Mrs. Judy Gates, a friend of one of our members, Joyce Salmons, went to be with her Lord Sunday evening. Her funeral was today at Shenandoah Community Fellowship in Woodstock. I attended this service primarily to support Joyce, but I came away with a blessing and a few observations:
From the testimonies of family and friends, I really wish I had known Mrs. Gates. The glowing way in which her spirit, attitude, love for people, and love for Christ were mentioned caused a sense of loss in me for having not known her.
It is always good to celebrate the “homegoing” of one of God’s saints. If a saint’s death is precious in His sight, it ought to be precious to us as well.
As I heard a very good message about Christian living and the Gospel, I was reminded that I am not the only preacher who loves the Lord around here. We may have disagreements, but I thank God for every true Gospel message and Bible lesson that are taught in my community.
As I was listening to Brother Banks Swanson’s recounting of the last days with Mrs. Gates, I was reminded what a privilege it is to pastor such wonderful people. I wouldn’t trade anything for the last few days I spent with Randy Ward, Jerry Doss, and Bill Joachimi for example.
We certainly do not sorrow as others that have no hope. Thank God for the promise of Christ’s return. I look forward to the day when “so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
I thank God for the great hymns that were played and sung at this service. There really is comfort in those deep theologically sound songs that the modern ones (by and large) cannot attain to.
Over all, I want to thank Joyce Salmons and the family of Mrs. Gates for allowing me the opportunity to celebrate her homegoing. I look forward to meeting her in glory.
Here is a slide show of a few pictures of our “Pack A Box For the Military” event last night at Grace. We packed 14 boxes that are being sent to deployed military personnel and 7 boxes which will be delivered to Walter Reid Hospital in Washington, DC. Thank God for the generosity of the folks here at Grace Baptist Church. A special thanks to some of the classes at Peter Muhlenberg Middle School that also contributed.
And, don’t forget to pray for our military. Thank God for every one who puts on the uniform of the United States to represent us and protect us!
Lord willing, this coming Lord’s Day, I will be preaching on the Altar of Thanksgiving and the Promises of God. It is interesting that our study in the first 11 chapters of Genesis has brought us to this place on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The Lord’s timing is impeccable, isn’t it?
Below is a song by Bob Puffer, a singer we know from New York state:
I know that I should not be surprised when the “New York Times” runs a story that is misleading and duplicitous, but this one really bothers me. In a recent article entitled “Pioneering Stem Cell Surgery Announced,” there is a fine example of misrepresenting the truth and the position of President Bush and the position of “pro-life” and “take God seriously” kind of people.
If you read the article, you may come to a few conclusions (I believe the conclusions the writers and/or editors intended.)
Stem Cell Research is producing terrific results.
This is the kind of stem cell research the Liberals and “pro-choice” people have advocated.
President Bush is against this life-saving procedure and has banned it.
President-elect Obama will save peoples’ lives by changing this terribly short-sighted and evil ban.
Now to the facts:
Yes, stem cell research of this type is producing terrific results and is very promising for the future. This type of stem cell research involved using the person’s own stem cells, not those harvested from a dead baby’s body. While the article mentions that in the beginning, it then lumps all stem cell research together.
The “no holds barred” type of stem cell research proposed by the Liberal “pro-abortion” people has to do with “fetal stem cell” research. They are against any type of limitation on stem cell research at all. Why not let them kill your disabled child for his or her stem cells?
President Bush has an executive order banning funding for stem cell research which does not prohibit “fetal stem cell” research only, not this type.
President-elect Obama has promised to reverse this executive order by President Bush. There is no evidence or even real promising results from any fetal stem cell research. But, even if there were, it is still harvesting murdered babies. Lives are being saved right now with the type of research done in this case. (Do I need to mention again that it was the person’s own stem cells?)
To lump President Bush’s “ban” and this story is at best unprofessional, but I fear it was intentional. When a person considers that most of the people who voted for Mr. Obama don’t even know what his positions are, I believe this article is an attempt to “muddy” the waters even more. The American people have been told “half-truths” like this for a long time now. A “half-truth” is a lie. Here is a verse we should all take to heart.
“God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar;” (Romans 3:4a)
According to the official “wordle” website, here is the definition of a wordle:
Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.
Here is a wordle of the prominent words in the first 11 chapters of Genesis.
The following is from Charles Spurgeon’s battle against “the downgrade” of doctrine in his day. It is from the “Notes” section that was added to his article “Restoration of Truth and Revival,” from the Sword and the Trowel, December 1887:
“The barefaced manner in which certain persons assert that to separate from men who hold vital errors is contrary to the mind of Christ, would be amusing if it were not saddening. They write as if such a Book as the New Testament were not in existence: they evidently decide what the mind of Christ ought to be, without referring to such poor creatures as the apostles. As for us, we think more of Paul and John than of the whole body of modern thinkers. What saith the Scriptures? ‘If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds’ (2 John 10, 11). ‘But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed’ (Gal. 1:8, 9). The spirit of Scripture is one, and therefore we may be sure that decision for truth, and separation from the erring, are in full consistency with the charity of 1 Corinthians 13, to which we are so continually pointed. It is true charity to those who err to refuse to aid and abet them in their errors. ‘Charity’ sounds very prettily in the mouths of those who wish to screen themselves, but, if they had exercised it in the past, they might not have driven us out from among the people, to whom we naturally belong.”
[In this last sentence, Spurgeon refers to his departure from the Baptist Union because of its doctrinal compromise.]
Research has led to the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, “Governmentium” (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called “morons”, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called “peons”. Since “Governmentium” has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every action with which it comes into contact.
A minute amount of “Governmentium” can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from four days to four years to complete.
“Governmentium” has a normal half-life of 2-6 years; it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, “Governmentium’s” mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming “isodopes”. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that “Governmentium” is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.
When catalyzed with money, “Governmentium” becomes “Administratium”, an element that radiates just as much energy as “Governmentium” since it has half as many “peons” but twice as many “morons”.
Smile a while today, it will make you feel better and cause others around you to wonder “what’s up.”
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Smile a while today, it will make you feel better and cause others around you to wonder “what’s up.”
