Articles from this month's issue of the Berean News

Viewpoint The Cicero Church I would like to take this opportunity to invite any who read this article to the Berean Bible Students Church in Cicero, Illinois. If you haven't been to "The Cicero Church" for a while, you will notice one major change in format. Our worship services include praise singers, guitarists, and drums. The atmosphere in this service is much more upbeat and worshipful in my eyes. I invite you to come and be a part of our worship to God. This invitation is also designed for you to come and get your final views of "The Cicero Church." On February 27th, the Lombard Church of the Nazarene voted on a bid we made for their building located in Lombard (a western suburb of Chicago). The vote was an astounding 53 to 1 in favor of the offer. They accepted our bid. What joy! What excitement! What patience! "The Cicero Church" will be difficult to leave. I began attending "The Cicero Church" in 1991 when I started dating Tracie Urbaniak and I have so many memories from this church. Just last Sunday, I got tears in my eyes as I stood near the pulpit after the services and looked to the doors in the back of the church. I could imagine Tracie coming through those doors in her wedding dress. What a wonderful moment. As I thought more about it, I realized that what made the wedding ceremony a special memory wasn't Tracie walking through that door. It was the fact that so many from the church attended the wedding and have been there ever since supporting Tracie and I as husband and wife and also now as parents. The people that make up "The Cicero Church" are what is special to me, not the building itself. I do not know about the rest of you and your memories of "The Cicero Church," but I would guess that in most cases, it deals with people from the congregation. My feelings for the congregation were reaffirmed on Sunday (Feb. 27) when I called my sister, who is a Christian, to tell her about the Lombard church vote. As we talked, she asked if this church was closer to more people's houses than our current church. I told her that for some people it is a better location and for others it might not be better. I began telling her some of the towns that people from our church are from and she asked me why anyone would want to drive such long distances to attend church. We all have churches that are closer to our homes, why drive all the way to Cicero or to Lombard? I gave her a few answers in terms of agreeing with different doctrines and I mentioned that many people are willing to commute 45 minutes to an hour for work five days a week, why wouldn't they be willing to drive to church? After I hung up with her, I realized my real reason for being willing to travel to Cicero each Sunday is the relationships that I have with the people in the church. There are aspects of our church that I am not thrilled about, but I realize that those aspects can help me grow. I also realize that in our church the people in the congregation have a voice to make changes. The change in the worship service is an example of that strength. The closing date will be sometime in December of 2000, and we will be leaving "The Cicero Church" and moving to "The Lombard Church." That just looks funny! What does the future hold for our congregation? I do not know, but what I do know is that as we continue to strive to follow God's leading, our future will be a light to the world around us. Come and visit sometime soon. The May convention would be an excellent time. (See the Events page.) Please continue to pray for us, for the Lombard Church of the Nazarene, and for the church that is purchasing our building. --David Elliott

Perspective I Would Have... Erma Bombeck, the noted columnist, author, and humorist had this to say: "If I had my life to live over: I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the "good" living room and worried much less about the dirt on the light carpeting when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would have never insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains." Does Erma's list of "do-overs" strike a responsive chord with you? Could you make a similar list? Are there a list of regrets that you have? Are there too many committee meetings in your life? Do the pressing present problems crowd out the really important aspects of your life? Is life going by too fast? Do you need to give your spouse and children (or grandchildren) more time and focus? Do you need to work less and play more? Do you need to play less and pray more? Should you worry less and trust more? Should you criticize less and affirm those around you more? Do you need to take the time and be willing to express your emotions more? How about trading some time spent on the material side of your life for more time on the spiritual side? Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Erma Bombeck said, "Seize every moment... look at it and really see it ... live it... and never give it back." Both the psalmist and Bombeck are right. Each day we have is given to us as a gift. We need to appreciate it and use it wisely. We need to examine it, and rejoice in it, and give it to God to use to teach us and do His work in us. Psalm 90:12 says, "Teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart." We probably all become more and more aware of the counting and numbering of our days the older we become. The days become more precious. Hopefully we are learning to use them to gain spiritual wisdom. Actually, "I would have..." is rather sad to me. I hope that my list of regrets shrinks rather than grows. Instead of looking back and regretting what I did not do, I need to focus on THIS and do NOW what I don't what to some day regret not doing. For the Christian, now is the day of salvation &emdash; not only for others, but also for oneself. My ultimate destiny depends on what I do and don't do on a day-by-day basis now. I am being trained for eternity. If I can't even learn how to handle one day the way God wants me to, how can I ever hope to be ready for eternity? I need to learn and practice a spiritual perspective now, today, if I want a future life in heaven. For you and me, there can be no list of "I would have..." at the end of our lives. Not if we want to be found faithful to our vow to live our lives for God. He has given us, through His grace and the gift of His Son, the means to truly rejoice in each day and be glad in it. God has empowered our lives so that we can live them from a spiritual perspective. Do it. Now! No regrets, please. &emdash;Larry Urbaniak

Roy's Reflections The Storms of Life Have you ever felt like your boat is really rocking and reeling? Are the winds beginning to blow in your life? Don't feel alone. All of us have gone through storms at one time or another. Matt. 14:22-27: "Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." The disciples were in the midst of a storm. They were being tossed about by the waves that were banging up against their boat. They were probably in a panic, not knowing if they would make it through or not. They didn't recognize Jesus in the midst of the storm. They didn't know who He was when He came to them walking on the water. They thought He was a ghost and they cried out in fear. It's time we recognize Jesus in the midst of the storms that we go through. He's right there to help us. He's right there to encourage us and be a blessing to us, if we would just recognize Him. Maybe you're in the midst of a storm right now. Maybe you're at your wit's end, not knowing what to do. Hang on! Hold steady. Don't get excited. Don't panic. Don't allow fear to come upon you and rob you of the victory that's about to come your way. Keep calling on the name of Jesus! It isn't over till it's over and it isn't over yet!! It's time to stop looking at things in the natural realm and cross over to the spiritual realm. Looking at things in the natural realm will only bring fear and confusion, but looking at things in the spiritual realm will bring encouragement and hope. You're not in a hopeless situation. That's a lie from the master of deceit. Jesus is your hope. It's never too late for Jesus to show up. It's never too late for Him to intercede in your situation. John 11: 1-6; "Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." When Jesus heard that, He said "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was ministering. Now this doesn't make much sense, does it? The scripture said that Jesus loved Lazarus, Mary and Martha. But, when He found out about Lazarus' sickness, He didn't rush to their house to heal him. As a matter of fact, He stayed, where He was, for two more days. Jesus knew the outcome of the situation. He knew what was going to happen. Jesus knows the outcome of your situation too. He knows all things. John 11:32; "Then, Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." She was saying, "Why didn't you come? If You would have come when You received the news, this wouldn't have happened and everything would be all right." John 11:38-39; "Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." This was an impossible situation in the eyes of the people. It was not impossible to Jesus. Nothing is impossible with Him. Sometimes, when we are in the midst of a storm, life seems hopeless. It doesn't look like we are going to make it to the other side safely. The lightning is flashing. Thunder is cracking. Waves are splashing over the bow and stern of your vessel. Nothing looks good (in the natural). "Where is Jesus in all this? Why isn't He helping me? Why isn't He answering my prayers?" Just hold on, friend. In verse 25, scripture said that Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. Jesus will get to you, even if He has to walk on water to do it. He heard their cry. He was coming to their rescue. He wasn't going to let them drown. He's not going to let you drown either. He's heard your cry. "But, I've been crying out to Jesus for three months! Where is He?" His timing is perfect. He's not going to let you go under. Don't give up the ship. Look around you. Stop looking at the waves and the wind. Look for Jesus in the storm. So many people give up right before their breakthrough is about to come. They missed out on what God had for them because they gave up too soon. Don't even think about giving up. You're not at the finish line yet, but you're closer today than you were yesterday. Keep on keeping on! Keep pressing forward! If the battle seems to be getting harder instead of easier, get ready. You're on the verge of a breakthrough!! Don't quit! God's Spirit is going to give you the strength you need. You're going to come out on the other side soon! The storm will soon pass. Storms always come and go. Yours is about to go. I want to encourage you today. "Don't give up." Get your eyes on Jesus. When you do, everything is going to change. The waves will calm down. The sky will clear. The lightning will stop. There's a new day on the horizon for you. Believe it. Receive it. It's coming. He promised. --Roy R. Boswell

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