Loose Spark Plugs?

For the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. -Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I had just done an oil change on my car, and Dad recommended we run a compression test. (You don't need to know what that is- I didn't until yesterday.) While running the test, we discovered that the spark plugs were a lot looser than the service manual specified they should be. Once the test was done, we made sure the spark plugs were tightened to specs and fired up the car. It roared to life, sure as anything, but we were greeted by the sight and smell of blue smoke puffing out the exhaust pipe!

Now, for those of us who know about as much about cars as I did before I bought this one, blue smoke coming out the back is not a good sign. It means your car is burning much more oil than it ought to. As it turns out, the loose spark plugs were very likely left that way to cover up a more significant engine problem- the one causing the blue smoke. The car I bought two months ago is suddenly a lot closer to the end of its lifetime than I thought it was.

Sometimes sin problems in our lives can be covered up by cheap fixes like those loose spark plugs. When we find a problem in our attitude or habits and decide it's not worth the effort needed to fix it, we'll ignore it and deaden our consciences to it. However, the problem is still there- and often it gets worse when we fail to address it. Sin problems grow, and they affect our relationship with our Father in heaven. As with my engine, sooner or later there's going to be a breakdown. Fortunately, you and I know the Master Mechanic, and He's perfectly willing to fix the root problem- at no cost- if you're willing to swallow your pride and surrender your life to Him.

You know what strikes me as illogical? We often give a lot more attention to problems with our cars, our homes, our toys, or our bodies, than we give to spiritual problems in our own lives. Compared to your life, a car is completely disposable. A car will reach the end of its lifetime and fall apart; it serves its purpose and then we stop caring about it. You, however, will live forever. Shouldn't you then pay attention to warning signals in your life more so than signs that your car is falling apart? The Bible will let you diagnose any issues in your life; your loving Heavenly Father will help you overcome them. Don't wait until you're broken down on the side of the road to consult the manual and repair your engine.

(www.tddm.org)

Devote Summer Series

Don't forget about the new Summer Series the youth will be doing this year. Devoted...hiding His Word in our hearts.

SPRING RETREAT THIS WEEKEND!!

As the weekend approaches be sure that you have all the forms and information you need. You can download a copy of the medical release form on the website, or fill out an online registration. Please contact the church office or Pastor Bill McCarter with any questions you may have. Prepare your heart for Refuge Retreat. Seek the Lord and ask Him to teach you all that He would desire. Be open to hear from Him this weekend!

What Makes You Different?

Beloved that's a question for us to face, those of us that are Christians. What makes us different in the world? Are we different on the job because our ethics are different, our conversation is different, our attitude is different, our love is different? Are we different in our homes, are we different in our communities? Because if we're not different, we have nothing to say to this society that they're going to believe.

Oswald Sanders said, "The Master expects from His disciples such conduct as can be explained only in terms of the supernatural." And if your conduct can only be explained in terms of the supernatural,then you've got something to say to the society, they're going to take note. But if you're like everybody else, what is the difference? What do you have that they don't have? If we're to speak to this age and call this godless age to Jesus Christ and let them know that there's something real about Christ, it'll be when our lives are unique have no other explanation than that God is there.(John MacArthur, "Love Your Enemies")

Jesus calls us to love our enemies....take home the following:

1. Think of someone you really don't like and begin today to pray for them.

2. Make an effort this week to speak to someone you normally would not speak to.

3. Perform at least one act of kindness this week for someone who does not deserve it.

Pastor Bill

The Call To An Authentic Life

If a Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority marketing campaign is successful, the city's nightclubs and casinos will be inundated with card-carrying astronauts, neurosurgeons, and bounty hunters. The city encourages tourists to deceive their parents, children, and spouses with the "What happens here..." slogan is inviting visitors to create a false identity-then come to Las Vegas and live it. The "Be Anyone" campaign includes an Internet-based contest in which participants who concoct the most creative fictional personae can win an all-expenses-paid Las vacation to carry out the hoax in style.

Contestants will be aided and abetted by "printable business cards, a real Web site and 800 number for their faux business, plus printable certificates of achievement in their field, suitable for framing," the ad agency says (Las Vegas Sun, February 14, 2006).

But the call of Christ is to live authentically. We are to bright lights in a dark world...walking the talk and talking the walk. Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glory your Father which is heaven."

11 Reasons to Worship with Your Family

11 Reasons to Worship with Your Family

God, Freedom, and The Adjustment Bureau

God, Freedom, and The Adjustment Bureau;