Mayflower Compact

In thinking about the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday, my brother, Mike, has been teaching at the Equip 412 classes at church on the Pilgrims. As most of us know they were governed by the Mayflower Compact. It's a very short document, and what I want you to see is that a stated, primary goal of their life/journey/settlement is for the "Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith..." We truly have a great heritage.

Here is an excerpt from the Mayflower Compact:

Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.

A Babe Ruth Original?

So, in preparing for the sermon on Sunday I was looking through some of my old baseball cards. (That statement there should make you a little curious as to what I spoke about.) I came across a set of 6 Babe Ruth cards that I have had since the mid 80's. (I seem to remember purchasing them at a little junk store in Erie) I looked them up on the internet to find out the history of the set and the value. They were a set of cards put out in 1928 by Fro-Joy Ice Cream company during "ice cream week". I have the complete set.

I saw that some of them were selling for $5000 on e-bay. Now, keep in mind that I have 6 of them. That means they could be valued at a whopping $30 Grand.

But here's the problem. There were also many, many, many fakes made of these. And obviously, mine are fakes. They are nice cards and they are pretty old, but they were not made by the Fro-Joy Cone company in 1928. I find mine selling on e-bay for 99 cents. They look very similar to the original. The only major difference is the creator. Who made the cards?

So, it is with people. Because people are made in the image of God, (Gen. 1:26,27; 9:6) we have value. We are the original. We are not cheap imitations. The world is continually bombarding us with the worthless copy idea. Convincing people that they must look and be like everyone else. That is such a lie. The only thing that makes us valuable is our Creator and the only one He wants us to be like is Him.

Please see your value as you are created in His image and as you look at others, see their value too. We are not just copies worth 99 cents. We are the real thing and we are worth Jesus' death on the cross.

Sunday Announcements

This Sunday at Praise

We will finish our series on "Worshiping God, Loving People" on Sunday at 10 am. The message is titled, The Worth of a Human Being - Image IS Everything! I encourage you to read and ponder Gen. 1:26,27 You are extremely valuable. We will be celebrating the Lord's supper together.

We will be having the second part of our Thanksgiving History Series at the Equip 412 service on Thursday night at 7 pm. If you have any interest in learning about our amazing, godly heritage then come out and be blessed as Mike Rohlin continues the series. Also, this 2 part series is available on DVD in the bookstore.

I am very excited about this year's Christmas Eve Service. It is on Dec. 24th at 9:00 pm. It will feature the Voices of Praise Choir and many other Christmas songs as well as the beautiful, gospel message of Christmas. This is a service you will want to bring all your family and friends to.

I love you all. Let's come together ready to worship our amazing King Jesus. He is so good and so worthy of our praises.

Continue to pray for the NYSUM team in New York City. They will be ministering there until Tuesday.

Good History

I have been very concerned that our culture is ignoring the Thanksgiving Holiday. Does it seem to anyone else that we have gone directly from Halloween to Christmas? I suspect that this is so because it is not easy to commercialize Thanksgiving.

With that in mind, tonight at PF, we will bring in my brother, Mike Rohlin, who is a true Historian. He will be teaching about the real history of the Pilgrims. You will learn about what caused them to seek out the new world. You will hear about the amazing, miraculous hand of God along the way. And you will see the great foundation that they laid for our nation. This is one of the richest periods of the New World's history and it is filled with the Divine Providence of God. You do not want to miss this two part series.

Also, we will plan to have it broadcast live over the internet at 7 pm, so join in from your home if you are not able to attend. www.worshipplace.org

I John 3 & 4

Love is a really good thing! I know that is quite obvious, but sometimes it's good to point out what we have heard our whole lives because we become desensitized with the familiar.

Here's a challenge for you this week. Every morning before you see any people, let me encourage you to read I John 3 & 4. Maybe one day read chapter 3 and the next day chapter 4. Do it for an entire week and ask the Lord to fill you with His Spirit in order that you can love. Just watch what happens.

PF Sunday Announcements

Here are Sunday's announcements at PF. Thanks Eric and Stacy Clark. You two are quite creative.