Blessing of the Backpacks starts off school year

The Port Arthur News
By Darragh Doiron

PORT NECHES — Besides books and pencils, the Davis sisters are packing some faith in their backpacks this school year.
Emily and Katie gathered in a circle with Emma Bodden and Sue Ellen Bass at the Blessing of the Backpacks booth on Saturday. Balloons, popcorn and this blessing booth was part of the Providence Church of Port Author back-to-school party at Port Neches Park Pavilion.
Bodden and Bass spent the morning joining hands with students who approached the booth and prayed over backpacks dropped in the center of the circle. They said they prayed the Davis sisters would grow to be “strong women of God.”
Katie, 10, will be hauling her purple and white camouflage backpack to Port Neches Elementary. She said she steered her prayers toward math and science as well.
Emily, 13, said her first few days at Port Neches Middle School have already been busy.
Clay Faulk, Providence Church pastor, said the back-to-school party was a small event this past year, but the congregation decided to invite the community this time around.
The sunny day drew visitors out to watch the river traffic at the park and children seeking shade gathered for all manner of games and face painting. Brenda Theriot managed a tiny, inflatable pool just big enough for a Chihuahua to spin around in. It was filled with ice cubes and colorful chunks of plastic that children fished out with their bare feet.
“The kids say this game is cool,” Theriot said, pun intended

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Is It Really As Hot As Hell?

It's hot. Here in Texas, August is blazing and with what seems like 99% humidity daily. The subject of heat leads me today to explore the concept of hell. Did you know that a recent study showed that while 74% of the people believe there is a heaven, a lesser amount, 59% think there is a place called hell.

It is interesting that many of our churches teachquite differently about the subject, if the subject is even taught. One article I read stated that pastors are fearful about preaching about hell because they may be seen as irrelevant. The Catholic view, as stated by Pope John Paul II in 1999, stated that "hell is a state of those who freely and definitely separate themselves from

God." Some conservative evangelical churches believe that hell is a literal place where there is eternal punishment. In fact, the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board study of 1993 estimated that 70% of all Americans were going to hell because they had not had a born again experience.

According to Alan Bernstein, author of "The Formation of Hell", historical concepts of hell follow from ancient Hebrew views of afterlife. After Babylonian captivity, the Hebrews believed that those who prospered yet tormented others would be punished after death. The Jews were exposed to Zoroastrianism during their exile and learned the concept of an eternal battle between good and evil. Even the Old Testament concept of "Sheol", the realm of the dead, had its roots in mythology and a sense of afterlife reward. The Bible is clear that there is a place called hell. The books of Matthew (chapters 5,10,18,23) Mark 9, Luke 12, James 3, and Revelation 20 all give reference to hell.

Maybe we have avoided the concept because it is such an unpleasant topic. We would much rather think of God's goodness and Jesus' love than think about anything opposite. In fact, I am of the belief that people generally want to think the best for people. I know at funerals, the last thing any loved one wants to think is that their beloved didn't go to heaven. I have also found that a majority of people don't want to seem judgmental in light of death. In fact, who are we to pronounce anyone else's destination. I certainly would never want to be considered "the gatekeeper" and I believe only God has that right. But, because scripture clearly speaks of afterlife and hell, albeit arguable in nature, it must be considered a reality.

Finally, I think the bigger issue is this. Christians must realize that our battle is to follow Christ at all costs. I have been amazed how often the idea of Satan or evil has been dismissed in the Church itself. Isn't it ironic that the first healing Jesus performs in Mark 1:23 is healing a man with an unclean spirit in the church. Yes, there in church was a possessed man in need of healing. Is it no wonder that Satan wants to gain a foothold in churches around the world? Ask any pastor and you will find many who have encountered individuals who "want what they want" not what God wants. Even Peter is told he is serving Satan when Jesus rebukes him. No, selfishness is not necessarily evil, but when it comes to following Christ, it is. Isn't that why the rich young man in Mark 10 could not follow Jesus? I think so. And, in today's culture, I think selfishness is epidemic. Maybe the path to hell is paved with selfish intentions?

Is hell hot? Is it cold? Is it eternal? Is it...? These are all questions that can be argued, but I encourage you to focus on God and the work to be done while here on earth. For example, I know there are penalties for robbing banks, thus I have made my mind up to

never worry about that. To me, hell is a nothing to worry about if we are seeking to do God's will today. So stay cool, the Good News is clear, you are loved and you are forgiven, go now and serve the Lord!

The Larger Picture

Recently on Facebook I was asked to name my favorite movies. What are your favorites? Can you think of them quickly? I remember when I was a teen, the newest and coolest movie quickly took the jump to number one. But now, I think back about all the movies I have loved. The movies that made me laugh like Caddyshack, Dumb and Dumber, or Airplane. The ones that touched my emotions like Saving Private Ryan, Rocky, Braveheart, or Field of Dreams. The ones that we all watch again and again; The Shawshank Redemption, The Wizard of Oz (my favorite), Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Titanic, Gladiator and so many others. We all have our favorites too, like horror, westerns, war, comedy, action, or even an occasional chick flick. My question is, “Why do so many of us love these movies?”

All of our favorite movies have something in common. A story! There are heroes, danger, love, romance, sacrifice, good verses evil, and always some goal to be obtained that seems to be a long shot. As author John Eldredge says in his book Epic, “… all great stories pretty much follow the same story line. Things were once good, then something awful happened, and now a great battle must be fought or a great journey taken. At just the right moment a hero comes and sets things right, and life is found again.” This story line can be seen even in this summer’s hit Transformers 2 where those on the side of good literally need a resurrection to occur in order to win the battle.

The story seems to speak to our internal souls because they are part of our makeup, part of our DNA. These stories follow suit from the Story of God. It is the Biblical story re-written, re-packaged, re-invented over and over and over again. There are just slightly different twists in the scheme of things. From the Matrix to E.T., there is no shortage of a deep desire to overcome the reality that is death to experience new life and toss death aside like a rag doll. When the resurrection scene occurs, it is dramatic and even emotional. I believe we love movies because they tell us what we know deep inside, we too are part of a larger story. We too have a future unfolding before us that is about a good creation that has run amuck and is in the process of being corrected. We see glimpses of God. We see glimpses of what life might be like if we were free from this world of stained beauty. We see, often in other people and sometimes ourselves, heaven and the future God holds for us. Loving one another and being in a place of peace and delight with a God who we genuinely cares for us and whom we genuinely love and find joy in His presence.

For me, here is the really cool part. The Story, the Biblical Story was written not only to tell us about people like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Paul, John and, of course the hero of it all, Jesus , but it was also written to tell you about you. That’s right. We have a God who loves to tell stories. God loves the drama, laughs at the humor, cries at the tragic, suffers with those who suffer, and who lives life with us, yet God also knows how the story ends in victory over the villain. In the same way that Star Wars is an epic about the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader), so too the Bible is a story about the creation, fall, battle, and restoration of our world. Author Eldredge reminds us of these three points. 1) We must realize that all is not as it seems, 2) We are at war with Satan and his demons, and 3) God has a part for each of us to play in His Story. We are to realize that in our daily lives we must always cling to the truth and be an ally to our beloved leader, God.

If you have never thought of yourself as being part of a bigger picture, let me encourage you to see yourself as a vital part of the Story. If you will ask God to lead you, God will present opportunities for you to make a difference on His part. At first, it might be a simple smile to others but you will find your part will grow into a larger role like leading others to know Christ. Who knows what a difference you can make? In fact, YOU can change the world… unbeknownst to us now, but all in accordance with The Story.

A Blog From A Friend...

The follwing I cannot take credit for...
It was written by a friend on a different blog site, but it is so insightful, I wanted as many people to read it as possible. So without further adieu... here is
A Not So Clandestined Meeting
So today I had a very interesting and tragic meeting with a group of local church leaders. Nine churches were represented in a group of 15 people. The purpose of this meeting of the minds was to address the issue of churches dying on the heels of a local church closing its doors. It seemed well intentioned and I was very interested to see what sorts of things were going to be discussed and what kind of outcome a meeting like this would have.
Not a whole lot was actually discussed. We spent most of the time introducing ourselves and talking about what we were doing. Forgive me but when you tell me we are going to a brainstorming meeting to see what we can do as a community to stop our local churches from closing their doors I’m not keen to spend an hour hearing about how you came to settle at your current church or how many kids you have. When it came time to actually throw about ideas instead we bantered about possible meanings and feelings about the word “transformation.”
Now here is the part where I spoke up. Oh you know, if you read this blog then you know how I am and I am not one to gently lay it on the table. I talked about a radical transformation of a church in Canada called Connexus Community Church. The church went from three very traditional presbyterian churches each with their own property and congregations and converged into one body. They sold all their property and started meeting in a school gym. Now they are meeting in a movie theater, holding multiple services, and experiencing amazing growth and very radical transformation. The room was silent and then immediately someone responded saying that what they got out of what I was saying is that we need to focus on small things and let God turn it into something big. I was dumbfounded! Here I am talking about three churches merging into one church, selling all their property, and instead of building another building they decided to meet permanently in movie theaters. Does that sound like they were doing something small to you? I was speechless and even laughed a bit at the absurdity of that statement. It gets better.
At one point one of the pastors spoke up and said that their church leadership was committed to growth and their entire plan of action was to commit to pray fervently for church growth. Now I am in no way saying that they were wrong in fact it should be the very first step. But for them it was the first and last. They mentioned that two people had joined the church recently since their resolve to pray for church growth and at some point another church leader raved about how much growth that was. They were juiced up and excited over two people! I stifled a snicker and basically sat on my thumbs the rest of the meeting. I was yet again speechless. But then again I had a lot to say.
One plus to the evening was there was discussion of attending Catalyst Conference in Atlanta Georgia. Whether or not anyone will go is anyone’s guess and if I was betting money I wouldn’t put my money on very many. They seemed somewhat apathetic about the conference and I yet again decided speak up and plug the conference and its merits before I was interrupted to close the meeting in prayer. Not before it was mentioned that this was just “one” conference and of course it “didn’t have all the answers,” and “if this one doesn’t work we’ll just go to another one.” What confidence and arrogance these people have. Here we are talking about a conference staffed by some of the biggest names in church growth in the world today and we’re giving it a side-glance like you would walking by a pastry in a window.
We ended the meeting in prayer and I and another member of my church made our way out the door. It was a lot less stodgy than I had expected but my expectations weren’t entirely off. When we should be pleading with God and sweating blood and tears trying to eek out a plan of action for our churches we’re sipping our tea and talking about when we’ll meet next month. I don’t ever expect this group to do anything substantial. For something to really take place its going to take much more than small thinking and wishful prayer. We need radical action, transformation of our systems and ways of thinking and doing things, and above all the humility and wisdom to seek out those who do know what they are doing and to get help. We’ll see many more churches close and very possibly several of these churches represented in this meeting. And even then there may be little we can do to save them. It takes real leaders and a people who are willing to change. I don’t see that in this group. It also takes a strong undercurrent of young leaders and I (27 yrs old) was probably the youngest of that group by at least 20 years if not more.
I’ll end this with a small list (you knew I couldn’t resist) of ideas that came up throughout this meeting. I’ll let you be the judge and feel free to comment and let me know what you think.
1.A church plant for the poor. (The comment was that there were many services to the poor such as soup kitchens and such but no place for them to worship. Funny though, why not just invite them to our churches? I’m sure glad to have them at mine.)
2.Community church developments inside nursing homes. (My thought was that most of the churches represented basically WERE nursing homes. Just put up some beds and a few nurses and they’d be set. Or just uproot one of them to a local nursing home on Sunday. Trust me the congregation would love it and would get a meal and a nap to boot.)
3.A new church plant. (Nothing more than that was said really. My thoughts are...do we really need another church?)
4.Pray for growth. (I mentioned this one. The lack of effort on our part seems to stand out to me the most)
5.Going to Catalyst (or other conferences. I would vote to go to Drive but most likely they’ll end up going to some goofy conference put on by the already failing presbyterian church simply because its only a few miles away)
I am so glad for the leadership and vision of my church. Though they have their moments they are light years ahead of these guys in their thinking and in their vision for what they want their church to be. Thank you guys so much for not being like these people.

A 4th of July Declaration

Another 4th of July is just around the corner. I remember fondly some of those wonderful Independence Day celebrations over the years and I bet you can too. Years of grilling burgers, dogs, and chicken, lots of watermelons or home made ice cream. We enjoyed activities such as swimming, going to the beach, golfing with the guys, or just being with friends. The day always culminated with the effort to watch fireworks. Sometimes it rained, sometimes it didn’t. The fourth of July makes me think about our country, but it also makes me think about freedom, as a country and as an individual.
Today I want to talk about something related to independence… the opposite, dependence. I was with a couple of Seniors recently and we were talking about the value of being able to go and do when and where we want. There is an independence that we slowly discover as we grow up and come of age. We all remember the thrill of getting behind the wheel of a car by ourselves for the very first time. From that point on it was a series of breaking free from moving out on our own to getting married… there was great independence.
For most of us, our adult lives have been lived as independent people. We are free to a great degree to live as we please. I think that God created us that way. We have always had freedom of choice, even though that didn’t work out too well in Eden. God never intended us to be zombie-like creatures whom God simply commands to do as He says.
The truth is… we are creatures whose lives are a “catch 22” or a paradox. Our country takes pride in its freedoms. Indeed, we like to think of ourselves as “independent.” But nothing could be further from the truth. We are more like fish in an aquarium. We are utterly dependent upon God whether we recognize it or not or even like it or not. God has always been the eternal parent and we have always been the children. We have never really been independent, even though we think we are. Our dependence upon God ranges from the very breath you are inhaling as you read this, to the offer for Christ to live in you daily, to the salvation you are welcomed into at the end of your life. In light of this truth, it might be a good idea to create “A Declaration of Dependence” with God if you haven’t already done so. Why? Because, at some point, you will realize dependence upon God is a fact of life. You will realize this because you are a human being who has already or will eventually have big problems. And the only solution to life’s big problems will be found in going to a loving God who wants to be there to help you solve or cope with life’s biggest problems. Author Jim Cymbala writes in his book, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, “Prayer cannot truly be taught… it has to be born out of a whole environment of felt need.” In other words, when you need God, and you will, then you will find a way to pray! It’s like all those movies that put the person in peril and as a last resort they look up to the sky and say something like, “God, I know I don’t usually do this, but now… I need …” What? They couldn’t handle it all by themselves? Neither can you or I. Do yourself a favor and don’t wait until the chips are down to have a relationship with God. Declare your dependence today and make this a truly freeing holiday to remember. Let’s look at Jesus’ humanly existence here on earth. He prayed regularly and claimed utter dependence on the Father. If Jesus did that, who are we not to? I Thessalonians 5:16 says, “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.” I think this must be the scripture my Grandmother she was thinking about when she told me, “Pray in good times and bad.”

Bound To Be Cool

Let’s be honest for a moment. How much of our life has been spent in pursuit of trying to be “cool?” I look back at the years spent as a kid, teen, and adult and I have to say that there has been a good amount of time spent on trying to be cool.
My kids, and likely your kids too, probably think you’re not cool at all. If you would just let them do everything they want then… nahhh. Even then they wouldn’t see you as cool… you’re just too old. What is cool changes from year to year doesn’t it? Cool has been ducktails, penny loafers, bell bottom jeans, pet rocks, peace signs, Members Only jackets, Walkman, jogging, parachute pants, and all those various things that seemed so important at that particular time.
Maybe cool began with questions like, “How do I look?” or “How do I sound?” and “How do other people see me?” These questions have been with people since Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden (Why do you think they both grabbed fig leaves?). For most of us chasing cool started with self awareness. I am not sure when the day comes when real self awareness begins for most, but it has to be sometime in childhood but likely after the first few grades. Little kids don’t really worry too much about being cool… they just like what they like and let you know it. But, at some point, it is imperative to be known as either good at something, respected for something, or at least viewed by others as someone to reckon with in some way. It may be just being known for trying to BE cool (remember Fonzie, aka.”The Fonz” from the TV show Happy Days).
Usually chasing cool is of no real consequence, but we might run into the problem of trying to be “too cool.” A few years back, if you remember, Camel cigarettes used the cartoon character Joe Cool in its ads. I really don’t think too many adults past 30 see a teenager smoking and think, “that’s so cool”, but I suspect that’s often why most teens start smoking. Brad Paisley’s hit song “Online” told us that a certain fellow logged onto his computer and suddenly “lost weight, grew hair, developed six-pack abs, and got cooler online.” Again, it’s not too cool to be such a liar… or at least that un-self aware.
But the one place I think the one place to definitely stop chasing cool is with God. In fact, those who chased cool in Jesus’ day were generally the people he saw as most offensive. They were the people who had to look, act, and speak in ways that simply created a mask of their real selves. These were Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees, men throwing stones, and the like. Jesus called people accountable who held onto tradition and ritual above the needs of people. Being “a fool” for Christ, was probably seen as pretty un-cool. But I think that my favorite Jesus description of un-cool is in the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Jesus says the Father saw his son far away and “ran” to him. This is an act that would have been very un-cool. Basically the Father pulled his robe up around his mid section and ran. What an embarrassing sight! Yet, this is how God loves us. Enough to rush to us with no worry about how it looks or what others might think. Thus, we should never be bound by worrying about the same stuff in order to get with God. Passionate worship, lively singing, whatever… if you can be free to glorify God you will never ever worry about being “cool” at church. Never let it bind you up in such a way as to hinder your giving God glory. God wants the real you and God wants you to be focused on… well… God, and not on how you might look to anyone else. 1 Corinthians 4:10 tells us, “We are fools for Christ…” that is, if we aren’t bound trying to be cool. Be real… and that will be cool with God. Until next time, Blessings!

Hey Guys... Pay Attention To This Video

THE DOG HOUSE!

Do Men Fear the "Flanders" Effect?

What is the Temperature of Your Church? That was one of the many questions asked in the book, Why Men Hate Going To Church, by David Murrow. The book is a fascinating response to the real issue that is going on in our world. Men are staying away from the church more than ever before. Did you know that less than 40% of the average congregation are men? In fact, more than 25% of married women attend church without their husbands. According to Christianity Today, many non-Christian men may fear turning into Ned Flanders if they attend church. Who is Ned Flanders? Fans of “The Simpsons” know Ned as the boring, straight-laced fellow who’s doorbell chimes a hymn and whose afraid to let his kids play with dice in the Monopoly game. That depiction of the Christian man is not only ridiculous, but a turn-off to most men.
Biblical advice to the church in Titus 2:6-8 says, “ (the old men should) …encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned…” Murrow claims that many churches have gotten away from taking the temperature of the men and finding out where their thermostat is set, thus, making the church a place men fear. In other words, when you go to a movie, what kind of movie are you going to see? Honestly, guys know a “chick flick” from a “guy’s movie”. You can definitely tell a Hugh Grant movie from Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry can’t you? That is as simple as it gets. Some men hate going to “chick flicks” and some men hate going to church. Men want to be men and feel manly, even at church.
Most churches have more than one thermostat. Many women want their church thermostat set on comfort. That is where the church is decorated with all of the comforts of any self respecting females digs… flowers, plants, doilies, and of course peace. Rick Warren calls these churches “family reunion churches.” If you continue to move the thermostat further you find other settings men fear. Ceremony setting is one where the church’s purpose is to keep traditions just as they have been kept for years. There is a control setting that loves to heap guilt trips and power plays on both men and women and many men just can’t stand that. Similar are the last two thermostat settings of conformity and confrontation. Pressure is put on to make people conform to “the rules” of the church (the Pharisee would have loved that setting!) while confrontation settings turn up the heat so much that men run out wishing they could slug someone, including the Pastor from the harsh words dealt out each week.
So what is the solution since men and women are often as different as Mars and Venus. How can the thermostat be set to keep both genders happy in the same church? While it is not a simple answer, Murrow suggests this thesis… men want to be challenged. Challenging, not in a confrontational manner, but stressing the mission of reaching out to people in service and evangelism for the kingdom of God. It is challenging in caring for those who are needy in spirit and material, but it does not seek personal comfort alone. Such a church challenges from the pulpit in direct to the point teaching, yet it is the church attendees who challenge one another to live lives seeking maturity in Christ. As scripture says, men learn by example. The church must find ways to allow men to see into the lives of other men. That, according to Murrow, will lead men to spiritual maturity. So what is the temperature at your church? I pray that it is one of challenge for men and women.

Steve Harvey Introduces Jesus Christ...

Thanks to Carrie McCullough for this VIDEO... CLICK HERE.