Pray for This Summer’s Vacation Bible School

Theme :- With God All things are Possible.”

Theme Verse: Matthew 19:26.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Dates:- July 10th, 17th ,24th, 31st, Aug 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th

Final performance day Sept 4^th. (total 8 Sundays)
Time:- 3:00pm- 6:00pm
Ages: 2yrs -15yrs.

Bible lessons,
Bible verses,
Songs, Activities,
Bible Quizzes,
Games,
Sword drill.

Tell your friends and  bring your children

Christianity Today Searches for Adam and Eve

Christianity Today takes a look at the theology and science surrounding Adam and Eve. Can we using modern science, know anything about these people? A very good article looking at all sides. Below is part of a review by a respected scientist / Christian.

(Excerpt from a review by Christopher Benson)

With a cartographer’s precision, Ostling carefully maps the terrain of the debate on the historical Adam, judiciously bracketing the noisy gongs (no names will be mentioned, although it’s tempting) and spotlighting figures hitherto unknown by vast swaths of Evangelicals, figures such as science-religion writers Karl Giberson and Denis Lamoureux, biblical exegetes Daniel Harlow and Peter Enns, theologian John Schneider, Old Testament scholars Bruce Waltke and Tremper Longman, public policy analyst Michael Cromartie, and biologists Dennis Venema and Darrel Falk. These figures deserve a patient hearing without reflexive and vituperative charges of heresy. The biggest star of all, who should and may already be a household name, is Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health and former director of the Human Genome Project. Posterity, I submit, will regard his research in genetics with the same indebtedness as other pioneers in modern science like Einstein and Watson & Crick. In 2007, he founded the San Diego-based BioLogos Foundation which is now the leading voice in the integration of faith and science, advancing evolutionary creation. (A rival organization to BioLogos is the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, home to the Intelligent Design movement.)

Read More…

Algerian Christians Banned from Worshipping

(Mission Network News)

In late May, the president of the Protestant Church Association in Algeria (EPA) received the following notice: "I, Mr. Ben Amar Salma, the High Commissioner of the police in Béjaia, have informed Mr. Mustapha Krim, the President of the EPA...to close down all worship places; the places which are used now and the places which are under construction.... The authorities will make sure that the order will be obeyed, otherwise severe consequences and punishments will be applied."

"They continued to meet and celebrate their religion despite the threats. If the authorities decide to close places of worship, Christians will gather in homes or cell group meetings in the open air, which is already being done in some communities. But we believe the situation will improve."

Read More…

Indian Youth Preacher Coming to FBC Telugu Service

On July 31st - Dr. John Wesly will be sharing the word of God at First Baptist Church Telugu Service. Dr. John Wesly is an enthusiastic preacher, singer and composer. He traveled hundreds of villages and cities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and won thousands of souls for God already. His preaching has a unique concept and presentation. He preaches not only in large crusades but also in streets and marketplaces.

Visit his website:
http://www.youngholyteam.info/

First Baptist Church Telugu Service Rahway NJ.USA .(FBCTS)
FBCTS is the one and only Telugu Worship Service in the Tristate area.
Every Sunday from 3:30 to 6:00 PM

for more details - www.fbcts.org

Carrie Underwood Sings How Great Thou Art

To Shun or Not to Shun

When I moved into this house, squirrels invaded my attic. There was a little section at the roof line that had developed a space large enough for a squirrel to squeeze through. So they scurried around above my head when I was in my bedroom. I bought a kindness trap and evicted them. Since then I have been at war with the pesky little creatures. They dig holes in my gardens, tear up my grass and scurry across my roof looking for weaknesses in my defensive perimeter. I have sprayed all sorts of noxious stuff around my house to chase them away. Hot pepper sauce seems to be the most effective, but it only lasts a short time. My adopted stray cat, Momma-Kitty is also somewhat effective, when she is not sleeping, that is. Basically, I want the squirrels to stay far, far away from my home. I want them never to be seen, to be shunned from the polite and orderly sphere that I have created around my kingdom. If I started to shoot them with a shotgun, I wonder if the neighbors would notice.

Which brings me to a strange concept that pops up occasionally in the church world – shunning. Jesus teaches his disciples to shun people in Matthew 18:15-20. If someone “sins against you” (NIV) we are instructed to talk to them privately, then with a witness, then in front of the church and then “treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector”. Law abiding Jews of Jesus’ day shunned pagans and tax collectors, and so we have a clear way to handle conflict. Try to work things out, and if that fails, never speak to that person again. If we all followed this advice to the letter, the only people we would end up speaking with would be people who haven’t offended us yet – complete strangers.

This is not the only passage in the Bible that promotes shunning. Hager and Ishmael are shunned by Abraham (Gen 21:8-21); people with skin diseases are shunned (Numbers 5:1-4); Jesus tells the disciples to shun whole towns (Matthew 10:14-15); and Paul tells his supporters to shun false prophets, and in one case names one – Alexander (2 Timothy 4:14-15). It appears to me that shunning is a normal response to adverse situations in the Bible.

And yet, shunning can be an abusive response to disagreements that tear families and communities apart. My Mom’s family is from Amish country and so I have learned a lot about those folks over the years. Shunning is used by that community to keep their members in line. They can’t arrest them, but they can separate a wayward member from his friends and family. And since they live in a society separate from the rest of the world, shunning is a powerful weapon that can break a person’s spirit and force them into obedience. I would guess that most of you think the Amish are quaint and harmless. I’m sorry but I disagree. They are a cult that limits the education, experiences, and resources of their members to control them. Shunning is their chief weapon, and believe me when I tell you, it works.

On the other hand, shunning, in the form of a restraining order, is properly used by the police when someone is threatening to do harm to you or your family. I’m sure that you have had someone in your life who was actively doing you harm. What was the best response? Get that person out of your life! The same goes for the church. Unfortunately there are people in this world who are toxic to churches. I had a member in Scranton who came to church with his girl friend, while his wife was sitting three rows in front of them. I had to tell him that he could come to church, but he could not bring the woman he was sleeping with to church while his wife was attending. The effect of that conversation was the same as shunning. He never returned to our church. But he was doing terrible harm to his wife, and to the rest of our church family. It had to stop and so it did.

The key to understanding shunning is the phrase “sins against you”. If someone is doing you harm or threatening to, they have to go. The people of Nazareth threatened to throw Jesus off of a cliff (Luke 4:14-30). It is no wonder he never returned to the town of his upbringing. If someone is doing something wrong but is not harming anyone but themselves, then we are to reach out. Thus Jesus ministered to sinners and tax collectors. I have ministered to many people who abused alcohol and/or drugs. If they are hurting only themselves, we try to save them. If they are doing evil to others, then I feel the necessity to do whatever possible to stop them. As always our biblical responses need to be measured with wisdom that comes from God.

As to the evil squirrels, in the fall when the acorns drop, they will start to dig up my garden again. Momma-Kitty will most likely be too busy sunning herself. Stronger measures must be taken to rid my world of this pestilence. I’m considering guided missiles.

Peace,

Pastor Bill Whitehead

Ministering to Crime Victims

I recently met Chaplain Ed Smith of Victim Relief. He told me this is a group that ministers to victims of crime. The police departments that they work with offer their services and people can decide if they want to talk to a chaplain who has been trained to help in these difficult situations. This is a wonderful mission and I hope that you take a look at their website and see what they are doing.

Find Out More…

Johnny Cash Sings How Great Thou Art

Happy Friday!

A Safe Life

Once upon a time, we had a crustacean named Crusty. He came home from school one day and never returned. At the time I felt he should have been served up in a crawfish pie with a generous helping of Louisiana hot sauce. But my wife and children liked him and strangely enough, my cats liked him too. The cats of course would have liked him as part of a meal, but since we all liked crusty in different ways he ended up staying for a while. Crusty became part of the family, and family members are not served up in a stew.

Crusty made a lot of noise, that silly ol’ craw daddy. He rearranged the rocks in his small rectangular crustacean condominium. He flipped over the half yogurt container we put in there to give him something to hide in. He made burrows in the rocks then just as quickly covered them up. He was always very busy for a misplaced appetizer. And he seemed to be as happy as a craw fish can get. While he was on this earth, he lived a safe but limited life.

I used to have a safe but limited life. I had a job at a bank that was not a pressure cooker nor did it pay well. I was reliable but not a stand out. I received promotions but I was not headed to the top of the ladder. I put in a good day’s work and then I went home. I was safe and I was happy. But I wasn’t challenged.

Isn’t it funny how often people speak well of being challenged? So often people say to me that the best time in their life was when they had to overcome difficult circumstances. Many folks have said that they grew mentally, personally, and spiritually during a difficult period in their lives. In fact, many friends have said that they wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the challenges they had faced. Isn’t that funny? One would think all of us would want a safe and happy life – no challenges – thank you very much. And yet, many of us, myself included, feel that being challenged is a very important part of our emotional and spiritual development.

I used to have a life with few challenges – but then I was called into the ministry. And what a wild ride it has been. I have been challenged from the start. Challenged in areas of leadership, education, marketing, music and oh yeah, spirituality. I have been overwhelmed by the feeling that everything is squarely on my shoulders. How can the church grow? How can we do more in the mission field? How can we get more people involved? How can pay our bills? Even when someone else is responsible it all comes back to me. I love my life as a Pastor, but sometimes I long for the days when I was a crustacean in a cubicle – safe, happy and unchallenged.

The problem with those good old days was the lack of personal satisfaction. God challenged me to be more and to do more. So I went to Seminary. I juggled a full time job, the birth of two children and ministry on the weekends. I studied at dawn and wrote papers at night. Saturday mornings was study time. I crammed classes into a very tight schedule. I made time for school, work and most importantly, family. But all that was easy compared to what I face now. Surviving school came down to doing what I was told. It was hard work and time consuming but I gave the teachers what they wanted and they gave me a passing grade and that was that. I often relive good memories from those days, a time when I really proved I could accomplish a great deal. Now I face challenges that are so much more difficult.
There are no more teachers to tell me what to do. There is no manager standing over me patting me on the back. There is no yogurt container for me to hind under. There is just God helping me with the challenges that I face. And so often the answer from God is; you will have to work this out for yourself. It is equally empowering and frustrating. There are times when I praise God for the trust He has given me and times when I just want to hide in a cubicle and punch out at five. What a mess. They told me in Seminary it would be hard. I listened but I didn’t fully understand difficult it would be until I lived it.

See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. (Isa 48:10 NIV)

The people of Isaiah’s time were tested by God in order for them to turn their faces towards God rather than away. They were punished like children so that they would grow up. They were challenged, just like me, to become the people God called them to be. God challenges all of us to be more than we are. God challenges us to be godly – even to be perfect as our father in heaven is perfect. A tall order, some would even say impossible. And yet, is there any challenge that is not attainable when we have God on our side?

I accept the challenge. I embrace it. But sometimes, when life gets real tough, I just wish I could hide somewhere and rearrange rocks.

God bless you,

Pastor Bill

Pray for Graduates

My High School graduate Richard with his sister, Charlotte.

Please pray for all of this year’s graduates; it’s a tough world out there.

Peace, Pastor Bill.

Happy Summer!

Pictures from the Whitehead Family Gardens on the first Day of Summer.

Can you find Moma-Kitty in one of these pictures?

Dangerous Church Planting in Pakistan

For Christians, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is among the toughest mission fields in the world.

More than 95 percent of the 184 million souls who live in Pakistan claim Islam as their faith. The country has anti-conversion laws for Muslims and has served as the base of operations for extremists. The Taliban formed in Pakistan among a group of refugees from neighboring Afghanistan. In May, the Pakistani city of Abbottabad was revealed as the hiding place of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

But the Gospel has taken root in Pakistan, says Hadayat Din, a native of Sialkot, in Pakistan’s northeastern Punjab province.

Read More…

George Beverly Shea Sings How Great Thou Art 1961

When Miracles Don’t Happen

The sad news was finally revealed on May 31, 1997, by San Francisco Chronicle’s religion writer, Dan Lattin:

"Incapacitated by a series of strokes, Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross sits in a cluttered corner of her home in the desert, smoking Dunhill cigarettes, watching TV and waiting to die…Kuebler-Ross revolutionized the way Americans look at death and dying, but decades of work with the terminally ill has done little to ease her own transition into the great beyond…Her mood is feisty, but her German-accented voice is faint and tinged with bitterness. `For 15 hours a day, I sit in this same chair, totally dependent on someone else coming in here to make me a cup of tea,' she says. `It's neither living nor dying. It's stuck in the middle. My only regret is that for 40 years I spoke of a good God who helps people, who knows what you need and how all you have to do is ask for it. Well, that's baloney. I want to tell the world that it's a bunch of bull. Don't believe a word of it…I can’t wait to die.'"

(1 Kings 19:1-5) Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them." Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

What these two people have in common is crushing disappointment. Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross told people that God would take care of them no matter what. Then she found herself crippled and totally dependent upon others. Elijah won a great victory against the prophets of Baal. Immediately he was threatened with execution. Both of these people must have had high expectations which ended up unrealized. Instead of the restoration of true worship – flight into the desert. Instead of victory in Jesus – slow death in a chair. I have experienced disappointment like this. I have been under that broom tree demanding an explanation from God for the disaster that occurred. Have you been there too? If you haven’t there is a good chance that someday you will. When the unthinkable happens – what do we do?

(Ruth 1:16-18) But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

This is one of the great stories of faith from the Hebrew Bible. Faith is the willingness to plunge into the unknown with only the conviction that everything is going to be ok. When things don’t work out, faith is what keeps us from giving up. Ruth and Naomi starve for a while before Boaz rescues them. What if they hadn’t met Boaz? From the above statement, I doubt Ruth would have given up.

(John 6:26-27) Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

After the miracle of the loaves and fish, Jesus goes off by himself. Some of the witnesses of the miracle follow him and ask him for another sign - another wonder. Jesus tells them; forget about it. He offers them faith instead. Faith in God will survive long after all of the earthly signs and wonders have been forgotten.

Too often we demand results from our efforts. Too often we demand miracles / prosperity / success from God. The mega-churches of today are full of people who go for the show. Miracles are performed right before our eyes, prosperity is promised, success in every undertaking is assured. If you have faith, God will give you what you ask for! Just the message we all want to hear. This is why the mega-churches are mega-full. Unfortunately, faith has nothing to do with any of this.

True faith in God is when we are under that Broom tree feeling sorry for ourselves, and we hear that quiet voice inside of us telling us to get up and get going. True faith is when we are laying in a bed dependent upon caretakers waiting for the end, but still praising God for the gift of life. That is the great blessing of faith – to be hopeful and thankful even when disaster strikes. I have known many people who have had that kind of faith. They have strengthened me far more than any claims of success or miracles.

God Bless You,

Pastor Bill Whitehead

The Sweet Smell of Celebrity

When I was in college I met the biggest celebrity I could imagine. Maynard Ferguson. That’s right, The Maynard Ferguson. What’s the matter? You never heard of him? That’s ok, he was a jazz musician, and I was a big fan. I used to attend his concerts whenever I could. I saw him one day in the lobby of my alma mater and I walked up to him, introduced myself and shook his hand. That’s right, my hand touched his and I walked away floating on the air. Until I realized that my hand stank of cologne. In fact, he reeked of this foul smelling stuff, as if he had dumped a whole gallon of it over his head. I had to wash my hands five times to get rid of the stench. So much for the excitement of meeting a celebrity. Now if I see someone famous, I keep my hands to myself.

Our celebrity culture is way out of control. Photographers follow them. Employees snitch
on them. Every detail of their lives are recorded. Their every action waited upon in breathless anticipation. But all we have to do is watch a couple of the biographies on E! and we can see that these people are really quite normal. In fact many of them because of poor decisions are not even worthy of our respect let alone admiration (any Democratic congressmen come to mind?). Strange isn’t it? We would be thrilled to meet a really famous person - but this person might be doing things that would deeply shame us. Many years after I met Maynard Ferguson I found out he was a serious cocaine addict. Apparently cologne wasn’t the only thing he was overindulging.

Jesus treated everyone he met with love and respect. Celebrity status didn’t faze him at all. In Luke 14:1-24 there is a story about Jesus in the home of a prominent Pharisee. The guests take some time to decide which one of them would sit at the table in the places of honor (an important custom that is still practiced in the Middle East). Jesus follows this task by talking to them about the importance of humility in the Kingdom of Heaven. I see his words as an obvious attack on the importance of maintaining the social hierarchy. I think that the guests at that table saw it that way as well. Jesus obviously wasn’t impressed with the status of the people around him.

Today Jesus would say a real celebrity is a person who does God’s will. After all he said; “you are the salt of the earth.” I’ve taken this to mean that our actions should be just as important to a person as salt is for the body. And if we become salt to another doesn’t this make us the true celebrity? Our actions here and now for the Kingdom will be remembered long after John Wayne’s films have turned to dust. And Jesus said; “you are the light of the world.” Doesn’t this mean that our daily decisions can light a path through the darkness for some lost soul? And isn’t that more important and more lasting than the most beautiful of starlets? We who seek to do God’s will are the true celebrities. Long after the age of glamour and glitz is gone our struggles to inaugurate the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth shall live on.

So I don’t pay any attention to the big names anymore. I look for celebrities living around me. I get thrilled when I meet a person who displays care and concern for me. I am excited to meet a person who lives a life of love for others. These are the true celebrities. And you can and should be one of them!
Just remember to go light on the aftershave.

God Bless You,

Pastor Bill Whitehead

Good News for Eric LeGrand!

Keep Praying for Eric to Walk Again!

(From NJ.Com)

Paralyzed Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand tweeted that he is feeling twitches throughout his body, a sign LeGrand feels shows he is making progress.

Late Monday, LeGrand tweeted: "Twitches going throughout the body, coming back."

Since being paralyzed from the neck down in a game against Army on Oct. 16, LeGrand has been taken off a ventilator, starting eating solid food and moved to his aunt's house in Jackson, where he has continued rehabilitation. LeGrand said he has been able to move his arm to the side.

Despite his injury, LeGrand, 20, has continued taking classes at Rutgers as he works towards his degree.

Read More about Eric LeGrand…

Pray for Well Paying Jobs

Please pray for your friends and neighbors who are struggling to find work. The economic situation seems to be improving, but very slowly and pay is way down. Please pray for our country to pull out of this recession.

More than 1,000 applicants began lining up this week outside a former Hoover vacuum plant here in the hopes of joining a surprising trend in this part of the nation’s manufacturing heartland: new jobs.

Read More…

Sons and Daughters of Perdition

The above movie is about young boys thrown out of their polygamy community into a world they are not prepared for.

The story below is about a young woman who escaped the forced marriage she was in. Christian Churches are working in Utah and Wyoming to help these people escape this terrible life.

"I left my polygamist community suddenly in response to an abusive situation. I did not have a clear plan in place as to how I would be able to take care of my four young children and myself. In much dismay, I found myself on the doorstep of a wonderful family of strangers willing to help us. We had not much more than a few garbage bags full of clothes and belongings. Due to the teachings that I had been exposed to over the years, I had a profound distrust of "gentiles." In contradiction to this, we were instead surrounded by love, and all our needs were met too. We were provided with food, shelter, guidance, counseling and new found friends. Without this support, it would have been near impossible to transition into a world of normalcy and acceptance. I will be forever grateful for this help, and hope that many more to follow will find this same kind of encouragement and tangible support."

Read More…