Nile Street Notes

Anna Church of Christ

104 Nile Street, Anna, Illinois 62906

833-5815

Vol 23. Issue 10 March 8, 2009

Secularization

Secularization is the process of removing religious and moral influence from our society. And I must conclude that secularization is alive and well.

As you know, and many of you may remember first hand, there was a time when each school day began with a prayer. Of course, if such happened today, the ACLU would slap a multi-million dollar law suit against the school. This is an example of secularization.

Just this past week, I encountered another example of secularization from my son's sixth-grade classroom. Do you remember those “aptitude tests” that were given to students? These tests were given to help a children identify several possible professions that could be suitable for them. Depending on the way a child answered certain questions, he might learn that he seemed suitable to pursue such professions as being a doctor, nurse, school teacher, plumber, mechanic, or a host of other professions.

Well imagine my surprise when my son returned home from school and told me about some of the suggested professions that were offered to several of his friends. One little girl was told she would make a good “bartender.” Another child was suited to work in a “winery.” And yet another student was suitable to work as a “beer manufacturer.”

I was speechless. I can't remember a more blatant attempt to legitimize the alcohol industry. I can’t imagine what kind of questions could have been asked that would suggest a little sixth grade girl should become a “bartender.” Or why would one be suitable to work as a “beer manufacturer” as opposed to a “soft drink manufacturer,” or simply be suitable for the “manufacturing industry?” (I couldn’t help wonder if in Nevada, where prostitution is legal, if this profession would have been offered as a suitable profession for some students)?

It is obvious that the secularization of America is alive and well in our state school systems. More and more we are witnessing attempts to remove Christian faith, morals, and values from the public arena. This is yet another example of our move away from morality and toward acceptance, tolerance, and non-judgmentalism.

Friends, our work is cut out for us. If we want to raise godly children, we had better get busy and put in the time and training necessary to make the spiritual training of our children a priority, and to counter the daily barrage of the world.

Steve Higginbotham via MercEmail

SERMON TOPICS

A.M. – “The Meaning of Biblical Silence”

(Deut. 4:2)

P.M. – “Individual Desire and Sound

Doctrine” (II Tim. 4:1-4)

Those For Whom We Are Praying:

Kathleen Ritchey

Loren Eddleman

Rosemary Dillow’s mother & Son–in-law

Jerry & Betty Ward

Rodney & Nikki Lingle

Bill Whitnel

Ken and Gilda Snell

Lowell Karraker

Mitchell Shock – Grandson of Rosemary’s cousin.

Austin Detering – Baby battling a number of birth defects.

Carlos Wright

Veda Pryor

Virginia McIntyre

Wardell Barnhart's sister

John Shelton

Charles Dillow – Freda’s brother-in-law

Paul Etherton - Sara Wilkins' father. Cancer in lymph nodes.

Wisdom From Proverbs: “The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted” (Prov. 10:24).

Quotable Quote:  “It is not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog!” – Anonymous

Sentence Sermon: When a fellow is kicking, he has only one leg to stand on.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES/MEETINGS

* Our Spring Gospel Meeting will be March 20-22 with Garland Elkins.

* Men's Prayer Breakfast March 21 at 8:30 a.m.

* Today is Flower Fund Sunday.

* Gospel Meeting in Jackson Apr. 3-5 with Phil Sanders.

* Gospel Meeting in Salem, IL Mar. 29-Apr. 1w/David Lipe.

* Marion church of Christ will host a Gospel Meeting April 19-22 w/Jim Faughn.

* 7^th Annual Central Singing March 20 from 7:00-10:30 p.m. at Central church of Christ in

Paducah.

* Thanks to all who attended the Dexter Youth Rally. What a great way to spend a Saturday!

* Let’s remember to contact those that we haven’t see in a few weeks.

* We have invitation letters to our services to mail out. If you’d like to be a part of this, see R.W.

* Feel free to drop any Bible questions in the Question & Answer box in the foyer.

* Food Pantry needs canned fruit.

* 4^th Sunday singing will be here in March, coinciding with our meeting.

* John & Dawn Bradley would like it known that they wish to be identified with our congregation. Welcome!

Hearing assistance for any service is available upon request.

BIBLE QUESTION/ANSWER:

Last week’s answer: Ahaziah (II Kings 2:2).

New question: Whose ten children were killed by a falling building?

Birthdays &Anniversaries

Bob McAlister - 3/10

Sara Thornsberry - 3/12

STEWARDS OR SQUATTERS?

It can be said that money, material goods and personal resources provide a reasonably accurate index to a person’s character. No, not how much money he makes, or how much of the world’s goods he has managed to collect or control. Rather, it is how he feels about it after he gets it. What he does with after he gets it – that is what reveals his character.

Two basic attitudes become apparent: with regard to personal resources and goods a person is either a steward or a squatter. The squatter thinks possession is everything. The wealth of the world belongs to the first person who gets it. So he grabs up everything he can lay claim to, squats on it and says, "This is mine." He has no sense of obligation to any other. He assumes that what is his is his, and everyone else can look out for himself. Worse than that, the squatter commonly takes it for granted that everybody in the world has the same attitude. So, you have to get as much of everything as you can as soon as you can, because if you don’t grab it somebody else will.

Some people consider themselves stewards of all they possess. They recognize God’s ultimate ownership of all this world and His right to direct us in the use of His goods in the world. "The earth is the Lord, and the fulness thereof" (Ps. 24:1). We brought nothing into the world (1 Tim. 6:7). It was all here when we arrived. All the resources, all the wealth, the sun and moon stars, the rain, the land, even time itself – all were here when we came. More than that, all these things will still be here when we leave. We brought nothing with us and we will take nothing with us. It is God’s world. He put it here for man’s use. But man doesn’t really own anything. God owns it, and man simply occupies it and uses it.

The steward recognizes an accountability to God which the squatter ignores. He knows that failure to give God first place in the matter of possessions is really an attempt to rob God. So his giving to God is not a matter of personal generosity as much as it is a matter of basic honesty and spiritual integrity. When one regularly "takes off the top" a proper portion to be given God of everything that passes through his hands, he is not giving away something that belongs to himself. He is simply showing that he knows it belongs to God, and that he himself is a steward trying to put God first.

– Gerald Cowan via The Encourager