Recital, hayride...

All right, I don't have too much time, but I'm going to post anyway. :)

The piano recital that I had yesterday went great, even though I stumbled a little bit in the middle part, I was amazingly able to keep going! Even with that mess up, that was probably one of the best times I've played that piece - Chopin Waltz in D flat, Op. 64 #1.

After the recital, we (my family, Jaclyn Ames - friend from work and neighbor, and I) came home and got ready for our church hayride. When we got to the farm that was holding the hayride, we were just in time for dinner. After a nice meal, we sat by the fire and talked for a while until there was space on a hay wagon. After going on two wonderful rides, we decided that was enough. Since it was somewhat cold out, we figured one good way to warm up was to play some games. We played link tag, sharks and minnows, and cat and mouse. Well that was about the end of that and poeple started going home. There was a homeschool family that we know that was there and after talking to them for about a half an hour, we came home.
I had a lot of fun and I'm especially thankful that the Koss family was willing to host it!

Driving

OK, since you all started the debate, what are your opinions about driving and avoiding getting cought by the cops?
Do you drive the speed limit?
Do you go as fast as you want and slow down when you see a cop?
Do you get caught and just manage to make it out with only a warning?
What about radar dectors?

So, what are the differing opinions?


Also, though it's hard to believe, I only need 150 more hits to my blog and I'll have a thousand since September 10! Amazing!

Annother interesting fact, I'll be 20 a week from tomorrow!!

A cool thing that my brother found

Well it's a website/plugin for iTunes so that what you play gets posted to the web, it's kind cool. The home page of the site is here.
My page that shows what I've played is here.

Let me know what you think, I think its really cool!
I'd tell you more about it, but I have to go to work.
~later

I don't have much to say....

Hm, I guess I'll start with what I did yesterday.
I somehow managed to sleep in until about noon, when I got up, and madly got ready to go. I showered, ate breakfast/lunch, packed a dinner, and got all my stuff ready for class this afternoon and work tonight.
At class (Ancient Church History) Mr. Pulliam gave a really neat presentation about the kings of Judah in the Old Testament times. They are great examples and can be redily compared to the people in politics today. Their lives have a lot of ideas and examples that we would be ashamed to admit we don't do. That was a great challenge to me and I'm very glad he shared. For the next hour or so, Mr. Calkins gave an overview of how to do research on the internet for information needed for biographies, reports etc. Since I'm by no means computer iliterate, I followed him all the way through. After class, I got in the car and drove to work. Somehow I managed to drive a standard transmission and eat at the same time. It wasn't easly done. :-)
I worked from 6-10 p.m. and as always on a Saturday night, it was slow. I hate it when it's slow, especially when I'm working as a cashier. There's nothing to do and you can't go home, so you kind of just stand around and wait for customers. Oh, and the time drags on and on and on.... If it's busy, the time flys by, and in no time, it's time to go home! Oh well!

Today, we had an interesting run-in with the authorities on the way to church.... Dad was driving, there's this big hill we drive down, and there was a "friendly" trooper sitting right at the bottom. He clocked us at 62 in a 45 mph zone. Yes, we were speeding, but comon! We were going downhill, in a 12 passenger van, and no sooner do you go down, then you have to go back up the other side, so you would slow down then... Oh well, at least I wasn't driving! (But if I was, I wouldn't have been going 62 either.)
The sermon by James Faris was great. He began a new series on Mark, starting with chapter 1 (duh) and he explained the basics of the book, for example: Mark focuses on 2 main questions throughout the whole book: Who is Jesus? What did he come to do? He also talked about how John the Baptist was sent to proclaim the comming of Jesus Christ.
Well I gotta go to choir practice...so I guess I'll stop there.

For all you with high speed internet

I just finished uploading a whole bunch of pictures to my picture gallery. There are pictures from all sorts of events over the last year or so. Everything from ECHO, Covfamikoi, and Nicaragua to ALERT pictures. Too bad everyone can't see them. :-(
(I guess everyone can see them, if they have the patience!)

So have fun looking at them, and let me know what you think!

Cramming is so much fun....

Ok, so I'm like the expert in procrastination. I have this writing class that meets every other Thursday. Class was this morning, and I really didnt start working on the assignments until Monday...
So with a lot of stuff to do, how do you get it done? You stay up till it's done - so much fun. The result of all this is that I went to bed this morning at about 6 a.m. and had to be up in time to be at class at 11!
Oh, well I'll get over it...

Oh well.

Sorry guys. I just got a little post happy. :-)

But since you are all faithful readers, I know you will read every single word (right?). Some of the posts are even hidden down a ways (hint the first one is on October 7th). Have fun finding and reading all of them!

Just in case you were wondering, I didn't just type all this up for the fun of it, most of it's for a writing class that I'm in. Posting it here simply makes a second use out of the same words!

A challenge to us all

Proverbs 10:9

“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.”

This verse walks hand in hand with Proverbs 3:5-6 “5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.”

If a man expects to be secure on his path of life, he must put all his trust on the Lord. By living a life of dependence on the Lord, that man will become one of integrity, bringing glory to God in all that he does. Matthew 5:16 says: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” The man who walks uprightly brings honor to God by his godly actions. By reading and knowing the Scripture, God will direct the steps to take in life, and even illuminate the path as Psalm 119:105 tells us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

The man of malice and evil will surely be punished for his sin against men. A theme in Deuteronomy is to “purge the evil from among you.” As a man’s sins are found out, there will be people looking for his life. Proverbs 12:13 “An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble.” The more lies and sins the man weaves, the easier and sooner the righteous will catch him for what he has said or done. God punishes those who take crooked paths, for he is a just God and they have walked on the path of the sinner.

This is a very convicting passage that really makes me think about what I do. Is it pleasing to God? Am I walking as one of integrity on the straight path? God alone knows. I am constantly working to make sure that my actions display Godly character so that others may be impacted by my example to them. I pray that God will use me in teaching people to walk in integrity, both in my family and at work.

10-19-04 Tuesday

In the mail yesterday, I received some information that I had intended to give to Belcezar at the meeting last night. Unfortunately the mail had not yet arrived when I had to leave. Since Belcezar left to go back home today, I was left with the only option of getting up early. I took the information to him at 7:30 a.m., gave a brief description of what it was, and said one final goodbye. I was immediately off to work, since I had to be there at 8. I did get there right on time, which is amazing considering the drive that I had to take to get back to work. I was working an 8 to 2 shift in Customer service. Like most mornings, it was very slow. I was able to get everything done in the first hour or so that I was there. After that, I was limited to standing around waiting for customers to come, needing assistance. I did a lot of returns today, in addition to selling many lottery tickets. When I got off at 2, I came home and started to work on the multitude of assignments that I have not as yet finished for Thursday writing class. The biggest project was to find a fellow classmate to write a profile about. After calling almost everyone in the class, I was finally able to get a hold of Savanna Edwards. No one was previously going to write on her, but now I am. I just have to get together with her and get all the information that I need.

10-18-04 Monday

Oh how much work I have to do! If only we could sleep while we were doing something else! I got up sometime late in the morning, I’m not sure exactly when, and worked on a few assignments. Then it was time to pick Kevin up from school because the weather was bad. I brought him home where he changed his clothes and got ready to leave. We then drove to his 1:30 p.m. class at BRANCH, the home school group in which most of our family is involved. I came home, took my shower, and ate my lunch. For the rest of the afternoon I worked on some of the many assignments for class on Thursday. At about 6 p.m., I left for the monthly NRN (Nicaragua Resource Network) Belcezar Committee meeting. NRN is the organization that I have gone to Nicaragua with four times in the past. They have a commitment to supporting four different pastors and their various ministries in Nicaragua. The Belcezar Committee oversees the needs of Pastor Belcezar who has eighteen daughter churches mostly in the western end of Nicaragua. Tonight was a very special time because Belcezar was here in Indiana for the week and came to the meeting! He started by going over needs of most of his churches. Some need as much as the land purchased and the building built, others need as little as windows or doors on the existing building. Next he gave an overview of the needs of the pastors at the churches. Some of the pastors are so poverty stricken that their children are not even able to go to school. There are so many needs, but we must look to God for guidance. The meeting ended with a wonderful time of prayer for Belcezar, his family, and the ministry in Nicaragua.

40th Anniversary!

Today is a unique day in the life of the church. It is the 40th anniversary of the beginning of this congregation. To start off the day, during the Bible School hour, there was a slideshow featuring the ministry of the church in its young days. Next we held a time to honor the 5 elder Elders serving the church. These five men were Dr. Blackwood, Bob Heimberger, Ken Thompson (no longer living), Carl Stoicheff, and Don Fulk. They have been serving the church from anywhere near 30 years all the way up to 40 years!

In the morning worship service, Ken Smith, a guest preacher, spoke on “The Next 40 Years in Christ at 2nd RPC … Together.” His main focus was how as a church, we must work together as a body to remain strong for the next 40 years to be successful.

The evening service contained Ken Smith preaching again. This time his topic was “The Next 40 years in Christ at 2nd RPC … Alone.” The subject of this sermon was that each of us makes choices individually that affect the church. Choices that I make today and tonight will affect the path my life takes in the future. I must take control of my life, under Jesus Christ. What will be the testimony of my life in 40 years?

Following the evening service there was a wonderful reception downstairs including a “museum” of old pictures and memories. These pictures cover the whole of the 40 years of the ministry of Second Reformed Presbyterian Church – 1964 to today.

The memorial services....

I really should try to have something a little bit more interesting and uplifting on here, but I'm going to say one more thing about Elder Thompson.
The Memorial service was held at the church where I go, the same as the one Elder Ken Thompson served. It began about 11 a.m. on Thursday the 14th of October. To start it off, we sang a few Psalms - 90, 91, and 23. Then Pastor Johnston gave a breif biography - Born 1924, served in the navy during WW2, married and had 3 children, had sucess in buisness, became an active member of the church - elder and later moderator of the presbytery, died 2004 october 11. He was an avid fisherman and Master Gardener and used these talents to God's glory and to build lasting relationships with many around him. He frequently worked on the church grounds helping it become beautiful, eye-pleasing and most importantly glorifying to God. "Ken's Crew" to this day still maintains the church grounds. Next the grandchildren came up and shared a bunch of their best memories of Grandpa. After singing Psalm 127, my Grandfather, who was Mr. Thompson's personal best friend read a poem and shared memories of their wonderful times togeter. Pastor Johnston and Blackwood respectively then shared the testimony from the church and Scripture of Ken's Life, Death, and Eternal Life. Lastly we sang from Psalm 84 and 72 as a doxology.
The graveside service was even more touching, and led to realization that it's over. After a few comments from the pastors, a couple Navy guys played the bugle song that they play to honor those who have died, then they folded and presented to Mrs. Thompson the flag that had been on the casket. That was the most dificult part, realizing he really was gone. Then it was over, we all left.
He will be missed by a great many people, and I'm no exception. God greatly used him in my life to develop a love for gardening, fishing, and the LORD. He was a great example to all of us of what a Godly man can accomplish. It's hard to see him go, but that was God's providence, and now I have one more great reason to look forward to going to Heaven.

Will I have people that say the same things about me when I die? I sure hope so!

Give it some thought, what will people say about you when you die? Will it be good things? How will you have impacted other people's lives for good?

More info regarding Elder Ken Thompson

Details about the arrangements:

Elder Ken Thompson went home to be with his Lord, Monday morning October 11, 2004. We praise God for Ken's life, witness and service in the church. He will be deeply missed. Please pray for Christ's comfort for the family. The viewing will be Wednesday, October 13. The funeral will be Thursday, October 14.


Feel free to contact me for any more information...

Sabbath Morning Service

Dr. Blackwood - "For Whom Will You Vote?"

There are 6 essential qualities that we must look for in any candidate that is running for public office – Jesus Christ is the perfect example of all these.

1. Respectability / Dignity
We need men in office that we can be proud and not embarrassed by.

2. Near Relationship

3. Wisdom
Have a good grasp on current events, and on history.

4. Power
Daniel 2:20 “…Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:” Operate on a minimum of organizations, but gets things done.

5. High moral excellence
He must be morally pure. Wise laws, good motives and just dealings can not make up for unmoral conduct. A nation with a corrupt leader will soon destroy itself.

6. A person who genuinely loves people.


Commit to evaluate the character of anyone that you vote for, comparing him to God’s standards in the Bible.
God’s standards are the absolutes.
How can you believe a book of physics / politics / any school book, but not believe every word of the Scriptures the same?



What do you think? Let me know.

Sabbath Evening Sermon

“Now concerning the Collection for the Saints” – 1 Corinthians 16 – Pastor Johnston

Be concerned for the wellbeing of Christians. Not only RP Christians, but all Christians around the world. This should deeply concern me and be a part of my prayer time. Have a heightened concern for the rest of the Christian community. There are things we can do, even though there is a limit.
1 Corinthians 16:1 “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him …”


Be ready to go to help, and at least sending help, and at the very least, pray for them.
1 Corinthians 16:12 “As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time.”


Verse 13 is a very good description of elders and masculinity – what it is to be a man.
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”


Verses 22-24 are probably one of the most passionate, loving ends to any one of Paul’s Epistles.
22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.


In your daily and weekly walk, consider how to help those in the church – financially, by encouragement, through prayer...

10-11-04 Monday

It came as a shock to me, but I should have been expecting it any day. Elder Kenneth Thompson died this morning at about 9:15 a.m. He went home to be with his Lord in Heaven. He has been in the hospital for the last month or two fighting infection and stomach cancer. It seemed to those who were present that Mr. Thompson was waiting for his family to gather around him and say goodbye. Pastor Johnston prayed and quoted from Psalm 23 as Mr. Thompson breathed his last. Dr. Blackwood was also present and he reminded the family to “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” – John 14:1-2. We praise God greatly for all that Ken accomplished throughout his life. The long list of his ministries include his witness and service to the Church, to young people, and to his own family. Ken Thompson will be dearly missed by all who knew him. Continue to pray for strength for the family.

To the memory of Ken Thompson...

This is an email I just received this morning concerning one of the elders in the church. He has been in the hospital for at least a month and I / we will dearly miss him. :(

~Brian~
------------------------------
Dear Friends,

The Psalms tell us, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

At about 9:15 a.m. the Lord took our friend, Elder Ken Thompson, home to be with Himself. It was as if Ken waited for his dear wife, Ann, and the children to gather at his bedside to say good-bye. Pastor Johnston prayed and quoted Psalm 23, as Ken breathed his last and quietly went home to be with His Lord. Later, Dr. Blackwood reminded the family of Jesus' promise, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:1-2. Pastor Johnston read II Peter 1, which Ken often quoted and was recently on his mind. His son, Joe prayed a closing prayer.

We all praise God for Ken’s life, witness and service in the church. He will be deeply missed. Please pray for Christ’s comfort for the family and that the Lord would be exalted in Ken’s funeral. Arrangements are pending. We will let you know when details become available.

Thank you for praying.

Sincerely,

Pastor Rich Johnston

One Month

So, its been one month since I put a counter on my page......and I have over 500 visits! That just goes to prove that people really do read my blog! That's cool!

10-9-04 Saturday

Even though I have a lot of homework to do, I decided it was worth my time to go to workday at the church. Michael (my older brother) and I arrived about 1 p.m. Michael went right to work trying to repair and adjust several problems on the sanctuary sound system. I decided to go outside and help Carrie, the main person who has taken over caring for the church property. I helped with several odd jobs that included pruning several trees, bushes and flowers. After about 3 hours, Michael and I left to go to Josh Bright’s house for a time of fellowship, dinner and to watch a few movies. Initially we had planned on going to his house in Lafayette, but earlier this week he broke his ankle in an accident. He was riding his bicycle and ran into a car. God protected him and all that was injured was his ankle. After surgery, his parents decided he should come home for the rest of the week. Josh was very glad to have some of his friends over to visit. Dinner was great and then we watched two wonderful movies – Behind Enemy Lines and The Italian Job. Josh appreciated us taking our time to visit with him, especially because of his injured ankle, which is rapidly getting better.

10-7-04 Thursday

Originally I was somehow scheduled to work this morning, but I had other things I had to do. First of all I had an appointment with Dr. Jay Hughes, my orthodontist. He examined the progress on the movement of my teeth and changed a few things on the wire. There was not much he had to do today and he said to make the next three appointments. At the third appointment, December 22, I will get my braces off! I’ve had them for more than two years now and I will be very glad to have them removed! The other big thing I had this morning was writing class with Mr. Pulliam. It was one of the better classes I have had because I did amazingly well on the tests today. I got 105% on the Dante: The Inferno test! Also I got 100% on the spelling test! When class was over, he gave an assignment that will take a lot of time. We have the usual journals, reading, report on the book, and memory verse. In addition, we have a profile on a fellow student and a profile of a political race in Indiana! All those assignments will take quite a bit of time over the next two weeks! After class, I came home and began working on some of the new assignments in addition to some of the other homework I have.