This weekend we focused upon our missionary emphasis as a church. We asked Rev. Bob Smith to speak to us because he has a passion for reaching the down-and-outers in the city. We have the same caliber people in Waterloo, Auburn, Butler, Hamilton, St. Joe, Garrett and Kendallville, who desperately need someone to apply the gospel to their lives. You know some of them. They keep wanting someone else to fix their problems. Who will boldly point them to Jesus?
Give us your response to this weekend service. Did you appreciate the skit, hearing from [Name Withheld for Security], enjoy the worship time, and were you moved by the message?
A boy was playing with his pet turtle when all at once the turtle turned blue, fell over on his back and lay motionless. Upset, the boy ran in to tell his father. The father, an award-winning salesman, sized up the situation, put the turtle in a little box, and proceeded to share his faith with his son. He told of the joys of eternal life and the beauty of surrounding the heavenly throne in his most convincing sales manner. He also told about the marvelous wake that they would hold for the late departed turtle, and that the boy could invite his friends over for ice cream and cake.
During the talk the boy gradually brightened up. Seeing this, the father decided to close by inviting the boy out to bury the turtle. When they arrived outside and opened the box there was the turtle walking around as if nothing had happened.
With a cheery glow on his face, the boy looked up at his father and said, “Dad, let’s kill him!”
Tags: celebration, death, humor, resurrection, turtle
First Baptist Church of Manayunk in Philadelphia purchased an old abandoned house next to the church to expand its parking lot back in the late 1960s. For more years than anyone could remember, a bed of Daffodils (Easter Lillies) had bloomed to welcome each new Spring.
The construction company contracted to tear down the building and to pave the new lot did so in the Fall, so no thought was given to the old flower bed which was leveled off and covered over with eight inches of black asphalt or tarmac. A huge roller then came in and compacted the asphalt down to four inches of rock hard pavement. Everyone enjoyed the new parking lot and soon forgot about the old house and garden. That was, they forgot about it until Spring. The first thing noticed was that an area of asphalt was cracking upward and then just in time for Easter, those dormant, buried and forgotten daffodils burst forth, right up through the pavement to bloom and celebrate the Resurrection.
Nothing could hold those daffodils back, nothing could hold Jesus in the grave, and nothing will hinder the resurrection of the dead some day. I’m gonna stay ready.
Tags: daffodils, life, resurrection
When someone dies, we tend to shy away. We don’t know what to say. We don’t know how to comfort. A widow once wrote to Abigail Van Buren with this experienced advice on what to say when someone passes:
“What I always liked about ________ was ______________________.”
“I’ll never forget the time he and I _________________________.”
“May I take the kids to the beach today?”
“Its OK. Tell me about _______________.”
“I just phoned to say hello.”
“Tuesday will be a tough day for you. May we spend it together?”
“I thought you might need a hug, or someone to hold your hand today.”
“You don’t have to hide your tears.”
“I’d love to trim bushes (etc). May I do it for you?”
The worst thing to say is nothing. Show people you care; that’s all they want.
Tags: death
The Department of Social Services in Greenville County, South Carolina, sent the following letter:
“Your food stamps will be stopped, effective immediately, because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.”
Does this mean that the official South Carolina government officially endorses the possibility of life after death? I doubt it. It was likely a simple oversight. How could a person who is deceased possibly reapply when their circumstances change? Once a person has died, then comes the judgment. We get no second chances and there is no reincarnation.
The importance of that is so we will remember to make life count the first time around. Make your life count today.
Tags: death, mistakes, resurrection
A man went on vacation to the Holy Land with his wife and mother-in-law. Halfway through their trip, the mother-in-law died. So, the man went to an undertaker, who explained that they can ship the body home, but it’ll cost $5,000. Or they can bury her in the Holy Land for $150.
“We’ll ship her home,” said the son-in-law. “Are you sure?” asked the undertaker. “That’s an awfully big expense. And I can assure you we do a very nice burial here.”
“Look,” said the son-in-law, “two thousand years ago they buried a guy here, and three days later he rose from the dead. I just can’t take that chance.”
Tags: death, humor, resurrection
Our theme this weekend was ‘Spiritual Switch’. Nine people came forward Saturday night , eleven in the 9:00 service, and fifteen in the 10:30 service, to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit for power in their lives. I expected that kind of response because of the spiritual battle I sensed going on all week. Satan was not happy we were about to see people set free from their bondage.
Any thoughts on the weekend? Have you appreciated the series? What do you think of the changes we’ve made to the New Hope News? Did you like the ‘Switch’ series introductory videos with Pete the puppet? Give me your feedback.