LaJunta 1st Church of the Nazarene

Church bulletin 07.30.2011

2011-08-02T04:48:00.002+14:00

Sunday Morning Prayer

Join us Sunday mornings at 9am in the sanctuary for a time of focused prayer just prior to Sunday School.

Day of Prayer & Fasting

Join thousands of others across the US on August 6th for a day of prayer & fasting for our nation. Governor Rick Perry of Texas has organized this day as we all recognize the challenges faced by our nation. Regardless of one’s political leanings, we hope you will consider participating on some level on this day. If you have not seen the video of Governor Perry’s challenge you can find it here: http://vimeo.com/24674722

Testimonies

We would like to include testimonies of what God is doing in the lives of our church family in our new e-newsletter. If the Lord has been working in your life, please give Pastor Andy a call or send him an e-mail. We would love to celebrate this with you as a church family!

Naz E-News

We are going to resume publishing a church newsletter at the end of this month. This newsletter will be distributed bi-weekly via e-mail. We will have a small number of print newsletters available in the foyer for those who would prefer this method of distribution. If you would like to receive the church e-newsletter please sign up in the foyer today or in your Sunday School Class.

Inspire Mentoring

We have a very unique opportunity to partner with the General Church of the Nazarene and receive grant funds to offer a mentoring program for children in our area. This program would begin in the fall and be a once a week commitment for one year. Although we are very excited about this program, we know we need to have committed volunteers to even consider the opportunity. If you would like more information, or would be willing and able to volunteer please contact the church office or Pastor Andy. You can also sign up in the foyer and we will contact you with more info.

Dr. Gay Hubbard

All ladies are invited to come spend the day with Dr. Hubbard on August 27th. She will be teaching on learning to sit with Jesus. Dr. Hubbard is a sought after speaker but enjoys most teaching women in small groups. Dr. Hubbard is coming to assist us with growing a women's ministry group. If you are interested, we would love to have you attend. The cost is just $20. Please contact Holly Lewis or the church office if interested.

Thank you Gibbons!

Sunday, August 7th will be Gibbons last Sunday with us before he returns home to California. Be sure and let him know how much we appreciate his work with our students this summer.

Small Group Kick-Off

Will be Sunday August, 28th at 6pm. We have several new small group possibilities, so you won’t want to miss learning how to get involved with this important ministry!

Children’s Activities

Sports Camp

Will be August 2nd-4th from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. We will be serving a light dinner from 4:30-5:00 for anyone interested. Today in the foyer we have cards available for areas we need help as well items needed.

Last year we had 14 children accept Jesus during Sports Camp and we can’t wait to see what God has in store this year!

NYI Happenings (Students Grades 6-12)

Weekly Events

Sunday Nights @ 6pm-NYI Meeting
Thursday Nights@ 6pm-Dodgeball

Youth Fundraisers

Sonic-Join us on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at the La Junta Sonic from 5-8pm. 10% of proceeds received during this time will go towards assisting students attend NYI and children’s activities.

La Junta Recycling -Students are needed to help at the recycling center across from Potter Park on Sept 17th and 24th from 8am-12pm. For every bag bought, our church will receive $1.00. Contact Donna Davis if you are interested in helping.

Lobby Loungers ...

2011-07-25T14:01:00.005+14:00

Lisa marvels at the quality of the coffee ...

while she and Betty chat about the various and sundry.

Music

2011-07-25T13:57:00.004+14:00

Dan belts out an old favorite ...

While Michelle accompanies and bangs out the tune:

Nazarene Youth Conference: A World Unbroken

2011-07-25T13:51:00.004+14:00

Jerod, Dillon, Ethan, and Hailey shared their experiences at Nazarene Youth Conference 2011: A World Unbroken.

Baby dedication: Mayson Fief

2011-07-25T13:44:00.007+14:00

Mayson Fief was presented to the church today by his parents, Josh and Linda. Pastor Andy welcomed Mayson to the congregation:

Church bulletin 07.24.2011

2011-07-23T09:25:00.002+14:00

Sunday Morning Prayer

Join us Sunday mornings at 9am in the sanctuary for a time of focused prayer just prior to Sunday School.

Day of Prayer & Fasting

Join thousands of others across the US on August 6th for a day of prayer & fasting for our nation. Governor Rick Perry of Texas has organized this day as we all recognize the challenges faced by our nation. Regardless of one’s political leanings, we hope you will consider participating on some level on this day. If you have not seen the video of Governor Perry’s challenge you can find it here: http://vimeo.com/24674722

Testimonies

We would like to include testimonies of what God is doing in the lives of our church family in our new e-newsletter. If the Lord has been working in your life, please give Pastor Andy a call or send him an e-mail. We would love to celebrate this with you as a church family!

Naz E-News

We are going to resume publishing a church newsletter at the end of this month. This newsletter will be distributed bi-weekly via e-mail. We will have a small number of print newsletters available in the foyer for those who would prefer this method of distribution. If you would like to receive the church e-newsletter please sign up in the foyer today or in your Sunday School Class.

Inspire Mentoring

We have a very unique opportunity to partner with the General Church of the Nazarene and receive grant funds to offer a mentoring program for children in our area. This program would begin in the fall and be a once a week commitment for one year. Although we are very excited about this program, we know we need to have committed volunteers to even consider the opportunity. If you would like more information, or would be willing and able to volunteer please contact the church office or Pastor Andy. You can also sign up in the foyer and we will contact you with more info.

Children’s Activities

Sports Camp

Will be August 2nd-4th from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. We will be serving a light dinner from 4:30-5:00 for anyone interested. Today in the foyer we have cards available for areas we need help as well items needed.

Last year we had 14 children accept Jesus during Sports Camp and we can’t wait to see what God has in store this year!

NYI Happenings (Students Grades 6-12)
Weekly Events
Sunday Nights @ 6pm-NYI Meeting
Thursday Nights@ 6pm-Dodgeball

District NYI (Youth) Day at Water World

Is August 6th. Registrations are due by July 29th. Cost is 32.00 that includes admission and lunch. Additional money for a fast food meal on the way home will also be needed.

Overnighter

Will be taking place July 29th-30th here at the church from 6pm-10am. Cost is Free. We still need volunteers to help with this event.

Church bulletin for 17 July 2011

2011-07-15T07:04:00.002+14:00

Youth Workers Needed

For an upcoming all-nighter. We will need a good number of male & female sponsors for this event. Sign up in the foyer today if you are interested.

Sunday School Focus

August will be a special month of focus on the wonderful Sunday School classes we offer, plus a little friendly competition to boot. More info will be announced in the coming weeks.

Small Group Leaders

We will be kicking off our Fall Semester for our small groups in late August/Early September and would like to add additional small groups to the ones that are currently running. Let Pastor Andy know if you would consider leading a small group or hosting a small group in your home.

Naz E-News

We are going to resume publishing a church newsletter at the end of this month. This newsletter will be distributed bi-weekly via e-mail. We will have a small number of print newsletters available in the foyer for those who would prefer this method of distribution. If you would like to receive the church e-newsletter please sign up in the foyer today or in your Sunday School Class.

Inspire Mentoring

We have a very unique opportunity to partner with the General Church of the Nazarene and receive grant funds to offer a mentoring program for children in our area. This program would begin in the fall and be a once a week commitment for one year. Although we are very excited about this program, we know we need to have committed volunteers to even consider the opportunity. If you would like more information, or would be willing and able to volunteer please contact the church office or Pastor Andy.

Children’s Activities

Sports Camp
Will be August 2nd-4th from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. We will be serving a light dinner from 4:30-5:00 for anyone interested. Today in the foyer we have cards available for areas we need help as well items needed.

Last year we had 14 children accept Jesus during Sports Camp and we can’t wait to see what God has in store this year!

NYI Happenings (Students Grades 6-12)
Weekly Events
Sunday Nights @ 6pm-NYI Meeting
Thursday Nights@ 6pm-Dodgeball

District NYI (Youth) Day at Water World
Is August 6th. Registrations are due by July 29th. Cost is 32.00 that includes admission and lunch. Additional money for a fast food meal on the way home will also be needed.

Overnighter
Will be taking place July 22nd-23rd here at the church from 6pm-10am. Cost is Free. We still need volunteers to help with this event.

Church bulletin for July 10

2011-07-09T11:32:00.002+14:00

Youth Workers Needed

For an upcoming all-nighter. We will need a good number of male & female sponsors for this event. Sign up in the foyer today if you are interested.

Care & Share Food Distribution

We need help tomorrow at 10am and 1pm for our Care & Share food distribution. We will unload the food at 10am and then distribution is from 1pm-3pm.

Sunday School Focus

August will be a special month of focus on the wonderful Sunday School classes we offer, plus a little friendly competition to boot. More info will be announced in the coming weeks.

Small Group Leaders

We will be kicking off our Fall Semester for our small groups in late August/Early September and would like to add additional small groups to the ones that are currently running. Let Pastor Andy know if you would consider leading a small group or hosting a small group in your home.

Children’s Activities

Sports Camp

Save the date! Sports Camp is coming August 2nd-5th. We had a great time last year and this year will be even better!

NYI Happenings (Students Grades 6-12)
Weekly Events
Sunday Nights @ 6pm-NYI Meeting
Thursday Nights@ 6pm-Dodgeball

District NYI (Youth) Day at Water World

Is August 6th. Registrations are due by July 29th. Cost is 32.00 that includes admission and lunch. Additional money for a fast food meal on the way home will also be needed.

Church bulletin for July 3, 2011

2011-07-02T07:21:00.001+14:00

4th of July Meal

We are providing lunch for the firefighters working at the fairgrounds tomorrow who will be unable to leave for a meal. If you can help with supplying a picnic item, please sign up in the foyer. We would like to have items to the church by 1:00pm tomorrow and will be serving lunch at the fairgrounds between 2pm and 3pm. Contact Denise Balicki with questions.

The Memorial Service

for Lavolia Jones will be held on Saturday, July 9th at 12pm at the Ellicot Open Door Church, 2055 Log Road. Lunch will follow the service.

NYI Happenings (Students Grades 6-12)
4th on the 5th

Students are invited to a 4th of July party on July 5th at 2pm at the church.

Youth Workers Needed

For an upcoming all-nighter. We will need a good number of male & female sponsors for this event. Sign up in the foyer today if you are interested.

District NYI (Youth) Day at Water World

Is August 6th. Registrations are due by July 29th. Cost is 32.00 and includes admission and lunch. Additional money for a fast food meal on the way home will also be needed.

Children’s Activities: Sports Camp

Save the date! Sports Camp is coming August 2nd-5th. We had a great time last year and this year will be even better!

Nazarene Disaster Relief

2011-04-29T04:05:00.006+14:00

What's happening in the southeast United States:

Storm Death Toll Rises to 200 in the South

To make a donation for the Nazarene Disaster Relief fund in the United States, specifically for this incident:

USA/Canada Tornadoes Nazarene Disaster Response

Japanese earthquake/tsunami relief

2011-03-15T06:07:00.002+14:00

Church asks for prayer in aftermath of Japan earthquake

To contribute to relief efforts via Nazarene Compassionate Ministries

2010 Womens' Christmas Dinner

2010-12-06T11:42:00.005+14:00

Photo gallery:

2010 Womens' Christmas Dinner

Patriot Day BBQ

2010-09-02T15:36:00.004+14:00

We will be honoring our local first responders during a special service on 26 September and enjoying a BBQ immediately following the service. We will need our church family to bring two side dishes each. Meat will be provided.

Christmas Trees

2010-09-02T15:35:00.001+14:00

If you have a Christmas tree you no longer need, please consider donating it for the ladies' Christmas dinner in December. We still need several trees.

Small Group Leaders

2010-09-02T15:23:00.001+14:00

If you are interested in leading a small group, please sign up in the church foyer or call the church office during the week.

Life Line Screenings

2010-09-02T15:20:00.003+14:00

Do your legs ache after walking a short distance? If so, you may want to consider being screened for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This is a condition in which the arteries that carry blood to the arms and legs become narrowed or clogged with plaque, slowing or stopping the flow of blood.

Screenings will be held at the church on 30 September, time to be announced.

Call 1.888.653.6441 or visit Lifeline to pre-register.

Prayer Services

2010-09-02T15:18:00.003+14:00

Does your prayer life need a boost?

During September we will hold special prayer services, Wednesday evenings, 6:00 PM, in the sanctuary.

We will meet for a time of concentrated prayer and a short devotional by Pastor Andy.

VBS awards presentations

2010-08-18T11:00:00.003+14:00

Here are a few shots from Sunday's festivities and awards presentations:

Warming up with a bit of song and dance.

Anxiously awaiting the awards.

Tookie receives an award.

Chill Out home made ice cream contest

2010-08-03T14:42:00.002+14:00

Chill Out

Sports Camp Update

2010-08-03T07:41:00.001+14:00

La Junta First Church of the Nazarene will be hosting its first ever VBS Sports Camp, August 10th through August 13th from 9am-12pm daily. A special awards ceremony will be held Sunday morning August 15th at 10:30am.

Sports camp is open to all children entering 1st through 5th grade this fall. Each child will be placed on a team and will be participating in a different sporting event each day. Age appropriate training will be provided. Friday will be a special water sports day. There is no charge for Sports Camp, thanks to a generous donor who has covered the cost of t-shirts for the kids. Registration forms can be printed here and need to be returned to the church office.

Care and Share

2010-07-24T15:07:00.006+14:00

The church hosted the distribution of Care and Share packages yesterday. This event was to distribute food packages to needy seniors in the community.

Here are some of the programs by Care and Share:

Current southeastern Colorado Care and Share programs

We had members of the Tiger football team help with the program, as well as the usual suspects. Here are some photos of the event, in no particular order:

Chapmans visit from Papua New Guinea

2010-07-21T12:08:00.006+14:00

Mike and Diane Chapman, missionaries on home assignment while serving in Papua New Guinea, visited us on July 18, and gave a presentation on their work in that mission field.

Mike Chapman describes the construction work he has been overseeing.

Diane Chapman talks about how she came to the decision to accept the call to PNG.

The Chapmans have a blog:

The Chapman Connection

Other links:

Powerless: Kudjip Nazarene Hospital seeks new electrical infrastructure

The fruit of partnership: Kudjip hospital dedication

Chapmans, Oceania Nazarene web portal

Sunday 11 July 2010

2010-07-12T14:11:00.005+14:00

Martin and Kristina Crain visited again. Martin plays the piano magnificently and with some accomplices from the congregation, put on a most excellent music program for today's service.

Jon accompanied on the bass guitar ...

... while Gary accompanied on the acoustic.

John, Vince, Kristina, and Velva served as a quartet ...

... with Pam and Evelyn as a duet.

Leece's district minister's license was renewed, with Pastor Andy presenting it to her today.

And Glyn Hart presented his testimony of salvation.

Kids' Sports Camp

2010-07-09T05:24:00.003+14:00

La Junta First Church of the Nazarene will be hosting its first ever VBS Sports Camp, August 10th through August 13th from 9am-12pm daily. A special awards ceremony will be held Sunday morning August 15th at 10:30am.

Sports camp is open to all children entering 1st through 5th grade this fall. Each child will be placed on a team and will be participating in a different sporting event each day. Age appropriate training will be provided. Friday will be a special water sports day. The cost is 10.00 and each child will receive a t-shirt. Registration forms can be printed here and need to be returned to the church office.

Phil Carr visits La Junta

2010-06-30T10:01:00.005+14:00

Phil Carr is a Nazarene pastor currently serving as a missionary in Ghana.

He visited the La Junta church this past Sunday to share some of his experiences with the congregation.

A potluck followed.

Pastor Andy introduces Pastor Phil.

Pastor Phil explains some of the things shown in his slide presentation on serving in Ghana.

The 'pocket choir' sang several hymns, while Nancy Jones did a great job playing the piano.

Chowing down at the pot luck.

Chowing down at the pot luck.

Dinner at the church

2010-06-25T11:52:00.013+14:00

So Wednesday evening a few people gathered for some chitchat and Mexican eats at the church:

Going through the chow line.

Leece and the lads.

Chef Dee and sous chef Nia. Grillmeister Gilbert was sacked out, having worked all night.

Pastor Andy gives Aaron a giggle fit.

More of the same.

Dee and Nia marveling at the wit and charm of the participants.

While Sarah hangs onto Aaron, and is just glad to be part of it all ...

... as Jonathan makes a profound theological point to Pastor Andy, and Steve looks on in awed admiration. Or maybe Jon was just going on about a movie he had seen ...

A lesson from Herbie, the goldfish

2010-06-04T11:55:00.004+14:00

by Alicia Gossman-Steeves

When I was in first grade, my elementary school conducted a carnival. I remember this day pretty well even though it was a long time ago, because that is when Herbie came into my life. Herbie was a small goldfish that I won at the carnival. It was one of those happy childhood days. My mom came to the classroom and walked through the carnival with me, steering me clear of the fish until the very last. She didn't want to carry it around and risk the bag breaking. It must have been clear that everyone could win a goldfish.

When I won my fish, I was elated. The little guy swam around in the plastic bag filled with water and I held it carefully all the way home. When we got home my mom filled up a large glass bowl that had a stem -- at that age I thought it would be a neat drinking glass probably because I had seen people drinking from smaller, similar glasses on television -- and we dumped Herbie into the water. I watched my little goldfish swim around making "o" shapes with his mouth as he breathed.

My favorite thing was to feed Herbie. I liked to watch him swim to the surface and suck in the little pellets that I sprinkled on top. He was always so eager. I think this was the only excitement Herbie had -- that is until we cleaned his bowl.

Cleaning the bowl was a job for my dad. I watched and helped the best I could. It always amazed me to see Herbie swim really fast as my dad chased him around the bowl with a net and then flop around once he was inside and had hit air. Herbie always seemed grateful when we dumped him into a glass of water while we cleaned his bowl.

The one thing about Herbie is that his life was immersed in blessing. He was surrounded by his life source, water. He was well fed and had no real worries. Even the net was his friend because if we had let his bowl grow increasingly dirty, Herbie would have died.

Herbie is a lot like us. We are immersed in blessing. It may not feel like it sometimes. God may drag his net around in our bowl so that he can clean out our lives, but like Herbie, we are surrounded by our life source. God surrounds us and immerses us in his love. There is nowhere we can go to get away from it. If we did get away we would die spiritually.

Most people swim around in the fishbowls of their lives without realizing that they are surrounded by blessing. It is easy to take things for granted. However, God will remind us from time to time that he is there and that we are indeed blessed. It may come in the form of more blessings being sprinkled onto the surface of our lives, or, it may come in the form of trouble, when our world is turned upside down so that God can discipline us. These are the extra blessings in life. We are already surrounded in God's blessing. We are literally swimming in it.

"A Spirit-filled life"

2010-06-03T06:03:00.006+14:00

In his continuing sermon series, "A Wonderful Life", Pastor Andy talked about "A Spirit-filled life" last Sunday.

The basic theme of the sermon:

From Acts 1:4-5, we see that Jesus wanted people to live a wonderful life, so he wanted to bless them with the Holy Spirit. From that, you can receive a fresh infilling of God's power. You will experience that power when you have a Spirit-filled life (Acts 16:22-34). And, he examined five occurrences that can take place when we encounter God's power through a Spirit-filled life.

The five occurrences, based on Acts 16:22-34 -

Problems may occur, as we may find ourselves engaged in Spiritual warfare.
Opportunities to witness may occur.
Willingness to see the miraculous may occur.
Explaining how others can know Christ may present as an opportunity.
Readiness to see the spiritual chains fall off.

Scriptures for the week:

John 15:1-5
Ephesians 5:8-9
Philippians 1:9-11
Colossians 1:9-13
Romans 15:13
Acts 1:8

Church bulletin 05.23.2010

2010-05-26T05:18:00.005+14:00

Church bulletin for 23 May 2010

Please note that this is an .mht file, and requires Microsoft Internet Explorer for proper display. Other browsers may require a plug-in for proper display.

What does creation have to do with politics?

2010-05-21T14:51:00.000+14:00

by Alicia Gossman-Steeves

A recent article I read on the CBS news website has my hackles up again about the separation of church and state. And, as I’ve said before, I will say again, religion and politics do not mix.

Here’s what’s bugging me. Gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne of Alabama is being attacked by a “shadowy” group called “True Republican Political Action Committee” for suggesting that “evolution best explains the origin of life.”

Why in the world does it matter what a gubernatorial candidate thinks about evolution or creationism? Why do we care what any candidate for any office thinks about Genesis or Darwin? How does what one believes about the origins of the universe figure into whether or not he or she will govern fairly and do what’s best for everyone?

Now it could be said that a candidate who believes in creationism (i.e. the six - 24 - hour - day theory) also believes that humankind is made in the image of God and that makes them precious and worth treating fairly. That could be true. However, Mr. Byrne is an outspoken Christian who says that “everything in it (the world) is a masterpiece created by the hands of God,” and that he believes “every single word of the Bible is true.”
What is really happening is this political action committee is trying to discredit Byrne and they are using his faith and the minds of blindly conservative fundamentalists to try to create an uproar so that their candidate will win.

Not only is this tactic filthy and underhanded, it goes against the very things for which our founding fathers stood. Many of our fathers were Christians, some were deists, but they did not believe that politics and religion should mix. The reason? Absolute power absolutely corrupts. A cursory glance at history will demonstrate my point. Whenever the church and the government are ruling together, the people suffer. Anyone who dares to disagree with the state established religion either ends up in prison, sanctioned in some way, or dead, usually in very messy and pain-filled fashion.

That is not to say that Christians should not be involved in politics. They should. What better way to show the power of God than to live a life that is moral in the midst of an almost amoral environment? Our Christian beliefs should deeply affect our actions, our sense of morality, and the decisions we make, but faith should never be forced upon someone else. That’s not what Christianity is all about. On the flip side, no American should use someone else’s faith as a weapon against him by twisting his words in order to incite small-minded voters. That’s really low rent; but while unfortunately it is politics, it is decidedly un-Christian, no matter what anyone says.

Whether God created the earth in six 24 hour days or in 6 billion years is immaterial. Whether the Bible is literal or metaphorical or combination of both is immaterial. The fact that God did it is what matters. Anyone who asks a candidate what his or her opinion is on this matter is fishing for something else and he or she should proceed with extreme caution.

District Assembly and Conventions

2010-05-19T09:41:00.004+14:00

The Colorado District of the Nazarene Church will convene in Denver June 27-29, at Denver First Church of the Nazarene.

Ordination service is the evening of June 27. Pastor Andy will be ordained during that service.

Virtual Turnpike view of Denver First:

Denver First Church of the Nazarene Note that it opens with the church at your back. Simply use the cursor to rotate the view 180 degrees.

Googlemap:

View Larger Map

"A Wonderful Life"

2010-05-19T09:06:00.004+14:00

Pastor Andy has started a new sermon series, "A Wonderful Life". In Sunday's sermon, he looked at the faith component.

Scriptural resources

Fear is removed:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Accept the call:

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place where he would later receive his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.Hebrews 11:8

Incredible courage:

Come, he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. Matthew 14:29-30

Tendency to doubt:

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"Matthew 14:29-30

Help from the Lord:

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:31

Scriptures for the week:

James 1:2-4
1 Peter 1:8-9
Luke 7:45-50
Romans 5:12
2 Corinthians 4:13-15
Matthew 21:21-22

Imago Dei - Have we lost it?

2010-05-15T11:36:00.001+14:00

by Alicia Gossman-Steeves
I’ve recently come across the Latin phrase “imago dei,” which means “image of God.” At first, I thought it was a nice phrase, something to remind us that we are made in God’s image.; it made me feel warm inside. However, over the last couple of weeks, the phrase has taken on deeper meaning as I studied it for our Sunday discussion group at church.

The book of Genesis says that when humankind was first created, God said “‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (1: 26, 27, NRSV).

If you’ve spent any time in church at all, you know that after God uttered these words, humanity fell miserably. We fell under a curse which meant that we had to work hard for our food, suffer pain in childbirth and were under a physical death sentence. Before the fall, we lived in complete joy and harmony with our Creator. After the fall, there was a wall of sin between us.

Since the first century, most Christians have agreed that the image of God referred to an original spiritual possession that was lost in the fall. To what degree you believe that spiritual possession was lost depends on what theological bent to which your denomination subscribes. Some Christians believe that humanity only lost the supernatural aspects of that image, such as “sanctifying grace,” justice, immortality and integrity. What was left was a wounded human nature that still had the powers of reason and free will. Others believe that humans lost everything related to that image after the fall, including freedom of will. Still others believe that the image was so corrupted that whatever remains is horribly deformed.

I like what Matthew Henry said, “The soul of man, considered in its three noble faculties, understanding, will and active power, is perhaps the brightest clearest looking-glass in nature wherein to see God.” Henry believed that Christ was the exact image and that humanity was the most like God in relation to any other being.

By watching the news alone, anyone can see that at the very least the image of God within humanity is wounded, but there is hope. Colossians says, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator,” (3:9,10, NIV). The image of God can be renewed through Christ. We may not completely live up to that image, but it is something for which to aim. God will help us. All we need to do is ask.

Colorado NYI Summer Camp

2010-05-11T09:25:00.003+14:00

MOSAIC

June 14-18

See Marvin Berg for applications and
detailed information. Early registration
deadline May 3.

Children's Special

2010-05-11T09:24:00.002+14:00

Movie Sunday

May 23

Right after church children K-6th grade
will meet in the Family Life Center
for snacks and a movie.

Contact Denise for more details.

Ladies' Night Out

2010-05-11T09:20:00.002+14:00

Friday, May 21, 2010
7:00 PM
in the church lobby
Please RSVP to the church office
384-4723 or ljnaz "at" arkvi.com

Come in your PJ's or something comfortable
and prepare for a great BUNCO evening.

Mother's Day

2010-05-11T05:48:00.006+14:00

Don and Holly Lewis emcee the Mother's Day program.

Holly announces basket winners.

Pastor Andy chats with parishioners after the service.

Pastor Andy's sermon was on "The Daily Connection" with God, based on John 14:16-18:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

and on Luke 10:39-42:

She [Martha] had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

The theme was on maintaining a daily connection with God despite the distractions we all face in our lives.

Scriptures for the week:

Monday - Colossians 3:1-11
Tuesday - Colossians 3:12-17
Wednesday - John 14:1-14
Thursday - John 14:15-31
Friday - Galatians 5:1-15
Saturday - Galatians 5:16-26

Pastor Andy Albright takes the helm

2010-05-03T11:25:00.005+14:00

Dr. Jim Christy, Administrative Assistant of the Colorado District of the Church of the Nazarene, installed Pastor Andy Albright as senior pastor of the La Junta First Church of the Nazarene today (04.02.2010).

Pastor Albright delivered his first sermon in the La Junta First Church of the Nazarene. His topic was "Daily Thanksgiving" and he used several scriptures to show that no matter how bad life gets, we can always give thanks. Pastor Andy encouraged the congregation to come to a place spiritually where they were truly thankful every day and told them that God would enable them and give them the ability to be thankful.

“If we want God’s blessings, we need to strive to be thankful,” Pastor Andy said.

Pastor Andy’s main text was Psalm 103:1–5. He said that this scripture showed two blessings for which people could always be thankful, even when negative things were happening to them. The first blessing was forgiveness. “You’re missing out if you don’t embrace God’s forgiveness,” he said (Romans 3:23, I John 1:9, Psalm 51: 1- 2).

The second blessing for which people can give thanks is the great life that God calls them to. “This life is not perfect,” Pastor Andy said, “but it is great because God has every part of me” (Psalm 103:4, 5).

Part of that great life is “vibrantly pictured” in Ezekiel 36:25–27. This scripture talks about God doing a new thing by giving people a “heart of flesh” rather than a “heart of stone.” As people become surrendered to God, it takes more commitment. There is no hiding anything. “You may have reached a point where you can’t get a grip on the victory that God wants in your life,” Pastor Andy said. The solution is to ask God to do a miracle in your life by filling you with the Holy Spirit. Psalm 103:5 shows us that God wants to provide for his people.

“Ask God to help you and he will,” said Pastor Andy. “Ask God to prepare your eyes to see things with thanksgiving in your heart.”

Regarding his new ministry in the church, Pastor Andy said that he was grateful for being able to pastor in La Junta, he was grateful for the church’s heritage, and he was thankful for the “amazing things” that would happen in everyone’s lives.

Pastor Andy and Sarah talked a bit about themselves and how they came to be here today.

Pastor Jim Christy charged Pastor Albright with his responsibilities as pastor, and the congregation with their responsibilities to Pastor Albright.

Pastor Christy calls for a laying on of hands as he installs Pastor Albright as senior pastor.

Pastor Christy congratulates Pastor Albright.

Young ladies of the church

2010-05-02T13:54:00.004+14:00

Some of the young ladies participated in the La Junta Cubs Invitational Track Meet on Friday. We have a few shots here:

Jordan, representing Cheraw, in the broad jump.

Torrey, representing Swink, also in the broad jump.

Tayler, with the hosting Cubs, in the high jump ...

... and the broad jump.

Why practice creation care?

2010-04-30T11:10:00.002+14:00

Alicia Gossman-Steeves

With the passing of Earth Day, I’ve been thinking a lot about social justice and creation care. As Christians, what is our part in taking care of the earth and in ensuring social justice for those who cannot fight for themselves?

The issue is more complicated that it appears, unless you look at it from a biblical standpoint. There are many verses that talk about taking care of those less fortunate — the poor, the widow, the orphan — and in Genesis we find a mandate to “have dominion over the earth.” This means to rule over the earth and to take care of the earth as God would, according to some commentators.

When looking at scriptural references to creation care, which really includes social justice if you think about it, the desire of God seems straightforward. According to Jesus, we are to treat others as we want to be treated. We could use that same thought process when trying to decide how to treat our only home, the earth.

The matter gets complicated, however, when real life enters the picture. Nothing, except the love of God, is black and white in this world. Ethical issues complicate matters. We just need to follow God’s word and prayerfully try to do what is best.

Recently, a well-known radio and television talk show host, Glenn Beck, made matters worse by placing the desire to win social justice on the same level as communism and Nazism. He said, “I beg you look for the words social justice or economic justice on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. … Am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!” According to several news sources, later on in the show, Beck held up a picture of a swastika and one of a hammer and sickle, declaring again that “social justice” has the same philosophy as the Nazis and communists and that the phrase is a code word for both.

If Beck is drawing his conclusions from the Jesuit practice of ‘liberation theology,’ which incorporates a strong social justice component, he may have a point, but he also misses a very significant point. The Jesuits became politically active in support of the poor and oppressed of Latin America, especially Central America. In so doing, they tended to lean toward revolutionary movements with Marxist ideologies. The point that Beck misses - or chooses to deliberately ignore - is that the oppressive regimes of the nations in question were so far to the right they were arguably fascist. But most importantly, those fascist governments were backed by the United States — something that Beck fails to mention. In their exercise of liberation theology, seeking relief and justice for the poor and the oppressed, the Jesuits chose the lesser of evils.

Average Christians in America simply want to help the suffering. If that means changing laws, so be it, but we will follow the process of democracy, Mr. Beck. We have no inclinations toward death camps and genocide, thank you very much, and to insinuate that any mainstream Christian church would support such things is an unconscionable pandering to those who see conspiracies under every rock. But then, that is how Mr. Beck makes his living.

In Genesis 18, we find Abraham pleading with the Lord about Sodom and Gomorrah. “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it?” Abraham asked the Lord, taking the number down to 10. The Jewish Study Bible commentary says that Abraham was practicing social justice and we must do the same. It’s not communism, Nazism or socialism, it’s biblical. Creation care and social justice means simply to care for others — treating them as we would ourselves.

The Bradford Concert; Pastor Earl Pike visits

2010-04-26T17:22:00.007+14:00

Pastor Tim Stearman gives his last sermon as interim pastor. Pastor Andy Albright will be arriving on Thursday, with his family, to officially become Senior Pastor of the La Junta First Church of the Nazarene.

The Bradford concert was a great success. And, those attending the concert were treated to a rare public appearance by Pastor Earl Pike, who traveled all the way from Punkin Center to lend his talents to the show.

Mark Bradford gave a great performance.

Here we can see Pastor Pike's custom guitar. He also has an acoustic guitar of similar design, except using an oak seat.

Pastor Earl Pike of Punkin Center gives his rendition of some Elvis songs

Mark Bradford comes to La Junta

2010-04-23T17:27:00.002+14:00

Noted singer and songwriter Mark Bradford is performing at the La Junta First Church of the Nazarene this Sunday evening.

Here is Bradford's bio:

Mark Bradford Bio

Showtime is 6:00 PM. Bradford will be accompanied by a surprise guest artist.

La Junta First Church of the Nazarene is at 10th and Topeka, La Junta. There is a map on the church's website:

La Junta First Church of the Nazarene

"Jar-based" Living

2010-04-16T17:19:00.002+14:00

by Alicia Gossman-Steeves

As I sit on my couch writing this commentary, I am enjoying a beautiful spring evening. The doors are open, letting the fresh air in, and I can hear birds chirping. I can also hear my son and his friend, who are outside playing catch. They are yelling and having a good ol’ time. In the kitchen, my other two sons are making dinner and joking around. It’s all very pleasant indeed.

These evenings won’t last long. They’ll be gone in a flash. Next year my eldest son will be a senior and that year will go quickly. It seems like yesterday I was starring at his wriggling form just after he was born wondering what to do.

The apostle Paul said that “we have this treasure in jars of clay …” The term “jars of clay” describes human beings perfectly. We are here today and gone tomorrow. One day we are a child, the next we day we are graduating from high school. Two days later, we’re retiring and our bodies just aren’t what they used to be. Well, I’m not anywhere close to retiring and my body is not what it used to be!

A church in our town is conducting a class called “A Bucket List for Dying.” The Rev. Terilynn Russ derived the name from the movie “The Bucket List,” starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. In this movie, the two men, who are dying, make a list of everything they want to do before they die. Their adventures get a little crazy, but it’s a great idea. While Russ’ class is not so much about doing everything you want before “kicking the bucket,” so to speak, it is about making preparations before death, such as what kind of care is desired and living wills.

As someone who became a widow before the age of 40, I cannot stress the importance of thinking about death before it is necessary, before emotions are raw, or before an accident happens. I will never forget what it was like to sign a “do not resuscitate” order right in front of my husband minutes after the hospice worker told us that he only had a few days to live. I will also never forget that one of our last conversations, just a couple of days before cancer stole his voice, was how he wanted his funeral to be conducted. No one thinks that they will go through this kind of thing before they are old, but remember “we have this treasure in jars of clay.” Jars of clay are easily broken. We have to be prepared as much as is humanly possible.

God has given us good things in life. As Christians, we can also look forward to eternity with him, but taking care of those we leave behind is essential. It is the best kind of care and will relieve some of the burden for ourselves and our families.

The Church is in a good position to stop abuse

2010-04-09T16:15:00.004+14:00

by Alicia Gossman-Steeves

In a recent online poll, our newspaper asked readers if the Catholic sex abuse scandal affected their opinion of the church. Out of 82 total respondents, 12 percent said “Yes, I’m Catholic and I stopped going to church when the problems surfaced before.” Thirty-nine percent of respondents said that they were Catholic, but they didn’t believe that all priests were bad and that the scandal has had limited impact on them. Forty-three percent answered, “I’m not Catholic, but clearly church officials shouldn’t have covered up the abuses.”

My answer to the question would be the last two choices. I’m not Catholic, but I believe that there are good priests as well as bad. As a Protestant who’s been around for a while, I can say the same thing about our leadership too. There are good leaders and bad. As much as laymen like to deny it, pastors are human beings too. They may have a so-called “special” call from God, but they are also susceptible to temptation.

Hurting people hurt people, a pastor said on Sunday, and it is true. Many pastors and priests go into the ministry with skeletons in their closets. Or, if the skeletons have come out of the closet, so to speak, they are shared in dramatic testimonies while parishioners stand in awe. Those skeletons can either be redeemed through prayer, professional counseling, if necessary, and a lot of love from the body of Christ. If the skeletons have remained hidden, they will haunt that leader and eventually a congregation in terrible ways.

“I’m not Catholic, but clearly church officials shouldn’t have covered up the abuses,” is easy to say from a Protestant standpoint, but none of us can point fingers. Remember Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Baker? These men fell, but they are the ones who are out in the open. What happens to the ones who are not? Most of the time, they move from church to church imposing their brokenness on everyone they meet.

Shifting a priest from parish to parish, just like allowing a Protestant minister to go from church to church, just reinforces the behavior. The intricate web of deceit and sexual abuse keeps reoccurring, thus increasing the number of victims and the amount and intensity of the hurt. It also continues to hurt the abuser. They are incapable of helping themselves. The source of temptation must be removed. They must have counseling and spiritual renewal. Certainly, sweeping these kind of situations under the rug never helps, it only makes things worse.

Pope Benedict is in a good position right now to stop the pain. Despite his past mistakes of sweeping incidents under the rug, the pope can decide to take a very tough stand on this issue so that dysfunctional priests are removed from their positions and placed into counseling. Priests, like pastors, are in a position of trust. I believe when this trust is broken by something as heinous as sexual abuse, it both saddens and angers the heart of Jesus. Why would we hurt Christ and insult him by allowing these sins to continue?

The reason this happens is because we view the church as an organization that must be preserved. We may say that this preservation is in the name of Christ, but is it? Would Jesus allow sin to continue?

These are hard questions, but they require answers. The world is watching.

‘Christian’ militia? That’s not Jesus

2010-04-07T05:11:00.002+14:00

by Alicia Gossman-Steeves

A few years ago, Christian singer Wayne Watson came out with a song called “That’s Not Jesus.” In the song he describes how Jesus is embarrassed publicly whenever Christians behave badly and how the body of Christ is to demonstrate what he is really like by their obedience to his new commandment.

Well, once again “Christians” have espoused unlawful violence in Jesus’ name and engaged in other spiritually embarrassing behaviors.

In light of the celebration of Maundy Thursday, I just wanted to expound a little on the so-called “Christian” militia group that was recently arrested for plotting to kill a police officer and others who attended his funeral.

This group claims to be preparing for the last days when they will have to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ while they are at war with the Antichrist, once a one-world government is created. Now, without getting deeply into the complicated genre of Biblical prophecy, we can say that they are partially right; however, I have read the Bible several times and I have never found a passage that says, either literally or metaphorically, that Christians are supposed to kill anyone in order to defend the gospel. Period. Self-defense is a separate issue that we won’t touch at the moment.

As we celebrate Maundy Thursday, we are reminded that Christ gave his people a new commandment: “... just as I have loved you, you also should love one another,” John 13:34, NRSV. Jesus gave his disciples this command after he completed the degrading task of washing their feet before eating the Passover together — a task that was usually reserved for the lowliest servant in the house! Within 24 hours, Jesus had sacrificed his life on a cross after suffering a horrendous scourging — more degrading experiences that he did not deserve.

The truth is that Jesus loved people unconditionally. He also commanded his disciples to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Jesus did not overthrow any governments, nor did he take out his aggressions on innocent people (the defilers of the temple were hardly ‘innocent’). This militia group does not represent the Jesus I know and love. I really wish the media would call them what they are: an “extremist group” rather than a “Christian” group.

Are Christians supposed to stand up for what is right? Yes, but when we do conflict should not be our goal. Unfortunately, conflict is often an inevitable result when we stand up for what is right because there are many who will not agree with us. However, I do not believe that we are supposed initiate a conflict, nor are we supposed to aggravate one maliciously. We are not supposed to be at war with people within our spirits, nor are we supposed to be “puffed up” with pride because we believe that we are right.

In fact, our life should flavor the situation in which we find ourselves. Remember the salt concept of which Jesus spoke? “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other,” Mark 9:50, NIV.

This is not an easy way to live when we depend on ourselves. We need the Holy Spirit to help us, and this is what Maundy Thursday is about.

Easter Choir

2010-04-06T03:08:00.008+14:00

In the current video mode, the player is truncated on the right margin. Double-click on the embedded player screen to go to YouTube for the full player presentation. In that mode, you will also be able to select HD playback:

Easter Sunday

2010-04-05T09:22:00.006+14:00

Pastor Tim Stearman gave the sermon

Dave Hart led the choir in one of its best performances. They really outdid themselves this morning.

Dave Hart was an enthusiastic choirmaster.

Dave and Kirsten Hart gave a great performance.

The sanctuary was nearly full in celebration of Christ's resurrection.

And after the service, but before The Great Easter Egg Hunt, Elena found the baskets in the foyer loaded with fascinating goodies.

Pastor Andy Albright

2010-04-02T07:06:00.005+14:00

We are very excited to announce that Pastor Andy Albright from Westminster Church of the Nazarene has accepted the call to become the pastor of La Junta First Church of the Nazarene. Pastor Andy's last day at Westminster is April 28.

After Easter we will begin making plans to help the Albrights relocate to La Junta. Continue to pray for this process as well as Westminster's process to fill the position that Andy is leaving.

Pastor Andy, his wife Sarah and their two sons, David and Aaron, will be moving to La Junta at the end of April.

Getting back up, is up to us

2010-03-28T17:30:00.003+14:00

by Alicia Gossman-Steeves

Have you ever seen the movie “The Ghost and the Darkness,” starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas? It’s really a good flick and illustrates a concept that I have had to take to heart many times.

In the movie, which is based on a true story, a construction camp in Africa is harassed by man-eating lions. These lions are unusual because they kill for sport, which made the movie downright creepy in a few parts. As the plot thickens, Kilmer, who plays engineer Col. John Henry Patterson, has a chance to kill one of the lions and fails. Afterward, he feels terrible, especially after professional hunter Charles Remington (Douglas) chastises him for making an error that hunters usually don’t make.

Remington is a good guy though. After he chastised Patterson he said, “We have an expression in prize fighting: ‘Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit.’ Well my friend, you’ve just been hit. The getting up is up to you.”

Proverbs 24:16 says, “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again ...” According to the Puritan minister Matthew Henry, this means that a “sincere soul falls as a traveler may do, by stumbling at some stone in his path; but gets up and goes on his way with more care and speed ...”

Henry said that the fall should be understood as adversity rather than actual sin and in the context of the other verses surrounding it, he is correct. I also think, however, that this is also a good principle to remember when we commit sin or, perhaps, when we have unintentionally hurt someone. First John 1:9 says that whenever we confess our sins God will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In addition to this, we also have to forgive ourselves.

Many of us, including myself, have a hard time forgiving ourselves when we’ve done something wrong. We ask for God’s forgiveness, but that doesn’t stop us from wallowing in self-pity or self-blame. I’m sure that God understands this because he knows that we don‘t want to do wrong; however, when this happens, I picture him saying something similar to what Remington told Patterson in that African jungle.

Yes, there are times when we may fall. Life is not easy, but that doesn’t mean we should lose faith and quit. We should put the incident in the past, get back up, dust ourselves off, make amends, if necessary, and keep on going. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but it is an essential part of life.

Main Event

2010-03-23T11:13:00.005+14:00

The NYI traveled to Greeley for Main Event on March 19-21. We took 14 youth and 4 sponsors. Andrew Gossman received a gold award for his photograph of lightning. The girls 3-on-3 basketball team (Whitni Oquist, Maddie Jacquart and Torrey Davis) placed third. Jon Gossman competed in the solo/instrumental competition. Although he did not place, he learned a great deal for next year! The Senior High basketball team played four games, but did not place. The team consisted of Dillon Eveatt, Dallas Oquist, Jon Gossman, A.J. Brown, Jerod Berg, Ethan Berg, Malachi Jacquart and coaches Chris Berg and Ronda Jacquart. We also took along Stephen Gossman and Zeb Jacquart.

The theme for the weekend was building relationships. Life is more than just fleeting moment with strangers. It is learning, growing and loving people at a deeper level. The band "Jerusalem" provided the praise and worship music.

Photo by Andy Gossman

Photo by Andy Gossman

Lenten service

2010-03-21T15:59:00.005+14:00

Friday evening's Lenten service and dinner went very well. A moderate-sized crowd enjoyed the choir, a devotional, and a fine selection of home-made soups and breads afterwards.

The choir sang:

In Christ Alone
Near the Cross
I'm Forever Grateful

There are a few photos up here:

Lenten Service

and the devotional is here:

What the Cross means to me

Replenishment: a natural process of spring

2010-03-19T14:57:00.001+14:00

by Alicia Gossman-Steeves

The first time I ever saw a crocus was when we lived in eastern Michigan. My kids and I were outside sometime during late March or early April and there was snow on the ground. While the boys explored, I stood in a corner of the yard watching them.

"Mommy, look," said Andrew, who was three at the time. "A flower!"

"A flower?" I walked over to where Andrew stood pointing and saw a tiny purple flower adding regal beauty to the white snow. Later on that day I asked one of our friends about it. She told me that it was a crocus, the first flower of spring. I had never heard of a crocus. I knew about tulips and daffodils, but not about these tiny flowers.

I will never forget that day. Michigan is cold during the winter and it stays cold longer than other places I have lived. That crocus was a simple reminder that spring and warmth were on the way.

I now have crocuses at my house in Colorado and, today, Andrew, now 17, called me to say that the crocuses were coming up in the garden. They seemed later than usual this year so I thought that I would have to buy more. It delighted me to hear that they were returning to brighten the world for a short time.

Good moments from creation don't last very long, but they bring a deep satisfaction to my soul. These moments are a constant reminder of my creator. He is the same creator who fashioned the earth with such intricate detail that a little flower, with a bulb the size of a hazelnut, will appear for a short time in spring, fall dormant and then return year after year. Returning bulbs and birds that habitually migrate year after year always seem to impress on me how orderly creation is.

Although we may have chaotic times, fire may destroy foliage, tornadoes may come, lightning may strike, or floods may ravage the landscape, we can still count on God's creation to replenish itself, often in a way that is more beautiful that it was previously. God has instilled the same drive in humanity. Trouble may come, but our desire to live carries us forward, hopefully more resilient than we were previously.

Spring is also a reminder that God is in the business of constant renewal and remaking the old. He is constantly working to renew us and make us better people.

God is good, isn't he? Spring is a great time to make that known.

Easter Sunday services

2010-03-15T11:16:00.004+14:00

6:00 AM
Sunrise service
(casual dress)
followed by a continental breakfast

10:00 AM
Easter worship celebration
featuring Dave and Kirsten Hart
(formerly of "Truth)

followed by a
Kids' Easter Egg Hunt

The cure for "showy" spirituality

2010-03-13T12:55:00.003+14:00

Alicia Gossman-Steeves

When our family lived in the small town of Bad Axe, Mich., the circus came to town. It was a big deal. It seemed like everyone in Huron County showed up to go to the circus and we were no different. Although we liked living in Bad Axe, after growing up in Southern California, we found the small farming community a veritable entertainment vacuum, so the circus was our chance to “get out on the town,” so to speak.

This circus was no different than any other small circus. There were clowns, elephants, trapeze artists and huge snakes. The boys seemed to enjoy the atmosphere and so did we. The circus seemed to have a good display of showmanship that was fun for everyone.

Unlike the circus, spirituality is best enjoyed when it is not showy. Jesus once told a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector who were both in the temple one day. The Pharisee stood up to pray and thanked God out loud that he was not like the scumbag tax collector. Meanwhile, the tax collector prayed silently asking God to forgive him for all the things he had done.

At the end of their prayers, Jesus said, the tax collector went home justified. The tax collector’s heart was in the right place. He didn’t care about the opinions of others. He just wanted God’s approval.

M. Robert Mulholland wrote in his book “Invitation to a Journey: Road Map for Spiritual Formation,” that the cure for showy spirituality is to fix the heart. This is done by practicing three spiritual disciplines: silence, solitude and prayer.

Silence, Mulholland said, “is fasting from speaking to listen to God.” By giving up our voice, silence helps release control of our relationship with God. Through our silence, God takes the reins and begins to tell us what we need to know.

Practicing silence leads to solitude, which is fasting from fellowship with others to be alone with God. Part of solitude is drawing away from others, Mulholland said, but the main crux of the discipline is to be ourselves with God and to “acknowledge who we are to ourselves and to God.”
Out of this recognition and the peace that it brings flows prayer, In prayer we offer everything we are to God. It is through prayer that God works to change us into what he wants us to be.

Through this process of letting go, we become more and more comfortable with who we are and with who God is. When we reach this point it does not mean that we have “arrived” at a place where we no longer need God to work in our lives, it means that we look at ourselves realistically and, therefore, we do not need to compare ourselves with others to make ourselves feel better. It is through these disciplines that we become able to have compassion on others and ourselves as well.

The Johnson Benefit Dinner

2010-03-11T06:49:00.004+14:00

As most of us now know, Pastor Rich Johnson and his wife Robin are both suffering from cancer. Both have undergone surgeries and other treatments.

There is a benefit dinner scheduled to help them with their expenses:

March 13, 2010
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
La Junta Senior Center
2nd and Raton, La Junta

Adult meal: Potato burrito, cheese enchilada, beans, vermicelli, cake, and drink.

Adult ticket $7.00

Kids' meal options: Cheese enchilada, beans, vermicelli, cake, and drink; or potato burrito, beans, vermicelli, cake, and drink.

Kid's ticket $4.00

All proceeds go to medical expenses for Pastor Rich and Robin Johnson, First Assembly of God.

Tickets are available at the fire department in the city building at 601 Colorado, as well as many other places in town. And, you can just show up at the door.

Lenten Services and Suppers update

2010-03-09T06:10:00.002+14:00

All dates are Fridays. All services begin at 5:45 PM.

March 5 at First Presbyterian, 20th and Raton

March 12 at Crossroads Church, just west of Swink on US Highway 50, on the south side of the highway.

March 19 at La Junta First Church of the Nazarene, 10th and Topeka.

March 26 at Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Patrick, 3rd and Lincoln.

Good Friday at First Baptist, 5th and Colorado.

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-03-08T18:52:00.002+14:00

The Children's Department is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt after the Easter Sunday morning worship service. You can help make this a fun-filled event by donating small items that will fit inside the plastic eggs. Suggestions include stickers, coins, candies.

Tender Touches women's retreat

2010-03-08T18:46:00.003+14:00

Colorado District Annual Women's Retreat
April 23-25
Breckenridge, CO

Speaker: Cindy Johnson
Music: New Hope Singers

For the best hotel rates, registrations must be received by April 2. Please see Holly Lewis for more details.

You may download registration forms and other information by clicking on the Women's Retreat link above.

Handbells in Concert 2010

2010-03-08T18:41:00.002+14:00

Benefit Ringing for Associated Charities of La Junta.

The “Gloria Bells” of Our Lady of Guadalupe/St. Patrick parish; the “Incredi-bells” of the United Methodist Church, and the Special Men’s Ringers from Holy Cross Luther/St. Andrews, Our Lady of Guadalupe/St.Patrick, and United Methodist performed a series of hymns and other selections Sunday afternoon. The concert was held at the Picketwire Playhouse, with free admission – though donations to Associated Charities were accepted.

You can see a gallery of images of the concert here:

Image Galleries

scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on the concert link under Events.

Movies provide good viewing for Lent

2010-03-06T05:37:00.003+14:00

From Leece's weekly column in the Tribune-Democrat:

During the time I was growing up in the Nazarene church, the church had a prohibition against watching movies.

I guess with the advent of the VCR and later advances in home movie viewing, it became increasingly difficult for the denomination to enforce such a rule. Instead the church encouraged a guideline: to watch whatever was true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. The guideline works much better than the prohibition, especially when Hollywood is producing movies that have great moral themes. I have watched two recently that would be excellent to watch during Lent because of their strong scriptural undertones of Biblical reconciliation and forgiveness.

The first film I would recommend is the 1998 version of “Les Miserables” (or, if you are really ambitious, read the book by Victor Hugo). In this classic tale, Jean Valjean is imprisoned for stealing bread and is freed after 19 years of hard labor. After his release, as he makes his way to his parole officer, Valjean has a life-changing encounter with a priest and learns about reconciliation and forgiveness. Valjean then spends his life giving this gift to others, sometimes at great cost to himself, while being pursued by a former prison guard who recognizes him.

The second movie is the 2001 flick “To End All Wars,” which is based on a book written by Ernest Gordon. Gordon was a British POW in Thailand during the Japanese occupation of that country. He was one of thousands of POW’s who was used as slave labor to build the “Railway of Death.” After World War II, Nelson was ordained in the Church of Scotland and later served as Dean of the Chapel at Princeton University. The movie adaptation of his novel shows what happened to four allied POWs who were in a Japanese prison camp during World War II.

“We were treated worse than animals,” he said years later, as quoted by The Internet Movie Database. “The conditions were worse than you could imagine.”

The prisoners learned to live in their circumstances and also won limited sympathy from their captors by conducting secret classes in which they studied the classics, including the Bible. Because of lessons learned through their study, some took beatings for others, and one died in place of another who did not deserve it. This caused considerable consternation among their captors, who followed the Japanese warrior code of Bushido. The movie demonstrates the evolution of the concepts of forgiveness and eventually reconciliation between prisoner and captor.

Through such dramatic and interesting examples, the movies give us a glimpse of what it is like to live triumphantly in adverse circumstances and to truly forgive. While watching these movies, I asked myself several times whether or not I could forgive like Jean Valjean or Ernest Gordon, or ultimately as did Jesus.

“Faith thrives when there is no hope but God. It is luxury and success that makes men greedy,” Gordon also said.

In our day of relative ease and comfort, perhaps it is through the sacrifice practiced during Lent, the praying, fasting and giving of alms, that helps makes this kind of forgiveness possible.

Lenten Services and Suppers

2010-03-03T12:27:00.002+14:00

All dates are Fridays. All services begin at 5:45 PM.

March 5 at First Presbyterian, 20th and Raton

March 12 at Crossroads Church, just west of Swink on US Highway 50, on the south side of the highway.

March 19 at La Junta First Church of the Nazarene, 10th and Topeka. While there will be various soups and breads at the Lenten supper, keep a special look out for ... Uncle Achmed's Lenten Lentil Soup.

World Day of Prayer service

2010-03-03T12:15:00.000+14:00

March 5

10:00 AM

First Baptist Church at 5th and Colorado

Please see the article in the Tribune-Democrat:

World Day of Prayer Scheduled

Top 5 Workshop

2010-03-03T12:11:00.001+14:00

March 26 (Friday) 6-9 PM
and
March 27 (Saturday) 8 AM - 12 Noon

Pastor Russ Martin will lead participants through the Strengths Survey -- identifying our Top 5 strengths and using our strengths in cooperation with others.

Cost: $20.00 for book and related materials

Materials: Living Your Strengths book required

Reserve your spot by March 7 by contacting Holly Lewis, Caren Stanley, or Nancy Jones, or by calling the church office, 384-4723.

Main Event Fund Raiser Redux

2010-03-02T06:50:00.002+14:00

The Main Event Pancake Supper fund raiser was a success, with enough raised to drop the attendees' cost to $8 per person rather than $35.

Thanx and a tip of the hat to all who showed up to support the youth group.

Wurstmeister AJ and a pan full of snorkers.

Andy and Maddie observe with wonderment the magnificent culinary skills displayed before them.

Jon demonstrates proper wrist action in flippin' flapjacks.

Jon gives advice to Andy on the best method of flapjack flippin', while Jerod ... well ... we're not sure what Jerod's up to but Whitni seems mildly amused by it all.

Andy tries his hand at snorker griddling.

Leece kept it all together as the Jefa de Cocina

Main Event Fund Raiser

2010-02-26T12:43:00.000+14:00

The church youth group is hosting a pancake supper, Sunday, February 28, from 5:00 - 7:00 PM. Proceeds will be used to fund the trip to Main Event March 19-21.

More about Main Event:

District NYI Main Event

For more information about the supper, please see the Tribune-Democrat article:

Youth group to host pancake supper