The Lamplighter...doing the work He is doing in the world...

Transcription

1 The Lamplighter Terrill Road Baptist Church is a Bible-believing Church where people connect with God, each Sunday Phone: Bible Study 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship Terrillrd@aol.com Service 10:45 a.m. Website: Phone: TRBC4him.org Terrillrd@aol.com Church Website: trbc4him.org Find us on Facebook! Terrill Road Baptist Church, Scotch Plains, NJ TRBC Sound Booth Schedule March 4th Lucas Page & Sam Farrell March 11th Trudi Karpel & Barbara Long March 18th Spring & Alexis Casterlow March 25th Christy & Joey Caruso Thanks to all of you! other, and influence our world for Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for reading this months edition!! -Jessica Pratt, Editor Scan this into your smart phone for instant access to TRBC s website. In This Issue: Pastor s Page Football & Jesus Game Night Gateway Bottle 40 Days for Life Game On There s no such thing as luck, it s a BLESSING! Family Dinner dates Birthdays and Anniversary Calendar of Events The Lamplighter...doing the work He is doing in the world... Pastor s Page We Need God March 2018 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. KJV Proverbs 4:17 Our hearts are saddened as we see the horrific tragedy at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 14 students and 3 adults were gunned down by a 19 year old former student. Sixteen others were wounded or injured. Everyone is trying to make sense of the tragedy and plenty of fingers are being pointed to assign blame. There are no simple answers, but I believe there are some obvious ones. Many seem to want to focus on education or mental health or gun control or bullying or after-school programs. All those things have their place, but can we talk about the obvious? Why do some troubled young people (especially men) act out with such brutality toward others? As a Pastor, I have a few things to say Folks we kicked God to the curb in the early 60 s when prayer and Bible reading in school was deemed unconstitutional. We then taught the theory of evolution as fact. So to conclude You are descended from an ape by a time/matter/chance process. Oh and by the way, life really has no ultimate purpose This is what 50 plus years of this indoctrination produces. Young people who can act worse than animals. Oh Pastor that s a little harsh. People don t need God in order to be moral. Well if you think that we are increasing in morality, I am all ears. We have sown the wind and we are now reaping the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7). I encourage you to read Hosea s prophecy in the Message and prepared to be stunned. It is a description of today s debauchery. Now we have always had evil people (read the story of one of our nation s worst massacres in Bath, Michigan in 1927). But today the perpetrators are younger and younger. What would cause a young

2 Pastor s Page (continued) person to be that disillusioned to be able to act so inhumane? Well for starters, most of these young men have no father to speak of. That is number one. Solving that problem would change our society for the better. In addition, our modern culture has a lame method of measuring a young person s worth. This is what our world system essentially says to our school kids - no matter what your home situation, if you have good looks, you will stand out from your peers. Some have even called physical attractiveness the gold coin of human worth in our culture. But if you missed out on that, you may be eligible for the silver coin of human worth smarts. You may not be chosen as King or Queen of the prom, but if you make the honor roll and do well on the SAT, you will stand out among your peers. Now if you fail on both those fronts, all hope is not lost. If you have some athletic prowess or perhaps if you can play a mean musical instrument, or maybe even sing or act, then you can squeak by with some measure of worth. Now if you happen to have the gold AND the silver AND one or more of these others, then you are the envy of your peers! But what if you have really don t have any of these characteristics? What hope does the world system have to offer you? Very little. Why? Because man looks on the outward appearance. Man is looking for some external measurement. The person who perceives him/her self as not measuring up and not fitting in carries a tremendous personal burden. If they have a framework to be able to process their life and live with a sense of hope and purpose (i.e. faith in God, support of a loving family) then they can navigate through those difficult times. But others who have no faith and no supportive family can become resentful, turn angry, and lash out at others or worse. What hope does the Gospel offer? I m telling you, REAL hope. Christ gave His life for me. For me! This precludes the fact that I am not worthless in His eyes. I have real value. I am made in God s image. He has a plan for my life. He has gifted me uniquely to accomplish His purposes. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. As a Christ follower I cannot park at disillusionment because with Christ there is ALWAYS hope. These are not mere words. Once I begin to really understand and incorporate that truth into my life, it has a liberating effect - what others think of me will have less and less of an influence upon me. Embracing God s understanding of who we are gives us a solid foundation to build on. It has saved many a life. Current events continue to prove that we need to return to God as a nation. I do not expect the public schoolhouse to invite God back in. But the church house and our own house had better step up and be silent no longer. We need God more than ever. Our land needs revival. Let us pray that the Light of the Good News of the Gospel pierces the darkness with great intensity. Blessings, Pastor Bill

3 BIRTHDAYS Timothy Salisbury 2 Christine Voorhees 2 Jerry Nezlick 3 Jim Voorhees 4 Sue Spies 7 Matthew Manns 8 Dennis Byrne 9 Craig DiFiore 9 Luke DiFiore 13 Beth Ottoson 16 Rick Sector 16 Karolyn Buckridee 23 Chris Gublin 26 Tricia Curran 30 Arelis Romero 30 Birthdays and Anniversary! ANNIVERSARY Janice & William Guy 27 February Question of the Month: If you could ask Jesus one question, what would it be?. me at jess_pratt@outlook.com By March 20th We are blessed by you sharing with us Football & Jesus Jessica Pratt I hope in writing this, that Pastor Bill forgives me by writing about the Eagles. Its hard for me too. My two favorite things are football and Jesus. But specifically, the New Orleans Saints. At least the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl. I have attended a few games in the past and the one thing that always stuck with me is that the players go from end zone to end zone praying. Football & Jesus continued..

4 At this moment teams don t matter. Only thing that matters is the fact that they are praying together for safety, and well, maybe that they win too. One of the things that really stuck to me when watching the acceptance of the Vince Lombardi trophy was that they thanked God first. Coach Pederson was asked, How do you explain this, you were just a high school coach 9 years ago? He replies, I can only thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Quarterback Nick Foles was then interviewed and he also replied, All the glory to God, I felt calm. As I hear these two gentleman give their thanks, all I could think and hope is that this is touching people. Just a few months ago we were talking about Kaepernick and going down on a knee, but now we are talking about going down on a knee for a totally different reason. The public demonstration that is being done is moving. The demonstration of Jesus; to show his love for us. MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! Family Dinner Dates March 14 St. Patrick s Day April 11 Baked Ziti May 9 Cinco De Mayo June 13 Grads and Dads BBQ Hostess committee invites you to our monthly family dinners. A night of fellowship to spend with one another. Starts at 5:45pm. See you there! 40 days Prayer and Fasting Please join us on Wednesday nights for our regular prayer meeting or on any of our fasting days. Prayer days: Friday, March 2 Thursday, March 8 Thursday, March 15 Tuesday, March 26 Monday, March 30 DO not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,,will guard your hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

5 Vacation Bible School is a ministry designed to reach people of all ages. Leading them to know and respond to Jesus Christ as led by the Holy Spirit. VBS is a fun filled, Spiritual adventure that provides concentrated Bible study and encourages real life application. The purpose of VBS is accomplished based on time tested and church proven principles. If you would like to be a part of this year s VBS. Please fill out the form in the church s bulletin or let Spring, or Jessica know. Football & Jesus continued.. While most players and teams are getting ready for the upcoming games, the Eagles are setting up and putting on their armor; their spiritual armor. The Eagles have prayer group on Monday night, Thursday night team bible study and Saturday night they get together to pray, talk the word and what they are struggling with. The Eagles have shown that there is power in the name of Jesus. I think what we re always challenging each other with is not to lose sight of the bigger picture, Wentz said. Wins, losses, highs, lows and everything that comes with the game, it s so easy to take your mind and your eyes off the ultimate prize, and that s living for the Lord. These players are not just growing as players, but they are growing as men of God. In this past season Marcus Johnson was baptized at the teams hotel the night before playing the Panthers. This isn't an uncommon thing, the Eagles travel with their team Pastor. In 2016, five players were baptized. Just last Easter they donned Easter cleats. The Eagles have gone as far as creating their own bible study through You Version. The more I read about the Eagles the more I just love them. We must spread the word of Jesus. Its like a ministry all over tv for a whole season. The Eagles are not looking to convert everyone or to put religion in your face. What they do want everyone to know is that they are playing for #audienceofone. Living and playing for one Jesus. To have the love of Jesus being portrayed is so satisfying. VBS takes place June am-Noon Important dates: 3/10,3/24, 5,20,6/2,6/24 2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through his knowledge of him called us by his own glory and goodness.

6 Gateway Pregnancy Center Your spare change can help change a life through preaching of the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ. Grab a bottle and make a difference. End date is March 25th TRBC Family Game Night Where: Fellowship Hall When: Saturday, March 10th Time: 7:00pm 9:00pm Join us for a fun filled game night as we shake off the inter doldrums. We will have games for adults and kids. Bring an appetizer or dessert to share, and any favorite games and have some fun!! If you can join us please fill out the insert in the bulletin or let Spring know. 40 DAYS FOR LIFE 40 days for life is a pro-life campaign with a vision of prayer and fasting. The mission is to bring the body of Christ together in a spirit of unity during this campaign. Please visit You can sign up for prayer at 1024 Park Ave. Plainfield This is not a protest, but a prayer vigil WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! See ya there! Behold, Children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalm 127:3