VOICE FOR SEPTEMBER 2006

PASTOR'S PONDERINGS

THE SIZE OF A SOUL
& PLAN "B."

Humans come in all sizes. Goliath was over 9 feet tall. A baby is between 18 and 22 inches long at birth. Caroline Carchami, born in 1815 only grew to a height of 19.5 inches. What do they all have in common? They each have a soul, regardless of their size. The newborn, the dwarf, and the giant each have an eternal soul.

The soul of a person is not physical. It is eternal. It is not bound by time and space the way your body is. So the newborn has just as much of a soul as a 90 year old. Hopefully in the course of 90 years the soul will take on properties it did not possess at conception.

In the most recent development in birth control, science has provided what is known as plan B or the truly morning after pill.

Proponents suggest that there is no reason for anti-abortion advocates to object since the pill prevents a *pregnancy.*

However the issue is not pregnancy, but life. Once again, the focus is misdirected away from the principal issue * when does life begin? When does a person have a soul?

If you believe that life begins at conception, then anything that terminates conception is the termination of a life. Plan *B* may not terminate *pregnancy* because the egg has not implanted on the uterine wall, but it does keep the fertilized egg from continuing to grow. And so it dies.

I sometimes wonder if the problem for some is that they cannot handle the notion of a soul *fitting* inside something as tiny as a fertilized egg. Or perhaps they cannot imagine that a soul can exist when human consciousness as we know it has not yet been established.

But please remember this. According to the scriptures, when our physical bodies die, our souls continue to exist in a conscious state. As Paul states, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

This is further supported by the story of the rich man and Lazarus. After death they both continued to have the power of rational thought even though they no longer had a physical body.

So, the size of the egg is no indication of the size of or existence of the soul. We are dependent upon the Word of God for that. There is no logical place at which to insert the notion of a soul except at conception.

Conception becomes not only the fruit of two human beings, but the hand of God as well. It is wise not to mess with His handiwork.

CONDOLENCES

Maslen Family -- Hazel passed away August 2

Judah Family -- Brad passed away August 13

Ken & Elsie Clausen -- Their Aunt Maggie passed away August 19

David Deatherage -- his wife Sharon passed away August 21

ISRAELI CONNECTION

One of the more troubling things of recent weeks has been a verbal attack by the Latin Patriarch of the Syrian church in Jerusalem against Christian Zionists, people who believe that Israel still has a role to play as a nation in the prophetic plan of God. He wrote:

"Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel," the Jerusalem [Patriarch's] declaration claimed, calling Christian Zionism "a false doctrine that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice, and reconciliation."

This comes at a time when evangelicals have made some real progress in building strong ties and relationships with the Israeli political and religious leaders.
Replacement theology to which some of the orthodox churches hold, teaches that the Church has replaced Israel and that Israel has no real status as a nation.
This conflict can be very confusing and unsettling to the Jewish community.

VBS IN THE PARK
You may have known it as WACKY WEEK, but it was our version of Vacation Bible School this year. We decided to do it in the park this year to connect with some of our neighbors. And that was an overwhelming success. We had walk-ins from the neighborhood and people from several miles away who just happened to stop at the park. It gave us an opportunity to not only connect with children, but with their parents as well. We truly felt as though we had made a good first start at reaching out beyond the borders of our own church and our own acquaintances.

Each day we had a special activity, crafts, games, lesson, and lunch. We are so grateful for all of you who gave so sacrificially of your time. You made it an especially meaningful time.

MISSIONARY CORNER

Stacy Johnson -- Stacy is serving in a Northern Africa country as a school teacher in a school run by a Christian organization. It is a private school catering to nationals, most of whom are Muslim. Last year Stacy was challenged by teaching Science and Math, subjects that are not in her area of training. This year she will be teaching in the subjects for which she was trained -- History and English.

School has already begun. Stacy enjoys the country and the people. She is blessed to have teacher roommate with whom she gets along very well.

Please continue to pray for her and for her family since they are separated by a continent and an ocean.

HERITAGE BUILDERS FOR THE FALL

Here are the dates for Heritage Builders meetings -- if you have children in your home up through age 18, this ministry is for you.

Sunday Evenings at 5:00 p.m.

September 24 -- True Greatness Questioned (Have you been lied to?)
October 22 -- True Greatness Revealed (Where's The Payoff?)
November 19 -- Building Toward True Greatness (How Do We Do it?)
December 10 -- A True Family Christmas (Making the important impacting)

In bringing the whole household together, we strive to equip families with ideas and tools to build a stronger heritage for future generations. This will impact our lives and the lives of countless others.
Dinner is Served at 5:00 p.m. with program to follow.
(There is no cost to participate. Donations are welcome. but not necessary.)

CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER

"Christmas in October" will soon be upon us! This is our annual Christmas gift collection for the missionaries we support. It is above and beyond our financial support and all of the gift will be given to the missionaries.
Christmas stockings are available for you to pick up today. Please take a stocking for your family and make it a family project to see how the Lord can bless others through you. Fill them with your gifts and bring them back on October 22 and 29.

JOINT SERVICE A SUCCESS

On August 6 we held a joint service and dinner in Bagley Park with our Hispanic brothers and sisters. It was well attended and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves even though it was a very w arm day. Praise the Lord for the great support.

Ladies, here's a great opportunity to get away, get acquainted with other ladies,
and learn some excellent things from the Word of God.

October 6th - 8th
at
Tillikum Retreat Center
Price: $95

Our speaker this year is Carmen Bryant. Our theme is "He Speaks to Me."
You can sign up in the church foyer or pick up a registration form from the church office.

HISPANIC HAPPENINGS

Dear First Baptist Church,
The very busy summer is almost over. All our Camps and retreats for the different ministries are over. We had the youth camp at Mount Timor. The Men went to Lincoln City. The ladies had their retreat at Gearhart; the Children were at our church for an overnight party. They had bible lessons, worship time, food and games. The following day, Saturday they went to Salmon Creek, Vancouver, WA.

We enjoyed, very much the joint service at the park. To me, it was a blessing. In the name of the Hispanic people, I want to say thank you for your friendship. Culture and language divide us, but the Holy "Spirit brings unity to the Body of Jesus. Let's glorify the Name of Jesus Christ together.

From August 17 to August 27, Graciela and I were in Yucatan, Mexico. Francisco Can, one of the members of our church took his family down there to celebrate his daugher's sweet fifteen with grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles. He invited us to participate in the service. I preached, and performed the ceremony on August 19.

Food was not friendly to Graciela. She go sick on the third day. After waiting for four days, we had to see a doctor. Her complete recovery came two days after we got home when she started eating her own diet. Does she want to back? You bet! She enjoyed the people’s friendship very much. She could minister to many ladies.

We shared the Gospel with some people on the streets. we also did some home visits.

Alfredo is one of the man that has received Jesus through our Hispanic Ministry. He ahs been with us for about three years. He would like to see his parents become Christians. We went to visit them. It seems that they are interested in knowing more about Jesus. Alfredo shares his faith with them over the phone very often. Pray that a pastor from that area will visit them.

We came back on August 28th. We had a sweet fifteen celebration on September 2econd. The ladies are going to the annual Ladies;' Conference on September 16th. All our Hispanic Baptist congregations are invited. Pray that we have a very good attendance.

In Jesus; Love, Pastor Hector and Graciela Rodriguez.