|
Last Updated: Mar 11, 2010 - 7:46:52 AM |
Click on the headline to
read entire article
Pastor's Update
CHRISTIAN OLYMPICS
I attended the Western Maine Christian Men’s Breakfast on a recent Saturday morning. The guest speaker, a local pastor, started out by quoting 1 Cor. 13:11 “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
He went on to speak about the need for Christian Men to act like grown men and put away immature thoughts and actions.
Mar 5, 2010 - 10:00:00 AM
Opinion
Is Bangor on the Critical List?
Like many other towns in Maine, Bangor has a road which leads past pristine historic buildings, past centuries of forgotten memories, out to the modern, gaudily-painted chain stores on the edge of town, buildings with no higher meaning or purpose than an appeal to self-indulgence and consumerism. Such roads are like clear streams with which each passing mile grow dark with pollution. With churches on every hill and rows of historic houses, Bangor seems all the more tragically stricken.
Jan 6, 2010 - 5:12:42 PM
Opinion
A Lesson in Courage
If you have seen the film, A Night to Remember,
you
will recall the final scene in which four brave musicians stand on the
deck of the Titanic and play "Nearer my God to Thee" as the ship sinks slowly beneath the waves. But almost no one recalls the following story
about another musician who possessed equal or greater courage.
His unparalleled act of courage took place during the Iroquois Theater fire
in Chicago, one of the worst disasters in American history. The writer
Anthony P. Hatch has pointed out the many striking similarities between the fire and the sinking of
the Titanic. Like the Titanic, the newly built theater was the best
of its kind. Its owners boasted that the theater was fireproof and
indestructible. Like
the Titanic, which lacked enough lifeboats for its passengers, the
Iroquois Theater had too few fire exits to allow its audience to
escape. And like the Titanic, which sunk on its maiden voyage, the magnificent new theater caught fire the day it was dedicated.
Aug 26, 2009 - 3:05:37 PM
Pastor's Update
The Church, God, and Government
Romans Chapter 13
As we apply Romans chapter 13, to our politically-charged culture, there could be some pretty major push back as we consider this topic: "The Church, God, and Government." While many would say that God and government don't mix very well, I suggest that government can only be understood to the degree to which we understand God. And actually, according to what Jesus said in Matthew 22:21, we owe an allegiance to both God and to government: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s."
Feb 26, 2010 - 10:00:00 AM
Pastor's Update
What Will They Say About Us
Have you even thought about what will be said about you at your funeral?
I heard a humorous remark about what some hope people will say when they are walking by their casket. Someone said they hope they will say, "I think he's moving".
I also recall the poem The Dash written by Linda Ellis that illustrates the point.
Feb 19, 2010 - 10:00:00 AM
Pastor's Update
Valentine Believers
In two days it will be Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is about love and we have a wonderful description of love from 1
Corinthians 13:8-13:
"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will fail; where there are tongues, they will cease; where there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
Feb 12, 2010 - 10:00:00 AM
Pastor's Update
Preparing For Times of Uncertainty
- A godly life brings opposition.
- A godly life brings hard choices.
- A godly life requires that we know Who we believe in.
- A godly life brings blessings and peace.
We are living in very uncertain times.
We have a financial system that cannot seem to find its footing. Homes are being foreclosed on, retirement savings have been decimated, jobs are being lost by the thousands, and the cost of living continues to rise. We have a president that scares a lot of people. There are also societal changes. We live in a different society than we did ten years ago. Terrorism affects all of us now. Our country has always been a bastion of liberty. Liberty is freedom with responsibility.
One of the greatest things about our country has been that people understood and took their responsibilities seriously. We now live in a world that doesn’t view freedom as a liberty but as a license – a license to do whatever they want to do while answering to no one. Maintaining liberty in that environment is very difficult.
More than 150 years ago, French Historian Alexis De Tocqueville traveled America to discover why the American experiment was so successful. He noted, “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” And he noted that “Liberty cannot be established without morality, or morality without faith.”
Feb 5, 2010 - 10:00:00 AM
News
:
State House
Governor Reverses Opposition to Expanded Gambling
BREAKING NEWS
In
a stunning reversal of his long-held opposition to gambling, Governor John Baldacci has
reached a compromise with the Penobscot Nation which will allow a major
expansion of gambling in the state.
In
a hearing before the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee in Augusta,
Representative Mitchell of the Penobscot Nation revealed that a meeting
was held in the Governor's Office during which the Governor reversed
his opposition to LD 1731. The Governor had earlier stated that the bill would allow for a
major expansion of gambling in Maine.
Feb 3, 2010 - 4:07:27 PM
News
:
State House
Augusta Seeks Major Expansion of Gambling 'Industry'
Lawmakers
in Augusta are poised for a major expansion of gambling with
the help of new legislation that has escaped the notice of much of the
public. Spurred on by the success of Hollywood Slots, legislators have
put forward a plan in which the state government will directly control
slot machines and casino gambling, both of which have a long
association with organized crime, and were formerly criminal
activities under Maine law. The laws governing gambling in Maine are still listed in the Maine criminal statutes between "Assault and Battery" and "Bigamy."
Feb 2, 2010 - 5:39:03 PM
News
:
Maine
City Council Trades Votes for Lives
Bible-based
predictions about social trends often come true, but rarely as quickly
as in the case of Club OTR, a bar in downtown Augusta which has
justifiably earned a very bad reputation. In a press release issued
during the first week of January, the Christian Civic League predicted
that Club OTR would again become a source of trouble despite
assurances to the contrary by its owner and the Augusta City Council.
True to our prediction, the bar has relapsed into its old ways.
The
Record was the first media outlet to call attention to the serious
nature of the trouble at the bar. In a story published on New Year's
Eve, The Record reported that young people flock to Club OTR where the
liquor is so plentiful and cheap, that they often pass out on the way
home, or wind up in emergency rooms to be treated for alcohol
poisoning. In addition, fights are a common sight in a nearby parking
lot after young men pour out of the bar at closing time.
Feb 1, 2010 - 4:20:07 PM
