Hello everyone,
At the same time that this year is winding down, prophecy and the Work of God are revving up. As you see in the news, Europe's drift away from America is turning into an adversarial relationship. China's meteoric rise to economic giant status has seemed to come out of nowhere and it is not going to go away. In the Work, it is full steam ahead. Mr. Meredith's latest telecast brought in a great response number of about 2,600. The income is a bit more than we budgeted while expenditures are almost on budget so far. Church attendance continues in a moderate rise along with baptisms and visit requests. So we have much to give thanks to God for this year.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
Los Angeles Singles' Weekend
The Los Angeles (La Crescenta) congregation would like to invite all LCG singles to a Singles' Weekend from Friday evening, Dec. 24 through Monday evening, Dec. 27.
We hope to see you here for a weekend full of activities, including a singles' Bible Study, Sabbath services, a fun & game night, a picnic/hike, a special dance, and an amusement park outing.
For details from the L.A. Singles' Weekend Committee, please contact John at (818) 349-1123 or e-mail him at [email protected].
Attention Video Recipients
The DVDs and CDs sent out to you are for the local congregation library, especially the CDs, in addition to being played for Sabbath services. When there is a "Must Play," you may want to hold that DVD until you are able to play it, then it should be put into the library. If you are too busy to be the librarian, please inform your Pastor so he can assign someone to take over this important responsibility so the brethren can have access to the spiritual food from Headquarters.
An Intervention From God
"We had just started our trip towards Myrtle Beach at about 7:30 pm. We were on the interstate and had not made it more than about 7 miles from our house when it happened. My daughter Jessy was following me in her car and we were traveling about 65 mph in the fast lane as we were coming up to an on ramp. It was dark outside so we had our headlights on. Anyway, as we were coming to this on ramp, I suddenly noticed a man bent over in the middle of the road, picking something up. I had very little time to swerve out of the way, just missing him. However, Jessy didn't have any time to react. As I got pasted him, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw that Jessy had swerved a little toward the man and then I saw him fly through the air toward the median. My heart sank. I told my wife, 'she just hit him'. I pulled my car off to the center median and got my cell phone and started to run back to where I saw the man land. Jessy had pulled off behind me and jumped out of the car crying. There were two other cars and two motorcycles that were behind us and they pulled over too. As all of us ran back to the spot where we saw the man land, the second motorcycle rider ran up to us and said, 'the dude just got up and ran up to that truck stop'. The truck stop was across the interstate and about 150 yards away. We all turned and looked and sure enough, he was running across the parking lot. I watched thinking maybe he was in shock but he stopped turned and looked back at us and then turned and started walking until he got to some trucks and then he ducked in behind them. We were all looking at each other wondering what had just happened. I turned to Jessy and asked her if she felt or heard him hit her car? She said that she didn't think she heard anything but that she saw him flying across the front of her car. I went up to the car and looked it over, there was not any signs of anything hitting the car. Then one of the other drivers said, 'I know what I saw, but I can't explain it'. Since it was dark and we were in a bad spot on the highway, we decided to go to the next exit and collect ourselves.
"As we were driving to the next exit, I tried to figure out what had just happened. I realized that the position the man was in at the time Jessy came upon him, he would have shot down the interstate and not over the front her car. Yet that is where we all watched him go. Second, I had the unfortunate experience of seeing someone hit by a car going 50 mph when I was younger and they did not survive it. So if he had been hit, I don't think he would have jumped up and ran with no visible sign of injury. I started to think, maybe when he saw the car, he jumped out of the way, but that didn't fly since he was in the center of the interstate where the center line is and for him to jump from a bent over position, over a car and into the median, he would have had to be superman. One thing kept sticking in my mind as I tried to reason this away was the way he was flying through the air. If he had been hit he would have been shot down the road. If he had the power to jump that far over the car, he would have been extended out like a high jumper, but I remember he was moving through the air more like he was cradled and laid down in the grass in the median. The only conclusion I could come to was he was picked up and placed in the median out of harms way. When he realized what had happened, it scared the you know what out of him and he ran. All the other drivers where in disbelief of what they saw.
"My daughter's life would have been destroyed had she hit him and we would never have been able to look at the feast the same way again. Once we got settled down and I put it all together, I told Jessy we had just seen a great miracle from God and she agreed."—Brian S.
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
The Editorial Department is looking for an Assistant Editor to assist the Editorial Director and Executive Editor in the editing and production of Church publications (primarily Tomorrow's World magazine and the Living Church News). The ideal candidate will be a skilled copy editor with a proofreader's eye for detail, comfortable working in a deadline-driven environment, and comfortable using desktop publishing software (QuarkXPress preferred). Previous experience in a publishing or newspaper environment is highly desirable. Applicants should be truly dedicated to the Church, and should be "team players" able to cooperate effectively with staff in all HQ departments. A successful candidate will be expected to relocate to Charlotte; the Church will pay for reasonable moving expenses. If you are interested in this position, please send your resume to: Human Resources Department, Living Church of God, PO Box 3810, Charlotte, NC 28227-8010.
COMMENTS
Among the highlights of the recent Council meetings were Mr. Roderick Meredith's closing remarks. Following are excerpts of what he said, from my notes, about the all-important quality of trusting in our Great God.
Mr. Meredith said that Satan is going to try to get at us at every turn. A trait that Mr. Armstrong had was a powerful trust in God. He had to walk alone. He had to know that God was really there—day in and day out.
He constantly warned us about the temptation to get our minds off of God and more on administrative matters. This is a deadly trap. He was a man that truly knew God. He just kept on carrying on and carrying on and on and on. He constantly said God will do what He said He would do.
God appreciates it deeply when we put our total trust in Him. Hebrews 10:35-39, "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." We must not give up, no matter what.
Revelation 21:7-8, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." God does not like it when we doubt Him. We must not be cowardly.
David loved God so much that he literally adored the Great God with all of his heart. And one of the most outstanding things he did was to put his trust in the Ever-living One.
This is a very key thing that God really looks for in all of His people. No matter what. No matter what may come. Men will let us down. The Great God will never let us down—ever. Don't let the mistakes of others shake your faith and loyalty in the Eternal God. We must look beyond man and focus on God—always.
Trust is one of the greatest qualities we must have. Trust in the magnificent God. If we will do that more and more—magnificent things will begin to happen. God's timing is perfect. We must wait on Him. We must look to him. We must profoundly trust in Him.
We send our love and best regards. May you have a refreshing Sabbath Day!
Charles E. Bryce