Loud Rimshot-Bethel Day!

Bethel Day is this Saturday @ 2:00 pm. The theme is Western, and plenty of activities (bounce houses, crafts, fun booths, games, etc.) have been planned, as well as a scrumptious meal. It is always a good time and helps Bethel Apostolic Academy and Bethel Kiddie Korral. See you there!

Note to Mr. and Mrs. Black

Congratulations to Danny and Delaina Black. Their wedding was last Saturday, and it was very eventful. Danny and Delaina's approach to matrimony was rather refreshing, mainly because they purposed to build a proper foundation. Marriage is supposed to be a "good" thing, yet if the building of the edifice is short circuited, or corners cut, the results can be devastating. Many times the improper building techniques end up causing harm to others...
...So what are some of the important things? Prayer. I observed them spending time in prayer before services, as well as participating in nightly prayer on off church nights. Connectivity. They were always in the "front" of things instead of withdrawing, pulling away, or isolating themselves in a fog of "love." Reality. They worked to properly control the feeling of "being in love" so that they could focus on the reality of the commitment. Family. The people that know you the best are also the same ones that typically tell you truth when they see it.

Those are just a few components that come to mind, and when those same components are not there, it becomes much harder to "build". Pop culture has shredded the notion of commitment and has opted for "feeling." Feeling only lasts awhile...feeling lumps marital problems together with abandoning the relationship. Commitment treats such behavior harshly, as everyone has to work at making a relationship better, but certainly does not "scrap" the I Do.

There is no "perfect" marriage, but you can certainly hedge against a miserable one by making sure the foundation is strong and secure. So, once again, congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Danny Black.

I will continue to teach, preach, talk, promote...and whatever other vocabulary you can come up with, the thrill of finding a help-mate TO bring glory to God FOR the world to recognize SO that the world has righteous descendants in it.

Well....that is until the miniature bride below decides to get married...jk. KB

Volkslauf Theology

If you don't know what Volksauf (People's Run) is, the following quote from the Bakersfield Californian will help you.

The twelfth annual Volkslauf Mud Run was held Saturday October 11th near the Kern County Sheriff’s Facility off of Lerdo Highway. This is the tenth year this location hosted the race, with its miles of trails, obstacles, millions of gallons of water, and mud. Over 3,000 runners and an estimated 6,000 spectators swarmed over the grounds on a morning where low temperatures hovered in the mid 40s at daybreak. High temps for the day rose to a cool 65 degrees with clear skies & a light breeze. Those are generally great conditions for running, but when you add the fact that these runners were soaking wet, the physical and mental challenges are magnified by the cold to the point where your brain is trying to convince you to give up.

I was one of the three representatives from First Pentecostal Church (Josh Scott and CJ Casey)running in the 10K (six miles) run. I wanted a challenge. It was a blast, I did quite well for the first time, thank you, and the whole experience pushed me to the limit physically, as well as trigger a spiritual meditation that will no doubt last a long time. Let me articulate.

I was fully prepared for the obstacles. I was not prepared for six miles of running. My lower body began screaming at me about 1 1/2 miles into the race... stuff like "your stupid" "can't we just stop and walk" "I thought this was just a fun thing to do and not a race against time" "what are you trying to prove anyway" and many other negative "I hate pain" comments. There were times I almost took a break...and then I passed Cpl. Evan Morgan, whose picture you see at the top. Evan lost both legs in Iraq and was the guest of honor at the event. They only asked him to speak, but he felt speaking would not be enough, and so he ran the race with two different types of prosthetic devices on his legs. Unbelievable. So, as I passed him, I quickly silenced the "poor me" stuff, and pummelled the legs I do have. However, I must admit...at the end I wanted to stop and walk. Until I passed the guy below on the far right.

He lost one prosthetic leg in the mud, quickly put it back on, and was off again. Again, I silenced the noise, and cannon bombed "Happy Valley" on the way to a satisfying finish. It was inspirational to see several Iraq vets run the race, despite odds against them.
The heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11 were tortured, mocked, stoned, cut in two, tempted, tormented, destitute in food and clothing, wandered from cave to cave, and imprisoned. AND in verse 39 of Hebrews chapter 11 "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." Furthermore, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth(11:13). They received not the promise! They were without the power of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:9; 2:38-39). Yet, they were overcomers.

Makes one ponder how insignificant our difficulties are when matched against the treatment they faced. They had nothing but gut level faith...and I have the power of the Spirit, yet so little faith? ...makes me want to hush the negativity of my "small" spiritual aches and pains, and keep running. Happy Valley can't be too far away! KB

Three Clowns Runnin' Round

Two Sundays ago, we had a great "Friends and Family" day. Everyone determined to invite someone to this special day in which we determined to give "no less than 100%" in our regular attendance, participation, worship, giving, etc. As you can see, we had a great crowd (167 visitors) and what you cannot see is another full section of Sunday School Kids on the far left of the picture. Hence, the reason for the following pictures of several clowns below. At the end of our worship portion of the service, we all joined in for a rousing version of "This little light of mine." The clowns came to the platform at the CLOSE of the worship service.
It was, to say the least, kind of ironic to look out DURING the worship service and see three worshipping clowns sitting/standing/praisin' in the kid's section. Here is a closer look of them on the platform at the CLOSE of the worship service helping us all sing...
Now, what was interesting is that the worship service was a powerful one. People were singing, leaping, lifting their hands, giving glory to God, shouting praises to a God, who enjoys being right in the midst of the worship. AND people were running as well......................so were the clowns. They tried to stay in the kid's section, but became overwhelmed during the celebration, and they took off around the church. I can't say that I've seen too many clowns runnin' round...at least not people dressed up as clowns.

Ps 146:1-2
Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being .
KJV

Far before this service, all three of these clowns have already proven they love to worship God...no matter when, where, or how. On this particular day, they were "clowns runnin' round. "

Grub Worm Party!

I have two waxleaf ornamental trees you see in the above picture. Actually, I HAD two of those trees sitting on my patio. Two, that is, until white grub worms decided to have a party at the expense of the tree's roots. What weird creatures! Check them out...and there was a lot of them.
Apparently, June bugs are attracted to lights AND soft soil. Since the trees were right next to the garage lights...well, what better place to have a grand time. The June bug will burrow down into the soil and lay its eggs. When the eggs maturate they become white grub worms, and white grub worms love the roots of contained ornamental trees.
I lost two plants before figuring out what the problem was and determining a solution. If you notice your plant looking sickly, leaves falling off, soil mushy, and the plant falling over...there is a grub worm party going on...Nasty things killed a great looking tree.
Heb 12:15
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
KJV
In this case, just replace "root" with "worm"...my tree was definitely troubled and defiled. We cannot allow something in the past (yearssssss ago), or the present, to ruin the function and beauty of the "tree," enabled by God's grace.
My daughter willingly offered to "take care" of at least one of the grub worms. Spiritually, I suggest we do the same thing. KB

Soft Rimshot

Two things happened over the last busy weekend.

First, we had a "deep" cleanout, cleanup, and cleanaround. A great crowd of adults and young people joined in the fun and we accomplished a great deal of work. Thanks to all for chipping in.

Second, we had a great Friends and Family day, with 167 visitors in our service! It was a great day of worship, fellowship, and fun. Following...Proclaiming...Celebrating...TRUTH. God Bless, KB