Photo Opinion Q:What are you most looking forward to when you go back to school?
	Andrew I'm looking forward to meeting a ton of new people. I have already started school, so I know my teachers. I look forward to having a fun time and a good year with them. But, mostly I am looking forward to sports and sporting events. I hope I do well this year with God by my side.
	Autumn I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends and classmates. Also, I'm excited because we have a new school and new everything. I also look forward to actually using my time to do something productive.
	Leah I'm looking forward to seeing friends I haven't seen all summer and having a great Junior year with them. I'm also looking forward to getting back into the whole school routine, and since we have chapel twice a week, I'm looking forward to more worship time.
	Joshua I'm most looking forward to P.E. class because I get to move around.

Perspective Pulcheria vs.Nestorius by Larry Urbaniak   Do you know who either Pulcheria or Nestorius are? Probably not. Yet these two engaged in a great battle with each other that has had an important impact on Christian theology. They fought, what BR magazine (in an article by Vasiliki Limberis) calls, the battle over Mary. Theodosius II (402-450), who considered himself head of the Christian church, was the emperor. Pulcheria was his sister. Nestorius was a Syrian monk whom Theodosius named the bishop of Constantinople in 428. Their battle officially ended in 431 at the Council of Ephesus. It was there that the bishops who had gathered from throughout the empire at a church council arranged by Theodosius settled the matter: they officially recognized Mary as the mother of God. Pulcheria had a great zeal for her faith. She used her relationship to Theodosius to constantly meddle in church matters. She revered Mary and tried to model her life after Mary's. She took a vow of perpetual virginity, considered herself the bride of Christ, had an entourage of virgins, had her own portrait hung above the altar in the Great Church of Constantinople, arranged for her rove to cover the altar during divine liturgy, and celebrated Mary as God-bearer. Following earlier traditions of divine selection, she adopted the title "god-bearer" and called herself the Mother of God. Nestorius, who was a great preacher, felt it was his responsibility as bishop to fight against heresies. Among other things he fought against (including Arians) was the idea that Mary was God-bearer. Nestorius wrote, "How can someone be the mother of a nature completely other than her own? For if she be called 'mother' by them, he is of human nature not divine... in he nature and essence the Son is the Essence and nature of God the Father, but in flesh his nature is human from Mary." Nestorius did not just argue, he also acted. He removed Pulcheria's image from above the altar in the church, refused to any longer use her robe as an altar cover, accused her of having illicit sexual relations with several men, banned her from receiving communion at the alter at Easter. When Pulcheria objected claiming that she was no common woman because she had given birth to God, Nestorius charged that she had given birth to the devil. The battle over Mary was on. It became a political fight. The Pope (Celestine) condemned Nestorius in 430. But emperor Theodosius, interestingly, defended his bishop to settle the battle over Mary. Pulcheria packed the Great Church with citizens of Constantinople who chanted for Nestorius' deposition. They claimed Pulcheria as their champion and leader in religious matters. They idolized their empress. They reasoned backwards; if Pulcheria claimed to be Mary, then Mary must be divine and worthy of great devotion. The vote was taken. The public pressure was too great. Nestorius lost. Mary was officially proclaimed the mother of God. Nestorius was sent back to a monastery in Antioch. Pulcheria went on to erect three churches dedicated to Mary in Constantinople, gathered relics associated with Mary (including her shroud), and had her sister-in-law bring back from Israel a portrait of Mary that was said to have been painted by Luke himself. The New Testament first introduces Mary to us as a young, humble "handmaid of the Lord" who is willing to do whatever God wants. She is honored to be blessed by God and to have been chosen to give birth to the Son of God. In her later life, she clearly becomes numbered among the Christian followers of her son. One can only wonder what Mary would have thought of Pulcheria, who had her officially proclaimed the mother of God.

Viewpoints Psalm 91: Counsel for Counselors by Joe Funari Do you ever try to personalize the psalms? Not to make them of any private interpretation but to make them more relevant to your life? The 91st psalm is intriguing in the manner in which the text changes by way of who is speaking and who is spoken to. In verses 1 & 2, the psalmist speaks to himself in affirmation of his belief that in God there is security. "I will say of the Lord: He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust." (KJV) Then, interestingly, the psalmist turns to speak to someone else (verses 3-13): me, I think, and you. Perhaps he has found us in a state of need. Perhaps we're afraid or worried or depressed or caught in a sin from which we can't escape. Perhaps out of a sea of troubles we have cried to God and He has sent us a psalmist to sing words of encouragement to us. One of the angels of His deliverance to bear us up now that we've dashed our foot against the stones of fear, insecurity, guilt, depression, loneliness or any such thing that causes us to twist our ankles and stumble in our walk with Christ. I believe you would agree that while angels have come to God's people as angels, more often than not, in our times of need His angels appear in the familiar, flesh and blood form of our brethren in Christ. That's as it should be. And I know that many of you have been and are now that angel, that comforter, that encourager. This psalm holds important counsel to you who give counsel. When you get the call that one of your beloved is in need or distress and your heart is heavy laden with desire to help and encourage and uplift &endash; What do you do? I would bet that the first thing you do is pray for them. Pray for their strength and peace and healing. That's also as it should be. But before you pick up the phone or hop in the car to speak with or see them face-to-face, you should pray for yourself. Before the psalmist turns to his fellow pilgrim with encouraging words, he first reaffirms his own faith in and allegiance to God. This is vital counsel to all would-be counselors. Only with our faith so affirmed will the words we give to our brethren in need carry their intended power. Any one of us who would turn to comfort another with the promises in this psalm must themselves be convinced of the Father's care and protection. If I am not persuaded that God will deliver me from the various and fearful attacks of the evil one I'll have hard time persuading you. Furthermore, when we are in a position to offer comfort or guidance, not only will our words be heard but also the effect our own faith in those promises upon our own lives will be seen. In order to find the power and grace in what we say our hurting companion must see our confidence in that same power and grace. After all, if we're not buying it, why should they? This is why the psalmist FIRST encourages his own soul that his refuge is in the Almighty. Then, with solid confidence, he turns to comfort another. The counselor's faith, however, will be further tested. Now he/she must be convinced of God's ability and willingness to deliver the one to whom he/she is sent to uphold. It is one thing to trust that God will deliver us. It's quite another to trust that He will deliver the ones we love who are fearful and suffering. And that, while we often are forced to watch from a helpless distance. It is most trying when it involves those to whom we're closest. Be they our spouse, sons or daughters or close friends who depend on us. At these times our instinct to protect and nurture them collide with our faith in the promises of the Father to deliver them. To place those we love the most completely to the Lord's care requires a special measure of faith. Have you ever, in the face of the suffering of a dear one ever prayed, "O, God let it fall upon me instead of …?" Most probably, every parent has prayed that way at one point in the lives of their children. Worried wives and husbands have done the same. It's a prayer that God understands. But our thinking is worlds apart from His. In our perfect world we would shield our loved ones from all trouble. His world, however, rests not on shielding us from trouble but delivering us from it and giving them, and us, victory through it. Would you who are worried agree that faith in the His watch care over those we love who are hurting is more severely tested the more powerless we are to help them? It is for me. It feels too reckless. Yet it is MY faith in such promises of deliverance that will be seen and felt by those I would wish to comfort. We could read them this psalm but without the empowering faith in the One whose word it is, these are just words, just shadows of some distant, unrealized concept. That is not the way it should be for you and me. "This is the victory that overcomes the world (with all its fear, sin, pain, depression, loneliness, sickness), even our faith." Faith that His grace is sufficient for us and for those we love. Believe in God and let it be seen by all about you that you do. Especially by those to whom God has sent you to minister His peace. How can we who are worried, not for ourselves, but for others be comforted? If we need more assurance that God will deliver those we love He gives it to us in the closing verses of the psalm (vs. 14-16). Notice that He isn't speaking to the one who the psalmist wishes to encourage. God speaks to the psalmist. God is comforting the comforter. Counseling the counselor. Yahweh vows that because your companion has set their heart on Him, it is you that can rest assured that He will requite their faith with loving protection and concern for their needs. Because they believe, their struggle will not endure forever and they will not be denied their victory. Thus, the greatest assurance and encouragement we could give to any who struggle is to set their hearts upon God. And to effectively accomplish that, it must be seen that that is where our heart is set. Let the light shine. Show that Yahweh's vow to deliver has made a difference in our lives and that we ourselves rest assured that He will make good on that same promise to them. Abandon yourself to the Father's grace. Lead those to whom you give counsel to the same. It's the best we can do for them, and for ourselves.

Roy's Reflections The Ugly Duckling by Roy Boswell Most of us will be familiar with the children's fable of the ugly duckling ... how a mother hen had six beautiful golden-yellow chicks and one ugly gray one. The ugly one was picked on by all the other chicks, rejected, made fun of, and made to feel terrible because he was so different. You can imagine how he felt. Some time later when all the chicks were grown, along came a flock of beautiful swans. How the ugly duckling adored them ... and lo and behold he looked into the water and saw his own reflection and came to the profound realization that he wasn't an ugly duckling but a beautiful swan! His life was forever changed. Did you ever feel like you were an "ugly duckling" misfit? Many of us have. Many still do. I've known beautiful people who felt and believed they were ugly. In my youth I had a girl, who was my neighbor, tell me I was ugly because I had freckles and big ears. Tragically I believed her! She wasn't my friend very long but the image left on my mind took a long time to erase. When we define ourselves as ugly and believe it, it can be devastating to our self-image and behavior and how well we do in life. When parents or peers repeatedly tell us we are ugly, clumsy, stupid or whatever and we believe what they say and define ourselves that way, we tend to act accordingly because we always act consistently with what we believe deep-down in our hearts&emdash; no matter what we may profess. I know it is easier said than done, but there is only one way to define ourselves and that is how God sees us. And when we see ourselves this way, our life can be forever changed too! Certainly God sees our woundedness, our brokenness, our sins and our failures, but He separates our person from our actions and sees beyond these. He sees us as His creation and loves us with an everlasting love. He sees the person in us that He envisions us to be ... our potential and what, with His help, we can become. As Michelangelo said, "I saw the angel in the marble and chiseled until I set it free." That's how God sees you and me. He looks beyond the "rugged exterior" and sees the "angel" within each of us. As God said to the ancient Israelites, He also says to you and me: "For I know the plans I have for you ... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." May God help each of us to see ourselves as he sees us, to see our God-given potential, and become that person. If you haven't already done this, it begins with accepting God's Son, Jesus Christ, as our personal Lord and Savior. Dear God, thank you that you know and see us exactly as we are &emdash; and love and accept us completely. Thank you, too, that you have a wonderful plan and purpose for our life. Please help us to see this, believe this, and define ourselves this way &emdash; and with your help, become that person you want us to be.

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