Pastor Jay //

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This week I have been spending a great deal of time studying. There is a great sense of satisfaction in making progress. I am reminded, however, of the many hours of frustration and uncertain direction as I began studying for this project. I am not sure how many Fridays and Saturdays and late nights I have spend reading and taking notes. Some of those hours seem wasted now that I look back and realize that various notes were not used.

My point is this: it seems that in all things that we do, progress is not felt all the way along. There are times when what you are doing will not specifically be used, but indirectly you are being shaped for something that you have yet to envision. It is like taking two steps back before you can take three steps forward.

If you are currently in a situation where your efforts are not showing progress, trust that God may be using it to prepare you in another way.

Photo: an Orthodox Jew copying scriptures into a new scroll. There are errors in every scroll. To erase them, he used a blade to scrape the page.

I find it disconcerting that the Secretary of State continues to confuse the public with ballot language. Ms. Carnahan, please honor valid initiative petitions without twisting it. It makes it appear that you are trying to sway the public in another direction.

Press release from the Missouri Roundtable:

MISSOURI ROUNDTABLE FOR LIFE UNCERTAIN AS TO SECRETARY CARNAHAN’S BALLOT LANGUAGE

St. Louis, MO - January 30, 2009 - Late yesterday evening, the Missouri Roundtable For Life received notice from a member of the press that Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has issued ballot language for our initiative petition.  The Roundtable has yet to receive notification from Ms. Carnahan’s office.  This is at least the second time in this process that Ms. Carnahan has communicated with third parties before she has communicated with the filers of the petition. (more…)

One of the objectives of the new “economic stimulus” plan would add more birth-control and family planning services to the states. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, believes that reducing the number of babies will lessen the costs and increase the national standard of living.

She said: “The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now, and part of what we do for children’s health, education and some of those elements are to help states meet their financial needs. One of those — one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception — will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.” Speaker Nancy Malthus - WSJ.com.

This is flawed thinking. Our country is currently not producing enough children to keep up with labor. How can sacrificing children, help our economy today. Europe and Asia are struggling under a diminishing population. Japan alone is projected to lose 21% of its population by 2050.

The Bible encourages God’s people to “multiply.” Currently, we are falling far short of that command.

As we prayerfully prepare for Inauguration day, I found this blog post to be helpful. Wes Toole takes an imaginary look at what his interview would be with the president-elect if he had the opportunity.

He writes:

“Who am I to advise a president? What could I say to him that he would not be told by a team of staffers and advisers that circle within his small galaxy on a daily basis?” That being said, if I had the opportunity to sit down and advise President-Elect Barack Obama on any spiritual matter, my side of the conversation might sound something like this…

Be My Guest: Wes Toole «.

If you are obeying the commands of Christ, you will probably find yourself feeling out of place in a world that does not follow Christ. In fact, you could say that if you are feeling very comfortable in this world and not out of place, you may not be living like Jesus would have you live. That’s difficult to digest, because we all want to “fit in” to some degree. Ultimately the place where Christians want to “fit in” will be heaven, since we will be spending an eternity there.

I read a story last week that caught my attention on this very subject. A tour was being given at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum when a woman mentioned that she was raising a particular type of cactus in a pot on her New York City apartment balcony. Another tourist was surprised at her being able to raise the delicate cactus in a non-arid environment and enquired about how she kept it without over-watering it. The NYC cactus owner replied, “I subscribe to the Tucson newspaper and every time it rained in the desert, I gave my plant some water.”

When we become Christians, earth is no longer our “natural habitat.” Our hearts and lives become more dependent on divine help from heaven. We have no idea how wonderful heaven will be. Before we get there, we need to be actively watching for heaven’s news here on earth. Heaven notices the events of earth. According to the Bible, heaven erupts in rejoicing when someone accepts forgiveness (In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10). The Book of Hebrews reminds us that those who have gone on before us become a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on in the race of life. (Hebrews 12:1) In the daily grind, it is easy to lose sight of the works of heaven around us that only God can do. Prayer, Bible reading, and worship are our subscriptions to the news of heaven.

I find that this story about the cactus also reminds me about prayer. Even from a distance, prayer actively engages me in the events of the world. I can participate in what God is doing around the world through prayer.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10.

I thought you might enjoy some pictures from Awana and Youth tonight:

Awana

Youth Jan 09