Scroll to the bottom of the page to read the lyrics of the music being played --"HE".

Ted Haggard, Primary Purpose: Making it Hard for People to Go to Hell from Your City, Charisma House (A Strang Company), 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746, 1995. A story of the churches in Colorado City, CO, getting together to make a unified impact upon the city, and the positive results of the campaign. He discusses "Five Primary Principles" undergirding the unified movement. Then he talks about the "Lifestyle Warfare: Seven Power Points," which are principles for living the Christian life. One thing I learned by reading the book was that prayer-walking sections of the city can have a powerful impact on the community. This can be a life-changing book. C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (2001). A Fellow and Tutor in English literature at Oxford University, and in 1964 chosen as Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, Lewis has written a classic explaining and defending the basics of Christianity. Frank E. Peretti, This Present Darkness, (1986) and Piercing the Darkness,(1989) (Both in One Volume) Crossway Books: Wheaton, Illinois. These are two novels about the battle between the demons of Satan and the angels of God. Each story takes place in a small town with characters who are either aligned with God or Satan. This may be new to some of you readers, and it took a while for me to accept the concept, but as the story went along, it carried me intellectually and emotionally to a positive conclusion. Lee Strobel, The Case for Faith, (2000), Zondervan: Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lee Stobel, a journalist and legal expert, investigates the toughest objections to Christianity -- the eight "heart barriers" to a vital Christian faith. His interviews with scholars and dedicated men of faith will offer some answers to these perplexing questions. Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, (2002), Zondervan: Grand Rapid, Michigan. One of the most popular Christian books ever written, this book has changed lives and families. Divided into 40 brief chapters, it is a forty-day journey into a deeper spiritual life as the reader learns what God's purpose for his or her life is. Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, (1995). Warren gives a five-part strategy that will lead to a healthy church. He says the object of a church should not be growth but health, and there are many practical idea on how to reach this goal. Randy Wiens, Now I know Who I Am, (2003), Winepress Publishing, PO Box 428, Enumclaw, WA, 98022. A gripping true story by a man who was driving under the influence, who wrecked his vehicle, and saw his wife killed in the accident. It is a story of remorse, loss, punishment in prison, redemption as a Christian, and hope for the future, told in graphic detail. You will not be the same after you read this chilling but inspiring book. Philip Yancy, Disappointment with God, (1997), Zondervan: Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is a book that brought me back to God after 30 years of being away from the church. It answers so many questions that the skeptic or critic or wondering person has. Is God unfair? Is he silent? Is he hidden? In this profoundly personal book, these questions are answered with clarity, richness, and biblical certainty. Philip Yancey points to the odd disparity between our concept of God and the realities of lifeDisappointment with God takes us beyond the things that make for disillusionment to a deeper faith, a certitude of God's love, and a thirst to reach not just for what God gives, but for who he is. Philip Yancy, Where is God When it Hurts?, (1990), Zondervan: Grand Rapids Michigan. One of the best Christian writers around, Yancey discusses why there is such a thing as pain; is pain a message from God? how people respond to suffering; how can we cope with pain? and how does faith help? Matthew Kelly, The Rhythm of Life, (2004), Fireside Books, 303 pages. It is amazing that such a book as this was written by an author in his twenties. My Thursday morning discussion group read this book, and we were amazed at the insights. Good for all ages, this book is especially helpful for young people. Kelly exposes the lifestyle challenges and problems that face us in this age obsessed with noise, speed, and perpetual activity. His theme is, "Who you become is infinitely more important than what you do, or what you have." Jan Karon, Light From Heaven. This is the 8th and last in a series of novels by Jan Karon about Father Tim Kavanaugh, an Episcopal priest who lives and serves the people of Mitford. The novel has a delightful cast of characters, and Father Tim finds himself in many dilemmas, but also finds that God empowers him to bring resolution with noble acts. This is a warm novel that will strengthen your faith in God's influence in our communities, and you will fall in love with the people who come to life under Jan Karon's pen. Published by Viking Adult in 2005, you can buy a used copy from Amazon for $1.77 plus shipping. Gracie Burnham, In The Presence of My Enemies. Do you remember the news accounts of the Philippine missionaries' abduction and year-long captivity by Moslem extremists? This is the story written by the wife Gracia Burham, and it is a gripping tale of adventure, uffering,surprise, and a firm faith in God. A non-stop read and a lesson for all Christians, it is available at on-line book stores. (April, 2003), Tyndale House Publishers, 336 pages. Don Piper, 90 Minutes in Heaven. The Bible has many references to heaven, but some people have questions about our eternal life there. Don Piper is an ordained Baptist minister, currently serving on the staff of the First Baptist Church of Pasadena, Texas (a surburb of Houston). After leaving a church conference, he had a devestating auto accident that left him dead. He recounts that he went immediately to heaven and was there for 90 minutes. A friend of his found him in his crushed automobile and began to pray for his survival. Don returned to life, and suffered untold pain while recovering from his horrible injuries. Today he is able to serve in a church in spite of lingering disabilities. Don says his story is real and not just an hallucination, and in his time in heaven, he was met by friends and loved ones, and he experienced wonderful heavenly music. This book may give you a fresh look at heaven, and I know I read it in two days since it was hard to put down. It can be purchased from Amazon Books as a used book. (2004), Fleming H. Revell, 207 pages. Choo Thomas, Heaven is So Real.Choo Thomas is a woman born in Korea, now living in America. She has been picked by Christ to visit heaven and hell and report her journeys to people today so they will turn to the Lord. (2003), Creation House Press, 251 pages. Randy Alcorn, Heaven. This is a substantial book that uses a multitude of scriptures to talk of the myriad aspects of heaven. The author says, "The next time you hear someone say, 'We can't begin to imagine what Heaven will be like,' you'll be able to tell them, 'I can.'" (2004), Eternal Perspectives Ministries, 516 pages. Henry Blackaby and Claude V. King, Experiencing God. This book challenges Christians to experience the fullness of a life lived in a fellowshipwith the loving, personal God, (1994), Broadman & Holman, 288 pages. Philip Yancy, Prayer. This is a refreshing and exciting look at something we all feel we should do more of but have a difficult time being consistent in doing, (2006), Zondervan, 351 pages.

RELIGIOUS LINKS

All About God
Hour of Power
RBC Ministries
The Bible Gateway
Rick Warren's Web Site

MINISTRIES I AM A PART OF

CHRISTIAN LIFE CENTER, a community church at 650 E. Olive Avenue in Merced. I sing in the choir, and I work with senior members of the church. The church has patriotic and Christmas musical pagents each year, and there is children's and young people's program that includes activites at church and out of church (such as camps and mission trips). The senior pastor is Kevin O'Connor, one of the finest preachers I have ever heard. THURSDAY MORNING READING/DISCUSSION GROUP. This is a powerful and dedicated group of men from various faiths who choose a book, read from it aloud during group meetings, and discuss the ideas. The group, from time to time, raises money for worthy groups like the Salvation Army, LoveInc, etc. COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL. I have adopted Jose Sanchez in Ecuador through Commpassion International, and I get and send letters and contribute to Jose's education and spiritual growth.

MY JOURNEY

I was born in Hagarville, Arkansas, a small town 60 miles south of Fort Smith, and before I was born, my mother promised God that if he would send her a son, she would dedicate him to be a preacher. As my family moved to Washington state, Oklahoma, and California, my mother was true to her word, and from the earliest time I can remember, I was told that I was born to be a preacher. When I was a child, my family lived in Antlers, Oklahoma, a small town in southeast Oklahoma and attended the First Baptist Church. When I was nine years old, I went forward and told the pastor, Rev. Davis, that I wanted to accept Christ as my personal savior, and shortly I was baptised in the church baptistry. When I was a high school sophomore, my family moved to Modesto, California, and we were members of the First Southern Baptist Church, Rev. Edmond Walker, pastor. When I was a senior in high school, Rev. Walker enlisted me to be the temporary pastor of a mission in Modesto (which later became the Calvary Baptist Church). After the mission called a permanent pastor, and while I was a student at Modesto Junior College, I was called to pastor the First Baptist of Salida, a small town just north of Modesto. We started out meeting in a tent house, but while I was there, we built a permanent building that housed an auditorium and meeting rooms. When I transferred from Modesto Junior College to the University of California at Berkeley, I was called to be pastor of the Trinity Baptist Church of Modesto, and I travelled from the university on weekends to the church (hitchhiking on Friday afternoon and riding the bus back on Sunday evening). After I finished the university and enrolled in the Golden Gate Seminary in Berkeley, I spent a few months as mission pastor at Linda Mar, on the coast south of San Francisco. After finishing two years at the seminary, I was called to be Minister of Music and Education at the Calvary Baptist Church of El Monte, in the Los Angeles area. I was married and had my first son in El Monte, and after two years there, my family and I returned to Berkeley to finish seminary. Soon after arriving in Berkeley, I was hired to be housemanager of the Baptist Student Center on Channing and Bowditch Streets, a three-story house and basement owned by California Southern Baptists to house students and provide a meeting place for our religious meetings. After finishing seminary and being housemanager for three years, the BSU Director moved to the south, and I was asked to be BSU Director, a position I held for 5 years. After a doctrinal difference with my convention, I resigned and enrolled at the University of California Berkeley in order to become a teacher (my true God-called vocation), and in the meantime working the owl shift full-time at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at UC. After receiving a master's degree in rhetoric and working a year on the doctorate, I applied and was accepted as a professor of speech and English at Merced Community College. I taught a variety of speech and English courses (including Forensics when we went to Nationals for four years) at Merced Community College for 28 years, and during that time I stopped going to church because of the many unanswered questions I had as a result of my recent education and experiences. I never lost my faith in God, and I, as a teacher, accepted any valid religious experience of students, and I never made light of students' religious beliefs, as did some of my fellow teachers. After retiring from Merced Community College, I worked part-time at the Challenger Learning Center in Atwater, working with young people and adults in space mission simulation to the moon and to Haley's Comet and with groups in Corporate Training. In 2000, my wife and I moved into a new home, and one of my neighbors was Don Boehm, a devout Christian who has since become one of my best friends. Don and I had many long talks about my faith and church affiliation, and since I had many unanswered questions, Don loaned me his copy of Philip Yancy's "Disappointment with God." This book answered every question I had and provided a solid basis for a renewed faith and service. Also, at this time, my wife had four operations in eight months, and I was led to pray often for her recovery. Finally, I was given one of the "Left Behind" novels as a Christmas present by a friend, and I was encouraged by that whole series to get serious about my faith and service. After visiting several congregations, my wife Vera and I decided to rededicate our lives to Christ and join the Christian Life Center on Olive Avenue in Merced. This has been a joyous decision as we have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and as we have met some outstanding friends in the church and other Christian organizations. One thing I learned from my experiences was that God doesn't give up on us, no matter how far away we go from Him. I now enjoy my church work, my work with other Christian organizations, and my fellowship with God. My prayer is that Vera and I will continue our growth and service in the faith, and that we may influence others to know the wonderful life that is possible in Christ.

Merced Church Web Sites

Calvary Assembly of God
Central Presbyterian Church
Christian Life Center
First Baptist Church

New Beginnings Fellowship
Saint Patrick's Catholic Parish
Saint Paul's Lutheran
Valley Baptist Church
Yosemite Church

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"HE"

A Mickey McBride Arrangement

HE CAN TURN THE TIDE,
AND CALM THE ANGRY SEA,
HE ALONE DECIDES
WHAT MAKES OUR DESTINY,

HE HEARS EVERY WORD
THAT YOU AND I HAVE PLACED,
HE CONTROLS THE MOON,
THE STARS, AND TIME AND SPACE,

HE STILL FINDS THE TIME
TO HEAR A CHILD’S FIRST PRAYER,
SAINT OR SINNER CALL,
AND ALWAYS FIND HIM THERE,

THOUGH IT MAKES HIM SAD...
TO SEE THE WAY WE LIVE,
HE’LL ALWAYS SAY.......
I FORGIVE!

HE CAN TURN THE TIDE,
AND CALM THE ANGRY SEA,
HE ALONE DECIDES
WHAT MAKES OUR DESTINY,

HE’LL ALWAYS SAY........
I FORGIVE!

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