A Mid July Day In New Mexico
By Jessica Nichols 2014

     You know, as we get older, things start to happen to our bodies that, I believe, was NEVER part of the design plan of humanity. We all get certain aches and pains, we just don’t have the same elasticity we did when we were younger and we certainly can’t eat like we used to! Once such a thing happened to me in my early 40’s. Here is a little somethin' I wrote surrounding that time in my life…..!!!

     ‘It feels like I’m walking on marbles all the time’, I told my doctor. After several visits, the doctor diagnosed me with ‘Morton’s Neuroma’, a condition caused by wearing pointed high heel shoes, among other things. At that time I was a worship leader and I wore pointed high heel shoes a lot! The reason if felt like I was walking on marbles is because I was! The casing around the nerves in my feet had ‘exploded’ and my body had built something like a tumor around it. REALLY, REALLY PAINFUL! The treatment was to get cortisone shots in my feet around the tumors…..sometimes THAT was more painful that the actual disease. The shots went on for 10 weeks, driving back and forth 80 miles each way to the doctor… I truly felt stressed, overwhelmed, and defeated! Many times I had to drive by myself, I felt so very alone!!!

     On this particular day the pain was so excruciating, so piercing that I could hardly walk. I had an appointment to get my shots, yet no one could go with me. Mike, my husband, tried to change his schedule so as to go with me but on this day it just wasn’t possible. Feeling very much alone I went by myself, got the shots and started my 80 mile journey back home. Because we live in the desert, some days are warm, some are hot and some are unspeakable! On this day it seemed that the blistering heat was coming t h r o u g h  t h e  w i n d o w  o f  m y  c a r shouting ,”HELLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO! Don’t you just LOVE mid-July in the deserts of New Mexico?”

     Well, I grew up in Arizona so I should be used to my skin melting off, but today was different. Today I was hurting so bad that all I wanted a cold drink and a mommy!!! You see, my dad had passed away and my mom decided that she didn’t want daughters anymore. So she had informed my sisters and I that we were no longer part of her family. The death of a loved parent can be devastating, but when a parent tells you they don’t want you anymore, that you’re dead to them, it can make you question every relationship in your life. Every human being has a desire to be loved by the one who gave birth to them no matter HOW OLD you are. My mother didn’t want me anymore… HELLO COUNSELING!!

     Well, it’s been many years since the ‘family divorce’, but on THIS day in mid-July,  I wanted a mommy! I was tired and hurting both physically and emotionally. Every fiber of my being cried out “I want a mommy!!!” AS I began to give way to my tears, I heard myself saying, “GOD, Where’s my mother? Why don’t I have a mom to comfort and encourage me, to treat me like a loved child?” I felt like a lost child, like an orphan who’s heart had been toyed with by her very own mother. “WHERE’S MY MOM, GOD???”
Through my tears and my hearts cry, I heard that beloved voice, that I am so familiar with, say to me, “I’m right here, Jessica. I will be your mother as well as your Father.” Then He gently reminded me of Matthew 23:37. The desire He had to gather Jerusalem to Himself is the same desire He has for me; To draw me under His wing as “a mother hen would her chicks.” He didn’t say ROOSTER, He said MOTHER HEN.
Then He reminded me of all the Godly woman He had placed in my life, not to replace my mother, but to mother me in seasons of my life, as I needed a mom. Then He said to ‘go and do likewise’!

     So, if YOU are a lost child, an orphan of sorts and whether that happened by your choice or not, I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU! We have a God who WANTS us. It is my honor and privilege to tell you about Him. We are told in Isaiah 49:15-16 that our mothers CAN forget us, BUT HE NEVER WILL! There is a picture of YOU on the palm of His hand, so every time He opens His hand, He thinks of YOU! What love… this means that in His family there are no accidents or mistakes!!! Now, every time I see my sweet sisters, I see MY mom. When my precious daughter hugs me and tells me she’s so glad that we’re close, I see MY mom. When my daughter in law responds to me loving and gentle tones, I see MY mom. I see MY mom in every nurturing moment of my life, whether I receive that nurturing moment, or I’m giving one. The point is, when nurturing moments come, they are our ‘like a mother hen’ God. What a blessing! So now I know that the past can’t get any worse and future is sunny and bright for me…..much like a mid-July day in New Mexico. !!!

Matthew 23:37 “ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a woman forget her nursing child! And have no compassion on the son of her womb?!
Even these may forget, but I will not forget you! “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;Your walls are continually before Me!

Foursquare Declaration of Faith Series - The Holy Scriptures

Hello everyone, pastor Michael here. Often I am asked about the doctrines of our faith, sometimes its people outside of the church, sometimes its by our youth, and sometimes our members. Lately, I have been studying and refreshing myself in the doctrines of Foursquare, it is always good to review the fundamentals. The Holy Spirit has moved me to share these doctrines with you here and to encourage a dialogue about them. So please comment, ask questions, and let's work together to better our understanding of our core principles. 

"The Holy Scriptures"

"We believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of the Living God. Immutable, steadfast, unchangeable, as its author, the Lord Jehovah; that it was written by holy men of old as they were moved upon by the Holy Spirit; that it is a lamp to guide the feet of a lost world from the depths of sin and sorrow to the heights of righteousness and glory; an unclouded mirror that reveals the face of a crucified Savior; a plumb line to make straight the life of each individual and community; a sharp two-edged sword to convict of sin and evil doing; a strong cord of love and tenderness to draw the penitent to Christ Jesus; a balm of Gilead, in-breathed by the Holy Spirit that can heal and quicken each drooping heart; the only true ground of Christian fellowship and unity; the loving call of an infinitely loving God; the solemn warning; the distant thunder of the storm of wrath and retribution that shall overtake the unheeding; a sign post that points to Heaven; a danger signal that warns from Hell; the divine, supreme, and eternal tribunal by whose standards all men, nations, creeds, and motives shall be tried." (Matt. 24:35; Ps. 119:89; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Ps, 119:105; 2 Pet. 1:19-21; John 5:39; 2 Tim. 2:15; Phil. 3:16; 1 John 4:1; Isa. 8:20; 1 Thess. 5:21; Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:6; Jude 3; Eph. 6:17; Ps. 119:59, 60; Phil. 1:9-11)  This statement is quoted from "Declaration of Faith" in the Foursquare Gospel, Amiee Semple McPherson, Foursquare Publications, 1969.  

This doctrinal position often leads to a discussion about, Inerrancy vs Infallibility, and so I have included an except from an article on this topic for your consideration.

Inerrancy of the Bible

"Inerrancy is the view that when all the facts become known, they will demonstrate that the Bible in its original autographs and correctly interpreted is entirely true and never false in all it affirms, whether that relates to doctrines or ethics or to the social, physical, or life sciences." The conservative evangelical stance on inerrancy was most recently and thoroughly articulated in 1978 in the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

According to the Chicago Statement and in general agreement within the evangelical community at large, strict inerrancy applies only to the original autographs (i.e. the very first manuscripts written). This leads to the conclusion that, "no present manuscript or copy of Scripture, no matter how accurate, can be called inerrant." Nonetheless, one should not worry, for when we understand the reliability of the New and Old Testament, we may have confidence that our current Bibles are 98% accurate, and no major doctrine is affected by the manuscript variants. Likewise, the Bible has proved itself reliable through prophecy, historical events, archaeology, and in many other areas.

Although we may have confidence in the Bible texts we have today (based on the inerrancy of the original), there remains the possibility of different interpretations. This should not be taken as a negative against the doctrine of inerrancy. An interpretation that contradicts what seems to be the clear sense of other Scripture does not necessarily imply that the text is in error. More than likely the interpretation is at fault, and not the text. A famous quote from Augustine says, "it is not allowable to say, 'The author of this book is mistaken'; but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is wrong, or you have not understood" http://www.theopedia.com/Inerrancy_of_the_Bible

So whether we hold to inerrancy or infallibility, I hope we all can agree that the Bible is, "...the Word of the Living God. Immutable, steadfast, unchangeable, as its author, the Lord Jehovah; that it was written by holy men of old as they were moved upon by the Holy Spirit; that it is a lamp to guide the feet of a lost world."

The Body of Christ

"By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

The believers in Ephesus were rich beyond measure in Christ, yet they were living as beggars simply because they were ignorant of their great spiritual wealth. In the book that bears their name, Paul began by describing the vast spiritual blessings they have received in Christ (chapters 1 - 3). He continued in chapters 4 - 6 with how a Christian learns to live a life rooted in that spiritual wealth.

Reflecting these spiritual blessings are the "inalienable rights" described in the Declaration of Independence. John Dickinson, a Pennsylvania Quaker and a signer of the US Constitution, wrote this in the very year that the Constitution was adopted: "Kings or parliaments could not give the rights essential to happiness-we claim them from a higher source-from the King of Kings and the Lord of all the Earth. They are not annexed to us by parchments or seals. they are created in us by the decrees of Providence, which establish the laws of our nature. They are born with us; and cannot be taken from us by any human power."

This posting is the second installment by Church Triumphant pastor Larry Burn’s in his ongoing series, We invite you to comment, ask questions, and join in a dialogue.   

The Root of Knowledge

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 1:7

In 1776, John Adams said, "It is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand." Men like Daniel Webster, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, Samuel Adams and George Washington agree, religion must under-gird that morality, and the education of young minds was key.

Not surprisingly, preachers and churches founded most of America's oldest universities:

At Harvard university (founded in 1636), the primary goal of every student's "life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3), and therefore lay Christ... as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning." Harvard’s original seal proclaimed, "Truth for Christ and the Church."

The College of William and Mary was founded in 1693 to supply the church of Virginia "with a seminary of ministers" that the Christian faith may be propagated."

Yale College (1701) aimed to have "every student ... consider the main end of his study...to know God in Jesus Christ and answerably to lead a godly, sober life."

Kings College - (Columbia University) - purposed to "inculcate upon [students'] tender minds the great principles of Christianity and morality."

A founding statement at Princeton reads, "Cursed is all learning that is contrary to the Cross of Christ."

This posting is a submission by Church Triumphant pastor Larry Burn’s, and is the opening chapter of an ongoing series. We invite you to comment, ask questions, and join in a dialogue.