THIS WEEK’S GRAPHIC
Is based on Romans 8:35-39, concerning the fact that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. The graphic is free for use in your non-profit organizations publications, and can be downloaded at www.timothyreport.com
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Welcome to THE TIMOTHY REPORT for April 12, 2004
“To assist, encourage, enable and equip”
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SOMETIMES WE FORGET
I’ve been reading Mike Yaconelli’s book, “Dangerous Wonder,” and have been struck by several key points he makes. As I read the following, I wondered how often this happens in some form or another throughout the Kingdom of God:
I remember a time in my life when the organization I was working for asked me to develop a new ministry to the unchurched. The chairman of the board offered his mansion for our first meeting. At that meeting, the house was swarming with non-Christians and the room was electric with anticipation. More than a hundred-fifty kids jammed every empty space. They were loud and rude, and some of them used swear words.
After the meeting, the board chairman was furious, angrily pointing out that swear words had never been used in his house and would never be used again. The next day he quit our board and took three board members with him—along with their considerable financial support. As a result, some of us in the ministry went as many as nine weeks without paychecks and it took a year to develop new means of support.
But it was worth every unpaid minute. That man loved God, but he was wrong. He just didn’t understand that sometimes following Jesus puts us right in the middle of a wild and boisterous world—not the nice predictable God world where only nice words are spoken. I’m sorry he didn’t get it, but I’m not sorry we did what we did. And I’d do it again. Because of that meeting, a national evangelistic movement called Campus Life spread like wildfire over America.
--Mike Yaconelli
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
April 12, 2004)
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WHAT A GREAT GOD WE HAVE!
His joy has balanced my pain.
His power has lifted my burden.
His peace has calmed my worries.
His grace has been more than adequate to cover me.
His strength has been sufficient to carry me through.
His love has bathed my wounds like a healing balm.
--Anne Graham Lotz
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
April 12, 2004)
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TIED TO THE WORLD
Evangelist D. L. Moody once told a story about two men who, under the influence of liquor, found their way to the dock where their boat was tied. The two men wanted to return home, so they got in the boat and began to row. Though they rowed hard all night, they did not reach the other side of the bay. When the gray dawn of the morning broke, they were in exactly the same spot from which they started. They had neglected to loosen the mooring-line and raise the anchor!
Mr. Moody used this story as an example of the way in which many people are tied to this world. They want to go to heaven, but won't cast off what holds them back. "Cut the cord! Cut the cord!" Moody would roar. Yes, that is what we should do, cut the cord with the world and flee to the One who wore the crown of thorns for us.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
April 12, 2004)
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IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME
(a great story!!!!!)
Mike Yaconelli, in “Dangerous Wonder,” tells of a friend who was recovering from a near-death bout with heart failure and cancer. Mike suggested that since Christmas was approaching, they should celebrate Communion at his friend’s home on Christmas Day. When Mike arrived, his friend’s grandson, his girlfriend and her two boys from a previous marriage were there as well to take Communion. As Mike tells it:
“After placing the bread and wine on the table, I asked fir there were any questions before we started. The eleven-year-old boy, Joshua, asked if he could sit in on the Communion. “Of course,” I said and checked to see if his mother agreed. She did. After the words of institution, I began to pass the bread and wine around the group.”
As Mike was preparing to say the final prayer, Joshua blurted out, “Sir, how can you hear God speak to you?”
Mike writes, “Where this question came from I have no idea. I paused for a minute and said, ‘Well, Joshua, if you listen very carefully, you will know when God speaks to you. It may not be an audible voice, or it might not happen right away. But if you really listen, you will hear God speak.’ The trouble with children is they believe you. Immediately Joshua squeezed his eyes, scrunched his body into listening mode, and started listening. I had given Joshua the adult answer to his question, never expecting him to put the answer to the test so soon.
“ ‘I heard Him!’ Joshua yelled. ‘I heard God speak!’
“I honestly don’t think any of us in the room really believed Joshua heard God speak. We were trying to be nice, but we weren’t expecting God to actually show up. ‘What did He say?’ I asked. I was patronizing him, fully expecting some childish response.
“Joshua looked straight into my eyes, his own eyes wide with wonder. ‘He said, “Don’t forget Me!”’ A boy’s risky curiosity had brought him into the presence of God.”
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
April 12, 2004)
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NEW BEGINNINGS
Spring is a good time to preach on the new beginning that Christ offers us. Consider the following quote from Rick Warren:
“We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it. God specializes in giving people a fresh start.”
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
April 12, 2004)
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HOPE
Oh, remember this: There is never a time when we may not hope in God. Whatever our necessities, however great our difficulties, and though to all appearance help is impossible, yet our business is to hope in God, and it will be found that it is not in vain.
--George Mueller
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
April 12, 2004)
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Hugging-- The Perfect Cure for What Ails You
No moveable parts
No batteries to wear out
No periodic checkups needed
Low energy consumption
High energy yield
Inflation-proof
No monthly payments
No insurance requirements
Theft-proof
Non-taxable
Non-polluting
And, of course, fully returnable!!
Hugging is healthy:
It relieves tension.
It combats depression.
It reduces stress.
It improves blood circulation.
It is invigorating.
It is rejuvenating.
It elevates self-esteem.
It generates goodwill.
It has no unpleasant side effects.
It is nothing less than a miracle drug.
--Author Unknown
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
April 12, 2004)
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SAVED OR LOST
A friend of mine recently saw an exhibit that I really wish I could see. It's the Titanic exhibit that has been on display in select museums across the country. My friend told me about the re creation of the Titanic's grand staircase, the simulation of one of the ship's cabins, the artifacts that have been retrieved from the Titanic's watery grave. As you enter the exhibit, you're given a ticket with the name of one of the ship's passengers or crewmen. At the end of the tour is this large wall with two lists of names, one short list and one long list. Next to each name is one of four designations: first class, second class, third class, and crew. But no matter what your class, your name ultimately appears on one of those two lists which are under one of two headings "Saved" ... "Lost."
Most of them did not have a choice. But we do. What will it be?
--From “A Word with You,” By Ron Hutchcraft
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
April 12, 2004)
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SILENCE OF GOD
God's silence is more than man's speech. God's negative is better than the world's affirmative. Have thy prayers been followed by a calm stillness? Well! Is not that God's voice - a voice that will suffice thee in the meantime till the full disclosure comes? Has He moved not from His place to help thee? Well, but His stillness makes thee still, and He has something better than help to give thee.
--George Matheson
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
April 12, 2004)
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Nearly everytime Jesus is mentioned in the Scriptures as being at the right hand of God, He is sitting. Nearly everytime. But there is one instance, and only one that I can find, where Jesus is seen standing on the right hand of God. What significance is that, and how can it encourage and comfort us when a loved one has died?
Always on the search for another story or illustration? Ever hesitate to use any particular story because you've used it too many times already?
Here's a solution! "Funeral Ideas and Illustrations" contains more than 100 stories, poems, and quotations for use in funerals or in Bible studies or sermons on death.
The items found in this collection come from a wide variety of sources. There may be some stories and/or poems you've used for years, and there are some you've never seen before. Some of the sermon outlines and messages are original material. And it's only $5.
In this collection, you will find:
--A sermon specifically designed for the Thanksgiving Season
--A poem written by a wife and son of a relatively young man who passed away.
--What a man wrote after losing three children to death
--Which hymn encouraged Daniel Webster in his final hours
--What Golda Meir said when asked if Israel would allow Nikita Kruschev's body to be buried in Israel
--An encouraging poem which is great to use in a funeral when a grieving spouse is left behind.
--A portion of a letter a Godly woman left behind for her family to read after she had gone on to be with the Lord.
--Mary Pickford's wonderful analogy of death
--Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's viewpoint of his own approaching death
--The word early Christians used to describe the place where they placed the bodies of loved ones when they died--a comforting, encouraging thought!
Visit http://www.timothyreport.com/funeral.html to view sample illustrations and to learn how to get your copy.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
April 12, 2004)
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