Bo Knows

Bo Dara has a construction business called "Bo Knows"...

Bo has served on our church board a little over a year now...

His family is such a blessing to our church...

I requested his services for some necessary projects around our facility, starting with re-roofing the Lerma Center...

This Week's Bulletin

If you click on the image it will become larger... Mabye I'll scan in the weekly church bulletin once in awhile...

Zoei Toh

OH MY GOODNESS
WATCH THIS SWEET LITTLE THING SING THE LORD'S PRAYER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR4PQ30VkBk

Easter Narrative

Suddenly One Morning

The Shopkeeper's Story: An Easter Narrative

By Charles R. Swindoll

I'm a Jewish shopkeeper on the main street of Jerusalem—a serpentine road that winds lazily from the base of the Mount of Olives through both the proud and the humble sections of Jerusalem all the way to the glorious downtown temple. It's a busy street. I like that. Being a shop owner, it means a lot of people come by my place each day. People from the city. People from the country. People from small outlying villages. Having a lot of people in town means more business, and more business means more money. That's important to me.
My Avenue is the nerve center of the scuttlebutt around the city. The milling masses are noisier than ever today, too, because it's the Jewish Passover time in the city. A holiday. That means a lot more people, and a lot more business. That's good. Very good.
Hey, I just noticed that a crowd is beginning to gather right outside my shop. Looks like an unusual kind of gathering, too. They're not moving along or milling around like the normal crowds do on holidays. They're not window shopping either. This crowd has stopped. They're looking down the street. Waiting. Watching with anticipation. It's almost like the beginning of a parade. … it is a parade! Parents are leading their children by their hands. It's strange, some of the children are dragging fronds from palm trees. Dozens of them. Hundreds of them! They're waving them back and forth over their heads. Hold it. Now they're tossing them out into the street, of all things. Something really odd is happening.
"Hosanna, hosanna, Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
The children are laughing, dancing around, holding hands. Most of the older folks are smiling and shouting back and forth, "Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David!" Some people are kneeling, holding their hands up to heaven, praising God. Others are singing the songs of Zion. A few are standing back, frowning, with their arms folded … curious but questioning. Skeptical. But most are waving the palm branches. The way they're acting, you'd think a king was coming.
I shoulder my way through the thickening crowd and crane my neck for a look down the street. It's funny. All I can see is a young donkey, an awkward creature with an ordinary-looking Jewish man sitting on his back. The animal steps gingerly over those palm fronds strewn down the street. It's almost staggering along. I'm getting a better look at the man on the donkey. I find myself magnetically captured by his face. I wonder if he's been in my shop before? And so I reach over, tap my friend on the shoulder and ask, "Who is this?"
"Oh, haven't you heard? That's the Nazarene—you know, the prophet from Nazareth. He used to be a carpenter."
Suddenly I realize he's right in front of me. He smiles kindly, and he gives a very gentle wave in my direction. He then nods in recognition. Well, I'm a good businessman, so I wave and smile back. But those eyes! Honestly, I've never seen eyes like that before. The closest thing to them was when I met with my tax collector two weeks ago. It's like he's looking right to the back of my cranium. His stare bores a hole into my skull. But these eyes are different than that. Mesmerizing. Piercing. Probing. But full of acceptance and compassion. It's almost as if his nod is saying, "I understand you. I know you." Who is this Nazarene carpenter-turned-prophet on the back of that donkey? And why is he waving at me? What does he see in me? His gaze inflames my very soul!
I lower my eyes, unable to meet his knowing gaze any longer. I feel exposed somehow. Vulnerable. Unnerved. My heart is thumping in my ears. Why would a simple carpenter's gaze arouse such deep feelings in me?
As the small beast stumbles on, the crowd folds in behind, as people do at the end of a parade. Women and children are reaching out, trying to touch just the hem of his robe.
Suddenly he stops and looks around. "Who touched me?" he asks.
Who touched him! Half the people in town have touched him. But wait. He obviously means someone special, and not just the pressing crowd. I work my way closer to hear what he's saying. An older woman makes her way to the donkey. "I touched you, Lord," she says.
"I felt the power go out of me," he smiles, placing his hand gently against her cheek.
"Have mercy, Lord," she says, kneeling before him.
"Your faith has made you whole. Shalom."
I heard later that the woman had been sick for many years. But after she touched this man on the donkey, she was never sick like that again. Instantly, she was healed! Just by touching him. What kind of power did he have? How could that man on the donkey heal someone of such a lengthy disease with only a touch?
Another day passes.
Diotrephes walks in my shop with a swagger, and blurts out, "Well, they got him. They finally got the Galilean. One of his own turned him in."
"The carpenter?"
"Yep, they got him. I knew it would happen. You know who turned him in? A Judean. I knew it. Galileans are pretty thick, you know. The rest of his followers are Galilean. But that Judean saw right through him. He's one of Simon's sons. His name is Judas. In fact, it served him right. He and his bunch were doing weird things. You're supposed to pray in the synagogue, right? But he's out there in the middle of the night with his followers praying in that park down at Gethsemane. (Anything can happen down there, you know?)
"So what happens? A mob comes. They have torches, and they're wearing swords. One guy cuts another's ear off. It almost got out of control. But they got him.
I wonder what the Nazarene is doing right now? I can't put it together. So I ask, "What are they doing with him? Where is he? Where are they holding him?"
"Well, my source says he's on trial for his life. They say he's been on trial throughout the night. That's not supposed to be kosher, but they did it because they're in a hurry to get him crucified. If they asked me, I'd say 'Crucify him!' Well, I've got to get back to my shop. See you later."
"Yeah … later."
Crucified? It strains my mind. The word is "murdered." Pure and simple. An inhuman, degrading, morbid taking of another's life. Why would they want to crucify someone so kind and caring? How could anyone do that?
Suddenly I have a mental flashback to when I was seventeen years old, the last time I visited that hill called "place of the skull." I can still remember a couple of convicted men hanging on Roman spikes until they slumped in death. My only thought: I'll never look at this again. It was worse than the most gruesome horror story I'd ever heard. I couldn't imagine how one human being could do that to another, no matter what the crime. It was indecent. Humiliating. Wretched. That's why I wondered if they would really do that to the Nazarene. What could he have done to deserve that? He seemed so straightforward. So harmless.
Lunch time. I reach under the counter and pull out my hand-painted "Closed" sign. I surprise my workers by telling them to take the afternoon off. Once they leave, I hang the sign on the door and then, to my own amazement, I start making my way towards the center of town.
Why am I doing this? I feel as if some irresistible force is drawing me to this horror, like a moth drawn to fire. I should just turn and go home. I shouldn't get involved in such things. It's bad for business.
Still, I don't turn back. I realize I can't turn back. It isn't long before I find myself in the mob of people now flowing along like a rapidly moving river through the city gates and along the city wall outside. I suddenly remember where it is, this hill of horrors, this mount of mourning. There are some profane names for it that are thrown around by the rabble of the city. But I can't bring myself to repeat even one of them.
Finally I arrive at the dreaded hill, and I'm careful to keep my distance, because Golgotha is an eerie place. Besides, I don't want any of my customers to see me there. So I yank my head covering forward to hide my face. Three rugged crosses stand silhouetted against the sky.
Pushed forward by the morbidly curious crowd, I find myself getting closer and closer to the top of the hill. I try to pull back, but I can't because the crowd is too thick. Suddenly, sounds of torture fill the air. I hear one of the criminals, on the side cross, screaming out cursings against God, and that's offensive to me. My stomach turns.
Stop! Stop! my mind is shouting. But I remain silent. I can't speak.
I notice that the thief on the other side cross says very little. His face is twisted in pain, but it's almost as though he's resigned to die. But there … in the middle … under a sign that reads "King of the Jews" … that's him! That's the one who looked at me so kindly. Oh, no.
I can't see his eyes now. His face is so swollen that they're just little slits. I make my way slowly around behind his cross and look at his back. It resembles raw meat, draining with blood, oozing down that stocky piece of rough timber. Again my stomach lurches at the pitiful sight. I can't imaging his agony.
As I come around to the front of the cross again, my heart freezes. Talk about brutality—those are thorns on his head! Somebody has made a crude crown of thorns and jammed it down on his head! The blood has drained down into his eyes. He blinks it away, and for an instant his pain-filled eyes lock with mine. And what do I see for that moment? Hatred? Fear? No! I see compassion. Calm. Pleading. Love! Then the pain mixed with blood forces him to squeeze his eyes shut again.
He moans something.
He's uttering the words of a prayer: 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?' Something like that."
Why does he say that? He must be heartbroken. He feels totally deserted. Alone. It's almost as if he has been forsaken and forgotten. I remember last Sabbath when the rabbi spoke about all kinds of people who will come and pretend to be the Messiah. Is this one of those impostors? Is this man pretending? The rabbi used the scroll of Isaiah to describe what the Messiah would be like. He pictured him as a powerful military king—one who would overthrow the miserable Roman yoke! But this man hasn't done that. So, could he be the Messiah? Or, wonder of wonders, could the rabbi possibly be mistaken? I'm really confused now.
Somebody in the cluster where I'm standing whispers, "Did you hear about the suicide last night?"
"No."
"Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus, hanged himself."
Why? I wonder. What's happening? Time was when life in my city was so simple. I sold my goods, ran an honest shop, and aside from putting up with Diotrephes next door, life was pretty simple. No longer! Now here's a simple and kind man on the back of an ordinary donkey, surrounded by everyone shouting, "Hail, Son of David!" But now those same people are crying, "Crucify him!" His proclaimed followers aren't following him anymore. And the one who turned him in to the authorities has hanged himself. There's something very wrong here. Some powerful spirits must surely be at work here somehow. What's going on?
Again, through swollen, cracked lips, he speaks: "I am thirsty."
One of the soldiers below the cross, gambling for his garment, stops and looks up. He sticks his spear in a sponge and in a bucket of vinegar and wine and pushes it up to his face, cutting him on the cheek.
Roman swine! Wasn't he in enough pain already? Get away from him. Just leave him alone.
Jesus sadly turns his face away, refusing to drink the pain-killing liquid. My heart breaks for him. Without a word, he then turns to spit out some of the blood that has begun to hemorrhage from his mouth.
Taking a breath, he whispers in a raspy voice, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing."
I can't believe my ears! I move in a little closer to the cross. What did he say? Could he actually be forgiving the very men who crucified him? Did he call God "Father"? Some say he's the Son of God. If he really is, he would call God "Father," wouldn't he? He certainly is no ordinary man. Who could forgive his own murderers? Who could look into the eyes of his brutal killers with compassion and love? What incredible power and control he has! Wait. He's speaking again. I take another step closer to the cross so as not to miss his words.
"It is finished!"
I frown. What's finished? I look to my left, and about four people over from me is his mother with her hands on her tear-stained cheeks. Standing next to her is a friend somebody told me is John, one of his most faithful disciples. How cruel. Hard enough for a mother to give birth to a child, but to watch him die at such a young age. He can't be but thirty, thirty-five years old. But she's standing there drowning in grief nonetheless.
His comment, "It is finished," bothers me. I worry over it like a dog worries with a bone. I can't unravel the mystery. Why didn't he simply say, "I am dying"? The last time I heard that particular expression used was by one of those two carpenters who was finishing my shop, back a dozen years ago. Maybe it's a carpenter's term. It's like he's worked to the end of a project, and at the very bottom, when he's checked the last thing off, it's all complete. It's done. It is finished. And he swipes his hands together and walks away to pick up his pay and go on to the next job. Maybe that's it. It's as if he's saying, "Mission accomplished." But wait a minute … what mission? The sky has gotten dark since I've been standing here. Strangely dark. It's not supposed to be dark at three in the afternoon. What phenomenon is this? Could it have anything to do with him? As he pulls himself up once again to speak, I move even closer to him to listen.
"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!"
I notice that blood streams out of his mouth and runs down his neck as he pushes those words out of his throat. Immediately, he slumps down, tearing the flesh around his wrists and feet. I can't stand that sound! It's awful! And yet, somehow, I can't bring myself to move away from the cross. His graciousness, even in death, holds me to him like wet clay stuck to a potter's wheel.
Sometime later I heard that an intriguing thing happened at the downtown temple. That enormous, thick tapestry curtain between the holy and holiest of all, where no citizen will ever be able to go, ripped from top to bottom! But that seems impossible—it's a hundred feet high and woven to four inches thick, according to the instructions of God himself. How could it rip at all, much less from top to bottom? They'll never be able to repair it. And strangest of all—they say it happened at the exact moment he died and the sun went black. Amazing. Could it be coincidence? Or … divine coordination?
But what really gets my attention are the words of a hardened soldier who has been on so many crucifixion details he can't even remember what number this one is. He stops and looks at the stones, sees the tombs open, and says with tears in his eyes as he looks up into the swollen face of the carpenter, bruised, battered, and now dead, "This was the Son of God." It's like he was admitting, "We've killed an innocent man." That does it! I can never erase those words from my mind again. I'm trembling with acceptance and mind-stretching awareness. He really was the Son of God!
Hours pass slowly, dragging on to the Sabbath. Nevertheless, I can't get the words, "It is finished" off my mind. His swollen but forgiving face swims through my thoughts over and over again, distracting me, disturbing me. My sleep is nervous … restless.
All of a sudden, just before dawn of the first day of the week, I'm jolted awake by a shuttering racket. The hard dirt floor of my little place cracks apart from one wall to the other, and the furniture begins to creak and crawl across the shaking room. Another earthquake … an aftershock, no doubt. The first one finally stops, then another begins. Then another … and another. What in the world is happening?
My little, raven-haired four-year-old Rachel runs in crying. She crawls into my lap for protection. Afraid of the shaking floor and rattling dishes, she clings tightly to me. In truth, I'm frightened, too. So I find comfort in comforting my precious child.
Suddenly this morning I find myself reviewing my life and remembering an event that transpired three years ago. It flashes across my mind, uninvited, unwanted, but unavoidable. There was this preacher. Strange fellow. Wore weird clothes. Ate weird food. Preached out in the wilderness. Baptized a lot of folks, as I recall. John. His name was John, wasn't it? I remember someone's telling me of a time when he once saw Jesus coming toward him and said to those he'd baptized, "Look! Look over there! Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world."
Lamb! Lamb of God! "He was led like a lamb to the slaughter." This morning it's beginning to dawn on me what that was all about. I've seen numerous lambs offered at the altars. Perfect lambs. Only perfect ones will do. Blood from the lamb's slit throat is held in a saucer. And that blood becomes the sacrificial atonement, that which provides forgiveness from sin. It's the substitute for the sin of the penitent. The whole picture suddenly comes clear to me: That's it! That's what it is! Jesus, God's perfect Lamb, sacrificed on that cross for the sins of the world—mine. Now, at last, I get it. He was the perfect Lamb, God's promised Messiah, and he paid the penalty for my sins! Paid it in full.
I weep with joy.
The earthquake stops as suddenly as it had begun. And it all begins to make sense. It finally falls into place. This earthquake is like God's answering "Amen" to Jesus' words from the cross: "It is finished." Mission accomplished. The penalty has been paid. The sacrifice has been made. People will never again have to die for their sins. The Lamb has been slain once for all.
It isn't long before someone in my shop mentions that his body has disappeared from the tomb. I realize it hasn't disappeared. Not really. Jesus has been raised from the dead! God is saying, "Amen. It is done. It's finished. He is alive forevermore!"
Suddenly one spring morning I'm alive—more alive than I've ever been before in my entire life. Tears spill down my cheeks, and I hug my little Rachel with eternal relief and overwhelming joy. Alive! He's alive! I can get to know him. I can talk to him. I can thank him for what he's done for me. I can follow him. Really follow him. I can be alive forevermore too! Hallelujah!
Suddenly one morning my life has been transformed by Jesus, who was once my carpenter but is now my Savior. Oh, what a glorious morning this is!

Community Easter Sunrise Service SO GOOD

Pastor Brian from the presbyterian church opened with prayer...
Pastor Dan from the community church led us in songs of worship...
Pastor Mike from foots creek chapel took an offering for the pregnancy care center...
Robin from the PCC shared her testimony...
My Parents sang "when He was on the cross I was on his mind"...
and
My Sermon Notes:


I always start my sermons with something funny…
A man feared his wife was not hearing as well as she used to, and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family doctor to discuss the problem. The doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband could perform to give the doctor a better idea about her hearing loss.
“Here’s what you do,” said the doctor. “Stand about 40 feet away from her and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response.”
That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he was in the den. He thought to himself, “I’m about 40 feet away. Let’s see what happens.” In a normal tone he asks, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” No response.
So the husband moves closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his wife, and repeats, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” Still no response.
Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 20 feet from his wife and asks, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” Again, no response.So, he walks up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away. “Honey, what’s for dinner?” Again, there is no response.
So he walks right up behind her. “Honey, what’s for dinner?”
“BOB, for the 5th time, WE’RE HAVING CHICKEN!”
So, everybody clear the goo from your neighbors ear
Let’s spend a few minutes being challenged by God’s Word
When I was asked to speak for the community Sunrise Service, I asked for some time to pray about it before I said yes…When I asked the LORD for direction…Romans 8:11 began to burn in my heart…so I quickly answered yes to the call…

Some consider the numerous Bible translations of our day confusing…
I look at it as a wonderful tool, enriching study…
The original texts are so rich, some things may be lost in meaning during translation…
So I enjoy the comparing and contrasting of different translations to never miss the deep rich meaning of the text…
Because I am no Hebrew and greek scholar…
For that you would have to sit under Pastor Brian or Dan, maybe even Mike…
Romans 8:11 (Amplified Bible)
11And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11 (New Life Version)
11 The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. If the same Holy Spirit lives in you, He will give life to your bodies in the same way.
Romans 8:11 (The Message)
9-11But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!

Find Stand Read Pray
Romans 8
Life Through the Spirit
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in sinful man,[d] 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man[e] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind[f] is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

If I dig very deep into the work of the Holy Spirit
We may come across some issues we disagree on
But I’m pretty sure we all agree none of us would be a believer today if it weren’t for The Spirit drawing men to salvation!
When we believe on the Lord Jesus we begin this amazing journey of being filled with the Spirit of the living God
And everyday we walk in the Spirit finding deeper dimensions of a Holy God
If that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you, watch out…He’s quickening your mortal body for a life of abundant living
Ok I don’t want to start sounding like a tv evangelist
or a crazy Pentecostal
ya’ll might never let me share at a community event again
Sillyness aside

This Easter Sunday Morning I think the Lord has three questions to ask of us from this passage in Romans 8?
(trying to be a good preacher and have my 3 points)

1. Are you living in condemnation?
(condemning yourself, condemning others, conviction of the Spirit vs. condemnation)
John 3:16,17…(funerals, witnessing)

2. What is your mind set on?
Battlefield of the mind
WHATEVER (series: phil 4:8)
true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent

3. Who or what do you belong to? Who or what are you controlled by?
Do you know what it’s like to be quickened by the Spirit?
Allowing him to comfort counsel guide
Or are you controlled by circumstances or habits
What do you turn to when things get hard
Cookies or God?
I think the Living Christ, Our Father in Heaven, the gentle Spirit is worth belonging to, worth being controlled by
much better than any addiction or habit here on earth
Hello' that same power that raised Christ is available for us…
This easter revel in Romans 8

Don't Miss All The Fun: Family Night, Wednesdays 7pm: Youth Group, Adult Bible Study, Kids Club

Community Easter Sunrise Service

Imsorry to inform you that you will have to endure your pastor preaching twice this Easter. The pastors of the community had a short lapse in judgment and asked me to preach for the community easter sunrise service. I better drink lots of coffee cause 7am is early for me...

Romans 8:11 is burning in my heart, this will be the main text...But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you...

oops the date is wrong on the poster NOT APRIL BUT MARCH 23!

Newsboys Concert

We had our youth staff meeting after church last Sunday.

I am so thankful for the wonders God is putting around this church!

Bo and Cindy and Kathy and Misma and Holly and Rusty and Zach and Cliff and....

Anyway, we have committed to try to have a fun event for the youth group once a month, BUT it's quickly becoming more...

Some upcoming dates: Uth Award Ceremony (for the discipleship program we've been committed to) April 6, Scavenger Hunt April 16, Newsboys Concert April 24, Silver Ring Thing May 9...

I am so thankful all these Christian Music Artists have been coming to Medford...I didn't have that luxury growing up in Rogue River...

Kids Mega Sleepover

I am so thankful for our wonderful childrens director who is working so hard to create an excellent ministry for our beautiful kids...

I keep hearing how Sunday Morning kids church just keeps getting better and better...

And Mrs. Shelli doesn't just stop there...She's planning fun events to reach out to the community...

Palm Sunday Sermon

A child was told to write a book report on the entire Bible...
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did. Then God made the world He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars. Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something. One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check. After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat. Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable. God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother. One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me. After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed upon the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them. After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the New Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn, too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.') During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Republicans. Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Republicans and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead. Any way's, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution..

Well, now let’s see if we can get serious after that…
Happy Palm Sunday!
Whenever we hit Spring and think about Easter
I am always reminded…
The same people who paraded Jesus thru the streets waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna
Are the same people who cried Crucify Him a few short days later…
And today,
in this room
some of us are yelling crucify
some of us are yelling hosanna
It’s a choice
Enter into His courts with praise or anger
demanding why questions or trusting Him anyway

But that is not my sermon today
Today we begin a new sermon series entitled…
INTEGRITY: CREATING HEALTHY BOUNDARIES
The LORD threw this in my lap last week
and said preach it
Our first Focus must be
NEVER CONSIDER YOURSELF ABOVE TEMPTATION
JAMES 1

If the devil can’t keep you from becoming a Christian then he’s gonna work at making you a bad Christian
The enemy loves it when Christians become smug
He throws a party when Christians get infected with a superiority complex
Because Pride goes before the fall
If you ever believe you are above temptation, watch out

You’ve heard it said
What’s the last thing that goes through a bugs mind when it hits your windshield?
the answer is…it’s behind…splat
(some of you are very proud of me for not saying butt)
yes, Christian if you consider yourself above temptation…splat
So we need accountability
We need safeguards
We need to create Healthy boundaries
and nobody teaches us where to start like good ole James

FIRST OF ALL
When are you most tempted to sin?
When are you at your weakest?
Think about where James begins
Count it all joy when you fall into various trials…
Isn’t it true that when life gets ruff, stuff happens
We want to turn to that sin that so easily entangles
and it’s fun for a season
but then when it’s full grown James says it gives birth to death
So…
1. COUNT IT ALL JOY

A simple change of mind-set can free you from temptation
Instead of turning to the bottle you turn to worship
Instead of eating that whole bag of cookies you get your praise on
When the trial comes you thank the LORD
and suddenly your BLESSED and given the strength to endure…
I encourage you to memorize James 1:12…
BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO ENDURES TEMPTATION; FOR WHEN HE HAS BEEN APPROVED, HE WILL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE WHICH THE LORD HAS PROMISED TO THOSE WHO LOVE HIM…

When we begin to whine
feel sorry for ourselves
develop a victim mentality
we become weaker and weaker
But when we count it all joy
thanks praise worship adoration hope
temptation loses it’s power over us

Secondly
James tells us to shut up
He’s gotta lot of nerve
So then my beloved bretheren let every man be swift to hear slow to speak and slow to wrath
Anger is very much linked with a mouth out of control
Think about it
How many times have you fueled your own anger
getting hotter and hotter about whatever
with your mouth spueing
If you will just close the mouth
The anger will subside
You want to know how to stand firm against temptation
To practice integrity
Don’t go one day without being in the WORD
Faith comes by hearing the word of God
So…
2. Be Swift to Hear

And James doesn’t stop there
Don’t just practice your daily ritual of devotions
Of reading your Bible and praying and then leaving it on the shelf while you go live your day
NO, practice what you have learned
Nike has it right JUST DO IT
Don’t deceive yourselves
Don’t just read your bible
Live your Bible
So…
3. Be doers of the word

Count it all joy
Swift to hear
Doer of the word
These kind of commitments
Can create healthy boundaries
Can make one integrous
I think I just made up a word
integrous…full of integrity
it’s in a special dictionary I will be producing
along with every other tongue tied adventure ya’ll have endured the last 4 years…

It is very important that as we begin this series on integrity
We understand that the best case scenario is a mere grasp
We never will create a fool-proof system of boundaries that will enable perfection
But that doesn’t mean we don’t try
I think Jim White said it best
when he wrote of reducing spirituality to moral benchmarks…

Incredible Harmony

The Vanguard Women's Chorus was such a blessing!

Before the concert Holly and Melisma (our friend who just moved to Rogue River, YEAH) served them dinner...

Last night's concert was so worshipful, the acapella numbers were like ingesting PEACE!

The host homes wished they had more fun-time to connect!

Christian Life School really enjoyed the songs the ladies sang for them this morning: interactive, with motions and everything!

God's Yellow Pages

Check out this amazing link...

http://web2.airmail.net/dpelc/yellow/

Don't Forget Vanguard University Womens Chorus This Thursday 7pm

http://www.vanguard.edu/music/concerts/

The Favor of the LORD

Here's notes from my sermon at this morning's Celebration Service...

A traveler became lost in an unnamed desert. Realizing his only chance for survival was to find civilization, he began walking. Time passed, and he became thirsty. More time passed, and he began feeling faint. Reduced to crawling, he was on the verge of passing out when he spied a small shack about 500 meters in front of him. Barely conscious, he reached the shack and called out, "Water! Please, I need water!" An old man appeared in the door of the shack and replied sympathetically, "I am sorry, sir, but I have no water. However, would you like to buy a tie?" With this, he brandished a collection of exquisite silken neckwear. "I'm dying! I need water!" gasped the man "Well, sir," replied the old man, "If you really need water, there is another shack about 2 kilometers south of here where you can get some." Without knowing how, the man summoned sufficient strength to drag his parched body the distance to the second tent. With his last ounce of strength he tugged at the door of the second shack and collapsed. Another man, looking enough like the old man to be his brother, appeared at the door dressed in a costly tuxedo. Looking down at the crumpled mass at his door, he inquired, "May I help you sir?" "Water..." came the feeble reply. "Oh, sir," replied the man, "I'm sorry, but you can't come in here without a tie!"

Sometimes life feels like that
Parched, crawling, near death and the world is still demanding when you have nothing to give
I pray RRAG is a place where the thirsty crawlers can find refuge, living water, un-demanding love
Also I can’t miss this opportunity to use this funny illustration to validate my personal loathing for wearing ties…

My sermon today is entitled: The Favor of the Lord

In my Devotional Bible Reading I landed on Leviticus 26
3If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them,
4I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase and the trees of the field yield their fruit.
5And your threshing [time] shall reach to the vintage and the vintage [time] shall reach to the sowing time, and you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely.
6I will give peace in the land; you shall lie down and none shall fill you with dread or make you afraid; and I will clear ferocious (wild) beasts out of the land, and no sword shall go through your land.
7And you shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
8Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
9For I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you, rendering you fruitful, multiplying you, and establishing and ratifying My covenant with you.
10And you shall eat the [abundant] old store of produce long kept, and clear out the old [to make room] for the new.
11I will set My dwelling in and among you, and My soul shall not despise or reject or separate itself from you.
12And I will walk in and with and among you and will be your God, and you shall be My people.

Mabye some of you are thinking these OT promises do not apply to the new covenant we have in Christ…
Let me remind you…

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17… Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

& Romans 3
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

So In Jesus we are the righteousness of God we fulfill the Law and the Prophets
So we are in the Favor of the Lord simply because of the gospel, child-like faith has met the “if you” clause…

This of course is no ticket to lasciviousness
It’s Hope
It’s Amazing Grace
The kind that drives us to our knees

Like Paul says in Romans 2:4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

Ok back to Leviticus
Let me expand on the wonder that is Leviticus 26
In verse 9 the LORD says… I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you

Hear me Christian!
Our God is on the throne
He isn’t sitting back in judgment
He doesn’t have his arms crossed, frustrated with our stupidity
No furrowed brow, rolling eyes
Picture it with me
He’s leaning forward
His eyes filled with favor, regard toward you
Arms Open, deep understanding, undemanding love

I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift." The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!" God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERAL LIFE…
And don’t forget 17…God sent not…

If your anything like me, it’s easy to believe that when things go wrong in your life, hurt happens, your plans are foiled…you begin to think you’re out of God’s favor…
Remember Jesus promised trouble in this world
But to take heart He has overcome
And even John 3:16 doesn’t promise a life full of roses it promises eternal life

He saves us from our sin yes
But He doesn’t always save us from the consequences of sin
I’m not saying your circumstances are consequences of your sin
I’m saying the mess of this world is because of sin
Every hurt is the backwash of sin, yours or someone else’s
Death wasn’t God’s will for mankind

Again back to Leviticus 26
Verse 10, the LORD says clear out the old [to make room] for the new.
I think that process is sometimes very difficult
Especially if one is rather attached to the old stuff God is trying to rid us of to make room for the new
Embrace it, accept it, gain some new perspective...

You are living in the Favor of the Lord
Every promise of Scripture is yours because of Jesus
Hear our God say…
I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you

Samuel Medley said it all
I know that my Redeemer lives;O the sweet joy this sentence gives!He lives, he lives, who once was dead;He lives, my ever living Head.He lives triumphant from the grave,He lives eternally to save,He lives all-glorious in the sky,He lives exalted there on high.He lives to bless me with his love,He lives to plead for me above.He lives my hungry soul to feed,He lives to help in time of need.He lives to grant me rich supply,He lives to guide me with His eye,He lives to comfort me when faint,He lives to hear my soul's complaint.He lives to silence all my fears,He lives to wipe away my tearsHe lives to calm my troubled heart,He lives all blessings to impart.He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,He lives and loves me to the end;He lives, and while He lives, I'll sing;He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.He lives and grants me daily breath;He lives, and I shall conquer death:He lives my mansion to prepare;He lives to bring me safely there.He lives, all glory to His Name!He lives, my Jesus, still the same.Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,I know that my Redeemer lives!

Did ya get your postcard?...New Sermon Series: Integrity, Creating Healthy Boundaries

Homesick for Heaven

3 saints in our church entered eternity this week...

They are enjoying the presence of Jesus, no longer limited by earthly trials...

Jerry Lyon, Wilma Mcelmurry, and Herb Cassell are right now experiencing more righteousness, peace and joy than we could ever imagine!!!

Please join me in praying that the Holy Spirit would comfort and counsel their families as they struggle through this loss...

Jesus said...Blessed are they that mourn for they will be comforted...

Wilma's funeral is this Saturday at 11am...

Herb's Memorial Service is this Sunday at 2pm...

Jerry's Celebration of Life is April 26th...

Work-day...THANKS to the many wonderful helpers