Intimidation and Encouragement

"Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10, NIV).

Followers of Christ face some intimidating factors within our society. We are tempted to become timid and shrink back from our allegiance to our Savior. We see opinion polls which suggest that most of our neighbors who claim Christ as Lord do not believe him when he says that no one comes to his Father except through him. We are tempted to deny Jesus along with them so as to be non-offensive. We read books telling us that people see us as unChristian when we say that homosexuality and unnecessary abortions are sins against God. In an attempt to be popular, we are tempted to become silent about such issues, or worse yet, deny the biblical truth about them. Rather than kindly offering helpful teaching and opportunities for forgiveness and positive change, we are tempted to succumb to the social intimidation of our age.

When I am tempted to remain silent or to deny Christ, I think of some of my Christian heroes. I think of a couple of Christians who have spent their lives as missionaries in a hostile environment. They work in a country in which Christianity is illegal. They face the possibility of death as they work to get the good news of Jesus Christ to the people around them. Occasionally, members of their small network of house churches disappear in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again. They do not seem to worry about building emergent, seeker-friendly, or trendy churches. They are concerned about building up strong and faithful disciples of our Savior. Their faithfulness encourages me to follow Jesus despite my relatively small obstacles. They give me the courage to seek faithfulness instead of popularity.

The Key to Courage

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NIV).

In May, a massive earthquake struck China, causing the deaths of nearly 70,000 people. While many heroic actions took place among the brave Chinese people to rescue the victims, one man's cowardice has gained international attention.

Mr. Fan was teaching in a secondary school when the earthquake started. He advised his students, "Stay calm. It's an earthquake." Then, he ran out of the building as quickly as possible with no regard for the welfare of his students. He did not look back. Explaining his actions, Mr. Fan said, "I have a very strong sense of self-preservation...I have never been a brave man and I'm only really concerned about myself."

Mr. Fan's explanation penetrated to the heart of cowardice and courage. His self-centeredness led to cowardice. He would not take a risk on behalf of others because he did not care about them. His love did not extend beyond himself.

On the other hand, a man of courage is motivated by love for others. He will take risks to protect them or to save them. He will push past his fears for the benefit of the people who need him and depend on him. He cares about the welfare of others.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13, NIV).

(More insight about this story may be found at http://www.cbmw.org/Blog/Posts/Earthquakes-Cowardice-and-True-Manhood.)

Would You Like to Help the Teen Girls of the Contact Church?

We received the following e-mail from Sarah Logsdon this morning:

Dear Friends and Supporters of Contact Church of Christ,

For the past three months our teen girls have been working to raise money for a trip to Houston. The purpose of the trip is to provide an opportunity for the girls to have new experiences, learn something of the world outside of Tulsa, and open their eyes to new possibilities. The girls, along with their chaperones (Darlene Lawrence, Cathy Gotcher, and Devin Dupree) hope to visit NASA's Houston Space Center and the Holocaust Museum, as well as journey to Galveston to see the ocean, something none of our girls have ever seen before.

We have had our car washes, bake sales, and a big thrift sale to raise money. The girls have worked hard to earn their way to Houston, and God has definitely blessed their efforts.

However, we are still several hundred dollars short of what we need to make this trip. This is where you can step in and help! We are having a "No Bake, Bake Sale." Instead of donating baked goods for us to sell, we are asking you to take the amount of money you would spend on sugar, eggs, butter, etc...and donate that to us. We are grateful for any amount you feel you can give.

Please mail all donations to:

Contact Church of Christ

ATTN: Teen Girls Ministry

1529 W. 49th Street

Tulsa, OK 74107

The girls leave on July 10th, so we need to wrap up our fundraising as soon as possible. Please mail all donations by this Friday, June 27th; however, we will continue accepting donations throughout the rest of the summer. Thank you for caring about these girls and helping to make this trip happen for them. We also ask that you offer up prayers for this trip and these special girls. We especially ask for prayers that this trip will provide them with a new vision of how God can work in their lives.

In Christ,

Sarah Logsdon

P.S. Attached is a picture of the girls who are going to Houston: Jeneva, Porsche, Brittany, Jimisha, and Breanna.

I'm Going to Miss the Contact Church Again, But for a Good Reason!

"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:3-4, NIV).

For members of the Contact Church who may be missing us, we will not be with you again tomorrow. We had planned to return to our normal schedule after vacation, but we need to miss one more Sunday with you. (And we are definitely missing you!)

I received a call from my sister Tina a few minutes ago. Her son Aaron just let her know that he wants to be baptized tomorrow morning at the Southside Church of Christ in Rogers, Arkansas. He has asked that I baptize him, since I baptized his mother (my sister) 20 years ago. How could I say "no" to such a request? So, we will be traveling to Arkansas tomorrow for the celebration of my nephew's new life in Christ!

Hopefully, we will be back with the Contact Church of Christ soon, but I can't think of a better reason to miss you guys!

Childish Criticism

"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.'

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."' But wisdom is proved right by her actions" (Matthew 11:16-19, NIV).

Jesus knew that some people could not be pleased. They criticized John the Baptist for his reclusivity and Jesus for his friendliness. How petty could they get? Even Jesus became frustrated with their silly criticisms.

Nobody can please everybody.

I could be criticized for a number of legitimate reasons; but if I am criticized for many illegitimate reasons, I may build up an immunity to legitimate criticism. I could stop listening.

Christians should be careful to eliminate childish and petty criticism from our conversations, so that when it is needed, it will not be ignored.

Vacation Memories 2008 Part 2

Above: We are visiting the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Above: Christopher and Janet

Above: All of us

Juneteenth

"And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness" (Romans 6:18, NKJV).

In honor of Juneteenth, Marvin Williams has written a good devotional for Our Daily Bread at http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2008/06/19/devotion.aspx.