Tregaron and its wonderful residence!

My senior Pastor and the Music Minister have asked me take over the ministry and become the Pastor at an independent living facility that our church has had services at for the last fifteen years.  It's called "The Church at Tregaron", has about twenty five people each Sunday.  99% women, from many different theological backgrounds, with an occasional husband or son attending.  They are a lovely group of people, who are very caring and who are just appreciative that someone is taking the time to provide them spiritual care.  They have been a very receptive to the Gospel Message but everyone has expressed already having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ our King.
The ministry team is made up of a gentlemen and two ladies who do all of the music and set up and one lady who does snacks and hands out hymnals and the bulletins.  I have found that Lifesprings Church put some money into the equipment that we use. I have preached in many nursing, independent living and assisted living and only the really high end facility have anything to support a service. Our mother church really shows how much they care about these loving folks.
Personally, music has not and probably will never be a strength, unless we start singing like the Old Appalachia Baptist's?  You'll have to look that one up, I found it really interesting.  We sing hymns out of the old Baptist Hymnal and sometime the Music Leader gets a little excited.  He really does love God's music and he just pours his whole self into rejoicing in God. I so enjoy watching a man who is on fire for the Lord and shares so much through his worship.  It makes it hard to laugh and sing at the same time!
God has luckily gifted all of His people in different ways.  I have to remember that though I have been there for a few months know, one of the Ladies and her now deceased husband started it 15 years ago and the music guy has been there almost as long.  They are very gracious with me, even when they think I'm supposed to be the leader of our little circus but I'm supposed to do it the way it has always been, Ha, ha, ha...
It's all to the Glory of God! May he bless you and keep you close to His bosom!

What am I supposed to make of this?

What is being allowed, no not just allowed but promoted to our children? Sometimes the Bible plays out parts right in front of our faces, and yet we can't see it because we want to be...I don't know anymore!  Romans tells us in chapter 1 verses 27-28 what we see in this picture and its an abomination.
"...and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done."

An unknown person reading books to children in a public library

Beth Moore: Complementarianism Is Like an Abused Woman

Why must the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) continue to go down this path?  Mrs Moore, is using terrible tragedy of abuse within some SBC churches, for her own agenda and she should be ashamed. In some ways though, Mrs Moore is right, the abuse that happened is awful and should be punished to the full extent of the law, which should be handled locally. The SBC has has in the past celebrated the autonomy of the local church and it is up to the local church to handle these situations. It would seem that the denominations leadership and those who support Mrs Moore wish to view us like the Catholic Church, where it is a top down organization. They want to tell us what we are so very wrong at and how they know how to fix it.  The leadership are trying to make the SBC into the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, to go back to what it was before the conservatives.
Back to Mrs Moore, no one ever said this woman wasn't smart, Mrs Moore is giving the serpent a run for his money.  In my life I have found the greatest of deceivers tell little lies, over long periods.  These little lies, play on people's emotions, some little thing that may make them feel some guilt and most people hate to even think of themselves being the bad "guy". This changes how people, who are already inclined to believe her, find it easier to justify what Mrs Moore says.  Mrs Moore, is just adding some lard to that slippery slope!  Just like Eve she wants what she shouldn't have, so she is convincing everyone that there wrong instead.

This is the face of the liberal resurgence

Let's be nice, everyone want to be nice and Mrs Moore is talking about how these misogynistic men in leadership have used this idea of complementarianism as a tool to abuse women. We are just abusing women because we keep reading and trying to apply God's word, as its written. When will we stop trying to make everyone happy?  Most of these people in the audience, watching her, have to be marginally Biblically illiterate or none of this would be an issue. I'm at the point where I believe that the men in this audience are... I don't even know how to say anything positive.  Mrs Moore wants something and she is using this tragedy to get it.
It is a very similar issue that is being fought in the culture wars. Homosexuals, Pedophiles and transgender want to be recognized as normal (Mrs Moore has stated that we have been to hard on them to) and to be accepted throughout society for who they are. This is especially targeted at christians and institutions associated with the church. Deep in there hearts, they believe if they are accepted and normalized, then it will fill that empty place.  The same goes for Mrs Moore, no amount of lies, misdirection or even the SBC leadership supporting her will make what she wants to be true.  God does not call women to be Elders/Preacher/Teachers in His church.
Here is the article link: https://churchleaders.com

Infanticide

This last February our elected officials voted on a series of bills about this topic of "infanticide", or in this case when an abortion is attempted and the child instead is born alive and medically viable.  Here I have put two links, one is to Sen. Sasse's website, they host the actually floor talks and videos because no real debate happens.  The other is to the actual bill, so you can read for yourself what was put forth.

1. Sen, Sasse's floor discussion
2. Senate Bill S.130

Senator Sasse, says "I want to ask each and every one of my colleagues whether we're okay with infanticide," this is blunt and our society today does not handle directness well.  To often it seems we respond with screaming, running away or seeking safe spaces where the inhumanity that is happening can be soothed away with kind words. Here is a man who is at least trying to do what he has promised to do during his campaigning.
Looking at the date on this, you could probably be asking why would I be bringing this up now?  First, I haven't been able to watch TV and these debates are usually shown on CSPAN at odd hours.  Secondly, I had just heard the senate communities hearing being played on CSPAN radio and was heartbroken by a Nurses testimony and the hospitals policy for handling the "children" that survive.  I had just read an article about Roman households and how if the Patreanus (head adult male) did not acknowledge a child after it has been born, the infant is taken and just put out on the sidewalk or a meaden heap!
It is a modern day euthanization of the unwanted, those who are weakest or the different are not being protected by those who can!  To think, even worse is happening in Europe, it hurts my heart to think...

"Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner"

Loving Jesus even when I don't understand people!

I'm preaching from John 5:1-9 but I also touch versus' 10-14.  While prepping for this sermon, it struck me that Jesus heals this man and the man just gets up and walks away.  This guy has been a cripple for 38 years and BAM! you're healed.  I would be dancing, singing and celebrating because I'm whole, but who just came up and asks "Do you want to be healed". Then this dude (I am not trying to be disrespectful to Jesus, dude is just my internal dialogues use of terminology for identification) say's, "Get up, take your bed and walk", BAM!, there would be dancing from this man, hugging and kissing anybody who wasn't faster then my amazingly healed self.

John 5:1-9 All scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV)

5 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic[a]called Bethesda,[b] which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.[c] 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.