Friends, we are suggesting right now. Slow down, take time to relax. Drop whatever you are doing. Relax in your easy chair in front of your computer or webtv. Try to throw out the things of the world that worry you and drag you down. In your mind's eye, realize that the Holy Spirit is right there with you and you are not alone. Enjoy that roll and cup of coffee or orange juice and begin to think about the Lord. Let the Holy Spirit help to keep your mind on spiritual things instead of worldly things. Realize that Jesus knows all about your problems; is right there with you and wants you to accept his peace. He will continue to be there throughout this service if you will allow Him to be.

Break forth into joy O my soul;
Break forth into joy, O, My soul
In the presence of the Lord
There is joy for evermore;
Break forth, break forth into joy O, My soul.

Break forth into joy O my soul;
Break forth into joy, O my soul
In the presence of the Lord
There is joy for evermore;
Break forth, break forth into joy, O my soul.

Break forth into joy O my soul;
Break forth into joy, O my soul
In the presence of the Lord
There is joy for evermore;
Break forth, break forth into joy, O my soul.

Now, let's sing

Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together, Lord
With cords that cannot be broken
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together in Love

There is only one God,
There is only one King
There is only one Body,
That is why we sing.

Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together, Lord
With cords that cannot be broken
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together in Love

Fit for the glory of God,
Purchased by His precious Blood
Born with the right to be free
Jesus the victory has won.

Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together, Lord
With cords that cannot be broken
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together in Love

Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together, Lord
With cords that cannot be broken
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together in Love

Now, let's sing that old lovely old hymn,

All over the world the Spirit is moving
All over the world as the prophet said it would be
All over the world there's a mighty revelation
Of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea>

All over His church God's Spirit is moving
All over His church as the prophet said it would be
All over His church there's a mighty revelation
Of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea

Right here in this place the Spirit is moving
Right here in this place as the prophet said it would be
Right here in this place there's a mighty revelation
Of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea

Now then, let's sing

Give me oil in my lamp, keep it burning
Give me oil in my lamp I pray
Give me oil in my lamp, keep it burning Burning, burning.
Keep it burning till the light of day

Sing Hosannah, sing Hosannah
Sing Hosannah to the King of Kings
Sing Hosannah, sing Hosannah
Sing Hosannah to the King!

Give me joy in my heart keep me praising
Give me joy in my heart I pray
Give me joy in my heart keep me praising, Praising, praising!
Keep me praising till the break of day.

Sing Hosannah, sing Hosannah
Sing Hosannah to the King of Kings
Sing Hosannah, sing Hosannah
Sing Hosannah to the King!

THE TITLE OF OUR MESSAGE TODAY IS

SOME GUY IN THE BIBLE.
Listening to a Public Radio program on the recession. One woman said she had lost her job but she wasn't worried because they could live off what her husband made. The next week, he lost his job too. She said it reminded her of some guy in the Bible. She didn't know his name, but he ended up with boils or something like that. His name was Job. He loses his stuff. He loses his children. He loses his health. Job represents everything that can go wrong in life. He knew it was not because of something he did. But he didn't know why it was. His friends had definite ideas. He had to have done something. Tragedies like this cannot be undeserved. For forty chapters they argue back and forth. And then God speaks.

Every one of us will experience loss someday. Something you love, something you rely one, will be taken away from you. Perhaps, like Job, your losses will build into a crescendo. You will think that life is meaningless and God is cruel. And yet loss can be the greatest experience you have.

• YOU CAN LEARN LESSONS FROM JOB'S EXPERIENCE.
  The loss wasn't about Job. From the beginning of the book, readers realize that larger forces were at play. The episode was actually about God. Satan wanted to hurt God. The devil did not care one wit about Job himself.

  Your loss may not be about you. It is natural for us to take every bad event personally. In reality, most of it is not personal. Even the trauma of a bad upbringing does not focus on us. Our parents may have been mean, but it probably wasn't about us. They had their own issues, and we were a convenient target. God does not always reveal his plans but he reveals himself. God gives us a roadmap that helps us plot a course through the storm. In times of trouble, draw close to God. Christians are never alone in the dark.

• WHAT YOU CAN DO TO CRAWL OUT OF THE LOSS HOLE:
  Recognize the realities of loss. Losses are real and can't be shrugged off. Those who suffer loss should not be isolated. They need opportunities to share their memories and pain. Loss does not have an "end date." Time gives us an opportunity to learn new coping skills, but the pain will never be far away. The "stages" everyone talks about are only in books. Healing is an uneven process, like a roller coaster. Loss changes things - you don't undo it. Learn to accept that life as you once knew it can't exist again. But the new life can be filled with love and fulfillment. Grief is more than simply an emotional reaction. It involves the entire person - physical, emotional, spiritual, and social dimensions. Healing involves addressing all these needs.

  You can choose your attitude.
  Hemingway's loss, our profit.
  In the 1920s Ernest Hemingway was working hard to perfect his craft as a writer. But he lost a suitcase containing all his manuscripts -- many stories he'd laboriously polished to jewel-like perfection. Most of them were ready to be published in a book. Hemingway was so devastated he couldn't conceive of redoing his work. He could think only of the months he'd labored at his writing -- and for nothing, he was now convinced. But when he moaned his loss to the poet Ezra Pound, Pound called it a stroke of luck. Pound assured Hemingway that when he rewrote the stories, he would forget the weak parts; only the best material would reappear. Instead of framing the event in disappointment, Pound cast it in the light of opportunity. Hemingway did rewrite the stories -- and the rest, as they say, is history. He became one of the major figures in American literature.

  Let's get Get busy living.
  In the movie "Shawshank Redemption" the character Andy is an inmate who has been sentenced to life in prison. He is there in spite of the fact that he is innocent. The other inmates know and believe him to be innocent. They are very surprised by his ability to live daily with hope in spite of the loss of his freedom. Andy is asked how he is able to withstand this injustice with such positiveness. He replies, " I believe that you have to do one of two things: you have to get busy living or you have to get busy dying." In reality, you are always busy doing one or the other. In the hole you are busy dying. Crawling out of the hole you are busy living.

• CRAWLING OUT OF THE LOSS HOLE REQUIRES CHARACTER:
  Character is different from disposition. Here is An observation from a spiritual Christian.
  Oswald Chambers was one of the greatest Christian devotional writers of all time. He died when only 43, but he left the classic book "My Utmost for His Highest." Chambers knew how important it is to distinguish between disposition and character. Most people never get beyond disposition. You hear them say things like, "This is just the way I have always been and this is the way I will always be." Or, "This is just the way I am, take it or leave it." It is natural human disposition to choose fatalism, to crawl into the loss hole and stay there. But we don't have to take it or leave it. Oswald Chambers said, "Disposition is what you are born with; character is what you make of your disposition."

  Your character can be developed.
  If it is your disposition to look at the negative, build a character that looks at the positive. If it is your character to curse the darkness, build a character that lights a candle. If it is your disposition to imagine that the world is out to get you, build a character that changes that world and gets it on your side. If it is your character to languish in the loss hole, build the character that climbs out. Disposition is what you have, character is where you go with it. You can focus on the loss and wither away, or focus on the gain that can be attained. There are only two possible categories: loss or gain.

• NOT ALL LOSS IS PERMANENT:
  A. Everything in this life will crumble. Whatever we create, whatever we love, will turn to dust. It is just a matter of time. But some things are eternal. The things of God, once they are ours, can never be taken away from us. That is why Job had the faith to say, "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be praised." At the end of the book, he gets a new family. His livestock is doubled. His children are as well - if you consider that his other children are in heaven. If God is on your side, you cannot lose.

  Which list are you on?
  A few years ago, a Titanic exhibit toured various museums. They recreated the grand staircase one of the doomed ship's cabins. Many of the objects had been retrieved from the wreck itself. As you entered the exhibit, you were given a ticket with the name of one of the ship's passengers or crewmen. At the end of the tour there was a large wall with two lists of names, one short list and one long list. The name on your card appeared on one of those two lists. One list said "Saved" and the other said "Lost".

• IN THIS SINKING WORLD, WHICH LAST ARE YOU ON?

I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

I never like to close a service without knowing that everyone has had a chance to accept Jesus into their heart and become a Christian. If you are one of those today, don't go away without finding the greatest joy in the world. It doesn't matter what your age is (I was 50 yrs old when I found Jesus). He is reaching out to you. Try reaching out to him and your life will be changed dramatically.

If you have any questions we'll try to help you. Feel free to contact us. We would be happy to hear from you. Our email address is near the end of this page and on our prayer page.

NOW, LET'S SING

For I'm building a people of power
And I'm making a people of praise
That will move through this land by My Spirit
And will glorify My precious name

Build Your church, Lord
Make us strong, Lord
Join our hearts, Lord, through Your Son
Make us one, Lord
In Your Body
In the kingdom of Your Son

For I'm building a people of power
And I'm making a people of praise
That will move through this land by My Spirit
And will glorify My precious name

Build Your church, Lord
Make us strong, Lord
Join our hearts, Lord, through Your Son
Make us one, Lord
In Your Body
In the kingdom of Your Son

For I'm building a people of power
And I'm making a people of praise
That will move through this land by My Spirit
And will glorify My precious name

Build Your church, Lord
Make us strong, Lord
Join our hearts, Lord, through Your Son
Make us one, Lord
In Your Body
In the kingdom of Your Son

For I'm building a people of power
And I'm making a people of praise
That will move through this land by My Spirit
And will glorify My precious name

Build Your church, Lord
Make us strong, Lord
Join our hearts, Lord, through Your Son
Make us one, Lord
In Your Body
In the kingdom of Your Son

Now Let's sing the hymn that is a great favorite

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law's commands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.

WE HOPE AND PRAY THAT YOU HAD A GOOD SERVICE TODAY.

LET'S JUST RAISE OUR HANDS AND WORSHIP HIM WITH OUR EYES TURNED ON HIM AS WE CAN FEEL HIS PRESENCE HERE. O, GLORY TO GOD! THANK YOU, JESUS.!

Let us close in prayer:
"Gracious, wonderful Heavenly Father
--As we leave this sanctuary, we ask that you would make us aware of your presence every hour of every day and help us to have the strength to continue to serve you and live for you. Help us to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in everything we do and we'll return again at the next appointed service, the Lord willing. In the name of Jesus, AMEN!

WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR VISITING AND WORSHIPPING WITH US TODAY. WE INVITE YOU TO COME AGAIN TO OUR SERVICE NEXT SUNDAY. WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOUR SUGGESTIONS. FEEL FREE TO EMAIL US WITH YOUR COMMENTS. YOUR EMAIL IS ALWAYS WELCOME. GOD BLESS YOU ALL. WE LOVE YOU.

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PASTOR HOWARD, YOU CAN SEE WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN MY LIFE. GO TO: haroldhoward.wordpress.com to find out.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PLACED ON OUR MAILING LIST TO RECEIVE THE TITLE OF EACH WEEK'S SERMON, ONE EACH SAT., JUST EMAIL US (CLICK EMAIL LINK BELOW). ALSO, WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ALL OUR FRIENDS WHO ATTEND OUR SERVICE. IF YOU WILL GIVE US YOUR FIRST NAME AND LET US KNOW WHERE YOU ARE VIEWING THE SERVICE, IT WOULD MAKE US HAPPY AND WE THANK YOU SO MUCH.

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