Thursday, September 28, 2006

How do you relate?

Church Update
We went to the Airport update meeting last night and gained a little information. Now it looks like the new road won't be opened until October 17th ("weather permitting") - that is, we don't know anymore. It's looking really good, though. They installed the street lights yesterday; there is a new sidewalk that goes the entire length (about .75 miles). We are still waiting to hear from their attorney regarding our place in the process. Keep praying!


Special Update
This coming Sunday (October 1st) there is a brand new church launching in Bakersfield, CA, that I am privileged to have a part in. Pastor Mark Brock and his wife, Charity, will be holding the first service of Crossway Baptist Church at 9:30am (PST).

Leading up to this service, churches across the country (including OTCC), helped place more than 30,000 phone calls into Bakersfield to let the community know about the new church and to ask permission to send information in the mail. Over 1300 households responded, "Yes, send information!" Pray that God uses the Brocks and Crossway mightly, especially during their launch this Sunday.


Scriptural Thought of the Week
Many of us are or associate or work with people who are rich in this world's power. They are men and women in business, government, or other places of authority. When you come in contact with them, how do you relate? What should be your Christ-like composure?

"Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5 (NASB)

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart..." Matthew 11:29 (NASB)

Do a word search for "gentle" in your Bible and check it with a few other translations. The synonym that you will find frequently in the KJV is "meek" (which may be how you memorized these verses).

In His dealings with people - those who believed and those who did not - Christ was meek, gentle, and He wants us to take our cue and "learn from" Him.


Quote of the Week
In one of the 20th century's classic books on the successful spiritual life, A. W. Tozer says this about meekness:

The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God's estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything. That is his motto. He knows well that the world will never see him as God see him and he has stopped caring. He rests perfectly content to allow God to place His own values. He will be patient to wait for the day when everything will get its own price tag and real worth will come into its own. Then the righteous shall shine forth in the Kingdom of their Father. He is willing to wait for that day.

Quoted from: A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1982), p. 113. ISBN: 0-87509-223-3

Until next time,

Dan'l

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