Sunday Prayer

Lord, are you trying to tell me something?

For --

Failure doesn't mean I'm a failure.  It does mean I haven't yet succeeded.

Failure doesn't mean I have accomplished nothing.  It does mean I have learned something.

Failure doesn't mean I have been a fool.  It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.

Failure doesn't mean I've been disgraced.  It does mean I dared to try.

Failure doesn't mean I don't have it.  It does mean I have to do something in a different way.

Failure doesn't mean I am inferior.  It does mean I am not perfect.

Failure doesn't mean I've wasted my life.  It does mean I have an excuse to start over again.

Failure doesn't mean I should give up.  It does mean I must try harder.

Failure doesn't mean I'll never make it.  It does mean I need more patience.

Failure doesn't mean you have abandoned me.  It does mean you must have a better idea!

Amen.

Titles

Calling oneself a "Christian," in America today, may or may not imply a "follower and disciple of Jesus Christ."

It is unfortunate that those two titles are not always synonymous. 

"Be careful then how you life..." 
Ephesians 5:15

Maundy Thursday

Beneva Christian Church is leading a Maundy Thursday "Tenebrae" Service tonight at 7:00pm in the Sanctuary. It will include...

- Acapella version of "Be Still My Soul" by the Beneva Praise team
- Tenebrae - Service of Shadows
- Communion
- Opportunity for Meditation
- Gregorian Chants

Prayer

For Grace

I have no right, Lord, to ask you to protect me from all hurts in life.

But do give me the grace to turn my scars into stars.

Amen.

Gator Fan

The Mayan Ruins - Altun Ha

Belize, Central America

Some kids at the top of the pyramid had some animals to hold...

for a dollar or two.

Yes, the mouth is taped shut.
No animals were harmed in the filming or picture taking!

Sunday Prayer

Truly, Father, all things work together for the good of those who love.
Thank you for the difficulties that produce divine dividends.

I know that pain is only a phase of the growing process: that seed buried alive under suffocating ground in a windowless grave agonizes before it ruptures into new life.

I know that I build hard muscles in heart, mind, and body only when I lift heavy loads. 
I thank you for tough times that produce callouses that could save my spirit from softness that would be weakness.

There have been times, O Lord, when only through great difficulty have I learned the valuable lessons.  I was too blind to see, too arrogant to believe, or too stubborn to accept any other way than by a bed of pain.

I praise you for the times an open door slammed in my face and forced me out of an old rut that I never would have had the courage to leave, and led me down the road to a beautiful new life.

I thank you for heartbreak which caused me to bury the hatchet and speak again to someone I had for far too long been out of touch.

Thank you, Father, for life's priceless times of fruitful difficulty.

Amen.

Old Disney Pics

Cute Pics of Family - Disney 2004

Our Strong Son

Looking through some pics I have stored on the computer, I found these of Tegan's Surgery. Amazing.

The surgery was because he was suffering from a Chiari 1 Malformation. (Yes, it deals with the brain, and was more complicated than I could explain here. I believe he was just under two months old in the pics. 

Theological Term of the Day

Expiation

Expiation is the cancellation of sin. Expiation and propitiation are similar but expiation does not carry the implication of dealing with wrath, of appeasing it through a sacrifice. Generally speaking, propitiation cancels sin and deals with God's wrath. Expiation is simply the cancellation of sin. Jesus was our propitiation (1 John 2:2;4:10 -- "atoning sacrifice" in the NIV).

Websters 1828 dictionary, "expiation, "the act of atoning for a crime; the act of making satisfaction for an offense, by which the guilt is done away, and the obligation of the offended person to punish the crime is canceled."

                                                                                                                     - carm.org

Integrity

The Great Wall of China is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It stretches over 4,000 miles and was built to protect China from the barbaric hordes to the north. The designers of the wall made it so high that it could not be scaled, so thick that it could not be penetrated, and so long that no one could go around it.

Yet, during the first hundred years of the wall's existence China was successfully invaded three times, without the wall having been climbed or breached. So how, you ask, did the invaders raid China? Well, the problem wasn't the wall – it was the gatekeepers! In each of these invasions the barbarians simply bribed the gatekeepers who opened the gates, so the enemies just walked right through.

The protection of the Great Wall of China was only as secure as its gatekeepers. What a lesson, since, don't we all also have "gates to keep"…our eyes, and our ears, and our mouth? No matter how strong we may feel, we can never forget that these points of entry will be seen by our enemies and there will be attempts to bribe or seduce us so they can break through. We must not allow the "barbaric hordes" to invade our lives by failing to keep careful watch at these entry points –our integrity and our authority depend on the security of our gates!

                                                                                                                             - George Witten

School Pictures

We just received this years school pictures of the kids. At the same time I was transfering some older pictures to a flash drive. These are when we lived in Farmland. Good Times!

Lifespeak Ministries

Take a look at a GREAT ministry in Jamaica that I am connected with...

Lifespeak Ministries

Click on RAISE when you get to the home page.

BCC Cropwalk 2013

Beneva Christian participated in the annual Cropwalk.

We more than tripled last year's walkers and sent 28 people for the 5 mile walk!

We are still awaiting some of the financial gifts, but have already doubled what was raised last year!

BCC YOUTH GROUP AT CROPWALK

Sunday Prayer

Spirit of our God, descend upon me now. Please purify me, mold me, fill me with yourself, and use me. Banish all the forces of evil from me; destroy them, vanquish them so that I can be healthy and do good deeds.

I thank you heavenly Father for strengthening my inner spirit with the power of your Holy Spirit, so that Christ may dwell in my heart. Through faith, rooted and grounded in love, may I be able to comprehend with all the saints, the breadth, length, height and depth of Christ’s love which surpasses all knowledge. Amen.

BCC Mission Trips 2014

Beneva Christian has approved two mission trips in 2014! 

There will be informational meetings in April to raise awareness and discuss details of the trips. Beneva will sponsor two trips and will be taking teams to Northern Ireland, and Jamaica. 

Yes, I will be going to Ireland next March. Yvette already approved it!!! :-)