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The Timothy Report website now features a sermon archive, as well as brief articles that can be used for pastor’s columns or filler items in a newsletter.
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Are designed for use for Father’s Day. The graphic is free for use in your non-profit organization’s publications, and can be downloaded at www.timothyreport.com
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Welcome to THE TIMOTHY REPORT for June 14, 2004
“To assist, encourage, enable and equip”
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FOR FATHER’S DAY: A GIFT FOR EVERY FATHER TO GIVE HIS SON
Many of us watched the funeral for President Ronald Reagan. When his body was flown back across the country to the Presidential Library for interment, his three surviving children eulogized him. The secular news agencies could not do anything about remarks made concerning Ronald Reagan’s personal faith in Jesus, because the funeral was broadcast live. But in their reporting afterwards they often leave out some critical remarks that reflect on how deep that faith was. Here is an excerpt from the eulogy given by his adopted son, Michael, which would be good to use on Father’s Day:
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“I was so proud to have the Reagan name and to be Ronald Reagan's son. What a great honor. He gave me a lot of gifts as a child. Gave me a horse. Gave me a car. Gave me a lot of things. But there's a gift he gave me that I think is wonderful for every father to give every son. Last Saturday, when my father opened his eyes for the last time, and visualized Nancy and gave her such a wonderful, wonderful gift.
“When he closed his eyes, that's when I realized the gift that he gave to me, the gift that he was going to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He had, back in 1988 on a flight from Washington, D.C. to Point Mugu, told me about his love of God, his love of Christ as his Savior. I didn't know then what it all meant. But I certainly, certainly know now. I can't think of a better gift for a father to give a son. And I hope to honor my father by giving my son Cameron and my daughter Ashley that very same gift he gave to me. Knowing where he is this very moment, this very day, that he is in Heaven, and I can only promise my father this. Dad, when I go, I will go to Heaven, too. And you and I and my sister Maureen that went before us, we will dance with the heavenly host of angels before the presence of God. We will do it melanoma and Alzheimer's free. Thank you for letting me share my father, Ronald Wilson Reagan.”
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
June 14, 2004)
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AND WHO ARE YOU?
The following anecdote would be good to use in a message or Bible Study on our identity in Christ. Who are we really? Children of God? Bride of Christ? Redeemed? Sanctified? Holy? That….and much, much more. Anyway, here’s the story:
"It brings to mind a rather funny episode when Reagan was elected. I'm a counselor and was director of an inpatient psychiatric program in Texas. Just prior to the election, we had two patients both claiming to be Jimmy Carter. The arguments between the two were sad, but funny at the same time. After Reagan was pronounced the winner, about a week or so later, one of the patients decided that he was Ronald Reagan. The other patient said "See, I told you he was an imposter."
--G. M. Roper
When it comes to our identities in Christ, let’s not be confused, and let’s certainly not be imposters.
--Rocky Henriques
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
June 14, 2004)
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THE INFLUENCE OF JOSEPH
Someone recently pointed out to me that, in all likelihood, the first human hands to touch Jesus were those of his earthly father, Joseph. It was probably the strong, callused hands of the carpenter from Nazareth that gently caught the newborn babe and welcomed him into our world. Even before his mother held him close, Jesus felt the presence, protection and care of his earthly father. The first eyes to see and adore the Messiah belonged to Joseph….Was Joseph’s greatest accomplishment the trade he taught his son? Jesus seemed to be well known for his fine carpentry skills. Or was Joseph’s greatest contribution to mankind found in the kind of man he raised? Did he show Jesus how to love and respect others? How to treat women with dignity when others might not? How to face adversity with courage? How to read and revere the sacred Scriptures? How to pray? How to love and obey God? We will never know for sure, but I suspect that, in the culture of that day, Joseph played an even greater role than Mary did in shaping the human side of the Savior, the side we often refer to as our "example."
--Dan Davidson, in the “Pastor to Pastor” newsletter, Mar/Apr 2000
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
June 14, 2004)
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IGNORANCE OF THE BIBLE
(This is too strange not to be true)
Greatsite.com is the online showroom of The Bible Museum, Inc. Since 1987, they have been “the world’s largest dealer of rare & antique Bibles, ancient Biblical manuscripts, and antiquarian theology books.” They have posted actual conversations with clueless callers on what they call the “Hall of Shame” website. There’s the one from a customer looking for a Bible with no letters of Paul in it—but everything else. Why? “Because the Lord has made it known to me that the Apostle Paul was the Antichrist and the False Prophet.” Mary A. Jacobs, writing in “The Dallas Morning News,” says that “really, you couldn’t make this stuff up.” Here is another example:
Hey, do you all buy really old American Bibles?
--If they are pre-1800, we do.
Oh, wow…this one is way older than that!
--Great. What have you got?
It says right here on the title page that it was printed by the Standard Printing Company on Broadway in New York City in the year 1050.
--Excuse me….did you say it was printed in 1050?
That’s right…1050!
--It was printed on Broadway in New York City more than 950 years ago?
Yep.
--Sir, do you remember back in elementary school when they taught you about Christopher Columbus discovering the North American continent in 1492?
Uh…yeah.
--Do you remember that the first English settlers came over in the early 1600’s?
Sure.
--So New York City cannot possibly be any older than the 1600’s, right?
I guess so.
--And let’s also keep in mind that the printing press was not invented until the mid 1400’s. So how is it that you have a Bible printed on Broadway in New York City in 1050…about 600 years before there was a New York City, and over 400 years before the printing press was even invented or America was discovered, and generations before there was any language that we would even recognize as English?
I’m telling you it says right here on the title page, “New York City: 1050” and then right next to that “Broadway.”
--Sir, that’s the street address where it was printed, not the year it was printed.
Huh?
--It was printed at 1050 Broadway in New York City.
Oh…(click)
You can read more transcripts of actual phone conversations at
http://www.greatsite.com/about-us/hos.html
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
June 14, 2004)
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ALSO GOOD FOR FATHER’S DAY
MAX JUKES AND JONATHAN EDWARDS
In the late 19th century, sociologist Richard Dugdale published “The Jukes: A Study in Crime, Pauperism, Disease and Heredity” [Published by Putnam's Sons in 1877 and Arno Press in 1970]. Dugdale investigated the hereditary line of a family he called the Jukes in upstate New York. Hundreds of descendents of the Juke family (a pseudonym) were traced through successive generations that went as far back as Colonial times.
Dugdale managed to study 709 persons with the Juke name. Those that married into the family and thereby not considered of pure Juke lineage totaled 169. Dugdale once estimated that if he were able to track every single member of the Juke family, the total would have exceeded 1,200 people. But of the 709 he was able to study, 180 had been in the “poorhouse” or received public assistance. Dugdale found 140 criminals or offenders. There were 60 “thieves,” 7 murder victims, 50 prostitutes and 40 women who had contracted sexually transmitted diseases. Dugdale was able to estimate that the Jukes had cost the State of New York almost $1.4 million dollars to house, institutionalize and treat the family of deviants.
A follow-up study conducted in 1915 by Arthur H. Estabrook encompassed 2,820 Jukes and found similar depressing results, only on a larger scale.
--Mark Gado, a police detective with the City of New Rochelle Police Department in New York, writing on CourtTV’s www.crimelibrary.com
JONATHAN EDWARDS was the last and greatest of the great New England Puritan preachers. Some historians account him the greatest intellect of the Western Hemisphere before 1900. (The achievements of his descendants are such that the Edwards family used to be cited in psychology textbooks -- and in Ripley's Believe It Or Not column -- as proof that genius is an inherited trait.)
--James Kiefer, “Christian Biographies,” http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/
He “was a godly minister who was credited with igniting The Great Awakening through his sermons. He served for a brief period just before his death as president of what is now known as Princeton University. He believed in leading by example. He authored two books on the subjects of physical fitness and kindness. Mr. Edwards later became involved in teaching people to be responsible for their daily actions. An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one a vice-president of the United States, 80 became public officials in other capacities, 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries.”
--Source, with additional information: Leonard Ravenhill, “Portrait of a Revival Preacher,” http://www.ravenhill.org/edwards.htm
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
June 14, 2004)
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GRACE
God has provided, through nature, a beautiful illustration of His grace. Long ago in a forest there once stood a mighty tree. It was the tallest and most beautiful tree in the whole forest. It provided shade and shelter for a large variety of animals. One day the world came crashing in on the life of the tree (quite literally; an earthquake swallowed up the whole area). Now, the tree has no practical purpose and is basically worthless. To add insult to injury, conditions were just right to cause the tree to turn into coal. This mighty tree is now a dirty, messy substance, something that is undesirable to be around. To make matters worse, this tree was then put under incredible pressure. Amazingly, this destroyed tree, this filthy mess, has turned into a diamond.
The tree was designed for a specific purpose, but it could no longer function as a tree. Its original purpose and function had been completely destroyed. There was no turning back. Yet, this tree can still be useful. Even though it can no longer be used as it was intended, it now has a new function. Being a beautiful diamond, it can be used for something very special, such as a jewel on a king's crown….
Isn’t it miraculous to see how God can take a dark filthy mess and turn it into something beautiful and valuable? What do you think He can do with the mess you’ve made in your life? If you have fallen deep into sin, God can still make your life valuable and useful. You’ll still have to live with the terrible scars of your sins, but these scars will be a living testimony of God’s love and grace. Truly where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.
--Copyright 2000, Michael Bronson, www.biblehelp.org
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
June 14, 2004)
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CAN GOD USE YOU?
Next time you feel like God can't use you, just remember ...
NOAH was a drunk...
ABRAHAM was too old...
ISAAC was a daydreamer...
JACOB was a liar...
LEAH was ugly...
JOSEPH was abused...
MOSES couldn't talk...
GIDEON was afraid...
SAMSON had long hair, and was a womanizer…
RAHAB was a prostitute!
JEREMIAH and TIMOTHY were too young...
DAVID had an affair and was a murderer...
ELIJAH was suicidal...
ISAIAH preached naked...
JONAH ran from God...
NAOMI was a widow...
JOB went bankrupt...
JOHN the Baptist ate bugs...
PETER denied Christ...
The DISCIPLES fell asleep while praying...
MARTHA worried about everything...
MARY MAGDALENE was demon possessed...
The SAMARITAN WOMAN was divorced....more than once!!...
ZACCHEUS was too small...
PAUL was too religious...
TIMOTHY had an ulcer.... AND
LAZARUS WAS DEAD!!!!
Here I am Lord......
--Author Unknown
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
June 14, 2004)
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LITTLE EYES UPON YOU
(Read by Ozzie Smith when he was inducted to the Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame.)
There are little eyes upon you,
And they're watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly,
Take in everything we say.
There are little hands all eager,
To do anything you do,
And a little boy who's dreaming,
Of the day he'll be like you.
You're the little fellow's idol,
You're the wisest of the wise.
In his little mind about you,
No suspicions ever rise.
He believes in you devoutly,
Holds that all you can do,
He will say and do in your way,
When he's grown up like you.
There's a wide-eyed little fellow,
Who believes you're always right.
And his ears are always open,
And he watches day and night.
You're setting an example,
Every day in all you do.
For the little boy who's waiting
To grow up, to be like you
--Author Unknown
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
June 14, 2004)
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WONDER
Look at everything as though you are seeing it for the first time, with eyes of a child, fresh with wonder.
--Joseph Cornell
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
June 14, 2004)
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COURAGE
Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”
--Unknown
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
June 14, 2004)
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