An Opportunity To Share in Forsyth County Georgia

For those that live in or near the Atlanta suburb of Forsyth County, here is an opportunity to help as many as 2500 children in the county.  Amazing that a county that has a history of affluence could have so many  children in need.  But as you can see in the CBS video, Forsyth has not escaped the recession this nation has found us in and now we have an opportunity to help those in need in our own community.

Below is a letter from Jerry about this need and how you can help:

 

Friends,

 

As many of you may already know, I've been the program manager of the (YMCA/ United Way) Holiday Giving Tree For Kids (HGTFK) the past three years.

 

We've completed this year's HGTFK registration and expect to have 2500 kids or more registered according to the latest registration counts. 

 

Unfortunately, we are very short in the number of toys needed to support this many children, so I'm calling on you to ask for your help in meeting the need for this year's program. I need NEW toys for any age child (birth to 16 yrs.). You can drop off all such donations at the HGTFK warehouse (see attached map) between the hours of 10am and 5pm Monday through Saturday and 1pm to 5pm on Sundays. Or you can drop off such NEW toys at any Forsyth County Fire Station.

 

Any assistance you, your neighborhood, business, family, organization or church can provide would make a big difference in a Forsyth County child's Christmas this year. I will need such donations by Monday December 12th. The sooner the better!! 

 

Thanks as always for your outpouring of love and compassion in the time of need.

 

God bless and Merry Christmas!!!

 

Jerry Dupree
YMCA/United Way of Forsyth County
Focus On Forsyth - Program Coordinator
dupreek@bellsouth.net
404-803-8899

CBS Video:  Feeding Americas New Poor - Forsyth County, GA

A Time To Share: Children in Hospital Receive Hand Made Teddy Bears

Image via WikipediaThis is the season that we often begin to think about others and what can I do.  In Montgomery there is a group of ladies who share their talents year round making teddy bears for children in the Jackson Hospital and Jackson Surgical Center in Montgomery Alabama.  The ladies get together about every six weeks to pool the results of their individual efforts to gather, cut or stitch the teddy bears.  Their effort results in about 125 teddy bears being completed and delivered to the hospital to comfort children who find themselves in a scary and uncertain situation. 

Their project began in 2008 as a result of a bible study and a challenge to do something to help others.  They would like to be their to hug each child and this is their way that they can do just that.  Thank you ladies!

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20111119/LIFESTYLE/111190350/Church-volunteers-create-bears-give-children-hospital?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage

I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. (Matt 25:36 NET)

Happy Thanksgiving

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThanksgiving is a time to be with family and friends.  It is also a time to reflect on the many blessings we have received throughout the year.  It is my hope and prayer that everyone will have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year.   May God bless you always.

Christian Computing & Christian Video - win an iPad2 or Android

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWin a free tablet (iPad2 or Android) on Nov 15
from Christian Computing and Christian Video
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Pharaoh and the Grace of God?

Image via WikipediaOver the past weeks we have been looking at how grace was bestowed upon people in the Old Testament.  One question that often comes up is, "if God is gracious and merciful, how did that apply to someone such as Pharaoh?  In several places where God is talking about Pharaoh it is recorded as,  'But I will harden Pharaoh's heart..'?"

Did Grace Exist in the Old Testament?

Image via Wikipedianow John 1:17 NET  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.

This scripture combined with other ideas has led to some interesting ideas about the God and his relationship to man in the Old Testament verses the New Testament.  Over the past weeks we have looked at how grace is a gift from God that brings us joy because it elevates us to allow us to be in his presence.  Was grace available to the patriarchs and those under the law or was their acceptance by God tied to their works?

Grace - What It Means

Image by havankevin via FlickrAt some point in time most of us become concerned about our physical health.  Perhaps because there are new aches and pains, or a friend has been diagnosed with a condition that concerns us, or maybe our lifestyle has led us to look at how to be healthy.  Whatever the reason we often react by building up our immune system by a combination of diet, nutrition, vitamins, and exercise.  Unfortunately we cannot cover all of the bases of viruses, bugs, genetics, environment and yet to be discovered.

When it comes to our spiritual life we find a parallel in attempting to reach for God on our own only to wonder if we have done enough. 

Grace What Is It? (week 2)

Image via WikipediaWhen Alexander the Great made his conquest he left Greek as the common language for the world he conquered.  That act unified the ancient world and  long outlasted his empire.  By the forth century the Roman empire pushed Latin as the common language and many people no longer spoke or read Greek.  In 382 AD Pope Damascus commissioned Jerome to create a common translation in Latin (versio vulguta).

Grace - What Is It?

Image by Deniz Tortum via Flickr
“We used to think agriculture gave rise to cities and later to writing, art, and religion.

Now the world’s oldest temple suggests the urge to worship sparked civilization.”

National Geographic, June 2011, Gobekli Tepe

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text/1

This discovery reminds me of an account in Genesis chapter 11 about a people that traveled east and came to a plain in the land of Shinar. Humankind has a desire to get close to God yet we find a gulf between us and God. Temples and acts of worship were tried to bridge the gap but the message was always simple, take a path to love God completely (Deut 6:5, Luke 10:27). Easy say but hard to live, but God has us covered with something called grace.

Meals By Grace Video - A Typical Sunday

Available on GodTube at http://www.godtube.com/bruce315/ and YouTube

Meals By Grace - I Refuse
Mission: to feed the children, nourish their families, and draw them all close to God into an experience of His grace through the love of God’s family.

http://www.mealsbygrace.org

The Church Family and Religious Speak

Image via WikipediaDid I use jargon?  I am guilty your honor!  In the title this week, I used the term, “church”, which could appear to be “religious speak”.  Why did I use it? 

 Because, it was one word and most readers have seen the term on a building or in print.  In using “church”, I assume that readers understand the term the same way I understand the term.  In all probability, many have different ideas.  After all, some will think I am talking about a building, others about a particular “brand” of Christianity, a few will think that this references any group, assembly, or even a mob, and others somewhere in between those concepts.

For now, let us assume a definition of “a group of followers of Jesus of Nazareth who was born near Jerusalem just before the first century CE”.  Wow, you can see why jargon becomes so widely used.  If the speaker found it necessary to spell out the intended meaning each time, most would be bored before hearing the main point.  On the positive side, we have created a better foundation for building toward what I want to communicate. 

Jargon is quick and easy but it is a barrier for those outside the church and it can be just as great an obstacle to those who are within the church.  This is not a new 21st century obstacle.  During the first century, there was another term that referred to a group of people.  Today in the New Testament that is usually translated synagogue.  Both church and synagogue refer to a “group” and the early writers sometimes interchanged the terms.  By the close of the first century, writers began to use the terms to distinguish a Christian group from a Jewish group.  In other words, the generic terms that meant “a group” became a shortcut to distinguish the two Christian groups from Jewish.

Today the terms have only a religious usage with varied meanings (group, building, etc.).  As a result, those inside and outside our community of believers may find themselves wondering what we mean.  Those outside the church may see it only as the building and not the people.  People inside the church may be confused at a phrase in the Bible such as “synagogue of Satan”.  (Rev 2:9)

Leave your comments if you have thoughts on how to recognize jargon and overcome the barrier it creates.  Have a wonderful week as you seek the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.  (Phil 4:7)

 Bruce

Positive note: Where context and usage appear to be clear, modern translators help us out with overcoming first century jargon.  Examples of this can be seen in James 2:2 where James really used the Greek word for synagogue, and Acts 19:39 where Luke really used the Greek word for church.  

Image via WikipediaOne issue we have in communicating to the world is our use of “religious speak”, “church speak”, or jargon. In the past, many people in this country possessed a familiarity with religious jargon through school, church, and everyday life. Today that is not the case and we must now learn to communicate with terms that do not confuse.

Christianity is not unique in the use of jargon. Most groups that have a common interest develop short cuts to concepts that they use. On occasion that jargon rises to a level of familiarity with the public. Today, computer terms such as “RAM” or “CPU” have a “relative familiarity” to most people even if the details of the technology are not understood. That “relative familiarity” with many words we use in “church speak” has been reduced over time to the notion that it has something to do with religion. In a similar, way once high tech jargon such as “vacuum tube” and “cathode ray tube” has moved into the realm of “old technology” that we know had something to do with radios, televisions, and computers but even the “relative familiarity” has faded.

We are then faced with several issues. The first issue is that most people will only have at best a “relative familiarity” with our jargon. They may have heard the terms we use but they have very little clue about what they mean. Since exposure to sources that provide familiarity has diminished the second problem becomes that of “old jargon”. For instance, an outsider may know that grace has a relationship to religion but that is about the extent.

We live in a sound byte society which often breeds an atmosphere of “relative familiarity” on any topic. Next time we will look at the problem of “relative familiarity” within the church family.

Related articles

• Where is this tech jargon joke? (ask.metafilter.com)
• Council urges staff to ditch jargon (telegraph.co.uk)

Religification…

… sounds like something bad; do I need to worry about it being contagious?  Probably not, but my audience may be at a loss as to what I am talking about.

The Transforming Word

Mark Hamilton and a group of over 50 contributors have created a one volume commentary covering both the Old and New Testament.

Mark W Hamilton, General Editor

Review

This commentary is a one volume work with a little over 1100 pages that attempts to give an overview of each book in the bible.  Various topics are covered at the beginning of the book to including basic topics on prophecy, theology, history, and canon of the bible.   The student will find a chapter for each book of the bible with chapter contents, list of included resources, further study and works cited.   A brief introduction is given to each book of the bible and then a commentary that breaks the book into smaller sections and subsections.

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