Sweet Gift For Sweet Young Lady

One of the young ladies in this album had a birthday recently. Ashley has babysat our children, volunteered at about every service project possible, helped widows, orphans, and whomever else needed it. Her mom helps people every day in a doctor's office and her dad helps people every day by overseeing maintenance on the Daviess County Courthouse properties (not to mention just an all around community "do-gooder"). We were honored when she accepted our birthday gift of "We'll create photographic art of whatever you want for your birthday." Ashley decided we should nab a few photos of her close friendship with another great young lady, Logan. So here we are just enjoying a few moments of smiles, friendship, and celebrating life! Click the photo on the right to see the whole album!

Bible Verse about Friendship: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Photo info:
Setting: At Tony & Cindy Stone Barber "Round Barn" farm.
Weather: Full sun, cold, crazy windy (didn't follow the weatherman's prediction of cloudy skies!)
Shot with: Nikon D5300 with Tamron F2.8 24-700mm lens. No flash, only reflectors & a diffuser.
Ashley's Parents: Scott Schnarr Melissa Schnarr

Grading the Year: A Message Minute

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or click here to download the mp3.

Good morning, this is Topher from Washington Church of Christ bringing you a Message Minute. 

If you're listening to this message, then you've made it to the last week of 2016!  Congratulations!  As you look in review of the year, maybe it wasn't the best year.  Maybe it wasn't the worst year.  Maybe it had some of the highest points in your life!  Maybe it had some of the lowest! 

Clara Afton taken by Kenedi Wren Photography

My 2016 had one of the lowest moments for me in the passing of my mother, so I could give the year an awful grade. Yet 2016 also contained one of the highest moments as My first daughter was born, Clara Afton Wiles!  So how do I grade 2016 when put on the balancing scales of positives and negatives?  Well, the difficult truth for this math teacher is that I shouldn't and I won't grade it. 

I want to encourage you to do what I choose this year and every year, don't grade it, only follow the wisdom located in the first two verses of Psalm 103, when David proclaims, "Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits."

Follow David's advise, simply Praise God for 2016, and choose only to focus on the ways The Lord benefited you.  You'll be glad you did!

Message Minutes are sponsored by  Washington Church of Christ and recorded for the public 107.9 The Memories WAMW morning radio program.  They air at approximately 7:35am on Weekday Mornings.

To find more of the Message Minutes that have been uploaded to this blog CLICK HERE. 

Washington Library Santa 2016

As always, the library did an outstanding job with the Holiday Traditions Open House. The kids were all smiles as they met Santa and his elf, did crafts, listened to great music, and enjoyed good food. Here's a Facebook album with a whole slew of low resolution photos.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154889778182490.1073742017.506237489&type=1&l=086fd87d97

Click here to find the high resolution photos on Google for personal download. You have my permission to share and reprint. 
https://goo.gl/photos/ahx1FpRVii353hye8

I'll be posting a few of my favorites soon.

The Charliest Brown

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Good morning, It's Topher from Washington Church of Christ wishing you a very Merry Christmas!  Are there any Christmas movie scenes more heart warming than the final moments of "A Charlie Brown Christmas"?  It begins with a dejected Charlie Brown wondering what Christmas is all about, then shifting to Linus uncharacteristically dropping his blanket to quote from Luke chapter 2  "And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

But this underdog finally winning movie doesn't stop there, it ends with goodwill even toward Charlie Brown and his blockheaded purchased dinky little Christmas tree that can barely hold one ornament.  As his friends realize the depth behind Linus's nativity monologue, these same friends who have ridiculed the Charliest Brown, now gather around in support and good will as they decorate his center piece, that foolish little tree. 

Charles M. Schulz brings to life for us a passage from 1 Corinthians 1:27-30 when he refers to the tree as symbolism for the birth & crucifixion history of the Son of God.  It reads, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong … so that no one may boast before Him.  It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."  May God bless you with a very Merry Christmas.  

Message Minutes are sponsored by  Washington Church of Christ and recorded for the public 107.9 The Memories WAMW morning radio program.  They air at approximately 7:35am on Weekday Mornings.

To find more of the Message Minutes that have been uploaded to this blog CLICK HERE. 

Serving with Volunteers

Good morning!  Today I'm part of a panel discussion board addressing the challenging topic of nonprofit volunteerism and how to manage volunteers.  For those who desire it, I'm linking a few resources here that are beneficial for those that I am addressing today.

Here's a good overall Volunteerism resource site that is primarily text driven.
Idealist.org
http://www.idealist.org/info/VolunteerMgmt

This one is similar, but a little more "to the point."  I like it's simplistic interface and I also like some of the extra reading resources it offers.
https://www.501commons.org/resources/tools-and-best-practices/volunteer-management

Here's a third that is sound in structure and instruction just in case the first two didn't float your boat.
https://knowhownonprofit.org/people/volunteers

Finally, for those of you that aren't text driven, here's a youtube channel that gives great resources and ideas in video format.
https://www.youtube.com/user/VolunteerMatch

Here are a couple of the groups and resources talked about today:

Daviess County Partnership Connections: http://www.dcp-connections.org/

  Connections Resource Directory: http://dcp-connections.org/cmx/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/DC-Community-Resource-Guide-1-11.pdf

4-H and Daviess County Extension: https://extension.purdue.edu/Daviess/pages/sc.aspx?intHomeID=15&intSubCatgID=68

RSVP: http://www.rsvpvolunteercenter.org/

Daviess County Historical Society:  http://daviesscountyhistory.net/

Big Volunteerism Ideas from Topher: 

1)  Keep them connected to the larger community vision.  "Without Vision, the People Perish." - Proverbs 29:18 - Remind them of the big picture!

2)  Keep them connected to each other.  Those personal relationships are such a big deal in volunteerism.  Use food, parties, thank yous, etc. to keep people connected to each other.

Thanks for joining me today, I really enjoyed meeting more of you!

Home Alone: From Desperation to Declaration

Good morning, this is Topher from Washington Church of Christ, wishing you a Merry Christmas.  One of the most popular cult classic Christmas movies in recent years involves young Kevin McCallister fending off would be robbers in "Home Alone." (Catch a 2 minute clip  "Booby Traps" here)  There's a pivotal moment in the movie when Kevin knows what time the robbers will return and he shifts from a moment of Desperation, to a personal Declaration that he will defend his home.  So he draws up a battle plan. 

Christmas brings out the desperation in all of us.  We're desperate for approval, so we charge more money in gifts than we can afford.  We're desperate to be liked, so we attend every single party we can.  We're desperate to have the best looking house and the ugliest sweater, so we spend inordinate amounts of time & finances prepping the house and ourselves to "look our best".  It’s no wonder people are already sick & tired this season.

It's time to make a declaration and draw up a battle plan.  Declare today what you're top priorities are and plan everything around that.  Might I suggest that you follow Jesus' declaration in Matthew 6:33, "But you, seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  Declare that you will Seek first the Kingdom of God, You'll be glad you did!

Message Minutes are sponsored by  Washington Church of Christ and recorded for the public 107.9 The Memories WAMW morning radio program.  They air at approximately 7:35am on Weekday Mornings.

To find more of the Message Minutes that have been uploaded to this blog CLICK HERE.  

Misfits with Rudolph

Good morning!  This is Topher, wishing you a Merry Christmas from Washington Church of Christ.   Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is one of my favorite Christmas Classic movies just the same as it is for many of you, and we're not alone.  The lovable 1939 creation is #2 in the world on the all time best selling Christmas song  list.  That's not too bad for a shiny nosed misfit reindeer that was originally intended as a marketing device for selling department store goods.  It makes me wonder, "Why do so many of us love Rudolph?"

At the heart of the story is an idea that we are all like Rudolph.  We're all different enough that we have felt at times like a misfit among ordinaries.  We can identify with him who can't play in any reindeer games.  Our hearts break as we remember moments when they laughed and called us names.  We long for a time when we save the day, are appreciated for our quirkiness, and go down in history. 

Here's the good news, this is exactly what God intends in you.  For those who passionately seek & follow God, you've become a misfit among ordinaries.  You seem strange to those around you and you Jesus loving quirkiness is something that makes you a little quirky among others.  Guess what, Jesus intended that from the start of his ministry, and here's even better news, you're not alone.  In gathering his disciples, Jesus created a Motley Crue of 12 close disciples that is ripe with quirky idiosyncrasies, rowdy fishermen, embezzler, tax collector, murderous zealot. This band of misfits worked because Jesus intends misfits to FIT together. 

For those moments that you feel stranger than the world, for those times where you don't seem to fit in, for those times when all your oddities set you apart, just remember, Jesus loves you that way and He's gathering people together just like you to be His church.  Oh, and trust me, you'll go down in history too.  Don't believe me?  Jesus even said it in Luke 10:20a, "But Rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

Passionately follow Jesus, faithfully gather as you learn to fit with all the other misfits in Jesus' church, and rejoice that your name is recorded in heaven.  You'll be glad you did!

Message Minutes are sponsored by  Washington Church of Christ and recorded for the public 107.9 The Memories WAMW morning radio program.  They air at approximately 7:35am on Weekday Mornings.

To find more of the Message Minutes that have been uploaded to this blog CLICK HERE.  

Grinchy Priorities

It's the 60th anniversary of the story, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"  That's worth recording a Message Minute isn't it?  Click "Play" above for a One minute thought!

Topher in the morning recording while wearing the hopeful snowflake hat!

"Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:34-40

Message Minutes are sponsored by  Washington Church of Christ and recorded for public 107.9 The Memories WAMW morning radio program.  They air at approximately 7:35am on Weekday Mornings. 




To find more of the Message Minutes that have been uploaded to this blog CLICK HERE. 

Design, Creation, Beauty

Enjoy the full album of photos here!
https://goo.gl/photos/QKR9bjTT5yjjz4rj8

Micah's 3rd birthday, our first snow of the season, and a whole lot of joy make for some inspiring photos. There is no photoshopping done to any of these, just us snapping a couple quick photos. Look at the design, structure, and beauty of the snowflakes on the top of my trash can lid. Look at the joy, design, and beauty of my family. If you tell me this is all random, I will respectfully listen, but I won't believe you. There is a designer and He is the good God.

"What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" - Romans 1:19-20a

Enjoy the full album of photos here!
https://goo.gl/photos/QKR9bjTT5yjjz4rj8

Class Information on Deuteronomy 1

If you're looking for my quick worksheet to help guide you through Deuteronomy 1, then you're in the right place.  To get to the .pdf file, click this screenshot image here: