December 30, 2001 Volume 2 Number 52
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We Did It ! “We Did It! We Did It! I Knew That We Could Do It!” These are the words to a song sung near the end of a popular interactive children’s cartoon called “Dora The Explorer”. This cartoon is run daily, and is mesmerizing to young children. My grandson Zach can’t be budged from in front of the show when it is on, not even to play with his ‘grammin or grandpa’. Now you might think that this article is to condemn television and its effects on young children, as the articles I have chosen for this bulletin have done so often in the past. Surprisingly, even to me, this is not the case. This cartoon is one that I actually think is pretty well done. If children are going to be influenced by television, and we all know that they are, this is not a bad way to do it. The premise of the show is that of a little girl (who coincidentally reminds me of Debbie’s granddaughter Morgan), a very intelligent child, and her friend Boots a monkey that, you guessed it, wears big red boots, having adventures together while trying to solve different problems. The one politically correct feature that I could take or leave is that the show is done bilingually, some of the friends they meet along the way speak Spanish, and there is a Spanish lesson included into the context of the show. This is not a bad thing and the way it is done actually works. Along the way, as mentioned above, Dora and Boots meet up with friends who are either in need of help or in some way provide help to them. In each episode they also encounter Swiper, a not so crafty fox, who tries to disrupt their journey and adventure by ’swiping’ something that Dora and Boots need to complete their quest. With the help of the children watching the show, who are asked to admonish Swiper by calling out loud, “Swiper NO Swiping”, a valuable moral lesson is taught because Swiper always then slinks away with a dejected “Oh Ma-a-a-a-an”. The audience is then asked to watch out for Swiper and warn Dora and Boots if they see him coming back, which he sometimes does, thus teaching vigilance. After three different obstacles (other than Swiper) have been overcome on each journey, Dora and Boots, as well as their interactive audience, always reach the goal. You might be wondering by now why I would spend so much time in this lesson describing a cartoon. The simple answer is that the song mentioned in the first line of the lesson made me think about the year past, about this publication, and about the congregation of the Lord’s people here in Oroville. The Promise of “Dora the Explorer” is “Come On Let’s Do It! I Know That We Can Do It!” (a song sung as the adventure begins), the adventure itself, and finally, rejoicing together with, “We Did It! We Did It! I Knew That We Could Do It!” What a wonderful lesson this is to children of all ages. It is the time of year when we reflect back on things done during the year. We think back on goals we or others have set before us, we look at our failures and mostly at our successes. And if we are wise ... we learn! Ecc 3:1-8 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. We have shared and endured, in some way, all of these things this past year. Though we do not always understand God’s purpose we have learned that God is in control. If our study in Ecclesiastes this past summer taught us nothing else, it taught us this. We have studied of God’s great plan for us and our salvation in the Gospel of John. Our children have been exposed to the word of God through a more structured study in our preschool and primary classes and in the Bible Lab new teachers have begun to teach. The Young men have studied a history of the church and apostasy and are learning the importance of living a life that will one day allow them to serve as elders and deacons. The adult class has begun a serious study of the eldership and our responsibilities toward God’s plan for the government of the church. Many have spent their Friday evenings in fellowship through Bible study and the learning of new songs and how to sing them. Those who have chosen to participate will freely admit it has made us a better family. Those who have not, we encourage to join us for this very reason.We have shared the joy of new life amongst us and the deep sorrow of loved ones lost to us in this life. We have experienced new converts to the cause of Christ and souls lost to the allurements of the world. The Gospel has been boldly taught and its fruits are being seen in the spiritual growth of many, including our children. We have offered the Gospel to the world through the world wide web and have had many responses to our correspondence courses. The world has shown us death and destruction at the hands of a few wicked men and many have returned to a consciousness that there is a power greater than man at work in the world. We are learning that our only true security in this life is a dependence upon God and His plan for us. We have wept and mourned together in the face of sickness, tragedy and loss and rejoiced and celebrated together new life, lives joined in marriage, and a hope of eternal life with God. We have had new souls join the family here and sadly had those who needed to be marked as unfaithful. We have embraced new brothers and sisters and withdrawn fellowship from the rebellious. We have gathered together and cast away for the sake of purity in the church. Joyous additions, heart rending losses. We have endeavored to keep the commands of our blessed Lord while sifting through the thoughts and ideas and emotional pleas set before us by men. We have sought to be compassionate yet firmly stand for what is right, as given us in God’s word. We attempt to repair that which can be repaired but discard that which is beyond repair. We seek to be “...rightly dividing the word of truth”. (2 Tim 2:15) With this issue of ‘The Way’ we complete our second full year of publication and 110th issue. My reaction is “We Did It! We Did It! I Knew That We Could Do It!” Most I have spoken to have found it helpful in their own personal study and studies with others. Others admit they read it only occasionally. What are we to make of this? As with Dora and Boots we have shared many adventures. We still have a great adventure set before us. We have many obstacles in our path. We have many friends and some enemies to meet along the way. We also have our own version of Swiper, the Devil himself, who is seeking to hinder us, to take away the tools God has given us to complete the journey. We need all the help we can get. We need to make sure this adventure is an interactive one. “Come On Let’s Do It! I Know That We Can Do It!” One of the things about looking back, is that if we continue to do so, if we try to live on our past accomplishments, we can never move ahead. It is alright to remember past things but we must always remember also to look ahead, to set new goals and seek ways to achieve them. We must continue to do those things that are right, to learn from our mistakes and our successes and to “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.” Phil 3:14-16 In the trying times ahead of us in the world’s present condition, we are learning when to keep silent and when to speak, learning about love and hate, and about war and about peace. There are places we go where it is right and proper to keep silence. There are other times and places where we must not hold our peace. Mark 16:15-16 "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” 2 Tim 4:2-5 “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” How will we preach and teach God’s word? Acts of terror have taught us to hate and to make war. God IS love and He alone can show us the way of peace and love. More than ever we need to help each other in the quest for heaven. James 4:7-8 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” We are seeking to please God. I believe that in this past year “We Did It! We Did It! I Knew That We Could Do It!”, we have much more to do in the coming years. Won’t you join us? If you have been holding back from joining in, know that you are welcome, that you are needed. “Come On Let’s Do It! I Know That We Can Do It!”
Things God Won't
Ask... God won't ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove that didn't have transportation. God won't ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into your home. God won't ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy. God won't ask about your social status, but will ask what kind of class you displayed. God won't ask how many material possessions you had, but will ask if they dictated your life. God won't ask what your highest salary was, but will ask if you compromised your character to obtain that salary. God won't ask how much overtime you worked, but will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones. God won't ask how many promotions you received, but will ask how you promoted others. God won't ask what your job title was, but will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability. God won't ask what you did to help yourself, but will ask what you did to help others. God won't ask how many friends you had, but will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend. God won't ask what you did to protect your rights, but will ask what you did to protect the rights of others. God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, but will ask how you treated your neighbors. God won't ask about the color of your skin, but will ask about the content of your character. God won't ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but will ask how many times they didn't. The Spirit Expressly Says
... Happiness Solomon wrote: "A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones" (Proverbs 17:22). Is happiness missing in your life? Let me suggest some guidelines for living a healthier and happier life:
Food For Thought We all have the choice whether we are a proactive person, who is in charge of his attitude and actions, or a reactive person, who is the prisoner of moods, impulses and circumstances. The ability to subordinate by choice an impulse to a value is the essence of a proactive person, who can be truly happy and productive. The reactive person whines, blames others and is generally unhappy (Stephen Covey). People are about as happy as they make their minds up to be (Abraham Lincoln). A Bible teacher's great challenge, as well as a satisfying accomplishment, is to whet the motivation of their students to motivate themselves. We
hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study. 2
Sam 22:31
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