Chapel News 5/28/2021

Sunday May 30th 2021

Church Service at 11:00am Praise, Worship and a look at Esther 3-4

 Happy Memorial Day Weekend

 Interwebz stuff
Don’t Let Anyone Look Down on Your Youth
“How a teenage girl started a Bible revolution” (Christian Post, 5/28)

 Like Most All Viruses We Know About?
“Hard-won immunity; Vaccines are getting all the attention, but recovered COVID patients are also helping win the battle against COVID-19”  (World 5/25)

Emotional Control
“Why You Really Need to Stop Letting Your Emotions Control You” (Relevant, 5/28)

Chapel News 05/22/21

Sunday 5/23/2021

Worship 11:00am. Praise, Prayer and Exposition. Continuing our series in Esther – 1-2

Picnic after the service BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) Hot grill will be available to cook if you like

 

A few Webby things

They will
“43% of millennials ‘don’t know, don’t care, don’t believe’ God exists: study” (Christian Post, 5/19)

Skynet Smiles
“Skyborg combat drone’s “brain” flies for the first time” (New Atlas, 5/15)

Follow the Science
“A transitioning debate; Concerns grow internationally about dangerous transgender treatments—but the U.S. medical establishment charges on” (World, 5/14) It is bad enough for adults, for minors it is child abuse

Around the Web 03/19/2021

Uh, No
“California ‘ethnic studies’ proposal teaches kids white Christians are evil, chant to Aztec gods” (Christian Post, 3/12)  Aztec’s practiced human sacrifice and cannibalism to this war god. Aztecs were not pristine people clothed in righteousness. They were like most human cultures/nations from the beginning, a culture of war, conquest, cruelty, and violence, serving false gods

 Roman Church Says, Uh No Too
“Vatican Says Catholic Church Cannot Bless Same-Sex Marriages” (NPR, 3/15)

Another Steal Money From Your Great-Grand kids Give-a-way
“Biden signs historic $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief law” (CBS, 3/11) This observation is not so much about all the non-covid goody parts of the bill, but the putting of favorite spending desires on the shoulders of the next generations. It will happen through taxes, and/or inflation by just printing up money. If every family were to foot just this bill today, it would be $22,000.00 each. No telling when or what our great grand kid must pay.  Not a nice thing stealing money from your grand-kids and beyond. Not even counting the retirees loosing out on retirement funds because of inflation.

Another Sad Story
“Georgia spa killings likely ‘targeted attack driven by personal grievance’: Source briefed on probe; Eight people were killed in the shootings at three separate spas Tuesday.” (ABC, 3/19) Of course everyone rushed to claim they knew the motivations for this act of evil. Sadly, he apparently was or had been involved in a church. The first self-described motive was that he was lashing out at those who tempted him and provided an outlet for his sex addiction. The idea that someone else is responsible for our temptations and sin is also evil.

Uhm, We Were Wrong Again
“Kids can be 3 feet apart in K-12 schools, CDC says in revised COVID-19 guidelines” (UPI, 3/19)
Not the Babylon Bee

Masks and such

The Chapel is continuing our live services at 11:00am on Sundays. We know that as of 03/10, Texas has removed the statewide mask mandate and opened 100%. Churches have never been under the percentage designations in Texas, but have been under the mask mandates/recommendations. We do agree that mandate removal is good for freedom. At the Chapel we will continued with the recommended mitigations for the time being. We do have vulnerable people attending and we want to be sensitive to visitors. Thank you for your consideration.

Around the Web 03/03/2021

We’d Rather Spend Eternity with God than Other Options?
“Why Do You Want to Go to Heaven?” (Desiring God, 3/4)

RIP
“Larry Crabb, former Colorado Christian University prof., Bible teacher, psychologist dies at 76” (Christian Post, 03/03)

One More “potentially hazardous” Thing to Worry About
“Asteroid as big as Golden Gate Bridge to pass Earth ahead of spring” (New York Post, 3/4)

Yup
“Being Mentored Is Good. Being Discipled Is Better.” (Relevant, 3/4) Counseling is good, Discipleship is better

Virtual Drawbacks
“Can a Healthy American Society Exist on the Internet? Two new books answer no” (Tablet, 3/4)Mostly secular but food for thot

We Thought it Was Only Aliens Who Did That
“Passengers Arriving in Beijing And Shanghai Being Forced To Undergo Covid-19 Anal Swab Testing” (View from the Wing, 3/5) Not the Babylon Bee.  We think we’ll pass on flying to China. CCP is horrendous

Thots on a Sunday

It is a cold morning with some snow on the grass and more on the vehicles and streets. We have the luxury of residing in a heated house and eating food purchased from a store with a dizzying amount of options even in the midst of a pandemic and people buying carts full of items because of a few days of predicted cold and snow. As we look at the world and history, we are reminded of how blessed we are to live in this time and place. We remember traveling into the Baja as a youngster and seeing people living in wood shacks for the first time. And traveling in our country, we were amazed at the similar wood shacks on reservations. Traveling, and walking, later as an adult on the streets of a West African city brought tears to our eyes as we saw how people lived in abject poverty, and the effects of civil war and warlords. Riding and walking in the bush past villages of thatched huts, with women cooking outside and washing the only clothes they had, brought some reality to the way many people live, past and present. Yes, we are physically blessed beyond what much of the world today, and historically have experienced. We should be very thankful.

The physical pales in comparison to the blessing that God has bestowed on us whom He has adopted as children.  We are His children and He sent the Spirit as a comforter and counselor. Our experience of physical blessing now is a tiny glimpse of our eternal home that Jesus is preparing for us. We should be even more thankful for our eternal home, and His presence every day.

Have a great Lord’s Day.

No Service 2/14

We are facing some challenging weather in Dallas. This morning (Sat. 2/13) we drove to the church building slipping but not sliding. The weather conditions are in a state of flux and we needed to decide today on the Service for Sunday. We have decided to cancel the Service on 02/14 because of the deep freeze and potential ice existing today and perhaps forecast overnight. We do not like to cancel gathering for worship because we are encouraged to meet together from NT practice at least, on Sunday, The Lord’s Day.  We also realize that by Sunday there may be clear roads, but we have to make a call. Thank you for your understanding. Please pray for each other and the church body during these difficult times.

Thots on a Sunday

Jesus had moved from Nazareth to Capernaum and one of the first things He said to two brothers working was, “follow me.” Matthew 4:19–20 19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.”20 They left their nets immediately and followed him. (NET bible)  As we ponder this, what would our response be to Jesus in the flesh, calling us to leave our successful business enterprise and follow him? As we consider everything that is happening in our world, is our first focus following all the news, all the hype, all the latest trends? As believers, are our first thoughts about following Jesus? Are our first thoughts, “who can I pull in for Jesus?” That is what Jesus said Simon and Andrew would be doing, becoming fishers of people.  We have met a few avid fishermen in our life, although different than the fishing of Simon and Andrew.  They are always looking for a fishing spot, lure, bait, equipment and so on. It is front and center no matter what is happening in the world, unless that happening has an effect on fishing. Let us be passionate and follow Jesus, being fishers of people by the Holy Spirit’s power.

No Service on 1/10/21

We wanted to update you on resuming our live service schedule. As of today, we plan to open again for live services on January 17. Looking at the totality of circumstances, including Christmas and New Year,  we will be closed for service on Jan. 10th.  Our Pastor Gregg and Paula are fine but feel they should quarantine from the service the full 14 days.  As before we will be operating according to state guidelines and our safety protocols. We are looking forward to gathering again on the 17th.

If you missed a service you can catch a sermon on our YouTube channel

If we can help you in any way, please call the church at 214-330-9861 or one of the elders.

Please pray for each other, The Chapel and our nation.

Thots on a Friday

We are sitting in quarantine, the last few days and we have been thinking about all that has happened the last few months, actually going on a year. It started in early 2020 with a virus from China that escaped to the world. Then there were lock-downs, 15 days to flatten the curve which turned out to be a fantasy. Then George Floyd died in police custody after terrible police work and pent up anger exploded in cities around the country. There were protests and riots. We support the right to protest (the reasons and the good and bad are a whole separate discussion) but condemn the riots and destruction of businesses, setting fire to a church across from the White House and trying to destroy a Federal Courthouse, possible insurrection. The rioters should be arrested and charged. We have had a president who had policies often aligning with what is right (re: abortion opposition, peace in the middle East) but who has a history and present unrepentant character and demeanor that leaves very much to be desired. Then an election and apparently 40% of the country believing the elections were fraudulent. Then some of them protested the other day and some rioted. We support the right to protest (the reasons and the good and bad are a whole separate discussion) but condemn the riots and breaking into the halls of congress, possible insurrection. The rioters should be arrested and charged.

We were reading this morning from Jeremiah chapter 10. “10 The Lord is the only true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King. When he shows his anger the earth shakes. None of the nations can stand up to his fury. 11 You people of Israel should tell those nations this: ‘These gods did not make heaven and earth. They will disappear from the earth and from under the heavens.’” Jeremiah 10:10–11. We were reminded that God is King through it all. When people have a god that is not Yahweh, chaos is the result. If that false god is the state, an ideology, a political party, money, a false savior, arts, cars, amusement, rest or whatever, the end result will be loss and destruction whether by God’s specific judgment or the natural result of following an idol. Jeremiah is of course speaking to a specific situation and to people under the Old Covenant, but God is still King and if we forget Him, nothing good will come of it. For us, let us be gospel people, ready to share the good news of King Jesus to a world following false gods.