If you have any questions about how the giveaway contest works, please feel free to leave a comment for me below or drop me a line via email at preachercooper@hotmail.com Thanks so much and good luck!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Contest Reminder!!
If you have any questions about how the giveaway contest works, please feel free to leave a comment for me below or drop me a line via email at preachercooper@hotmail.com Thanks so much and good luck!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Pastor Vic Cooper
Good morning to you! Welcome to Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of juice and let's chat awhile. How has your week been? I hope yours has been terrific! Mine was OK with the exception of some of life's little glitches along the way. Do you remember me telling you several weeks ago about the part that fell off my car? Well, Wednesday night on our way to church, it fell off again about four blocks from home. Once again I had to crawl under the car and try to repair it. Please keep in mind we live on dirt roads and I was in my church clothes. However, unlike the last time, I was unable to fix it as the entire bracket pulled loose. I was able to baby it back home at about 3 mph. Thursday morning Carl, our mechanic, sent a truck and the car left home on the hook.
Someone told me to visualize in my mind the car of my dreams. I visualized a Jeep. I do not know the model, but it is a 4 door hard top that looks like a mini-Hummer from the side. It has 4-wheel drive and is silver in color. If you knew where we live, you'd understand why. If you could visualize something into existence, what would it be?
As believers we do not need to visualize and hope the desires of our heart will magically appear. We have the right of prayer. The beauty of it is we are not praying to an impersonal god sitting on a throne arbitrarily dispensing goodies. We are praying to the Almighty King of Kings, the Great Jehovah, that just happens to be our Father. We can cry to Him, "Abba, Father," as Jesus did in Mark 14:36. Abba means
"daddy." While Father speaks of who He is, Abba says it's personal - He is my Daddy!
Church attendance was up just a smidge from the week before. I finished my Provoking God series with Provoking God To Withdraw. The three main point were:
I. Sometime people pray and ask God to withdraw from them. Job 21:14 says, "Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us: for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." It is reported that the late actress Joan Crawford said on her deathbed, "Don't you dare ask God to do anything for me."
II. God can even withdraw from a believer. We looked at I Samuel 15 where King Saul had been told by Samuel that because of his sin, God was taking the kingdom from him. His soul was secure, but God's presence and blessing were to be withdrawn.
III. God withdraws as a wake up call. Isaiah 54:8 says, "In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer."
He talks about hiding His face. That means removing His favor. Remember, salvation is secure according to Psalm 51:12. It's a sealed deal according to Ephesians 4:30. The only thing worse than provoking God to anger is provoking God to withdraw. Tragic! Very tragic! However, there is a cure. It does not have to be fatal. The cure: repentance. A line in a song says, "I shall return to the God of my fathers." That's repentance.
Well, I'd better run on and let you get on with your day. I've got visits to make, sermons to prepare, and just day to day "pastor stuff." Don't forget the contest; I sure need your help! Please contact those in your e-mail address book and ask them to subscribe to Monday Morning With Pastor Vic. It's totally free. All they need do is go to www.preachercooper.com and click on subscribe on the right hand side of the main page. Be sure to tell them (or you can) go to bottom of my article and click on comments and tell me who recommended them. For more information, scroll down to my article from last week, June 21. I hope to see you again next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of juice and let's chat awhile. How has your week been? I hope yours has been terrific! Mine was OK with the exception of some of life's little glitches along the way. Do you remember me telling you several weeks ago about the part that fell off my car? Well, Wednesday night on our way to church, it fell off again about four blocks from home. Once again I had to crawl under the car and try to repair it. Please keep in mind we live on dirt roads and I was in my church clothes. However, unlike the last time, I was unable to fix it as the entire bracket pulled loose. I was able to baby it back home at about 3 mph. Thursday morning Carl, our mechanic, sent a truck and the car left home on the hook.
Someone told me to visualize in my mind the car of my dreams. I visualized a Jeep. I do not know the model, but it is a 4 door hard top that looks like a mini-Hummer from the side. It has 4-wheel drive and is silver in color. If you knew where we live, you'd understand why. If you could visualize something into existence, what would it be?
As believers we do not need to visualize and hope the desires of our heart will magically appear. We have the right of prayer. The beauty of it is we are not praying to an impersonal god sitting on a throne arbitrarily dispensing goodies. We are praying to the Almighty King of Kings, the Great Jehovah, that just happens to be our Father. We can cry to Him, "Abba, Father," as Jesus did in Mark 14:36. Abba means
"daddy." While Father speaks of who He is, Abba says it's personal - He is my Daddy!
Church attendance was up just a smidge from the week before. I finished my Provoking God series with Provoking God To Withdraw. The three main point were:
I. Sometime people pray and ask God to withdraw from them. Job 21:14 says, "Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us: for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." It is reported that the late actress Joan Crawford said on her deathbed, "Don't you dare ask God to do anything for me."
II. God can even withdraw from a believer. We looked at I Samuel 15 where King Saul had been told by Samuel that because of his sin, God was taking the kingdom from him. His soul was secure, but God's presence and blessing were to be withdrawn.
III. God withdraws as a wake up call. Isaiah 54:8 says, "In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer."
He talks about hiding His face. That means removing His favor. Remember, salvation is secure according to Psalm 51:12. It's a sealed deal according to Ephesians 4:30. The only thing worse than provoking God to anger is provoking God to withdraw. Tragic! Very tragic! However, there is a cure. It does not have to be fatal. The cure: repentance. A line in a song says, "I shall return to the God of my fathers." That's repentance.
Well, I'd better run on and let you get on with your day. I've got visits to make, sermons to prepare, and just day to day "pastor stuff." Don't forget the contest; I sure need your help! Please contact those in your e-mail address book and ask them to subscribe to Monday Morning With Pastor Vic. It's totally free. All they need do is go to www.preachercooper.com and click on subscribe on the right hand side of the main page. Be sure to tell them (or you can) go to bottom of my article and click on comments and tell me who recommended them. For more information, scroll down to my article from last week, June 21. I hope to see you again next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Help me Help YOU!
To read Monday Morning with Pastor Vic's article for 6/21/10, make sure to read below...
With this edition of Monday Morning With Pastor Vic, I announce a contest in which each of you may freely participate. My goal is to have 250 subscribers by October; right now there is 86. The contest is very simple. Whoever can enroll the most new subscribers will win.
Details:
There will be four winners; the top four in enrolling the most new free subscriptions.
First Place: winner will get his/her choice of:
Third place: winner will select from the remaining two prizes.
Fourth place: winner will receive the final prize.
The contest rules are simple:
1. You must be a subscriber. If you have yet to subscribe, why not take a minute and do it now.
2. You will instruct your friend to subscribe, then they will scroll down to the comments section below my words, click on that, then simply say they were invited by you to subscribe. From that point on, your friend will receive Monday Morning With Pastor Vic automatically in their inbox just as do you.
3. How to spread the word? Use your social networking skills... Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Email, Blogging...skies the limit! Just be sure your friends and family share your name, to give you credit!
4. Have your friends share the word...if friends of friends sign up, it works the same! Give credit where it is due and we'll tally the score at the end of the giveaway...
Good luck!
Contest ends August 15, 2010. Winners will be announced on August 17, 2010
Hopefully we will reach our goal of 250. Thank you for your help - I really appreciate it.
With this edition of Monday Morning With Pastor Vic, I announce a contest in which each of you may freely participate. My goal is to have 250 subscribers by October; right now there is 86. The contest is very simple. Whoever can enroll the most new subscribers will win.
Details:
There will be four winners; the top four in enrolling the most new free subscriptions.
First Place: winner will get his/her choice of:
- Handmade Prayer Shawl crocheted by a member of the First Baptist Prayer Shawl Ministry. Value over $100!
- Wal-Mart gift certificate.
- Handmade Deluxe Gift Set from Sweet Irie. Value $26.00
- Handmade Crocheted Spa Gift Set from Crocheted Little Things. Value $32.50
Third place: winner will select from the remaining two prizes.
Fourth place: winner will receive the final prize.
The contest rules are simple:
1. You must be a subscriber. If you have yet to subscribe, why not take a minute and do it now.
2. You will instruct your friend to subscribe, then they will scroll down to the comments section below my words, click on that, then simply say they were invited by you to subscribe. From that point on, your friend will receive Monday Morning With Pastor Vic automatically in their inbox just as do you.
3. How to spread the word? Use your social networking skills... Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Email, Blogging...skies the limit! Just be sure your friends and family share your name, to give you credit!
4. Have your friends share the word...if friends of friends sign up, it works the same! Give credit where it is due and we'll tally the score at the end of the giveaway...
Good luck!
Contest ends August 15, 2010. Winners will be announced on August 17, 2010
Hopefully we will reach our goal of 250. Thank you for your help - I really appreciate it.
The amblings and ramblings of Pastor Vic!
Good Monday Morning to you!
We had good services at Church yesterday. I continued my sermon series "Provoking God." This was week three of four and was, "Provoking God To Laughter." As I was studying for the message, I came across Job 9:23, "If the scourge slay suddenly, He will laugh at the trial of the innocent." Laugh at the trial of the innocent? I re-read it several times including the verses prior to it, and following it. I had never noticed that before and I was stumped. I found myself saying, "Lord, this goes against all I ever believed about You, and it totally contradicts what I preached last week. Teach me Lord, because apparently I've got some learning to do." When I am sermonizing, (putting a message together) I'm forevermore talking to the Lord just like He was sitting right there beside me. I am convinced He really is! He taught me that the Job 9:23 verse means that He laughs at our trials and we can too. AS HE IS VICTORIOUS, WE IS VICTORIOUS! (My deepest apologies to you English majors.) We can laugh at our trials because they will not get the upper hand. Its enough to make a Baptist holler, "Hallelujah."
Miss Bessie had a rough week last week. Her surgical wound is nearly closed, but she had lots of nausea and horrible abdominal pain. Her stomach is as hard as a brick and you can feel a knot about the size of a golf ball. She sees Dr. Thomas Bass, her surgeon on Thursday. Hopefully he can get to the bottom of this. Thank you for praying for her.
As for Pastor Vic, I am doing fine and chugging along on all cylinders. Since they found my problem and removed my gall bladder back at Christmas, I feel pretty good. The only side effect to losing my gall bladder is that I can no longer eat peanut butter. I double over whenever I eat it, and I love a PB&J sandwich. Reece's peanut butter cups are now a no-no. Hershey's stock will definitely go down. Somehow I believe my good friend Bill Wolfe's prayers are behind this. He is praying that I will adopt a healthier diet. He is right. I should, but don't tell him --- he likes to gloat and his wife Patty gives me "the look."
Don't forget to check out the contest in the next post! I sure hope you'll consider recommending my site to your friends and family. Be sure to tell them that after they subscribe, they are eligible to join the contest and invite their friends. Come on now, be sure to tell them. Competition is a healthy thing so I'm told. Subscriptions are free. Remember our motto: the only requirement to receiving Monday Morning With Pastor Vic is wanting it. May the Lord bless your upcoming week and I'll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic
We had good services at Church yesterday. I continued my sermon series "Provoking God." This was week three of four and was, "Provoking God To Laughter." As I was studying for the message, I came across Job 9:23, "If the scourge slay suddenly, He will laugh at the trial of the innocent." Laugh at the trial of the innocent? I re-read it several times including the verses prior to it, and following it. I had never noticed that before and I was stumped. I found myself saying, "Lord, this goes against all I ever believed about You, and it totally contradicts what I preached last week. Teach me Lord, because apparently I've got some learning to do." When I am sermonizing, (putting a message together) I'm forevermore talking to the Lord just like He was sitting right there beside me. I am convinced He really is! He taught me that the Job 9:23 verse means that He laughs at our trials and we can too. AS HE IS VICTORIOUS, WE IS VICTORIOUS! (My deepest apologies to you English majors.) We can laugh at our trials because they will not get the upper hand. Its enough to make a Baptist holler, "Hallelujah."
Miss Bessie had a rough week last week. Her surgical wound is nearly closed, but she had lots of nausea and horrible abdominal pain. Her stomach is as hard as a brick and you can feel a knot about the size of a golf ball. She sees Dr. Thomas Bass, her surgeon on Thursday. Hopefully he can get to the bottom of this. Thank you for praying for her.
As for Pastor Vic, I am doing fine and chugging along on all cylinders. Since they found my problem and removed my gall bladder back at Christmas, I feel pretty good. The only side effect to losing my gall bladder is that I can no longer eat peanut butter. I double over whenever I eat it, and I love a PB&J sandwich. Reece's peanut butter cups are now a no-no. Hershey's stock will definitely go down. Somehow I believe my good friend Bill Wolfe's prayers are behind this. He is praying that I will adopt a healthier diet. He is right. I should, but don't tell him --- he likes to gloat and his wife Patty gives me "the look."
Don't forget to check out the contest in the next post! I sure hope you'll consider recommending my site to your friends and family. Be sure to tell them that after they subscribe, they are eligible to join the contest and invite their friends. Come on now, be sure to tell them. Competition is a healthy thing so I'm told. Subscriptions are free. Remember our motto: the only requirement to receiving Monday Morning With Pastor Vic is wanting it. May the Lord bless your upcoming week and I'll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Pastor Vic Rambling On!
Good Monday Morning to you!
I hope you had a good, safe week since we met last Monday. I had a good week. It was pretty much uneventful, but sometime that's good. Saturday was especially good. My son Jason came over and cut the grass. I always enjoy seeing him, even if he had to sweat and work. He's coming again this Saturday for Father's Day Dinner. Miss Bessie is making my favorite: Turkey, Dressing, and all my favorites. That will also include her world famous (at least it should be) cauliflour casserole. I wish all my kids could be there, but Amanda, Tim, and the grands live in Washington DC and is moving to Arizona and Kevin is an OTR truck driver and untelling where he will be. The plan is home to Cincy, but we'll see. Even though Father's day is Sunday, Saturday is less rushed. In a pastor's home, Sunday is hectic. That's probably why most preachers take Monday as an easy day.
Sunday was a great day at the Church. On Sunday morning I continued my Provoking God series. The message was provoking God To Sadness. We discovered that to provoke God to sadness, all one needs do is hurt His people. Provoking means "moving," but provoking is a good word because it means God will respond. If you are being afflicted by someone, or something, rest assured God knows about it and is saddened, also. AND, He will make things right. When? In His time, but He's always on time! Last week was Provoking God To Anger, while next week is Provoking God To Laughter. For a preacher, that one will be fun. Yes, I do have fun when I'm preaching. Way back in 1980, while I was preaching in Williamstown, Kentucky, a woman came up to me after the service and said, "You look like you really enjoy preaching. You look as if you're having fun." What a high compliment! I was touched by her words so that I remember them 30 years later.
Everything else is pretty much as it has been. The car and the laptop is both still broke, but Miss Bessie continues to heal, albeit very slowly. The Cooper's have so much to be thankful for and we do praise our Lord Jesus. We thank Him for you and for the ability to spend a few minutes together each Monday morning. Back in 1972 when I first began in the ministry, this would not be possible. Hallalujah for technology!
Have a good week and as Red Skelton used to say, "May God bless." I'll see you again next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!
I hope you had a good, safe week since we met last Monday. I had a good week. It was pretty much uneventful, but sometime that's good. Saturday was especially good. My son Jason came over and cut the grass. I always enjoy seeing him, even if he had to sweat and work. He's coming again this Saturday for Father's Day Dinner. Miss Bessie is making my favorite: Turkey, Dressing, and all my favorites. That will also include her world famous (at least it should be) cauliflour casserole. I wish all my kids could be there, but Amanda, Tim, and the grands live in Washington DC and is moving to Arizona and Kevin is an OTR truck driver and untelling where he will be. The plan is home to Cincy, but we'll see. Even though Father's day is Sunday, Saturday is less rushed. In a pastor's home, Sunday is hectic. That's probably why most preachers take Monday as an easy day.
Sunday was a great day at the Church. On Sunday morning I continued my Provoking God series. The message was provoking God To Sadness. We discovered that to provoke God to sadness, all one needs do is hurt His people. Provoking means "moving," but provoking is a good word because it means God will respond. If you are being afflicted by someone, or something, rest assured God knows about it and is saddened, also. AND, He will make things right. When? In His time, but He's always on time! Last week was Provoking God To Anger, while next week is Provoking God To Laughter. For a preacher, that one will be fun. Yes, I do have fun when I'm preaching. Way back in 1980, while I was preaching in Williamstown, Kentucky, a woman came up to me after the service and said, "You look like you really enjoy preaching. You look as if you're having fun." What a high compliment! I was touched by her words so that I remember them 30 years later.
Everything else is pretty much as it has been. The car and the laptop is both still broke, but Miss Bessie continues to heal, albeit very slowly. The Cooper's have so much to be thankful for and we do praise our Lord Jesus. We thank Him for you and for the ability to spend a few minutes together each Monday morning. Back in 1972 when I first began in the ministry, this would not be possible. Hallalujah for technology!
Have a good week and as Red Skelton used to say, "May God bless." I'll see you again next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Monday Morning 6/6/10
Good Monday Morning to you!!!
This past week rolled by so quickly. I guess with a holiday, it seemed shorter. Still, summer is in full swing here in S.W. Florida. It has been hot --- very, very hot. The June heat is as hot as the January cold was cold: all the way to extremes. Do you remember the frigid winter we had here in Florida? It sure is hard to please us earthlings. When it's hot, we pray for cooler days. When we get them, we pray for warmer ones. Aren't you glad you aren't God, having to placate fickle humanity?
Last night in our evening service we looked at 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12. In these verses Paul is encouraging a church who was working hard at pleasing God and doing right by each other. He admonished them to continue doing so. He told them in verse 10, "...we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more..." I feel kinda like the great Apostle, and please forgive me for mentioning myself in the same breath as his. I know most of you and have had the opportunity of watching you as you live your Christian life. I tell you as Paul told the Thessalonians: keep it up, you're doing just fine! As you please God, you actually become a blessing to our Lord, Jesus Christ. If there are some of you who know your life is not quite where our Lord desires it to be, no problem. Rejoice that it has been revealed to you and do something about it. James 4:8 tells us, "Draw near unto God, and He will draw near unto you." Quite simple, actually. These words of James are good words for all of us to follow.
Miss Bessie says hello to each of you. She thanks you for your prayers. Her surgical wound is healing ever so slowly, but is healing. Dr. Bass says these things have to heal from the inside out, and he is pleased with her progress. She has to repack and change her bandages every day, but she does so without complaining. She's a trooper and takes it all in stride. I'm very proud of her, but don't tell her I said it. I wouldn't want her to get the big-head.
The car problems remain. I did get the brakes fixed as well as the tire that was losing air. The mechanic, Chuck, told me a screw had punctured the tire and it couldn't be in a worse place. They plugged it, but said it could "pop" any time. I need two new tires, so I hope it will hold until I can replace them. The intake manifold remains the big story. It will cost nearly $800. to replace. I probably should trade it; it has 160,000 miles - I just cannot. I know the Lord will provide, and in a future Monday Morning With Pastor Vic, I'll be able to tell you about how He did. I'm thrilled just to get to watch what God will do! He takes such good care of the Pastor Vic family.
Also, my laptop went home to be with --- wherever dead 'puters go. I know there are no computers in Heaven. My Dad, Howard Cooper, hated computers. He went to Heaven in 2003. Believe me, if there was even one up there, Dad would have come back. Be that as it may, Teri Clementi's daughter, Lisa, is attempting to perform a resurrection on mine, but it doesn't look too good. That computer has served me well for ten years, so I have no room to complain. I did my sermon prep on it and I confess (sorry Dad) it did make doing so much easier and much more efficient. I did not realize how much easier until I lost it. Wow, what a fantastic tool it was. I'll have to get reacquainted with the old way of doing things again! Oh well, this too shall pass. Have a good week and drop me a line if you care to. See ya next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.
This past week rolled by so quickly. I guess with a holiday, it seemed shorter. Still, summer is in full swing here in S.W. Florida. It has been hot --- very, very hot. The June heat is as hot as the January cold was cold: all the way to extremes. Do you remember the frigid winter we had here in Florida? It sure is hard to please us earthlings. When it's hot, we pray for cooler days. When we get them, we pray for warmer ones. Aren't you glad you aren't God, having to placate fickle humanity?
Last night in our evening service we looked at 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12. In these verses Paul is encouraging a church who was working hard at pleasing God and doing right by each other. He admonished them to continue doing so. He told them in verse 10, "...we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more..." I feel kinda like the great Apostle, and please forgive me for mentioning myself in the same breath as his. I know most of you and have had the opportunity of watching you as you live your Christian life. I tell you as Paul told the Thessalonians: keep it up, you're doing just fine! As you please God, you actually become a blessing to our Lord, Jesus Christ. If there are some of you who know your life is not quite where our Lord desires it to be, no problem. Rejoice that it has been revealed to you and do something about it. James 4:8 tells us, "Draw near unto God, and He will draw near unto you." Quite simple, actually. These words of James are good words for all of us to follow.
Miss Bessie says hello to each of you. She thanks you for your prayers. Her surgical wound is healing ever so slowly, but is healing. Dr. Bass says these things have to heal from the inside out, and he is pleased with her progress. She has to repack and change her bandages every day, but she does so without complaining. She's a trooper and takes it all in stride. I'm very proud of her, but don't tell her I said it. I wouldn't want her to get the big-head.
The car problems remain. I did get the brakes fixed as well as the tire that was losing air. The mechanic, Chuck, told me a screw had punctured the tire and it couldn't be in a worse place. They plugged it, but said it could "pop" any time. I need two new tires, so I hope it will hold until I can replace them. The intake manifold remains the big story. It will cost nearly $800. to replace. I probably should trade it; it has 160,000 miles - I just cannot. I know the Lord will provide, and in a future Monday Morning With Pastor Vic, I'll be able to tell you about how He did. I'm thrilled just to get to watch what God will do! He takes such good care of the Pastor Vic family.
Also, my laptop went home to be with --- wherever dead 'puters go. I know there are no computers in Heaven. My Dad, Howard Cooper, hated computers. He went to Heaven in 2003. Believe me, if there was even one up there, Dad would have come back. Be that as it may, Teri Clementi's daughter, Lisa, is attempting to perform a resurrection on mine, but it doesn't look too good. That computer has served me well for ten years, so I have no room to complain. I did my sermon prep on it and I confess (sorry Dad) it did make doing so much easier and much more efficient. I did not realize how much easier until I lost it. Wow, what a fantastic tool it was. I'll have to get reacquainted with the old way of doing things again! Oh well, this too shall pass. Have a good week and drop me a line if you care to. See ya next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day 2010
Good Monday to you and Happy Memorial Day!
I hope your day is well thus far. I imagine many of you will spend the day at picnics or engage in some other activity involving friends and family. As a child this holiday was known to me as Decoration Day. I remember we would leave Cincinnati as soon as Dad got home from work and travel about 7 hours to Harlan County Kentucky where my parents were born. Back then there was no such thing as I-75. Mom and Dad went to see family still living there and to decorate the graves of loved ones. Precious memories!
Today, the Coopers will enjoy the day with Sister Brenda Conley coming over and grilling out. She is bringing my favorite dessert --- Pineapple upside cake!!! I’ll have two pieces and forfeit my steak. Better yet, I’ll dub my meal Steak & Cake and forget the salad, corn on the cob, and baked potato. Who needs all those carbs?
Do you like the new web site? This is the best way to communicate with a group. Monday Morning With Pastor Vic has grown to over eighty people, and to send it meant entering each E-mail address one at a time. I didn’t mind, but my daughter Michele, who is a web designer, told me there is a much more efficient and better looking way to send these out to you. As I learn these things, there may be a few bumps in the road, but hopefully things will go smoothly, and we can meet each Monday morning.
We had a good day in Church yesterday. As I have told you, May was Mother’s Month from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of St. James City. Yesterday we looked at the mother of Timothy, a dear lady named Eunice. Scriptures do not tell us too much about her; at least not directly. We can, however, look at the result of her parenting as we see what kind of man her son Timothy became. We know that from an early age she taught Timothy a life long love for the Bible. The Scriptures were dear to her and were not just ancient words on paper. To her, and subsequently to Timothy, these words became personal convictions because they had been experienced. This is called experiential learning. Not experimental, but experiential. Experimental learning is where you try the Word of God to determine if its teachings are really true. Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” As you experiment with the Scriptures and see that indeed they are of great value in your life, that experimental learning becomes experiential learning. For example, believers are taught that as you pass through the storms of life, Christ will be with you and will sustain you. When you first heard that, you might have believed it simply because you were taught you had to believe what the Bible says, and right you should. However, once you had actually passed through a storm and could sense the presence of Jesus upholding you and lifting you up, you became convinced. It happened to you, it was real! Eunice taught Timothy to assurance. She did not teach him assurance for that cannot be taught. Assurance has to be learned by experiences. She taught him to assurance. She taught him the sources of his experiences were two: Scriptures, and living in them. What a remarkable legacy she left for not only her son, but for believers of all ages. Timothy’s name, evidently selected by Eunice, means, “one who fears God.” That is exactly what she taught him to do and to be.
My car saga continues. Carl’s service told me my intake manifold would be $782.00 parts and labor. They said it would be a major job. I hate spending that kind of $ on a car with 160 thousand miles. I would buy another if I could, but at this time that will just have to wait. Hopefully things will hold on while I save for the repairs. It is going into the shop tomorrow for brakes and an oil change, plus I have a slow leak in one of my tires. Hopefully that is not such a big deal. If these were the good old days of horses, mine would probably be sick and old, so I guess things aren’t so bad! Oh well…..
Don’t forget, write me back. I really enjoy hearing from you, even just a few lines.
I hope your day is well thus far. I imagine many of you will spend the day at picnics or engage in some other activity involving friends and family. As a child this holiday was known to me as Decoration Day. I remember we would leave Cincinnati as soon as Dad got home from work and travel about 7 hours to Harlan County Kentucky where my parents were born. Back then there was no such thing as I-75. Mom and Dad went to see family still living there and to decorate the graves of loved ones. Precious memories!
Today, the Coopers will enjoy the day with Sister Brenda Conley coming over and grilling out. She is bringing my favorite dessert --- Pineapple upside cake!!! I’ll have two pieces and forfeit my steak. Better yet, I’ll dub my meal Steak & Cake and forget the salad, corn on the cob, and baked potato. Who needs all those carbs?
Do you like the new web site? This is the best way to communicate with a group. Monday Morning With Pastor Vic has grown to over eighty people, and to send it meant entering each E-mail address one at a time. I didn’t mind, but my daughter Michele, who is a web designer, told me there is a much more efficient and better looking way to send these out to you. As I learn these things, there may be a few bumps in the road, but hopefully things will go smoothly, and we can meet each Monday morning.
We had a good day in Church yesterday. As I have told you, May was Mother’s Month from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of St. James City. Yesterday we looked at the mother of Timothy, a dear lady named Eunice. Scriptures do not tell us too much about her; at least not directly. We can, however, look at the result of her parenting as we see what kind of man her son Timothy became. We know that from an early age she taught Timothy a life long love for the Bible. The Scriptures were dear to her and were not just ancient words on paper. To her, and subsequently to Timothy, these words became personal convictions because they had been experienced. This is called experiential learning. Not experimental, but experiential. Experimental learning is where you try the Word of God to determine if its teachings are really true. Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” As you experiment with the Scriptures and see that indeed they are of great value in your life, that experimental learning becomes experiential learning. For example, believers are taught that as you pass through the storms of life, Christ will be with you and will sustain you. When you first heard that, you might have believed it simply because you were taught you had to believe what the Bible says, and right you should. However, once you had actually passed through a storm and could sense the presence of Jesus upholding you and lifting you up, you became convinced. It happened to you, it was real! Eunice taught Timothy to assurance. She did not teach him assurance for that cannot be taught. Assurance has to be learned by experiences. She taught him to assurance. She taught him the sources of his experiences were two: Scriptures, and living in them. What a remarkable legacy she left for not only her son, but for believers of all ages. Timothy’s name, evidently selected by Eunice, means, “one who fears God.” That is exactly what she taught him to do and to be.
My car saga continues. Carl’s service told me my intake manifold would be $782.00 parts and labor. They said it would be a major job. I hate spending that kind of $ on a car with 160 thousand miles. I would buy another if I could, but at this time that will just have to wait. Hopefully things will hold on while I save for the repairs. It is going into the shop tomorrow for brakes and an oil change, plus I have a slow leak in one of my tires. Hopefully that is not such a big deal. If these were the good old days of horses, mine would probably be sick and old, so I guess things aren’t so bad! Oh well…..
Don’t forget, write me back. I really enjoy hearing from you, even just a few lines.
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