(The Battle of the Cups) My take on the Starbucks issue

I have been seeing a lot of kick back towards Starbucks for their winter coffee cup. It's red, it's not celebrating Christmas. How dare they offend me like that!! Well I for one as a Christian am not offended. Okay, I just feel that there are bigger issues at hand. So, lets break this down a little.

1. I am glad that people are feeling passionate about something that they will go to such lengths as posting YouTube videos and make a scathing status online rebuking the company for their misguided principles. People are even going so far as to want to boycott Starbucks for this perceived violation of your Christian faith. Which leads me to this question. Has Starbucks ever claimed to be a Christian company? I find it hard to believe that they have seeing their logo is a topless Siren (mermaid)(Why are not offended by that?).

2. Is your Christian faith so shallow that you have to be reminded daily that you are a christian by looking at what design has been printed on your coffee cup? I think that in a world so full of sin and so full of hurting people that need to know the love of God, can't we pick a battle of a little more significance like the fact we murder millions of innocent children a year in the name of convenience. Cant we focus on those who are going hungry or are cold during this time of year and show them what Christianity is really about? So you can fight the Battle of the Cups, while I think I will focus on things of a bit more significance.

3. Hear are some things that maybe you should be upset about. The Ten Commandments removed from a court house in Oklahoma while a satanic statue unveiled in Detroit. Abortion. The entirety of Politics. the fact that as Christians, we are so beaten down on our opinions, that we feel we cant take on anything of substance but are instead relegated to voicing our opinion over what should or should not be on a companies coffee cup.

So here it is plain and simple. It's things like this that causes the world to not take us seriously. Christians are dying at the hands of ISIS and we Christians in America are worried about a Christmas themed coffee cup. Don't be so  thin skinned. Stand up and fight for real issues!  Psalm 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Hopefully you take away from this the fact that while you are focusing on your hot cup of coffee your neighbor may be wondering what or how they are going to feed their children. While you are so concerned about a company not saying "Merry Christmas" and you are offended that they don't celebrate this Cherished Holiday, yet you have not thought about the real reason for it in quite sometime. Do something nice for someone this Christmas with out expecting anything in return and then you will experience the true Christmas Spirit!

Merry Christmas and God Bless you!

The desire of others to attack the Christian Faith!

It seems that you cannot read a newspaper or get online this time of year without some headline catching your eye about a nativity scene being removed or the Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas argument. It is just everywhere. The worst part about it, is that it appears to be a very small portion of the population that is dictating to the majority of the country what they can and cannot do in public. However, I think that this situation is a much deeper root than what first appears.

Let me start off like this. I have a couple of friends who do not believe in God whatsoever. They get very bent out of shape if anyone approaches the topic of God and they will hurl accusations of proselytizing and pretty much become very defensive and put on this air that you have unjustly offended them! However, when I went through and just kind of checked out their Facebook pages, I noticed something that I find very disturbing! This is what I found. Numerous status updates all slamming either the Christian faith in general or coming out and trying disprove one particular aspect! This caused me to have a few questions such as, Why Christianity? Why not Islam, Buddhist, Hindu or Shinto? Why is there such bitterness toward the Church? Why make such efforts to try to prove something wrong that you do not even believe in? Who exactly are you trying to convince, me or yourself?

You see, of the number of post I have come to the conclusion that it really isn't us that Atheist are attacking. It is not even the argument that is taking place on Facebook, in the Chat Room, in the Office, at City Hall, or even in the Court Room. The real debate and the reason why that single out our Christian faith with such ferocity, is that no matter how much they try to prove it wrong, they cannot. Christianity stands on it's own merit! Evolution has so many holes in it that it couldn't hold water if it wanted to.

But there is something about when I person comes to Christ who has hit rock bottom, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and they get delivered. How do you argue that? A woman who has bad report from the doctor and told she doesn't have much time, but turns it over to God and is miraculously healed? How do you disprove that! A family in shambles that is restored!

You see, do not take it as a personal attack. Take it as a compliment that you are the anomaly. You make them feel uncomfortable in their own faith/disbelief, not because of any fault of yours, but to the fact that they are so unsure of it themselves that they endeavor to try to convince themselves that they are correct by "reasoning" and "debating" in every way possible!

I know that there isn't much time left of this Christmas season, but keep this in mind! Merry Christmas and God bless you greatly through the New Year!

Merry Christmas

It is that time of year again! All over the U.S. you read the articles and hear the news of people upset about having nativity scenes on display and even more noteworthy are those are in litigation because of people have taken offense to others public demonstration of their faith! In a nation that is supposedly a place where people are free to express themselves and share their ideas openly, I find it very disheartening that when you walk into a store they wish you "Happy Holidays" out of fear. It may be fear of offending someone or fear of litigation, it doesn't really matter, it is still fear.
So we are now living in the "land of the free" where we are living in fear to openly express ourselves or demonstrate our beliefs. Yet everything that we find offensive can be thrown in our faces. Now, we see that religious groups that run huge charity organizations and care for people of all walks of life are considered dangerous and hateful. Religion is barred from schools and public places.
The more that morality and religious studies are removed from educational and political systems the more you can stand back and watch the chaos, deception, pregnancy, disease, and violence rise to the forefront. Religious views such as Evolution and Global Warming can be taught, but any teaching that comes remotely close to resembling Creationism or in belief in God gets treated with such hostility. It is a very sad and one sided argument that will eventually crumble and fall.
So I may not be able to change the political and educational systems, and I may not be able to change the policies of these big box stores. But what I can do and what you can do is greet every "Happy Holidays" that you receive this Christmas Season with a bright and cheerful Merry Christmas! 

Youth Bible Study

We have finally made it. It has been months of meeting on Sundays and going verse by verse and discussing the Bible with each other. After all these months the Youth Group has finally made it through the book of Genesis and we only have 65 books left to go.
We had some very interesting conversations about Noah, Creation, Abraham and his denying that Sarah was his wife to everyone he seemed to come in contact with, Lot and his daughters, Genealogy in the Bible (where all these nations came from), Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Jacobs sons, That it was Shechem in the kitchen with Dinah, the coming to pass of Joseph's dreams, and that it was prophesied that the scepter would always be in the house of Judah (which is the lineage of David and even Jesus). This is just scratching the surface of course. I think these young people have taught me more than I have taught them, but what a great experience that this has been!
I am so looking forward to what is coming. When we start Exodus on Sunday, and later on we will be studying the temple and the law! Looking forward to learning with these great group of Godly Young people! Amen

Would you like some water?

One of our young people who just returned home from the North American Youth Congress has asked if we could take a Saturday and hand out bottles of water to people out working on the yards or house or maybe even just out for a jog. Each bottle will have a friendly message attached to it with nothing to pushy or intrusive, but by offering them a cold bottle of water hope to open the door to a new friendship and possibly lead them to God! Paul said that he became all things to all men that some might be saved. Let's try something new and different.

Have you done anything new to try to get out of the proverbial box? Please share with us as your comments are always welcome! God Bless and have a great day!

Cardville Youth

Taking a few minutes to post some of the upcoming events that are going to take place for the Cardville Youth!

Youth Bible Study - Every Sunday afternoon at 4:30
Youth Service - First Sunday of every month at 6:00 PM
Youth Yard Sale - Saturday, August 24th. (all proceeds go to Sheaves For Christ)
Back to School Rally - Friday, September 6th!

Pray for these events that God will have his way! I am looking forward to seeing you there!

Dedicated Young People

I would like to take a few minutes today to just brag about the dedication of some of my young people. These teens are amazing. When they could be doing so many other things with their friends and families and even pursuing other goals, they choose to spend time with each other learning and studying the word of God. Here are some examples. Every Sunday afternoon, even though we have church Sunday morning and Sunday evening. I meet with a group of young people down stairs of the church before the evening service and for one hour we discuss a couple chapters of the Bible as we are slowly working our way through the Bible. We have been doing this for months and we are only on Genesis Chapter 21. I must say that I feel that I have gained as much if not more from this then the young people have. It has been a great time learning with them.

Also, our District Youth Department issued a challenge to the Young people of the State of Maine that if they would memorize 90 verses in 90 days and could recite all 90 from memory then they would win an Ipad. Only one person in the State was able to complete the challenge and I am proud to say that she is one of my youth. Not to mention she is only 15 years old!

This is a picture of Lucy (middle) receiving her Ipad with me (Right) and the District Youth President Bro. Rodney Dame (Left). We are at a Cowboy themed banquet (the reason for the western like attire).