Donors must deliver or mail (and postmark) checks on or before December 31 in order to claim a charitable contribution deduction for 2009. Checks that are placed in the offering on the first Sunday in 2010 will not qualify for a charitable contribution deduction in 2009, even if the check is predated to 2009 or is actually written in 2009. However, checks that are written, mailed and postmarked in 2009 will be deductible in 2009 though they are not received by the church until 2010.
To ensure the deductibility of your church contributions, please do not file your 2009 income tax return until you have received a written acknowledgement of your contributions from the church. Some of your contributions may not be tax-deductible if you file your tax returns before receiving a written acknowledgement from the church.
Return to the Content Links.
We have another new year before us. I am confident that 2010 will include opportunity and obstacles, joy and heartache, challenge and rest. My prayer for our new year includes a desire to walk with the Lord in a more intimate way, growth and learning along side of one another, and care for one another in even greater ways. Love to all of you….Pastor Paul….I received the following story via email the first week of December. I cannot verify where the story comes from or if in fact it is fiction or true. I would quickly give credit to the writer but I do not know how to find that person. I am always careful with forwarded emails and yet the lessons from this one make it worth reading and rereading. I will leave you to draw your own conclusions. Jeremiah 29:11 seems to jump into my mind.
GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED
I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed…. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen. "Are you there, God?" he said. "'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed...." I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor.I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.
He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. Iremember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child….He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores. And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. ‘That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats.... His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care. Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. Kevin won't be surprised at all!
Pastor Paul
Return to the Content Links.
Hosted by: Sunset Christian Center - 916-780-2273
6900 Destiny Drive, Rocklin, CA 95677
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM (Includes Continental Breakfast & Lunch)
TICKET PRICING:
If purchased by 1/13/10 If purchased after 1/13/10
$25 per person $35 per person
$17.50 for military personnel $24.50 for military personnel
Watch for more details to come!
Return to the Content Links.
| January 3 | Faith Promise Missions Emphasis Begins - “One Life at a Time” C.A.N. Sunday - Don’t forget to bring your non-perishable food items. This food goes to help the less fortunate families struggling in our community. Warm clothes are also needed for the winter months. See Ruth Clark or Larry Garvin for more information. |
| January 16 | Master’s Men Bible Study. See Terry Sloan for more information. |
| January 17 | "Family Sunday" Join us for a special family friendly service. |
| January 31 | David Unruh from Bible League will be speaking at both services. Casserole Supper in the Gym. (Watch for more details to come) |
Return to the Content Links.
Return to the Content Links.
REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS!!!
Thank you for your partnership in God’s work through Baptist Children’s Home. Years ago the BCH board set a goal that we would care for 1000 children by the end of this decade. We didn’t know exactly where and how that would happen. But praise God it is happening and I’m blessed to be part of this adventure in faith.
In fact, the high point of many weeks for me is the privilege of standing before a church family and sharing God’s work through Baptist Children’s Home. People come away saying, “I’m thankful we are part of that work.” I also believe that people are challenged to serve. I know that even as the presenter I am challenged to more faithful service to the glory of God.
A colleague in Liberia just wrote about the harvest of a 60 acre rice field by volunteers to help care for children. He said, “The laborers are few.”
It seems we are forever praying for help and searching for people God has prepared and burdened to do this good work. I’m thrilled at the prospects now of having compassionate people to serve in the harvest. Several couples who seem to be ministry fit are presently in the application and interview process. Please pray.
The Thanksgiving Food Shower has been a huge blessing for many years. Praise God for churches in Michigan and Indiana helping with that. Today 240 processed chickens ready for the freezer are being delivered. Turkeys for Thanksgiving also. Wonderful. I wanted to add that scene to a picture I show in my church presentations. In the picture Gyung, little Nan and a helper are plucking chickens on a Sunday afternoon at Agape Home in North Myanmar. I asked where the chicken came from. They were in the offering that Sunday morning - ALIVE - to help care for children. No wonder we call it the World’s Greatest Food Shower.
Jim Geurink
Return to the top of the page.
Pastor Paul's Paragraphs
Marriage Conference