Forgiven

Yesterday, Easter Sunday (April 12), Angela buried her old life in the Lord in baptism and put on Jesus! It was a great day celebrating and bringing in another new soul to God and Christ! May the Holy Spirit that is in her be her guide for the rest of her life. We ask that you lift your prayers up to the Lord for her and the rest of the souls who have come to obey and follow Christ.

"In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with the circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the
uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,..."

Colossians 2:11-13 (niv)

Jesus Joy

I love the love of Christ! :) Joy!

Deaf Easter Sunday Service '09

Deaf Easter Sunday Service @ OPCC
9:45 a.m.: Fellowship in room 104
10:45 a.m.: Deaf Worship (Easter) in room 104

Web: www.opcofc.org/main/Deaf/html

Indiana Statewide Workshop for the Deaf

THEME: What Does It Mean To Wear His Name (Jesus)?
Date: April 17-19, 2009
Where: Franklin Road Church of Christ, 950 N. Franklin Road, Indianapolis, IN 46219































Friday:
4p-7p: Registration
7p: Open/Welcome
7:30p-8:30p: "Salvation is in the Church" - Hal Suddreth

Saturday:
9a-10a: "The Truth Shall Make You Free" - Joe Kaplan
10:30a-11:30a: "Second Coming Of Christ" - Mark Lowenstein

1:30p-2:30p: "The New Creature in Christ" - Joe Kaplan
3p-4p: "Biblical Pattern for Church Growth" - Mark Lowenstein

7:30p-8:30p: "What Is The Bible and Why Do We Need It?" - Carl Moore

Sunday:
9:30a-10:15a: "The Unsearchable Riches of Christ" - Hal Suddreth
10:30: WORSHIP - "First Things First" - Carl Moore

Speakers give their lectures in ASL; voice interpreters will be available the hearing.

CONTACT: Clayton McCray @ 812.342.3347 (vp)

Family...

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.." Ephesians 3:14-17

Buried..

Tonight, we rejoice to announce that Daniel and Joelle Allen have buried their old life into Jesus' death in baptism and put on Jesus. Their old self have been crucified and no longer slaves to sin. They have been freed from sin because of our Lord Jesus Christ! Be sure to welcome them to the family! Welcome to the family of God, Daniel and Joelle!

Romans 6:4,6-7, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.. ..For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."

Path..

We took a "treacherous" trek along the Bell Tower in Sedona, AZ! It was so easy to climb up the rock but to climb back down was most difficult! Amanda, our oldest, wanted to go further. We decided to stop right there (in the picture) and slowly started to come down. And that was the wise thing to do since we didn't have the proper shoes for a climb that's so difficult.

This picture reminds me of Psalm 119. David mentioned the word, "path", a number of times in Psalms. May the Lord be our guide as we read His Word!

Psalm 119:35-40, "Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness."

Awe..

I stand in awe of God! It's not because of all the "Seven Wonders of the World" including this colorful, majestic, God-created Grand Canyon in the background. It's my three beautiful girls right here. As I was walking with my family observing the miles wide, miles deep canyon, I watched my children grow in the last 13, 11 and 9 years of their lives. They are the Grand Canyon of my life! I love and adore each of them (including my wife, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the church). It's ultimately marvelous watching them grow. Thanks to God, they've become much more colorful than the Grand Canyon and continue to be! They will always be in our prayers! Lord, protect them!

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28-29

Journey..

I love this picture! I took this picture of a deaf woman name Elin as she prepares to zoom away on a zipline. As I was getting prepped for the zipline, I just couldn't refrain from not taking a picture of this view. Looking up, I see the sun shining down and is a perfect way to help us see God's plan for each of our lives.

For those who continues to obediently believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, we're on our way to Heaven! We're on the "Highway to Heaven". I still love and adore Michael Landon's show, "Highway to Heaven" until his death. There's no dry eyes after watching each of his shows.

I certainly do hope and pray you are obediently believing, loving, walking and repenting with Jesus. Are you on the highway to heaven? Have you made a wrong turn?

In Isaiah 35:8-10, "And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.

No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."

Can't get any better than this, huh? So how is your journey so far?

Sharing..

Here's a picture of my dear daughter, Alyson, feeding the giraffe @ the Wildlife Zoo in Phoenix, AZ. She had a blast! It was amazing to see how long their tongues are. Long legs. Long neck. Long tongue! How marvelous is God's design! The giraffe feed cost 50 cents for a handful. We were delighted to share them with the giraffe and they appreciate us for our giving!

This reminds me of how we are to share Jesus with people that crosses our daily path. Friends and families. And, yes, it does "cost" us our time, energy, love and resources. How are you sharing Jesus?

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." Philemon 1:6

Teeth..

My daughter, Alyson, wanted to take a picture of me re-enacting like a "two-sabre" fish in the fish tank @ the Wildlife Zoo in Phoenix, AZ. Here's a very strong evidence of my mind that's gone deliriously tempestuous!

I love this verse in Psalm 3:7-8, "Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people."

Sin Hurts..

How desperate are you in need of God's help and instruction in managing our daily desires?

What does sin do to you?

To your spouse?
To your children?
To your family?
To your friends?
To your co-workers?
To your boss?
To Jesus?
To the Holy Spirit living in you?
To God, our Father, in Heaven?

The real question is: what does it do to YOU?

"Death's power to hurt is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But we thank God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:56-57

How can we be VICTORIOUS?

First of all, each of us need Jesus, period! In Acts 4:12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Secondly, each of us need a church and be the church of Jesus Christ. If we aren't attached to the church, how will we know God's plan for our life. If the church isn't influencing us, daily, how will we live in Scriptural holiness? If we're not in the body of Christ (the church), then how will we know God's instruction for our life?

Lastly, each of us need the Holy Spirit's work in our lives:

1 Corinthians 2:9-13, "It is just as the Scriptures say, "What God has planned for people who love him is more than eyes have seen or ears have heard. It has never even entered our minds!"

God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God. You are the only one who knows what is in your own mind, and God's Spirit is the only one who knows what is in God's mind.

But God has given us his Spirit. That's why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think. That's also why we can recognize the blessings that God has given us. Every word we speak was taught to us by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people."

Arizona Deaf Retreat 2009 Faces!

A fun and loving group of people!! :)

Arizona Deaf Retreat 2009 (more pictures)

Arizona Zipline (Deaf Bible Retreat)

Whoooo.... :) And praise God for three new deaf souls... They're now clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:26-27)!!! :)

Arizona Baptism (Deaf Bible Retreat 2009)

Praise the Lord for three new sisters in Christ: Lakisha Kearney, Viki Beggs and Lisa Ramey! :) What a weekend! What a fellowship! Thank You, Lord! Thank You!

Amanda's baptism

We rejoice in the Lord for our daughter, Amanda, who was baptized yesterday (March 15, 2009) @ the Overland Park Church of Christ. She buried her life into His death in baptism and raised and put on Jesus (Galatians 3:26-27, Romans 6:1-4). We praise God for Amanda and her decision to follow Jesus our Lord!

Moving Weekend!

PAH! We'll be moving into an apartment this weekend after living with our in-laws for over 6 months. Many, many blessings and thanks to my dad and mom in law for their love and "we must say" patience for allowing us to stay in their humble abode until our Virginia home gets sold. Since it was sold last January, we struggled to find a single family home for rent in our kids school area. Then we decided to rent a villa for the summer since all of us (our girls, Michelle and me) will be playing softball.

We're anxious to have a place of our own. Chef Lowenstein is in the house!

Keep on praying for us and the work we do for the Lord!

2012 - Fact or Truth?

Feel free to share your thoughts about 2012.. Always learning! Let's help others understand the 2012 craze! ;)

What Is The Gospel?

I read and learned some comments from people and the meaning of the word, "gospel".. Here they are:

"I believe the word "gospel" means "good news." Maybe the question should be, "What's the good news?"

The Gospel is the truth of our "depravity" which is atoned through the death of Christ. The resurrection of Christ is our hope of eternity. It is through faith, not by our works. We can't attain it, it's a gift!

The gospel is, "The world, once whole, then broken. Jesus came, suffered, died, lives. Yahweh's creation restored. Spirit alive in us, inspite of us. Life!"

Under God's law, sin demands death. Everyone has sinned, so everyone deserves death. But the gospel is the good news that Jesus, who could not sin, died in your place, satisfying God's law.

I believe the Gospel of Christ is the "Good News" that the Kingdom of God is now available to everyone.

The gospel of Christ is 1 Corinthians 15:1,3-4.

It is the story of Christ's life and teachings. Short and simple. The Gospel is pretty simple, too!

God is Holy. Man's sin is offensive to the Holy God. Jesus gave Himself to make man right with God. [You can't start the gospel message with man. It starts with God. It ends with God.] Amen?

The Gospel is: Christ lessens God's wrath on my behalf. The Gospel demands I align with Jesus.

The Gospel is, one word, "LOVE."

The gospel is the greatest news ever.. God would rather give up his Son than give up on us.

The Gospel is Jesus Christ, His Death and His Resurrection.

I have resolved to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the atonement of my sin and to be crucified with Him to live in His strength. (Galatians 2:20)

Now, what do you think is the "gospel?"

New OPCC Deaf Website...

Check it out, Blogger gangs!!

www.acswebnetworks.com/overlandpark/deaf

The website is still under construction. This is just so that you know we finally have a website! :)

Blessings!!

A Life Coach

Most people see me as a preacher or evangelist, or minister. But I want people to see me as a follower of Jesus just like them. What I do, I want them to do:

"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1

Most preachers swim in a fishbowl with all eyes on them. Not only the preacher, also the preacher's wife. Not only the preacher's wife, also the preacher's children. Many church members see preachers as a step above the normal person.

To me, the preacher who is viewed as a normal person has an extreme advantage over the one who is viewed as the perfect spiritual leader.

Now, this doesn't apply to preachers alone but to each and every believer:

1. If you are courageous enough to expose your spiritual doubts, people around you may be more relate to you as a "real person."

2. If you carefully reveal a martial struggle (with permission from your spouse), people may be more likely to listen.

3. When you tell about certain failures, many people will feel increased bond with you.

4. If you are hurting and you express your need, your church family can be aware to pray for and minister to you.

Now, I'm not saying that all the points above will hit every heart of a believer in your life. A few people might reject you for your authentic confessions. Yet, the majority will accept, embrace and trust you as a genuine believer constantly wrestling to grow closer to Jesus!

Blackberry takes a shot at Apple! [ad]

Ha!!!!!!!!!!!

Though, I love the Mac computers, thought this ad was HILLARIOUS!!!!! Love that lil blackberry!!!!! Awesome!!!!! :)

I Love His Church - PULSE

It's more than an hour on the weekend.
It's more than a building.
It's more than just gathering together to meet people.
It's more than anything else in the world.

Q: What is the pulse of His church?

A: The pulse of His church comes from the heart of the people who gather in Jesus' Name and gather there to follow Christ, together.

Q: What happens if there's weak pulse or even no pulse?

A: The answer is really simple. Dying or dead. Similar to the life of a human being. If there's no pulse in a human being, 911 is dialed, CPR is performed, PARAMEDICS arrived, WIRED to the machine, PRONOUNCED dead, OBITUARY printed, and SIX FEET under. Satan loves to slow His church's pulse. Eventually, the pulse will stop. And, each individual "Christian" will know when they are either dying or have died away from the Lord.

Q: What caused the pulse's slow-down or sudden stop?

A: Clot. Clot, as defined in Webster's dictionary, is a mass or lump; coagulated blood. It's Satan's job to bring clot in your relationship with Jesus Christ. Satan works to ensure that each Christian live a compartmentalize life. Pulse begins to drop when he/she have so much going on in their life and church is the least in their life, cause marriage to fail, do not take the time to pray, lack of bible reading, fails to serve the Lord in his/her community, living outside of the obedience of God, and many other reasons. Clots/clotting is extremely dangerous!

Q: How do I avoid clotting and declining pulse?

A: If I answer this question, it may sound easy to do. But it's not. Simply follow the life of Christ. Living the life of Jesus involves discipline, humility, love, obedience, exercising (bible reading, daily time of prayers, fellowship, worship, service, bible studies, life groups, etc.) helps keep the pulse above God's expectation for our life.

Have you checked your spiritual PULSE lately?

Blue Man Group Instrument

Cool! Love the BMG!!

I have a great idea for the future... Stay blogged!! :)

A Movie about God's Love for Us

Breathtaking! :)

Prayers needed...

Good evening, Bloggers..

Please, if you can and when you can, take a moment to pray for us. We are seeking God's guidance in a situation that's so difficult, so fragile. We have prayed and prayed to the Lord about this and we sense God's love and compassion. God is good, always continues to be good, we are still struggling. My wife, my children and I continue to maintain a very positive attitude about all this. Yet, we have been leaving this in the hands of God.

This blog is an unspoken request for your prayers. No need to go into details. The Lord knows!

Thank you very much. Blessings to you all!

Super Bowl Commercials

Greensboro '09 - National Workshop for the Deaf!

Event: 2009 National Workshop for the Deaf
Where: Greensboro, North Carolina
When: June 28th through July 2nd
Website: www.deafworkshop.com
Theme: PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST

Registration: go to https://www.deafworkshop.com/workshop2009/register.php. I was told that after you register, you will need to enter your password (required) in case you need to go back into your account to make some changes. After entering your own password, the next page will appear with a confirmation that you have registered for the workshop.

But that is NOT all.. You are required to print that page and mail it to Friendly Ave Church of Christ. An address will be displayed on the screen. If you have registered but have not entered your password, print the page and mailed it out, you are NOT registered. So be sure you follow the instructions.

Hope to see you all there!

The Real "Dummy" :)

Just being artistic tonight. Move over Chuck Baird! :)

Luther "Dummy" Taylor

Just wanted to blog about this fabulous woman, Sue Gordon. She's the sister of Chuck Baird, deaf artist and actor of "Legends of the Mountain Man". When I came into the Deaf Cultural Center, Sue immediately led me to this uniform. It opened my eyes as I love baseball! But the real amazing thing is, Sue sewed this!!! It was the work of her hands and heart!

These pictures was taken at the Deaf Cultural Center in Olathe, Kansas. It's a neat, neat museum:

455 E. Park Street
Olathe, Kansas 66061

Come and visit DCC!

Romans 8 scripture reading

For the hearing, this would be a good way to involved your teens and adults team-quoting Romans 8! Obviously, lots of practice, Scripture memory, choreography, timing, etc!!!

Being a deaf fellow, I tried to follow as I read Romans 8. Kinda hard to hear. When they reached Romans 8:37-39, it became moving and powerful!!

Awesome!!

Coversational Generation

Based on Craig Groeschel's blog (in part)...

This generation we're living in now craves intimacy in relationships. They want to know and be known. Too many of us are turned off (or intimidated by) the young, tech savvy (I'm one of them), tattooed (not me), and pierced young adults.

There are churches that preach against them because of their "outward appearances". But this generation wants to talk. Conversation matters. Relationship matters. Intimacy matters.

Here's a suggestion in how we're to build relationships with that generation:

1. Before they listen to you, they want to know if you're listening to them. If you'll get to know them, they will listen to you.

2. If you're quick to judge, don't bother trying to connect.

3. It doesn't matter if you're cool or relevant. It matters if you bring the real you. Fake is the worst thing you can bring.

4. The fifth conversation might be the difference-maker. This generation builds trust slowly. If you don't plan on having a third, fourth, or fifth conversation, you might not want to spend a lot of time on the first.

5. They want to be loved. After getting to know some people, we genuinely care for them and believe in them. Try often telling them, "I'm proud of you... I'm pulling for you... I believe in you... I love you." They seem hungry for acceptance and affirmation and respond well to sincere Christian love."

Your thoughts??

Arizona Deaf Retreat: FEARLESS

Next month, we will be in Arizona for their first annual deaf family retreat. It will be held on March 20th through 22nd. The theme for this retreat is: FEARLESS. Here's what I have tentatively planned out:

FEARLESS

Main Scripture Theme: 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."

Synopsis: Battles are inevitable but victory is not. We often find ourselves fighting enemies that are stronger than we are. So how do you stand fearless when there's so much at stake? Be inspired by accounts from God's word about average people who became champions and overcame insurmountable odds. Do you have what it takes? Experience "FEARLESS" to find out once and for all.

Friday Night Devo: Battling Against Your Champion: David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)

Saturday morning: Facing The Inevitable: Gideon (Judges 7)
Saturday evening: Testing Your Faith With Fire: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 3)

Sunday morning: Chasing Your Lion: Benaiah (2 Samuel 23; 1 Chronicles 11)
Sunday worship: Freaking Out?: Jonathan (1 Samuel 13-14)

Questions about the deaf retreat, contact Brian Baell @ baellb@aol.com.

30 Days To Live

I have thought of this, often! Only God knows when it's time for me to go home to be with Him in Heaven. From now until the countdown begins, I'll remain faithful and true to my Lord. Once the countdown begins, what would I do with the last 30 days of my life before I depart this world to be with the Lord? Me and my whole family, Lord willing, will do the following:

1. Skim through the whole Bible (twice, thrice) in 30 days.
2. Make a trip to Romania and see my fellow brothers and sisters and say, "See you soon."
3. Make a trip to Fairfax (Virginia) where God began His ministry through me there (and other cities that I may have worked in).
4. Make a trip to Colorado (my favorite state) and hike the Rockies and pray on His mountaintop.
5. Preach my last sermon titled, "Well Done, My Good Servant" (Luke 19)
6. Last candlelight dinner with my beautiful wife, Michelle (if she doesn't pass on before me).
7. Pray for the souls in the world; share my testimony with my love ones (friends/families) who have not made a decision to follow the Lord.
8. Film my final thought and farewell.
9. Spend private time with my wife, my daughters, weep/laugh with joy and pray together.
10. Have congregation sing my favorite closing song, "It Is Well With My Soul."

Well, of course, it all depends on the condition of my health. Lord willing, I'm able to do all these things. :)

How about you?

Are You Listening And Watching?

A couple years ago, I blogged about our "worldview" getting a whole new perspective in life. I would like to bring this back into tonight's blog: How Do You See The World?

Guess what? We have over 6 BILLION people living in the world today!

That determines the way you live your life. Are we caught up in our own little reality, cornered into our own small corner? We need, from time to time, to step back and look at who we are, where we are, and what we are doing from a new perspective.

God often calls His people into service. But there's a dilemma! Eyes and ears are closed. The Torah advises,

"Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing." Isaiah 42:18,20

Every Wednesday and Sunday, we have the opportunity to have eyes that see and ears that hears what is happening in our own community and how we can bring and apply biblical principles into the lives of the people we meet at the crossroads.

After each services, you'll be able to go home with a bigger perspective; the Godview!

Are you listening and watching?

God's 401K Plan

God's 401K Plan:
No losses
Soaring gains
Eternal dividends


Who's your eternal "financial" advisor?

Nuts!

Some days are like this, a perfectly normal lifestyle.







Other days, you'll be going NUTS!







Are you good or just plain NUTS!

OCD Twisters Softball 2009

Spring is around the corner!! Whooo! It's almost time to smell fresh spring air, green grass and trees, stormy weather, and the smell of leather from my softball glove! Michelle and I plan to re-join the Olathe Club for the Deaf (OCD) softball team.

Michelle will play for the women's team while I will try out for the men's team. Try out? Hey, I'm a 40 year old guy with bad knees. ;) I'm not even on the roster yet until I prove a 40 year old can play ball! :) I'm be playing a "low-profile" position and pushing the young players on toward becoming a championship caliber team!

We regret to inform you that OCD lost a great leader and player last week. Nathan Meyer passed on from this life at the age of 34 (I believe). He's pictured (kneeling above) third from the left. Please pray for his family, especially his girlfriend and two daughters. They're a wonderful family!

Go Twisters!

Arizona Deaf Retreat 2009

My family and I will be on our way to Phoenix, Arizona attending the 2009 Arizona Deaf Retreat north of Phoenix next month (March 20th through 22nd). We're extremely excited to see all the brothers and sisters in Christ there plus a number of others who desires to have a relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior! :)

The church where the deaf worship is at the Camelback Church of Christ:

5225 E. Camelback Road,
Phoenix, AZ 85018

Brian Baell is the current deaf minister at Camelback. He can be reached at this email address: seedplanter@tmail.com and baellb@aol.com if you're interested in knowing more about the deaf family retreat.

I will be posting more information about the Arizona Deaf Retreat on my blog soon. So check back and hope to see you there!

The Good-O-Meter

As always, great videos often have no captions. But just watch this whole video and you'll see the point of the video at the end! Cool! :) That's why I love Jesus! He's my True Advocate! :)