New Staff Member Coming Soon!

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It is my great pleasure to introduce a new staff member to Bethany Church:  Lincoln Lawing has accepted an invitation to work with our youth part-time beginning September 5. His efforts will be focused primarily on Wednesday evening ministry with youth until the new year when he completes a prior ministry commitment with another church. Please be in prayer for Lincoln and his family as they begin their transition process.

This new ministry assignment will enable John David to apply his gifts and talents in the areas of worship, technology and assisting the pastor with various responsibilities associated with administration. Please continue to lift up John David and our youth in prayer.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, Pastor Robert, by phone or email.

Overflowing!

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Colossians 2:6-7 “So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.”

Today Jackie’s heart and mine overflow with thankfulness as we think on how God has blessed us with the staff, leadership and people of Bethany Church. Thank you so much for remembering our anniversary, the card and the gift that you presented. We love you and it may sound crazy – but we like you too. (I’v heard people say, “I may have to love you, but I don’t have to like you.”)

I don’t know what the future holds for Bethany, but it appears that the Lord is preparing us for a visitation. Though He loves visiting with us but is goal is to dwell with us forever.  So our assignment on earth is to establish a resting place whose foundation is LOVE. I’m of the opinion that you have been doing a pretty good job in the love department. So may I say from Jackie and I, “Thank you for accepting that assignment, loving Jesus, loving one another, and loving us.”

It all reminds me of a story I read years ago: There was a man who got lost in the desert. After wandering around for a long time his throat became very dry, about that time he saw a little shack in the distance. He made his way over to the shack and found a water pump with a small jug of water and a note. The note read: “Pour all the water into the top of the pump to prime it, if you do this you will get all the water you need”.

Now the man had a choice to make, if he trusted the note and poured the water in and it worked he would have all the water he needed. If it didn’t work he would still be thirsty and he might die. Or he could choose to drink the water in the jug and get immediate satisfaction, but it might not be enough and he still might die. After thinking about it the man decided to risk it. He poured the entire jug into the pump and began to work the handle, at first nothing happened and he got a little scared but he kept going and water started coming out. So much water came out he drank all he wanted, took a shower, and filled all the containers he could find.

Let’s keep priming the pump at our “little shack” Bethany through choosing the water of praise, worship, thanksgiving, prayer, service, and obedience centered in His Love and we will not only have enough to satisfy our needs, but there will be extra to go around. God’s Spirit is more than a pump – He is a Mighty River! God bless you guys.

Up-Lift!

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1 Timothy 2:8 I desire therefore that in every place men should pray, ….without anger or quarreling or resentment or doubt [in their minds], ….lifting up holy hands.

People are having face lifts, neck lifts, chin lifts, forehead lifts, mid-face lifts, eye lid lifts, lower face lifts, mini face lifts, to their bodies. But what about Christ’s Body? What would happen if we began focusing on a prayer lift? Following yesterday’s service Sister Linda Stalls had a wonderful idea: EDIFY!

Edify means to encourage, build up, comfort, or LIFT UP. Historically the Latin noun aedes, means “house” or “temple,” and at it’s root is the word aedificare, a verb meaning “to erect a house.” Generations of speakers built on that meaning, and by the Late Latin period, the verb had gained the figurative sense of “to instruct or improve spiritually.” The word eventually passed through Anglo-French before Middle English speakers adopted it as edify during the 14th century.

Linda’s challenge? “Choose one person, from our body, to pray for this week.  Ask Holy Spirit what He would have you say to that person to bring spiritual edification.  Keep notes as to what you feel Holy Spirit has given you.  It could be a word, a smile, a sentence, scriptures, a song, a psalm or whatever would come to your mind when you are praying. When we meet together on Sunday, share that edification with them. Doing this week to week  will give us opportunity for Holy Spirit to build up our body through His Spirit working through us. Let’s EDIFY!!”

In taking Linda’s challenge we will be lifting up the Lord’s House – His Body, His Church (that’s you and I). Jesus promises that when we lift Him up He will draw all people to Himself. John 12:32. Isn’t that what we want to see? Jesus in and through us – through His Church. Let’s take Linda’s challenge beginning “Operation Up Lift” and raise up our hearts, voices and hands to the Lord in Prayer asking for words, scriptures, smiles, cards, sentences, songs, psalms, and other creative ways that would and could express the love of the Father to a member of our church body.