On Feb. 1st, 2010 Mr. John Merschat and I left for the devastated nation of Haiti.  We had to fly into the capital of the Dominican Republic and then travel a couple of hundred miles to get to our destination.  Our purpose for the trip was to meet the founder and director of the "Haitian Mission Seervices", Pastor Preval Merital to evaluate some of the immediate needs that we might be able to take care of while we were there as well as upon our return to the states.  It didn't take long to find out that the most important needs were food and shelter.  Most of the Haitians have no money or jobs to buy food because of the earthquake and no shelter because they have abandoned their homes  due to government order and they are afraid of being inside after the destruction that they witnessed.  We were given a tour throughout Port Au Prince and the outlying areas.  If the people are not living on the streets they are living in some kind of church compound where there is a bit of safety because of the multitudes there.  We visited one where 1500 people were living and trying to survive.  There were a few tents put up and a make shift shanty that housed some of the women while the rest lived out in the open.  The pastor of this community told us that it cost his church about $1000 to feed these people and the surrounding community daily.  Their food consisted of rice, beans and corn.  We were also told that the pastor's church was running out of funds to continue this enourmous task.  I praise God, we were able to help them by providing funds for additonal food that would last for about five days before we left.  We also visited two orphanages where 100 children ages five to twenty are living outdoors.  The churches sponsoring them have the same problems, very little money, therfore very little food for the children.  Once again we were able to assist these two orphanges and hope to continue to support them until they get back on their feet once again.  I am looking and praying for those of you that would like to help us feed these orphans.  I would love to visit your church, Bible study or organization in order to show you a slideshow of what we experienced.  This will give you and understanding of what we are proposing to do.  If you wish to contribute please pull up our pay-pal account.  Thank you so much for all that you have done and are doing to help these people in their desperate times.  

Pastor Terry 

The other day I found my heart broken when a friend told me that this would not seem like Christmas to her or her family.  You see her son was hospitalized and they just didn’t know how long his recovery would take or if it would be complete.  I couldn’t help wondering how many other people are going through these emotions.  Many families loose loved ones at this time of year and find themselves at funeral services rather than Christmas celebration services.  Others are facing their first Christmas season without their loved ones and yet others will find themselves in the hospitals suffering from many different types of illnesses.  I believe that it is safe to say that in the midst of our illnesses, our grief, and our concerns we still can experience Godly joy and peace within our lives, especially during  this time of year, the Christmas season.  I believe that Christians are a paradox to the world because we can be suffering, grieving or overburdened by the strains of this world and still have peace of mind and heart because of our faith.  You might be wondering how this could be?  Simply put, because of the reason for the season, Christmas.  Orthodox Christians believe that God became flesh and dwelt among humanity (Christmas), John 1:1.  This would be the virgin birth of Jesus Christ the Son of the most High God.  You see this was God’s way of providing a Savior for all those that believe and choose Him to be their Lord and Savior.  If you think about it, the Scriptures are right on, explaining that Jesus was born to save the world not condemn it.  This was done when He sacrificed His life on the cross so many years ago.  For those that are suffering because a loved one is hospitalized or you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness or this world seems to be ripping your life apart, remember that Christ is with you and if you reach out to Him, Jesus will reach out to you.  Our Savior will never leave you or forsake you.  If you are grieving the loss of a loved one remember what Christ told us in John Chapter eleven, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies: and whoever lives and believes in me will never die”.  In other words there will come a time when we too will be with our loved ones in the heavens above for an eternity.  Please do not take this as a Cinderella message, just a message of truth from my heart to all of yours through the blessings and the grace of our God!  Have a joyous, peaceful and blessed Christmas celebration in the midst of all that is going on in your lives this year.  Jesus is the reason for the season.

Pastor Terry  

Wedding preparations

    As the media and the secular world strive to decide the reason for the Christmas holidays and how to greet one another, I find myself immersed in the Christmas story.  The story tells us that in the sixth month of the Jewish calendar a little over two thousand years ago the angel Gabriel was sent by God to the city Nazareth.  His divine order was to find a virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. This virgin’s name was Mary.  So the Christmas story begins.  The angel Gabriel approaches Mary, a virgin, with this greeting.  “Rejoice highly favored one, the Lord God is with you”, Luke1:28!
    What kind of greeting was this anyway.  No hello, or shalom or my name is….., just a simple definitive statement, REJOICE favored one.  The greeting actually startled the young virgin and the angel went on to tell her not to be afraid that God was about to bless her with a child, not just any child, but the Christ child. 
    The drama intensifies knowing that Mary is in the Jewish betrothal process. According to their custom Mary would have been picked as Joseph’s wife by his father, and then Mary would have established a dowry for Joseph to pay.  Once this was done a covenant or marital contract was made between the two of them, and then they went through a traditional  immersion ceremony which was symbolic of a spiritual cleansing allowing them to prepare for the wedding itself. 
    Their betrothal started at this point and was to last about a year.  During this time they lived apart abstaining from any sexual contact.  Joseph was preparing a place for them to live while Mary prepared for the wedding ceremony.  They did not know the date of the wedding.  You see it was up to Joseph’s father to decide and announce when the ceremony would take place.  All of this was going on in Mary’s life when the angel appeared telling her she would conceive as a virgin. 
    God sure does work in mysterious ways doesn’t He.  Would you consider this?  Because of God’s plan to become flesh through the miraculous conception of the virgin Mary, Jesus was born.  As a result, every Christian is preparing for another divine wedding ceremony which is their very own with God.  According to Jewish custom, which was ordained and designed by God, the Lord has chosen the church to be the bride of Christ.  Think about it, Jesus has accepted the dowry for our freedom.  He paid this with His blood on that cross.  We were immersed through our baptism and the acceptance of Christ sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. Our betrothal process is under way right now and only the Father God knows the time and the date of the actual wedding ceremony. 
    Where are you in this process?  Are you a part of Jesus’ church?  Have you accepted the covenant between bride and groom.  Jesus is preparing a place for you to live eternally in the heavens above and we are to be preparing for the ceremony itself, which means to be honoring our covenant with God.  I would suggest you get out as many invitations to this wedding as possible so none of your family or loved ones miss it.  In other words introduce them to Jesus.
    With this knowledge, there should be no problem greeting anyone during this time of year. It is simply and joyfully “MERRY CHRISTMAS”.                           Pastor Terry

Recently I have been thinking about people that follow someone or something.  This could be a good thing or something that can get a person or group of people into trouble.  If you think about it there are followers within a gang, a culture, fads, politics and religion.  Gangs can be intimidating but yet give their members or disciples a sense of security and family.  Cliques follow some sort of fashion or lifestyle which gives a person a form of identity and confidence in oneself.  Religion represents a belief or dogma that a person chooses to live by.  Within each religious group there is a handbook, a creed or a book of discipline which represents their doctrine.   The Christian followers utilize the Bible as their standard of life professing that the Bible was given to humanity by God Himself.  According to the Bible a follower or disciple of Jesus is a person that believes that Jesus is “The Son of God, the Messiah or savior of humanity.  A disciple believes that Christ paid the ultimate price for all the evil, violence and corruption a person has ever done wrong by being hung on a cross until He died, was then placed in a grave and three days later arose from the dead.  Christian followers believe that Jesus ascended into the heavenly realm above and intercedes on our behalf today.  Because of this belief a disciple strives to be a witness to the world by trying to live like Christ did.  In other words A Christian is a person that strives to live a holy lifestyle, a person willing to accept the authority and responsibility that Jesus places upon them.   A follower of Jesus is a person willing to teach, talk about and represent the love of Jesus by the way they speak, by their actions or lifestyle, and by the work that they do for His church.  A follower of Jesus is a person that strives to be compassionate and forgiving attempting to be loving at all times especially toward his/her enemies.  This is a person that is willing to deny oneself in order to maintain their Christian integrity no matter what the cost.  A disciple or follower of Christ is a person that strives to place God above everything important to him/her knowing that everything good in this world is of God.  A disciple is a person that strives to perfect oneself everyday of their lives.  It is a person willing to abide in Christ and His Word.  Are you a Christian, or to put it another way, a follower or disciple of Jesus?  If so how are you doing living out Christ plan for you.  The reward is beyond one’s imagination, it is eternal life. 

Pastor Terry

I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter.

I recently returned from a mission trip to Kenya only to think about our spiritual “911 State of Emergency” in the States.  You see I heard one of our armed force generals talking about a potential third world war erupting.  His speculation was based on Israel taking aggressive action against Iran to stop them from continuing with their nuclear program.  He explained if this happens the allies (of both nations) would have no other choice but to defend these two Nations which would cause a  world war. 
    Israel believes that military options may ultimately be needed to halt Iran's nuclear progression. What would this mean to our Nation?  Life sure would change for the worst.  It’s a very scary thought to reflect on, isn‘t it? I can’t even imagine the consequences of an action like this.  Major destruction across the world.  Would there be anyplace safe to live during or after a time like this.  Is it possible for our great nation to stay intact or would we be devastated loosing our freedom and security.  
    I think of God who is all powerful, everywhere at one time and able to do anything, which means to intervene and put a stop to this possibility but would the Lord?  With the Biblical knowledge that I have, it depends upon the faith of God’s believers.  If we look at our past history we see that God actually placed judgment upon His believers, the Hebrews, by allowing the Babylonians to overthrow Jerusalem destroying it and totally devastating their nation taking a remnant of believers into captivity.  This was allowed  because of their rejection of God‘s ways.  Is this possibly the way God is looking at His followers in America today.  
    In the old Testament book of Ezekiel Chapter 14 the elders of Israel came to the prophet to dialog on current events.  This is when the Word of the LORD came to him, saying that these men have set up idols in their hearts causing them to stumble into sin. Upon hearing this Ezekiel asked God if he should listen to them.  He was told that the LORD would answer them according to the multitude of their idols, so that God would seize the house of Israel by their hearts to bring them back to Him.  God then instructed Ezekiel to instruct Israel to “Repent and turn away from their idols and all their abominations.
    Has the world of believers turned away from God so much that these are the words He would be speaking to us today.  Have we turned away from God so much that the Divine is about to take things into His own hands and pass judgment upon the world to bring His believers back to their faith.  A third world war would do that.  I hope not, but remember the “Great Flood” and the judgment put upon Sodom and Gomorra as well as the overthrow of Israel by Nebuchadnezzar.   If you are a believer in Christ and are living a life of sin which would be living according to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or just seeking selfish ambition I would suggest turning your life back to Christ asking for a renewed forgiveness so that we will be blessed not judged.  Amen!