In case you were wondering why Pastor Sara was nowhere to be seen last Sunday, I was away in Italy for a week! I have two special friends that I’ve known for more than 30 years, and when we all turned 45 and realized that we weren’t getting any younger, we decided to take trips of our own every two years without our children or husbands. We live in three separate states, each busy with family and professional responsibilities, so we have to intentionally plan time for ourselves to maintain our precious friendships. This was our second international travel after our trip to Paris four years ago. There are so many interesting cities in Italy, such as Rome, Venice, Florence, Pompeii, and Naples just to name a few, but since we didn’t want to spend all our precious time on the road travelling from one city to another, we decided to spend half of our time in Rome, visiting the many tourist attractions and the remaining days on the beautiful Amalfi Coast located in the southwestern region of Italy, relaxing and enjoying the breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea.
While in Rome we visited many world-famous structures, including the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon (ancient Roman temple), and several other ancient landmarks. The Colosseum was definitely one of the most extraordinary places I’ve visited in my life. It was not just its amazing architecture or impressive size, but the sense of its gory history stirred up something in me. While so many tourists from all over the world were casually strolling through the structure, posing for pictures here and there, it dawned on me that it was here that gladiators engaged in deadly combat and condemned prisoners fought off hungry lions while tens of thousands of Roman citizens were cheering on. During mass battles, the smell of blood and burnt flesh and that of wild animals became unbearable.
According to the tour guide, such violence was considered rousing entertainment. It also served as a crime deterrent, reminding people of the brutal punishment for criminals and prisoners of war. Another important function of these brutal public events was to give the citizens something to occupy their minds with - to distract them from political and economic problems. As soon as I heard the word ‘distract,’ I could not help but think of all the year-round sporting events that keep many people occupied and obsessed in the US, while distracting them from dealing with real life problems. When baseball season nears its end, football season is in full swing. Once football season winds down, basketball games begin. And then back to baseball and so on. Sports - and any other entertainment for that matter - are not harmful in and of themselves. However, if all our leisure time, energy, and resources are spent on them, Satan surely has succeeded in distracting us from pursuing joy and satisfaction in God. Just as the emperors used the gladiators and wild animals to create spectacular scenes to control the crowd, Satan has used the media, electronic gadgets, music idols, sporting events, and other means to distract born-again Christians from seeking and fulfilling God’s will for their lives, to render them ineffective as God’s people. The scheme of the enemy has remained pretty much the same from the very beginning. It’s to distract us, to keep us occupied with things of this world. Tragically, too many of us have fallen victim. We must wake up and walk out of this modern-day Colosseum.
From Pastor Sara’s Heart
October 21, 2012
First of all I want to thank God for his protection over us. Some areas in the Eastern region were hit hard but most of us who are living in MD and VA weren't as affected. I heard that so many people died, lost their houses, businesses, and many are still without power in some states. I pray God's love and peace will fill everyone's hearts and mind as the victims are suffering from their losses.
One good story I heard on the radio this morning is that the utility workers in our area are volunteering to go help with restoration projects in the New York and New Jersey area. We always have people who sacrifice and go out of their way to help the ones in need in times of trouble. Every time we have a natural disaster hit us or even when the terrorists attacked our country, people like policemen, fire fighters, utility workers and even civilian volunteers have sacrificed so much for our country. My deepest gratitude goes out to all of them. And I specially want to thank Pepco for their continued effort over the past few years to improve their service and reliability. It certainly paid off this time because I, along with many Pepco customers, appreciated having power during the time when the hurricane hit our area.
Do you remember how crazy it was last weekend? People were getting ready to face the storm in many different ways. Every grocery store was out of water bottles and gas stations ran out of gas. My parents and I filled so many buckets with water in case of emergency; we are still trying to get rid of those buckets of water.
Speaking of getting ready for the storm, we as a NCFC congregation had a very special service last week to prepare ourselves for the storm as we heard the story of Jesus calming the stormy water. We sang a song together, "When the oceans rise and thunders roar, I will soar with You above the storm, Father you are king over the storm, I will be still and know You are God." It's amazing how God's word and a passage that was selected many months ago could fit perfectly with the current events and even the natural disaster that was about to happen. I'm not trying to spiritualize it too much but I can't help but be amazed by the timing of the message.
Lastly, i want to give a shout out to the church maintenance group over at MD campus for working so hard to restore the damage made by Sandy. It was a rainy, windy and very cold week to work outside but the weather did not stop them from showing their dedication and love for the Lord and His church. Good job and thank you!
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
November 04, 2012