Wednesday Worship

There is an apparent trend among American Churches wherein many congregations have ceased holding a mid-week service and a popular argument to accompany the move. Firmly ensconced on one side of the argument are those who adamantly proclaim the familiar mantra from Hebrews 10:25 which states, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." A wonderful verse and an effective argument for getting together.

Others however are equally cemented within their view that the scriptures defining New Testament worship never call us to a specific mid-week service. There's is also a securely defensible position. Searching the New Testament will provide, to my knowledge, a gaping hole where the command to meet on a specific mid-week day should be.

In view of this, how do we handle Wednesday nights? Should we worry about the lag in attendance and view it as a less than favorable sign of the spiritual maturity of the absent congregants? Should we approach them concerned, pray for and with them and encourage them to more frequent attendance? Should we pull out the Hebrews 10:25 mantra and scold them for their shortcoming? Or should we back off, live and let live? As the trend toward skipping this particular service begins to take hold within a congregation and fewer and fewer come, is the only alternative to cancel the service?

I have further views on this, but I thought I'd toss it out there for your consideration. I've enjoyed reading a posting on this from Patrick Mead's blog and I'll bring up a couple of things he said in further postings.

Tom

I'm Back

We've returned from a wonderful (if not a bit too rainy) vacation camping in Massachusetts. What fun we had. From campfires and Smores to swimming in the lake, we had so much fun. The best part about being home is the dryness and comfort of our own wonderful beds. I'll post more details later, for now please accept these pictorial expressions of some of the fun we had.

First, Christian in his element. He loves the water!

Second, Audrey flying high on the trampoline at an Alpine Slide resort.

Thirdly, Kayleigh enjoying a moment in the water with a noodle.


More to come... Tom

WRONG E-MAIL ADDRESS

Got this in an email from a very good friend.

This one is priceless...A lesson to be learned from typing the wrong email address!!!!

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the email. Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed in to the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: October 16, 2007
I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in I've seen that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then!!!! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is hot down here!!!!

From Uncle John

Read All About it!

Did you know that according to Uncle John's Bathroom Reader 2008 Calander, Goldilocks was originally named Silver hair?

or that...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are really named Henry and Edward

Did you know that in the Oz books, the Tin Woodsman's name is Nick Chopper?

Also, some real bumber stickers...

"I'll bet you a new car that I can stop faster than you can!"

"Boycott shampoo! Demand REAL POO!"

"Everyone has the right to be stupid. Some just abuse the privilege."

"If you don't like the way I drive, stay off the sidewalk!"

"Preserve nature: Pickle a Squirrel"

Word origin...

The Lollipop was named after Lolly Pop, one of the most famous racehorses of the early 1900s. Now you know.

Tom

Camping again

In one week the family and I will once again head North for a camping destination. This picture is of me and Kayleigh at the campground last year. Audrey was sitting in the grass just beyond Kayleigh, so it was a good time for Daddy and his girls. There were many other pictures I could put on here, but since I haven't printed them for Dawn to scrap book yet I think it best that I not put many more on here for public consumption. We are looking forward to a great time of camping with family and friends. Everyone attending are "Church Folk" so the week does take on a happy spiritual demeanor.

Also I'm in Blueberry Season now, so I haven't had much time for blogging. Thanks for your perseverance.

Tom

Picnic on Friday, zoo on Saturday

The kids at the zoo.

Butterfly faces, what fun! These lasted until the girls wanted to play with Christian and his friend Justin in the sprinkler at home, then the butterflies were gone.

Fourth of July picnic at the house. Good food, good friends, good fellowship, a pool for the kids and most of all, no rain. What a wonderful day we had to spend with our church family.

In need of prayer

What follows is a letter from a missionary in Venezuela. It is getting very bad down there. Please add these people to your prayer list. Tom

Dear brothers and sisters
My family and I are sending a warm greeting to all you.
I would like to say that everything in my country is fine but the true is everything is going worse every day. The crime is increasing very fast, the government has not the capacity to stop the crime and many people are killing by deliquescent , during the weekend the crime increase , we have more people killed than the Iraq's war.
A group of the Harding University came to Venezuela to help San Antonio Church ( 30 minutes from Caracas)They had a campaign for two weeks, my daughter Karen came with them to work in the campaign , one night after finish the conference a lady RosaVirginia where Karen and one American girl called Kelly were stayed decided to stop on store to buy some food, there were four men in same place, those men start to follow the girls , when they are entering in the building where they are staying , they were stopped with those men and three of the came into the car and the other one stayed in their car, those men forced the girls to go with them in the girl´s car and the men put their guns in the head of the girls for three hours, they kidnapped the girls, here in Venezuela the criminal people take people to ask for money to their family, that is called express kidnap , They ask Karen who are I am, where I work, where we live and those questions they asked to all of them , they want to take one of them to another stated , my daughter was praying and also the lady, those men started to shout to Kelly she was crying, she cannot understand what they say to her, they kept the girls for three hours and they decided to release the girls in a dangerous place, they took the girl´s car and all the bags with the things of the girls, Kelly´s passport was taken by the men, thank God they did not do any physical damage to the girls. Karen is very affected with that situation, I have had to take her to doctors, she felt very bad, her health is no fine, we had to talk to the Harding university to stop her study, we are planning to send her back to Harding university in January in the next year, the doctors recommended it. My wife is affected, that hurt us very much but we trust in God. I beg you to pray for us , we are having hard time in this moment.
Venezuela is not safe for people, the corruption is increase everyday and the price of everything is expensive.
We are baptized five persons last month, I am sending pictures of them, I continue working in a city called San Juan De Los Morros, we have bible study every Tuesday and also there is another city close to Maracay called Cagua, we have Bible study every Monday
We have many people in Church who have many emotional problems, I am helping them, I go to Los Teques Church ( two hours from Mararcay driving) to help members with this problem, I spent all day working with them that is Thursday .
I would like to know if you receive this e-mail please let me know
God bless you
We are God´s soldiers for this world
Jorge Perez

Spiritual Significance?

I'm not sure what caused me to do this with this picture. It was after all a cool picture of a turtle before I messed with it. The turtle's under-shell had a fire red tint to it which I think inspired the edits. Does anyone see a spiritual significance to this photo? Thanks, Tom

Pop-Tarts and such

As I sit here Tuesday morning I have my cup of Wawa freshly brewed coffee in front of me and I'm eating a Pop-Tart. I don't want you to confuse this with a Toaster Strudel or a generic "Toaster Pastry," I'm eating a boneifide genuine, often imitated but never duplicated Pop-Tart (with milk). Okay, I can hear everyone saying a collective "So?". My favorite Pop-Tart is Blueberry unfrosted. You remember, the original one from years back. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find those now-a-days. Dawn finally found them at Target and bought two boxes. I tend to stretch them out to make them last, but if Christian runs out of his favorite (blueberry frosted) he will eat mine, so it doesn't benefit me to save them too long. Dawn and the girls like the Brown Sugar and Cinnamon variety Pop-Tart. I've seen them bring home the Smoores kind as well, and while I like brown sugar and Cinnamon in my oatmeal and love actual over the campfire Smoores, I don't want that in a Pop-Tart. You may call me a purest if you'd like.

So here are the questions:

1. Obviously, what is your favorite type of Pop-Tart?
2. What is your least favorite type of Pop-Tart?
3. What do you drink with breakfast, OJ, milk, coffee or other?
4. Finish this phrase with specifics. I like __________ with peanut butter.
5. Do you toast your Pop-Tart of eat it right out of the box?

Enough for now. Thanks for playing.
Tom