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!