Ashland Bible Church March Activities

Sunday mornings -- Sunday School at 9:45, Worship at 11:00
Sunday evenings -- Prayer & Bible Study (currently in Nehemiah) 6:00 (not on the 15th or 29th)
Monday mornings -- Bible Study in Ashland, 10:00 (not on the 30th)
Monday evenings -- Bible Study in Phoenix, 7:00
Tuesday evenings -- Bible Study in Central Point, 7:00
Wednesday evenings -- Choir practice, 7:00
Wednesday evenings -- Praise team practice 6:30 (4th & 18th)
Thursday evenings -- Ladies Bible Study in Phoenix, 7:00
March 14 -- Prayer for ABC, 9:00 a.m. at Cannon's
March 15 -- Potluck following the morning service (Irish theme)

Please call for more information (541-482-8644).

For those that care, & even if you don't I'll tell you anyway, I almost met my goal of 50 miles per month in February. 47.9 miles. YTD 78.5 miles. In my defense, there are only 28 days in February. With one more day I would have made it. Of course, if I would have ran on one of the seven days that I did nothing, I would have made it as well. We'll see what happens in March.

Econocalypse!

Moments ago I read the following statement:

"Today, people are beginning to understand that the government's account is overdrawn, that a piece of paper is not the equivalent of a gold coin, or an automobile, or a loaf of bread—and that if you attempt to falsify monetary values, you do not achieve abundance, you merely debase the currency and go bankrupt." (Ayn Rand, "Moral Inflation," The Ayn Rand Letter, vol. 3, no. 12, p. 1)

Although written some 30 years ago, this seems to make sense to me. But infinitely more important are the words found in Scripture:

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

How often do we neglect praying for all who are in authority because we think we know the solution to whatever is currently the hot-button issue? Why don't we take Scripture at its word & simply obey it. When's the last time you sincerely prayed for our politicians? When's the last time you lead a quiet life in all godliness & dignity? May God's Spirit continue to convict in this area & empower us to be obedient to our God.

Postscript: Anyone see any similarities between the days we live in & the ones portrayed in Atlas Shrugged? Just wondering.

Optical Illusions

I've always loved optical illusions. From the very simple to the highly complex, they fascinate me. My eye is fooled into believing something that, in reality, is not true. For example, check out this sidewalk drawing by Edgar Muller.

As we read through the gospels we find that Judas is perhaps the greatest optical illusion that ever existed. Everyone except Jesus was fooled into believing something about Judas that in reality was not true. He appeared to be a loyal and faithful disciple, even to the point of being their treasurer. When Jesus said to His disciples, One of you will betray Me (John 13:21), no one immediately pointed to Judas & said, It must be him!

Is my life an optical illusion as well? In what areas am I being a hypocrite? Do I appear to be one thing while being something entirely different?

Optical illusions are great to view on paper or on the internet, but optical illusions in our churches can be lethal.

Theology-ology

Tim Challies writes, in part, on his blog for today:

If a Christian is diligent in studying God through the right motives and methods and for the right reasons, there will necessarily be change in his life. He cannot help but be changed by the living Word of God. However, if someone studies God only to acquire knowledge about him without applying any of that knowledge to his life, he is not so much studying God as he is studying the study of God. The study of God when done as he has commanded must always lead to application, heart change and then life change.

I know that I'm guilty at times of studying the study of God. How about you?

Enduring...At Least On Mondays

If you've never heard, or read, Arturo Azurdia, you've missed out. He nails it again here. Besides that, he has one of the best sentences I've read in a long time.

"Nor did he assault my intelligence with bumper-sticker superficialities wrapped in pious colloquialisms."

As Christians, we can be very good at speaking to believer & unbeliever alike with bumper-sticker superficialities wrapped in pious colloquialisms & then we wonder why people don't respond to our words.

Getting back to Art Azurdia, his book Spirit Empowered Preaching is on my "read every year" list. It's a powerful, informative, & convicting book. He also heads up The Spurgeon Fellowship, is an associate professor of pastoral theology at Western Seminary, & is a popular speaker at a variety of churches & conferences. Check out his website.

Bible Study Magazine

Bible Study Magazine is giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s book, Vintage Church. Not only that, but they are also giving away five subscriptions to Bible Study Magazine and a copy of their Bible Study Library software! Enter to win on the Bible Study Magazine Mark Driscoll page, then take a look at all the cool tools they have to take your Bible study to the next level!

I haven't read Vintage Church, but I use Logos Bible Study software & continue to be amazed by everything it can do. Someday I hope to go to one of their training seminars & learn more of how to make the best use of the program.

Bible Study Magazine is on their 3rd issue. The first two were good reads & I see no reason why issue #3 should be any different.

Sacramento Kings

I've been a Kings fan since they moved to Sacramento in 1985. They've had their ups & downs, but more downs than ups. Currently they are 10 & 37, only 27 and 1/2 games out of first place in their division. Tonight they lost to the Phoenix Suns by 48 points. How far does loyalty go for a sports fan? How far should it go? I'm probably taking it out of context, but Proverbs 3:3 says, Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. My loyalty & faithfulness to the Kings has not been forsaken. Am I that loyal & faithful to my Lord? & if not, why not? He's far more important than any overpaid sports franchise & has done far more for me than the Kings ever will. Can I be a fan of my King Jesus as much as I am of the Kings?

Running Log

I'm off to a slow start on my running this year. My total for the month is only 30.54 miles. Seeing as how I'd like to be doing a minimum of 50 miles a month, I've got my work cut out. Why is it that although I've always hated running, I now find it to be my main physical activity?

Friday Night Muse

Attended the North Medford vs. South Medford boys basketball game tonight. At half-time they took up an "offering" for both schools Sparrows (South Medford -- Gavin & Roselyn. North Medford -- Benjamin.) They raised $1900 in less than two minutes to be split between the schools. People were eager & anxious to give. Is that how we give in local churches? When a need is presented & an offering taken with no previous warning, how do we respond? Just wondering.

Oh, yeah, South won 62 to 51.

SCL #479. Critiquing the sermon at lunch.

"I realized very early on that the best way to avoid being impacted by a sermon is to analyze it. I knew that if I could pretend I was there to study it and dissect it from the outside, I could save myself all the hassle of actually learning and applying the message to my life."

How true is this? What other ways do we avoid learning & applying the truth of God's Word?

Read the entire post at: Stuff Christians Like #479