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  • 25Oct

    Neil’s Niche

    by Neil in Neil’s Niche, Seeking Things Above.

    Have you ever seen the movie “Pay It Forward”?  In it a kid develops a theory that if everyone were to do 3 random acts of kindness to someone up front for a random act of kindness to be done to them later, then the world would be a better place.  For example, let’s say I am at the gas station and someone needs help paying for gas and I do so.  That’s one act of kindness.  Throughout my day I look for numbers two and three as well.  That way when I am in need and someone helps me out, I will have paid it forward.

    Well, obviously the movie is fictitious, but the concept is one that we as Christians should focus on.  I have mentioned in the past the concept “You are the light of the world” that Jesus taught.  We must remember that verse when we think about the “pay it forward” mentality.  We must realize that we can change the world!  We have the ability to attain that within our lives if we just allow ourselves and humble ourselves to serve.  It gets tough to read about Christians looking to “get theirs” and hurt many people in the process.  Here’s a news flash:  you’re a Christian; your life isn’t about you any more…it’s about God.  This idea of service is something that is being picked up all over the internet.  I stumbled upon an internet site looking to change the world.  It has a great name and I subscribe to it now. The URL is www.itstartswith.us.

    It is a fascinating place to read of this network of people who are working all across the country to help people out and change the world.  As Christians we are called to help out this world in whatever way we possibly can.  The guy who runs this site even went so far as to start a community of people who have weekly “good deed” assignments.  The community’s name (of which I am now a part) is called the A-Team and it is tough to keep up with the assignments!  It is tough to look for ways to serve rather than just waiting for opportunities to come to me (because that is pretty much the only time when anyone will choose to serve).  It is a tough thing to have to humble yourself…but no one said it would be easy!  I hope you can go check this site out and see if you can join the A-Team (I suspect that you can), let’s see if we can start taking over this world one servant at a time.

  • 25Oct

    Pastor

    by Drew in Seeking Things Above.

    I am not a pastor, although I get called one on a regular basis.  I am a gospel preacher, an evangelist, and there is plenty of work for me to do in that role without any of the responsibilities that belong to pastors (2 Tim. 4:1-5).

    I know this sounds strange, even nitpicky, to a lot of people.  In most Protestant denominations, the man in the pulpit is called a pastor.  When someone from the community calls me a pastor, I recognize that they are only trying to show respect and are simply using the term to designate me as a person who has given his life to preaching the gospel.

    Technically speaking, the word “pastor” designates a shepherd.  The shepherd is an important biblical image of leadership.  Jesus called himself the “Good Shepherd,” saying of himself that “the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (Jn. 10:3).  Pastors, according to biblical usage, are in leadership positions in the church, which is sometimes called the “flock” (Lk. 12:32). Continue reading »

  • 11Oct

    Neil’s Niche

    by Neil in Events, Neil’s Niche.

    So, it is already mid-October and fall is throwing everything it has into the beauty of the season.  It’s a great time to be a football fan, and it’s about to be an even better time to be a bird watcher.  The days are warm, the nights are crisp.  All of this means only one thing.  The Great Fall Festival is only 2 weeks away!  This year’s Great Fall Festival is going to be truly an awesome one.  We have some great things planned, and are expecting a whole lot of people to come!  The great thing about this particular event is that it gives everyone a chance to participate.  No matter how old or young one is, they can have a hand in making this event a success.  An even greater thing is that you don’t have to actually COME in order to pitch in.  There are food signups in the foyer for anyone who would like to provide help with the food.  There are postcards next to the signups for anyone who would like to take a couple home with them and hand them out to their friends or co-workers.  The Great Fall Festival is a perfect time for us all to get together and show the world what a hardworking family we have here at Ashville Road, and it is one where we can potentially help to make this family grow!  Some things to know right now:

    • Teens are having an SoS today right after church, we will be meeting until about 1:00 p.m.
    • I would like to know how each station is coming along; if you are in charge of a station, just check in with me or shoot me an email through the church’s website.

    I want to thank everyone who is helping to support the Great Fall Festival and who is ensuring a success for our kids this October 24th!

  • 11Oct

    Worry, Indifference, and Faith

    by Drew in Seeking Things Above.

    Something’s wrong in the world.  This is a fact no one can deny.  Everywhere we look things are spiraling out of control.  Poverty and famine claim many young lives before they are given a chance to begin.  War looms on every horizon.  Sickness keeps the hospitals full.  The human population is crippled by murder, theft, betrayal, slander, hatred, and greed.  Something’s missing.  We are haunted by a feeling that this is not the way it’s supposed to be.

    If we were animals, if God had not created us in his own image, we might be able to adjust.  We could adapt to moral atrocity and learn to survive.  But as the wise man says, God has put eternity into man’s heart (Ecc. 3:11).  Try as we may to ignore it, all of us are confronted with a troubling sense of spiritual unease.  Although this feeling is universal, we deal with it in different ways, three in particular.

    Some choose to worry.  Instead of turning to God for help, they assume that spiritual unrest is their responsibility.  Man, however, is completely helpless on his own in this struggle.  The result of trying to assume responsibility for your own condition, then, is an anxious, futile struggle.

    On the opposite end of the spectrum from worry is indifference.  Instead of trying to take responsibility for their spiritual condition, some people choose not to think about it.  Worry and indifference are similar in that both approaches accomplish nothing, but indifference is worse because worriers at least care that their souls are in turmoil.  When you care there is at least a chance that you will come around in the end.  Those who are indifferent do not care about what’s most important in their lives.  As a result they find themselves in a rut headed for destruction.  “Nothing matters to the man who says nothing matters,” says Lin Yutang.  This is why Jesus could eat with sinners and forgive prostitutes but spit lukewarm Christians out of his mouth (Rev. 3:15-17).

    There is really only one way to deal effectively with the void that is in our souls: faith.  Unlike indifference, faith responds to the reality of our despair, and unlike worry it believes there is hope.  Those who live by faith know they cannot save themselves.  They trust God to fill the vacuum in their lives created by sin and restore them to the peace they are meant to have.  Faith in Christ is the only way.  John says, “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 Jn. 5:4-5).

    True faith produces obedience.  When a person believes Jesus is the Son of God and that the cross is our only hope, he is going to follow Christ’s commands.  This is why John the Baptist contrasted belief and disobedience, saying, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (Jn. 3:36).

    We cannot ignore the deepest needs of the soul.  Indifference is fruitless and worry makes us miserable.  God saves people through faith.  Have you believed?

  • 03Oct

    Congratulations to Jason and Sara!

    by Patrick in News.

    loreleiJason & Sara are the very proud parents of a baby girl born September 29th at 10:09 AM!  Lorelei weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz. and measured 20” long.

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