End of Year Appeals

I am starting to get the letters from seminaries & ministries asking for year end gifts - the first trickle of what I am sure will be a flood in the next few weeks approaching Jan. 1st.

The first one was pretty boring: 

It is a fact that the current economic crisis is the number one topic of conversation in the country today. Many of you have inquired with concern about how this financial ''tsunami'' is affecting Reformed Theological Seminary.

We are all concerned about the continuing deterioration of our economy. No organization, RTS included, is immune to the effects of the plummeting equity markets, tightening credit markets, rising unemployment, consumer uncertainty, and lack of confidence. 
In response, RTS has become more committed, determined, and disciplined...

The one I like the best was from Covenant College written by a professional journalist (Joel Belz of WORLD Magazine fame.) It started well and ended with a straight forward ap

peal to invest in the lives of students. Read this:

Yes, you've probably already got it figured out. Before you finish reading this letter I'm going to ask you for a year end gift to Covenant College this Christmas. I realize you'll probably be inclined to answer either of two ways:

1. You'll think how perilous the economy is, and what terrible shape the world finds itself in, and you'll decide that this  just isn't a good time for such a gift. Or,

2. You'll think how perilous the economy is, and what terrible shape the world finds itself in, and you'll decide that there couldn't possible be a better time for such a gift!

That got me thinking - "I am in the fund raising mode, should I ask for year end gifts to the church planting ministry? Will I miss out on a great opportunity?" I have heard that ministries like Focus on the Family get 80% or some such high figure for their operating budget in December and then coast until the Summer/Fall and struggle until the next December. 

I am praying for a support team that will be willing to support the planting of Advent Presbyterian over a four year period. By faith we are planning on a Fall of 2009 first worship. Until we have regular worship services the expenses continue. 

If you would like to give to a ministry - do it after you have tithed to your local church. If you would like to support the planting of a church that will in term support missions and other ministries in the future - pray about it.

Just today I found out a missionary family started supporting this ministry. What an encouragement that is for my heart. They are the second missionary family on my support team.

My goal is to raise $225,000 for the four years. That is not what it will cost but it  will supplement, especially in the beginning, until worshippers start tithing to Advent as their local church. As of today I have pledged just over $97,000. So I am not quite halfway.

By the way if you would like to be on my prayer team - email me at pastorkencross@gmail.com

If you think God would have you invest either with a year end gift or to pledge over whatever period here is how you do it:

There are four ways to give to the Advent Presbyterian Church Plant
partnering with MNA for cash

 management services:


1. You can make your donations by mail.

Mission to North America
1700 N. Brown Road Suite 101
Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8143

• Please make your checks payable to MNA
• In the memo line of your check specify Ken Cross (we prefer the name rather than an account number)
• 100% of your contribution goes directly to this project! There are no fees charged by MNA for these services.


2. You can make your donations online by credit card.

• Go to www.pca-mna.org
• Click the “Support MNA” tab (2nd from the right)
• Choose “Donate Now”
(Link: https://processor.pcanet.org/mna/donationsII/donation.cfm)
• From the ‘church planters’ drop down menu, select “Cross, Ken – Steele Creek (Charlotte), NC”
• Create a user account by entering your donor information, name, address, email address.


3. You can make your regular donations automatically via electronic funds transfer from your bank, or by a recurring credit card charge.

Please contact Michael Hutcheson at (678) 825-1223 or mhutcheson@pcanet.org.


4. You can donate stock by contacting Charles W. Schwab:

Stock Company: Charles Schwab & Associates
Main phone number: 1-800-435-4000
Account number: 16360225
DTC Code: 0164 Code 40

(DTC stands for Depository Trust Co., which is part of the Federal Reserve System of the Central Securities Exchange)

After each gift is received, a receipt will be sent to the donor.

If you have read this far you get a special prize - but you have to make a comment on this blog to receive it! Just put the word, "Joyful" in your comment - don't mention the prize or people will just read the comments and be clued in! 

O come, divine Messiah!

I found words to an old Advent Hymn. I like that the words , especially the first two verses and refrain, point both to the first and second Advents (comings of Christ). We await the second, we rejoice in the first! The second is just as sure and the first.

So make sure that this Advent season you meditate on what it means to "wait well!"

O Come Divine Messiah

Lyrics by Pellegrin, Abbé Simon-Joseph

1. O come, divine Messiah! 
The world in silence waits the day 
When hope shall sing its triumph, 
And sadness flee away. 
 
Refrain: 
Dear Savior haste; 
Come, come to earth, 
Dispel the night and show Thy face, 
And bid us hail the dawn of grace. 
O come, divine Messiah! 
The world in silence waits the day 
When hope shall sing its triumph, 
And sadness flee away. 
 
2. O Christ, whom nations sigh for, 
Whom priest and prophet long foretold, 
Come break the captive fetters; 
Redeem the long‐lost fold. 
 
Refrain 
 
3. You come in peace and meekness, 
And lowly will Thy cradle be; 
All clothed in human weakness 
We shall Thy Godhead see. 


Even so, Lord Jesus come! Have a great day of worship today!

I found a recording of it on You Tube of a church choir singing but they only sing the first two verses. Here is another recording that is more professionally done but the pictures that they show only point to the first Advent. I would love to see this hymn redone by Indelible Grace musicians or maybe you have that talent!

Statistics that Dazzle

The numbers that represented people touched my heart. And I was reminded that without CHANGE there is no GROWTH and with Change there is always CONFLICT.

MADE ME LAUGH

I got this from another blog - thought I would pass it along. It reminds me of the Arsenio Hall show with his "Hmm" questions. That might have been before your time.

Cogitation Questions:

1. Can you cry under water?
   
2. How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
   
3. Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'... but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
   
4. Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
   
5. What disease did cured ham actually have?
   
6. How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
   
7. Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours?
   
8. If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
   
9. Why are you IN a movie, but you’re ON TV?
   
10. Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
    
11. Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.
    
12. Why is 'bra' singular and 'panties' plural?
    
13. Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
    
14. If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
15. If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
16. Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on al l fours? They're both dogs!
    
17. If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME cag, why didn't he just buy something to eat?
    
18. If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
    
19. Why do the Alphabet song and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" have the same tune?
    
20. Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
    
21. Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
    
22. Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?
    
23. Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they already know there is not enough money?
    
24. Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
    
25. Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
    
26. Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
    
27. Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
    
28. Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
    
29. Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
    
30. If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
    
31. Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
    
32. Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
    
33. Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
    
34. Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
    
35. Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
    
36. How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
    
37. When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'
    
38. Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
    
39. In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
    
40. How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
    

N.B. The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons are suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

Prayer Needed for Kazakhstan

This is a prayer request I got this morning from medical missionaries that the church I served supports. Please take a few minutes and pray. This follows well the scripture meditation I posted yesterday!

Friends,

As we have mentioned in the past, the proposed religious law in Kz has been making strong headway through the Upper and Lower Parliaments where they passed the bill unanimously. As of last week, the bill sits in the hands of the president of this country who can choose to sign it or veto it. He has 30 days to do so. The president was quoted earlier this year as saying, 'We don't need missionaries in Kazakhstan.' He holds great power!

Our friends have told us lately that on the news each night, the newscasters report on the religious law and they always end by saying that, in their opinion this new law is not strict enough. Inflammatory and sensationalized broadcasts of several Christian services have been repeatedly aired on the local TV stations (at least 3 times a day) in an attempt to promote anti-Christian sentiments and to promote the idea that Christianity is a sect.

Religious leaders all over Kazakhstan are asking for Christians to intensify their prayers for this country during this time. If brought into effect, these laws will shut down mission work and illegalize Christianity. Here is a summary of some of the changes in the bill:

Children under the age of 18 will not be permitted to attend church without written consent from BOTH their parents – this will prevent orphans and children of non-believers from attending Christian gatherings.
Proselytizing (sharing the gospel) will become illegal. A spot fine of $500 will be given to individuals caught sharing their faith, their pastor will get a $500 fine, and their church will be fined $3,000.
If they are caught a second time, their church will be shut down.
A church is only official and permitted if they have 50 members who all are officially registered by bringing in their identity card to the officials.
Religious humanitarian charities also have restrictions under the proposed bill.
Religious literature publishing, importing, or distribution will be banned and will require government approval.

These restrictions are worse than what is currently in place in countries of Central Asia where Christians are openly persecuted. We ask that you join us in praying for our country.


For more information, there are plenty of news reports on this throughout the internet. Here are a few:
http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1222
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/kazakhstan.under.fire.over.new.religion.law/22048.htm
http://www.rferl.org/Content/Kazakhstans_Draft_Law_On_Religion_Sparks_Debate/1355491.html
http://www.rferl.org/Content/Kazakh_Pass_Religion_Law_Surprising_OSCE/1353258.html

"Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men." 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2a.

Thanks for standing with us in prayer for Kazakhstan and our brothers and sisters there!!

Matt and Laura Acker

Smoke in the Eyes or Healing with our Lives?

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, 

so is a sluggard to those who send him.

This is from Proverbs 10:26. I was reading the Bible this morning and it stuck out to me. Let me share with you some of what it says to me.
"Teeth" - in the ancient Near East it can be assumed that there was no modern dental hygiene or medicine and thus many adults had broken teeth - ouch all the time. So when the original reader read this they knew exactly the pain that was being described! So do I! When I played football I broke my front tooth after a hard hit - whenever the air hit that nerve it was horrible! I was ready to see that dentist!
"Eyes" - on a mission trip to the Philippines a couple of years ago we had a one day medical clinic for some of our medical people to use their skills as nurses and doctors .... Two ladies (with no medical skill whatsoever) were given the task to check people's eyesight by looking at the chart, first with one eye then the other and so on. On that trip we had brought no glasses with us. (We remedied that on the next trip but I digress.) It was very clear that the folks that took this eye test had terrible sight, even to our unskilled ladies. Upon returning to the states and talking to a eye doctor friend of mine, it was mentioned that many people cook over an open fire and or use an open fire for heat. The smoke in your eyes over a long period of time doesn't only sting but it has a lasting effect!So bad teeth that hurt and eyes that are stinging are terrible, right?

Yes, it is terrible. This terrible pain and discomfort is like a messenger that is not reliable according to our passage.

From the notes in the "Spirit of the Reformation" Bible: "Royal messengers in the ancient Near East held very high, even courtly, social status. Often they were entrusted with a high degree of authority that transcended mere transmission of instructions. The information gathered and communicated by the messenger was diligently sought out and communicated to assure its accuracy and therefore the expeditious and successful conclusion of a matter. If the messenger turned out to be a sluggard (lazy person), the effect would have been unexpectedly bitter."

This got me thinking about my role as an evangelist, new church planter, an ambassador of the gospel of Christ. I will soon (hopefully after the school year is over) ], be moving to Charlotte. Commissioned by the Presbytery of Central Carolina .... But so are you commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ. The MESSAGE paraphrase puts it this way: "Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

May I/we not bring pain to those who need the message God has given us. May we bring healing, peace, freedom and a SMILE! And may we not be a sluggard with this commission!

Free Advent Songs - and they are really good!

I just downloaded Advent songs!  You can get them for free or pay what you want. 

Here’s a description of the album from Sojourn’s website:
“The emphasis here is on the already/ not-yet tension of Advent, the season of waiting and anticipation before Christmas. Advent comes to us in the darkest season of the year — a season when the nights are long, the days are cold, and we look with anticipation for the return of the warmth in the spring. The songs have both a dark sense of anticipation and glimpses of light dawning in the face of the Christ child.
“As we celebrate this season, we celebrate that our Messiah has come, and we look with longing to the day when he comes again. As St. John says, ‘Amen! Come Lord Jesus.’”