Anger is powerful. On Saturday, March 19, we will start a. Put Anger in its Place. Pilgrim s Problems Small Groups INSIDE. Forgiveness is Key

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1 For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church Put Anger in its Place by Pastor Mitch Anger is powerful. There are times when anger is most appropriate. Like the time my son came running home to tell us two big boys took his skateboard. We were angry and we got the skateboard back. However, anger can turn self-destructive when allowed to linger unchecked. I think that s why the Bible says: In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold (Eph 4:26-27). Unfortunately, some folks are slow to learn how nursing anger destroys them. The film entitled The Straight Story tells the true tale of a 73 year-old man who drove his lawn mower over 300 miles to make things right with his brother. His journey provides the opportunity to meet people along the road and share his wisdom of experience. The award winning story makes us think about our own lives and whether harboring unresolved anger Pilgrim s Problems Small Groups On Saturday, March 19, we will start a 5 Week Small Group series based on the book Pilgrim s Problems. This series will focus on overcoming the troubles that we all face. There will be opportunities at church to connect with a small group. If you need a small group to join, please talk to Bill A. or one of our other leaders. We ll make sure you are aware of all the small groups that are meeting so that you can find one that works for you. in our hearts is really the best choice. The message on March 26 is How to Manage Your Anger. Managing our anger instead of allowing our anger to manage us has lifesaving consequences. Jesus said, You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment (Matt 5:21- continued on page 2 The small groups will have their first meetings after church on the 19th (or later in the week if your group doesn t meet on Sabbath). The series wraps up on April 16th. The following week is Easter. The week after, the 30th, will be our small group celebration. That evening we will have our small group party, An Evening at Harvey s Broiler. Be sure to join a group for this series. = Forgiveness is Key If the wounds of millions are to be healed, what other way is there except through forgiveness? Jesus, at least, leaves us no alternative. The command is stern. The terms are set: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Catherine Marshall INSIDE Do the Pieces Fit? page 3 The Spirit Descends on page 4 Ginny s Kitchen on page 5 What s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Never Give Up is on page 7 Our Church Family page 10 Kid s Page on page 11

2 THE LATEST WORD Put Anger in its Place (cont. from page 1) 2 22a). What s the big deal about learning to manage our anger? Jesus wants us to enjoy an open relationship with him. But, if we do not forgive and confess our anger it will effectively get in the way our relationship with the Lord. Learning to manage our anger is a matter of life or death. On March 5, Bill Aumack concludes our three part series on Youth with a message called, There s Not an App for That... We live in a society full of instant gratification and answers. Need to know something, Google it and presto you have the answer. We can even do What s the big deal about learning to manage our anger? that from our phone. We have all kinds of smart phone apps to help us in many ways. But somethings can t be solved with the latest app. Sometimes we need to be involved. Jesus said, Walk with me and work with me watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. (Matt. 11:28 MSG). He was involved with the people around him, he demonstrated the proper way to do it. Our youth need people to give them an example of how to do it. The latest app on our phone can t do that for us. Is it possible to live stress free in today s world? That s a good question we should ask ourselves, because stress touches everyone and is one of the prevailing characteristics in every day s life in today s world. There are however, constructive Bible-based solutions we can apply for living successfully in an environment that fosters stressful living. Come and join us to discover those solutions on March 12 as, Gustavo Ortega brings us a sermon entitled, God s Therapy for Stressful Living. On March 19 we celebrate Communion. I m saddened when I hear someone is excusing themselves from the Lord s Table because they feel they re unworthy. The Bible has good news. Communion is for the unworthy. The Bible says, There is no one righteous, not even one (Rom 3:10). Was Judas righteous? His heart was committed to betraying the Lord, yet the Lord gave him the bread and the cup. Prideful Peter received the Lord s Supper. Oh, yes there is an unworthy manner of taking Communion and I want to share what that means to us today. God s word is good for our instruction in righteousness. Once we talk about what an unworthy manner means you ll be equipped to encourage another brother and sister to come and take Communion next time it s offered. See you when the church gathers. = WE DID IT The Latest Word V 23 N 03 BILL AUMACK responsible for this LINDA AUMACK proof reading LETTY DURAN paper distribution MITCH WILLIAMS pastor address mail to: Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd. Downey, CA office: fax: downeychurch@gmail.com distributed monthly issue date: Mar copyright

3 God, Webster & You by Linda Bewley Webster says purpose is something set up as an object or end to be attained: INTENTION... a subject under discussion or an action in course of execution (Merriam-Webster. com/dictionary). God says He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we... might be for the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:11-12 NIV). I recently stumbled upon a unique jigsaw puzzle at a friend s house. It was sitting on her countertop with only a few pieces in place. Since I was waiting for her, I decided to put her puzzle together. The whole thing looked to consist of less than 20 pieces so I March 5 Bill Aumack There s Not an App for That... March 12 Gustavo Ortega God s Therapy for Stressful Living Do the Pieces Fit? thought it would be easy. When my friend saw that I was attempting to put the puzzle together, she warned me to be careful, because it was not as easy as it looked. I quickly found out she was right about that. The pieces are made such that they appear to fit into more than one spot. The puzzles are called Triazzles, and they are brain teasers!!! I ve since looked up the puzzle online and found these words: The deceptively easy-looking puzzle is really Harder Than it Looks (see triazzle. com). That is absolutely true. I m sure, given enough time and patience, I would have figured it out, but luckily for me, we had other things to do! I like puzzles. I like emptying a box full of tons of pieces and putting them Worship Schedule March 19 Mitch Williams Communion March 26 Mitch Williams How to Manage Your Anger all together to see how they fit together to make a picture. Many times life can be like a jigsaw puzzle. Have you ever gone through a time where lots of things happened in your life, but you couldn t seem to make heads or tails of it all? The circumstances were mind boggling and, even though you prayed over the situation, you still couldn t see any purpose. But then, some time later, you looked back and you recognized that God had been in control of everything, but you just couldn t see it at the time. I think I m learning that those situations help us to know that we can depend on God, because he has a purpose for everything. It s God job to put the puzzle of life together, not ours. One of my favorite authors touches on the subject as follows: God is too wise and good to answer our prayers always March 2011 at just the time and in just the manner we desire. He will do more and better for us than to accomplish all our wishes. And because we can trust His wisdom and love, we should not ask Him to concede to our will, but should seek to enter into and accomplish His purpose. Our desires and interests should be lost in His will. These experiences that test faith are for our benefit. By them it is made manifest whether our faith is true and sincere, resting on the word of God alone, or whether depending on circumstances, it is uncertain and changeable. Faith is strengthened by exercise. (The Ministry of Healing, pp ) What could I possibly say on the subject that tops that? Nothing. But there is one more thought that occurs to me, and it is this. Life s puzzles will likely always be incomplete while we are here on earth. Imagine what it will be like when we see Jesus, and he explains how everything fit together. That will be AWESOME, to say the least. = 3

4 THE LATEST WORD Before the Father by Linda Fernandez The Spirit Descends And hope does not put us to shame, because God s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:5 If you ll only trust and believe in His Word, You ll stand in God s kingdom and not be ashamed. am continuing on my I quest to go back to the basics of what I believe. I invited you along on this journey with the intent of getting to know the Bible better. So far we have learned that the Bible is to be our Map and Guidebook in life. Our first introduction was to God himself. We also discovered that our Heavenly Father loves us with an everlasting love and wants to be an integral part of our day to day lives. What draws us to God, though? Is it our own sin; a desire to be a better person? Can we come to God on our own, where will we obtain the strength to resist temptation and walk with Him? Once again, the Bible has the answers we seek. Ps. 143:10 tells us the Holy Spirit will teach us to do his will and will lead us on to level ground. We are reminded in John 3:34 that God gives the Spirit without limit. In Acts 5:32 Paul says God gives the Spirit to those who obey Him. And in Romans 8:14 we have a promise that says, For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. During this series, I have been trying to link each topic with a country song that will help tie my thoughts together. I was surprised to find a Hank Williams song for this particular point, but he sang a beautiful song that paints a picture of hope and peace I would like to share with you. The title is Let the Spirit Descend. The song is about the Spirit descending upon Jesus on the day He was baptized. I particularly like one part of the second verse If you ll only trust and believe in His Word, You ll stand in God s kingdom and not be ashamed. As I thought about the words to Hank s song, I found the scripture above that seemed to go perfectly along with it. Paul says the same thing in Romans 5:5, the hope we find will not put us to shame (even though we may have had a shameful past) because of the love God pours out to us through the Holy Spirit. So, not only does God love us and want to be part of our lives in order to shower blessings upon us, but He also provides the Guide to lead us on our way to him. How great is that?! I am saddened when I think of all the ways people try to find happiness and contentment on their own when God is so willing to provide all that we need. Let s pray. Oh Father, thank you for granting us the gifts of peace and hope through the Holy Spirit. = March 13 4

5 From Ginny s Kitchen March 2011 Stuffed Green Bell Peppers 4 green bell peppers / cut off top and core and remove seeds 1 cup long-grain rice cooked according to directions 2 T. olive oil 1 medium onion/ finely chopped 3 medium size garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 t. Liquid Smoke ½ package (6 oz.) of Morning Star Crumbles 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese 3 T. green pesto sauce, found at Trader Joe s or Fresh & Easy Market 2 cup spaghetti sauce, recommend Hunts Italian canned 1/3 cup Progresso Italian Style bread crumbs salt & pepper 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. Pre-cook rice and set aside 3. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil, with a dash of salt. Boil bell peppers for approx. 3 or 4 minutes. Pour off water through a strainer and make sure water is drained off each of the bell pepper. 4. With a heavy skillet, add olive oil, onions and stir to prevent burning. Add garlic and then add Morning Star Crumbles and sauté. At this time pour the Liquid Smoke over Crumbles and only sauté for approx 5 minutes. Take off heat and set aside. 5. Add rice to veg. meat mixture; add salt and pepper, pesto sauce, tomatoes and bread crumbs. Fold and mix together. 6. Filling pepper: Place bell peppers in oiled baking dish. Fill each pepper with 2 T. spaghetti sauce. Then add half the rice/veg. meat filling, add half of mozzarella cheese. Continue with the veg. meat mixture until bell pepper is full. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and spaghetti sauce. Bake for approx minutes. = A Great Fit caller to Christian A radio station KLOVE spoke of the amazing way God restored her struggling marriage. On the weekend that she and her husband separated, they each attended different services on different days at their large, multi-campus church. For an object lesson, the pastor had purchased three 1,500-piece puzzles and given one piece to each worshiper that weekend. The woman took hers home and placed it on her dresser. That Sunday, the husband stopped by the house to do yard work. When the woman walked by her dresser, she noticed that another puzzle piece was attached to hers and it fit. It was the piece her husband had received at church. The woman said that was a loud sign from God that she and her husband fit together and would be okay. Life and marriage aren t always perfect, but she framed the puzzle pieces as a constant reminder to our covenant to each other and to God s promises. = 5

6 Downey Adventist Church Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :52 pm sunset 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Bill Aumack 10 AM C.S. 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 6:30 pm Band Practice :58 pm sunset 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Gustavo Ortega 9:00 Pathfinders :03 pm sunset 9:30 AM S.S. AUS & SGA Spring Break AUS & SGA Spring Break 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Church Board 7 pm Women s Prayer Group :30 pm Band Practice 6:30 pm Band Practice 7:08 pm sunset 6:30 pm Band Practice 3:00 Pathfinders 10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams Small Groups Start 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams Pathfinders - Lake Casitas Pathfinders - Lake Casitas 7 pm Women s Prayer Group Visit C.S. - Community Service S.S. - Sabbath School

7 March 2011 Stewpot by Gordon Botting, DrPh, CHES Last year my wife and I experienced a very important milestone in our marriage. We celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. (Interestingly, fifteen of those years I have had the privilege of writing this monthly bulletin.) To distinguish our four decade landmark, we decided to take a noteworthy celebration vacation through eight central European countries. Since I knew we would travel through these remarkable nation states by bus, rail and boat, I purposely put into my hand luggage four books to read while I waited for the next mode of transportation. One of the books really impressed me. It was a practical and constructive book about marriage entitled: Treat Me Like a Customer: Using Lessons from Work to Succeed in Life. The author, Louis Upkins, Jr., used as his central argument that what is good for the business world; the need to respect and maintain ongoing relationships with our customers, is much more important and valuable within our personal lives with our marriage partner. Never Give Up! As you might expect, each of his chapters used a different situation to compare and contrast between the world of business and the world of one s immediate and extended family, but more importantly with the spouse. He makes it very clear how the exact same principles apply within the interactions of these two relationship worlds. Here are just a few examples from his 18 chapters: Learning on the job: Just as one learns the ropes in the commercial world so in marriage you must learn on the job what works or doesn t work as you and your marriage partner establish your new home. Do you really know your customer? In the field of sales the best way to gain the competitive edge is to actually understand your client. Likewise in marriage, to really identify with your spouse you must truly understand them. To help you do this, ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS; do you know where your spouse would like to vacation next year? What household chore does your spouse dislike the most? Can you name the last book your spouse read? And finally, men what one thing do you do that annoys your wife and what is the greatest thing that brings her the most happiness? When your customer gets upset: Here Upkins deals with how your business clients react to poor service. He compares that situation to moments your wife disagrees with you about the household duties, the children s problems or the best way to handle the in laws. One of the chapters that impressed me the most was the one entitled Never Give Up. As a pastor I have seen too many couples just give up and let their marriage fail. Unfortunately, we live in a world where one out of every five marriages ends in divorce. Not only does divorce drag in its wake a great deal of emotional pain, but from an economic or stewardship viewpoint, it will affect both partners and their children for the rest of their lives. Let s take an average husband who has been married for nineteen years, has two wonderful children, lives in an elegant home and is director of his department. Suddenly and unexpectedly, he decides he wants to be free of his marriage. continued on page 8 Marriage is not a ritual or an end. It is a long, intricate, intimate dance together and nothing matters more than your own sense of balance and your choice of partner. Amy Bloom Being a good husband is like being a gardener: You got to give your partner lots of water and sunshine (Love and support). Jack Black, Film Star of Gulliver s Travels. 7

8 THE LATEST WORD Never Give Up! (cont. from page 7) 8 Although the Christian community is not protected from divorce (one out of five), the Scriptures, both in text and with abundant examples, explains why we need to avoid divorce at all cost. If our average husband decides to divorce his wife, just looking at the economic segment, he is going to lose a great deal of money. According to one dispute resolution center the legal fees alone on an average divorce can run as high as $15,000 or more. In addition, he will have to pay his former spouse child support and healthcare costs until both children reach the age of eighteen. The average annual amount of child support can be $4,000. Hence, the dollar cost for his two children could be $8,000 per year. Whether or not he lives in a no fault state or not, the fact that he is the sole provider for his family means he is obligated to provide monthly alimony payments to his spouse to allow her to continue to maintain her current lifestyle, and that cost is somewhere in the financial neighborhood of $3,000 a month. Using the same example, the state of California might order the spouse to pay 25% of his annual income to his wife as spousal support. The amount of years this payment will continue is completely up to the judge s discretion. But that s just the economic segment. There are expenditures that in no way have a dollar value. He will have to share his children s lives or could even lose custody of his kids. He will not be able to tuck them into bed or offer a prayer of blessing over them each evening. No longer can he hug and kiss his children awake each morning. All the family traditions will become a fruit salad of misconstrued emotions and confused feelings by both adults and children. Every time he picks up or drops off his two kids he will be forced to deal with their emotions as well as his own. He may find one child becomes more aggressive and uncooperative, while the other sibling may withdraw and become disheartened and sad. Tragically, the effects of a divorce may continue into the next generation. Too often both spouses think that separating rather than choosing to work out their differences will bring them happiness. The Institute for American Values conducted a survey and found that divorced couples were no happier five years after their breakup than unhappily married adults who chose to stay together. Interestingly, the data shows that if a couple is unhappy the chances of their being happily married in five years are 64% if they stay and work out their problems, but only 19% if they choose to end their marriage. We need to remind ourselves that this fundamental institution was given to us by The Creator. If rightly understood and practiced, we can not only add dimensions to our lives, but we will become better people as a direct result of the other person s love and support. Bottom line: Never give up on your marriage. = The Top 5 Behaviors For Safeguarding A Long And Happy Marriage 1 You respect and trust each other. 2 You don t go to bed angry. 4 You say I love you often. 5 You always kiss each other good night. 5 You have a good argument once in a while. Reference: Susan Lewis Secrets to Long Lasting Marriages Revealed in Senior Survey Reuters, February 4, 2008, pp. 30, 31

9 March 2011 March Birthdays Tomas Aispuro 6 Hatzuko Aispuro 6 Angela Navarro 10 Erlinda Garcia 13 Linda Casillas 16 Linda Bewley 20 Darrell Stephens 25 Humberto Michel 25 THIS MONTH If your birthday is left out in the monthly newsletter, please contact the church office so we can put it in. Upcoming Events 2nd & 4th Saturdays - 3:00 p.m. Pathfinders 1st Sunday - 10 a.m. Community Service Thursdays - 7 p.m. Women s Prayer Group Fridays - 6:30 p.m. Band Practice March 13 - Time Change, set clocks one hour ahead March Spring Break AUS & SGA March 19 - Small Groups Start March Pathfinder Campout The Latest Word deadline is the 5th of the month. Coming Soon March 19 April 23 - Easter Service April 30 - An Evening at Harvey s 5:30pm in the Fellowship Hall 9

10 THE LATEST WORD The Latest About Our Church Family Congratulations to Ethan Morales who was selected to the Junior National Honor Roll Society. Way to go Ethan! The Pathfinders have been ordering tents and other supplies. If you want to help, you can make a donation by putting it in a tithe envelope and marking it Pathfinders. Thanks to everyone who brought a friend to Friendship Day. We had a great time. Be sure to invite them again another time. If you have any Church Family news, please contact the church office so we can get it into the newsletter. = Thank you to everyone who has been saving Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated. For the Box Tops for Education, please save the Box Tops coupon. Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your support! = 10 Peter Lovenheim was dismayed by the isolation he felt in suburban Rochester, New York. After a murder occurred down the street, he realized none of the neighbors seemed to know or care about one another. The mailman told Lovenheim most people would rather give misdelivered mail back to him than walk it over to the person next door. An elderly woman said she d once fallen on the street and had to crawl home because no one came to help. That prompted Lovenheim to engage in a bold experiment: He asked to spend a night at each of his neighbor s homes. Lovenheim documented the results in the book In the Neighborhood: The Who is My Neighbor? Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time. As Lovenheim and his neighbors got to know one another, they learned that a single mom was being treated for breast cancer. They took her to appointments, brought her groceries, met her daughter at the bus stop after school and even installed a light over a dark staircase. By searching for community, Lovenheim and his new friends helped create it. = Online Donations ur church website is Onow set up to accept online donations. You can pay your tithe and offerings online. After setting up an account, you can make donations to various accounts, much like you fill out a tithe envelope. The donation site is safe and secure. It is run by the General Conference. There are no fees. And 100% of your donations will go to the funds you select. Naturally, you can still put your tithes and offerings into a tithe envelope at church. That won t change. This is just another way that you can choose to give your offerings. The link for the donations is on the left side of our main page at The first time you use it you ll have to create an account, but after that the process is quite easy. If you ve been paying your bills electronically, it will even seem down right natural. =

11 March

12 March 2011 Ponder This... = The birth of Christ brought God to us, but it took the cross of Christ to bring us to God. Author unknown = There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness. Josh Billings = The rich man is not one who is in possession of much, but one who gives much. St. John Chrysostom Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA DATED MATERIAL Return Service Requested 12