Web Stuff

When the author’s intent doesn’t  fit your dogma…
“John Piper Changed ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness.’ Experts Weigh In” (Christianity Today, 8/10)

And a eugenics spouting population alarmist is better than Mary
“Mary, Mother of Jesus, Not Named Among Top 10 Women Who Changed the World: BBC Poll” (Christian Post, 8/10)

Sad state of affairs
“Willow Creek Elders and Pastor Heather Larson Resign over Bill Hybels ” (CT News, 8/8)

Religious Freedom Watch
“China Shutting Down Churches, Seizing Bibles in ‘Ambitious New Effort’ to Eradicate Religion” (Christian Headlines, 8/7) Communism socialism – not about liberty – Party is supreme

A good few verses

Ephesians 6:1–4

¹ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), ³ so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth. ⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Have a great day

Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting (in Dallas this week)
“Women Are the Talk of 2018’s Southern Baptist Annual Meeting” (Christianity Today, 6/12)
“SBC President Asks Southern Baptists: Do You Believe in a Supernatural God?” (Christian Post, 6/12)
“J. D. Greear Elected Youngest Southern Baptist President in Decades” (CT, 6/13)
“6 Things JD Greear Plans to Focus On As Newly-Elected SBC President” (Relevant, 6/14)
“ERLC: New initiatives on women, abuse” (Baptist Press, 6/14)

What King
“Sculpted head of mystery biblical king found in Israel” (Houston Chronical/AP, 6/4)

Missions
“How Female Missionaries and Evangelists Paved the Way for #MeToo” (CT, 06/2018) We remember sitting in a room in Liberia, W. Africa reading about the first missionaries to venture to W. Africa. They were almost all women.

Can’t see Spirit (and if you did you would die), & He doesn’t live in houses made with hands
“What Does God Look Like? Almighty Viewed Differently Based on Demographics, Politics, Researchers Find” (CP, 6/12) Well except for Jesus and He looks like a Jew and lived like us

Karl was not nice
“A spectre haunting Europe: Karl Marx”  (Standpoint (UK),  06/2018) And his ideas are toxic

News you can use
“Don’t Touch! A Scientist’s Advice For Spotting Poison Ivy Before It Ruins Your Summer” (NPR, 6/8)

No, Next question
“Is Biblical Truth No Different Than the Yanny vs. Laurel Debate?” {Christian Post, 5/21) No, it is different. Some things are subjective, but it would be impossible to live in the world if everything is. Try being subjective driving to work or church

Time to go
“Paige Patterson Out After Southwestern Trustees Vote; Decision follows Southern Baptist leader’s apology to women for past comments.” (Christianity Today, 5/23; CP; Baptist Press)

 SBC reflection
“Al Mohler: The Humiliation of the Southern Baptist Convention” (CT Speaking Out, 5/23)

Pray
“Woman Whose Google Anti-Abortion Talk Went Viral Says Christians Must Pray Before Confronting Culture” (CP Living, 5/22)

Healthcare Costs, it’s a fraud
“How to Reduce Healthcare Costs by 92 Percent”  (PJ media trending, 5/23)
“Why Your Health Insurer Doesn’t Care About Your Big Bills” (NPR, 5/25) In our experience, on insurance, self pay, and Medicare, these are exactly accurate – and sad

Real self help
“Transcending Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life: Turning Water Into Wine” (CP Voices, 5/23)

Probably not possible for us to look cool
“Matt Chandler ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Pastors Focused on ‘Looking Cool,’ Ignore ‘Moral Imperatives’ of Bible” (CP Church and Ministries, 4/14)

Of course He did
“Jesse Duplantis: God Told Me to Tell You to Buy Me a $54 Million Jet” (Relevant, 5/25) Jesse’s message – a Falcon 7X is needed

This Sunday Acts 16 – the first European Christian, Lydia a businesswoman in Philippi. Along with casting out a demon abusing a slave girl, uncaring and persecuting gentiles, beatings, prison, joy, worship, and release.

Sunday May 13th
11:00 Worship and Word. Mothers Day – Our attitudes in today’s culture
9:30 Sunday Prayer meeting and discipleship

Next Sunday 5/20

Acts 15 – First Theological dispute

Spring Celebration cook out following the service

Web

Mothers Day
God Understands Hard, Thankless Parenting; Mother’s Day is difficult for many. But Scripture portrays a Father who knows our plight (Christianity Today, May 2018 issue)

We never have
“Stop Apologizing for Apologetics; But it might be time for it to grow up.” (CT Apologetics, 4/20)

Mission still on
“It’s Time for the Mission World to Rethink ‘Business as Usual'” (CP Voices, 5/11)

Abuse
“Hidden violence; Spousal abuse is a widespread sin that many churches ignore at their—and their members’—peril” (World, 5/20)

 No, next question
“Is Black Liberation Theology the Answer to Evangelicalism’s Racial Divides?” (Christian Post, 5/5)

The latest sermon on Acts 14 is up. If you missed it, or want to listen again –  head over to the sermons page and listen.

May 5th is Cinco de Mayo or fifth of May. Not a big holiday in Mexico but bigger in the US, helped along by good old American capitalism. No it is not Mexican Independence Day, that’s Sept. 16th 1810, but it celebrates the Mexican Army’s defeat of the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. They lost the war militarily (an intervention over debt collection and “free trade”) but winning at Puebla was a moral booster. France left Mexico and in 1867 Maximilian I was executed and the Mexican Republic was reestablished. So basically a celebration of North Americans defeating Europeans. Most Americans are on board with that.

Sunday, May 6^th 2018

Worship Service at 11:00 am Congregational worship and Acts 14
Sunday Discipleship at 9:30 am

Next Sunday 5/13  Mothers Day

May 20^th Annual Spring Celebration and cook out

WebNotes

Pew – Americans on God
“80% of Americans Believe in God. Pew Found Out What They Mean” (Christianity Today, 4/25)

 Finding Jesus through terrible difficulty
“‘These Bombs Led Me to Christ’ The “Napalm Girl” from a famous Vietnam War photo tells her story of coming to faith.” (CT Testimony, 4/20)

 We’re the government and we know better
“Alfie Evans and Britain’s Post-Christian, Post-Human, Pagan Culture” (Christian Post, 5/2)

Moore on misogyny
“Beth Moore Pens Open Letter to Christian Brothers on Sexism; Gospel Coalition Leader Offers Apology” (CP Church and Ministries, 5/4) Moore’s post

Bible not bad
“No GQ, the Bible Is Not Racist, Sexist or Boring” (Christian Post, 4/27)

News you can use
“What to Do After Willful Sin” (CP voices, 5/2)

Israel
“Miracles and myths; On the eve of Israel’s 70th anniversary, there is much to celebrate and plenty to set straight” (World, 4/26)

Acts 12. Peter is supernaturally released from certain death while James is killed by Herod and the church is persecuted. So is God really powerful enough to deliver? And when He doesn’t? We will look at it all on April 22.