New Life United Pentecostal Church

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4.4)

Jesus taught that mere food can’t sustain our lives, but we must also feed on the words of God. Not many of us get so busy or involved with other things that we suddenly remember, “Hey, I forgot to eat today!” But if we're not careful, we can easily get so distracted in our daily lives that we neglect one thing that is essential for our spiritual lives and growth: reading and meditating on God’s Word, the Bible.

In 2010 we’re going to focus on making Bible reading a priority in our lives. Here are some resources to help us do that:

B.R.E.A.D. Bible reading charts. B.R.E.A.D (Bible Reading Enriches Any Day) charts are Bible-reading guides that list specific readings for each day. If you follow the chart, at the end of the year you will have read the entire Bible. The 2010 charts will be available in the foyer at the end of December. The charts are free, so pick one up!

B.R.E.A.D. in your inbox. Prefer to read online? You can sign up to have the daily readings emailed to you. Sign up at www.upci.org/ss/bread/default.asp. It’s free, so sign up!

B.R.E.A.D. Sticks. Don’t like to read? Or just prefer to listen? Get a B.R.E.A.D. Stick and listen to the Bible in audio format. For only $24.95 you’ll get a USB thumb drive with all the readings. Listen on your computer or MP3 player. Order one by calling 866.819.7667.

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The B.R.E.A.D. resources are great, but of course there are other helpful resources that you might want to consider.

YouVersion.com. This website is a great free resource for reading the Bible online and on your mobile phone. There are dozens of translations available and over 20 reading plans to choose from. There is also a nice tracking feature that will help you stay up with your reading.

One-Year Bibles. There are several special editions of the Bible called daily Bibles or one-year Bibles. What makes these editions unique is the reader-friendly layout: the entire Bible is laid out in 365 consecutive readings that generally include a selection from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and often Proverbs.

Click here for a one-year Bible in the New King James Version.

Here's a link to other versions of one-year Bibles. Besides the NKJV, some other good translations are the English Standard Version (ESV), New International Version (NIV), King James Version (KJV), and New American Standard Bible (NASB).

Audio Bibles. In addition to the B.R.E.A.D. Stick mentioned above there are many other good audio versions of the Bible available.

Probably the most well known audio Bible is Alexander Scourby's reading of the KJV.

For a popular dramatized version of the NIV, try this one.

Perhaps the most well known narrator of the Bible today is Max Mclean. He has narrated several translations of the Bible. All are available through his website. One nice thing about his site is that there are sample readings available so you can check out his reading style to see if you like it.

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Several of our age-based social groups are having Christmas Parties this week. We hope you can make it to your group's party!

• Life Anchor (55+) will meet at New Life on Friday, December 19, at 4 pm. Contact Don and Martha Dobyns or Jim and Pat Hall for details.
• Life Force (40s) will meet at the DiRuggieros’ home on Friday, December 19, at 7:30 pm. Contact Mark or LaNell Hanson for details.
• PALS will meet at the Wamplers’ home on Saturday, December 20, at 10:30 am. Contact Wayland or Cecelia Wampler for details.
• Fusion: Middle school will meet Saturday, December 20, at 6 pm. Location is to be announced.
• Fusion: High school will meet at the Dammans’ home Saturday, December 20, at 6 pm.
• Fusion: College-age will meet at the Bernards’ home Saturday, December 20, at 6 pm.

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Dear Washington Post,

As a Pentecostal pastor, theologian and educator, I am disappointed by Pat Oliphant’s recent cartoon that ridicules Pentecostal beliefs and practices and portrays God in a way that is blasphemous to Pentecostals as well as many other Christians. Under the First Amendment, you have a right to publish such a cartoon. Nevertheless, it displays ignorance of Pentecostal beliefs, and it expresses prejudice against Pentecostals because of their religious identity. It is a clear example of bigotry. Although you likewise have a constitutional right to publish a racist cartoon or a cartoon ridiculing Muslims, I do not think you would do so. To be consistent with your own standards, you should apologize.

Sincerely,
David K. Bernard
President, Urshan Graduate School of Theology, Florissant, Missouri, www.ugst.org
Pastor, New Life United Pentecostal Church, 4001 Adelphi Lane, Austin, Texas 78727
www.newlifeupc.org
512-832-5433

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Pat Oliphant is a syndicated editorial cartoonist carried on news sites across the country. It is the nature of an editorial cartoonist to be provocative and offer up unique — and often controversial — viewpoints on the issues of the day. I have always opted for the approach that we should not limit the cartoonist's freedom of speech. We prefer to present the cartoon and allow you, the reader, to make the choice on whether to read it or not, and to express your own freedom of speech if you're bothered or offended by it.

Thanks,
Jim Brady
Executive Editor
washingtonpost.com

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Dear Mr. Brady,

Thank you for your response concerning the cartoon recently published by the Washington Post that attacks the Pentecostal faith. I don't question Mr. Pat Oliphant's right to free speech. However, I question whether you are really being accurate in saying, in effect, that you will publish anything by a syndicated editorial cartoonist as long as it is protected as free speech under the U.S. Constitution.

Specifically, is it the official policy of the Washington Post to publish material that is bigoted, prejudiced, and discriminatory against people's religious identity? If so, does this policy apply only to material attacking Pentecostals, or does it also apply to statements that ridicule Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, and so on? Also, does this policy mean that the Washington Post will publish racist, sexist, and other biased material as long as it is submitted by a syndicated editorial cartoonist? After all, freedom of speech applies to these types of speech as well.

In short, you still owe your readers an apology for publishing bigoted, offensive statements about the Pentecostal faith.

Sincerely,
David K. Bernard
President, Urshan Graduate School of Theology, Florissant, MO
Pastor, New Life United Pentecostal Church, Austin, TX

Bro. Shelton passed away early Monday morning. Please keep Sis. Shelton and the family in your prayers.

The funeral will be at New Life on Thursday, July 17, at 11:00 a.m.

Graveside services will follow at the Baghdad Cemetery in Leander.

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LUV 2008 will be held on March 6 and 7 in Sugar Land, Texas.

The speakers this year are Murrell and Joan Ewing, Joy Haney, Vonnie Lopez, and Elizabeth Shivers. There will be special music by the Pentecostals of Weslaco.

Conference Registration

If you register before February 20, the fee is $40.00. After February 20, it will be $50.00.

The quickest way to register is to go to the South Texas District web site and register online.

If you'd prefer, you may send your registration by mail. (It must be postmarked by February 20 to receive the $40.00 rate.)
Click here to download the registration form.

Mail to:
Barbara Johnson
c/o Apostolic Lighthouse
PO BOX 216
West Columbia, TX 77486

Hotel Reservations

The Sugar Land Marriott Hotel is this year's location for the conference.

Room reservations must be made by February 15 by calling 800.228.9290 or 281.275.8400 and mentioning the "South Texas District Ladies Conference."

If you'd prefer you can see Pat Matthews by February 15 and let her know that you would like to stay at the Marriott, and she can make the reservation for you.

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We would like to recommend an article to you that our youth pastor, Seth Simmons, recently had published on youthministry.com.

It's a funny and insightful article on how Seth gained some valuable insight into being a leader after . . . well, some of his travel plans went awry on a recent youth trip.

A lot of people have enjoyed the article. In fact Seth's article has gotten the highest rating. Good job, Seth!

Link to article: Lessons from the Road

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New Life Institute's winter quarter will begin January 8. The class runs through March 11.

The class this trimester is Old Testament Survey. In this class, we will discuss the background, context, authorship, theme, and basic message of each of the 39 books of the Old Testament.

The cost is $95, which includes textbooks and handouts. For an additional $10, tuition may be paid out in three installments of $35. Payment is due the first class.

Please fill out the registration form and bring it with you to the first class. Registration forms are also available in the church foyer.

For more information about New Life Institute, please visit our page.

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