Pastor Paul's Paragraphs

      I love the Old Testament stories where God shows Himself so very strong in our eyes. A few of those stories include the life of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, and Elijah. I often joke about seeing the DVD version of the real events surrounding these individuals when I get to heaven. When one reads the Old Testament, you get a glimpse of God's divine sovereignty, holiness and power. You also get an enormous view of His love and care for a group of people called the Israelites. Each of the above mentioned individuals experienced a relationship with God that causes me to reflect on my own.

      I think of Abraham and his faith as expressed in Genesis 15:6. Abraham did not have the benefit of Old Testament and early church history, nor did he have the written Word of God as we do today. Yet, he possessed a deep relationship with our sovereign and holy God Who communicated His love and involvement in Abraham's life. This relationship ran deep enough that "Abram" packed up his family and belongings and headed off to a land that he knew nothing about including the location of this "promised land."

      I love the life of Moses: an insignificant birth (Exodus 2:1-2), a miraculous deliverance and upbringing (Exodus 2:3-10), and a major sin and error of judgment (Exodus 2:11-2). His life takes a turn for the obscure during the ensuing years. He will marry and have family, although we are not told much concerning this period in his life. God will use a very exclusive method to speak to Moses (Exodus 3:2), and Moses will basically argue with God for the next two chapters, eventually yielding to the call of God upon his life. Moses will experience the miraculous power of God working through him for the remainder of his earthly life. Although Moses will continue to make some costly mistakes, we think of him as one of the great heroes of our faith as he is mentioned in Hebrews 11:24-29.

      The life of Joshua is a study on personal growth, faithfulness and commitment. He serves as the "Minister of Moses" (Joshua 1:1) before becoming the leader of Israel. He is challenged by the Lord through the words of Moses to "be strong" (Deuteronomy 31:7). With only one exception, Joshua will lead the nation of Israel in victory after military victory until Israel is in possession of the land that God promised Abraham (Genesis 12:2).

      When I think of King David, lion and bear and Goliath slaying David, sinning David, I also find myself focusing most on "shep-herd David." The 23rd Psalm is respected as one of the most read and loved of all of Scripture. Even though King David could be renowned as one of the greatest and wealthiest of all leaders, he is most remembered for his tender-ness and love as expressed to the Lord in the many Psalms he authored. David's transparency and openness in life as expressed in this beautiful book of poetry has benefited countless thousands as his words are used to both reflect and minister to each of us on a level of emotional need with theological content.

      I see Elijah as a man of many personalities. Let me mention just two. He is a person of strong leadership as evidenced when he faces off with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). He is also a person given to at least one bout with depression, the kind of depression that leads to suicidal thinking (1 Kings 19:1-5).

      We review all this to state a simple yet profound fact: God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Psalms 102:7 and Hebrews 13:8). Just as God guided, cared for, and directed the lives of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, and Elijah, He does the same for you and me (Matthew 6:26-34. I matter to God and He cares for me. No one ever cared for me like Jesus.

      Pastor Paul

Coming in May - Ladies of Grace Brunch

Join the Ladies of Grace for a great time of fellowship, prizes and fun on Saturday, May 3 from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. Invite a special friend or family member. This year we will meet at Ruthy’s Restaurant and enjoy a brunch buffet. Cost is just $12.50 per person. Look for the ticket table in the church foyer beginning Sunday, April 6.

For more information see Loretta Stone or Joyce Radobenko.

Kids B.L.A.S.T. Empire Mines Hiking Trip

All kids in 4th thru 6th grade are welcome to join us for a beautiful hike in Grass Valley. Plan to meet at the church on Saturday, April 26 by 9:30 AM. We will leave the church promptly at 10:00 AM. Here are a few items you child must bring:

• Signed Consent Form
• Water Bottle
• Sack Lunch
• Good Comfortable Hiking Shoes
• Sweater or Light Weight Jacket
• Bug Spray (optional)

There is no fee for this activity. However, we do ask that you make sure your child is well rested, gets a healthy breakfast and arrives at the church on time. Parents are welcome to come on the hike. All parents interested in participating in this activity must go through our screening program.

For more information, please call the church office at 673-6847 and ask for Abby or Trish.

GCA & Preschool Drive Thru BBQ

Tri -Tip Dinner

What is a drive-thru dinner? It’s just like going to your favorite fast food restaurant except much better! You drive up, present your advance purchase tickets and we will give you a complete meal. $10 per serving or a whole tri-trip for $20 which will feed a family of four. Drive thru open on Friday, April 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Call the school office at 674-7210 for more information.

VBS 2008 is Coming

We are looking for volunteers. Will you prayerfully consider helping in this summer’s effort to impact the lives of children?

If you would like to help, please call the church office and let us know!

June 9 - 13, 2008

• Prayer Team
  Praying for our workers and children
  Helping to follow-up with postcards and/or visits
• Decoration Team
  Preparing decoration items
  Help decorate stations
• Registration Team
  Pre-Registration Table (Sundays in June)
  Daily Registration Tables
• Nursery Worker
  I will work the whole week in the nursery.
  I can work ____ days in the nursery.
• Crafts Team
  Provide craft material prior to VBS
  Daily Craft Station Worker
• Snack Team
  Provide snacks prior to VBS
  Daily Snack Station Worker
• Crew Leader
  Daily Workers (we need lots of adults and teens)
  These workers stay with the children throughout the morning and help them get from station to station.

Missionary News

The World Islamic Summit (OIC) which was held in Dakar recently went quite well.The leaders who were most actively pressing toward Senegal becoming an Islamic state did not come to the Summit because of security concerns.So that issue was not really discussed.So we are praising God for that!Senegal remains a country that allows freedom of religion.The leaders that did attend strongly agreed that it is time for Christians and Muslims to work together for peace and understanding.They spoke out against the Islamic extremists.There were issues concerning Palestine that were discussed as well, but all in all the Summit went well.Please pray for my dad as my step-mother passed away on Easter night, please pray for us as we rearrange our schedule so we can be with my dad during this time. Thank you so much for all your prayers.

In Christ,
Ken and Julie Vaughan

Thank You

• A special thank you to everyone who gave to the love offering for Maggie Craig. We collected $1357.00 to go towards her emerging leaders program.
• We asked, you gave. Terry and Matt Sloan were able to deliver many dishes, brooms and towels to our neighbors in Mexico during their missions trip. Thank you, Grace Baptist Church, for your generosity and faithful giving.