A LAUGHING MATTER

     How often do you laugh? I don’t mean just a chuckle, I mean a good hearty laugh. Maybe you are one of those folks who just don’t laugh - who just don’t seem to find things funny or very much to laugh about.

     Me? I laugh a lot! I love to laugh. I learned to laugh at an early age. At first it was because I found things funny. Then it was a defensive mechanism to protect myself from those people who thought I was funny. Now, it's because I have found the awesome value in laughter. Here's some of what I learned.

     Laughter makes you feel good. Humor helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss. Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster of more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you with others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

     Your sense of humor and ability to laugh is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health. With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

     Look at these benefits of laughter - Laughter relaxes the whole body; laughter boosts the immune system; laughter triggers the release of endorphins; laughter exercises and protects the heart. Along with these, laughter dissolves distressing emotions, it helps you relax and recharge, and humor shifts the perspective.

     Like a man named Hunter Campbell Adams, M.D., or "Patch Adams", I too discovered how humor and laughing could help people feel better. Like the Prophets and Disciples, I also found how joy and laughter helps in one’s spiritual journey.

     The Bible teaches joy is a quality of life and not simply a fleeting emotion. It is grounded in God himself and flows from him. Psalm 16:11 teaches - "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

     As we see, joy is not an isolated or occasional consequence of faith but rather an integral part of one's whole relation to God. The fullness of joy comes when there is a deep sense of the presence of God in one's life.

     Laughter is the heartfelt expression of joy, gladness, or pleasurable surprise. Laughter is an expression of the deep felt peace and joy we have in Christ. Laughter comes easy for me because I believe in Jesus Christ, and I believe His words in John 15:11 - "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." 
     For each of you, I pray - "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  (Romans 15:13)

    There's nothing like a gut-bustin', side-splittin', rollin' on the floor, laughin' till you cry kind of laugh.  Go ahead, laugh!  Laugh out loud.  Laugh yourself silly - and praise God for the joy He has given you.  Amen.

God bless you.

See you in church Sunday

Pastor Eldon

"I Am Not A Turkey"

      During the 2010 Oxford Turkey Days, I had the honor of delivering the message for the Turkey Day Community Service on June 13. The following is a synopsis of my message entitled 'I Am Not A Turkey'. The Scripture Reading was from Genesis 1:24-31.

      To help me better understand about turkeys, and have a better appreciation for Turkey Days, I did some research on turkeys. For example, do you know that turkeys can run up to 20 miles an hour? Did you know Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey be the national bird instead of the Bald Eagle? The Air Force is responsible for killing countless turkeys by flying over turkey farms giving turkeys fatal heart attacks.

      Finally, why can't you take a turkey to church?  Because they use such FOWL language. I told you this was going to be profound, and thought provoking. Why did God create turkeys? To be turkeys, of course. And where do turkeys end up? On someone’s dinner table. That’s why - 'I am not a turkey!' I am a child of God, created in His image and destined for heaven.

      Unlike being a turkey, being a child of God comes with some pretty awesome privileges. As children of God, we are forgiven, we are saved, and we have eternal life.

      Along with forgiveness and eternal life, we have the privilege of God’s peace and freedom. Freedom from sin and death, and peace beyond understanding. In John 14:27, Jesus tells us - "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

      To help us with these glorious privileges, God has given us the Holy Spirit. In John 14:26 we read - "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

      To make these awesome privileges even more powerful and more meaningful, we have been given the special privilege of love. We have been given the honor and privilege to love God and to love one another. As we all know, love is key to our faith. In John 13 we are told "as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

      1 John 3:23-24 states - "And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."

      John clearly states, to be children of God, we must believe in the name of Jesus Christ and we must love one another. We are to love each other with that same selfless, sacrificial, forgiving love with which Jesus Christ loved us. When we put these two commandments together, we find the great truth that the Christian life depends on right belief and right conduct - combined.

      As cool as turkeys may be, they do not possess the ability to believe in Jesus Christ, nor can they love one another like you and I can.  Thus, I am not a turkey - I am a child of God, led by the Spirit - destined for glory.

      Today we bring to a close Turkey Days 2010. But, at the same time, we are reminded that the love and grace of God is open to everyone. That though turkeys may come and turkeys may go, God Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  As children of God, we are assured that "nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

      I bid you, never forget who you are. You are a child of God, created in His image, destined for glory!  As 1 Peter Chapter 2 says, "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

      If you believe you are, repeat after me - "I am not a turkey. I am a child of God." "I am a child of God, created in His image, destined for glory!"   Go now, as children of God. Loving one another and proclaiming the good works of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Blessings to all - See you in church Sunday

Pastor Eldon

COMMUNITY SERVICE

     Everyone is invited to the Annual Turkey Days Community Service in the Park, Sunday, June 13 at 8:30 a.m.

     This service is a joint effort between the different Churches in the Oxford area and is sponsored by the Oxford Ministerial Association and will be held in the George Mitchell Park in Oxford, NE.

Please join us for a fun and meaningful time as we worship the Lord together in song, praise, word and prayer.

"Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."  Psalm 106:1

Yo - BUD!

     Intruducing the newest member of our faily - BUD.  She is now seven weeks old and a mixture of Mini-Boxer and others???  We adopted her on May 28.  A very smart, rambunctious, playful and mindful puppy.  She already understands the words NO, sit, stay, and come.

     She is also learning the boundaries of the property and area she is allowed to be in.  Keep us (and her) in your prayers as we continue the process of potty training.....  With a little luck and more training - she'll treach me where to go!

Eldon

Grill er Done!

     With summer upon us, it’s time to get to grillin’. I don’t know too many folks who don’t like grilled hamburgers. We just seem to gravitate toward the grill and that irresistible smell of barbequed burgers. Other than freshly popped popcorn, the aroma of burgers on the grill is one of my favorites.

     But sadly, too often we end up with nothing more that piping hot hockey pucks instead of juicy burgers begging for a bun and all our favorite toppings.

     I’m guilty! I’ve grilled a few burgers which looked, felt and tasted more like blue rock than barbequed burgers. Even the dog wouldn’t touch em!
     Here’s a few tips I’ve found to help grill the best burgers on the block….. Begin with good meat. Good hamburgers are made from ground beef with some fat in it! An 80/20 fat content works well. (Ground sirlion or ribeye are perfect!) The less fat, the drier the burger.
     Chill the meat for about a half hour, then form into patties. Try to avoid overworking the meat. Don’t pound it into shape and avoid compressing the meat too much. This makes your burgers tough. Put a dimple, or a little well in the center of each patty and put them back in the fridge for another half hour or so.
     Get you grill HOT. The idea is to sear the burgers, not slow cook em like a Sunday roast. Scrape you grates – apply some vegetable oil to them. Put your burgers on the grill and leave em alone for about 5 to 6 minutes. If they stick to the grill, you haven't let them sear long enough. Flip em and let them cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until done to taste. The thicker the longer. Thin, preprocessed patties will cook a lot quicker (and are drier than homemade).

     Never press down on your burgers on the grill! This only squeezes out the juices, and the juices are the flavor. It’s OK to turn the burgers to get the grill markings, but do smash them with your spatula. (Unless of course, you enjoy burning the hair off your arms from the flames...)

     Just before they are done, put some sliced cheese on the ones who want it. When done, place burgers on a CLEAN plate or platter and let them rest for two to three minutes before serving.

     Have a variety of toppings and plenty of them. Enjoy! As soon as it quits raining – I’m grillin er done!

     Blessings, and pass the ketchup and onions.
     See you Sunday.....

Pastor Eldon

Volunteers & Ideas Needed

We are looking for volunteers and ideas to help with our Summer Children's Sunday School Program.  Charlene is taking the summer off, so anyone interested in helping, please contact Pastor Eldon ASAP.

We are also seeking volunteers and ideas for an Oxford Turkey Days Parade float.  What a fun idea.  If you have any ideas and/or would like to help, please let Pastor Eldon know ASAP @ pastorfab7@aol.com.

THUNDERING GLORY

I get a little excited during this time of year because I know we are into Thunderstorm season!  I must admit that I enjoy watching thunderstorms. There’s just something about a t-storm that intrigues me. Especially when I can watch it begin to form and continue watching as it goes through the stages of development, until it reaches a point where I need to run for cover, or it passes by and beyond my sight.

     Like most of you, I don’t like severe storms, with the 60 plus mile an hour winds, golf ball size and larger hail, and the threat of tornadoes. But they too have a fascination about them.

     Maybe thunderstorms fascinate me so because, in their own right, they display the glory of God in all His power and wonder. Take the lightning for instance, Lighting represents God's glorious and awful majesty. King David used lighting both figuratively and poetically. In Matthew lighting signifies the coming of the Lord. "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." (Matt. 24:27)

     The wind - again is symbolic of God’s power. Wind is also translated as pneuma, or breath - as in God breathing life into Adam. Pneuma is also used in terms of the Holy Spirit. In John 20:20 Jesus - "breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

     Clouds, in Hebrew, were used as a symbol of the Divine presence, as indicating the splendor of God's glory. In the Old Testament, Yahweh’s presence is made manifest and his glory shown forth in a cloud. In the New Testament, we read about "the Son of Man coming on or with clouds" and being received up by the clouds. The glory of the Lords second coming is indicated in Rev 1:7 - "Behold, He is coming with clouds....."

     When I see it rain and feel the cool drops on my outstretched hands, I'm reminded that rain is a sign of life all throughout the Bible. Even in Noah's day - for though there came a flood, new life was born. In Lev. 26:4 God says: "then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit."

     Hail and Whirlwinds are both use to denote God's anger and punishment. They remind us that God will have His way and righteousness will prevail.

     And when the clouds have passed and tempest is over, there comes - a rainbow. A beautiful witness of God's divine faithfulness. A reminder of the covenant between God and man. (Gen 1:15) Ezekiel likened the glory of God to "the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain." (Ezek 1:28).

     The next time you see a thunderstorm, remember that after the rain, and lightning, and the wind, there remains a rainbow. And, the next time you see a rainbow, remember the words of Rev 4:3 - "and there was a rainbow around the throne [of God]."

May God's rainbow be about you, now and forever!

Pastor Eldon