Careful Little Eyes

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” Philippians 4:6

One evening I was about to sit down and watch some T.V. with my children, while scrolling through the mind scrambling number of movies on Netflix I kept running across movies that I had watched and liked in the past but thought they were inappropriate to watch in front of children. This thought hit me like a freight train. I didn’t want my kids to see the nudity and vile language in these movies for their own good but had been content to download all the blasphemy and hyper sexual content into my own mind. I recalled the above passage in Paul’s Letter to the Philippians and thought about the finite amount of time we get each day. While I was wrestling with how violent or vile our entertainment could be and not warp the kids the way I had been warped I had missed the point entirely. We should fill our time with what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. I should be searching out things that are excellent and praiseworthy. If I would not show it to my children or listen to it with my Pastor then I probably should not be consuming it. But that’s just a guideline, in reality we should be only imbibing things that improve or inspire us. We as Christians shouldn’t have enough time to waste. We should be reaching the lost or preparing to do so.

The First Fruits Project

I find myself this time of year asking people for money a lot. Whether it is to buy a Christmas tree or pecans to support our Outreach Ministry, or passing the plate at the second Saturday breakfast to fund the Men’s Group, I find myself shilling for Jesus and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I come to you now wanting to sell you CD’s called the First Fruits Project. The First Fruits Project presents the good news of Jesus through original songs, the written word and clear preaching. It is meant to be a self-contained evangelism message that you can give to those who need Christ. It is also a tool for funding missions. All proceeds are split equally between three well established Christian missions. The Knox Area Rescue Ministries, Samaritan’s Purse, and the Bible League. For more information on the project and to listen to the music please visit http://www.joebeelermusic.com/#/first-fruits-project-2014 . I understand that we as Christians perceive that times are tight but with a little honest self-evaluation I believe that we will all come to the conclusion that The Great Commission is not as large a part of our budget as it should be. This could be a perfect opportunity to those who are not comfortable bringing up salvation verbally, This CD can do the talking for you. So please hop over to the website and support this worthy attempt to share God’s Grace with the world.

Letter from the front lines

The battle front seems to be on all sides and our outer walls and defenses are often breached by the enemy with pride, fear, and a lack of forgiveness. Some of our compatriots have fallen at the hands of our own brothers and sisters as the pressure of constantly being besieged from all sides has caused some division. We have not been idle; some of us have been sharpening our swords in study, Feeding on your word, and lifting our spirits in worship. We have decided that if we just stay inside we will eventually be overran. Our Pastor has encouraged us to carry the fight to enemy by charging out into the fray. He believes not only can we help to bolster other Christians already on the frontlines but to bring hope to some of our young people who were not around during times when we seemed to be winning. We pray that you will strengthen us Lord as we try to take the Gospel outside the friendly confines of the Church. The world is strong and tempting but we know that faith and love can conquer all. With the Holy Spirit as our general we believe we can add to our numbers and use the church more as a garrison rather than a stronghold. Hope always springs from you our Lord since you have already won the battle. Your servant: Gabe

Answers to tough questions

I find that the world is full of tough questions today, from politics, morality, to accountability. I hear people argue vehemently that they have the answer while others work tirelessly to tear them down. There is something missing in all of these discussions and that is Jesus. I know that sounds cliché’ but it is so true. Think about it Paul never tried to curry favor of a plan to change the laws of the Roman Empire he always preached Jesus. If you want a change of circumstance turn your life over to Jesus. If the majority of people called on Christ as their Lord then most of the ills of society would go away and the love of each other would cover the rest. I know this is Pollyanna but it is the answer. I would never tell someone not to vote or to quit trying to better oneself financially but it is all folly without the savior. I would say to each one of us who say we are saved, “how much time do I spend complaining about the ills of this fallen world opposed to proclaiming Christ crucified?) The Gospel is the answer to all tough questions and it is our job to spread it far and wide. Once we are done with that command of Jesus we can see about our own agendas.

Your brother in Christ
Gabe Davis