THIS WEEK’S GRAPHIC

Is from Psalm 40:1-3, “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry…” ALSO, there is a graphic which will remain up for a period of time for you to use to remind your people to VOTE! Any of the graphics appearing on the website are absolutely free for use in your non-profit organization’s publications, and can be downloaded at www.timothyreport.com

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Welcome to THE TIMOTHY REPORT for September 13, 2004

“To assist, encourage, enable and equip”

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

CHANGING ADDRESSES? If you are changing addresses, first unsubscribe

from the list and then subscribe to the new address

TO UNSUBSCRIBE:

Send a blank e-mail to: TimothyReport-unsubscribe@in-his-steps.com

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

SCRIPTURES IN SCHOOLS PROJECT

To be honest, I don’t know much about this organization, but their idea is a great one! The last full week in September, students are encouraged to take their Bibles to school—to “tote it and quote it.” You can find out more about this event, scheduled to coincide with the See You At the Pole rallies, by visiting http://www.bringyourbible.com/

--Rocky Henriques

(The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com, September 13, 2004)

-------------------

SACRIFICIAL GIVING?

One day in the late 1870s four men rode up to the door of a farmhouse in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. When they knocked on the door a poor widow answered. They explained that they were traveling through that country and were extremely hungry. They wondered if the lady would prepare them a hot meal. Although hesitant at first the woman agreed, after all they did look hungry and were very polite.

Inside, the four men realized just how poor the woman was, her cupboards were bare and her belongings were quite meager. As time went on the woman confessed that at 4:00 that afternoon she was going to be evicted from her home. She owed $800 on her mortgage and was unable to pay. The man who held the mortgage on her farm was coming to collect or put her off the place at 4:00.

Before leaving the men gave the woman $800 and told her to get a receipt when she paid off her mortgage.

When the man left her farm with the $800 mortgage payment he was robbed on his way back to town. It seems that the robber was the man who had given the widow the money in the first place, the famous bank robber - Jesse James.

Jesse James' gift was no gift at all. It cost him nothing. Christian giving that costs us nothing is not giving at all, either.

--Rick Danielson

(The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com, September 13, 2004)

-------------------

THINGS NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

After directory assistance gave one woman her boyfriend's new telephone number, she dialed him -- and got a woman.

"Is Mike there?" she asked, confused.

"Umm, he's in the shower," the woman on the other end responded.

"Please tell him his girlfriend called," she said and hung up.

When he didn't return the call, she dialed again. This time a man answered. "This is Mike," he said.

"You're not my boyfriend!" she exclaimed.

"I know," he replied. "That's what I've been trying to tell my wife for the past half-hour."

(The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com, September 13, 2004)

-------------------

AND HERE’S ANOTHER EXAMPLE—

CHRISTIANS ENGAGED IN INTERNET GOSSIP

Marvin Knox, in an article found at http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=929 challenges us believers to be very careful about the things we spread around via e-mail. Just because we see it on the Internet or receive it in an e-mail does NOT make it true, and we need to be very careful. In his article, Knox compares what is taking place with the Internet with the game of Gossip, where a sentence was whispered into one person’s ear, then another, then another, until the message had made traveled all around the circle. Many times the final sentence was nothing like the original one!

Knox makes several good points that should be shared with the people in our churches. He then offers these guidelines:

“We need to apply the same laws of discernment to Internet or e-mail messages that we would to other information we receive:

•

Is it logical? Does it even make sense?

•

Conversely, does it sound too good to be true? You know what your mother said about believing things that sound too good to be true.

•

Does the message cite reliable sources? These could include verifiable experts whose knowledge is documented by training, experience and affiliation with credible organizations, as well as eyewitnesses, reputable reporters, non-partisan leaders and credible people who do not have a stake in distorting information.

•

Can you back it up? If you're reading from the Internet or e-mail and have Internet access, you have the resources to research the claim literally at your fingertips. Type some key words into a search engine, and see what you find. If it sounds like a rumor, visit "urban legends" verification sites, such as www.urbanlegends.about.com or www.snopes.com, to check the facts.

•

Do you know someone who would know the truth? Pick up the phone, send an e-mail or write a letter and ask for the facts.”

A very good example of this is one that I myself have received via e-mail several times. John Kerry, Democratic Senator from the state of Massachusetts and U. S. Presidential candidate, is reported to have quoted a favorite Bible verse in one of his speeches. The story is that he intended to quote John 3:16, but his speech writers mixed it up and wrote John 16:3, which reads, "They will do such things because they have not know the Father or me.” The argument made by spreading this story is that John Kerry is not familiar enough with the Bible to know the difference.

HOWEVER—AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT—the SAME STORY has been circulated about George W. Bush, President of the United States. In fact, it was even spread concerning Al Gore, when he was running for President. And some even say that it was the elder George Bush who said it.

BOTTOM LINE—it is false. And yet we Christians have been very quick to spread this story as if it were true—and the only basis we had was that someone (a good friend, perhaps) e-mailed it to us. And yes, I’ve been duped a time or two myself. When we fall for these things, it makes us Christians look stupid.

Another sad example of this is that John Kerry was reported to have said (while standing beside the casket of Ronald Reagan, no less) “we must reclaim our country from the church-goers, the middle America folks and the uneducated conservative masses." NOT TRUE.

My personal preference for a good place to go to check out stories such as these is www.snopes.com, where urban legends are listed by category. The staff there investigates stories such as these and posts what they find.

So the word for the day, my friends, is “RESPONSIBILITY.” And if you need a word for tomorrow, it would be “INTEGRITY.”

--Rocky Henriques

(The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com, September 13, 2004)

------------------

RIGHT AND WRONG

Nearly every public issue today, whether illegal immigration or failing schools, boils down to an inability to speak the truth, to act on it, to believe in right and wrong, and use moral judgment.

--Victor David Hanson, in “The American Enterprise,” January/February 2004

(The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com, September 13, 2004)

------------------

A CONSTANT WHISPER

The voices of the world are loud and sparse, but the voice of God is a constant whisper.

--Benjamin J. Elger

(The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com, September 13, 2004)

-------------------

DO YOU NEED TO PRAY?

We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If He has said much about prayer, it is because He knows we have much need of it.

--Charles Spurgeon

(The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com, September 13, 2004)

-------------------

LOOKING FOR A NAME FOR YOUR YOUTH GROUP?

Here’s a website which lists thousands of possibilities! Some of the names describe the groups themselves, while others describe a particular event or meeting during the week. The site is found at http://www.youthpastor.com/names/

Browse by letters of the alphabet, and find names such as RAD (Radically Aware Disciples), NOW (as in No Other Way to live), Dunamis (from the Greek work for power), and Second Wind (based on Isaiah 40:30). If your group has a unique name, you can even register that name and website (if any) while you are there.

The website has other possibilities, as well. While these names are obviously for youth groups, there are several which could apply to other groups as well—Senior Adult group, mission organization, men’s accountability group, or Singles Ministry. Use your imagination!

(The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com, September 13, 2004)

-------------------

SERMON TITLE: “THE HALLMARK OF HOLY OBEDIENCE”

Joy, not grit, is the hallmark of holy obedience. We need to be light-hearted in what we do to avoid taking ourselves too seriously. It is a cheerful revolt against self and pride. Our work is jubilant, carefree, merry. Utter abandonment to God is done freely and with celebration. And so I urge you to enjoy this ministry of self-surrender. Don't push too hard. Hold this work lightly, joyfully. The saints throughout the ages have witnessed to this reality.... You know, of course, that they are not speaking of a silly, superficial, bubbly kind of joy like that flaunted in modern society. No, this is a deep, resonant joy that has been shaped and tempered by the fires of suffering and sorrow; joy through the cross, joy because of the cross.

--Richard J. Foster

(The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com, September 13, 2004)

-------------------

STARTING OUT SMALL?—THAT’S OKAY

Things great have small beginnings. Every downpour is just a raindrop; every fire is just a spark; every harvest is just a seed; every journey is just a step because without that step there will be no journey; without that raindrop there can be no shower; without that seed there can be no harvest.

--William Wilberforce

(The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com, September 13, 2004)

-------------------

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

All lists are owned by Rocky Henriques, publisher of THE TIMOTHY REPORT and of CQDAILY. Both are free and you may unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions above or on each message.

PLEASE do not send unsubscribe messages to the list owner without first trying to unsubscribe yourself.

****************************

This material is copyrighted 2004 Rocky Henriques, Jackson, Mississippi. To receive your FREE subscription, Visit http://www.timothyreport.com

Scroll down on the main page for instructions on how to subscribe.

The Timothy Report is published every Monday by Rocky Henriques, 255 Swan Lake Drive, Jackson, MS 39212. E-mail address: rocky@timothyreport.com. Phone: 601-372-7710

Home Page: www.timothyreport.com