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Written by Bruce Applegate
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Wednesday, 03 May 2006 |
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Enjoy these responses by elementary school age children to the following questions regarding mothers.
Why did God make mothers?
- Mostly to the clean the house
- >To help us out of there when we were getting born
How did God make mothers?
- He used dirt, just like for the rest of us
What ingredients are mothers made of?
- God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
- We’re related
- God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s moms like me
What kind of little girl was your mom?
- They say she used to be nice
May 14 is Mother’s Day and I want to encourage you (if your mother is still living) to make a special point of blessing your mom. If your mother is no longer living or you are unable to have contact with her, find another mother and make a point of blessing her.
In the Gospel of John, one of the very last things Jesus said before he died on the cross is found in chapter 19, beginning with verse 26… When Jesus saw his mother there and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
At the point he was about to take the sins of the world upon Himself, Jesus had his mother’s well-being in mind. It is a wonderful example for us today when we consider the opportunity to honor our mothers.
Please pray for all our moms…especially during the next couple of weeks.
With Love,
Pastor Bruce (the son of a mother) |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 13 January 2008 )
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Written by Bruce Applegate
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Thursday, 30 March 2006 |
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“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you (John 13: 12-15).”
Sometimes as Christians, we wonder what the Bible means when it speaks to certain issues or aspects of life. We ask ourselves, “Is that what I’m supposed to be doing in my Christian walk?”
The above passage leaves no doubt as to one particular aspect of the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ…we are to be servants of one another. Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” This is not just a suggestion coming from our Lord.
How is your servant’s heart beating? Do you look, on a regular basis, for ways to serve others? Or, do you barely have a pulse in this area? Have you served someone recently, or has it been ages?
As we approach Easter, this is a wonderful time to think about this aspect of our lives. I encourage each of us to pray for the way(s) God would have us serve in the next couple of weeks. It’s a great time to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, but don’t forget to serve those who don’t know the Lord as well. It may provide the chance for you to witness to someone about the hope that you have in Christ.
Maybe the words to this song could be your prayer:
Make me a servant, humble and meek,
Lord, let me lift up those who are weak.
And may the prayer of my heart always be:
Make a servant, make me a servant, make me a servant today.
With Love
Pastor Bruce |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 13 January 2008 )
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Written by Bruce Applegate
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Thursday, 02 March 2006 |
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<>When I was a kid, the first thing I did when I came home from school was make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And I was good at it, too. Just the right amount of peanut butter, with the right consistency of jelly and life didn’t get much better than that! I don’t know if it was so much the taste of the sandwich or the consistent basis in which I made them, but this event stands out in my childhood.
Is there something you do consistently? I mean is there something you do regularly that one day you will remember as an adult? Even though I love the memory of making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I wish I could also have the memory of reading my Bible everyday when I was a kid.
I want to encourage you to read your Bible each day so that when you get older you can think back to this time of your life and not only remember your after school snack, but also the time you spent with God reading the Bible.
Love you guys!
Pastor Bruce |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 13 January 2008 )
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Written by Bruce Applegate
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Thursday, 02 March 2006 |
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Are you ready? Are you ready to “March into Prayer?” The longer I’m in ministry, the more and more I realize that without prayer, anything we try to do in the church is in vain (or should I say “is vain.”) Whenever we attempt something without God’s favor or blessing, we are attempting to do it under our own power and with our own abilities…that truly is vain. Certainly, with good intentions, we can plan this program, or that event, but without prayer…without seeking Divine guidance and the direction of the Holy Spirit, it will only be a shadow of what it could be.
During the month of March, I want to encourage us as a congregation to do everything we do with prayer. Let’s see what will happen. Each Sunday, before church, I invite you to join me at 9:45 a.m. to pray for the worship service. I’m also looking for individuals who might be willing to pray during worship services in March. Would you be willing to pray from 6-7:30 p.m. on Sunday evenings (from your home) while our youth are meeting at the church? Would you be willing to be a part of prayer vigil (more information to come) during the month of March? Would you be willing to come on Wednesdays evenings at 7:00 to pray for our church, community, city, state and nation? Would you be willing to commit to pray for your neighborhood (where you live) during the month of March? Would you promise to pray for the lost?
I know many of you do pray on a regular basis and for that I’m grateful. But I think we can always improve what on what we are doing for the Lord.
Acts 2: 42 said this about the fellowship of believers: “They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to the fellowship, the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Because of their fellowship, praise and prayer, Luke writes in verse 47: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
What did fellowship and prayer do? It unleashed the power of heaven in the midst of those believers and lives were saved. Join me in March as we pray for God’s incomparable power to be manifested in our church family.
With Love,
Pastor Bruce |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 13 January 2008 )
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Written by Bruce Applegate
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Tuesday, 24 January 2006 |
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The emphasis of Black History began in America in 1926, and can be attributed to a man by the name of Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Born to parents who were former slaves, he spent his childhood working in the Kentucky coal mines and enrolled in high school at age twenty. He graduated within two years and later went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. Although blacks were very involved in this country as far back as colonial times, Dr. Woodson was disturbed to find in his studies that history books largely ignored the black American population—and when blacks did figure into the picture, it was generally in ways that reflected the inferior social position they were assigned at the time. Dr. Woodson began to rectify the situation by starting an association that helped to write black Americans into our nation’s history. He chose the second week in February because it marks the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the black population in this country, Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 26 September 2006 )
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Read more...
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 18 October 2005 |
Wondering about God?
If you want to know the truth about God —really know the truth— you are a "seeker." That's a great thing to be, because according to Jesus, seekers find what they're looking for.
Seekers come in all shapes and sizes. They have a variety of backgrounds. Some don't believe in God; others do believe in God, but aren't sure how to connect with Him. What all seekers have in common is the fact that they've stopped pretending they have it all together. They're open to the possibility God may exist, and more importantly, that He may want a place in their lives. They know they don't know —but they want to know.
If you're a seeker, how do you go about this all-important task of pursuing God and His truth? Well, the following outline doesn't claim to be the final and authoritative word on the subject. But —with a humble recognition that the stakes are sky-high and believing you are very precious to God. Here are some important Scriptures for you to look at:
Salvation
Confess- I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Repent- Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Believe- John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Receive- John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 18 October 2005 )
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