Its been a while for me to post here. I did not want to say much to take away from this so here it is. Scott and Sonya Murray are true inspirations to us all in their love and care for Taylor.

Go check this out to learn about their story on a regular basis.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/tay-tay

There are many pictures and things to read there to let you know what is going on in their lives.

Let's all be praying for them as well.

According to a recent poll by the Barna Research Group, the number one question adults would like to ask God is, "Why is there pain and suffering in the world?" Many through the ages have abandoned their belief in God because of the presence of evil, pain, and suffering in their lives or in the lives of those close to them. In 1851, Charles Darwin's life set him irreversibly on the road to unbelief when his oldest daughter, Annie, fell ill. On April 22 of that year, she died at the tender age of ten. Darwin was devastated. Although his wife was a devout believer in God and Christianity, with Annie's death Darwin lost all faith in a beneficent God.

Those who deny the existence of the God of the Bible because of pain and suffering begin with the assumption that all pain and suffering is evil. However, if it can be shown that suffering has value and can lead to good in a person's life, then its presence would not be an argument against the existence of a good God. It is a fact that some good things can only be brought about in our character by suffering. What are some good things that suffering can do for us? Suffering can . . .

• Help us learn what is really important or valuable.
• Teach us to be thankful for our blessings.
• Make us more compassionate toward others who are suffering.
• Remind us of our need for God and bring us closer to Him.
• Remind us how terrible sin is. The ultimate cause of all suffering in the world is sin and rebellion against God.
• Strengthen our faith and build our character.
• Suffering can accomplish good purposes for others. Joseph suffered to save Israel during the famine (Genesis 45:3-8). Jesus suffered that He might "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

Many other benefits could be listed. Consider the following Scriptures:

"We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4; cf. James 1:2-4).

"We know that all things [whether good or bad] work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

"'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.' [Proverbs 3:11-12] If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? . . . Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:5-7, 11).

God's pledge is not that suffering will never afflict us, but that it will never separate us from His love. As Christians, we have the assurance that suffering is only temporary and one day we will dwell in heaven with God forever. Heaven, as described by the Apostle John, is a place where "God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things [will] have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

I was walking around the square in Murfreesboro with Jennifer. She wanted me to take pictures of some of the flowers and signs around it.



We got some pretty cool shots but as we turned the corner, we observed the sun going down.



After taking a few shots, we observed the setting sun peak through the trees. All I could think of was that at the beginning of creation God created light. Here we stood 6000+ years later staring at the same sun God created long ago. Through all man's mistakes, man's triumphs, man's excess, and man's torment - the simple truth of the sun still remains.

In a spiritual sense the "light" is just as constant. Jesus describes himself as the "Light" in this world of darkness in the book of John. At times, we have looked to other things in this world as our light or our guide. Sometimes we have even looked at ourselves. We might as well as rely on a candle to light our spiritual life as it will quickly burn away and we are left standing in darkness.

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)"

"James Allen, in his book, As A Man Thinketh, said, "Man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put in, then an abundance of useless weed seeds fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind". Our thoughts are important! Jesus taught that our lives are but our thoughts turned inside out, Luke 6:45. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he," is the way the Old Testament writer said it. If you are what your thoughts make you, then you can transform and upgrade your life by improving the way you think..."

Read the rest of this article to learn just a bit more about this topic. There are so many great studies in our Bible Study section. This is one that just struck me as needing to be emphasized today.

Maybe you can go from this (just picking on your Rachel- don't hate me).....








to this........................................................

Gambling is an activity which is prevalent among young people right now. Gathering to play poker for fun while only gambling with very small dollar stakes. There are other such activities as tossing coins or even betting on the outcome of sports are still popular as they ever were. The only difference I can see now from when I was young is that they are much more open and upfront about these activities.

There are several questions I would like to pose concerning this topic...

Jesus said "You shall know them by their fruits" in Matthew 7:16. What is the typical "fruits" of the gaming world? What do we associate and the world associate to it? What does that say to us?

2 Peter 2:19 says.."While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage." Is gambling an activity that has pulled many people into slavery to it?

1 Thessalonians 5:22 also directs us to "Abstain from all appearance of evil."

Is this enough evidence to encourage us to "beat the odds" and refuse to give in to gambling?

The new website is taking off. Our old site had really slowed to a crawl as the information had become dated and we had limited ways to keep it updated. We are getting many hits to our site and it seems this BLOG is becoming the hot place. We hope over the coming weeks several others will post some comments here as we open this window for excellent discussion opportunities for our members and visitors.

The overwhelming response to our SUPER SUNDAY was positive. I did get a few questions from some young people concerning an observation they made. One question was why do people not attend every service possible? Another young adult noted Hebrews 10:25 and then went on to note Hebrews 13:17. Their questioning finally concluded with "is it a sin to miss services?"

One strong goal of 2007 is to encourage attendance at all our services. I would like to ask this question to those who might be reading this blog. How can we refocus those who do not normally attend all our services and encourage them to do so? We are very proud of our attendance and all our members. But, is there a flaw in the organization of our services or is it in the hearts of those who "miss" them?