Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, Welcome to Be Bold Be The Change. Three years ago the idea of a Christian magazine was born. At that time I was working full time and was not able to pursue and execute the concept any further than the idea stage. Over the past three years the concept remained in my thoughts without a lot of clear direction and structure. Then one day I believe that God’s plan jumped into action and his light started guiding my way. I want to be very clear that this publication is by no means mine, in fact this is God’s way of reaching the masses in a very simple format full of information and testimonies. Be Bold Be The Change belongs to God our Redeemer and King. His teachings will be the core of the publication with various church affiliations sharing their insights and beliefs in order that all Christians may come to respect each other’s believes and better understand their differences. In an effort to help all church events succeed, there will be a calendar of monthly events and all churches are invited to submit their events each month to be included. The daily struggles we all face can be handled through prayer and Faith in God’s greater plan for us. As difficult as it is to “Let go and let God” He calls us everyday to rely on Him with everything we have and believe. Testimonies will help us better see that “If He brings us to it He will bring us through it”. May you find hope and peace in reading Be Bold Be the Change each month.
God bless!
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Table of Contents 10-12
Christians Shouldn’t Use Titles
14-15
What’s Happening This Month?
16-19
Cover Story : Everything Has a Purpose (The Alisha Mueller Story)
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October’s Daily Readings
Opinions and doctrines expressed in the materials do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the staff and editor of Be Bold Be the Change.
Do you have a testimony you are willing to share? For the Month of November we are looking for Stories of THANKSGIVING Email us today! bbbtcstories@gmail.com
Bible Verses for Anger Ephesians 4: 26-31
Proverbs 15:18
James 1:19-20
Colossians 3: 8
Proverbs 29: 11
James 4:1-2
Proverbs 19: 11
Proverb 16: 32
Ecclesiastes 7: 9
Proverbs 22: 24
Proverbs 15: 1
Matthew 5: 22
Psalm 37: 8-9
Psalm 7: 11
2 Kings 11: 9-10
2 Kings 17: 18
Proverbs 14: 29 Each day holds new challenges, turn to God’s Word at all times.
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Which Came First Choices or Entitlement? Each day we are all faced with choices to make every single minute. Many of us have the same opportunities and make completely different choices in regards to those opportunities. For instance, we all wake in the morning correct? What do you do first? Do you get up and rush to the gym or the office or do you complain and that you don’t want to move out of bed? Maybe you get up, grab a cup of coffee and your Bible or prayer book, starting your day with guidance from God. I know it may seem very trivial but each day holds its own set of challenges and triumphs and asking God to be part of those challenges and triumphs will make facing anything so much better. Today’s society is completely consumed with social media which has become a playground for hatred, infidelity, bullying and so much more. Perhaps starting your day in prayer would bring peace of mind, positive thoughts and a calmness that is indescribable. It seems obvious that many of the most unhappy people have chosen to keep God out of their lives or if they do include Him, they only do it when it is convenient. As Christians when God calls us to invite Him in, we are to do so with all our minds, all our hearts and all our souls. We simply cannot accept Him into our lives, expect Him to answer our prayers if we are not willing to listen to Him and His commands. Choosing to be a Christian means choosing to allow God into our lives to continue the work he started when He first created us. We are all a work in progress as God molds us into the best versions of ourselves we are meant to become. It seems that the free will God gave humans when He created them has been distorted, taken for granted and morphed into and unrecognizable attitude of entitlement. It has been said that the Millennials are the Entitlement Generation however, isn’t it possible that the millennials have only become who they are because of the examples given as they were growing up? Once upon a time children were given chores AND expected to accomplish them BEFORE doing anything with their friends. Sundays were spent attending church with the family then spending the rest of the day together as a family. Stores were closed, there was no alcohol sold on Sundays in fact in some places it was outlawed all together. When the choice was made by whoever to allow businesses to open on Sunday probably for a simple reason such as having pharmacies available for prescriptions, that opened the door for all businesses to make some extra money with one more business day. Whether they realized it at the time or not, this changed the family dynamic, maybe just slightly at first and then it quickly slipped into Sunday being just another day of the week instead of a day of worship and rest. People started choosing to shop and work on Sundays, which quickly interfered with their church attendance. Next, because they were working they were also no longer home for “family day” which allowed other family members to make their own separate plans. Although very unintentional, choices were made that slowly started chipping away at the solid family unit piece by piece. Each day we are faced with decision after decisions and are so used to living in a “keeping up with the Joneses” pace that many don’t spend a lot of time considering the affects of their decisions. Recently there has been a lot of talk and media attention on the Netflix Series “13 Reasons Why”. It quickly became a popular show for middle school and high school age kids. But why? It is the story of a girl who committed suicide and left audio tapes for her friends telling them all the things they did to make her feel so hopeless she took her own life. Now imagine losing your child to suicide and finding out later the inspiration for the suicide was a fictional television show that you could have prevented him/her from watching. A close family member was found to be watching the show and I called the mother and informed her, much to my dismay, the mother’s response was “I was unsure if I should let her watch it but all her friends are watching it”. Now, I understand wanting our children to be popular but at what cost are we
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enabling the behavior and influence ourselves. Although this viewpoint may seem somewhat harsh, it is time we start taking responsibility for our own decisions and how those decisions effect those around us. The sense of entitlement is a learned behavior and who else they might have learned it from but us, their own parents. It stands to reason that when a person grows up with little or nothing they want more, that is understandable. The media, peer pressure, experience and other factors lead us to believing that we “deserve” to be given what we think we deserve, we “deserve” to have help if we can’t afford things we want. NO, this is WRONG. God has given each of us MANY talents to be used to benefit and take care of HIS creation. HE created a beautiful world for us to live in and instead of being thankful for what HE has GIVEN us, we want more, we need more, we become workaholics to get more, or maybe we choose to TAKE what we think we “deserve”. Kids see the behavior of their parents and think it all comes easy. They have parents that work super hard and make a great living and then what happens? The parents GIVE cars, phones, trips, money and much more because they love them. It is very kind of those parents to work so hard and give their kids a wonderful life of luxury but what are they really learning? They learn that someone else works very hard for them to have the freedom of a car, cash, etc. which isn't a bad thing except that the media is teaching them that the government also “owes” them. What does all this mean? If we want our lives to change for the positive, WE need to change our decision making process. Imagine what would happen IF your child had to actually WORK to have car, phone and money privileges and if you already do this then great you are on the right track. What IF you take the money you would normally give your child and show them that half of that money is now going to a charity to help those who can’t provide for themselves. Is this a handout, not really. There are people that have been put on the streets through NO FAULT of their own. There are teenagers living on the streets because the parents decided “they don’t want their child anymore”. Yes it happens and then the streets are the only place those kids can turn to. There is currently a street ministry reaching out to homeless teenagers, helping them stay afloat. These kids have NO place to go because they have been kicked out or ran away from their parents who are doing drugs or drinking or being abusive. In addition when we help those kids, let’s teach our kids that we are helping because there is no one else out there helping them. Choosing to teach out kids instead of criticizing everyone else’s downfalls would change the world in ways unimaginable. If you spent every Sunday with your loved ones, how might that change how they are normally spending their time on Sundays? Maybe they would be on their phones less, playing less video games, watch less garbage on TV or even spending less time with the friends that may not have the best influence on them. It sounds strange but for the rest of the month I challenge you to take Sundays and spend them at home with your family. Maybe help them do their homework , watch a movie together, do some baking or work on project together. It will become very precious time that neither of you will ever want to sacrifice. It is a special time to really get to know your children and what is happening in their lives. Yes I realize this means you will not be shopping or sending your kids to friends or to sport practices, but you know what? If your kids are not at practices and games on Sundays, soon they will have to stop scheduling them on Sundays. If you don’t shop on Sundays, stores will start closing on Sundays and their employees will also be able to be home with THEIR loved ones. The future is in your hands, your choices determine what kind of future our children and grandchildren have. And for those of you who are Christians but have not visited a church for awhile, you should check it out. God is waiting for you to CHOOSE Him. Choose to grow your relationship with Him. He is ALWAYS there for you to turn to and will answer your prayers even when you don’t know what to pray for. He will lead you and your loved in the right direction IF you let Him into your daily life. Every morning you wake up and who is the first person you communicate with? A spouse, child, best friend, parent. Let GOD be the first person you talk to before you even get out of bed. You don’t HAVE to be on your knees to talk to God. He just wants to hear from you. God bless!
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The Pain of Loss By Katy Curry
There are different kinds of pain; physical like when you stub your toe, mental such as when you see something horrific and are helpless to do anything about it, psychological such as facing the loss of someone you love. The pain of knowing you will soon lose a loved one becomes so palpable it literally becomes physical. The hurt makes your heart explode, then explode again, and again. Sobs wrack your body as you wail, the pain too deep, too intense to verbalize to another. You are so alone yet so need company; not to cheer you up, just to be there, to hold you while you sob your pain, your feeling of loss, then maybe to pray with you for comfort. That kind of pain is hard to share. How do you tell others? How do you verbalize what has no words, only feelings, emotions, and pain? You try to reach out to others, yet somehow the blame falls back on you, the lack of verbalization of something you can't put into words. You wind up feeling even more separated from those you trusted than ever, the pain intensifies as you realize you are even more alone. The loss of a loved one is deeply personal, deeply emotional and creates a psychological and emotional pain that is beyond words. The person experiencing that loss needs understanding, acceptance, and someone who will not try to cheer them up or even necessarily try to give them hope. I am watching my husband die, slowly. I cannot begin to verbalize the sense of loss, the deep pain that cuts through the core of my being. I cannot verbalize it, cannot pick up the phone and just share. This gut wrenching pain is beyond that. Should you know of someone who is a caretaker for their husband or wife or child knowing they will not help to heal them, but will eventually lose them, try just to be there, not to cheer-up, just be there. Don't wait for a phone call. it will not come. If you have not been through this, you will not understand, I know I didn't. So I urge you, don't wait for the call, be the one to call, be the one to hold her through the sobs, the pain. This is not for the faint of heart, but know, as you allow her to pour out her grief, yours will be the arms of Jesus and through you, He will pour His perfect comfort into her heart and soul. Will you allow Him to use you to bring comfort to someone going through loss?
If you are already there and your insides are torn up and the tears and sobs and sometimes wails tear at your throat know that even in that most lonely of places Christ is there. Let Him carry you. He will hold you while you cry, He will soothe your heart and soul, reach out to Him for He is already reaching to you. I know this because I am there. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away." Rev. 21:4
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
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For Anxiety Psalm 94 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. 2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. 3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? 4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? 5 They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. 6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. 7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. 8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? 9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? 10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? 11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. 12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; 13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. 14 For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. 15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it. 16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? 17 Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. 18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. 19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul. 20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? 21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. 22 But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. 23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.
KJV
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Milk Bone Religion By Stephen Kimball
Joe attends church dutifully, even volunteering as an usher once in a while. Joe’s wife, Christy, has been praying faithfully for her husband since she became a believer a couple years ago. They have two children together – six year old Collin and his three year old brother, “Little Joey”. Joe believes in God and agrees with his wife that going to church is something that they should do in order to set a good example for the kids. Besides, they have a lot of fun activities for the kids in “Children’s Church” and they even have a free kid’s camp in the summer that Collin will be able to participate in this year. They have been going to this church for some time and although it’s a large church with healthy attendance, Joe doesn’t really know anyone. There are classes before church for adults but Joe hasn’t been able to get himself up and ready in time, so he drives separately and meets his wife in the sanctuary - usually by the second or third song. The music is okay, but he’s not really much of a singer anyway, he justifies. His wife is somewhat pacified by his being there each week, but continues to silently pray his heart will be changed as he listens. Joe feels that attending Sunday service is a worthy sacrifice that balances out the things in his life that are not so spiritual. Each week Joe religiously and enthusiastically makes his appearance. Going to church feels good to him –“God must be pleased”, he reasons. With smiles and handshakes all around he believes that he secures a wife and a god that will overlook his faults, which are many. Like a dog that expects a treat at routine times, Joe has found a way to temporarily satisfy the emptiness in his soul by occupying a seat at church each week and throwing a few bucks in the offering plate as it passes by. Unlike a dog treat though, God cannot be boxed up and brought out whenever we desire. He is not sitting there in the church building throughout the week, waiting with baited breath, to see if you show up on Sunday morning. God wants your whole life – all one hundred sixty eight hours a week. True spiritual satisfaction (salvation) demands relationship - at home; at work; when you’re hanging out with your buddies - always. Throughout history, there have been innumerable millions of “Joe’s” in churches everywhere. Perhaps YOU are “Joe”. The good news is that God loves you and it is never too late to humble yourself before Him, admit you are a sinner and ask His forgiveness. Begin your relationship today – that is what will truly please God. John 3:3 - Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
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Christians Shouldn't Use Titles for Church Leaders By Max Aplin
In Matthew 23 we find Jesus speaking to the crowds and His disciples about the scribes and Pharisees. He strongly criticizes them for various sins and encourages His listeners not to be like them. Matthew 23:6-10 ‘t In verses 5-12 His focus is specifically on the scribes’ and Pharisees’ pride. Verses 6-10 are the most important ones for our purposes in what follows, and they read as follows: “6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7to be greeted in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people. 8 But as for you, you are not to have people call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth your ‘Father,’ for you have one Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to have people call you ‘Instructors,’ because you have one Instructor, the Messiah.” In verses 6-7 Jesus notes, among other things, that the scribes and Pharisees, in their pride, love being called “Rabbi.” This was a common title in Jesus’ day for a Jewish teacher. Then in verses 8-10 He addresses His disciples, including those who would, in time, be in Christian leadership positions. In v. 8 He begins by telling would-be leaders to avoid being called “Rabbi.” Then in v. 9 He tells His followers not to call any leader “Father.” And then in v. 10 He tells would-be leaders to avoid being called “Instructor.” The Greek word underlying “Instructors” in my translation could equally LUTHERAN well be translated “Teachers.” In verses 8 and 10 Jesus tells His disciples what Christian leaders should not allow themselves to be called. And in v. 9 He tells them what not to call Christian leaders. But there is no doubt that each verse is teaching both principles – what not to be called and what not to call others. Christian leaders should not accept being called, “Rabbi,” “Father” or “Instructor” “Teacher.” And Christians should not call leaders “Rabbi,” “Father” or “Instructor” “Teacher.”
The prohibition concerns only titles
It should be obvious that in this passage the Lord is specifically forbidding His followers to use titles, i.e., to address someone in a certain way and to accept being addressed in a certain way. He is not referring to roles that Christians perform or to how Christians are described. The New Testament, for example, refers to believers who are teachers (e.g., in Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 12:2829; Ephesians 4:11). In Matthew 23:6-10 Jesus is not suggesting that this role shouldn’t exist in the church. Nor is He implying that it would be wrong to refer to a Christian as a teacher. It is addressing Christians with the title “Rabbi” or “Instructor” or “Teacher” that He is objecting to. Similarly, Paul’s description of himself as a father to the Corinthian believers in 1 Corinthians 4:14-15 doesn’t conflict with Jesus’ teaching in this passage. The Lord isn’t forbidding using the picture of father as a way of describing someone. He is prohibiting the use of the title “Father” as a way to address a Christian leader. In verses 8, 9 and 10 respectively, Jesus tells His listeners that they have one Teacher, Father and Instructor. At first sight, this might seem to contradict the passages I have just mentioned, which refer to Christians as teacher or father. These statements in Matthew 23:8-10 are not meant to be taken literally, however. Rather, they are rhetorical understatement that is used to stress the supremacy of the teaching, fatherhood and instruction of Jesus or God the Father. Jesus and God are so far above all Christians in their teaching, fatherhood and instructing status and ability, that it is as if no Christian performs any of these roles at all. In reality, however, some believers do perform these roles, but at a vastly lower level.
The prohibition is about combating pride
In Matthew 23:6-10, then, Jesus forbids the use of certain titles that could potentially have been used for church leaders in the first century. And the context shows clearly what the reason for this prohibition is. It is all about combating pride. As I have noted, in verses 5-12 Jesus’ focus is on the pride of the scribes and Pharisees. They love various things that inflate their egos, including being addressed with titles. Jesus doesn’t want Christian leaders to become proud. And so, by forbidding the use of titles, He is aiming to remove a source of temptation towards this.
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The implication is don’t use any titles at all
As we have seen, in this passage the Lord refers explicitly to several titles and prohibits using them. It would be a big mistake, however, to think He means that the early church was only supposed to avoid using the specific titles He mentions. That would be a very legalistic way of taking His words. His aim in what He says is to forbid titles that lead to pride. So anything similar to the titles He mentions would also certainly be off limits. It is important to note too that nowhere else in the Bible do we find church leaders being addressed with titles. All the evidence suggests that the early church consistently avoided doing this. We should therefore have no hesitation in saying that in Matthew 23:6-10 Jesus is teaching His disciples not to use any special titles for church leaders, and that this fits with the practice of the early church.
What should we do today? apply?
This brings us to today. Should we follow Jesus’ instructions in in this passage? Or does this teaching no longer
The answer is simple. Titles lead to inflated egos as much today as they did in the days of the early church. So we should certainly follow these instructions. Sadly, however, what the Lord teaches in Matthew 23:6-10 is routinely disregarded. In fact, this is surely is one of the most neglected passages in the entire Bible. Titles are widely used for Christian leaders throughout the church. It is distressing, firstly, that in this passage Jesus explicitly tells His followers not to use the title “Father,” yet Roman Catholics do precisely this! They just seem to ignore the Lord’s command. However, many of those who rightly criticize Catholics for this custom need to take a look at their own practice. Take, for example, the title “Reverend,” which is commonly used throughout the church. This word stems from the verb “revere.” It is true that language is constantly evolving and that the meanings of words often evolve away from their original meanings. Nevertheless, this doesn’t seem to have happened with “Reverend.” When this word is used today, it seems to include a connotation of revering CATHOLIC the person it is applied to. It includes the sense of “revered one.” Using a title like this is exactly the sort of thing that Jesus is opposing in the passage we have been looking at. In fact, I think that if the equivalent of “Reverend” had existed as a title in His day, He would have been even more opposed to its use in the church than any of the titles He mentions, since it exalts leaders to such a high degree. Other titles are frequently used today as well. “Pastor” is a very common one. “Elder” and “Bishop” are also used. Using any of these titles, however, conflicts with what the Lord teaches in Matthew 23:6-10. Titles present a temptation to become proud, and pride is a grave and grievous sin. So His solution is simple: avoid titles for church leaders altogether. This prohibition applies to titles in both spoken and written forms. And it applies both to how leaders refer to themselves and to how they are addressed by non-leaders.
Exceptional situations
Despite all that I have said, I don’t believe that we should rigidly refuse to use titles for church leaders in absolutely all circumstances. In much of the church today, leaders routinely expect to be addressed using titles. And they usually seem either not to know or not to have understood Jesus’ teaching in the passage we have been looking at. So there are times when not using a title might make it seem as if we are being rude, although that is not our intention. If, for example, I get in touch with a Christian leader who I don’t know, I would almost certainly use a title, at least the first time I contact them. There is no place for idealism in the Christian faith. We live on planet earth, not planet ideal. And so we often encounter situations where it is better to do things that we would prefer not to. And sometimes this applies to using titles for church leaders. However, we should certainly keep use of titles in the church to a minimum. If possible, they should be avoided.
This is not a trivial issue I think some readers of this article might think that this whole issue is really quite a trivial one. That would be a big mistake, however. If it were trivial, the Holy Spirit would surely never have inspired the verses of Scripture we have been thinking about. Besides, we must never underestimate the seriousness of pride in God’s sight. The world sees this sin as a minor vice, but God sees it as a truly awful thing. Avoiding titles is all about combating pride, and the more pride a leader has, the less effective his ministry will be 11
Leaders and non-leaders on first name terms
Finally, if cultural factors permit it, I believe that all adult Christians in a church congregation should be on first name terms. Even for non-leaders to address a leader as, say, “Mr. Smith” is, I believe, a mistake. It is true that “Mr.” doesn’t lead to pride in the way that other titles do. But it is still too formal. In v. 8 of the passage we have examined, Jesus says “and you are all brothers.” As we have seen, He is referring to those who would in time be church leaders along with those who wouldn’t. And, as we have also seen, He is speaking in the context of forbidding titles. Given who Jesus is speaking to, and given the context, He seems to be implying that Christians should no more use titles for each other than physical brothers (or sisters) would. Obviously, brothers and sisters are on first name terms. Therefore, so should adult Christians be, whether leaders or non-leaders.
BAPTIST
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
In Sioux Falls Theaters October 11-18, 12
Cultivating a Grateful Heart By Tesh Njokanma It’s Sunday morning. For the very first time since you have been attending this church, the Pastor gave you a slot to take a Bible reading during the service. You had been looking forward to this service. Had practiced over and over again how you were going to read the 8 verse Bible passage given you. To ensure you weren’t late for church, you had gotten the outfit you were going to wear ready the previous night. You get into the shower to have a bath. You turn on the tap, water doesn't come out. You try to pump water only to discover the pumping machine is bad. Of course, there are many other options: fetch water from the well at the backyard, knock at your neighbor’s door and tell her about the problem and get some water from her place, or if the worse comes to the worst, you turn the water in a fridge or water dispenser into a bucket and have your bath. But as you are about to start with any of these options, you discover a much bigger problem. You are locked in. Your husband locked the main entrance when he left for the airport an hour ago and mistakenly took both your keys. There goes your chance of taking that reading you were so looking forward to! Life doesn’t usually go the way we planned. Awkward, uncomfortable and embarrassing situations show up from time to time. What do you do when things don’t go according to your plans? How do you respond when both your Plan A and Plan B option meet with a roadblock? What’s the first thing that comes out of your mouth when you are faced with a problem?
In Numbers 20: 1-8, there was a problem. The Israelites needed water and there was no water in sight. What did they do? They started whining, complaining and quarreling with Moses. The same people who had been going through years of brutal slavery and severe suffering in Egypt, told Moses that it would have been better if he had left them in Egypt. Repeatedly, the Israelites demonstrated an attitude of ingratitude towards God. They had a tendency to forget the goodness of God and just focus on what they didn’t have. When they complained and quarreled with Moses about not having water, God gave Moses some instructions on how to resolve the problem and meet their need. The first of which was to “take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together…” (Numbers 20: 78). The only instruction God gave to Moses about the staff was just to bring it along not use it to strike the rock or for anything else for that matter. Why did God want Moses to take the staff if he wasn’t going to use it? Taking the staff was symbolic; it was to remind the people of all the great miracles God wrought through a staff to bring them out of Egypt. It was to remind them of God’s goodness and mercies, God’s intervention at a critical point in their lives. How He had encircled them with His love; cared for them and guarded them. How the staff had done miracles never heard of before; how it parted the Red Sea for them to walk on dry ground and saved them from the hand of their enemies. Bringing the staff before them was God's way of saying to them have you forgotten so fast all that I have done for you, all that my power is capable of doing?
The staff of Moses; the staff of remembrance of God’s awesome power and amazing goodness was to be brought before the people before water started flowing out of the rock. God wanted the Israelites to remember what He had done and appreciate Him for what He had done before water started flowing out of the rock; before the problem was solved, before their need was met. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “Give thanks in all circumstances”. All circumstances mean both good and unpleasant situations. It includes times that water is flowing from the rock; times that there’s a miracle, a testimony and breakthrough. It also includes those times when water isn’t flowing out of the rock; those times when nothing is happening, there’s a challenge, there’s a difficulty. If today happens to be one of those awkward and uncomfortable days or there’s no “water”; no money to pay your children’s school fees or house rent, no money to start or expand your business, no money to pay the hospital bill, or if your own situation is that there’s no husband even though you have been praying for years for this, there’s no child in spite of all you have done medically and spiritually, God wants you to remember, recollect and reflect on His goodness in your life. When we are faced with a problem or there’s a need in our lives and we can’t figure out how the problem can be solved or need met, what God simply wants us to do is to bring our “staff of remembrance of God’s goodness” to the scene and burst into thanksgiving. Thank Him for how He brought you out of your own Egypt situation, how He has parted health, financial, marital Red Seas in times past. Thank Him that you are alive and so there’s hope that things will get better. Thank Him that against all odds; despite all the enemy has done to try to ruin your marriage, home, business, career and ministry, you are still in the faith; still standing. Thank Him that problems and troubles of all shapes and sizes have come your way, but they haven't been able to consume you because of God's mercies that are new every morning. Thank Him for all He has spared you from. Thank Him for being faithful to you even when you haven’t been faithful, thank Him for not treating you according to your sins. Thank God for loving you so deeply and passionately He gave up His Son to die for you. Our faith is activated as we focus on what God has done and can do (Lamentations 3:21-24, 1 Chronicles 16:8-12). Peace replaces worry as we give thanks (Philippians 4:6-7). Doubt, fear, discouragement and negativity sets in when we just dwell on our need or the problem before us (Matthew 14:2231). Thanksgiving is not a one day event. It is a lifestyle. Our natural response to all the “no water” situations that come our way should be gratitude and thanksgiving for past and present blessings. It won’t always be easy to give thanks when there’s “no water” but it is necessary if we want to please God and have Him smiling on us (Hebrews 12:28-29, Numbers 6:25). Prayer Father, forgive me for all the times I have taken Your love and blessings for granted. Forgive me for not valuing what You have given me. O Lord, deliver me today from ingratitude, murmuring and complaining. Give me a heart of thanksgiving. Help me to thank You in all circumstances. As I give You thanks, I walk away from doubt, fear and depression, I walk out of that problem and walk into a divine solution, I walk away from impossibilities into possibilities, I walk into my victory in Christ Jesus. In Jesus mighty name I pray. AMEN! Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS 13
SIOUX FALLS AREA CHURCH EVENTS Strengthening Families Program Thursday, October 11, 2018 05:30 PM - 08:00 PM Location: First United Methodist Church 401 S. Spring Avenue Sioux Falls, SD 57104 Location Details: Carroll Institute Prevention Counselors organize the program. Event is held at First United Methodist Church (enter through Spring Ave. door). Admission: $35.00 (scholarship available) Additional scheduled dates, please call church for more information.
A Beginning Look at the End Times: why the end matters today Friday, October 12, 2018 06:00 PM - 08:30 PM Location: 3800 E 15th St. Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57103 Location Details: Admission: 14 years & above-$10 each, under 13 years is free
Encounter Worship Service Sunday, October 14, 2018 06:00 PM Location: The Point is to Serve 506 N. Kiwanis Ave. Sioux Falls, SD 57104 Location Details: Admission: 0
Partners at the Cross: With Gratitude & Hope Saturday, October 20, 2018 05:30 PM - 08:30 PM Location: 909 W. 33rd St. Sioux Falls, SD 57105 Location Details: Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls Admission: $25/adult; $200/table for 8
Love Life Christian Women's Conference Live Stream Thursday, October 25, 2018 06:00 PM - 09:00 PM Location: 401 S. Spring Avenue Sioux Falls, SD 57104 Location Details: This is a 3 day conference beginning Thursday, October 25 at 6:00 pm. Friday October 26, sessions run from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm; Saturday, October 27, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Registration fee also includes 5 meals. Admission: $60
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SIOUX FALLS AREA CHURCH EVENTS
St Michael Bazaar and Bake Sale Saturday, November 03, 2018 09:00 AM - 03:00 PM Location: St. Michael School 1600 S Marion Road Sioux Falls, SD 57106 Location Details: Admission: Free
Love Life Christian Women's Conference Live Stream Thursday, October 25, 2018 06:00 PM - 09:00 PM Location: 401 S. Spring Avenue Sioux Falls, SD 57104 Location Details: This is a 3 day conference beginning Thursday, October 25 at 6:00 pm. Friday October 26, sessions run from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm; Saturday, October 27, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Registration fee also includes 5 meals. Admission: $60
To submit your event email today! bbbtcevents@gmail.com 15
“ There’s a purpose in life for everything…” “In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you through Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 16). This verse jumped out at me last October as I was reading through a magazine I receive. At the time, our family was in the midst of a major kitchen renovation. Just imagine, 8 people, no sink, dishwasher, oven, stove, etc. Our living room became kitchen, dining and living room in one. But, in that moment, the Lord reminded me that a grateful heart is required for all the blessings He bestows (and, yes, we are completely blessed by the outcome of our new kitchen!). I didn’t realize how tough these words would be to obey in the coming months, however. A kitchen renovation is one thing, but 4 months later, our family would undergo a major trial of faith and fortitude. On February 10th, 2018, our 2nd oldest daughter, Alisha, began running a fever. Fevers in the middle of winter are a common occurrence at our home, in fact our 4 th child, Adelyn also had a fever that day. As the day wore on, however, Adelyn seemed to improve while Alisha stayed tired and lethargic. Her fever pushed up to 104.9 degrees. We called into the clinic, but with symptoms of cough and lethargy, it sounded like a typical case of the flu. We were told we could come in to diagnose it, but no treatment is available for the flu, and to bring her in if she got worse. The next day, a Sunday, Adelyn was better, but Alisha was still struggling for energy. Her fever, however, was not quite as high as the night before. So we figured, while she was very sick, her body was doing its job. Throughout Sunday night, however, Alisha did not sleep well and she ended up throwing up through the night. In the morning, she was very uncomfortable, but her fever was down even more, and I was now on the lookout for dehydration. Mid-morning I noticed that a purplish “rash” began to appear on her skin and she was complaining of muscle tightness. We tried a bath to relieve this, and the rash did subside, but she was still uncomfortable. Then suddenly her breathing become very rapid and she could no longer talk or move her legs. I loaded her into the van and rushed her to the Emergency Department at Sanford Hospital. Alisha remembers feeling calm as we drove, but I prayed the entire trip. Upon arrival at Sanford, we found she was dehydrated and had extremely low blood sugar. She perked up with fluids and sugars and was tested to find out what was causing her illness. My husband, Matt, had met us at the ED and upon seeing Alisha in this condition, immediately called our priest, Fr. Fox. Father was able to rush to the hospital and was there in about 10 minutes. He administered the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick while waiting for test results. We found out Alisha had a pneumonia in her right lung and Strep Group A (commonly known as Strep throat, although she never experienced a sore throat). We were told she was very sick and would need to be admitted to the PICU. She was taken up to the floor and within 5 minutes of arriving, she suffered a cardiac arrest. S tunned and shocked, Matt, I and Fr. Fox watched as doctors and nurses used a defibrillator twice trying to shock her heart into restarting. After two failed attempts, they began performing CPR. Every couple of minutes someone would call out, “Check pulse.” CPR compressions would cease and a moment would be spent checking for a pulse. “No pulse” would be the response and compressions would continue. As we watched and prayed, my husband and I, in our minds, had begun thinking about her funeral. While our priest was praying and texting out for prayers of others: his family, the church staff, the school children, plus an entire host of heavenly Saints and Angels, I could only muster up a prayer of pleading to God for her life. Yet, I also prayed, “Your will be done,” for, in all things, His mysterious will is always for our benefit. That prayer remains the hardest prayer I have ever had to pray. After what seemed way too long, Alisha’s doctor approached us. We assumed she would tell us that there was no hope of recovery and we needed to say goodbye. Steeling myself for this conversation, I kept up my plea with God. But what she shockingly told us is that there was hope! Realistically, not much, but there is a life-support machine called ECMO that could possibly save her life. She explained the details to us and risks, but at the time, we asked, “You said it could save her life? Is there any other hope?” Of course, this was the only way her life could be saved, and we signed the paperwork to place her on this machine, not fully understanding all of the possible ramifications that lie ahead. But, we had hope. We blessed our daughter as we walked down the hallway to an emergency operating room. Then we waited next door. We prayed a rosary with Fr. Fox as we anxiously listened. As we prayed through the joyful mysteries, the noises next door calmed down and felt less frantic. By the end, I had more peace, thinking that the noises certainly wouldn’t have calmed down if the procedure had been unsuccessful. 16
Shortly after our rosary was finished, we were updated the surgeon had been able to successfully place Alisha on ECMO. This machine was now acting as her heart and lungs, so they could rest and heal. It was not a guarantee that the heart would restart after a rest, or that the lungs could heal from the pneumonia. The rest of her major organs, brain included, could have all suffered major damage as a result of almost 60 minutes of CPR. Our only option now was to wait. The doctors told us that Alisha had most likely had the cardiac arrest as a result of an infection that attacked her heart (which was actually NOT the case), and a CT scan would need to be performed on her brain to see what damage, if any, had occurred there. If her brain showed no obvious symptoms of damage, she would be transferred to the University of Minnesota where they had more experience with infections of the heart, and most likely a transplant would be necessary. Her CT scan showed no obvious damage and U of M flew down to pick her up at about midnight, and Matt and I drove up in the cold, darkness of the middle of the night. Almost immediately upon hearing of our situation, family, friends and our church and school communities rallied around our family giving us amazing support. We were told that IF Alisha survives, she would be in Minneapolis a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks. We were blessed throughout the entire ordeal with meals, snow shoveling help, numerous gifts of necessities such as diapers and toilet paper, rides to school and help with child care for our 5 other children. The church of Christ, the Body of Christ showered love, prayers and support on our entire family. But, it was a tough road to walk, a tough cross to bear. Our beautiful, fully-alive-only -last-week 11-year-old lay in a coma. Her body was swelled to the size of a 25-year-old as a result of damage to multiple body organs. Her future completely uncertain. Our priest reminded me often that Jesus is the “lamp unto thy feet.” I needed to stay within this moment, this light He was bearing for us to see. As I tried to look further ahead on the path, the place His light doesn’t shine, the darkness and fear of that darkness is too consuming. The next few days were critical. Alisha’s body and brain continued to swell. We found out she had actually suffered Toxic Shock Syndrome from the strep infiltrating her blood stream, and not an infection in her heart (a slightly better diagnosis). Alisha was placed on continuous dialysis because her kidneys had quit functioning. Her right leg was an ugly purplish color from hip to toes, her heart was not functioning yet and the pneumonia was not subsiding. Upon arrival at U of M, they had reduced her paralyzing medications and she could respond to us by squeezing our hands or not to yes and no questions. After a day or so, her brain had swollen so much that she could no longer respond. That evening, a Thursday, Alisha’s doctor, with tears in his eyes, told us that Alisha’s possibility of recovery was unknown, but it didn’t look good. Her surgeon sat down with us to talk about all that was going against her, and he prayed with us: for Alisha, for strength for her and courage for Matt and I to make decisions that no parent wants to make. We called Fr. Fox that evening to discuss how we decide, if necessary, to take her off life support. He also encouraged us to have Alisha receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, another physical sign and spiritual grace to give her strength for whatever journey lie ahead. Matt and I spent the night in the hospital to be close, to hold Alisha’s hand, in case we had very few hours left with her, offering up our thanks for the years we had with her and the time we had left with her. Throughout the night, the nurses played Christian music and all was calm. The next morning, after an x-ray was taken of Alisha’s lungs, it was reported that the pneumonia had substantially subsided! To have improved over night as much as they did was unexpected. That day also, her heart began to improve function. We did have Alisha Confirmed on Friday, February 16th choosing a patron saint for her: St. Maria Goretti. St. Maria Goretti was 11 years old when she had died as a result of a stabbing. Alisha had been enthralled with her story when she heard it a year earlier at an event where St. Maria’s relics were present. When a seminarian friend of ours heard we were having Alisha Confirmed with the name Maria Goretti, he called Matt immediately and asked to come to the hospital with a gift. The gift was a first-class relic of St. Maria Goretti. That relic was present at the time of her Confirmation, a powerful symbol of the true intercession of the Saints that are praying with and for us in heaven. 17
Both Alisha’s heart and lungs had improved so quickly that the next day (Saturday) the doctors were turning down her ECMO support to test how her heart and lungs handled less support. It was decided after successful trials that she would be taken off ECMO on Sunday morning. That Sunday, our entire family was in Minneapolis together and we were able to celebrate mass with everyone, but Alisha. Alisha was in surgery for over 6 hours. After a long day of waiting and praying, we were told she’d been successfully removed from ECMO, and her heart and lungs were performing as expected. The first 24 hours were critical, but Alisha made it through. And by mid-week, we knew she would live. The next week Matt had to return to Sioux Falls because he is a CPA and as luck would have it, he was in the middle of tax season. He is a business owner and needed to return to work. I remained in Minneapolis for the next 6 weeks with Alisha as she recovered. As it happened, we arrived in Minneapolis the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent in the Catholic Liturgical calendar. This is a time where we offer up sufferings and sacrifices, joining them with Christ’s own suffering through His passion and death, to help accomplish the work of saving souls. As Saint Paul says, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church,” (Colossians 1:24). We can offer these up at any point in our lives, but we make a particular effort during Lent to grow in holiness before the great feast of Easter. The weeks in Minneapolis, I call my “desert” experience. Those were lonely weeks with friends and family visiting often, yet only hours at a time. Separation from my family and first trimester pregnancy symptoms (I was 5 weeks pregnant when Alisha “crashed”), allowed me to enter deeply into joining my sufferings with Christ. However, through the entire experience, I felt constantly lifted up by the prayers and love of those surrounding us. And God spoke often to my heart: through the Mass, through his Holy Word and through the words of those surrounding us, reminding me that God did not abandon me. Yet my life was far from comfortable. As the days and weeks passed on, Alisha’s health improved, however, two serious issues remained. First, her kidney function was extremely poor, resulting her in needing to be on continuous dialysis at first, and once her body could handle it, intermittent dialysis every day. The second major issue was her right leg, which had lost circulation during her prolonged CPR. The leg had returning color in the top portion, but below the knee was significantly damaged. She appeared to have frostbite from the top of her shin through her toes. This leg was causing her to have continued fevers and was a potential place for harboring infection. On March 8th, Alisha had her first amputation to remove a part of her leg below her right knee. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough healthy skin to allow the amputation to heal correctly, and she had nerve damage to her right quadricep muscle, resulting in her needing another amputation of her right leg. This time on March 22, the lower portion of her remaining right leg was removed at the knee. This second amputation actually rid Alisha’s body of infection that had developed in the “dead” portion of her leg, thus allowing her body to finally start the process of healing itself. This second amputation brought to us the unique experience of having Christian artist Matt Maher stop in Alisha’s room for a visit. Knowing Mr. Maher was performing in Minneapolis that evening, we had sought out friends of friends to see if he might be able to make a visit with Alisha. We were blessed with two songs and a prayer during his time with her. This is definitely one of the more fun experiences we had in Minneapolis! After six weeks in the hospital in Minneapolis, on Good Friday (the Friday before Easter), Alisha transferred back to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls. It was glorious to be home for Easter, even if Alisha was still not entirely home. She spent 2 weeks at Sanford and two more at LifeScape Rehabilitation Hospital. Finally, on April 27, we brought Alisha home. We were excited to have our entire family back in our home. However, Alisha and myself, and to some degree all of our family, experienced depression. 18
Coming home, Alisha realized how much work she had to do to begin to get back to normal. Her residual limb on her right leg needed to heal before the prosthesis process could begin. Plus, she needed to gain back the strength she had lost through weeks and weeks of restriction in a hospital bed. Alisha, by this time, was refusing to eat and was fed by formula through an NG tube, her kidneys were still failed, and we had found out that she had lost all vision in her right eye (another result of loss of blood flow during CPR). Life was the hardest and most overwhelming it had ever felt as we walked through this transition. One of the most difficult crosses for us to bear was the loss of Alisha’s kidney function. We had been told for a very long time that it should return, even if the kidneys received damage, they should begin to function again. We were told they are the first organ to go and the last to come back. But, as the weeks stretched into months, the hope of their returned function began to diminish. By the end of May (3+ months without significant improvement), we were referred back to U of M for a kidney transplant evaluation. We prayed for healing and acceptance of God’s will. The more we learned about transplants, the more we still hoped for return function. I was also nervous about returning to the U of M as the hospital and location in general held so many sad and lonely memories for me. But, in the middle of June, we returned. We were blessed to see several of the doctors and nurses that had treated Alisha while there. It was actually a very healing trip for me, especially since Alisha was healing and her depression had been subsiding (as had mine). Alisha was approved for transplant and we began telling our story and asking friends and family to consider donating a kidney. We still prayed for healing, but also for God’s will and a call for selfsacrifice from friends and family to help bring our daughter to health. At this point, Alisha was still on hemo-(or intermittent) dialysis 3 times a week. This is a process that does the work of the kidneys. It removes blood from the body, filters it clean and then replaces it. The process for Alisha took three and a half hours, three days a week. We decided to place a peritoneal dialysis catheter in her. This would allow us to run her dialysis treatments in a different way at home each evening. At the end of June, Alisha underwent another surgery to place this port into her abdomen. It would take a couple of weeks for this to heal and then a couple of weeks to train in its use. Our hope was to have her running consistently at home by the time school started in mid-August. At the beginning of July, Alisha was approved to get her first prosthetic leg. Amazingly, Alisha was able to actually walk out of the clinic the day she first tried her prosthesis! Such a joy to watch your child walking again! This was a huge milestone, but the Lord had even more in store for our family. Also, at the beginning of July Alisha’s kidney lab numbers suddenly began to improve, and she began to have less fluid retention (i.e. she was going to the bathroom more often, a VERY good thing!). On July 13, Alisha received her last dialysis treatment. Two months past that treatment, her numbers are still within normal range, and she is considered to have Chronic Kidney Failure Stage 2, a condition that allows her to live a very normal life, simply monitoring kidney activity every couple of months. In the meantime, however, God wasn’t finished with His blessings. He even supplied for us a matching donor for Alisha’s kidney should she ever need a transplant in the future (her nephrologist says puberty can be tough on kidneys so she will be monitored close through that stage in life). After a long summer of dialysis, and once all ports were removed, Alisha was finally able to go swimming over Labor Day weekend. Swimming is one of Alisha’s favorite activities, something she hadn’t been able to do because of the risk of infection. When Alisha left Minneapolis after her 2nd amputation, her number one goal was to walk into school on the first day. Proudly, on August 20th, 5 months after her amputation, she did just that. She also recently made another goal of walking a full mile for her school’s annual Walk-A-Thon Fundraiser. She will be running before we know it! Alisha continues with physical and occupational therapy, kidney appointments, and a few other issues here and there. But for the most part, she is a normal 6th grader. We do give thanks to the Lord for His blessings, but also for the pain. Our perspective on life is much different. We recently had water in the basement, and for a moment, I was devastated at all the work to be accomplished and at the end of my pregnancy too. But, I remembered these past several months, and gave thanks that our damage was very minimal. We await the birth of our new baby with anticipation of a new beginning and grateful hearts that we will ALL have the joy of sharing this new life together!
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YOUR INTERNET HELPS TO KIDNAP YOUR CHILD by Eugene Lopatynsky
With INTERNET you enable criminals to communicate with and have direct access to your kids, completely outside your own awareness. Is it surprising if kids are disobedient, ungrateful, rebellious? Are not real devils raising your kids? Giving internet to your children opens them to the entire LUCIFERIAN PHANTASY MACHINE and increasingly to abduction, luring them with promises, secretly, into parks or streets at night. Once gone you are not likely to see them ever again. We live now in the times of 2 Tim 3: 1-5, in dangerous times. Look it up. Keep internet, computer and cell phones out of their hands. Keep in mind that kids under 6 -7 years old accept media information and attitudes almost or completely hypnotically. They have no defense or screening capacity and most remain vulnerable to great extent till a world view does crystalize, usually near 17 to 20 years of age. . If you allow devils to raise your kids, then at that age it becomes too late. THE REMEDY IS SIMPLY TO TURN OFF MASS MEDIA AND TURN ON YOUR OWN PROGRAMMING: YOUR OWN SELECTION OF DVD’S, MUSIC AND INSPIRATIONAL PROGRAMS. Start by saving your favorite DVD’s and purchase Christian recordings you like. This will become very important, especially if you have impressionable children In strict traditional Christian homes only selected DVD and Musical libraries are provided, without any access to cable programming or Luciferian input through radio, TV or cell phone computers. The resulting peace and freedom from stress and neurosis are remarkable. Some say that the incidence of cancer declines as well, because some of these modern traps (electronics) give off radiation. Home Schooling your kids is becoming increasingly a “must” for Christian families. Investigate Christian sources providing all the materials and test answers for you to chck. Avoid like a plague the brutal, satanized public “education” and the disastrous influence of bad “friends”. The Establishment will tell you that kids need to interact with a public school environment. Don’t ever believe it. What they need is to be far from it. Two hours of home schooling is usually equivalent to 20 hours of school “instruction”. Home schooling can also be shared with another Christian family or with grandparents. Understanding discipline is essential. Whom will you believe? The Luciferians or God? The only discipline the average kid gets at school is the immorality, violence and brutal beatings and hazing of their peers. Some even committed suicide as a result. Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther foresaw much of this: “I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth”. Share everything with your kids, your work too, if you can, after HOME SCHOOLING and after their assigned chores and workload. Money allowances teach kids to be parasites. Assign duties to them and pay them for it. Teach them a concept of responsibility and holding a job. Only siblings or known Christian kids are permitted to play with each other, off and on. We live in a world of increasing divorces, destroyed families and virtually abandoned children. Most of us are turning increasingly to internet for communication. LAMENTABLY so do the satanic predators, professional whores, robbers, drug dealers and child traffickers of this world. Many specialize in targeting children. Introduce the kids very early to the love and guidance of our God. This is actually the most important step of all. Our world is turning emotionally colder all the time. This applies double to lonesome kids, lost in a moral holocaust. Not only our happiness here, but, more importantly, our eternity is at stake. Introduce your kids early to the love of God. Use a short, daily Bible Study. Explain to them, how with infinite love God gave us a Savior, to pay our penalty and a Bible, a guide and light on our path!
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The Bible is a love story; written with blood, upon a wooden cross; the story of God’s love for you. Men are not lost because they are sinners; they are lost because they have rejected Jesus who died for them. Even if you go into a lost eternity and have not accepted Christ, He died for you, and you simply made His sacrifice for you of no avail. You have trodden underfoot the blood of your Savior. Any CONCEIVABLE sacrifice in this world is worthwhile just to find Jesus and to belong to Him! If you want Him, pray now with me, "DEAREST LORD JESUS, FORGIVE ME MY SINS. COME INTO MY LIFE AND BE THE RULER OF MY LIFE. HELP ME TO LOVE YOU MORE EVERY DAY AND TO READ YOUR BIBLE DAILY, EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE." I f you do this, and mean it, with an open heart, this prayer will never fail. It will become the greatest thing you will ever have, and it will last forever. Even in this life it will be the greatest happiness you’ll know, and a light upon your path. Conversely, to FAIL in this, will be the GREATEST DISASTER you will ever have, both here and hereafter. After this, clean up your life with the Bible. Check out the guide in “How to read the Bible and clean up your life” in www.remnantonly.info (under “Discipling Bible Studies”, on Bar). It’s made for you. How about organizing a “Bible Group”, a home Bible Study, once a week? Invite your friends and neighbors. Invite speakers from your church. Then give a Biblical subject to each participant and have him or her research it and teach in Bible class on a rotational basis. A family study can continue every day. Every member could bring a verse to explore. Add a discussion group about personal problems and try to help. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Sioux Falls Has Homeless Teenagers? Axis180 The program provides young adults ages 16-21, the opportunity to transition out of unsafe environments into safe, supportive environment while they learn the skills necessary to succeed on their own. Specifically, the program assists participants with education completion, employment training and placement, financial management skills, daily living skills, and interpersonal skills. The Axis180 Program offers:
• • • • • • • •
Safe, affordable housing Life skills education and training Interpersonal skill building Education completion Job preparation skills Mental and physical health care Case management 24-hour crisis on-call
The goal of Axis180 is to assist homeless young people in making a successful transition to self-sufficiency, prevent long-term dependency on the social services system, and provide an option for older youth who need assistance in transitioning into adulthood.
For More Information Volunteers of America 605 274-0584
ilpp@voa-dakotas.org 21
In a forgotten part of town, overrun by a ruthless gang; a community struggles with its faith, as they see their neighborhoods torn-apart and their youth targeted for gang recruitment. But all that is about to change. Co—Directors: Paco Aguilar & Hector Echavarria
Writer: Hector Echavarria Stars: Kevin Sorbo, T. C. Stallings, Taylor Kalupa
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OCTOBER 1
2
3
4
5
6
Luke 1;
Matthew 1;
Matthew 2;
Matthew 3;
Matthew 4;
Matthew 4;
John 1:1-14
Luke 2:1-38
Luke 2:39-52
Mark 1; Luke 3
Luke 4-5;
Luke 4-5;
John 1:15-51
John 1:15-51
12
13 Matthew 11
7
8
9
10
11
John 2-4
Mark 2
John 5
Matthew 12:1-21; Matthew 5-7
Matthew 8:1-13;
Mark 3;
Luke 7
Luke 6 14
15
16
17
18
19
20
John 6
Matthew 15;
Matthew 12:22-50; Matthew 13;
Matthew 8:14-34; Matthew 9-10
Matthew 14;
Luke 11
Mark 4-5
Mark 6;
Luke 8
Mark 7
Luke 9:1-17
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
Matthew 16;
Matthew 17;
Matthew 18
John 7-8
John 9:1-41;
Luke 10-11;
Luke 12-13
Mark 8;
Mark 9;
John 10:1-21
John 10:22-42
Luke 9:18-27
Luke 9:28-62
28
29
30
31
Luke 14-15
Luke 16;
John 11
Luke 17:11-37;
Luke 17:1-10
Luke 18:1-14
Do you have an event coming up? Let Be Bold Be the Change help spread the word!! Each month Be Bold Be the Change includes a special section to highlight local area church events and Bible Studies. So whether you have a craft fair or support group, youth event, or any other church related event, you can reach the masses through Be Bold Be the Change. To find out more about spreading the word on your event contact us today: bbbtcevents@gmail.com
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SEPT. 26 – NOV. 4 Silent Prayer Vigil - Public Sidewalk 6511 W. 41st St.—In Front of Planned Parenthood For More Information Contact - Douglas Lais - 507-358-3981 OR douglais48@gmail.com Speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves. Look for the nearest location and get involved! 24