The Flame September / October 2012

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A from the editor Note
Fairview Heights Campus
Sunday - 8:30am, 10:30am, 6:00pm Saturday - 5:00pm

Collinsville / Maryville Campus
Sunday - 10:00am Sunday - 10:00am

Millstadt Campus

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10
My life as a youth could be summed up by Van Halen’s song Running with the Devil. I had a troubled childhood, violent father, distant mother, Catholic Church obligations, drugs, and alcohol and so on. During those troubled high school times, I met a group of Christians from Campus Crusade who shared with me that God is love. Love was a foreign word to me; I just couldn’t understand how God loved me. I had all sorts of questions that were answered one day as I watched a movie about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. I finally understood what love was--the God of all creation suffered and died for me, forgave my sins, covered my shame and offered me a new life of love, peace and joy. The theme for this edition is God’s saving grace and the work He prepared for us as believers. I pray the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to you in a new and wonderful way through these articles. Blessings,

Contents
3 - When, Where And Why 4 - God Answers Prayer 5 - The Road Less Traveled 6 - Amazing Grace 7 - Fully Persuaded 8 - The Purposeful, Planned... 9 - Getting To Know You 10 - Marvelous, Matchless... 11 - Out of the Pit and Into... 12 - A Heart Strangely Warmed 13 - Living Stone 14 - Prepared for Purpose 15 - God At Work

Donna Harrison

Editor - [email protected]

Senior Pastor: Rev. Shane Bishop Associate Pastor: Rev. Troy Benton Editor: Donna Harrison Proof Reader: Barbara Germany Design: Justin Aymer
For a complete listing of the Christ Curch Staff and to learn more about Christ Church please visit: www.mychristchurch.com

The Flame Online: Get The Flame Magazine online. Free pdf downloads. Email reminders of new editions. Visit www.mychristchurch.com/theflame. Mission Of The Flame: Be inspirational through biblical articles and devotions. Be informative in the announcement of future events that connect people in ministry. Questions about the Flame? Contact Donna Harrison at: [email protected]
The Flame Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine published by Christ Church. ©2012, Christ Church. All rights reserved.

When, Where And Why
By Rev. Shane Bishop, Senior Pastor

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was saved when I was seven. Dad was holding a revival at Oak Wood Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas and I walked down the aisle during the invitation; somewhere between the fortieth and forty-first verse of “Just as I Am.” At that altar I repented of my dastardly deeds, prayed to receive Christ and was summarily baptized by full immersion. It is a time I remember most fondly, as I truly felt God reaching to me in some way and I responded to the best of my childhood ability. You can say what you want about childhood conversions, but there is no doubt in my mind that I was saved when I was seven. A couple years later I was just beginning my Sunday School career at the Oak Grove Baptist Church in Pinckneyville (Dad always liked Oaks). We often participated in a corporate exercise called “When, Where and Why.” The idea was simple, all the elementary school aged kids got in a circle and when our turn came around we were to answer the following three questions: 1) When did you receive Jesus? 2) Where were you when your received Jesus? 3) Why did you receive Jesus? The “When” responses were all recent. After all we were just kids and no one had been a Christian for very long. The “Where” responses varied but for the most part they happened at church, home or at Lake Sallateeska (a church camp south of Nashville, Illinois) where a manmade lake was dug for the expressed purpose of effecting the salvations of young Baptists. However, the “Why” was always exactly the same. Every Baptist kid I knew in the early 70’s got saved because we didn’t want to go to hell. Now we had different reasons for not wanting to go to hell, but let me tell you right now, no one wanted to go to hell. When I was growing up, hell got a lot of work in church. In addition sermons about hell, there were Sunday School

lessons about hell, songs about hell and movies about hell. The scariest movie of them all, “Burning Hell” was released in 1974 and starred a horn-rimmed Baptist preacher from Mississippi named Estus Pirkle. While it didn’t win any Oscars for cinematography, it was plenty horrifying to preteens from Hooterville and if you had some hell in you during the opening song, it was scared out of you by the final credits. If such means were crude evangelism tools, they were certainly effective. When I was a kid, church was the only place you ever heard the word “hell” and now church is the only place you don’t hear it but I digress. My dad could preach a sermon on hell so intense that you could feel the temperature rising by the minute. There is debate as to whether the thermostat was raised mid-sermon by a secret Deacon but such accusations are unfounded (at least unproven by several Dateline investigations). By the time dad got done telling us about burning flesh, melting faces, unrelenting heat and gnawing worms, we could not wait for the invitation. We didn’t walk forward; we ran forward with smoke in our eyes and singed eyebrows to repent of our sins and receive Christ. Did I mention that I got saved when I was seven years old? I also got saved when I was eight, nine, nine and a half, ten, twelve and twice when I was thirteen. (Eleven was a backsliding year for me mainly spent learning to play baseball, shoot birds, cuss and smoke at Donnie Miller’s house.) These days I probably don’t preach on hell enough for those folks who would really like to see the fun put back into fundamentalism. I am sure Estus Pirkle would consider me only slightly ahead of Joel Osteen. Perhaps I am not sure a baptized version of “scared straight” is responsible evangelism. I do, however, believe in hell because the Bible believes in hell; if avoiding hell is not the best reason in the world to get saved…it sure beats not getting saved at all.

“When I was a kid, church was the only place you ever heard the word “hell” and now church is the only place you don’t hear it...”

Rev. Shane Bishop, Senior Pastor of Christ Church facebook.com/revshane @RevShaneBishop

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GOD Prayer
By M icha el H arris on

Answers
Hallelujah!

I

t was early in the 1970s when an innocent and very young teenaged boy entered the very heart of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City where a cult-like ritual was to take place. On that day the young man would perform a sacred Mormon ceremony. The lad was humbled and overwhelmed. He tried to take everything in with his eyes wide with fear and awe at the sight of the imposing room dominated by strange symbols and ornate details in the gold work. Moving him along were serious-minded adults dressed in unusual clothes, ushering the boy toward an enormous gold-covered pool sitting high in the room upon 12 life-sized golden oxen. He was going to become the center of attention by standing in as a living proxy; he was to be baptized for the dead. Nearly a decade later he was saved by Jesus Christ after being drawn by the Holy Spirit to hear and believe in the true Gospel. That moment would have seemed utterly impossible for him a decade earlier for, you see, I was that young teenager fully in step with the rituals of my Mormon lineage. I was born in Salt Lake City into a family that had been deeply rooted in Mormonism, but my heart was never satisfied. There was no fulfilling purpose. There was no true connection to God. There was only ritual and regulation and lackluster submission to them. Most of the energy expended was in attempting to convince ourselves that the “church is true” and that we were special. All the while, clear to me as I look back now, God’s Holy Spirit was calling to me, was exposing my need for more. I was empty and left wanting. I left home in 1976, enlisting in the U.S. Navy. I also settled it in my mind that I would also leave religion altogether. Who needs it? I didn’t believe it and I was never turning back. I made a clean break from Mormonism and from any other religion. In fact, I ensured that my Navy dog tags were stamped with the words, “no religious preference.” I broke free and was happy to be so.

In early April of 1981 all that changed. In San Diego I met a young lady named Donna who was visiting from Seattle. Although we were quite taken with each other, there was something I didn’t know about her that she knew about herself: she could not be “unequally yoked with an unbeliever.” I also didn’t know that after we met she began to pray earnestly for my salvation…frankly, I probably wouldn’t have liked knowing about that then. So, as we communicated by letter, her in Seattle and me aboard a Navy ship in San Diego, she prayed. And God heard. I began to feel a strange pull in my heart. Just a few weeks later, I found myself in the awkward situation of being face to face with a Navy Chaplain aboard ship. In a kind of defiant challenge I said, “Why don’t you tell me something that will make me want to go one way or the other.” As if he had been specifically directed there for that moment, and he had been by God, he just smiled and gave me a time and place to meet the next day. I don’t know exactly what it was he said to me in our meeting, but I know how I felt in the presence of the true gospel delivered to me for the first time. How could I have resisted God’s invitation, when faced with the conviction of my own sinful state, then presented with the good news that God loves me and has a plan for my life? No one had ever told me that God loves me. Upon truly hearing for the first time such good news that Jesus had died on that cross for me, had raised to life for me, and that He would one day return for me, there was no other option than to open the door and ask Him into my heart to be my savior. I wrote to Donna to tell of my new life, not knowing what to expect. Her response was an enthusiastic “Hallelujah!” Thus began my life as a “new creation” in Jesus, and the Holy Spirit began His sanctification process of making me into the person God had already declared me to be. God answers prayer, hallelujah!

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Michael Gary Harrison, Author of A Spark In Darkness facebook.com/asparkindarkness

The Road
Less Traveled A
s I’m contemplating the theme for this edition of The Flame—“God’s saving grace and the work He prepared for us to do”— I’m thinking, “Wow! Is God ever full of surprises!” Beth Moore’s poem, The Life I Planned, comes to mind. It goes like this: “Has someone seen the life I planned? It seems it’s been misplaced. I’ve looked in every corner It’s lost without a trace.” I can so relate to this poem, and I bet you can too! But the Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:40 – “God had planned something better.” I remember the line from Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken: “I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” I think, “I took the road less traveled—the road of cancer.” Never would I have guessed that my greatest ministry would come from the greatest adversity in my life or that incredible blessings would flow from this, but that has made all the difference. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2008, I was serving God in a big way. I was an active staff member at Christ Church; I was leading Bible studies both at Christ Church and at the Methodist church in Carlyle. “I” had plans. Now I realize that they were “my” plans, “my” dreams, and “my” goals. I was good at setting goals. I had been a business teacher, the Dean of the Business Division at SWIC, and goal setting was second nature to me. But God had His own goals, His own plans, as I was soon to find out. The diagnosis of cancer can be devastating, paralyzing, the treatments can be physically, mentally, and emotionally debilitating. Hard as I tried, I just couldn’t be the person I was before couldn’t do the things I used to do. And it took me a long time to realize God didn’t want me to still be that person. Through His saving grace, He had something more, something better planned for me.

By Diane Kruger

When Rev. Troy and Debby Creagh, Christ Church’s parish nurse, approached me in July 2011 about leading a Bible study for those whose lives had been affected by cancer, tears streamed down my face as I said I didn’t think I could do it. You see, in my mind I had put away “all things cancer,” “all things pink.” I had boxed up all my medical reports, my notes, my journals, and put them in the closet and shut the door. I didn’t want to open that door to that time in my life. I didn’t want to go there again, to subject myself to those thoughts and fears and feelings and emotions. Oh, don’t get me wrong! I was perfectly willing to help others going through what I had experienced. I was happy to meet with them, pray with them, and drive them to their treatments. But to open that closet, to relive what was tucked away inside—could I do that? I went home and prayed about it, and God led me to a powerful Bible study, Confronting Cancer with Faith, by Karen Allen, a cancer survivor who has become a wonderful friend. I agreed to teach the class, and 26 people attended! Because of my obedience to God’s plans, my life has been forever changed. Now I have finally faced the reality of being a cancer survivor and all that it entails. I lead a monthly Cancer Prayer Support Group, which meets the first Monday of each month at Christ Church. God continues to put people affected by cancer in my path. I have learned first-hand that God can turn lives around, that He can take the most painful experiences of our lives and turn them into something beautiful. And as for setting goals and making plans for my life—I now leave that up to God! God has led me to several wonderful books that I love to share with others. When God and Cancer Meet and Finding the Light in Cancer’s Shadow are by Lynn Eib, a cancer survivor and a cancer advocate. Another great book is Praying through Cancer, written by cancer survivors—like me!

Diane Kruger, Special Events Coordinator [email protected]

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Amazing Grace
By Fred Bishop
our church leaders who smoked couldn’t quit. I realized that we had no more “power” over evil in the church than these young people did outside the church. UGH! The second part of the Dilemma happened when I received a call from a couple who were thinking of getting a divorce. I have a major in Psychology and thought I was good at counseling. Janie asked me what the call was about. I told her about the couple and that I needed to go and counsel them. Janie replied, “What are you going to tell them? If you knew anything, you could practice it here in our home.” UGH! I knew I was a Christian. I knew I was called into the ministry. Yet I realized that either God was not able to work in such situations or I needed God’s power in my life greater than just salvation. I am so thankful for our Methodist doctrine of Sanctification. I prayed just like I did to get saved. I repented of my trying to serve the Lord in my own strength and education. I asked Jesus to baptize me with the Holy Spirit. I said, “I am not a good father, husband and pastor.” I felt like a small child sitting on His lap. I could hear Jesus say “I know.” He just held me and took over as the husband, father and pastor. What a release! I have followed Jesus all the way around the world. The Great Commission became “The Great Adventure.” What a ride it has been since that encounter in 1971. The fourth stage was initiated after being hidden in the attic by some nuns in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. I finally got home safely from that encounter in 1973. Later in 1975, we started No Greater Love Ministries, “putting the gospel in the hands of faithful men so they could take it to others.” I love this season of life physically and spiritually as a father, grandfather and great grandfather. God is good! All the time! God’s grace is truly amazing!!!!

y Journey includes a dream, a death, a dilemma and an attic. The first stage of my life was interrupted by a DREAM. At the age of 14, I had a dream and saw Jesus was coming on a cloud. Many people were being caught up into the cloud. I awakened just before the cloud got to me. From that night on, I wondered if I would go to heaven or not. Soon there was a revival service at our country Methodist church and I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and to come and live His life in me. My prayer to receive Jesus was at the third cloverleaf from the left at the altar. Recently the old church was torn down and they presented me with that section of the altar. I have it in my office as one of my most prized possessions. The second stage of my life was initiated by a DEATH! Life went along as normal for several years. We got news that my father had died. I wasn’t ready for that. My dad was only 51. I had never tried to share Jesus with my father while he was alive. I didn’t know how to share my faith. I wrestled over the meaning and purpose for living. One night as I was praying, I saw three streams of light like sunbeams. One was my youth leader from childhood, another my pastor from childhood and the third was my wife, Janie. I believe the Lord was calling me to be a “sunbeam” for others like these were to me. That became part of my “call” into the ministry. The third stage to my journey was initiated by a DILEMMA! After seminary, I became the pastor at Oak Grove Baptist Church near Pinckneyville, Illinois. There were two parts to my Dilemma. The first was trying to share Jesus with the young people in the town who were hooked on drugs. They said it was no different than cigarettes and that nicotine was more difficult to quit. I wanted to prove them wrong only to find out that some of

Fred Bishop www.nogreaterlove.org

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defining quality of my life; not because I was strong or peaceful but because He is. And with the peace of Christ comes power. . .strength in and through the Spirit of Christ, alive in me, for every situation. Of this I am sure. Every time I have called upon His name, whether in heartwrenching emotional or physical pain, He has carried me through. Even in the most desperate of situations, as I look back I see that He is ever so gentle with me. And the joy. . .it’s something I can’t quite adequately express. . . I only know that I wake up every morning thanking Him over and over and over again. He has had much to teach me, times when I was brought low in order for Him to raise me up again. Times when pride and perfection and the pleasing of people and the over sensitivity and the junk were pounded and sanded within the vice of His love both strong and gentle. I am certain that He is faithful even when I have not been faithful to Him. I am sure that He Himself disciplines and teaches those He loves. I am sure that He Himself restores us when we fail. So what of this long walk in the same direction? I know that He calls me to lead with wisdom, to teach, to mentor, and to be unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To do this I must bow low and press close. It hurts sometimes, but that is how we become real isn’t it? The beloved story of the Velveteen Rabbit says it well. I’ll paraphrase here-Real happens when Someone loves you for a long, long time. It doesn’t happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. And once you are real, you can’t be ugly except to people who don’t understand. I know Whom I have believed. I am fully persuaded that God is able to keep my life safe in Christ until I meet Him face to face. I am sure. And I want to tell everyone about Him.

Fully Persuaded
By Mary Ann Turner

I

am sure that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Way, He is the Truth, He is the Life and no man comes to the Father except through Him.

At age 11, I stood in church, listening to the crucifixion story read aloud from the bible. As I listened I “heard” a whisper to my heart, “He did that for me.” One warm tear ran down the right side of my face. It was personal. It was the Word of God that touched my heart. I was certain that He loved me and I kept it to myself. All of us walk in the light that we know. . .and what I knew was that God loved me and I needed to be good. At age 19, at home for the summer, I sat in the sun on our deck reading a copy of the magazine, Faith at Work. The entire issue was about grace. . .I took every word to heart. Finally, I learned that I didn’t earn my salvation; it was a gift. This time, I was truly free. This time, I no longer wanted to keep Him just for myself. I created a decoupage tin for display. I covered it with words that expressed my joy of realizing freedom by grace alone, through Christ alone. College years were filled with assaults on my faith--lies in the name of Christianity and other assorted traumatic faith experiences. I had reached a crisis of decision. Not wanting to go on yet knowing I would have to choose to believe first that God is exactly who He claims to be. With shaky trust I chose to take Him at his word. I made a choice to meet Him early every morning and so began a pattern for the rest of my life. . a choice I make daily. . . to lean on the windowsill of heaven with an open bible and my prayers. Power and peace became inextricably linked in my decisions and in the ways that God would choose to bless me beyond my wildest dreams. Peace has become the

Mary Ann Turner [email protected]

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Destroying My Family
The Purposeful, Planned Neglect of Everything but
Throughout the first ten years of my so called Christian walk, I obsessed about one thing–and one thing only. Becoming a world famous writer. Much to the disappointment of my wife, this ambition took first place to everything else–my marriage, children, work and even church. To give you an example of what this drive did to me, I quite often found myself thinking that I would have to sacrifice my children for this ambition– and that it was quite natural to do that. Of course I worried about the tragedy my children would become if I neglected them–but I’d have to live with that. It’s the price I’d have to pay to become a world class writer. As I said, I was driven, single-mindedly, by one thing. And it wasn’t Christ.

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JESUS CHRIST
By Demian Farnworth

house on a hill. A room with a window. A desk near that window. A laptop on the desk. Piles of books about the desk. Look down from the window and you see a garden. Then a long lawn and a road that winds through the hills miles before it reaches civilization. Morning, noon and night spent reading, writing and wandering. In the evening a novelist pops in for a pint. On the weekend a photographer and a poet crash until Sunday afternoon. That was my idea of utopia. Bliss fit for an Emily Dickinson, J. D. Salinger or Thomas Pynchon. Bliss fit for a self-absorbed intellectual snob. Then Jesus wrecked that vision.

The Day My World Collapsed
November 30, 2007, is the date that my life came to a screeching halt. Stupid decisions I had made over the last ten years were about to pull the world out from under me. I collapsed, and promised God to lay down everything that didn’t contribute to my relationship with Him--most notably my ambition to become a world-famous writer. Naturally, I wallowed in a pit of anxiety as I struggled to find out who I really was. Only gradually, over time, did it dawn on me that this is exactly what Christ meant when He said, “If you want to follow me, deny yourself and take up your cross, and come after me.” And only over time did Jesus put me back together—for His purpose.

The Purposeful, Planned Neglect of Everything but Jesus Christ
This is not to say that the fantasy to live alone on top of a hill to write doesn’t haunt me anymore. It is still there. And yes, I have the room with the window. The desk near that window. I have the laptop. Piles of books still sit around that laptop. I still spend a good portion of my day reading and writing (and wandering when I’ve got the down time), but rather than investing my talents to make much of me, I now use them to make much of God.

S
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ee, the introvert in me burns for solitude. But now, because of Christ, the Christian in me burns for the lost. I could’ve never gotten to that place unless Christ crushed my version of utopia so that I could see His—a utopia so much sweeter than anything this world could ever offer. The only logical thing to do is deny myself, pick up my cross and follow Him each and every day.
Demian Farnworth facebook.com/demian.farnworth @demianfarnworth

Getting To Know YOU
Name: Erin Hanson Job Title: Volunteer Coordinator Job Description: Coordinate the “Loving Neighbor”
section of SYNC - responsible for helping people get plugged in to ministry opportunities, whether that is simply connecting them with a ministry leader or helping them discover their spiritual gifts. As of September 1, I am also responsible for leading our Welcome Ministries (greeters, Welcome Center, Activity Center, ushers).

Who do you respect the most?

Definitely my husband, Nathan. He is dedicated, hardworking, and steadfast. He has a true servant’s heart and he is very discerning.

What were you like when you were a kid?

Really inquisitive. I was always asking grown-ups questions they had to go look up the answers to.

What countries have you visited?

What book are you reading now?

Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, and Texas. Even though Texas is not technically a country, people should still have to have a passport to go there.

She’s Got Issues by Nicole Unice, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I almost never read one book at a time!

What do you think you will be doing five years from now?

What drives you crazy?

Inappropriate apostrophe use!!!

Lord willing, continuing to connect people with Jesus here at Christ Church!

Would your spouse say you are funny or serious?
Seriously funny. Absolutely.

What is your goal in life?

To become the person I was uniquely created to be.

Are you a perfectionist? Have you ever come face to face with a dangerous animal?

What could you do as a child that you can’t do now?
I used to play the trumpet.

Are you a task-oriented person or a people-oriented person?

Both! I like making tasks and processes work for people in relational ways.

More than once! Black bears were really common where I grew up, so I’ve been closer than I’d like to a few of them. Once when Nate and I lived in Anchorage, I opened the front door of our duplex one evening and almost walked right into a bull moose who had decided to come up our front steps.

What advice to a newlywed couple would you offer?

Name one thing you miss about being a kid.
Mandatory nap time!

What is your weirdest quirk?

When I go to a restaurant or a meeting, I have to sit where I can see the door.

Think of your marriage as the house. Build it on the solid rock of Christ, and when the storms of life come, your marriage will be able to withstand them. Learn the difference between mercy and grace, and practice them both in abundance. And resolve as a couple to never bring divorce to the table. Matthew 7:24-27

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Marvelous, Matchless, Saving Grace

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt! Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured. There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
~ Julia H. Johnston ~

By Rev. Will Campbell

I

was twelve years old when God called me to preside over a funeral for the first time. Fifteen minutes before that, He had broken my murderous heart with His marvelous, matchless, saving grace. Six months prior, after watching Ralphie in A Christmas Story pine for and eventually receive “a Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time,” I had received a Daisy BB gun as a Christmas present. From late December that year through April the following spring, I took aim at empty Coke cans, tin pie plates, and air. I understood that air as a target served at least two good purposes: 1) It seemingly made for a great scapegoat when attempting and failing to show off in front of friends (“Yeah, I only missed because of the wind messing with my aim!”), and 2) Air didn’t protest much when I raised my gun in anger shooting into it after my friends laughed at me for trying to use excuse number 1. By late May, firing at empty Coke cans, tin pie plates, and air had lost its appeal. So, one Saturday morning, while my dad was washing his white Pontiac Sunbird that apparently looked so good parked and clean that it chose not to be reliable when being driven, I went hunting for other targets. Tree trunks, were plentiful in our yard, seemed hittable prey, yet I soon realized they had a nasty habit of deflecting shards of themselves as well as my ammo back at me. In my frustration, my ears awakened to other game. Taking aim, yet knowing I’d never hit it considering there was a slight breeze; I fired at a young robin perched upon a lower limb of a dogwood tree. In an episode of The Andy Griffith Show entitled “Opie the Birdman,” Andy’s young son, Opie, fires a rock from a slingshot which hits and kills a mother bird orphaning her three baby birds. Andy tells his son, “Sorry isn’t the magic word that makes everything all right.” As the robin I hit lay dead on the ground,

a fleeting moment of pride was replaced by heart-wrenching regret. I wrapped the bird in Kleenex and placed it in a small shoe box. Sealing the cardboard casket with several rubber bands, I laid the bird to rest in a two-foot deep hole, covering it with dirt and tears as I offered a broken version of the prayer I had been taught in church: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6: 9b-13 (NIV) In Matthew 6, Jesus continues to instruct His disciples regarding what is required of those who would be His disciples. What many know as The Lord’s Prayer was taught to them that when they prayed they might “not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:7-8, NIV) How wonderful to realize that long before my sin and the ways of the world tempted me to want and wield deathly power, God knew I needed a Savior for my murderous ways. Via the Christmas Story, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our loving God extended to me and all of us marvelous grace greater than all our sin. In so doing, He also called us to respond with lives of repentance and witnessing as we tell the world of the liberating, healing, true life-giving power of God realized in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Thanks be to God.

Rev. Will Campbell, Pastor of Student Ministries [email protected]

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Out of the Pit and Into His Grace

By Carrie Gaxiola

Psalm

40:2

“He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.”

M

iry is an adjective that means heavy and often deep mud or slush; a substance that causes one to sink. What a description of my life before Jesus saved me!

I am a child of the 60’s, the era where many new norms were established in our culture. Sex, drugs and rock-n-roll were household words, and my parents’ household became no exception. Divorce swept through families at a staggering rate, and my mom and dad, high school sweethearts, did not dodge that bullet. I was 9 years old when Mom and Dad divorced. My world turned upside down. Everything changed. That one decision opened the door to some very dark days of abuse by step-parents, fracturing of extended family, drug and alcohol abuse and evil of every sort. I could count on one thing growing up and that was utter chaos. I always longed for life to settle down and have one of those “normal” families again. As I entered my teen and young adult years, I formed my own habit of drug and alcohol abuse and abusive relationships. I recall feeling as if I was always racing to stay one step ahead of the darkness that was trying to consume me. When I thought of the future, all I envisioned was a black curtain that had no end in sight. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” Through a series of amazing events in my early 20’s, God began to chip away at my darkened, hopeless heart. I had been through a treatment program and AA, and through those avenues God began to shine His light in my life. The downward spiral became an upward gaze! I began, for the first time since I was 9 years old, to feel loved and a sense of worth.

Looking back over the years of walking with the Lord, I have experienced His transforming power in my life. Some of the refining has been utterly miraculous, and some has been a moment-by-moment walk of faith. I have often wondered since becoming a Christian why I haven’t done great and memorable things for the Lord like become a modern day Amy Carmichael or some such person and win the masses for Jesus with my testimony! But as I reflect on all God has done for me, I realize He has redeemed dark chaos in our family and given me the longing I had as a young girl. The work He prepared me to do as a wife and mom is evident of His saving grace. It’s not flamboyant and doesn’t draw big crowds, but I know it is a light in a culture that doesn’t show a lot of hope for the family. God has given me the desire I had as a young girl, a “normal” family. I didn’t say a perfect family. We certainly have our struggles like everyone else, but God has given me the hope of the gospel to share with others. He has given me a love for helping marriages that are struggling birthed out of the pain I walked through growing up in my home. I have a compassion for parents that have troubled kids because I once was a troubled kid. I understand the power addiction can have over a person because my soul was consumed with that destruction. I have hope to share because Jesus Christ gave me hope. As much as I wouldn’t want to relive those days, I thank God that my life was written as it was because everything I am today points to His saving grace! I know what it is like to sink in the miry clay. I was deep and about to go in over my head, but my Savior lifted me and set me on a Rock! His love and forgiveness redeemed my past and now are working together for good. He truly is an awesome God!

Carrie Gaxiola facebook.com/carrie.bushgaxiola

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A Heart Strangely Warmed
By Larry Weber

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any Christ Church members and attendees grew up in the Roman Catholic Church; I am one of them. As a child I went to Mass regularly, participated in the Catholic Church rituals; even served as an altar boy for several years. I was a regular at the Catechism Classes that our priest taught even though I knew the Methodists (they were not the United Methodists then) were having much more fun up the street at their Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) meeting. I did not read the Bible or pray directly to God-the priest did that. I learned about the Saints and listened intently to the homilies, most of the time anyway. I cannot even say what most Catholic children say, “I was there only because my parents made me go.” I wanted to be at church, at least most of the time. When I was 13, I attended Confirmation Classes. It was boring! We were learning about the rituals of the Catholic Church. The only parts of Confirmation classes I liked were when we were talking and learning about Jesus and what He had done on the cross for me. I could not believe that God would send His Son for me! I had done the Stations of the Cross but He died for me? A few weeks later when the Right Reverend Ralph A Hoch, Bishop of the Sioux Falls Diocese, laid his hands on my shoulder to confirm me at the big Cathedral in Sioux Falls, along with hundreds of other 13 year olds from the Diocese, I felt a strange warming and for the first time I prayed directly to MY Savior. I wanted to know this God who would send His Son for my sins. I felt so badly for what I had caused and wanted so much to experience His love for me!

In that instant I also knew what I wanted to do with my life. I was certain God was calling me to the priesthood. I had heard often about the need for priests and I thought I should become one. I completed the paperwork for entrance into minor seminary with the intention of starting in the fall but never went. I joke that it was because I discovered girls but that is only partially true. In hindsight it was because God had a different plan for me; a plan to be engaged in service to His loved ones in another setting. I love children; I love education; and I love leading. My ministry became public school administration as a School Principal and Superintendent for almost 40 years. I joined the Methodist Church, a place where John Wesley, someone else’s heart who “felt strangely warmed.” I married my high school sweetheart; she was the one who invited me to MYF. We became very involved in the church wherever we were serving; first as Youth Leaders before we had children and in a variety of ministries after we began having our own children. I began serving in the key leadership committees of the church and was Lay Leader at Rochester UMC. Then I began teaching adult Sunday school. Soon after we came to Christ Church in 2002, I was asked to join the Pastor Parish Relations Committee. I believe God used me to minister to pastors and teach adults in the congregations we attended for these many years. Now I am in full-time service to God-as Director of Ministries at Christ United Methodist Church; and each day I see others of every age whose ‘hearts are strangely warmed.’

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Larry Weber, Director of Ministries [email protected]

Living Stone

By Debby Creagh

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he Master chose me out of the pile. I am a rough, misshapen rock in His hand. But I release myself to Him. He turns me over and over; He examines my flaws. What does He see? The mallet comes out, the chisel is placed precisely. The first cut crucial to the end result. With great strength and accurate knowledge of the stone, the first blow is struck. WHAM! Wait! That was a huge piece of me! I thought that was essential and now it’s gone? WHAM! Another chunk falls away. This is painful! Why is this happening? Do You know what You are doing?? The Master examines again and more blows are struck. Sharp planes are revealed. There is a glint here and there of light caught and

reflected. A contour takes shape. Isn’t that enough? Chipping, grinding, polishing, reset, repeat. Oww, ouch, OUCH! Hey, that hurt! The Master continues to cut, smooth, and shape. The final stone becoming clearer. Aren’t I done yet? What?! No wait! An acid bath??? REALLY?! That’s not necessary, is it? A pause… a quiet, patient question is whispered, “Do you trust Me?” Will I be ready then? The Master takes out his cloth and lovingly polishes a Brilliantine Diamond. Beautiful light and colors sparkle everywhere. The Master’s plan is revealed. So this is what I was meant to be! A setting to the exact size for the diamond is found and it is set in its place. A gem ready for the Master’s

use. The light of His glory reflected in His purpose for me. HALLELUJAH! God’s Word to us in the Bible is the chisel in the Father’s loving, knowledgeable, precise hand. “It transforms us and renews our mind.” (Romans 12:1-2) “It instructs, rebukes, corrects, and trains us in righteousness so that we can be equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16) “It brings health to our bodies and nourishment to our bones.” (Proverbs 3:8) “We are to be careful to do everything written in it.” (Joshua 1:8) Are we willing to be shaped and formed by the Word and trust ourselves to the Master’s hand?

Debby Creagh, Parish Nurse Coordinator [email protected]

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red repa ose P urp or P f
ks od wor ings G , who th at in all Him now th e who love ose.” k is purp nd we d of thos “A to H goo ording for the n called acc ee have b IV :28, TN mans 8 Ro
Be . Troy By Rev nton

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his scripture is one of those lifeline ropes of faith I’ve clung to throughout my Christian life. I’ve prayed it, loved it, lamented over it, and labored for it. Paul’s words here to the church of Rome offered needed hope to first century Christians battling to be God’s legacy. They desperately needed to see Christ manifested in some tangible purpose for living. Paul’s words also sound a cymbal to awaken today’s believers to grasp the finished destiny God is preparing us for. Recently I reviewed my life’s journey with my best friend, Emma. We recalled some of the best moments of our lives! From the birth of our children to the day we met, to the day we were married, and many victories, we laughed and celebrated God’s marvelous grace and goodness. Other memories were awful! We remembered with tears in our eyes, pain in our faces, and (in confession) a bit of disappointment over the dreary times. Emma asked me one of her intuitive questions: “What would you do over again?” I answered differently than I did some years ago. About five years ago, I answered that there were a few things I would change, but now I would change only one thing! Just before coming to be your Associate Pastor and family, Emma and I took a couple’s trip, a cruise. The days on that ship captivated my whole being like almost nothing I’ve ever experienced! For the first time in years, and after a very difficult season in ministry, I was in a place where I could think, pray, feel, consider all I had learned and encountered. There were awful things I was able to release and reconcile; good things I was able to truly celebrate and honor. During the last morning, I

walked to the very front of the ship and was able to stand alone. On that deck, and in the middle of the ocean, I asked God the difficult things I couldn’t share with anyone. In that moment, I heard God say, “I took you through all the good and bad for reasons I will reveal in your steps ahead.” These words just a year prior were ones I did not and could not hear from God in prayer. My station in life then made hearing this difficult to accept. God used the year before my coming to Christ Church to reveal a truth that I had experienced, but truly learned. The difficult days of our lives God uses as training, not as tests for our preparation; they are to propel us toward our purpose. That hour on that ship changed my life! I was moving forward to a new walk and journey that was unsure, but in that instant I became certain: 1) I had been prepared by God. 2) Challenges were and are part of the fulfillment of the purpose for my life. 3) Challenges are part of what will prepare me for my eventual destined call and lifelong labor. It’s now been a year; I’m truly having a marvelous time in ministry and in family life, and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. I’m grateful for our time here. I’m most grateful for our Savior, our God, and Jesus Christ, who loved me enough to use a most ugly moment to make a masterpiece of confirmation of my purpose by providing preparation. I walk each day absolutely certain my purpose is before me, and Christ Church is being used to complete preparation. I am grateful to Christ Church, to my family, my brilliant wife Emma, and to my God…who is preparing me for a purpose in ministry and life I cannot even begin to imagine. May this witness yield a word of hope to you… that God is preparing you also, for His purpose!

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Rev. Troy Benton, Associate Pastor facebook.com/tmbenton @revtroy

God At Work
New Members
July
Kelly Lyn Klein Gladys Schmees Matthew Schmees Todd K. Burton Stephanie M. Johnson Debbie Dodt Gary Dodt John Drinkard Kristen Burton J. Matt Malone Brandi L. Malone Janice Floyd William J. Trent Darren Hartford Tina Hartford Tabitha Drinkard Elaine S. Cariglio John Cariglio

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Baptisms
June July
Juliet Goodwin

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Member Passings
-------------------------------Lt. Col. Philip W. Anthony – June 16 Frances Hejmej – July 8

Nathaniel Kris Campbell Hadley Marie Nyman Alicia Gage Charles Rager Austin Balabas Michelle Thurston

100,000 Hours

-------------------------------The people of Christ Church have committed to serve our community with 100,000 hours of service.

We have served: 6,946.45 hrs (as of 08/06/12)

Attendance

--------------------------------

Finances (as of 08/06/12)

July Worship avg. = 1560 July Connection Classes avg. = 358 Year Avg. Worship = 1644

-------------------------------General Budget YTD Giving = $1,877,078.03 YTD Expenses = $1,621,239.90 Annual Budget = $2,415,165.00

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FOOD DRIVE
in October
Christ Church will host a food drive in October to share with those in need. A list of items needed by the area food pantries are listed below.

Food Items:

Canned fruit and vegetables, cooking oil, coffee, tea, soup, boxed potatoes, boxed or bagged rice, crackers, ketchup, mustard, peanut butter, jelly, sugar, canned meat, tuna, beans (chili, pork-n-beans, navy, butter, pinto), cereal, cake mixes and other boxed dessert mixes.

Personal Items:

Toilet tissue, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes and bar soap.

Household Items:

Household cleaning products, paper towels, laundry detergent and dishwashing liquid.

more information coming soon

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