In the News ... "Churches slate Christmas concert"

• Expanding upon last year's success

Staff Report
• Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - Six Odessa and Crane churches will combine their choirs to perform a free musical titled “O Little Town of Bethlehem” at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13 and 17 at Central Baptist Church at 1401 N. Texas Ave., and the Second Baptist Church at, 711 E. 17th St ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

In the News ... "Abilene Christian University administrator contributes to 'Diversity' book"

Courtesy Photo

• Joined by contributors from various Christian colleges and universities nationwide

By Loretta Fulton, Reporter
• Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE, TEXAS - Jennifer Shewmaker didn’t have to look far for examples to include in a chapter she contributed to a new book, “Diversity Matters: Race, Ethnicity, and the Future of Christian Higher Education.”

As executive director of the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning at Abilene Christian University, Shewmaker literally glanced around the center and knew what she would write about ...

• read the rest of this ARN report ...

C.S. Lewis Daily - Today's Reading

Presented by Bible Gateway

Today's Reading

On Freedom (and Predestination)

Witness the doctrine of Predestination which shows (truly enough) that eternal reality is not waiting for a future in which to be real; but at the price of removing Freedom which is the deeper truth of the two.

• From The Great Divorce
• Compiled in Words to Live By

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: December 5, 2017

HUDSON RIVER PRESBYTERY - During this first week of Advent — the start of a spiritual journey — congregations in Hudson River Presbytery can reflect on another spiritual journey they embarked on during another holy season this year ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

From Austin Seminary: "Advent Devotional" for December 5

"A gift from our community of faith to you. Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is devoted to preparing outstanding leaders for Christ’s church. One of the ways we nurture leaders is by building a loving community of faith and extending God’s grace to others. In this season of anticipation, we extend God’s grace to you and invite you to explore this book of Advent devotions. Through this collection, please join us as we prepare to receive God’s greatest gift—the birth of Jesus Christ."

• CLICK HERE for a downloadable/printable copy of this season's devotionals.
• CLICK HERE to learn how you can support the mission of Austin Seminary

Advent Devotional for December 5

• Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

As I am writing, the Caribbean is being ravaged by the fifth in a line of devastating hurricanes that have wreaked havoc on the Caribbean and Southern USA.

In many ways, these people have been fed with the “bread of tears” and been given “tears to drink in full measure.” God’s people are crying out for salvation; their homes have been ravaged and lives have been lost. Where are they to find hope?

In this psalm, we find the essence of Advent, the miraculous paradox of the already and not yet. We hold together the longing for the coming of Christ, whether in the form of an infant or in the reconciling second coming, side by side with the knowledge that Christ is already with us. We mourn, we long, we wait, but in that waiting is the trust that Christ will come and that Christ has come and that Christ is come.

The Shepherd of Israel listens to our prayers and brings us closer to God. In Christ, we are reminded that God conquered the waters of the deep, creating the heavens and the earth. That God carried Noah and his family through the flood. That God delivered the Israelites through the Red Sea in the Exodus. God continues to renew us through the waters of baptism and never lets us go. God will continue to do so until Christ comes again. We will cry out to God with all our joys and our sorrows, and God will answer our prayers just as God has already answered our prayers.

O God, you are the light and we long for you. Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. Amen.

Erica Nelson
Senior student from North Ogden, Utah

For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.

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This post produced with Bible Gateway reference/link 

From @chinaaid : "Imprisoned pastor sues government"

The China Aid Association is a non-profit Christian organization - based in Midland, Texas - with a mission to uncover and reveal the truth about religious persecution in China, focusing especially on the unofficial church. They do this, they explain in their website, by exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused and equipping the saints to advance the kingdom of God throughout China.

CAA Photo

Imprisoned pastor sues government
Distributed by ChinaAid, October, 2017 ...

GUIYANG, GUIZHOU, CHINA – An imprisoned house church pastor filed a lawsuit against local government departments in China’s southern Guizhou province on Oct. 10, claiming his religious freedom had been violated and that a fine was wrongly imposed on him, ChinaAid learned recently. ...

• more on this story from China Aid

In the News ... "The Empty Stocking Fund needs your help"

• Funds for a holiday meal, gifts under the tree

Staff Report
• The Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - The 23rd year of the Empty Stocking Fund is underway with a goal of $100,000 that won’t be met without your help.

Funds raised stay in Ector County and go to help needy families like that of Linda, a single mother of three whose husband was deported ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

In the News ... "Revelation’s challenges examined"

OA Photo by Mark Sterkel

• The concept of Biblical prophecy is often misconstrued

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
• Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - The Book of Revelation, the most mysterious and variously interpreted book of the Bible, is not what many people consider it to be, ministers say.

The Revs. Andy Hill, Robert Thayer, Michael Sis and Doug Doyle says it must be understood first in the context of the Roman Empire’s persecutions of Christians around 95 A.D., when it was written by the Apostle John on the small Greek island of Patmos ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: December 4, 2017

"BE THE CHURCH" / HEARTLAND PRESBYTERY - Hundreds of individuals from the Kansas City, Missouri, metro area woke up one autumn morning and instead of putting on their Sunday best, they dressed in work clothes, boots and gloves; gathered rakes, scissors, knitting needles and casserole dishes; and drove to church to worship in a different way ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

From Austin Seminary: "Advent Devotional" for December 4

"A gift from our community of faith to you. Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is devoted to preparing outstanding leaders for Christ’s church. One of the ways we nurture leaders is by building a loving community of faith and extending God’s grace to others. In this season of anticipation, we extend God’s grace to you and invite you to explore this book of Advent devotions. Through this collection, please join us as we prepare to receive God’s greatest gift—the birth of Jesus Christ."

• CLICK HERE for a downloadable/printable copy of this season's devotionals.
• CLICK HERE to learn how you can support the mission of Austin Seminary

Advent Devotional for December 4

• Isaiah 64:1-9

I often wish God would show up in more obvious ways. If God would make a couple of Bible-style appearances, maybe our spiritual journeys would be less hit-or-miss.

It would be great to receive instructions through a sky-full of stars, a burning bush, or an angel named Gabriel. We would know, more clearly, what it is we are to do and who it is we are to be. Also: if God put Godself “out there,” everyone would see that what we believe is true. We wouldn’t have to work so hard, in a world full of natural disasters and sin-driven violence, trying to convince others that God is somehow around.

Tear open the heavens and come down, O God! Light the kindling under the fire! Do something awesome that no one is expecting! Please, God—we need you to come through for us.

Isaiah wonders, as we do, if God’s seeming absence has something to do with sin. But here’s the twist, if you look at v. 5b, Isaiah suggests God has pulled back from us because of our sin, but also that we sin because God has pulled back. “Because you hid yourself we transgressed,” the NRSV translates.

Well. It seems pretty audacious of Isaiah to insist God take some responsibility for the world’s sufferings. And he continues in this vein, trying to persuade God to step up, regardless of our sin. God is the one who forms us, after all. We, the clay, can only be lumps apart from the attention of the Potter.

At Christmas, God will respond to Isaiah’s request. God will come, again, in a very particular, definitive, way. The mountains won’t quake, but a baby will cry. Adversaries won’t change, but shepherds will come, amazed. And wise ones will somehow pick the one star to follow out of an entire sky-full. God’s awesome deeds will heal the world in ways we hadn’t thought to ask for and would never expect.

Awesome God, help us to discern your presence new again this Advent. Act in unexpected ways that invite us to righteousness. Amen.

Cynthia L. Rigby
The W.C. Brown Professor of Theology

For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.

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This post produced with Bible Gateway reference/link 

In the News ... "Support the Empty Stocking Fund "

• Partnership of the Odessa American and the Salvation Army

Staff Report
• The Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - The 23rd year of the Empty Stocking Fund is underway with a goal of $100,000 that won’t be met without your help.

Funds raised stay in Ector County and go to help needy families families like that of the Browns, who are struggling to make ends meet while raising six children ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

In the News ... "San Angelo Police chief welcomes new chaplain"

Courtesy Photo

• Resource for counseling department personnel and extended family

Staff Report
• San Angelo Standard Times

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - San Angelo Police Chief Frank Carter welcomed a new chaplain to the department recently, as Gary Jenkins was sworn in during a private ceremony in the chief's office with his wife, Pastor Marcella Jenkins, in attendance ...

• read the rest of this SAST report

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: December 3, 2017

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF SOUTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY - In a season marked by special dinners and other festive events, members of a New Jersey congregation are remembering a special commemoration of their own ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

From Austin Seminary: "Advent Devotional" for December 3

"A gift from our community of faith to you. Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is devoted to preparing outstanding leaders for Christ’s church. One of the ways we nurture leaders is by building a loving community of faith and extending God’s grace to others. In this season of anticipation, we extend God’s grace to you and invite you to explore this book of Advent devotions. Through this collection, please join us as we prepare to receive God’s greatest gift—the birth of Jesus Christ."

• CLICK HERE for a downloadable/printable copy of this season's devotionals.
• CLICK HERE to learn how you can support the mission of Austin Seminary

Advent Devotional for First Sunday
December 3

• Mark 13:24-37

I'm writing these words on 21 August 2017, around 1:00 p.m., and the “Great American Eclipse” has begun. Already the moon-bitten solar disc is making its transitfrom west to east across the country, while millions of people witness Jesus’s words take on an unanticipated truth: the sun will indeed be darkened, even if only for two minutes. A week or so ago, in the wee hours of 11, 12, and 13 August, if your dog woke you up to go outside, you witnessed the Perseid meteor shower and saw “the stars falling from heaven.” A few days later we all got a good shaking as the powers of evil and hate staked their claim on heaven from the base of the Robert E Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia. You might be forgiven for wondering, in the back of your mind, if the apocalypse has already begun.

Of course, by the time you read these words, we will all know better, even if in the moment we weren’t so sure. It’s just an eclipse, and on 22 August the sun rose just fine. They’re just meteorites, overgrown bits of space dust that had the misfortune to burn up in our atmosphere for our midnight entertainment. It’s not the powers of heaven, just a bunch of racist neo-Nazis. It’s not the Kingdom. It’s not the end.

Or is it? Advent reminds us that, though the sun rises and the world turns and the stars whirl about on their celestial axis, things are not always what they seem. One day, Jesus says, the sun will be darkened and the stars will fall and powers from the roof of heaven to the sub-basement of earth will be rocked to their foundations. One day the Son of Man will come and the Kingdom will arrive.

Who’s to say that day is not today? For after Advent comes Christmas when the stars sing their glorias, and then Good Friday when heaven and earth shake, and finally Easter after which nothing is the same. Christ has come. The Kingdom has begun. The powers of evil, hate, racism, and death—however potent they seem—cannot slow its progress. Perhaps the real lesson of this eclipse is not astronomical but theological. Like the path of totality, God’s reign travels inexorably through the world. There is good news in that. And just in time.

Come, Lord Jesus. Quickly come. Amen.

Paul Hooker
Associate Dean for Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies

For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.

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This post produced with Bible Gateway reference/link 

In the News ... "Help fill the Empty Stocking Fund"

• Funds for a holiday meal, gifts under the tree

Staff Report
• The Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - The 23rd year of the Empty Stocking Fund is underway with a goal of $100,000 that won’t be met without your help.

Funds raised stay in Ector County and go to help needy families like that of Joe and Jennifer, who are a family struggling to make ends meet while raising a special needs child ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

In the News ... What’s going on in South Plains churches

Courtesy Photo

• Area events in the days, weeks ahead

By Lucinda Holt, Reporter
• Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - From the Avalanche-Journal, news of special events and programs from Lubbock-area houses of faith ...

 • read the rest of this LAJ report

In the News ... "Abilene Church News"

• Church news includes 'The Perfect Gift' and 'A Christmas to Remember'

Staff Report
• Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE, TEXAS - From the Reporter-News, news of services, special events and programs from Abilene-area houses of faith ...

• read the rest of this ARN report ...

In the News ... "San Angelo Faith Briefs"

• This weekend, and in the week ahead

Staff Report
• San Angelo Standard Times

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - From the Standard-Times, news of special events and programs from Concho Valley houses of faith ...

• read the rest of this SAST report

In the News ... "Odessa Church News"

Courtesy Photo

• Today and in the days ahead, in Odessa-area houses of worship

Staff Report
• Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - Coming events include worship services, classes, Bible studies, community outreach, mission opportunities and more ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: December 2, 2017

OFFICE OF PUBLIC WITNESS INTERNS - When Nora Leccese, who addresses domestic poverty and environmental issues for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness (OPW), first came to the office through the Emerson National Hunger Fellows Program, she expected to be there for only five months. But she immediately met people in the office and in the broader interfaith community who were willing to speak out on issues like racism, sexism and homophobia ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

From ServLife International ... "Pentateuch Punch"

ServLife International is a movement defined by values of God’s kingdom, not programs built around human efforts and activities. The reign and rule of God should be made apparent to every person on the planet, despite their religion, race or socioeconomic status. We believe that issues of justice are inseparable from the good news that Jesus Christ came to proclaim. ServLife exists to take the gospel of Christ and the hope of a better, more just, world to the lives of people we touch. This happens through individual contributions of time, creativity, resources and dreams.

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Pentateuch Punch

In Matthew 22 a lawyer approaches Jesus and asks what the most important law is. What does it all boil down to? What is the most important command in the entire bible? Jesus quotes Deuteronomy and Leviticus in a one-two punch of pentateuch proportions ...

• CLICK HERE to read the rest of this post from ServLife ...

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From Adam Nevins
Executive Director
ServLife International Inc.


Join Our Mission

ServLife International propels reconciliation and justice by building global community to plant churches, care for children and fight poverty. Compelled by the message, life and love of Jesus Christ, we seek to care for the spiritual, physical, social, and economic areas of life in northern India and Nepal.  Learn more about our latest news, featured stories, and how to get involved at servlife.org

Support a Pastor Our church planters spread the love of Christ in some of the most difficult environments in the world. • Support Them ...	Sponsor a Child For only $30 per month you can help give a child food, education, care and, most importantly, hope. • Sponsor Now ...	Fight Poverty The HOPE Fund, our micro-finance program, provides start-up funds for a small business, paving a way out of poverty for families in need. • Learn More ...

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ServLife International, Inc.
P.O. Box 20596
Indianapolis, IN 46220
USA

In the News ... "Empty Stocking spreads Christmas joy"

• Fundraising effort by the Odessa American and The Salvation Army

Staff Report
• The Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - TThe 23rd year of the Empty Stocking Fund is underway with a goal of $100,000 that won’t be met without your help.

Funds raised stay in Ector County and go to help needy families like that of Frances, who is a struggling grandmother who took in her daughter and two grandchildren ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

In the News ... "Longtime gospel quartet 'The Embers' will say goodbye with San Angelo concert"

Courtesy Photo

• “We’ve decided to go out on a good note."

By Becca Nelson Sankey, Contributor
• San Angelo Standard-Times

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - Southern gospel quartet The Embers has traversed the nation for concerts, hosted performances with four Dove Award-winning groups, recorded more than half a dozen albums and backed up singer BJ Thomas on “Amazing Grace.” But after 37 years, the group is calling it quits and will perform its last concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at Johnson Street Church of Christ. ...

• read the rest of this SAST report

From @FWMission ...Friday Story: "Vision Team Report from Costa Rica"

Founded in 2001, Free Wheelchair Mission is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for the impoverished disabled in developing nations. Headquartered in Irvine, California, FWM works around the world in partnership with a vast network of humanitarian, faith-based and government organizations, sending wheelchairs to hundreds of thousands of disabled people, providing not only the gift of mobility, but of dignity, independence, and hope.

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FWM Photo

Friday Story: "Vision Team Report from Costa Rica"

Today’s story comes from Costa Rica, where a vision team was distributing wheelchairs last week.

In one neighborhood impacted by Tropical Storm Nate, the team encountered a sweet family in need of a wheelchair. Team leader Georgia writes ...

• read the rest of this story ...

• Looking for meaningful gifts to give this holiday season? Consider Free Wheelchair Mission Christmas gift cards ...

In the News ... "Hinduism has a home in Abilene"

ARN Photo by Ronald W. Erdrich

• Abilene is home to about 150 followers of Hinduism

By Loretta Fulton, Reporter
• Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE, TEXAS - Squeezed between a bar and a near-vacant lot secured with a chain link fence on North Mockingbird Lane is Abilene’s newest house of worship.

This isn’t another storefront church, similar to so many that have sprung up in Abilene over the years. This is different, even if the building does resemble numerous other buildings along that stretch of Mockingbird ...

• read the rest of this ARN report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: December 1, 2017

MINUTE FOR MISSION: WORLD AIDS DAY - As we mark World AIDS Day, we contemplate the 2017 United Nations AIDS campaign “My Health, My Right,” which affirms that health care is a human right. However, stigma and discrimination might be the most significant hurdles to the effective treatment of HIV/AIDS ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.