Here are the services from August 30. I know that service 1 and service 2 are supposed to be the same…the sermons never quite work out that way, though.
Morning Service 1:
Morning Service 2:
Sunday Night August 30:
Wednesday Night August 26:
And the Morning Reflection from the Well Traveled Path page. (Check out the whole catalog there!)
Well, I knew I was forgetting something Sunday night after everything was over. Here are the services from Sunday, August 23, 2020, at East End Baptist Church.
Remember that the Morning Reflections videos were moved to the Well Traveled Path Ministries Page on Facebook. That text is linked, and here’s Sunday’s video for those interested.
Just as a Public Service Announcement: go fill out your Census information if you haven't. Why?
Well, there's the future planning: Census data is used to plan roadways, schools, it even figures into the permit process for hospitals and other necessities. The government (generally) won't approve a hospital to be built where the census shows there isn't enough population....so, fill it out for those plans
(Want to see traffic lights where there is high traffic instead of 4-Way stops? Anticipated population matters!)
There's federal budget money and state budget money that goes into the state or community based on...POPULATION. Where does that number come from? The Census. If you hide from the Census, they don't count you. Then, that funding goes elsewhere.
The big one, while some folks think it's the money, is this: while the US Constitution started off envisioning 1 Congressman for every 30,000 people, after a while the decision was made that we would have WAY too many Congressmen in that system. (Please hold your thoughts about having way too many as it is.)
Instead, there are 435 Members of Congress. They are apportioned to the States based on population: the overall population of the US goes into the math, which determines about how many people get one Representative (by the way, this trickles down to the State Legislature as well). Arkansas currently has 4 Representatives in Congress based on the 2010 Census numbers and our population.
What happens if we underreport Arkansas? That number could go down to three, with the district redrawn, and another state would pick up an additional Member of Congress.
That's not all: the States elect the President of the United States through the Electoral College. Each State gets as many Electors as they have Representatives and Senators. Again, here in Arkansas: 4 Representatives, 2 Senators. That makes for 6 Electors.
Undercount in the Census? That could go down to 5 votes for President in 2024 and 2028.
See why it matters?
And before you think ill thoughts: it's actually Constitutionally mandated: there must be an enumeration of people. It's in Article 1, Section 2.
So go here: https://2020census.gov/en.html and fill out your census. It takes less time than fixing coffee.
Good morning! Here are the replays for yesterday’s services.
Sunday Morning:
Sunday Night:
Wednesday Night
And the Morning Reflections are here on Facebook:
Good morning!
Here are the service from August 9th:
Remember that the Morning Reflection videos are now at The Well Traveled Path
This is not one of those hyper-spiritual posts, where I claim that because of Jesus I have peace even in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Truth is, that should probably be the case. After all, I’m a pastor, a “one more step and I’m done” PhD student in Christian Heritage at a seminary, a father who has kids relying on me to be calm.
And for the most part, I am holding that together. After all, Jesus does bring peace in the midst of the storms.
It’s just not as automatic as some people will make it out to sound. Especially what some folks will share on social media, where it reads more like a motivational poster than reality. You know motivational posters, right? They’re what you see in the break room at work that mention “synergy” and “integrity” to give you ideals, right before you get back out there to work in the heat and be under pressure to perform well enough to hit a computer-generated goal that completely ignores your humanity.
A substantial portion of Christian social media is faith-based motivational posters, as if posting that “I belong to Jesus, Corona won’t mess with me” will make it happen. Guess what? You’ll still get it if you are exposed to it. The Bible is Scripture, the Word of the Holy God of Creation. It’s not Hermione Granger’s Advanced Health Spellcasting for Muggles.
The truth is, getting to the peace of God in everything takes some daily discipline. It takes choosing every day to filter the news and chaos that is around you through the Word of God.
Oh, and to choose not to live in ignorance. Ignorance isn’t bliss and it isn’t peace. It’s just ignorance. If you’re coming up for air for the first time since March and wondering why people are wearing masks at the Kroger, you’ve chosen ignorance.
That’s where the peace comes in: it is a choice. There are times when the anxieties of everything around you will rise up and you need help. Make the choice to ask for help.
There are times when the chaos around you is overwhelming. Make the choice to walk away from some of it. Make the choice to invest as much time and energy in love your God and your family as you do in seeking out the latest information or gossip.
Why?
Because your mental health matters. Too many of us live as if the idea that a person is made up of three different things: a body, a soul, and a spirit, has been proven from either Scripture or science. It hasn’t. Your body affects your soul, your spirit, your mental health. And your mental health affects all the rest. If you are overstressed, your body will react. Your spiritual growth will stumble.
What do you need in this time?
You really need three things:
1. Your own spiritual and physical strength routines: daily time in the Word of God, daily time with good devotional/spiritual and personal growth reading and listening, and some form of daily exercise.
2. Your relational growth routines: you need to be with other people in whatever form you can be. Make phone calls to church members, send emails or texts to unseen friends. Make contact in some form!
3. A weekly effort to encourage someone else. Not to go find someone “in need” exactly—this isn’t about you being better than them—but to recognize everyone is in need of encouragement and finding the opportunity to do that. Maybe this week it’s that kid at the grocery store. Next week it’s the teacher getting ready for school.
Realize that many of the back-to-school events that are meant to encourage and pep-up teachers and students are at best highly modified, and most likely canceled, this year. Encourage.
Because a great way to gain peace in a time of pandemic is to pass it on to others. Not by faking it or carrying your burdens inside so that others don’t see, but by opening up and letting what peace you have pass on to others. You’ll be amazed how it magnifies.
Good morning! Here are the service replays from yesterday:
Audios for Sermons Only:
Videos of the whole service:
