10 Reasons Why We Are Losing Role Models

From the Capital Life Church As Brooke Shields laments not having lost her virginity earlier, and Mel Gibson admits to fathering a child with a woman other than his wife, a question begs to be asked…What happened to role models? There was a day when being a public personality carried with it a certain standard of conduct. But of late, the bar of behavior seems to have been set quite low. The following could be 10 reasons why we are losing role models: 1. Honorable people are sometimes demonized for taking a stand for morality and values in the public arena. 2. High profile scandals in sports, politics and religion have jaded us. 3. Fewer dads are present in the home. 4. For so many of us, success in our culture has been defined as fame, fortune and power. 5. Image has often trumps character. 6. Present-day indulgence has seems better than sacrifice for a greater tomorrow. 7. Self-discipline is a less-practiced art. 8. Self-seeking is an over-practiced art. 9. Some find “family values” has become a political code word, rather than an real ideal to be embraced. 10. Good people with deep convictions remain silent. Being beautiful, uninhibited or rich has become a cheap substitute for courage, decency and selflessness. Before the American role model becomes an endangered species, we must challenge the notion that by meeting low standards we are attaining success. A new generation is looking, not for perfection, but for honesty and authenticity in its leaders. The future of America depends on those who will have the courage to live by example and call a new generation to achieve lives of moral excellence and noble service.

Keith Pintar: Like Son, Like Father

By Matt Vilkas and Michelle Wilson, with Tim Branson The 700 Club

CBN.com – It was no mistake when Keith Pintar turned on a one-way-street, headed in the wrong direction.

"I didn’t really care if I killed myself or if I killed anybody else at that point. The pain was just so bad... the rejection, the anger, and the depression," Keith remembers.

Keith’s anger took root when he was eight-years-old. His mother was a violinist for the Miami Beach Philharmonic, until multiple sclerosis quickly left her bed ridden. Keith knew his mother was dying.

"She would call me to her bed every day, in the last few months of things, and say, 'Keith, I’m so sad that I’m not going to be there to see you grow up and become a man.' "

"I didn’t know how to deal with it. I became angry and got mad at God."

His mother suffered for three and a half years, until she passed away.

"I remember being at the funeral and not shedding a tear. I knew she died, but I was in denial as far as dealing with it," he says.

At first, Keith’s father, Frank tried to comfort him. But that quickly changed when Frank could no longer deal with the loss.

"He’d be in my face and was just yelling at me," says Keith.

Frank yelled, “You’re a dirty, lousy, good-for-nothing! You’ll never be anything when you grow up! Do you hear me?!”

Keith determined, “I’m going to show you what a dirty, lousy, good-for-nothing really is.”

Keith’s grades dropped, and he started smoking marijuana.

"It did lead to opium, mushrooms, acid, cocaine, and to all these different drugs. The police brought me home many times."

In high school, Keith started playing guitar in heavy metal bands.

He thought, "I’m going to be a rock musician, a rock star, and then I won’t have any worries. I won’t have to deal with this anger, depression, loss, and this volcano that could erupt at any time."

When he was 17, the fights with his father became physical. A year later, Keith moved out. He started playing in a band called U.S. Toys. It threw him full force into the rock-n-roll life style. But all the drugs and failed relationships left Keith devastated.

"I couldn’t sleep, because I was so high. Finally I would pass out, wake up at noon, or 2:00 the next day, and I would have blood all over my pillow from snorting so much cocaine. So, I would play russian roulette. Sometimes I would put one in the chamber and just spin it and just mess around with it," he says.

Keith occasionally called home. His step-mother, Elizabeth, shared the Gospel with him.

Elisabeth said to Keith, “I want you to have that personal relationship with Jesus that I have.”

Keith wouldn’t listen. He still blamed God for his mother’s death. Then one night, overcome by depression, he went on a suicide mission.

"I got in my truck, and I threw it into first gear. I got on a one-way-street, Main Street, in Columbus, OH, and just started going into one-way-traffic, not really caring. There was traffic coming at me head on. And I remember just closing my eyes and swerving back and forth. I really didn’t care. I fully expected to get slammed by a truck."

Keith made it through the traffic without a scratch. He pulled over at a pay phone and called home.
His step-mom answered the phone.

“Elizabeth, I’m so depressed. I just feel like killing myself," he told her.

Elizabeth opened her Bible to Jeremiah 29:11. She told Keith how God had a plan and purpose for his life.

"As she was talking to me about the Lord, I felt this warmth just comes from the top of my head, through my body, just to the toes of my feet. I remember saying, 'Elizabeth, this is incredible, this feeling, it’s awesome. I feel like everything is going to be okay.' ”

The next day, Keith jumped on a plane to his parents’ home in Miami. But while he was there, Keith knew he was in a spiritual battle.

"So every evening, Elizabeth would talk to me about the Lord and I would go to bed just on cloud-nine. But I would go to bed and have these horrific nightmares. They would be demonic, with literally the fires of hell."

Frank and Elizabeth sent Keith to a Christian rehab center.

"I went to the prayer room one night, around three in the morning, and I remember in that prayer room, the presence of God was so powerful," he says.

"All at once, I remember just weeping and crying. I hadn’t cried in a long time. As I accepted Christ in my life right there in that prayer room, and then the next night at a church service, I went to the altar."

After Keith accepted Jesus as his Savior, he made a deal with God concerning his guitar skills.

"If you’ll use those things that I know are a gift you have given me, I’ll serve you."

Keith immediately saw God’s blessings in his life.

"He did heal me of the drugs instantaneously," he says.

"When I saw the transformation in Keith that just made me so happy and just so wonderful," says Elizabeth.

And as he promised, Keith used his music to encourage others to follow Christ.

"God was just giving me all these songs and these riffs and these lyrics. I was playing in the worship band at the church, and it felt good. It felt right, like that was the missing piece."

Keith’s life was finally going in the right direction. He met his wife, Christy and began opening for popular Christian bands. Then, in 1994, his dad came to his church.

"All at once, he [Keith's father] just got up in the middle of the row. We were sitting next to him. And, he got up and started walking in front of us to the aisle, and then towards the stage. We were all frozen and knew this is the real deal," says Keith.

Frank remembers, " I thought, now I am going to live a different life... knowing that I had Christ in my soul."

"I know that God needed for my father to see the incredible change that His spirit had done in me to essentially lead him to the Lord," adds Keith.

"I’m very, very proud of him," says Frank. I’m elated more than I ever could be in what he is doing. The music is for God. He’s playing the music for Him."

"I play him [Frank] a new song that God’s given me, and he’s just blessed. It’s just good. It’s just real good. It’s totally different. It's the father-son relationship that we always wanted, but never knew how to get. God knew how to get it and give it."

Keith is now a pastor at Calvary Chapel in Jacksonville, Florida. I became aquainted with Keith in Fort Lauderdale in the late 80's. A very talented musician and songwriter, he laid down the guitar track on Vicky's song,"Standing in His Presence." He attended Faith Tabernacle, Ft. Lauderdale where Vicky's uncle Gurnade Brown pastored. Small world, isn't it?

NEW BOOK MAPS OUT PATH FOR LOST GENERATION TO FIND CHURCH: ‘Already Gone’ Delves into Reasons for Young People’s Exodus.

Ken Ham and renowned researcher Britt Beemer take a penetrating look at the mass exodus of young people from church in their book released this week, “Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do to Stop It.” Surveys have consistently shown that more than 60 percent of children who grow up in church will leave it as they become young adults. Ham, president of Answers in Genesis and the acclaimed new Creation Museum, and Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, issue a clarion call to Christian leaders everywhere:

“It’s time to wake up and see the tidal wave washing away the foundation of your church. The numbers are in–and they don’t look good. From across Christendom the reports are the same: A mass exodus is underway. Most youth of today will not be coming to church tomorrow.” ARG surveyed a group of 1,000 young adults who have left churches. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the disillusionment begins early.

“We are losing many more people by middle school and many more by high school than we will ever lose in college,” the book says. The authors found that the “twentysomethings” who have left church could be divided into two groups–one that never attends and has no plans to return, and another that attends holiday services and plans to attend regularly after they have children.

About 40 percent of the first group has fundamental questions about the truth of the book of Genesis. Fifty-six percent said that secular science had caused them to doubt the Bible. In general, this group is skeptical of biblical authority. On the other hand, most of the second group still believes in Jesus Christ. More than three-fourths of them believe that they are saved, but they are troubled by hypocrisy, legalism and self-righteousness in organized Christianity. “The Bible is relevant to them, but the Church is not,” the book says.

One of the surprising results of the survey was the apparent ineffectiveness of Sunday school. Sunday school lessons usually tell children what to believe, but not why. The lessons tend to focus more on stories of inspiration and morality than on providing a factual basis for today’s children to defend God’s Word and live by it in a fallen world. “The brutal conclusion is that, on the whole, the Sunday school programs of today are statistical failures,” the authors’ survey finds.

The decay begins, Ham and Beemer believe, with a lack of faith in the creation story of Genesis. Children tend to separate the “stories” of the Bible from the “hard facts” taught in school about evolution and the age of the Earth. They look to their textbooks for answers, not the Bible.

“Ultimately, if we are unable to defend Genesis, we have allowed the enemy to attack our Christian faith and undermine the very first book of the Bible,” the book says. The authors look at today’s churches and find that they are driven more by man-made traditions than biblical mandates. These churches focus on things like programs, entertainment, and music when research shows that people want good Bible teaching.

In the end, Ham and Beemer call for a “new Reformation in the Church,” led by parents, Christian educators, youth pastors, and pastors, “to call the Church back to the authority of God, beginning in Genesis.”

Also this week, the Creation Museum, Ken Ham’s brainchild, celebrates a milestone—its second anniversary. This high-tech center near Cincinnati has drawn 717,000 visitors and the world’s leading media.

We are so convinced of the importance of this book in calling for a revolution in the church that not only can you order individual copies ($12.99 each) from AiG’s website, you can also order case lots at only $4.99 per book in a lot of 48. We are urging people to buy case lots and hand these books out to church leaders, Sunday school teachers, teachers, parents, and young people—once you read this book you will understand why we say it is a message for this time.

Special Prayer Request

Please remember Ron Knirs, Sr. this week in your prayers. He is in room 3115 at OMHS in Owensboro Kentucky under-going testing for a lung condition. As Wesleyans we still believe God heals today as stated in Scripture and through the testimonies of His people.


Discipline of The Wesleyan Church: Section 403.Healing.

"The truth that Jesus is both able and willing to heal the body as well as the human soul,whenever such healing is for His glory, is clearly set forth in God's Word and attested
by the experience of His many people at the
present day. Prayer for healing according to the pattern
set forth in the Scriptures shall be encouraged."

Healing Scriptures: Matt. 10:8; Luke 19:9; Acts 4:10, 14:1;
1 Cor.12:9,28,,James 5:14-16

In Memorium

Rev. Gurnade Brown

October 11, 1928 - May 21, 2009

Rev. Gurnade Brown, 80, Cairo, Georgia, passed away Thursday, May 21, 2009 at Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville. Born October 11, 1928, in Boonville, Indiana, he was a son of the late Quincy and Sadie Hester Brown. He married Bonnie Blackford on June 11, 1948, and she preceded him in death on February 27, 2008. He was a Minister with the Pentecostal Church, having spread the Gospel to many as well as baptizing over 2000 people. Rev. Brown was associated with Faith Farm Ministries, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, FL, for over 55 years serving as a pastor and on the Board of Directors. He was also a member of Cairo Church of God.

He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Rev. Michael and Theresa Brown, Okeechobee, Florida; daughter and son-in-law, Debra and Anthony Dumitras, Winston, Georgia; daughter and son-in-law, Joyce B. and Hubert Sellers, Cairo, Georgia; son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Elizabeth Brown, Douglasville, Georgia; sisters, Nyla Allen, Fort Branch, Indiana, Norma Black, Tennyson, Indiana, Linda Duncan, Evansville, Indiana.

In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, (Lewis )Clifford Brown.

Gurnade was my wife Vicky's uncle. He gave his life to Christ at the old Pilgrim Holiness Tabernacle at 12 years of age (1940)where our church is located now. We grew quite close to he and Bonnie when we attended and served in his church, and Faith Farm Ministries in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from 1983-1990. Visitation is Sunday May 24th from 4:00PM -8:00PM, with funeral Monday at 2:00PM at Koehler Funeral Home in Boonville,Indiana, with burial at Maple Grove Cemetary in Boonville.

Send Condolences

WAUSAU, Wis. — A jury Friday found a central Wisconsin mother guilty of killing her 11-year-old daughter by praying for her to heal instead of rushing her to the doctor.

A Marathon County jury deliberated about four hours before convicting Leilani Neumann, 41, of rural Weston, of second-degree reckless homicide. No sentencing date was set. Neumann remains free on bond.

"We have another shot on appeal," defense lawyer Gene Linehan said. "Obviously, there will be an appeal."

Neumann left the courtroom clutching her husband as her three other children, looking stunned, followed. She declined comment.

Neumann's daughter, Madeline, died of untreated diabetes March 23, 2008, surrounded by people praying for her. When she suddenly stopped breathing, her parents' business and Bible study partners finally called 911.

Prosecutors contend a reasonable parent would have known something was gravely wrong with Madeline and her mother recklessly killed her by ignoring obvious symptoms of how gravely ill she was. During closing arguments, Marathon County District Attorney Jill Falstad described Neumann as a religious zealot who let her daughter, known by the nickname Kara, die as a test of faith.

"Religious extremism can be dangerous," Marathon County District Attorney Jill Falstad said. "In this case, it was fatal. Basic medical care would have saved Kara's life — fluids and insulin. There was plenty of time to save Kara's life."

Linehan countered, saying Neumann didn't realize her daughter was so ill and did all she could do to help, in line with the family's belief in faith-healing.

He said Neumann was a devout Christian who prays about everything and took good care of her four children.

"Religious extremism is a Muslim terrorist," Linehan said. "They are saying these parents were so far off the scale that they murdered their child. The woman did everything she could to help her. That is the injustice in this case."

Neumann's stepfather, Brian Gordon of San Diego, said he was disappointed by the verdict and the jury was mistaken. He said his stepdaughter did nothing wrong in trusting in God to heal her daughter.

"We should have that right in this country," he said.

There will be a vigorous appeal and an investigation of possible prosecutorial misconduct, the stepfather said. "I don't care how far we have to carry this. There will be vindication and exoneration."

Gordon also said he was angered by Falstad's description of his family as religious extremists.

"We definitely are not terrorists," he said. "We are Bible-believing, God-believing, Holy Ghost-filled people who want to do right and be right."

Falstad declined to comment after the verdict because Madeline's father, Dale Neumann, faces the same charge and is scheduled to stand trial in July.

Jurors also declined to talk with reporters.

Neumann showed no reaction when the verdict was read. Before the jury took the case, she and her husband clutched each other and silently prayed with another man. Then she went to each of her other children sitting on a front-row courtroom bench and kissed them on the cheek.

She faces up to 25 years in prison.

25 years in prison. That's what Tiller the abortion "doctor" should have received, instead of being released to kill again...

Making A Difference

Making A Difference

I met Marty when I worked with the Faith Farm Ministries while living in Fort Lauderdale 1983-1990.He worked there in a ministry position. He's the Real Deal and now has a prison ministry based in California.

How to Use the Links for Devotion and Other Sites

I recently added these links to popular online daily devotions. These and any of the pictures you see on the far left hand side of this page link directly to the website shown when you click on the picture. Enjoy...keith

Outspoken Christian Wins American Idol As "Underdog"

Outspoken Christian Wins American Idol As "Underdog"

Submitted by Trevor

from http://dotherightthing.blogspot.com

The 2009 season of FOX broadcasting's "American Idol" had it's share of open and honest Christians who shared their faith as much as possible. Not known to many viewers is the fact that two contestants held joint-bible studies and even converted people to Christ.

Kris Allen and Danny Gokey both have strong connection to their faith but it was Kris who overcame the odds set by media-hype that fellow contestant Adam Lambert would be the winner. However the millions of Christians who prayed and organized online prayer groups asking for God to intervene would have the final say.

"It wasn't about asking God to make sure he won" says a Kris Allen fan. "It's about showing America conservative principals are still very much alive"

Even with the increasing liberal tide the country seams to be taking through the media has not taken over "American Idol". Over the past eight seasons 7 out of the 8 winners have in some form openly shared their faith and held bible study.

Kris Allen shows that someone in their 20's can be traditional and conservative in today's every increasing liberal world. At the age of 23 he has been married for a few years and is active with his church community.

This year turned out to be one of the closest years where even Simon Cowell considered the "head-judge" couldn't predict the turn out. Kris Allen's debut single hits radio airwaves tomorrow (May 21) titled "No Boundaries" which has also been arranged to be pick up by many contemporary Christian radio stations.

Here is the video:

Posted by CyberPastor Ed Boston at 1:46 AM

YOU DECIDE: Who Should Have the Final Say?

A nationwide manhunt is underway for a mother and her sick son who are both in hiding after the boy refused to undergo chemotheraphy to treat his cancer. For more on this story, click here.

For all the headlines and proclamations,

this “missing link” story includes an

amazing amount of hot air.

A story we(www.answersingenesis.org) first previewed on May 16 has since rocketed to the heights of media hype as a team of scientists reveals “Ida,” the latest and greatest supposed missing link. But does Ida actually support “the evolution of early primates, and, ultimately, modern human beings,” as one news outlet reported?¹

Another reporter raved, “The search for a direct connection between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom has taken 200 years—but it was presented to the world today at a special news conference in New York.”²

Formally identified as Darwinus masillae (in honor of Charles Darwin), the fossil originated in Germany and is purportedly 47 million years old. One scientist gave the find the nickname Ida (after his daughter).

You can read the rest of this article by clicking here.

You Say Its Your Birthday!
Don't forget Sunday June 7th, after the 5:00PM evening service. Birthday party for those who have birthdays in April, May, and June. Everyone welcome for a time of fun and fellowship.

IWA Graduation

You are invited to Indiana Wesleyan Academy's
Graduation service on Saturday June 6th,
at 2:00PM at Boonville Wesleyan Church.

Sign of the Times

Sign of the Times

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said Monday it no longer includes a Bible quote on the cover page of daily intelligence briefings it sends to the White House as was practice during the Bush administration.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he did not know how long the Worldwide Intelligence Update cover sheets quoted from the Bible. Air Force Maj. Gen. Glen Shaffer, who was responsible for including them, retired in August 2003, according to his biography.

For a period in 2003, at least, the daily reports prepared for President George W. Bush carried quotes from the books of Psalms and Ephesians and the epistles of Peter.

I have often expressed my sentiments, that every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience.

George Washington, letter to the General Committee of the United Baptist Churches in Virginia, May, 1789

One of These Things is Not Like the Other...

One of These Things is Not Like the Other...

CNSNews.com) -" After receiving an honorary doctorate in law at the University of Notre Dame’s graduation ceremony yesterday, President Barack Obama delivered a speech to the school's graduating seniors that sought to legitimize his position in favor of the legal killing of unborn children.

Obama told the graduates of the nation’s most well-known Catholic university that abortion “has both moral and spiritual dimensions”--although he did not explain why he had made this conclusion—and made it quite clear that, even so, he has no intention of moving from his position that it ought to be legal for a pregnant mother to have a doctor kill her unborn child for literally any reason at any stage of pregnancy.

The president also did not take back his declaration made in 2007 to Planned Parenthood that he would sign the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill that would eliminate all the state and federal limitations on abortion that have been achieved by the pro-life movement in the 26 years since the Supreme Court legalized abortion on demand in its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision."

This kind of double-speak has been common since the campaign last fall. Common ground? Wouldn't that be like those for and against the death penalty discussing how many volts to use in the electric chair or the length of the rope for the condemned prisoner on the gallows? The condemned person still dies! BO also has made statements inferring somehow that the lines are fuzzy on the issue. Sounds like he is having a relapse of the problem he had when he tried to explain when life began to Rev. Rick Warren. I don't know what Bible he reads, but mine makes this issue quite clear. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us,"Before I (God) formed you in the womb I knew you..."Jesus tells us those who would harm one of the little ones would be better off if they were cast into the sea with a boulder around their neck, than to face the final judgment with innocent blood on their hands. Doesn't sound fuzzy to me. I suppose when your pastor takes God's name in vain to make his sermon points, then sanctity of life issues are probably fuzzy for him also. The media tells us some of the Pro-Life demonstrators were arrested. I wonder if Adam and Steve had been hugging trees or protesting the war if they would have gone to jail as quickly. Kudos to our Catholic brothers in Christ. We should desire some of their boldness. The talking heads and politicians were as scarce at this event as hair on a chicken. The Holiness movement resorted to civil disobedience the first time an individual thought they owned an individual. Regardless of what revisionist historians might write in the public school textbooks, the Civil War was about slavery. Seems many of our free speech rights as Christians and citizens are disappearing from our eyes in the name of "tolerance." The Bible warned us this would happen in the last days. We have seen the broad outlines of Bible Prophecy being fulfilled in the last 100 years. Now I believe we are seeing the boxes shaded in. I will leave you with the words of a wise individual.

"Suppose every American spent a little time each day...in studying the Bible and the basic documents of American history, government, and culture? The result would be a new America, vigilant, strong, but ever humble in the service of God."J. Edgar Hoover,1958, in "Masters of Deceit," ...keith 1 Cor 13

Nun to run Florida Keys 100-mile marathon

BY CAMMY CLARK

cclark@MiamiHerald.com

KEY LARGO -- Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd is asking people to pray for her this weekend: She's running the entire Florida Keys island chain -- 100 miles over 43 bridges -- in her calf-length black habit.

''I'm like Johnny Cash,'' she said. 'I wear black to draw attention. And when people ask me: `Why in God's name are you doing this?' I can say, 'For the orphaned children.' ''

Sister Mary Beth will be one of about 65 people running the entire grueling distance, from Key Largo to Key West, in the second annual KEYS100 race that begins Saturday morning and has a 32-hour time limit. Another 275 also are running, either on six-person relay teams for the 100 miles or a 50-miler that starts in Marathon.

While the scenic Overseas Highway is full of unique sights, from Betsy the gigantic lobster to the breathtaking Seven Mile Bridge, a running nun is likely to turn heads.

''It's flabbergasting,'' race director Bob Becker said. ``I'm not Catholic and I didn't even know if nuns were allowed to run.''

Legendary ultra-marathoner Lisa Smith-Batchen, who once finished the Sahara Desert's infamous 150-mile Marathon des Sables after being bitten by a scorpion, will be pacing Sister Mary Beth -- who just turned 60.

''But she's so not 60 years old,'' Smith-Batchen said. ``She's like a little kid, with the most amazing energy of anyone I've been around. She's never sick. She can go, go, go. And she so believes in what she does.''

In 1967, Sister Mary Beth, a New Jersey native, joined the Religious Teachers Filippini, a 300-year-old order that helps the poorest children and women in the United States and nine other countries.

In 1995, she began a mission to help children who have become orphans because their parents died of AIDS. Last year she published AIDS Orphans Rising, a book chronicling the growing plight of millions of kids who watched their parents die of the devastating disease and then became heads of households with few resources but a huge responsibility to care for younger siblings.

''In Ethiopia, there are 470,000 new orphans from AIDS last year,'' she said. ``Where do you get the Somalian pirates? From little children with no place to go.''

When the AIDS problem began, most orphans were adopted or placed in orphanages. But now the numbers are too staggering, with estimates of 25 million worldwide by 2010, said Sister Mary Beth, the order's international mission director.

''In Brazil, they take kids for their organs,'' she said. ``In Mexico, children are living in sewers because it's safer for them at night. They're like Ninja turtles; it's so awful.''

Through donations, in which 100 percent goes to help the children, her order has built mission schools in Brazil, Ethiopia, Eritrea, India and Albania to feed, clothe and lodge the youngest orphans.

The mission schools also educate and teach the children skills -- from pizza-making to agriculture to accounting -- to help them provide for themselves.

For $150, a young girl can be set up with a sewing machine, thread and the know-how to start her own business.

''With the micro-enterprise, she doesn't have to turn to prostitution,'' Sister Mary Beth said. ``She has a way to take care of her younger brothers and sisters with dignity.''

She often tells the story of the 6-year-old boy who takes care of three younger sisters in Ethiopia. He was taught how to care for chickens, and became so good he amassed about 300 in his yard.

Wesleyan Life Magazine Online

Hope to Refugees

By Bonnie MacBeth

Our faith-based organization was mentioned in a front-page article of the main Buffalo, New York, newspaper. Myo Thant (pronounced mew taunt), a volunteer who translates to English for the Burmese families we serve at Hope Refugee Services (HOPE), was interviewed about the tragedy in Burma, the cyclone Nargis. I shook my head in amazement as I read the reference to HOPE.

Starting with limited financial resources and a few volunteers with compassion for refugee families, only God could have taken us from a group of five women drinking coffee around a table and brainstorming about what we could do for refugees (with no funds and no facilities) to helping hundreds of refugees solve translation needs, housing crises, food shortages, children’s educational challenges, health needs, and employment issues.

A Perfect Location

Fifteen million refugees live in “temporary” refugee camps worldwide. Fewer than one percent ever leave the camps. Refugees fled their homelands for fear of persecution or death and have experienced much tragedy and injustice. They are legal immigrants who come to the U.S. after undergoing an intense screening process by the United Nations and the federal government, and they arrive in the States with only the clothes on their backs.

It seems like every week God shows up in new ways to meet the overwhelming needs of these families. When we needed a place to start our ministry, a Catholic nun who operated a home for people who were physically handicapped was concluding her ministry and retiring. She heard about HOPE and decided to give the house to us for our ministry to refugees. It was in a perfect location for the many families who must walk to meet with us, as most have no car.

Wesleyans Respond with Help

When we needed emergency funds to help refugee families move into apartments, a number of Wesleyan churches gave to make it possible. When we saw refugee kids discouraged and struggling in school because they are put into classrooms according to their age and not their English abilities, we started an after-school tutoring program. The Buffalo Public Schools asked us if they could piggyback on our Saturday program and expand it from 15 to 60 kids!

Hamburg Wesleyan Church gave us a generous, two-year grant that enabled us to open our doors, and several Wesleyan churches across Western New York District, including my home church, Fellowship Wesleyan in Seneca, New York, have provided funds, volunteers, and household items.

He Knows We Are Christians

Early on, Myo Thant, the volunteer interviewed in the news article, showed up and began to bring many Burmese families to us for help. A Buddhist, Myo loves his people and is a leader among them. He knows we are Christians and is happy to work with us. Always a cheerful person, he is constantly helping others. But after the cyclone tragedy in Burma he came into my office in tears and showed me pictures of the dead from his home area. I told Myo that Jesus’ heart is broken for the people who are suffering and dying in Burma, and as we cried together he let me pray with him.

Deepened Love for Jesus

Recently God has opened up new areas of ministry: A local camp is partnering with us to develop a year-round leadership program, we’ve started a sewing project to teach refugee women how to use sewing machines and encourage them in developing home businesses, and we are partnering with local housing agencies to offer homebuyers’ programs. A new drop-in center is ministering to 500-600 people each month.

My days include long hours of service and both emotionally and physically exhausting work. But as a byproduct, I realize my faith is growing; I am more willing to take risks for the sake of the Kingdom; I am learning to listen more intently to the leading of the Holy Spirit; I have become bolder in sharing my faith. Most of all, my love for Jesus has deepened as I see His heart of love reach out through His church to those who need to know He has not forgotten them.

- Bonnie MacBeth is executive director of Hope Refugee Services in Buffalo, New York.

"The Churchmen" Appearing
at Boonville Wesleyan Church

Sunday, June 14th, 7:00PM

Some Facts About the Churchmen:

• Multiple nominations for "Gospel Group of the Year" by the Society of Preservation of Bluegrass in America
• Performance at the Ryman Theater
  
• Nominated for Two Dove Awards
• Bluegrass Gospel Album of the year (2005)
• Bluegrass Song of the year (2007)

"The Churchmen are one of the fastest growing,hottest new sounds in Bluegrass Gospel Music today. We have worked with these guys a lot, and they really live what they sing."
Jeff and Sheri Easter

For more information about the Churchmen, or to listen to samples of their music, click here:
www.thechurchmen.com/

You Say Its Your Birthday!
Don't forget Sunday June 7th, after the 5:00PM evening service. Birthday party for those who have birthdays in April, May, and June. Everyone welcome for a time of fun and fellowship.

Ten Prayerful Thoughts About Moms on Mother’s Day Pastor Bill Shuler Capital Life Church, Arlington, Virginia At the conclusion of the Civil War, Julia Ward Howe, author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” became convinced that there was one unique group who had the power to end all wars…Mothers! Her logic was that only mothers knew what it meant to bring forth life and thus had the moral authority to unite and exert their influence to call an end to death. As America honors its mothers, the following are ten thoughts about Moms: 1. “All I am I owe to my Mother.” — George Washington 2. “I remember my Mother’s prayers and they have always followed me.” — Abraham Lincoln 3. “Do not forsake your Mother’s teaching.”– Proverbs 1:8 4. Mom’s heartbeat was our very first affirmation that we were not alone. 5. Although we made our debut wrinkled, squished and screaming, Mom thought we were the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. 6. A mom’s love can be found in the beauty of adoption and the wisdom of counsel. 7. The cord was cut at birth but the heartstrings are attached forever. 8. When God thought to describe his love for us he said, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” 9. There was a time when Mom mended scrapes and tended to bruises –- now just the thought of her brings healing. 10. She made you feel like your first play was Shakespeare, your first game – the World Series, your first painting – Michelangelo. Amidst dying on the cross, Jesus made certain to instruct those present as to the care of his mother. Whether she birthed you, rescued you by adoption or filled a role that was vacant in your life, now is the time to honor her in word and deed.

Suzanna Wesley's Rules for Raising Children

Rules for Raising Children

Suzanna Wesley was the mother of nineteen children, among them were John and Charles Wesley. It has been said that the Methodist faith was born on the lap of a mother, Suzanne Wesley.
She spent one hour each day in prayer. That's seven hours each week! She spent one hour per week with each child individually imparting spiritual life and wisdom. That's nineteen hours!
Suzanna Wesley over two hundred years ago formulated sixteen rules for raising children. They are still pretty good rules!

1. Eating between meals is not allowed.
2. As children, they are to be in bed by 8 pm.
3. They are required to take medicine without complaining.
4. They are to subdue their self-will so that they might be open to God's salvation.
5. Teach a child to pray as soon as he can speak.
6. Require all to be still during Family Worship.
7. Give them nothing they cry for, and only that which they ask for politely.
8. To prevent lying, punish no fault which is first confessed and repented.
9. Never allow a sinful act to go unpunished.
10. Never punish a child twice for a single offense.
11. Commend and reward good behavior.
12. Any attempt to please, even if poorly performed should be commended.
13. Preserve property rights, even in smallest matters.
14. Strictly observe all promises.
15. Require no daughter to work before she can read well.
16. Teach children to reverence God.

One of Suzanna Wesley's prayers gives a glimpse of her faith:
"Help me, Lord, to remember that religion is not to be confined to the church, or closet, nor exercised only in prayer and meditation, but that everywhere I am in Your presence... May all things instruct me and afford me an opportunity of exercising some goodness and daily learning and growing toward Your likeness."
Although she lived two hundred years ago, Suzanna's faith lives on today. The important things in life have not changed. It still matters that parents stay in the Lord and spend their lives leading children to do the same.

New Wesley Movie Trailer

Movie Trailer

INTERNET EXPLORER USERS: Internet Explorer 7 has an issue that prevents the Flash 9 player from working in some situations. We are testing a different player solution below which so far has tested fine in current versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera. If you cannot view the trailer, please CLICK HERE and report the problem.

You can also download the WMV version at the bottom of the page. Apologies for any inconvenience!

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Score for Trailer composed by Joel Steudler

BILL SHULER — THE FIRST 100 DAYS: Ten Ways to Pray for President Obama

Pastor, Capital Life Church, Arlington, VA

On January 20, the presidency of Barack Obama was a blank canvas upon which millions of Americans projected their hopes and fears. Now, almost 100 days later, issues such as the economy, foreign affairs and military activity are beginning to define this presidency. As we pause to measure the decisions of this president–or any American leader–let us not neglect the highest honor and responsibility given to each member of the community of faith.

The following are ways we can pray for our president:

1. Pray that God will continually honor him with great wisdom amidst the difficult decisions that he faces each day.

2. Pray for God to protect him and our nation from harm.

3. Pray that his decisions will always reflect a courage that goes beyond polls and politics.

4. Pray that he will be blessed in his role as husband and father.

5. Pray that he will be refreshed in his physical body.

6. Pray for First Lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters, that they will experience great joy in this new chapter of their lives.

7. Pray that he will be encouraged and filled with the “peace that passes all understanding.”

8. Pray for his staff, that they will serve him well and be a strength to him.

9. Pray that he will be humble but fearless in seeking and fulfilling God’s will.

10. Pray that he will build bridges to unite a nation.

The Scriptures command us to pray for “all who are in authority that we may live a quiet and peaceful life.” Let us dedicate ourselves to taking the next 100 days to strengthen our President in prayer.

By so doing, we call forth God’s blessings upon our nation.

BILL SHULER: Ten Timeless Truths For Hard Times

By Bill Shuler
Pastor, Capital Life Church, Arlington, Virginia

1. No difficulty will leave you where it found you.

2. Five star generals are not made in peacetime.

3. Challenges have a shelf life…press on through!

4. Your crisis is a comma, not a period.

5. God will always have the last word.

6. Perseverance gets up one more time than it goes down.

7. What ends some careers launches others.

8. At the end of their lives many people count their greatest obstacles as having been their greatest blessings.

9. We experience God in unique ways when we need Him most.

10. The difference between faith and fear is a matter of focus.

One of the realities of life is that tough times will come. The Bible says that God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble. We can take comfort in the fact that the one who knows the future holds us in the palm of His hand.