Happy Wednesday

BE STILL! by Pastor Cecil 

Psalm 65:7 You who still the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples.

So you want to get away from the rat race. You long for peace and tranquility which will settle your stress and frustration. You dream of a simpler and more sedate time.

There is a program on Public Television called Alone In the Wilderness that chronicles the year in the life of a man who left civilization and built a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness. The utter isolation was interrupted occasionally by a small bush plane which brought him supplies and mail -- but other than that, it was only Dick and the wild animals.

As idyllic as the scenes of the program might be, isolation is not the answer to the hustle and chaos of daily living. Man is by his very nature created to have interaction with others. There may be recluses who cut themselves off from other people, but by their very actions they reveal there are problems which have not been resolved.

In Mark 4, Jesus told His disciples to take the boats to the other side of the lake. While Jesus slept peacefully on a cushion, a furious squall came up and threatened the boats. Remember that many of these disciples were seasoned fishermen who had spent their lives out on this lake in all kinds of weather. Now they trembled! If ever they needed peace and quiet, it was now. In their fear and alarm they called out to Jesus. It seemed impossible that He could sleep through such a storm. The men woke Jesus and asked Him if He didn't care if they were about to drown. It is then that we read the quiet words of power which we read in Mark 4:39: Quiet! (peace) Be still! Immediately the wind died down and the sea became calm.

The disciples had concluded that all was hopeless and that they would never reach shore again. It was only then that they called to Jesus -- perhaps they thought to wake Him to prepare for the inevitable drowning, because they had never before witnessed Him quieting the wind and waves.

You may be facing situations that are threatening to swamp your boat! Now is the time to call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember…it is Jesus who has the power to calm and bring order out of chaos.

Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!

- - - Pastor Cecil

Daily Smile:

     For all of you with teenagers or who had teenagers, you may want to know why they really have a lot in common with cats:
1. Neither teenagers nor cats turn their heads when you call them by name. 

2. No matter what you do for them, it is not enough. Indeed, all humane efforts are barely adequate to compensate for the privilege of waiting on them hand and foot. 

3. You rarely see a cat walking outside of the house with an adult human being, and it can be safely said that no teenager in his or her right mind wants to be seen in public with his or her parents. 

4. Cats and teenagers can lie on the living-room sofa for hours on end without moving, barely breathing. 

5. Cats have nine lives. Teenagers carry on as if they did.

In The News:

Military Says No Court Martials for Sharing Faith

Members of the military are free to share their faith as long as they don't harass others, the Department of Defense said in a statement Thursday. A Pentagon ban on proselytizing had caused concern among religious liberty groups as some speculated that service members could face court martial for talking about Jesus, but a Defense Department spokesman said evangelizing is allowed as long as it is not disruptive. "Service members can share their faith (evangelize), but must not force unwanted, intrusive attempts to convert others of any faith or no faith to one's beliefs (proselytization)," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen. "If a service member harasses another member on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age or disability, then the commander takes action based on the gravity of the occurrence. Likewise, when religious harassment complaints are reported, commanders take action based on the gravity of the occurrence on a case-by-case basis." Christensen said there were no plans to single out evangelical Christians for punishment: "The U.S. Department of Defense has never and will never single out a particular religious group for persecution or prosecution. The Department makes reasonable accommodations for all religions and celebrates the religious diversity of our service members."

Gay Marriage Now Legal in Rhode Island

Rhode Island became the 10th state to legalize gay marriage on Thursday as Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the legislation into law on the steps of the Statehouse, ABC News reports. The first marriages could take place Aug. 1, when the new law takes effect. "Today we are making history," Chafee said just before he signed the bill. "We are living up to the ideals of our founder. ... When your belief and heart is in something, it's easy work. I am proud to say that now, at long last, you are free to marry the person you love." The House passed the bill in January at the behest of House Speaker Gordon Fox, D-Providence, who is gay. The Senate was seen as the bigger challenge, but the bill passed easily last week after Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, said she would allow a vote despite her opposition to gay marriage. The House gave final approval Thursday with a 56-15 vote.

Government Seeks 45 Years for Family Research Council Shooter

Prosecutors are seeking a 45-year sentence for the man who pleaded guilty to plotting an attack at the Family Research Council's Washington, D.C., headquarters in August 2012, WORLD reports. Floyd Corkins II, of Virginia, never got past the building's lobby thanks to a security guard. Leo Johnson tackled and subdued Corkins, but not before the attacker fired three shots, hitting the guard in the arm. After Corkins' arrest, police found nearly 100 rounds of ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches in his backpack.  Corkins, 28, told authorities he planned to shoot as many people as possible and smear the sandwiches in their faces as a political statement. The volunteer for The DC Center for the LGBT Community was angry over the position conservatives, including Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy, had taken on homosexuality and same-sex marriage. In court documents filed Friday, government prosecutors said their sentencing recommendation was based on Corkins' intent. Without Johnson's intervention, the attacker "would have almost certainly succeeded in committing a massacre of epic portions," the filing said.

Paul Ryan Comes Out in Support of Homosexual Adoption

Former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, who made a bid for the White House as the running mate of Republican nominee Mitt Romney last year, revealed this week that he now believes homosexuals should be able to adopt children, the Christian News Network reports. Ryan was speaking at a town hall gathering in Janesville, Wis., when he was asked by an attendee about his views on same-sex marriage, the Employer Non-Discrimination Act, and homosexual adoption. He explained that while he remains opposed to same-sex marriage, his views have changed about permitting children to be adopted by gay couples. "Adoption, I'd vote differently these days," he said. "That was, I think, a vote I took in my first term, 1999 or 2000. I do believe that if there are children who are orphans who do not have a loving person or couple, I think if a person wants to love and raise a child, they ought to be able to do that. Period. I would vote that way."