Mar 2014 The Latest Word by Downey Church

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

Spring Renewal

Stressed Out by Cary Fisher

et me tell you something that you already know, we live in a world full of stress. It’s just engrained in the fabric of our daily existence. The sinful nature that is all around us makes it impossible to avoid the tensions that are caused by life. The sad thing is that stress may just be the number one cause of most diseases today, and in every way, it can negatively impact our entire body, our mind and our spirit.

The immediate effects of stress can attack us with such variety. It impacts our cognitive function as stress can diminish our memory, our concentration and our judgment. It affects our emotions causing us to be irritable, feeling overwhelmed, or depressed. It affects our overall physical health causing pain in all areas of our body. It can damage our heart, and will lower our immune system making us more accessible to getting sick. Stress can

also cause lack of sleep, affect the way we eat, and it can lead us to develop poor habits such as addictions. Again, that is just the immediate affects, but stress over time has even more devastating consequences to us all. Our denomination has been blessed with a health message that is referred to as “the right hand to the gospel”. This message has been traditionally focused on our diet and other life-

—Thomas Merton

continued on page 1

INSIDE

CREATION Health oin a small group as we go through the series CREATION Health. This is a video series that will help us understand God’s 8 principles for living life to the fullest. In John 10:10 Jesus promises an abundant life, CREATION Health will help us find that abundant life. CREATION Health is about

By reading the Scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.

total person wellness - and wellness is more than health or the absence of disease. Wellness is wholeness. It’s about being fit mentally, physically, socially and spiritually. It’s about getting the most from life and fulfilling our God-given potential during the process. You and your friends will want to be a part of this. =

An Ugly, Terrible, No-Good Day page 3 About or In? page 4 Taste & Inspiration on page 5 What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Our Church Family page 7 Kid’s Page on page 9

THE LATEST WORD Stressed Out (cont. from page 1)

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Then on the 22nd, my sermon “Giving It Away” will tackle the letter T for trust in God. This sermon will show how putting our faith in the Lord changes

everything including its incredible implications on our health. Finally on March 29th , I will combine I for interpersonal Relationships and O for outlook with a sermon titled “The Way I See It”. We will take this time to show how perception is reality, and a positive perspective on life can make a world of difference. Hopefully, these messages will help us to be a little healthier and happier, and lead us to a more active and fulfilling service to God. See you when the church gathers. =

The Latest Word V 26 N 03 BILL AUMACK

WE DID IT

style choices, but perhaps, my burden is light.” The for March and going into we need to concentrate ramifications of this is that April will follow our on the one factor that the greatest thing you can small group’s theme. We has the greatest impact do for your health is to will be using the acronym on our health. In reality, give your life to Jesus. If CREATION as our guide no matter how well for a healthier livwe eat or no matter ing. On March 1st, Stress may be the how much temperwe will start with ance we display, our the letter C which #1 cause of most health will always diseases today and it can stands for choice. be diminished if we The title of the sernegatively impact our mon is “I Can Do allow the stresses of life to take over us. entire body, our mind All Things.” If you want any change and our spirit. While we will to occur, always never be able to know that you avoid stress, it’s remedy you’re burdened with all have the power to make to deal with it is just indekinds of anxiety maybe those changes. It first scribable. Jesus simply you need to ask yourself, starts by believing Paul said, “Come to me, all have I truly surrendered when he says, “I can do you who are weary and everything to the Lord? all things through Christ burdened, and I will give This may be the fundawho strengthens me” you rest” (Matthew 11:28). mental point of how the (Philippians 4:13). Jesus is begging to take gospel works in our lives on all that weighs you On March 8th, in a daily basis. down. He continued on to “Resuscitating Your Soul” say, “my yoke is easy and Our sermon topics will be our sermon using the letter R for rest. In the chaos that comes with this life, many of us are sleep deprived and just exhausted in every sense of the word. We will spend this time to show why it is essential that we give ourselves time to recover physically and spiritually. Following rest on March 15th, Bill Aumack will be bringing us a message that combines the letters E for environment and A for activity.

responsible for this

LINDA AUMACK copy editor

LAURA LUNA

paper distribution

CARY FISHER 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

March 2014 The Word & You by Linda Bewley

od’s word says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27 NIV.) One morning this week when the alarm went off, I felt like turning it off and going back to sleep. That wasn’t an option. Within a few minutes of getting up, I was already

An Ugly, Terrible, No-Good Day overwhelmed thinking about the issues of the day ahead. And, worse, I was thinking about the day before. It had really been one of those ugly, terrible, no-good days. In fact, you have to wonder what happened the day before if, like me, you wake up and find your keys in a glass of water in the sink and you’ve no recollection of how that happened! Admittedly, I failed to pray before going to bed. I just wanted the day to be over. Waking up with unresolved issues from the previous day is a real joy-killer. What could be less productive and more burdensome than thinking about a day that is gone? It’s something you can’t change and senseless to worry about. But it happens.

Worship Schedule March 1 Cary Fisher

I Can Do All Things

March 8 Cary Fisher

Resuscitating Your Soul

March 15 Bill Aumack

A Product of Your Enviroment

March 22 Cary Fisher Giving It Away

March 22 Cary Fisher

The Way I See It

I often play a game on my phone called DROPWORDS. It’s somewhat similar to Scrabble. You make words out of a grid of letters presented and your longest and bestscoring words are revealed at the end of the two-minute game. For some reason, I decided to play that game while having a cup of coffee that morning. I was a little surprised at the first word I noticed on the grid: P-R-AY-E-R. I don’t know about you, but I am constantly amazed at the millions of ways God speaks to me! And this was one of them. What a comfort and encouragement it was to know that even though I had chosen to carry yesterday’s burdens into the next day, God was there reminding me of His presence and readiness to help. The answer that would bring help and the only way to find relief, could be summed up in one word. Prayer! One of my favorite authors wrote: “Each day has it burdens, its care and perplexities; and when we meet how ready we are

to talk of our difficulties and trials. So many borrowed troubles intrude, so many fears are indulged, such a weight of anxiety is expressed, that one might suppose we had not a pitying, loving Savior ready to hear all our requests and to be a help in every time of need.” (Steps to Christ, Chapter 13.)

Sometimes, I’m afraid, I fit that description and seem to stumble through a day forgetting that God is ready, willing and able to help me. But I am thankful for the many ways He reminds me of His presence. And I’m thankful for the encouragement He gives me, even when it is least deserved. How about you? By the way, in my game of DROPWORDS that morning, the word “prayer” was my longest and best-scoring word. Hmm, not unlike its role in life! =

THE LATEST WORD by Bill Aumack

About or In?

A Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5

Do you believe about Jesus or are you all in?

n aerialist, who specialized in riding a bicycle on a tightrope across waterfalls, set up his equipment across Niagara Falls. A great crowd gathered to watch him ride across the roaring waters. Not only did he complete the trip over, but he returned riding backwards! The crowd was in awe of his ability. He asked the crowd, “Do you believe I could do it again with a person sitting on my shoulders?” “Yes,” they all shouted as one. “Which one of you will ride with me then?” he asked. Before I finish the story, what would you do in that situation? You just witnessed the aerialist perform this task, you know he can do it. But there is a rather large difference between sitting safely on the sideline and watching him risk everything vs. going out on the wire with him and risking everything yourself. If he fell while you were watching, that would be terrible. If he fell while you were on the wire with him, that would be catastrophic. So when the aerialist asked, “Which on of you will ride with me then?”, no one spoke up. Logically, I understand that. I might risk my life

for something important. I might run into a burning building to try and save someone. But risking my life for something trivial, like walking a tight rope across Niagara Falls seems a little foolish. This story made me think about being a Christfollower. There were people watching the aerialist who believed he could do it. But there wasn’t anyone who believed enough to risk it. That’s kind of like the difference between believing about Jesus and believing in Jesus. When we believe in Jesus, we must trust our whole life to him. We can’t just sit on the sidelines and watch. We can’t just believe “about” Jesus. We have to be all “in.” We have to trust everything to him. Even if it seems incredibly risky to do so. There are going to be times when it will seem incredibly risky to pay tithes and offerings, because you don’t have enough money already to make ends meet. There are going to be times when it’s going to seem incredibly risky to turn down the job that wants you to do something against your beliefs, because you really need the work/money. There are going to be times

when forgiving is going to seem incredibly risky, because that person is going to do something to hurt you, or embarrass, or damage you. There are many ways that following God’s plan in our lives can seem super risky. In Deuteronomy 6:5 the Bible tells us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” This is then repeated many times in the Bible, 7 more times in just the book of Deuteronomy. But it can be found all the way into the New Testament. It must be important if God had it recorded so much in his Bible. In today’s vernacular, we might say “are you all in?” Not just sitting in the pews saying I believe in Jesus, but actively putting your life and affairs in his care and trusting him with everything. Do you believe about Jesus or are you all in? That’s worth pondering about... =

March 9

March 2014 Taste & Inspiration

Garbanzo Bean, Cucumber & Tomato Salad

n 1 Samuel 17 we read about the story of David and Goliath. We believe most of us are familiar with how this ends. David shows his courage and great strength by defeating Goliath, who was three times as big as David and a very intimidating, seasoned warrior. David’s courage and strength he credits all to the Lord Almighty. When Jesse, David’s father, was approached by Samuel, informing him that one of his sons would be named king, we think David was the last guy any of them expected to be anointed. What we find interesting and a bit amusing is how David is perceived by his own family, namely 3 of his older brothers and even his father. He wasn’t perceived as a strong warrior-type. He was a shepherd. His good looks are mentioned several times so we think he was

also perceived as a bit of a pretty-boy. More of a lover than a fighter. We believe they viewed him as a butterfly chaser as he tended his flocks. We know, however, those were very inaccurate perspectives they had of him. How David ended up on the battle field to defeat the great Goliath was not part of the strategy the commanders of the army had planned. His father, Jesse, pulled him from his flocks for a while and sent him to the front lines with some grain, bread and cheese to give to his tough, courageous brothers to help nourish them. But mainly to bring back assurance of how his brothers are holding up. So David was used as nothing more than an errand boy by his father. Nothing noble and courageous about THAT!!! To be continued next month. We’ll let the cheese in this story be the

Pilar & Phillip segue to a great tasting, simple to prepare, healthy recipe as we continue to promote healthy living through healthy diet choices inspired by The Word. God Bless.

Garbanzo Bean, Cucumber & Tomato Salad 1 can of rinsed garbanzo beans.(or 2 cups of fresh. Cooked until tender than cooled.) 1 med. seeded cucumber diced the same size as the garbanzo beans. 1/2 lg. rib of celery. Rinsed and diced the same as above

1 lg. Roma tomato. Sliced lengthwise, then seeded. Dice 1/2 the size as other ingredients. 1/4 bunch of fine chopped parsley Place in mixing bowl. Drizzle about 1/4 cup olive oil mixed with juice from 1/4 lemon. Toss well add salt & pepper to taste. Place on a bed of spring mix salad. Garnish with a medium size handful of either Feta cheese or Gorgonzola on top. Enjoy! =

Be sure to keep up with the latest news by signing up for the Wednesday email. You can sign up here www.downeychurch.org/Signups.html or send us an email at DowneyChurch at gmail dot com and we’ll add you.

Downey Adventist Church Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1 5:49 pm sunset Visit www.downeychurch.org S.S. – Sabbath School C.S. – Community Service

10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary

3 pm Pathfinders/ Adventures

7 pm Band Practice 9 am Pathfinders/ Adventures

9:30 am S.S.

7 5:55 pm sunset

8 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

14 7:01 pm sunset

15 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Bill Aumack

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

21 7:06 pm sunset

9 am Pathfinders

3 pm Pathfinders

22 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

28 7:12 pm sunset

29 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

March 2014

Upcoming Events March Birthdays Tomas Aispuro – 6 Hatzuko Aispuro – 6 Angela Navarro – 10 Erlinda Garcia – 13 Doris Ramirez - 15 Linda Bewley – 20 Natalia Ramirez - 20 Darrell Stephens – 25 Humberto Michel – 25 Joel Huinquez, Jr – 26 If your birthday is left out in the monthly newsletter, please contact the church office so we can put it in.

Thursdays - 7 p.m. Women’s Prayer Group Fridays - 7:00 p.m. Band Practice Mar 1 - Small Groups Begin Mar. 2 - Pathfinders / Adventurers @ 3pm Mar. 3 - Pathfinders / Adventurers @ 9am Mar. 9 - Spring Forward Mar. 15 - Pathfinders @ 3pm Mar. 16 - Pathfinders @ 9am Mar. 20 - First Day of Spring Mar. 22 - Movie Night @ 7pm

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

Coming Soon Apr 12 - Celebration Sabbath Apr 19 - Easter Sabbath May 31 - SGA Chorale

7pm Saturday, March 22 Invite some friends and join the fun!

THE LATEST WORD The Latest About

Our Church Family Our prayers go out to Margarette Toban. Her father recently passed away. She and Mark have been in Jamacia with family. Children’s Sabbath on Feb 15th was a special day. The children and youth who were involved all did a wonderful job. If you

missed it, you can catch it on video at https://vimeo. com/downeychurch OR at our Youtube channel (search for Downey Church on YouTube).

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 Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated. For the Box Tops for Education, please save the Box Tops coupon.

Who Are You Wearing?

efore the Oscars, a big question for every glamorous celebrity is “Who are you wearing?” Fashion reporters and fans are eager to discover and imitate the latest designers and styles. Few of us will ever walk the red carpet in Hollywood, yet we receive a much more impressive wardrobe makeover when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus turned our filthy rags of

Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your support! =

sin into dazzling white robes of righteousness (see Isaiah 61:10).

Imagine going in ...

This righteousness is embellished with good works that speak to our vibrant faith. How evident is your new “outfit” to people around you? As you get dressed each day, consider whether you’re living in such a way that people will wonder “Who are you wearing?” =

hen terrorists attacked the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, last September, a former British Royal Marine guided many people to safety. His identity was concealed for security purposes, but The Daily Mail later quoted a bystander: “What he did was so heroic. He was having coffee with friends when it happened. He went back in 12 times and saved 100 people. Imagine going back in when you knew what was going on inside.”

Imagine going into any place of danger or violence, knowing what’s happening — or what could happen: firefighters rushing into a burning house, a classmate stepping into a tense situation to end bullying, an adult boldly reporting suspected child abuse to authorities. And God … taking on flesh and entering our world as Jesus, fully knowing “what was going on inside” and the violence to which he’d be exposed. Yet he went ahead and did this, all to rescue people — us! — from certain death. =

March 2014

Ponder This... = “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” —Theodore Roosevelt = “Faith grows only in the dark. You’ve got to trust [God] when you can’t trace him. That’s faith.” —Lyell Rader

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

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