See the Kingdom

Interesting article…. Jesus is Building His Church… but not as we’ve known it

Linked here in the interest of getting people to read, think, and respond.

I’ve established an automated e-mail list for members and friends of the Marbury Church of God. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to churchnews-subscribe@seethekingdom.net. You’ll be able to get news, prayer requests, updates and announcements.

Hollis Pistole
The passing of a friend from earth to heaven should not go unnoticed. Hollis Pistole served as pastor in Marbury more than fifty years ago; I met him in Anderson in the late 1970s, when he was still teaching at the School of Theology, and have seen him regularly at annual meetings of the Church of God Peace Fellowship. We made it a point to get even better acquainted after I came to serve in a congregation he loved. Last summer he sat down for dinner with me at the annual School of Theology banquet in June. He was a pastor, teacher, peacemaker, scholar, and friend.

[Edit: The following post was made just before Easter, 2006. While the specifics as to time and date are localized, the invitation to celebrate the mystery of Christ's ongoing appearance is appropriate for any time.]

Dear friends,

If your life has been anything like mine, you’ve been busy lately. I want to invite you to take some time for refreshment. Come to church! Tomorrow morning is Easter Sunday. Why not make it a point to celebrate with others the most awesome thing that ever happened on the history of our planet?

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. The tomb is empty, and he is ready to meet with those who will follow him.

He’s been known to show up where his followers are gathered (John 20:19). To walk with them down a highway (Luke 24:13-33). To meet them for breakfast (John 21:1-14).

In Marbury, we’ll celebrate a community Sunrise Service at 7:00 AM in the Marbury Church of God sanctuary. I’d love to see you there!
You can even skip breakfast and come; we’ll follow the service with coffee, juice, fruit and pastries in our fellowship hall.

As always, Sunday School for all ages starts at 9:00 AM, with morning worship at 10:00. You can read Mark 16:1-8 and Acts 10:34-43 as preparation for the day’s message. Reminder to the church family: At offering time, special Easter Ministries Offering envelopes will be available for those who would like to give in support of the worldwide ministries of the Church of God.

That first Easter morning something happened which can still change our lives forever. Do you feel like something needs to change in your life? Has Jesus already changed your life? Is there more for him to do?

At the empty tomb,
In the upper room,
On the highway,
By the sea,
He will meet you there,
Meet your every care,
Give you peace,
And set you free.

Love,

Pastor Bob Buehler

Technorati Profile

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who publish peace!

Starting today, April 1, 2006, I have decided to take down the static front page (it’s not really down; you can see it by clicking on the welcome item in the sidebar) and move to a more “blog-style” format, where the first thing you see when you come here is… you guessed it… the last thing that I (or someone) posted here. I’m doing this for the shameless purpose of increasing traffic on the site; why would you want to come back to a page that always looks the same? But I’ll post a variety of thoughts, biblical meditations, news events and comments, and occasionally links to things I find interesting, and you, dear reader (still with me?) are encouraged to post comments and reactions as you see fit. The rules: if you want to comment, please do so. Comments are moderated for first-timers, which just means I will read your remarks before anyone else does. If you register and get a password (and I have an idea who you are), I can set it up so your comments can be seen immediately, and even so that you can post on your own.

Legitimate topics for discussion:

The kingdom of God, its present meaning, how God is at work in the world today.

Helpful interpretations of biblical or other texts.

The search for integrity.

Matters having to do with the life and ministry of the Marbury Church of God, where I am pastor.

Matters touching on the history, doctrine, and common life of the Church of God (Anderson, IN).

Humor.

Bits of poetry, from time to time.

Appropriate Christian response to current events (although I don’t really want to go off on political tangents).

I’ll try to post something new here at least once a week, so please bookmark it and come back often. I look forward to seeing you in the Conversation.

Love to all! — Pastor Bob