Is it ever too late to

Transcription

1 For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church A Woman of Faith by Pastor Mitch Is it ever too late to find faith in Jesus? The question seems ridiculously simple. Yet, in her heart, a mom feels an uncertain response. Her unhappy life-choices yell at her each morning, You are a loser the future seems sealed. She grits her teeth each morning and stuff gets done. Storm or arrogance defines her name. She is forthright, in your face and does what she wants. However, from the Christian Education by Bill Aumack If you ve spent much time around me, you know that I m a firm believer in Chrisian Education. Both my wife and I are products of Christian Education. And both of our sons are working toward finishing their schooling in Christian schools. It s been an important part of our Christian experience. I encourage as many parents as possible to get their children in Christian schools. In May, we have the privilege of having both outside looking in, her bold personality allows her to keep an open mind. Unconventional, she takes time to investigate ideas others would dismiss. Her story is clear. She would answer our question, Is it ever too late to find Jesus? with a resounding NO. On Mother s Day, May 7, the message is A Woman of Faith. Call all your mom friends and especially those moms who might answer our question yes. The Bible has some good news to share. To honor our moms, we re hosting a fellowship luncheon and each will receive a small gift. The guys will take charge of the luncheon so the moms can rest and enjoy their special day. On May 14, the principal of Adventist Union School (AUS), Mr. Terry Tryon, has a message of God s goodness to share. Mr. Tryon captures the thoughts of listeners by continued on page 2 our Christian schools visit us. On May 14, Adventist Union School (AUS) will be here to lead the service. You ll have an opportunity to see what s happening at our elementary school. Then on May 21st, San Gabriel Academy (SGA) will be at Downey with their Chorale to lead our worship service. You ll get some insight into our supported high school on this day. We all enjoy seeing the youth lead our worcontinued on page 2 A prayer for one s family Our heavenly Father, we come as your children to praise you for putting us in our family. We thank you for the love and nourishment we have received from those in whose presence we have been placed. We confess our need for your guidance in our families. Please grant us harmony in our homes and enable us always to show respect and love for one another. In Christ s name, Amen. INSIDE How do You Measure Goodness? is on page 3 Turning Point on page 4 Ginny s Kitchen on page 5 What s happening? see pages 6 & 9 What Would John Wesley Do? on page 7 Our Church Family page 10 Kid s Page on page 11

2 THE LATEST WORD A Woman of Faith (cont. from page 1) telling the gospel story through simple demonstrations and songs. Many AUS students will join their Principal in songs and participation. Encouraging students to help with the Sabbath service is one essential aim. After all, our goal is to help youngsters choose to follow Jesus as their Savior. If you have been thinking of inviting the neighborhood kids to one of our services this is the day. San Gabriel Academy s chorale will offer a musical worship on May 21. Last year, we were Is it ever too late to find Jesus? blessed by the San Gabriel Academy chorale. Their uplifting melodies are reminiscent of the Book of Psalms which is really a book of songs sung throughout the ages. The chorale s music is a helpful guide that urges each of us to express our love of God and his love for us. A luncheon is planned to meet the students and their teachers. In deference to our young friends, the food theme is Haystacks. We need everyone s help to bring food items to share with our guest. A sign-up sheet will be available in the foyer. As many of you already know, Pastor Mitch and Ginny s son, Mitch Williams, is a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. He and his wife Lena and their 4 girls are serving the Lord at the Adventure Church in Fort Collins, Colorado. Mitch and his family will be with us on May 28. See you when the church gathers. = Christian Education (from page 1) 2 ship services. And there is nothing wrong with that, but these special services are so much more than just an opportunity for us to see the kids perform. This is a continuation of their Christian education. It helps teach them about how important corporate worship to the Christian life. This is a biblical command in Hebrews 10:24-25, which says in part not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. Not only that, but this is a great oppotunity to invite your friends and relatives who have schoolaged children. They can see what a difference Christian education makes. There is also an opportunity to talk to the leadership of the schools. They can answer any questions you may have about the school. We look forward to seeing you at these two very special services. = WE DID IT The Latest Word V 23 N 05 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: May 2011 copyright

3 May 2011 God, Webster & You by Linda Bewley Webster says depend means to place reliance or trust (Merriam Webster at God says through Isaiah, People with their minds set on you [God], you keep completely whole, steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing (Isaiah 26). A friend of mine recently told me a story which he said reminded him of God s goodness. It goes something like this. I woke up one morning last week and for some reason thought that I would like to have a maple donut. I forgot about the idea and went to work. When I returned to the office after driving my morning route, lo and behold, what do you think I found? There was a box of donuts someone had brought into work, and sure enough, inside there was a maple donut. God is so good that he even satisfied my desire for a donut that day. Worship Schedule May 7 Mitch Williams Mother s Day May 14 Terry Tryon Adventist Union School How do You Measure Goodness? May 21 San Gabriel Academy May 28 Mitch Williams, Jr I liked my friend s story, but not for the same reason as he. I liked the story, because it made me think about the differences between people. You see, if I had woken up that morning, thought about having a donut and it suddenly appeared before my eyes at work, I would think it came straight from the devil himself; it certainly would not remind me of God s goodness. Ahhhh, the difference between a friend who does not struggle with weight issues and me. So when I mentioned that to my friend and his wife, we shared a little chuckle. But it left me pondering about God s will. What is God s will and how do we know whether we are following it? There are plenty of areas in the Bible which tell us about God s will. For example, it is God s will that we love him and love others, that we forgive people, that we are honest, and so forth. No questions about it when it comes to things like that. The Bible makes it very clear. But there are other areas, I think, that are not so clear. They can be gray, not black and white. Something along these lines. Two people are ill. One is healed, the other isn t. Or, two people desperately seek employment. One finds it, the other doesn t. Get the idea? I suppose we could come up with any number of scenarios, couldn t we? How do we handle those gray areas? What if we are the person on the seemingly negative side of the above scenarios? God doesn t choose to heal or hasn t yet provided a needed job. What are we to think? I certainly do not know the answer, but I am currently of the opinion that situations like that cause us to trust God. We trust God in spite of the fact that we did not get what we thought we needed or wanted. When we get to the end of our rope, when we find ourselves with no place to look but up, we find that we have no choice but to trust God; nothing else to hold on to but God. And we hear him say, Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). God is worthy of our trust. = 3

4 THE LATEST WORD Before the Father by Linda Fernandez The Turning Point 4... Repent and be baptized... Acts 2:38 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light... 1 John 1:7 There is considerable roadwork being done on my way to work. Each day I try to take note of what the workers are doing and where they are in their progress. It amazes me at how many steps there are to putting in a median or repairing a road. I began to think of the phases God has patiently taken me through as He creates in me a new heart. The long and winding road of my life often led to one dead-end street after another. Maybe that is why I decided to review the basics of my fundamental beliefs. But where am I now on this path I have chosen to follow? Beginning to trust in God s Word was the obvious starting point. Learning to trust God to guide and direct my path was difficult at first. Looking to Jesus for peace took more time than I would like to admit. Taking time to listen to the Holy Spirit was hit or miss at first. But as I struggled each day to be more like Christ, the evidence of His influence slowly began to show. So what was the next step? Where did I go from there? Having been raised in the church, I felt the right thing to do was to be re-baptized. I had been baptized when I was young, but I wanted to make that open commitment to Christ again. During this series of articles, I have chosen a country song to try and tie my thoughts on each topic together. I found a wonderful song titled, Baptism, by Kenny Chesney and Randy Travis. Some of the words describe my journey back to God so clearly. One verse goes like this: This road is long and dusty, sometimes the soul, it must be cleansed, And I long to feel that water rushing over me again. The chorus sums it up so perfectly: Down with the old man, up with the new. Raised to walk in the way of light and truth. I didn t see no angels, just a few saints on the shore. But I felt like a newborn baby cradled up in the arms of the Lord. What have I learned about baptism? I know that baptism is commanded. I know that was the turning point in my life when I chose to follow a new Master. I know baptism didn t save me; (that gift was provided at Calvary), but by being baptized, I chose to accept that gift and be identified as a child of God in the body of Christ. It was a public confession of my faith. At that time, I let it be known that even as I came up out of the water, I believe I will one day be raised up to live forever with my Savior and King. Let s pray, Father, help us to walk in the light. Amen. =

5 From Ginny s Kitchen May 2011 Carrot and Asparagus Lasagna 12 fresh asparagus washed and trim to 3 or 4 long 1 fresh carrot, cut into Julienne strips 3 or 4 long 6 Lasagna noodles 1 pkg. frozen Morning Star Crumbles or canned veggie burger 1 cup finely chopped white or yellow onion 1 cap, Liquid Smoke ½ cup fresh chopped basil leaves 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely 1 T. fresh chopped oregano ½ fresh chopped parsley leaves 1 cup Ricotta cheese 1 l6 oz. Mozzarella grated cheese 2 cans of Hunts or favorite spaghetti sauce olive oil or grape seed oil salt & pepper Top with Parmesan cheese (optional) Preparation: Prepare, wash, cut carrots and asparagus and place in microwave dish with ½ cup of water and microwave for 2 minutes and drain, set aside for later. Precook noodles, per direction until limp. Drain and cool and place on a cookie sheet to fill later. (Lay-out flat and straight). With grape-seed oil or olive oil, sauté onions with Morning Star Crumbles. Drizzle over Liquid Smoke over Crumbles while sautéing. Set aside to cool. In a bowl, mix together all the herbs, the Ricotta cheese and Mozzarella cheese. Add veggie meat mixture with herbs and cheeses. Add l cup spaghetti sauce and gently fold all together. Ready to fill and to make up lasagna rolls. Handle each lasagna noodle separately. Spoon about 4 or 5 heaping tablespoons of mixture and spread gently over noodle the entire length of the noodle and width. BEFORE YOU ROLL- UP, lay two asparagus spears and 2 carrots strips at the edge and begin to roll-up lasagna noodle. Place each roll into a Pam sprayed deep bread baking loaf dish. (You may use two loaf dishes). Cover noodles with remaining spaghetti sauce. (It does matter if the carrots or asparagus stick out while rolling and baking). You can put some oil over each one and more sauce to protect them. Bake this at 375 for 35 minutes. = Memorial Day Memorial Day emerged from the grim shadows of the American Civil War. Before the close of the war, women began decorating the graves of soldiers who had died in that war. The practice quickly spread, and a few years later May 30, 1868, was designated as Decoration Day a day for placing flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers throughout the United States. In 1882, Decoration Day became known as Memorial Day, and soldiers who died in other wars were also honored. Over the years, it has become a day when all loved ones who have died in war and otherwise are remembered. In 1971, the United States Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be observed annually on the last Monday in May. On this Memorial Day, remember those who gave their lives for our country. But also pray for those who continue serving to keep America free, especially those who are in harm s way. = 5

6 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 10 AM C.S. 9:00 Pathfinders Pathfinder Campout :50 pm sunset 9:30 AM S.S pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Church Board 7 pm Women s Prayer Group Visit C.S. - Community Service S.S. - Sabbath School Downey Adventist Church 7:40 pm sunset 6:30 pm Band Practice 7:46 pm sunset 6:30 pm Band Practice 6:30 pm Band Practice 7:55 pm sunset 6:30 pm Band Practice 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams 12:30 Luncheon 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Adventist Union School 3:00 Pathfinders 10:50 AM Worship San Gabriel Academy 12:30 Luncheon Pathfinder Campout 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams, Jr 7 pm AUS Graduation

7 Stewpot by Gordon Botting, DrPh, CHES The American people pride themselves on the amount of money they donate in time of crisis such as Katrina, Indonesia s 2007 tsunami, the disastrous earthquake in Haiti, last month s unexpected New Zealand earthquake and now Japan s heartbreaking devastation. It is true that Christian and secular organizations, relief agencies, charities, celebrities and individuals continually donate to these worthy causes. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be generous with those who have suffered loss because He is a charitable, big hearted, open handed Supernatural Being. Throughout history, godly generosity has been one of the distinctive characteristics of Christian societies amplified by men and women who have been softened by the gift at Calvary. What Would John Wesley Do? One of the best examples of genuine generosity comes from the 18 th century. John Wesley ( ) and his musical brother Charles ( ) are often credited as the cofounders of the Methodist church. Both were profound preachers and astute businessmen. Both were raised in a clergy home in the small parish of Epworth, Lincolnshire, England. Their father, Samuel, ministered for forty years in this poor parish. Consequently, because John grew up in a lifestyle of destitution and hardship, he determined as a young man never to be in want but to live comfortably all his life. 1 One day while he was still at Oxford University, Wesley decided to purchase a few new paintings to decorate his dorm room. It was an exceptionally cold, wintery day and he noticed, when one of his chambermaids came in, that she had only a thin gown to protect her from the cold. Immediately, Wesley reached into his pocket to assist this lady, but then realized he had only a few pennies left after paying for his new paintings. At that moment Wesley was convicted to change his spending habits. He then determined to limit his expenses so he could give more money to those less fortunate. After Wesley finished his formal schooling and embarked on his career, he decided to continue this experiment of generosity. One year he earned 30 English pounds, a very good income for that time. That year he purposely chose to limit his daily expenses to 28 pounds so he could donate 2 pounds to the disadvantaged. The next year Wesley doubled his income and received over 60 pounds. So for another year he chose to live on 28 pounds and was able that year to give away 32 pounds. This became this life long practice even when he was making extremely large amounts of money. One year Wesley made the equivalent of $1.4 million, yet even in that 12 month period he budgeted his living expense to 2% of the total and allocated the rest 98% to be given to those less fortunate. During his lifetime, he earned approximately $30 million yet when he departed this life what remained was a well used pastor s cloak, a few spoons and some assorted coins. What happened to his enormous income? He simply chose to die broke and give his money to the poor. 2 John Wesley s financial fundamentals was a sermon he preached entitled, continued on page 8 May 2011 There is no happiness in having and getting, but only in giving. Frank Wakely Gunsaulus We hear a great deal about the Lord loving cheerful givers: we wonder where He finds them. Edgar Watson Howe God sees the heart, no the hand the giver, not the gift. Benjamin R. DeJong 7

8 THE LATEST WORD What Would John Wesley Do? (cont. from page 7) 8 The Use of Money, based on Luke 16:10. In this sermon Wesley stressed three central themes about the use or misuse of money. His major points are like the three sides of a triangle; Gain all you can; save all you can; give all you can. What did he mean by this uncomplicated message? 2 1. Gain All You Can. Wesley believed that Christians above all people should work hard, be industrious, diligent and accumulate as much money as possible. To him there was absolutely nothing wrong with accumulating wealth. In fact, he argued that Christians were duty bound to gain all the financial resources they could. There is no question that Wesley followed his own advice. He was the top earning preacher of his era and probably of all time. Interestingly, Wesley did not have DVDs and CDs to sell! He received his money from donations, speaking appointments, books and what he called, Penny Tracts. Wesley certainly makes today s religious hucksters look like entrepreneurial slackers. 2 Before you change your estimation of this great preacher s philosophy, note that he balanced this gaining of wealth with five caveats. a. Under no circumstances were Christians to gain their wealth at the expense of their health or way of life. b. Christians should not gain riches through occupations that were deceitful and dishonest. He rejected employment where cheating, lying or avoiding taxes were the norm. c. Wesley maintained that no Christian should hurt his neighbor by increasing his wealth through gambling enterprises, pawnbroking, charging exorbitant interest on loans, and selling items below market value to jeopardize competition. d. Christians should reject medical rip off scams that swindle unsuspecting people out of their hard earned money. He called them doctors that play with the lives and hearts of men to enlarge their own gain. e. Finally, he argued that Christians had absolutely no business in ventures that involved alcohol, immoral acts or any other activities that degraded nature or the human soul. 2. Save All You Can. This second line of the triangle is not what some might think. Wesley was not concerned about the need to have many savings accounts, stocks, bonds or mutual funds. His idea was the need for Christians to be thrifty with their spending habits or in other words, to be financially frugal or prudent. He warned about what would be appealing to the eye: expensive and extravagant clothes, elaborate houses, fancy garden landscapes and extraordinary decorations, expensive paintings and works of art and various other things that appealed to our sense of beauty. Wesley always came back to: What would Jesus do? And in this context, it was a solemn plea for simplicity. 3. Give All You Can. This principle was the foundation of his triangular sermon. We are, he affirmed, to gain and save all we can in order to be generous. His view of giving was: Give to yourself money to fulfill your essential needs. a. Give to your immediate family and employees their fair share. He validates this principle with a text from 1 Timothy 5:8, But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel, NKJV. b. Give to the household of faith. Meaning the organized ministry of churches, para church organizations, and Christian charities. c. Give to the greater society, which includes those who are unfortunate, such as the poor, homeless and destitute. On this last point he would often switch the wording as he concluded his message from give all you can to give all you have. 2 Perhaps this concept of being totally dedicated to giving is best encapsulated by these words: charity starts with the checkbook, but generosity starts with the heart. 3 = Reference: 1. Samuel Wesley Internet article under John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life. 2. John Wesley s Trilateral Internet article by Keith Drury. 3. Nyquist Paul, True Generosity, Today in the Word, Moody Bible Institute.

9 May 2011 THIS MONTH May Birthdays Chris Martin 1 Dudley Meade 1 Victor Zamora 4 Linda Aumack 6 Michael Fernandez 6 Kaye Navarro 10 Byron Molina Jr. 11 Vanity Duarte 12 Bill Aumack 17 Ray Munguia 18 Frank Duran 23 Alex Aumack 28 Phillip Mondragon 28 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 May 7 - Mother s Day Service May 14 - AUS Leads Worship May 21 - SGA Chorale May Pathfinder Campout May 31 - AUS Downey If your birthday is left out in the monthly newsletter, please contact the church office so we can put it in. The Latest Word deadline is the 5th of the month. We are starting the early phases of VBS planning. If you are willing to help teach, or with food prep, or crafts or anywhere else, please let Bill know. Coming Soon June 18 - Father s Day Service July VBS 9

10 THE LATEST WORD The Latest About Our Church Family Evan Aumack was recently featured at La Sierra University. He wrote an ipad drum app that got some attention. You can read the article at php?id=7177 Congratulations to Elora, Alex and David Chavez. They had perfect attendance at AUS. Elora and Sebastian Zegarra were on honor roll! Keep up the good work! We are looking for graduates for this school year. If you know someone who is graduating, please let Bill A. know or us at gmail.org. 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! = The Changing Image of Mother 4-year-old: My mommy can do anything! 8-year-old: My mom knows a lot! A whole lot! 12-year-old: My mother doesn t really know quite everything. 14-year-old: Naturally, mom doesn t know that, either. 16-year-old: Mom? She s hopelessly old-fashioned. 18-year-old: That old woman? She s way out of date! 25-year-old: Well, she might know a little bit about it. 30-year-old: She s smarter than she used to be. 35-year-old: Before we decide, let s get Mom s opinion. 50-year-old: Wonder what Mom would have thought about it? 65-year-old: Wish I could talk it over with Mom. = 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. = 10

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12 May 2011 Ponder This... = If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been. Robert Brault = Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. Marcel Proust = Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. Dale Carnegie Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA DATED MATERIAL Return Service Requested 12