One 4 burner electric stove, $75; push mower, $75; riding law mower, $150; china cabinet and dining room table with 6 chairs, $300. Call 748-4147 after 6 PM.

Western apparel (used) for women starting at $5.00 and up OBO, brand name shirts, pants, boots, hats, belts & buckles. Also, PAGEANT dress for sale, Gorgeous detail, toddler size 3-5, Effingham. Call 659-8950.

6’ x 12’ enclosed trailer with ramp, rear door, and side door. Full height. $1600. Call for more information, 596-8870.

Religion

Godspeaks

“Children need their parents’ presence more than they need their parents’ presents.”

-God

Bulletin Board Briefs

• Westside Christian Church will present an evening of Holy of Holies Worship on Saturday, July 8th at 7:00 PM at Westside Christian Church, Highway 80 in Bloomingdale (one mile past the Piggly Wiggly). Please make plans to attend and bring a friend! For more information call 748-0309.
• "Marvelous Mondays in July" at First Baptist Church of Rincon

First Baptist Church of Rincon will move its Sunday night services to Monday night and have a dynamic guest speaker each week during "Marvelous Mondays in July." Services are each Monday in July at 7:00 p.m. Special music will be provided by the music ministry of First Baptist Church of Rincon.

This year's guest speakers are:

• July 3: Patriotic service with Rev. Everett Tumblin, retired Navy chaplain and port chaplain at the port of Savannah. Before the message, the sanctuary choir will present the patriotic musical, If God Be For Us.

• July 10: Rev. Terry Fox, pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Wichita, Kansas. Fox is chairman of the search committee for a new president of the North American Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention.

• July 17: Rev. Sam Self, pastor, First Baptist Church, Port Wentworth

• July 24: Rev. Kenny Grant, pastor, Christ's Community Church, Savannah

• July 31: Rev. Larry Strickland, pastor, Dean Forest Baptist Church, Savannah.

Nursery provided for all services. A special church leader's dinner will be provided in the chapel of First Baptist Church on Monday, July 10 at 5:30 p.m. for church leaders to meet Terry Fox and give their input into the search for a new president of the North American Mission Board. Tapes and CD's of speakers for Marvelous Mondays in July are available for purchase for $5 each or $20 for the set of five messages. For more information, to order tapes or CD's, and to RSVP for the leader's dinner on July 10, call 826-5536 or email cgreen@fbcrincon.com. Please RSVP for the church leader's dinner by Friday, July 7.

• Join us at Heavenbound Baptist Church, 1014 Quacco Rd. for our VBS on July 17th - 21st from 7pm to 9pm. We will be learning about God's blueprint for our lives, doing crafts, skits, Bible verses & stories, singing songs and having a snack. Join us for a lot of fun and fellowship. Call 921-1500 for more details or directions.

• Join us at Port Wentworth United Methodist Church, 301 Turnberry St. (corner of Crossgate and Turnberry Sts.) for Sunday School at 9:45 AM and Sunday Morning Worship at 11 AM and family Night Activities on Wednesdays when we have supper at 5:45 PM. The cost is $4 for adults, $2 for children with a maximum of $10 for any family. Your first supper with us is free, just call the office at 964-4210 to make reservations. Nursery is provided.

After supper we have a lecture series or bible study. Currently we are learning about the United Methodist Church and what it means to be a United Methodist. At 6:30 PM we have Choir Practice for children; at 7:15 PM we have Choir Practice for the adults. Join us, you'll be glad you did.

• Obsessive Compulsive Anonymous meets every Monday, 7:00 p.m. at New Faith Community Church, Pooler Georgia. No cost to attend. Call 748-9051 or 844-6967 www.ocapoolerga.com.

MY ANSWER

By Billy Graham

Q: I just read a book that claims the real truth about Jesus was suppressed by the church, and that what we have in the Bible isn't the full story, or even the right one. It was an interesting book but it did raise some questions in my mind. Is there any truth to it? - D.T.

A: You can be absolutely confident that what was written in the Bible about Jesus is accurate, and its accuracy has been confirmed by scholars (both Christian and non-Christian) repeatedly over the centuries.

After all, who had a stronger desire to preserve and pass along accurately the message of Jesus than the first Christians? They believed He alone was the Son of God, sent from heaven to save us from our sins. They also believed nothing was more important than obeying His command to "go and make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). What possible motive could they have had to change Jesus' message or suppress the facts about His life? The only logical answer is: none.

Instead, they diligently wrote down the record of Jesus' life and teachings (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit). Luke, for example, began his Gospel by assuring his readers that he had taken pains to be sure it was accurate: "I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning" (Luke 1:3).

Don't let anything shake your confidence in what God has given us in His Word, the Bible. Most of all, don't let anything shake your confidence in Jesus Christ, who alone came down from heaven to save us from our sins.

(Send your queries to "My Answer," c/o Billy Graham, P.O. Box 1270, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit the Web site for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: www.billygraham.org.)

Family Connection

By Nicholas A. Kennicott

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24 NIV

There was trouble in little "Critter-town" USA, as squirrels had overrun three particular congregations. The Elders of the first congregation decided that the squirrels were all predestined to be there, and that they would not interfere with the sovereignty of God and His eternal decrees.

The second determined that they could not harm any of God’s little creatures, so they tenderly gathered them all up, and set them free on the outskirts of town. In two days they had all returned.

It was only the third congregation that succeeded in keeping these little critters away. The Elders baptized all the squirrels and registered them as members, and now they only see them on Christmas and Easter.

We laugh about the squirrels, but for many believers their presence in corporate assembly with the saints of God, is seen only on the "high and holy" days of the faith.

Unfortunately, as culture has shifted into post-modernism, many Christian congregations have failed to follow. Dressing up and “going to church” on Sunday morning is no longer a common habit amongst people. Because of sociological, political, religious, and historical paradigms, Americans of the 21st century seek an attractive faith that is relational.

A relational faith is the good news of Jesus Christ, but unfortunately it’s not being presented as such.

The Church of today must ask itself some serious questions in order to be effective and relevant in post-modern culture. Does the church understand the broader cultural concepts? Are they willing to adjust customs and dissolve antiquated traditions to be true to the message of God’s grace? How do we best present the unchanging truths of Scripture in a way that can be understood and lived out today?

Congregations that are effective in society don’t try to change the culture, but rather embrace the uniqueness and adjust their style and approach with the message of Jesus Christ. In the near future, the congregations that are healthy and growing will look very different than the Christian institutions of today.

Christians as individuals have a responsibility to meet together as a means of worship, fellowship, prayer, encouragement, and growth rather than a habit for the sake of tradition. Once this is realized on a personal level, the Church can once again return to the roots of the first century believers. “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (Acts 2:46).

Collectively, we need each other’s presence, fellowship, strength and encouragement. In order to make this connection with God’s family, we must make the incredible, unchanging message of Jesus Christ relevant in today’s ever changing world.

Editor’s Note: Nicholas Kennicott and his wife Felicia attend Ardsley Park Baptist Church where he has been licensed to preach. Questions, comments, or prayer requests? You can e-mail Nicholas at kennicon@comcast.net

I recently read about a middle-aged man who has been struggling with chronic depression for many years. His counselor told him that he would need to be on antidepressant drugs for the rest of his life. He told the counselor that his father, a self-made head of a large corporation, repeatedly said to him, "Son, when you inherit the family business, I expect you'll ruin it."

"These words stung more painfully each time he heard them. When his father died, the man felt driven to work unreasonably long hours to prove his dad's prediction wrong. The pressure to avoid failure that relentlessly gnawed at him was quieted only by alcohol. Soon a serious drinking problem developed. His wife threatened to leave him. Finally he succumbed to ongoing depression for which he could find relief only in drugs. His life was devastated by the power of his father's tongue."

I was once told that I was physically ugly. It took me years to overcome that one sentence because, tragically, I believed it. However, I have since learned that it had more to do with the person who spoke those words than it had to do with me.

With words we can bless or curse others; encourage or discourage; hearten or dishearten them. They can be powerful motivators or de-motivators. Let's always use them as an instrument of healing and encouragement-and never use them to hurt, demoralize or destroy another.

"With the tongue [words] we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers [and sisters], this should not be" (James 3:9-10).

By Dick Innes, and passed along by www.christianvoices.org