^A " ii Witness "Ye men of Israel hear these words of Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you. as ye yourselves know. We are witnesses of these things: and so is the Holv Ghost, w hom God hath eiven to them that ohev him " (Acts 2:22-5:32) These things and not those things. Let's talk about those things which we have invented to keep alive the church. People today will come from miles to gaze at those things which we have build and created, to influence folks of our earthly talents. Churches today build with the world's mind. We are never satisfied with our creation. Now don't get me wrong, these things could have been of use. but they have become the soul purpose of w inning persons to come and join us. My friend, these things have failed too. They have not made known to us the way of life. Peter declared "these things should have and would have made me full ofjoy with thy countenance." (Acts 2:28). It would be these things, not those things. Those things which we had hoped to bringjoy has brought us not what God intended for his church. Our churches todav have attracted folks but it has been on a carnal level. Folks come from miles around to gaze at our sparkling ceiling, new fellowship hall, tiled floors, grand piano, large bathroom, and showers. I have been told that some are adding places for their hair dryer. Oh. my friend, we can't say as Brother Peter said "Silver and gold have 1 none, but such as I have give I thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." (Acts 3:6) We have our gold today and those things which attracted the world and those things have caused us to move from holiness to the Lord. When Brother Peter was confronted by these two groups of people, on the one hand were those who were considered to be the leading light of Israel. The High Priest, also ofthe council and all the Senate of the children of Israel. On the other hand were those who were not known save by virtual association with Jesus of Nazareth, "toiling fishermen of the Galilean Lake." There was not a schoof man in the bunch. No, not even a ruler or priest. Peter stood before these men of robes. The priests, men who were of strong passionate conviction of the letter of the Law , facing horriespun and simple garments, the roughed, splendid hard working men. These men all their lives were fisherman whose lives had been surrounded by boats and fish bait. Now they were confronted by the council, by Gamaliel the Doctor of the Law, who had a strong reputation among the people. (Acts 5:32) These fishermen stood before these Pharisees and Sadducees. who had strong conviction of the law. men who had returned from Babylon to keep reverence of Moses' law. When Peter stood up it was not as before, a man who had refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet. He stood not as before, as one who was cowardly and denied Christ, but we see a new Peter, a new character saying, "Ye men of Israel hear these words: Jesus ofNazareth, a man approved of God among you, by miracles and wonders and signs did by him in the midst of you. as ye yourselves know Him being delivered of the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up- having loosed the pain of death because it were not possible that he should be held by it." (Acts 2:22-23) Oh, my friend, those things which we are using, and there are others following us, with great marbles of stones, crosses planted on our walls, fellowship hall and all its cooking will one day wear out but I'm afraid. We have our silver and gold, but we can't say as Peter, such as 1 have, give I thee, in the name of Jesus, rise up." (Acts 3:6) My friend, folks are coming to church today looking for a savior. They are looking for the things of Christ, his wonders, signs and miracles. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering sight of the blind." (Luke 4:18) peter preached these things. "Jesus Christ ofNazareth whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead." (Acts 4:10) Job declared that because men did not know or understand, when man died. Job asked the question, if he died (a man) would he live again? Job declared, "I will wait til my change come, for thou numberest mv steps." (Job 14:14-16) There are those in our churches today who would rather use those things which we have mentioned but my friend, Job said I will wait. "Thou wilt call and 1 will answer thee, thou hast a desire to the work of thine hand." (Job 14:15) Do you have a desire for the work of his hand? We, the church, have a mission and it is simple. We are his witnesses (of these things). "The God of our father raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanging Him on a tree. Him did God exalt with his right hand to be a Prince and Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins." This, my friend, is our mission. "Christ is risen, raised up Jesus; Christ was crucified, whom ye slew hanging him on a tree, Christ is enthroned. Him did God exalt to be a prince and a saviour. Christ is at work." These sayings, only these things will bring Revival again. Only these things can cease adultery, fornication, lying, stealing, murder. Only these things, my friend, can deliver us from bondage. The old folks use to sing this song, "Ye can have all this world but give me Jesus." I declare unto you, this is my hope, Christ Crucified. How about you? Have you lost yourself in those things? Have you lost your tears? If so. my friend, you have lost God's greatest gift. Have you lost your conscience among those things? If so, my friend, you have lost the balance wheel of your life. Oh, my friend, you have lost your faith in God and man. You lost everything that makes life high and noble and beautiful. Here i#fr^oem I want to share with you. It may {(plp ^ou to turn from those things to these things. Backward turn backward Otime in your flight, make me a child again. Just for tonight. Mother come back from the echoes shore; take me again to your heart as of yore. Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care. Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair. Over my slumbers your loving watch keep. Rock me to sleep. Mother, rock me to sleep." (Is that not the cry of a soul after God.? That, my friend, is not a cry for those things, but a cry for the Enthroned Christ.) Tired of the hollow, the base, the untrue. Mother, o mother, my heart yearns for you. Many a summer the grass has grown green, Blossomed and faded our faces between: yet with a strong yearning and passionate pain. Long I tonight for your presence again. Come from the silence, so long and so deep, Rock me to sleep Mother, rock me to sleep." Oh, my friend, these things our mothers told us of will always touch a chord on the inside of us. My mother would often say, "I serve a risen savior, he is in the world today. No matter what the world may say. He lives. Christ Jesus lives today." I declare unto you: He lives. In order for a team to be invincible, there's got to be collective skills rather than individual brilliance. ?Anthony O'Reilly Rugby great and ^ head of HJ Heinz Pediatric Pointers by Dr. Joey Bell. Pembroke Pediatrics Atopic Derntititis: Marking Hit It Your Doctor to Control Your Child's Rash Atopic dermatitis also known as atopic eczema is a chronic, itching, rash, which dries the skin. There may be areas of oozing, crusting and or thickening of the skin. The rash may become infected with bacteria or other organisms, which normally li\e on the surface of the skin If this occurs your Dr will need to prescribe special antibiotics to clear the infection Your Dr can also help you manage the rash by prescribing medications to help control itching, inflammation and dry skin. Atopic dermatitis is most common in the winter months. Persons with atopic dermatitis are beliesed to have a predisposition to developing this rash. In 75? o of cases the condition will improve by the time the child is 10-14 years old. In 25? o of cases the condition persists into adulthood. Atopic dermatitis can affect persons of all ages including babies as young as 2 months old. A distinguishing feature of atopic dermatitis is that it often appears on different body parts in persons of different body parts in persons of different ages. -- Young infants most commonly present with the rash on their cheeks, forehead, neck and scalp. However they may also have the rash on their trunk, arms and legs. ? Older infant's 8-10 months old are more likely to develop the rash on the extensor surfaces of the arms and legs (back of the arms and front of the legs.) -- Children over I year old may present with oval shaped areas of rash with .well defined borders and scaling on face, trunk and extremities. -- Children between the ages of 2 and 10 years old will more often develop the rash on the neck, wrists, ankles, and behind the knees and elbows. The rash on children in this age group is more likely to be itchy, with dry scaly patches with distinct borders. ? Persons between the ages of 12 and the early 20's may develop the rash in areas similar to 2-10 year old as well as on the eyelids, hands and feet. Atopic dermatitis in these persons is more likely to present as areas of thickened dry skin. There are four components to the management of atopic dermatitis: 1. Identification and removal of possible precipitating irritants which might include: excess hand washing or bathing, preservatives, solvents, perfumes, wool cloths, that do not allow air to circulate, sweating, stress and some foods including eggs, nuts, wheat and soy. 2. Rehydration of skin through bathing once a day in a w arm bath with emulsifying agents. Over the counter emulsifying products include Aveeno, Colloid Oatmeal. RoBath, and Maypo. A low cost alternative is to whisk a small amount of mineral oil into the warm bath water. Use a mild soap for washing such as Oil ofOlay, Purpose. Dove. Camay, Aveeno or Caress. Baby shampoo or other mild shampoos may be used to manage the scalp. Upon getting out of the bath lightly pat dry the skin. Do not rub the skin with the towel. After the bath immediately apply a topical moisturizer to the skin. A variety of common household oils may be sparingly applied including petroleum jelly (Vaseline), Crisco and vegetable oils. If you prefer moisturizing creams such as Eucerin, DML Forte, Moisturel, Aveeno. Purpose. Neutrogena and Curel may be used. However these creams are less effective moisturizers than the aforementioned oils but they may be preferred since they are less greasy. Whether you use oils or creams to rehydrate the skin the moisturizer should be applied several times per day. For more severe cases your Dr may prescribe a topical steroid cream instead of the above oils and creams. Before using any steroid creams on the face always consult with your Doctor. Some steroid creams may cause undesirable skin changes on the face. 3. Breaking the itch-scratch-itch cycle: Antihistamines such as . Benadryl, Zyrtec or Atarax help relieve itching which helps to break the itch - scratch - itch cycle. The skin then has a chance to heal. Making sure that your child's fingernails are trimmed can fninimize the damage that scratching causes. 4. Control of infection: Your Dr. may prescribe a topical or oral antibiotic or other medication to control bacterial or other infections that develop at the site of the rash. Working with your Dr you can proactively manage your child's atopic dermatitis. This will help decrease your child's discomfort and the probability that the rash becomes infected. Reversal of Fortune for Seniors Elvira Cotton. 78, gets S460 a month from Social Security and another SI00 from a small pension ? barely enough to get by and certainly not enough to be able to fix a roof and take care of some sorely needed repairs. Herbert Jones, a retired contractor, and his wife Lola, both 71, do get by rather comfortably but could use a little spending money "to be able to do what we want to do," he said. "We like to go to Branson once in a while. Plus, we've got some kids and grandkids that need a boost every so often," Mr. Jones added. Grace Anderson. 67, needs a new kitchen, while Jane Black, 87, needs more than what her teacher's pension. Social Security and some farmland income provide to make ends meet. All of them have found an answer to their needs?a special type of home equity loan with a great selling point ? There in no monthly repayment! The concept, called a "reverse mortgage," allows seniors to borrow against the equity in their homes in the form of a lump sum, monthly payments, a line of credit or some combination of the three. As long as the borrower continues to live in the home, the loan need not be repaid. Cotton thought about it for two years but was afraid of somehow losing her home. She finally inquired, and found out her fears were unwarranted. So, when her grandson, Louis, told her: "Why don't you enjoy some of that money now," she applied for the loan. Since October, she has added $410 more a month to her income, plus she received a cash advance of $8,000 to take care of some of those overdue home improvements -- all of it taxfree. "And the home is still mine," she said. While reverse mortgages have made the lives of Cotton. Anderson. Black and the Jones a lot more comfortable, millions of elderly homeowners who could similarly benefit from the program simply have not taken the time to examine this program. To learn more, individuals can contact Jeffrey Moulton of the Reverse Mortgage Department at 800-950-3297. Hhat People Secretly Look for in a Sweetheart or Spouse Psychologists have discovered some very intriguing truths about what anracts people to each other, especially what makes one person marry another. The most important qualities in drawing people together are trustworthiness, loyalty, and commitment. T hese characteristics override every other consideration in what we arc really searching for in a sweetheart or spouse. Trustworthiness, loyalty, and commitment are just as important to God as they are to us. In this Search tor Truth lesson tlder Joseph Bullard explains how God can help each of us to become a trustworthy, loyal, and committed sweetheart or spouse. Three basic needs.. 1. A Seed for admiration. Know ing that someone receives great joy and pleasure from being in our presence helps us feel important: thus, fulfilling this need. 2. A need for respect. When someone esteems us highly for exactly who we are. Our need for respect is satisfied. 3. A need for affection. The demonstration of kindness, tenderness, and compassion meets our need for affection. He should love one another. / Corinthians 13:4-7: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind: charity envieth not: charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own. is not easily provoked, thinketh no ev il; Rejoiccth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth: Beareth all things, believeth ail things, hopeth allt hings. endureth all things." H hat does the Bible tell us about Cod? i John 4: / 6:" A nd w e have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love: and he that dvvelleth in love dwelleth in God. and God in him." The Bible says that we are created in the image of Cod. Genesis 1:27: "Sp God created man in his own image, in he image ofGodcreatd he him: male and female created he them." Woman was creatdfrom apart of man. Genesis 2:23: "And dam said. This is now boen of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: shall ne called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." God set a good example for us to follow, he loved us so much He gave is Son for us. John 3:16: "For God so loved teh vvorld.t hat he gave hsi only begotten Son. that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have . everlastin life." He even loved us when we disappointed Him, Romans 5:8: "But God commendeth his love toward us. in that, while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us." As we look at Christ's life, we see that He went about doing good, healing all that were madde sick and destitute by Satan. There wer entire villaes healed bv Chirst. In these villages there was not one cry of pain. Love. joy. and peace; paience. kindness and goodness: faithfulness, humility. and self-control were shownine veyract of His life. People from all walks of lefe were drawn to Him. His life demonstratd true and genuine love. His life demonstrated respect for each human being. He did nto live to please Himself, but He had thoughtfuly care for others. I would encourage you to read eacho f the Gospels. However, let me sum up using the Apostle John's own words. John 21:5: "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, ifthey should be written every one, I supose that even the word itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." Why should we love God and one another? I John 4:19: "We love him. ecause he first loved us." Therefore, we come bck to our first question. What do people seretly look for in a sweetheart or a spouse? The answer, my friend, is that we are secretly looking for God in our sweetheart or in our spouse. However, do not forget that they too, are looking for God in our lives. For further information on these articles or on the Pembroke Seventh Day Adventist Church, call Elder Joseph Bullard at (910) 521-3878. rgr i . _ | ^pitied cvit/i quotes | Tfative Juunvi | I y T7^ \T Sin-iny ^iiL. Cnt.ntu ^ L DJUVIV 0?,,sl/.ars CHIROPRACTIC CENTER Specializing In Auto Accident Injuries iviosi insurances Accepted "APPOINTMENTS PLEASE" Free Initial Consultation Oi OFFICE: 739-5751 ? 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