Worship

To be a follower of Christ...to fulfill our purpose...requires a conscious advance commitment; made with a realistic estimate of the ultimate personal cost.

Because, following Christ is not some theoretical abstract ideal. It is a hard reality.

Worship with us, Sunday, as we "count the cost" together.

God can use you!

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer J
acob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zacchaeus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer... AND
Lazarus was dead!

Now, no more excuses! God can use you to your full potential...Besides you aren't the message,you are just the messenger.

Worship

Has our purpose as Christians been reduced to just knowing all the stories about Jesus without them having any practical application for our lives?

Has Jesus, himself, been reduced to someone we just admire, rather than an example for us to follow?

Ponder these questions as we prepare to examine them, honestly, this Sunday.

Haiti

The following article appeared at www.crosswalk.com Thanks to your generous offering, this past Sunday, help is on the way from CBC.

Haiti: Some Still Unreached after Ike

OneNewsNow reports that many Haitians have been fending for themselves since Ike struck more than a week ago, struggling without airborne assistantce. Many low-lying areas were already flooded from previous tropical storms, and Ike exacerbated conditions to life-threatening levels.

Mission Aviation Fellowship reports that some landing trips are under water. Will White, a pilot with MAF, said, "What little infrastructure in the roads that were here [such as] bridges are now washed out....they were bad roads to start with and now they're just destroyed," he shares. "The government is very limited in what they can do. Right now the relief effort is from the international community."

Chancel Choir

Chancel Choir

Rehearsals begin, Thursday, September 18

7:00 p.m.

If you are a regular choir member, someone who has been out of choir for a time, or are new and looking for ways to use your musical abilities in worship, then I hope you will make the Chancel Choir a part of your fall.

Call the church office or Garland Walker if you need more information.

Hope to see you, this week.

Worship

Clutter. It's everywhere.

There is clutter in our houses...clutter in our lives...clutter in our mailboxes...and even clutter in our churches.

Besides being annoying, how does clutter prevent us from fulfilling the purpose God has for us?

Worship with us, Sunday, as we look at Jesus and his views on clutter.

Coming in October...

STARTING POINT

Starting Point is an interactive group that meets for 10 weeks. It is an opportunity to explore the basics of the Christian Faith.

Starting Point is for new Christians, people who are reconnecting with the church, or those who are just curious about Christianity.

Starting Point begins in October and meets on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m.

Call 624-6536 to register.

Creating Culture

Creating Culture

Our best response to the world is to make something of it.

By Andy Crouch
Christianity Today

Our posture is our learned but unconscious default position, our natural stance. It is the position our body assumes when we aren't paying attention, the basic attitude we carry through life. Often it's difficult for us to discern our own posture—as an awkward, gangly teenager I subconsciously slumped to minimize my height, something I would never have noticed if my mother hadn't pointed it out. Only by a fair amount of conscious effort did my posture become less self-effacing and more confident. Click to continue.

Worship

What are you living for?

Do you have a passion?

Are you going after it or are you just dreaming about it?

Bottom line is, we were all put on this earth for a purpose.

Join us, all month long, as we explore these questions, issues, and answers in the series entitled "got purpose?"

Haiti

Haiti: Hurricane Season Slams Ministries

from http://www.crosswalk.com/

Mission News Network reports that Haiti had no time to recover from Hurricane Gustav before Hurricane Hanna struck on Tuesday, again causing massive flooding. Floods and mudslides from the storms have killed more than 100 people. Eva DeHart of For Haiti With Love told MNN that families are desperate for food, even standing outside the ministry's gates during Hanna's fury. Haiti was already enduring a food crisis before the storms hit, and the active hurricane season threatens to worsen the situation, as blocked roads inhibit food distribution. DeHart said, "Gonaives is totally flooded, and areas of Cap Haitien are starting to flood. Nobody is allowed out on the streets. It was food distribution day, but nobody is allowed out on the streets."

from Pastor Andre in Ft. Liberte (unedited)

Dear friends ,
Now it is Hanna's turn . It is destroying houses and killing people . In Gonaives , my native town , the situation is very very bad . In some areas of that city , water has` reached 4 meters and people are obliged to leave their rooms to reach the roof in spite of the rain .
I do not know if Ike , Josephine and Karina will have to hit Haiti after Hanna .
It has rained all night long last night , and today we have learned mayn stories of inundation in the North East . Fort Liberte is still safe , but the food situation cannot be worst . Please keep praying for us .
Your friend , Andre
They are showing right now on NBC 5 that Ike will reach Haiti and rhe D.R this week end.

Comparing the Platforms

Where the parties stand on abortion, faith-based programs, religious liberty, and other issues.

from Christianity Today

It's perhaps telling that the party platform for the Democrats, titled "Renewing America's Promise," begins with a section called, "Renewing the American Dream," addressing the weak economy and how the party proposes to help the poor, the uninsured, the elderly, the unemployed. The Republican platform, meanwhile, opens with a section on national security titled, "Defending Our Nation, Supporting Our Heroes, Securing the Peace," discussing the conflict abroad, Homeland Security, terrorism, and other similar issues.

Click to continue.