16 The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.

17 Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t – not a drop for three and a half years.

18 Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again – James 5:16b-18 The Message.

16 The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest  – James 5:16b-18 New Revised Standard

16 The plea of a righteous person is very powerful, working effectively.

17 Elijah was a man with the same nature as us, and he prayed fervently for it not to rain and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months;

18 then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain and the earth produced its crops. – James 5:16b-18    One New Man Bible

As you might have guessed, I want to talk to you for a few moments today about prayer.  I want to ask you, “Do you believe prayer works?”  Well, do you?  Of course I’ve quoted a passage of scripture, James 5:16b-18, a section that is pretty familiar to many people.  I’d say that this section of scripture is pretty clear about the power of prayer – “the prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.”  “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”  “The plea of a righteous person is very powerful, working effectively.”  But the question remains, do we really believe that?

I have heard the arguments:  “Well yeah, but that was Elijah!  I could never measure up to Elijah!”  I wonder if “Pastor” James had heard that before . . . you know “Pastor” James don’t you?  He is Jesus’ brother . . . yes, THAT Jesus.  So maybe that’s what he was thinking when he wrote about Elijah instead of using his brother as an example.  You see, everyone he was writing to would have remembered Elijah and his doubting, his confusion, his “I can’t do this anymore.  I’m tired and hungry.  Take me now God, I’m the ONLY one living for you”!  Yes, THAT Elijah (Read 1 Kings 18 for the story).

We have a tendency to over-spiritualize people in the Bible, but to me part of the extreme beauty of the Bible is that it never tries to gloss over the character of the people that are in it.  It never tries to make them out as the super-spiritual or the perfect-people.  It shows them just like they are, weak sometimes, angry sometimes, fallible many times, just normal, human people, “human just like us.”  The reason James used Elijah is BECAUSE the people would have been able to relate to him.  So look at that again.

Elijah prayed that it wouldn’t rain and it didn’t rain for 3½ years – and then he prayed again and it did rain and the rain caused everything to grow.  Now the point of this ISN’T that prayer is this “magic bean” that we use whenever we want to.  The point of this is that when we are doing our best to listen to God and He directs us to pray for something, we can do so with the utmost confidence that not only will God hear us but that He will do what we ask.

So, with that, do you believe that prayer works?  I want you to know that I believe that prayer is at the absolute core of everything that we do as Christians.  Over the next several weeks we are going to be exploring that issue specifically.  But I also want you to know that we aren’t just going to be talking about it, we are going to be praying!  We are going to have special, specific times of prayer, NOT JUST FOR A FEW WEEKS, but to develop as a habit that we exercise corporately and personally.

I’m looking forward to this part of our journey together – i know what God has been saying to me and I’m anxious to share it with you on Wednesdays and beginning this Sunday.  In the meantime, let’s pray!

I love you

Rick

____________________________________________________________________________   Upcoming Activities

Wednesday May 10– We have a VERY special Wednesday evening planned tonight – BAPTISM!!!!!  It all starts at 6:00 p.m. over at the pool building (Thornton Aquatic Center) at Bonita Park.  At 6:00 we are going to be baptizing a great number of children and then at 6:30 we will be baptizing teens.  And stay tuned, next Wednesday we will be having a baptism time for adults.  (If you are interested in being baptized please contact Rick)  How cool is this!

Sunday May 15– Our regular schedule of services with our 8:45 and 10:30 services and Hispanic services at 1:00.

Friday May 20 – Feed My Starving Children will be hosting a VERY special event here in our gym “Turn Hunger Into Hope!” 5:30-8:30 p.m.  This will be a wonderful evening with lots of great opportunities to help raise money to feed starving children.  There will be great live music, games, activities, a special raffle and an INCREDIBLE meal cooked and hosted by our own group of Brisket, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, AND Shelly’s INCREDIBLE dinner rolls – all of that for ONLY $8!!!!!!  Also, the Village Buttery and Cornerstone Bakery will be providing desserts.  All of this will help to raise money for the Feed My Starving Children MobilePack which will take place in September!

One Final Note and Prayer Request – Please continue to pray for Judy Aguayo and her family.  So that all family members can be a part of the Memorial Service for Ron, there is a service scheduled for Sunday afternoon, July 31^st.

  ]]> 1521 anguschurch anguschurch@valornet.com (Angus Church) https://anguschurch.wordpress.com/2016/05/04/obedience-5416/ Wed, 04 May 2016 19:05:51 +0000 http://anguschurch.wordpress.com/?p=1517 Continue reading →]]> Good morning,

I’m a little late getting this out this morning, but I have a great excuse.  Every once in awhile on a Wednesday morning, I have the privilege of going out to the Mescalero Care Center to share in their “chapel” time.  We sing old hymns, I have the opportunity to share something from scripture and best of all I get to shake hands and get hugs from some amazing people who have lived long lives.  I was out there this morning and today was an especially wonderful time.  It has been several months since my last time out there and there were about 3 or 4 new folks that I hadn’t met before and some old faces that I recognized and who recognized me.  We sang some beautiful songs with powerful words and I shared some scripture and then came the best part.

The lady who is in charge of activities asked me if I would take a moment to go and pray for a gentleman who is 101 years old and probably doesn’t have much time left on this earth.  I went to his room and there was a friend of the family there reading scripture to him.  His family is on their way back from Europe trying to get here before he passes away.  There have been several delays and frustration for them and they called this friend and asked her to come by and read some of his favorite scripture passages to him.  So, the staff member, this friend of the family and I had the privilege of praying with this saint of God who is a whole lot closer to the other side then he is to this side.  That was an amazing moment.

After I was gone I thought about a devotion that Wally sent me this past Monday that fits in well here.  The devotional thought was from Charles Swindoll, a favorite author and preacher of mine.  The subject was obedience.  Let me share just a couple of paragraphs from it.  The passage of scripture that he was referencing was Exodus 12.

The instruction Moses gave was to be passed along from generation to generation. After he finished with these specific instructions, Scripture says, “And the people bowed low and worshiped. Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did” (vv. 27–28).

We’re back again to the key word: obedience. Pharaoh did not—would not—obey. As a result, he exposed both himself and his nation to the judgment of the Lord. The Hebrews, however, heard the Lord’s Word through Moses and did obey, right down to the smallest detail. As a result, they experienced a great deliverance. They made history, while Pharaoh became history.  (Taken from Chuck Swindoll’s Daily Devotional:  Historical Obedience May 2, 2016)

I want to highlight to you part of that second paragraph:  “Pharaoh did not—would not—obey.”  Then he writes, “The Hebrews, however, heard the Lord’s Word through Moses and did obey, right down to the smallest detail.”  Then, the last line:  “They made history, while Pharaoh became history.”

Every one of us wants to make a difference in our lives.  I don’t know of anyone who just wants to go through life doing nothing, being inconsequential and not affecting anyone.  We ALL want to make a difference somehow.  And there is some significant direction in this small devotional thought that can help us know how to do just that – obedience to God’s Word.  I can tell you without hesitation that if you will obey God’s Word you will never go wrong.  There is an assurance that God’s Word is right 100% of the time.  In a world that seeks to do everything that it can to deny absolutes, to deny God and to deny that God is of any consequence in this world, I can tell you beyond any doubt whatsoever, God is not only relevant, He is absolute.  His Word NEVER fails; He will ALWAYS have the last word.  His power is unconquerable and His will is sure.  If you want to do the right thing, be obedient to God’s Word.

From all accounts of those who knew him, this 101 year old gentleman that I had the privilege of praying with this morning is a follower of Jesus Christ who has been obedient to God’s Word.  Perhaps today, probably within the next couple of days at most, he will reap the final, ultimate reward of that obedience by hearing the words from Jesus’ lips, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful . . . .  Come and share your master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:21).

Those who follow and obey the Word of God make history, while those who do not, become history!  I want to be a history maker!

I love you

Rick

____________________________________________________________________________   Upcoming Activities

Wednesday May 4 – Tonight our teens will be involved in the National Day of Prayer teen event which will take place at Armstrong Tabernacle here at Bonita Park.  Our ladies will be serving hotdogs to our children and any adults who are here and we will have our children’s activities and prayer time at the regular times.  Hope to see you here!

Thursday May 5 – The National Day of Prayer with the Lincoln County Prayer Breakfast at 6:30 a.m. at the Ruidoso Convention Center:  TOMORROW!!!!  We have 6 tickets still remaining for this incredible event and we don’t want ANYONE to miss out.  Please call the church office if you haven’t gotten your tickets yet!

Sunday May 8 – Our regular schedule of services with our 8:45 and 10:30 services and Hispanic services at 1:00.

One Final Note and Prayer Request – Ron Aguayo passed away late Monday evening in Lubbock.  Ron’s cancer had returned and was in his bones.  Please be in prayer for Judy and the family.

  ]]> 1517 anguschurch anguschurch@valornet.com (Angus Church) https://anguschurch.wordpress.com/2016/04/27/what-is-happening-42716/ Wed, 27 Apr 2016 17:26:53 +0000 http://anguschurch.wordpress.com/?p=1510 Continue reading →]]> Good morning,

This is more of an informational email this morning so I hope you’ll take the time to read it and be aware of all that is upcoming.

First, this weekend here at Bonita Park is our District Man Camp.  Duane Grider is the special speaker this year.  Duane has a unique ministry to bikers and has spoken at Man Camp before.  He did an amazing job the year he was here and guys you would enjoy his ministry.  If you have any questions about Man Camp please contact Jerry Wright and he’ll help you to know what to do.  IT IS NOT TOO LATE FOR YOU TO COME THIS WEEKEND.  Jerry’s email address is deb.and.jerry.wright@gmail.com and I know he’ll be happy to help you out.

Second, next week is the National Day of Prayer with the Lincoln County Prayer Breakfast on Thursday May 5^th at the Ruidoso Convention Center.  We still have 19 tickets available and we do NOT want them to go to waste.  If you are interested in going we WANT YOU TO GO.  Please contact Donnie and Julia Glover to let them know that you would like a ticket.  The cost of the tickets is $10 BUT if the cost would keep you from going, please do NOT let that stop you.  We will cover the cost of the ticket if we need to.  Let’s don’t let these tickets go to waste.  Donnie’s email is donnie.glover@yahoo.com – contact him ASAP to reserve your tickets.

Third, we are coming to the end of another school year and that means there are a number of things that we want to remember to pray for our teens and children for.  The big event is the Regional Activity Days that our teens take part in at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego with teens from all across the education region; NM, AZ, CA and HI will send teens and adults for this incredible event.  Just as way of information and a HUGE thank you, the teens raised almost $2600 on Sunday at their dinner and auction.  Thank you to everyone who helped.

We are involved on a small level with the Backpack for Kids program that helps to feed school children in Ruidoso and Capitan throughout the year.  Frank and Elizabeth Potter from Ruidoso head up this program and we have been involved through the food distribution and in some other ways.  Last summer this program started working with kids through the summer as well as the school year and they are planning this again.  They are in need of someone who is willing to help deliver these backpacks into Capitan each Friday during the summer.  It would involve going over to Ruidoso on Friday morning and helping to get the backpacks ready and then taking the Capitan backpacks to a central location in Capitan where families could pick them up.  They would not be delivered individually, but at a central location where families could come to get them.  If you would be willing to help with this incredible program would you please contact Shelly here at the church office, 575 336-8032, and let her know.  Thank you!

On Friday May 20^th Feed My Starving Children will be having a special event here at the Angus Gym, “Turn Hunger Into Hope.”  This will be a family friendly evening which will involve games, food and all kinds of different fun activities to raise money for the September Mobile Pack for Feed my Starving Children which will also take place here at Angus Church.  Plan on making this evening, Friday May 20, a part of your calendar!

Along with all of these special things, we plan on an amazing summer here at Angus Church.  God is moving and working in us.  We are making some incredible plans for the fall as this year Angus Church will celebrate 100 years!  God has been asking us what we are going to be doing for the next 100 years and we’re excited to share those things with you.  Each Sunday morning we have our regular schedule of services here at 8:45 in the gym with breakfast, 9:30 for adults who would like a Sunday school class to be part of, and then 10:30 with our service in the sanctuary.  Our Hispanic congregation meets each Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and they have a meal together after their service.  We hope you’ll continue to make joining together with us each week a part of your schedule.

I love you

Rick

____________________________________________________________________________   Upcoming Activities

Wednesday April 27 – We have our regular Wednesday evening activities tonight beginning with dinner at 5:30!  Hope to see you here!

Friday April 29-Sunday May 1 – Man Camp at Bonita Park.  There is still room men if you are interested in going.  Contact Jerry Wright at deb.and.jerry.wright@gmail.com

Sunday May 1 – Our regular schedule of services with our 8:45 and 10:30 services and Hispanic services at 1:00.

Thursday May 5 – The National Day of Prayer with the Lincoln County Prayer Breakfast at 6:30 a.m. at the Ruidoso Convention Center.  Please talk to Donnie & Julia Glover for tickets.  We have 19 tickets still remaining for this incredible event! ]]> 1510 anguschurch anguschurch@valornet.com (Angus Church) https://anguschurch.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/your-choice-42016/ https://anguschurch.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/your-choice-42016/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2016 15:54:53 +0000 http://anguschurch.wordpress.com/?p=1507 Continue reading →]]> Good morning,

I mentioned last week that I had the privilege of spending about 10 days with my son and daughter-in-law and these two AMAZING little guys above.  In July I had the privilege of walking my BEAUTIFUL daughter down the aisle at her wedding and then performing she and our son-in-law’s wedding.  I think you know by now that I LOVE being a grandpa, I love my son and daughter-in-law and my daughter and son-in-law, that I have THE MOST amazing wife in the world and I am one of the most blessed men anywhere.  The only thing that could be better is if they were all a whole lot closer to Sue and me, but they are all where they should be, all where God wants them and so I’ll be content to Skype and Face Time when I can, see them when I can and to pray for and love them ALL as much as I can every day.  And more than that, I’m going to trust God for them every single day of their lives!

If you look around at our world you will find that there are lots and lots of reasons to be discouraged, to be fearful, to wonder at what in the world is going to happen and how we are going to survive.  You’ll find many, MANY reasons to gripe and complain, to be hopeless, to believe that the world is falling apart at a record pace.  You have that opportunity every day!

But you know what else?  If you will look around, every day, you have the opportunity to see the exact same things that “could” cause you all of the consternation that I’ve mentioned in the previous paragraph, BUT you could have an incredible hope instead of the fear, discouragement and hopelessness.  Listen to this.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19.  “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength” Philippians 4:11-13.  “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:13-14.  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7.  “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” Philippians 2:5-11.  “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. . . .  Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” Philippians 1:12-14.  And finally, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” Philippians 1:20-21.  And all of these are JUST a small portion of the letter that Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, while he was in prison!

We have the opportunity to determine what our attitude is going to be in spite of everything that is happening in the world around us, OR PERSONALLY TO US!  I wish I could say something, do something or help in some way to take away every problem that you have – the truth is, I can’t.  But in spite of any- and everything that is happening to you or in this world, God is STILL God and He WILL have the final word.  And He is with you, right now, here where you are, in everything that you are facing.  “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4.

I love you

Rick

____________________________________________________________________________   Upcoming Activities

Wednesday April 13 – We have our regular Wednesday evening activities tonight beginning with dinner at 5:30!  Hope to see you here!

Sunday April 24 – This Sunday we will be having one combined worship service at 10:00 a.m. followed by a teen fundraising luncheon!  Our Sunday school class will meet at 9:00 a.m. that morning for all who are interested.  We hope you’ll join us for this very special day!

THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 24, we will be having our Annual meeting, electing our officers and delegates for the year ahead.  All members of Angus Church, 15 years of age and older, will be eligible to vote for these leaders!

Sunday April 24-Wednesday April 27 – Roswell First Church of the Nazarene will be hosting a week of Seeking Transformation prayer seminar with Rhonda Hughey and Corey Jones.  Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. and then Monday through Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.  This will be an amazing time of prayer, transformation and seeking God.  I want to URGE you to plan on attending at least one of these sessions. ]]> https://anguschurch.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/your-choice-42016/feed/ 1 1507 anguschurch anguschurch@valornet.com (Angus Church) https://anguschurch.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/what-kind-of-church-41316/ Wed, 13 Apr 2016 18:36:59 +0000 http://anguschurch.wordpress.com/?p=1503 Continue reading →]]> Good morning,

It is so good to be back home!  I loved my time with my son and his family, got lots and lots of grandson time, but I am back and so glad to be!

I had the privilege of going to church with my kids the 2 Sunday’s while I was in Wisconsin.  They attend a congregation in Burlington WI that is about our size, but is a satellite of a much, much larger congregation, Journey Church which is the mother church.  The typical services each Sunday where our kids go include two worship services, because of the size of their building, and almost every week the sermon is a video of the pastor of the larger congregation which is located in Kenosha WI.  The two towns are separated by about 30-40 miles.  Our kid’s church has a fulltime pastor and he preaches occasionally, but most of the time it is the video sermon.  I’ve had the privilege of worshiping there about 4 or 5 times now and while I thought at first that might be distracting or “weird” I’ve got to admit that while it is different, it is not distracting, it isn’t weird and I really like his preaching.

This past Sunday though was the 3^rd anniversary of this congregation’s start with this arrangement of the mother church so their campus pastor preached the sermon that day.  His name is Levi, he and his wife have 3 young girls and he is about 35 years of age I would guess.  They moved to Burlington from Texas a little more than 3 years ago to specifically fill this position.  After the service was over I texted Sue and told her that the sermon this week was for me!  I know they were celebrating their 3^rd anniversary, and it was about this campus and what they were doing and what God had called them to do there.  But I also know that God NEVER wastes anything and He knew EXACTLY what I needed this week.  Please know this; even though I am your pastor (at least most of you) there are times that I REALLY need to hear the sermon.  I’ve told you before that you’re lucky – you get to hear the sermon on Sunday one time and then you go home.  I have it preached to me every day that I’m working on it and many times I can’t let go of it because of what God is saying.  But this week I heard the sermon once and it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear.

I have shared with you that 2016 is the 100^th birthday of Angus Church.  We are planning a HUGE weekend celebration October 15 and 16.  We’ve invited back former pastors, we’re sending out invitations to everyone who has moved away that we can contact, we’re going to invite local officials that weekend and we’re going to have a party!  But I have to tell you that the thing I’m most excited about is the question that I’ve been asking us for the last year and a half – “What does God want to do with us in the next 5 years?  What kind of church are we going to be?”  But in the context of the timing of all of this it has become, “What does God want from Angus Church for the next 100 years?”  The timing of this is no surprise to God.  We’ve been working on our mission, the why and the what that God has placed us uniquely here for – we’ve been working on the how’s and the why’s of Angus Church and the timing of the 100^th birthday is no coincidence at all!  I believe that God is more interested in how we are going to affect Lincoln County than He has ever been before and I KNOW that He is stirring me and us.

I want to challenge you to do two things.  First I want you to pray with me and with us as we finalize our thoughts and plans about what God is sharing with us for Angus Church.  This is THE MOST essential thing that we can do.  Second, I want you to mark your calendars for two very important events.  The first, of course, is our 100^th Birthday celebration weekend, October 15-16.  But leading up to that we will be sharing the vision for the next 100 years the last two weekends of August and the four weeks of September.  We are going to begin to answer the question, “What kind of church are we going to be?” and I am so excited to share with you what God is doing, how He is moving and what He has been saying.  I believe that our very best days are ahead of us!

Rick

____________________________________________________________________________   Upcoming Activities

Wednesday April 13 – We have our regular Wednesday evening activities tonight beginning with dinner at 5:30!  Hope to see you here!

Thursday April 14 – We will be having our regular monthly board meeting here tomorrow evening at 6:00.

 Friday April 15-Saturday April 16 – Bonita Park is having an all-district work weekend here and we want to encourage everyone who can to come out and help.  There will be lots to do and we want you!

Sunday April 24 – We will be having one combined worship service on the 24^th at 10:00 a.m. followed by a teen fundraising luncheon!  Our Sunday school class will meet at 9:00 a.m. that morning for all who are interested.  We hope you’ll join us for this very special day! ]]> 1503 anguschurch anguschurch@valornet.com (Angus Church)