Tears, Faith & Trust

A time for tears,
A time for faith,
A time for trust.

Broken hearts,
United hearts,
One in spirit.

No questioning why,
No asking when,
Knowing all our days, have been ordained.

Time for a sit down,
For a heart to heart,
Time to share, before one departs.

Love that will never die,
That can not be extinguished,
That will one day, reunite.

Time for tears,
Entrusted to our Savior,
Who redeemed us with His blood.

Time for faith,
In the Holy Spirit,
Who will enable us from within.

Time for trust,
In our Heavenly Father,
Who loves with an infinite love.

Susan Bunts
7/10/05

Today service was one that broke everyone's heart. We continue to see our beloved Pastor Chuck Obremski be devastated by an unrelenting disease. Yet at each stage, he and his wife Linda have been an example to us all. Trusting God and knowing that He has a purpose and plan in allowing this cancer in Chuck's life. Because of this living example...we as a congregation have been able to trust God, praise God and worship Him at every step. In the midst of tears...we are able to say "Praise God from whom all blessings flow". We are able to thank Him for his unending grace and mercy sufficient for all circumstances that He allows in our life.

Not My Will

Confidence in my God,
Knowing He is able.

Prayers uttered in faith,
For wholeness and healing.

Yet with humility and surrender,
Not mine, but Thy will be done.

Susan Bunts
7/10/05

A Lesson in How to Die

Notes from Chuck Obremski’s sermon 7/10/05

Today's sermon was appropriately named. Not so much in the content that was spoken...but it was a living example, a lesson in how to live and die...for Christ.

Below is the outline from Chuck’s sermon…but today’s sermon was not on point, but instead it was from the heart. While cancer has robbed my beloved Pastor of so much…it has not and can not rob him of his deep abiding love for his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ nor take his faith and trust in God.

1. Jesus died with the right attitude. (Matt 26:38 & 42)
2. Jesus died at the right time. (John 13:3-4)
3. Jesus died in the right way. (John 21:18-19)
4. Jesus died for the right purpose. (John 17:11 and 19:30)
5. Jesus died with the right commitment. (Luke 23:46)

Are you living each day with no regrets? With nothing remaining unfinished at the end of each day? Nothing left undone?

Even when a Christian dies at the hands of a disease or evil man…a seemingly untimely death…it is under the plan and the hand of God. God who knows the number of hairs on our head is the same God who sees the sparrow that falls. He has every one of our days in his loving hands.

Each one of us is unique…like a snowflake. God knows every detail of our life…and has it planned out. How awesome is our God!

In the midst of a difficult times, long though they may be, at the end of the day…it’s doesn’t matter. God is in control!

Have you trusted in Christ as your Savior? Trusted in Jesus Christ, his life, his death on the cross for your sins, his resurrection? That all that matters.

God is our only hope…not what we experience.

The cross of Jesus:
A symbol of humility
Died in the right way…according to scripture.
Every one of God’s purposes and plans will be fulfilled.
Death is the grand entrance that let’s God’s children into heaven.
God’s plan is right on target.

Get busy doing what God wants us to do…or do nothing. We have to do what God wants us to do, what he has planned for us to do.

What have you got planned today…that has to do with what God has planned and is for his purposes? What do you do with your time? We have a selfish attitude that gets in the way of what we should be doing for God. Pray…“God, is this what you want me to be doing today?”

Jesus whole life, his whole heart…everything that he did had an end result in mind. Everything he did, had a purpose.

Do you have some things in your life that are unfinished? People in your life with whom you have unfinished business? Life is too short…to leave it that way.

I’d better have the same sense of urgency that Jesus had. Get up, get moving and be a pig for Jesus. Be doers of the Word, get busy…and do things.

If you think you are gifted in one area, but you are the only one that thinks it, perhaps you are not gifted in that area.

How do you demonstrate your passion for service to God and his people? Is God not worth your best?

Our future existence is not in the hands of a doctor, or a disease or a murderer. It’s in the hand of our God.

What does it really mean to worship God? Satan hates it when our God receives worship. There are many ways to worship God…and each one is right. What does the word of God say about worship? It addresses our attitude, peace and harmony between the brethren.

Rumor Has It...

Early reports and rumor has it that Grandpa Pete is already firmly wrapped around Baby Danica's little finger.

He may try to deny it...but he's always been a sucker for a pretty face. I have a feeling that Grandma Denise isn't far behind.

Now Grandpa Pete may look a little bit ragged in this picture...but keep in mind that Danica chose to make her grand entrance in the wee hours of the morning.

Welcome Baby Danica!

A hardy welcome to the newest member of the Silvestri

family...baby Danica Rossi Silvestri.

Miss Danica was born on 7/2/05 at 3:10 AM.

Praise the Lord...this little one is happy and healthy and already much beloved by her proud Father Scott, Mother Susan and big Sister, Liana.

Stats as follows: 6 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long.

I Held the Hammer

On the eve of his 60th birthday...David Fisher at Pilgrim Scribblings posted the following. David...I wish you a very Happy Birthday...and pray that God will continue to use you mightily.

The other day I unearthed an old "gem" I had written a couple of years ago. It had been saved in some obscure location on my computer. I trust it will remind you of the great cost of our salvation.

Forgiven by Thomas Blackshear

I Held the Hammer

I held the hammer
He ransomed me;
I caused Him so much pain
He set me free.
I mocked His holy name,
He still loved me;
My sin had nailed Him there
On Calv'ry's tree.

Then one day by faith,
I saw Him there;
Bearing my sin and shame
My load of care.
His kind and loving glance
Had caught my eye;
It should have been me
Condemned to die.

He spoke so tenderly,
It pierced my soul;
Why did He care so much
To make me whole?
With tender, loving arms
He embraced me,
Gently He whispered soft...
"Son, come to me."

Grace so amazing
How sweet the sound!
The hammer that I held
Fell to the ground.
He took the nail from me,
Showed me His hand;
It was for you I died
Redemption's plan.

Love so amazing
How can it be!
That you my sovereign Lord
Would die for me.
That day I trusted Him
Gave Him my all
And now I follow Him
Heeding His call.

And now the question is...
What will you do?
When Jesus shed His blood,
It was for you.
Now as I bid farewell
My earnest plea?
Give Him your heart today
He'll set you free.

- David W. Fisher -

Who Uttered These Words?

Which of our great Presidents utter these words in their inaugural address?

"And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God."

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

"We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed."

Democrat or Republican? Liberal or Conservative?

Timeless thoughts and sentiments from a great American President.

Quote of the Week - Tony Blair

"It’s through terrorism that the people who have committed this terrible act express their values and it’s right at this moment that we demonstrate ours.

I think we all know what they are trying to do. They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to frighten us out of doing the things we want to do, to try to stop us going about our business as normal as we are entitled to do, and they should not and must not succeed.

When they try to intimidate us, we will not be intimidated, when they seek to change our country, our way of life by these methods, we will not be changed. When they try to divide our people or weaken our resolve, we will not be divided and our resolve will hold firm.
We will show by our spirit and dignity and by a quiet and true strength that there is in the British people, that our values will long outlast theirs.

The purpose of terrorism is just that, it is to terrorise people and we will not be terrorised."

Mr. Blair your unwavering leadership would make Winston Churchill proud. The British people are most fortunate to have you as their leader. We are proud as Americans to stand with such a courageous people. May our God watch over and protect the good citizens of England.

"The Gitmo Award" - Madonna

"The Gitmo Award" hands down goes to Madonna for her performance at Live 8 this past Saturday. We thank you for giving us material that we can use to torture the Gitmo detainees. Your performance can only be described as ear drum splitting...as such it can be employed quite handily to break these terrorists and gain useful information to protect America.

Madonna...just one word for you..."Retirement". You might want to give it a thought. In place of that...perhaps a vow of silence. Anyway...thanks for the material...and congratulations!

Mr. President...Hold the Line!

The time is fast approaching when President Bush will be naming a nominee to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. Also a good chance that Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist will be announcing his retirement shortly.

With this in mind...I was perturbed when I heard the President Bush tell conservative Republican supporters to hush and "tone down the heated rhetoric" about potential judicial nominees.

Mr. President I respect you greatly. I supported your campaign, I gave money and I voted for you because I have confidence in you and your values. While what you do as President is of great and lasting importance...in some respects it pales in comparison to the impact you will make on our country with the appointments you make to the Supreme Court. We were motivated to go out and battle and win the election in large part because the nominations that will be made to the Supreme Court. That's why we won!

So now is not the time to be quiet. Now it the time to speak out...not only to you, but to our Senators and Representatives, the main stream media...and the American public. We need to make know what type of judicial appointment we want and why.

If by rhetoric you mean name calling and loud, ineffective, exaggerated dialogue...I agree. But it is necessary that we put together an intelligent and persuasive argument to combat the lies and pressure that will come from the left and their mouthpiece, the main stream media.

Mr. President...what we want is for you to keep your campaign promises. To appoint a person, based on the education, experience and a track record, that has demonstrated they will make judicial decisions based on the Constitution.

We don't want another Justice who thinks the Constitution is a living, breathing, changing document. One that says we should take in account world opinion...and what is right today may change depending on society and how it changes tomorrow.

Instead we want a Justice who is rooted and grounded in the Constitution. One that doesn't read rights into the Constitution that aren't there. One that respects States rights...and the rights of individuals...when it's not otherwise addressed in the Constitution.

In other words...Mr. President...we want you to fulfill your campaign promise to nominate someone who is a constitutional conservative...in the mode of a Scalia or Thomas.

You can be certain that you will be vilified in the press...but that's when you need to take the case to the American public. Ask them to contact their Senators and Representatives and let it be known what they want.

The battle will be ugly Mr. President. I am confident of that...because I've already seen an unrestrained Senate unable and unwilling to put forth a balanced rational argument and then vote.

So gear up and get ready for battle Mr. President. Please know that the American public who hold conservative values stand with you and will back you. But that also means that you must not back down and not give an inch.

Hold the line!

How Much is Enough?

The numbers listed below are taken from the State Departments list...showing significant terror incidents from 1961 to 2003. This is not a full, detailed and comprehensive list..it is brief overview. Yet the numbers are stunning:

Number of Significant Terror Incidents - 245

Number of Persons Killed - 7,250

Number of Persons Injured - 22,027

Number of Persons Kidnapped - 3,379

The word injured doesn't even begin to convey the extent of people's injuries. The word kidnapped is inadequate to describe the torture and what these people endured while being imprisoned by these monsters. These numbers are taken from "significant terror incidents". What about all the other "minor" terror incidents?

When do we say enough, no more, that's it...now you are going to pay the ultimate price? I say today is that day!