Showcase volunteer opportunities in church/community-This is a good time to inform the members about the vast number of volunteer opportunities that are available. A list such as the volunteer talent search survey I reproduced in my book “Rebuilding The Kingdom” under “To Preserve The Light” could be handed out and members urged to look it over, pray about how and where God would have them serve, and consider what things they would like to be involved in. The church board could also have representatives of the various committees in the church and representatives of Christian service organizations in the community set up tables with displays in the fellowship hall and be available after church or in the afternoon or evening to talk to those who are interested in volunteering.
Politics-AB-AS
President Biden continues to show his contempt for the rule of law. He seems to feel he is above the law. He continues to engineer student loan forgiveness in spite of the Supreme Court ruling that he has no authority to do so. He is committing American taxpayers to pay billions of dollars to cover student loans with no authorization from Congress. He continues to authorize funds for abortions overseas in spite of the fact that our laws expressly forbid any funds for organizations performing abortions overseas. He also continues to push for Veteran’s hospitals to perform abortions in States that have outlawed abortions, claiming the Veterans hospitals are federal property and not subject to State law and is pushing States to pay for abortions from Medicaid funds, for patients coming from States that have outlawed abortions, in spite of the fact that Medicaid funds are State funds, not federal funds and State laws require that recipients must be residents of the State. He is also pushing hospitals and doctors to perform abortions in spite of their religious beliefs which forbid it. Our country was founded on the principle laid down by God that no one, including the king (or president) is above the law and that everyone is endowed by God with certain rights which the government cannot violate. President Biden continues to push the belief that since he is president, he can bend or ignore laws he feels will not promote his agenda, or which threaten him or his friends, but can use those laws to threaten and intimidate his opponents. When he was sworn in as President, he promised to uphold the laws of this country and has since openly violated his oath of office and the laws of this country on numerous occasions. Voters will need to decide in November whether they want a country ruled by God’s law which applies equally to everyone or a country where laws can be changed or ignored at the discretion of politicians.
Economics-C-A
Democrats are telling people that Republicans don’t care about people because they are turning down continuing funds to extended unemployment and Medicaid benefits but the fact is Republicans are turning them down because people have become lazy and don’t want to go back to work because they are making more on unemployment. The funds were supposed to be temporary to help the States get over the bump of unemployment due to Covid. That has long passed but many people refuse to go back to work and many industries and businesses are desperately seeking workers but very few people want to work. It is forcing wages up to try to attract workers and that is continuing to fuel inflation. Democrats want to continue the programs so they can get those people to vote for them. We need to get people back to work to get the economy going again but we also need to get them to work because we cannot sustain an economy with a large portion of able-bodied people living off the people who are working. It isn’t fair to those who are working to have to support a lot of people who don’t want to work. Democrats are pushing for a socialist society where the government collects everything and doles out to everyone equally and that has failed wherever it is tried. If people cannot gain anything from working over the minimum, they will work the minimum and if they can get the same from not working as they would from working, they would rather not work. Even communist countries like China and Russia have had to allow a small amount of private enterprise to keep their country’s economies afloat.
Finances-H-A-B
President Biden has authorized more student loan forgiveness. It makes no sense. He has already authorized 600 Billion dollars in loan forgiveness in spite of the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled it unconstitutional because all government expenditures have to be authorized by Congress and Congress has not authorized any of it. That is more than all that the government pays for education in K-12 grades. In addition, it will lead many people to go to college with the idea that the government will pay off their loans and there is no guarantee of that. We already have a lot of kids going to college without a clear goal of what they are going to do and many of them are eventually choosing career paths that do not require a college degree. College has been billed as a necessity to get a good paying job but while some jobs like doctors and lawyers are high paying, many jobs requiring a college degree are falling behind many jobs that do not require a degree, such as jobs in business and the trades. It is drawing many students into college under the impression that they can get loans for it and push paying it off down the road. If they think they can get away with not having to pay it off at all, it will encourage even more to go when it isn’t needed for what they want to do. That leaves them heavily in debt for something they don’t need, with no clear way to pay it off.
Second Sunday of Eastertide-April 7
Study the Word-Many churches go through the motions of worship on Sunday morning and think they are worshiping God, but if that worship doesn’t affect their everyday life, it is just entertainment. God wants more than just entertainment he wants changed lives. To serve God, we must become like Christ, but to become like Christ, we must learn what Christ is like by studying the Gospels. Hopefully, Lent was a time of studying the Scriptures and seeking to become what God wants us to become. Easter signifies a break with the past and the beginning of a new journey with God. Eastertide signifies a change in direction toward serving Christ. Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. That involves more than just the pastor preaching. Each member interacts with a multitude of unchurched individuals every day who need to hear the Gospel. The church needs to begin preparing for reaching out to those around it by studying the Scriptures that relate to serving God. For instance, (1) Matt 9:35-38, need for laborers, (2) Matt 16:24-26 self-denial, (3) Matt:18:1-4, Matt 20:25-28 who is greatest, (4) Luke 10:29-37 good Samaritan, (5) Matt 25:31-46 sheep & goats, and (7) John 13:3-17 Jesus washes their feet.
Economics-D-C
Energy policies are also not being implemented wisely in managing our power grid. Old power plants using coal and gas are being pulled offline faster than new solar and wind production is being built to replace them. That is straining our already overburdened systems. In addition, electric cars have to be charged and the demand to switch to electric vehicles being pushed by President Biden will put a huge strain on our electric grid. In addition, many of our power distribution lines were constructed a long time ago and are in great need of being updated. Power lines have been responsible for a number wildfires lately when powerlines became overheated or stretched to the point they touched ground or other obstructions. In addition, power generated and transported for long distances loses power resulting in the need to generate additional energy to make up for losses. Wind and solar energy can be helpful in supplementing the power grid, but cannot be relied on as the sole source. Many homes and businesses can get their own wind and solar generators to cut down on their electric bills. Solar panel and wind turbines can often be mounted on roofs where they don’t take up valuable land. In addition, it saves the need for transmitting power over long distances and will ease the strain on our power grid. Many generators produce more than the household or business needs and the excess power can be sold back to the power company to supplement their own power. However, power companies are often penalizing homes and businesses by underpaying them for electricity they supply and overcharging them when they need additional electricity to discourage them from switching because it costs them revenue.
Economics-D-B
President Biden continues to push for more reliance on renewable energy with no concern for how it is done. We are facing an increasing energy crisis with existing energy use and our electric grid is being pushed to the limits. We are using an increasing amount of electricity. Homes that once used electricity for lighting now have radios, TVs, electric appliances in the kitchen, electronic equipment in the den, and a host of other electric gadgets. Many homes were not built for such use and it is straining their electric wiring. However, nationwide, we are seeing even bigger problems. A few years ago, America was hit with a series of rolling blackouts as our usage exceeded the capacity of power companies to supply power. Energy suppliers were able to overcome the problems by increasing electric generation and distribution systems but we are again facing the possibility of rolling blackouts. When wind and solar power are more environmentally friendly, they aren’t reliable. Clouds occasionally hamper solar collectors and the lack of wind occasionally hampers wind turbines. Texas experienced massive blackouts when cold weather froze wind turbines and snow covered solar collectors. They aren’t alone. Northern States are finding that electric vehicles don’t work well in cold weather.