Balancing Ministry N' Work

We started our walk-through Daniel last week by looking at verses from Daniel, 2 Chronicles, and Jeremiah and saw how they were all connected. I always enjoy seeing how the different books of the Bible fit together. We spent some time talking about how the process the Babylonians were using was an attempt to conquer and indoctrinate the young Israelis. It was a great reminder that we cannot let the things of the world, the things other people do, the expectations of others influence us in ways that are counter to God’s Word. Today, being part of the Church is no longer popular, but we cannot let that influence us. Society will tell us that we need to change. Sadly we see it in other churches, we see it in the news with denominations splitting, and we see it in the lives of others around us. Many have loosened their grip on God’s Word and what we really need to do is hold on to it even tighter.     We need to remember that if there is anything we should cling to in this world,

This morning we are starting our walk through, what is probably my favorite book of the Old Testament, the Book of Daniel. The book starts with a historical look at a man and his friends and how they lived their faith during some very trying times. It includes actual accounts of things that happened, visions of what was then the future, and visions that point to the return of the One True King. Daniel is a book that can truly help to build your faith in God as it shows that no matter what is going on, He is in control. It is believed that the Book of Daniel was finished when Daniel was in his mid-eighties, somewhere around 535 BC. There has been debate on if Daniel wrote all of the book himself since some of it is written in first person and some is written in third person. The primary school of thought is that while Daniel may have not written every word himself, he oversaw the completion of the book. Some have questioned the timing of when the Book of Daniel was written

Happy New Year! Can you believe it has been 20 years since everyone thought the power was going to go out? We expect the lights to turn on when we flip the switch, but there was some concern that when the computers rolled the year over to 2,000 that things would not work like we expected. There are a lot of things in this world that we have concerns or doubts about. Are they going to work as expected, will it last through the warranty period, is it worth the investment? Now, when we approached our Lord we should have complete confidence that He hears us. Things on this side of eternity may or may not be trusted, but we should have complete faith in our Lord Jesus. Hebrews 4:14-16 “ 14  Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession.  15  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet withou