Yard Sale - 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 7 - Teacher Dedication Sabbath 21 - Hawaiian Shirt Day 21 - Beach Party 4 or 5 p.m.

If your birthday is left out in the monthly newsletter, please contact the church office so we can put it in.

The Latest Word deadline is the 5th of the month.

If you are looking for a new, fun way to read The Latest Word online, be sure to check out the newest format at http:// issuu.com/downeychurch. Same great content in a richer environment. Be sure to check out all the reading modes. As usual, you can still get read it at our website at www.downeychurch.org.

Coming Soon October 9 - Small Groups Series “Contagious Christian” Sept 6 - Labor Day Nov 20 - Celebration Sabbath

THE LATEST WORD The Latest About

Our Church Family Congratulations to Phillip and Pilar Mondragon! They were married on July 11 at the Downey Church. They both sing in the praise band. We sorrowfully report that James Robert Lewis passed away recently. He died of complications with diabetes. His father

is Wayne Lewis, who is now 90 years old. James “Jimmy” graduated from Lynwood Academy in 1963 and was a member of the Downey Church along with his father.

She took Chippy into the bathroom and ran water over his body. When he was clean, she dried him off with her hair dryer and returned him to his cage.

When a reporter

On the Campbell Soup labels, all that is really needed is the UPC (the bar code). You don’t have to save the entire label, just the UPC bar code. For the Box Tops for Education, please save the Box Tops coupon. Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your support! =

Chippy’s Trauma and Ours A woman was using a portable vacuum to clean out her parakeet’s cage, but Chippy, the bird, was still in the cage. When the phone rang, the woman left the hose in the cage. When she came back, the bird was gone. She quickly opened the canister and found Chippy alive but covered with dust.

If you have any Church Family news, please contact the church office so we can get it into the newsletter. =

Thank you to everyone who has been saving Campbell Soup Labels for education and Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated.

heard about the incident, he called to see how the bird was doing. “Well,” said the woman, “Chippy looks okay, but he doesn’t sing much anymore. He just sits and stares.” Given the traumas we may face in life, we too, may be tempted to just sit and stare. It would be more beneficial to sit and pray, or do something for someone else in need of help. Talk with a pastor or counselor and immerse yourself in the Bible. Help is always available! =

After VBS ’Twas the day after VBS and all over town, With a sigh of relief, we all settled down. Out to the golf course goes Dad in his cap, And home in the bedroom Mom’s taking a nap. Gone Linda, gone Brenda, gone David and Johnny, Gone Margie, and Mary, and Ronnie and Donnie. Gone stories, and puppets, and songs in the air, Gone paint under fingernails and paste in the hair.

Rest sweetly, dear workers, and wake with good cheer, For Bible school won’t come again for a year. As they drifted off, I heard them exclaim: “It was worth all the hard work and we’d do it again!” Thanks to all of our great volunteers who worked so hard to make VBS a success. =

August 2010

Ponder This... = “Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.” —Henry Ward Beecher = “Breathe a prayer of gratitude. And give those you love an extra measure of affection. Life is fleeting, and love is precious. Cherish both.” —Galen Guengerich = “Hope is always available to us. When we feel defeated, we need only take a deep breath and say yes, and hope will reappear.” —Monroe Forester

Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA 90240

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