Opossum Oddities, Darwin and a Backwards Comet

Talk about interesting; The world we call, "not our home", is a most fascinating and curious place. I just received my first edition of Creation Magazine, and it brings the wonders of creation into vivid light!

In September, the America Bless God Campaign hosted "Worldview Encounter 2". It was our Second Bi-Annual Worldview Conference. Jay & Amy Seegert from Wisconsin represented Creation Ministries International. Jay spoke on the complexities of the human ear and other fascinating topics related to the Creation/Evolution debate. Jay & Amy also showed the movie, "The Voyage that Shook the World" (www.thevoyage.tv) following the conference. Jay and Amy are a part of an exciting and informative ministry, so I was equally excited to get my first copy of Creation Magazine with an Opossum dangling about the front cover.

Creation Magazine is filled with a variety of article types: cultural issues, family/marriage matters, health related items, editorials, Biblical interpretation discussions, archaeological discoveries, not to mention the biological and the geological wonders of God's amazing Creation! There is even a Creation for Kids section.

In "The Opossum's Tale", Lael Weinbeger tells how the Opossum enters the pages of history eight years after Columbus set foot on American soil. The explorer Vincente Pinzon presented a Brazilian Southern Opossum to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain in 1500. The Spanish Monarch called the Opossum an "incredible mother". The article goes on to address how marsupials ended up where they did and the perplexities they create for evolutionists.

Here are highlights and links to a few of the other articles that I enjoyed:

• Backwards Comet Perplexes Scientists
• Trilobite Graveyard in Portugal
• Going Batty Over Evolution
• Would Darwin Be A Darwinist Today?
• The Giant's Causeway Ireland (Adobe PDF File)

I tremendously enjoyed my first issue of Creation Magazine. Bryana and I subscribed to extra copies of this bi-monthly publication, so we can give them away or place them in waiting areas to bless other folks. I recommend that you subscribe to Creation Magazine too!

You can order the magazine and see more great articles at www.creation.com

America Bless God

John Adam's 1799 Proclamation

America's heritage as a Grateful Nation exceeds our modern recognition of such. John Adams, the second President of the United States, had these words of wisdom for our new born nation. I urge you, as a Christian patriot, spread this proclamation to your friends. I took the liberty of making the proclamation a bit easier to follow with a bulleted format.

Proclamation of March 6, 1799 A.D.

• As no truth is more clearly taught in the Volume of Inspiration, nor any more fully demonstrated by the experience of all ages, than that a deep sense and a due acknowledgment of the governing providence of a Supreme Being and of the accountableness of men to Him as the searcher of hearts and righteous distributer of rewards and punishments are conducive equally to the happiness and rectitude of individuals and to the well-being of communities;
  
• as it is also most reasonable in itself that men who are made capable of social acts and relations, who owe their improvements to the social state, and who derive their enjoyments from it, should, as a society, make their acknowledgments of dependence and obligation to Him who hath endowed them with these capacities and elevated them in the scale of existence by these distinctions; …
• as it is likewise a plain dictate of duty and a strong sentiment of nature that in circumstances of great urgency and seasons of imminent danger earnest and particular supplications should be made to Him who is able to defend or to destroy; …
• as, moreover, the most precious interests of the people of the United States are still held in jeopardy by the hostile designs and insidious acts of a foreign nation, …
• as well as by the dissemination among them of those principles, subversive of the foundations of all religious, moral, and social obligations, that have produced incalculable mischief and misery in other countries; …
• and as, in fine, the observance of special seasons for public religious solemnities is happily calculated to avert the evils which we ought to deprecate and to excite to the performance of the duties which we ought to discharge by calling and fixing the attention of the people at large to the momentous truths already recited, by affording opportunity to teach and inculcate them by animating devotion and giving to it the character of a national act:
  
• For these reasons I have thought proper to recommend, and I do hereby recommend accordingly, that Thursday, the 25th day of April next, be observed throughout the United States of America as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that the citizens on that day abstain as far as may be from their secular occupations, devote the time to the sacred duties of religion in public and in private; …
• that they call to mind our numerous offenses against the Most High God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence, implore His pardoning mercy, through the Great Mediator and Redeemer, for our past transgressions, and that through the grace of His Holy Spirit we may be disposed and enabled to yield a more suitable obedience to His righteous requisitions in time to come;
• that He would interpose to arrest the progress of that impiety and licentiousness in principle and practice so offensive to Himself and so ruinous to mankind;
• that He would make us deeply sensible that "righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people;"
• that He would turn us from our transgressions and turn His displeasure from us; that He would withhold us from unreasonable discontent, from disunion, faction, sedition, and insurrection; that He would preserve our country from the desolating sword;
• that He would save our cities and towns from a repetition of those awful pestilential visitations under which they have lately suffered so severely,
• and that the health of our inhabitants generally may be precious in His sight;
• that He would favor us with fruitful seasons and so bless the labors of the husbandman as that there may be food in abundance for man and beast;
• that He would prosper our commerce, manufactures, and fisheries, and give success to the people in all their lawful industry and enterprise;
• that He would smile on our colleges, academies, schools, and seminaries of learning, and make them nurseries of sound science, morals, and religion;
• that He would bless all magistrates, from the highest to the lowest, give them the true spirit of their station, make them a terror to evil doers and a praise to them that do well;
• that He would preside over the councils of the nation at this critical period, enlighten them to a just discernment of the public interest, and save them from mistake, division, and discord;
• that He would make succeed our preparations for defense and bless our armaments by land and by sea;
• that He would put an end to the effusion of human blood and the accumulation of human misery among the contending nations of the earth by disposing them to justice, to equity, to benevolence, and to peace;
• and that he would extend the blessings of knowledge, of true liberty, and of pure and undefiled religion throughout the world.
  
• And I do also recommend that with these acts of humiliation, penitence, and prayer fervent thanksgiving to the Author of All Good be united for the countless favors which He is still continuing to the people of the United States, and which render their condition as a nation eminently happy when compared with the lot of others.
  
  JOHN ADAMS, Second President of the United States of America

May our attitude this Thanksgiving be as reverent as that of President Adams.

America Bless God

Flexible Discipleship Ministry

One size fits all doesn't always fit well with churches. Each congregation has it's own dynamics of character, maturity, staffing and ministry. Pastor Trey Kent of NorthWest Fellowship different church dynamics from those of Pastor Mark Westerfield at Central Baptist in Round Rock. Both are strongly committed to the Great Commission, and First Steps Discipleship Ministry is flexible enough to help both congregations with a solid approach to making disciples.

Pastor Trey hosted a First Steps Seminar to equip NWF lay people for one-on-one discipleship, while Bob Schweter, Administative Pastor, integrated First Steps into Central Baptist's existing discipleship ministry. First Steps provides key tools for establishing solid roots in new and renewed believers ... without disrupting existing schedules and ministry efforts.

"We find it imperative to get new Believers established and grounded quickly in their new faith. First Steps is a tool we are excited to integrate into this process so these new Believers can get a solid foundation." - Mark Westerfield, Sr. Pastor, Central Baptist Church, Round Rock, Texas

"First Steps training has enabled Northwest Fellowship to mobilize our people to disciple others to love Jesus in a practical, fruitful and reproducible way. Brent Bullock did an amazing job preparing me and our congregation to "make disciples"! Before this our discipleship was haphazard - now we have a plan. I thoroughly recommend Brent and First Steps!" - Pastor Trey Kent, Northwest Fellowship, Austin, Texas

Plan now to attend a special First Steps Seminar for Pastors and Ministry leaders on November 18th at Austin Baptist Association. We will provide you with foundational principles for successful discipleship. These foundational principles are already bearing fruit around the world, and help shut the back door of the church.

First Steps Seminar for Pastors

Wednesday, November 18th, 11 am - 2 pm

Austin Baptist Association

3811 Harmon Ave.

Austin, Texas 78751

Registration $25 (including seminar, workbook & lunch)

Information: http://www.disciplinganother.com/

Phone: Brent Bullock, 512/914-2242

Online registration link >>

This seminar is a consensed version designed especially for pastors and ministry leaders. Registration is $25, which includes First Steps training, a workbook and lunch. You will be encouraged and strengthened in fulfilling the Great Commission.

America Bless God

He is Worthy of Honor & Praise
Brent Bullock, Minister

PS: For those unable to attend or outside the Austin area, we would be honored to speak with you about bringing First Steps to your area.