Pastor Mike's Blog

Voter's Guide for Next Tuesday's PA Primary

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 is Pennsylvania's primary election.  I want to encourage those who live in Pennsylvania to vote in the primary and use their influence at the ballot box to make a difference for Jesus. One of the observations I have made for years is that many Christians are quick to complain about what is happening in our state and country and wish it were different, but they don't vote.  Voting is one of the primary ways we can influence the political process and it is my personal conviction that it is one of the ways that followers of Jesus can be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). To be very blunt - if you don't vote you have no right to complain about who gets elected and how they govern.

If you are like me, it is sometimes hard to track where the candidates stand on issues.  For a number of years, the Pennsylvania Family Institue has published a Voter's Guide for elections in Pennsylvania.  They have published one again for this election and I would encourage you to check it out.  Here is the link: http://www.focusvoter.com/PA/candidates

PLEASE NOTE:  My recommendation of the voter's guide is not an endorsement of any candidate or even of the PA Family Institute and their views.  I do however believe the voter's guide they produce asks questions that our relevant to our concerns as followers of Jesus and there is value in you taking the time to review it in preparation for voting on Tuesday.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR JESUS BY VOTING ON TUESDAY and using your inflence to choose leaders who will govern and follow Biblical principles as they lead.

A Fantastic Job By Our Students!!!

On Friday, February 26 and Saturday, February 27 almost 60 of Otterbein’s 6^th through 12^th graders and adult leaders voluntarily went without any food for more than a day. They did this as part of World Vision’s “30-Hour Famine” to identify with those around the world suffering from hunger and hunger-related illness and disease, and to raise money for World Vision’s earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. In addition to raising nearly $9,600 for World Vision, they also collected more than 125 bags of groceries for the Waynesboro Area Human Services food bank. Many thanks go out to everyone who participated in the Famine and to all those who gave!

God Did Some Amazing Things Last Weekend

Last weekend (Easter weekend), God did some amazing things at Otterbein.  One of the great things that happened was that two people chose to follow Jesus Christ for the first time.  I know based on some comments I heard from others that other spiritual commitments were made throughout the weekend.  I praise God for how He worked and I look foward to hearing more reports in the weeks ahead of how God moved in the hearts of people.

We also had many guests join us for the weekend.  In all, 1143 people worshipped at Otterbein on Easter weekend in one of our four services.  We are thankful for the ways that God worked and for all who attended and served during the weekend.

While we don't have an exact count of how many kids and families attended the Easter Egg hunt on Saturday morning, I am sure that it was the largest crowd we ever had.  My guess is around 400 kids showed up to pick up more than 4,500 eggs.  It was an awesome sight and everyone had a great time.

I want to say a big THANKS to everyone who served in some way at our church during Easter Weekend.  You did a great job and God used you to make a difference for Him.  It is a privilige to serve alongside of you and be part of a Church where God is alive and working in a powerful way.

More Kids Accept Christ

I just received some great news and I wanted to pass it on to you. This past Sunday, two children in our 4th and 5th grade S.S. class chose to receive Jesus for the first time. We also had three other children make a recommitment to follow Jesus. God is at work in our church right now in a special way. Please pray for these children as they begin their journey and give thanks to God for the great things he is doing.

Bible Study Resources

This morning in church, we talked about how to get the most out of the Bible.  One of the things we learned together was that the best way to get to know and understand the Bible is by reading and meditating on the Bible.  We also talked about the importance of using other Scriptures in the Bible to help you understand scripture and not always look for outside resources to help explain Biblical truths.

One of the things I didn't have a lot of time to talk about today are other resources that are available to help you learn how to study and read the Bible so you can get the most out of it.  There are many great books out there, but three that I would recommend include: How to Study the Bible by John MacArthur; 30 Days to Understanding the Bible by Max Anders; and Bible Study Methods by Rick Warren.  I am pretty sure you can find them at one of the local Lifeway Christian Stores or on Amazon.

You may also want to check out some devotional guides that we provide at Otterbein that provide a good bible reading plan and provide some additional guidance when studying the Bible.  Daily Walk and Closer Walk are both produced by Walk Thru the Bible.  Discovery and Encounter with God are produced by Scripture Union.  All four are available in the church lobby on the cabinet by the stairs that lead to the 3rd floor of the church. I prefer these four over the Daily Bread and Upper Room because they tend to get you into the Scripture and not just provide a nice story and simple devotional thought.  I also like the fact that they provide a well balanced Bible Reading plan as part of the guide.  Feel free to pick one up and check it out.

As I said today, I personally believe way to get the most out of the Bible is to have a good Study Bible in a translation you can understand.  If you would like some assistance on picking out a good Study Bible, please feel free to contact us at the church and we would be happy to assist you.

Making Sense of Delay/Disappointments

As I have reflected on our trip to Haiti being cancelled this week, it raises some interesting questions about delays and disappointments that happen in our lives.  Is God trying to tell us we are not supposed to do this?  Is God protecting us from something we don't know about? Is the devil trying to mess with us?  Is this just another obstacle that needs to be overcome and we should reschedule as soon as possible and move ahead without delay? Did Delta airlines royally mess up by not telling us sooner of the possibility that our flight would be cancelled and this whole thing is simply a mess up on their part?  These are just some of the many questions that pop into our minds at times like this.

As I have given thought to the questions above, I was reminded that many of us face delays and disappointments in our lives that raise questions.  Things often happen outside of our control and our human nature is to try to figure out why they happened.  It is easy to blame others and to somehow believe that God or the devil specifically caused what happened to happen. I am not sure that things are quite that simple and the truth is that many things happen in our lives that we simply won't understand why they happened.

BUT HERE IS WHAT WE DO KNOW FOR SURE.  We know that regardless of the reason something happens, God promises to make good result from it and accomplish His perfect will for our lives if we will respond to it the right way and if we are a follower of Jesus (see Romans 8:28-29).  I find that to be extremely comforting and helpful when disappointments and delays happen. 

As I apply this truth back to our trip to Haiti, I am reminded that it really doesn't matter WHY it happened since we can't do anything about it anyway.  What matters is that we choose to trust God to bring good from it and accomplish His perfect will in His timing.  Simply put, instead of focusing on what didn't happen, God wants us to focus on why lies ahead and learn to trust that He can and will work in the lives or everyone involved.  He can and will take care of the people of Haiti and when the timing is right for our trip, it will fall in place.

I don't know what you are facing in your life today, but I want to encourage you to be cautious about trying to figure out the "why" as it relates to the things in the past.  Instead, choose to trust God to make good come from it and look ahead.  God loves you more than you can ever imagine or fully grasp and if you will focus on Him and His promises, it will allow you to have peace, hope, and confidence to face whatever lies ahead. 

God is at Work in our Kid's Lives

We are very blessed to have an excellent children's ministry at Otterbein.  I am thankful for the staff (teachers, shepherds, etc.) God has provided to invest in the lives of our kids each week. Beyond having a great Bible lesson each week for our kids, our elementary program also strategically presents the gospel (how kids can begin a relationship with Jesus) several times during the year.  This past Sunday, our Kindergarten/Grade 1 program talked about it and God worked in the hearts of our kids in a special way.  In fact, we had 16 Kindergarten/Grade 1 kids make a decision to follow Jesus this past Sunday morning.  I'm sure you will agree with me that this is something to celebrate!

One of the grandparents of a child who made a decision to follow Jesus was sharing with me how special it was to have her granddaughter tell her of her decision.  She not only told grandma, but she also was excited to tell the rest of her family too. I thank God for how He is working!

In the days and weeks ahead, our ministry team will be following up with the kids to make sure they understand fully what it means to follow Jesus and what they can do to continue to grow in their relationship with Jesus. Please continue to pray for our kids at Otterbein and for our ministry staff as they continue to faithfully invest in the lives of our kids.

Christmas Eve Services

I hope you will be able to join us for one of our three Christmas Eve services.  The services are identical and begin at 4:15, 6:00, and 7:45.  They will be held in the church sanctuary (801 Park Street).  Nursery and childcare will be provided for children up through age 4 in the Church nursery area (Rooms 101-104 - lower level of the Church).  Each service will last a little over one hour.

The services include special music, singing of carols, a creative reading of the Christmas story, and a short meditation.  We hope you will join us tonight as you celebrate Jesus' birth.

Amazing Gift Giving!!!!

Throughout the months of November and December, we at Otterbein have had a number of ways to serve and give to others in Jesus' name.  Your response has been amazing and a testimony to your love for God and your love for others.

In November, you packed 1026 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  That was a record for us at Otterbein.  Your generosity will get the word out about Jesus for children (and families) all over the world who will receive your gifts in upcoming months.

In December, we asked you to consider participating in our own Christmas Angel Tree project.  It was a desire to help provide gifts to families in our own church who were struggling financially this Christmas season.  Our goal was 50 gifts and when all was said and done, 120 gifts were given.

We also asked you to consider helping with Christmas Food boxes for our local Human Services Agency.  Last year we gave turkeys toward this project and this year our goal was to provide all the food (except the turkey) for 125 families.  Again, your generosity was amazing.  When all was said and done, we received food and money to buy food for over 230 boxes.  This was a great blessing to the people of Waynesboro.

Most recently, we provided the GIFT GIVER catalog with 7 different gift ideas for the Christmas season where you could give a gift in honor of someone that would be a help and blessing to people in India and Haiti.  The exciting part of this opportunity was the relationships we had with the people in Haiti and India who would be giving out the gifts on our behalf and in Jesus' name.  We don't have all the numbers for this project yet, but more than $1,800 has already been given and we expect more in the next week or so.

I share all of this with you because it reflects the true spirit of Christmas -- God gave Jesus as the most incredible of gifts to us and He wants us to be gift givers too.  Those of you who attend Otterbein are living out the very essence of what it means to follow Christ and make a difference in Jesus' name.  Thanks for making a difference!  Thanks for your generous and amazing giving this Christmas season! 

SERVICES CANCELLED ON DECEMBER 20.

ALL WORSHIP SERVICES ON DECEMBER 20 WILL BE CANCELLED. THE SPECIAL CHRISTMAS MUSIC/WORSHIP CELEBRATION PLANNED FOR THE 2OTH WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27.

We want to remind you that we are having three Christmas Eve services this year.  The services are identical and will be held at 4:15, 6:00, and 7:45.  All services will be held in the CHURCH SANCTUARY this year.  We hope you will be able to join us for one of the services as we celebrate the birth of Christ.

If you are a choir member or someone who was participating in the special worship celebration on the 20^th, please check out the church website for additional information about next Sunday’s service.