"Do You Have A Mentor?"

The original Mentor is a character in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. When Odysseus, King of Ithaca went to fight in the Trojan War, he entrusted the care of his kingdom to Mentor. Mentor served as the teacher and overseer of Odysseuss’ son, Telemachus.

The Dictionary defines a mentor as "a trusted counselor or guide." Today, there seems to be much ongoing discussion and debate about the definitions and differences regarding coaching and mentoring. However, all agree that a good mentor is a valued asset.

When I began my Christian walk 15 years ago at the age of 58, God entrusted me with an excellent earthly mentor. While I have known many great Christian men in those years, the Lord knew that I would be most comfortable with a mentor who had been on the cutting edge of His work. That mentor was Paul Weresch. He has been an excellent "trusted counselor and guide".

We have worked together often over the years. I have published his newsletter many years and now he has asked me to write for this endeavor. I am happy to have Paul as a mentor … however, he is not the only mentor I have.

Jesus said, as reported by John in Chapter 14:25-27, "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor , the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

If you are beginning your Christian walk … it will help to find a good earthly mentor. However, always remember … "God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’" (Hebrews 13:5-5)

No one could have a better mentor or friend than the original mentor, Christ Jesus!

Larry Abele - Editorial Team

Carpe Diem

Good Morning! A friend of mine (Dr. Dave Demchuk) sent me the following thoughts:

Holidays are a wonderful time to reflect and regroup. One of the things that has been on my mind during this holiday concerns how I use the present. Let me elaborate where I’m going with a quote by Ken Blanchard:

“To learn from the past is good – to live in it is a waste. To plan for the future is good – to live in it is a waste. You are happiest and most productive in life when you are living in the present.”

It seems to me that we face a couple of negative extremes when it comes to our perspective on time. Some of us tend to live with our gaze to the past, lamenting that the good days are behind us. Others of us living so totally focused on the future that we fail to learn from the lessons of the past, or enjoy the blessings of today. Living at either end of the time continuum yields the same result – we forget to live in the “today” of our lives.

So does that mean to live fully in the present is to ignore the past and the future? Not at all! Living fully in the present involves being informed and shaped by the past – its experiences, lessons, and pitfalls. It’s a sad thing when leaders ignore their past, only to keep on repeating it. Living fully in the present also involves being pulled forward towards the future – the only real way to ensure that a far-off hill in conquered is to begin to take steps towards it today. But we only really have today, and we need to learn to squeeze every bit of value out of every day, whether it’s at work, with our family or with our friends. We can do that through working hard and smart, but also through those moments when we take uninterrupted time for our family or friends.

The ancients captured the need to live fully in each day with the phrase “Carpe Diem”, which means “seize the day”. The word carpe literally means “to pluck” and paints a bit of a picture of one taking the best from each day, in a way an individual would pick flowers.” The phrase finds its source in the writings of the Latin poet Horace” “Scale back your long hopes to a short period. While we speak, time is envious and is running away from us. Seize the day, trusting little in the future….”

Jesus calls us to live fully in each day we have been given, reminding us that our heavenly Father “will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” (Matt. 6:33). So seize the day – today.
___________________________

Have a great day,

Paul

“Shalom”

Listening to the news and watching the television, one gets the impression the most precious commodity in the world are not natural resources and energy but peace. Peace seems to be lacking everywhere, whether we look to the East, West, North or South we see unrest, confrontation and war.

When we talk about peace we often think of a calm quiet place far from distractions and human challenges. Some people think the only way to find peace is to go on a Safari or move to a quite cabin in the woods away from everyone and everything.

Jesus spoke to his disciples just as he was facing the most challenging time of his life on earth and said the following words in John 14:27:

" Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Jesus Christ was a man of peace. He lived in peace and taught us how to live in peace. But Jesus didn't lead a calm tranquil existence, his life was permeated by confrontations persecution insults and in the end crucifixion.

The peace that Jesus offers is not dependent on outside circumstances; it depends only on our relationship with God. This peace stems from a knowledge that God is in control of all things. This knowledge results from a personal relationship with God.

Dear friend, perhaps you are thinking as you read these lines; "how in the world am I to have a personal relationship with God and how does one experience this peace with all the challenges of life". God wants to give it to you … free! Let me suggest this little prayer … pray it from your heart … He will hear you and answer.

"Blessed Jesus ... I want that peace You speak of. I know that I am a sinner and I repent of my sins. Please come into my life, Jesus. I believe You died for me and I believe that through You I can gain peace in my life. I look forward to a personal relationship with You, Jesus. Thank You for the gift of eternal life. Amen"

If you prayed that prayer, let us know. And, if you need a New Testament of the Bible we can send you one. Just send an email to: cntcpw@aol.com

Paul Weresch

CLEAN-UP or FESS-UP?

I accepted the Lord’s invitation to live eternally very late in life and became rather zealous that my children should be of like condition ... it is part of the great commission that Jesus gave to all believers, to spread the Good News.

I remember taking my daughter to dinner one night to ask her forgiveness for being such a lousy father. I told her of the joy that I had experienced the moment I decided to accept the Lord’s gift. I told her that the same joy was available to her. I told her that I wanted to be with her in the Heaven I knew I was going to. I thought I was doing a marvelous job.

But, alas, she was like many, who in their hearts, are not ready to accept such a gift of grace given freely to anyone who will believe in Him. She reminded me that she smoked, she drank and she liked to party. She told me that she had a lot of "cleaning-up" to do before she was ready to make this step. I suspected that she was embarrassed to present herself to the Lord in such a "human" condition"

How sad it is that so many sons and daughters, men and women, all creations of God, believe in that putrid lie told by the devil, "You are just not good enough for God. How could He ever accept the likes of you!"

Actually, in our "human" condition, He CAN’T accept us. However, knowing that and loving us just the same, God devised a plan. He sent His Son to earth, free of human sin, who lived a sinless life and presented Himself as a living sacrifice to pay our sin debt. His work on the cross was designed to save us. Now when God looks upon the believer, He sees His perfect Son!

He did this for everyone on earth. All we have to do is confess that we are powerless without it and accept the Gift. Yes, we have to accept the Gift to receive it. God said, "Come as you are." You don’t have to clean up … just accept.

Don’t take time to clean-up … just fess-up. Admit you are a sinner and need salvation. Ask the Lord for His forgiveness and accept His Gift today!

Larry Abele - Editorial Team

DO NOT HESITATE !

Occasionally I meet people who are aware of their need of the Savior Jesus Christ but are reluctance to make a personal commitment to him by believing in his saving work accomplished for us. Although they have seen what faith in Christ has done for others they still hesitate. Their problem seems to stem from the misinformation given to them by well meaning religious people. Some people think one must join a certain church to be saved. Others insist that a person must be baptized in a particular manner. Still others claim that we must obey the “golden rule” in order to be pleasing in the sight of God. 
The Apostle Paul made it clear in his writings: it is not what we do for God, but what God has done for us that will bring us into relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
As we read the writings of the Apostle Paul we realize that God Loved us while we were yet sinners. Furthermore Paul makes it clear that it is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that enables us to be saved; which means that our sins are forgiven and we can be brought into an eternal relationship with God. Paul makes it unmistakably clear that, all we have to do to be saved is turn away from our sins and believe (place our trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have not done so, do it today trust Jesus now. Remember, we are not saved by what we do, but by trusting what Christ has done

Paul Weresch

*For further reference please read Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapters one to eight. Should you care to, please look it up on the following web pages: http://net.bible.org/bible.php

It’s All About The Blood!

I just had my annual physical exam. Along with the probing and questioning, they took a pretty fair amount of blood. The doctors can tell a great deal about your health by examining your blood. You have a particular blood "type". Also, various components of the blood tell the doctor how your cholesterol levels are, the "PSA" test lets you know the health of your prostate gland. They can tell if you have diabetes or are prone to it. Real bad news could be delivered that you are "HIV positive".

One test the doctors did not perform on my blood is the one that would tell me that my blood is "SIN positive"!

Oh, yes … your blood is "SIN positive" also! It is genetic. SIN has been passed down through the generations from Adam who let SIN into his life and thus branded us all. This is pretty bad news because we know from the Bible that God is righteous and cannot abide SIN. We have been doomed through Adam’s blood.

But wait … do not despair … there is a cure!

Paul told the Ephesians in chapter 2, verse 13, "Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."

Jesus, himself said, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins", (Matthew 26:28).

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)

And finally, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Peter 1:18:19)

So, the cure is there … believe in Jesus Christ who shed His blood that yours may be purified. Take your medicine!

Larry Abele, Editorial Team

Does God Care?

Does God really care?

Come unto me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Words of Jesus.) Matthew 11:28
Last week a man came to our meetings. He was very dejected, his problem was that he had an alcoholic past because of which he had lost his employment and now was unable to find a job. He came to Pastor Daniel asking him to assist him in finding a job. Pastor Daniel said to him that he was not a job agency nor was he qualified to give him psychological counselling that would enable him to find a good job. But what he could do for him said Pastor Daniel, was to pray with him and God would make sure that he got a job. The man looked in disbelief at Pastor Daniel. But on being encouraged to simply trust God, he joined in prayer. The next day we were surprised to see a joyful man come to our meeting. He was beaming from ear-to-ear, and informed us that he had found a job. Early in the morning he had an impulse to go to a certain company and ask for employment as he approached the person that interviewed him he realized that he had walked into an open door. Not only was he offered the job but he was offered immediately a contract for six months. The personnel manager was fully aware of his alcoholic past but he was also aware of the fact that he had managed to stay dry for four year. This man was amazed that God would really care for him and answer his prayer so quickly.  
Now does God really care? The answer is yes, we read that in the text from the gospel of Matthew. God really cares! 
 Can anyone go through life without facing problems? No, we're surrounded by problems! There's no way of hiding from them, they pursue us like shadows. What's more, problems are individualized. No two pPublish Posteople have exactly the same problems. That's why it's comforting to know that God knows us individually, personally God knows all our troubles. Remember Jesus said come unto me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. The psalmist knew that and sang: “I lay my requests before you and I wait in expectation.” Psalm 5:3

Think about it!

Paul Weresch

English Camp in Dzierzoniow, Poland

From right to left: Alana, Annie, Carrie, Jane, and Ray

Last week has proven to be a productive yet exhausting time for our team from America. All five of us are students or former students from Washington State University. Jane and Ray met Annie, Alana and me in Berlin and went straight to Dzierzoniow. Our purpose was to aid the local church in blessing the town by teaching a valuable life skill to its children: the English language. 

For five days we met with 30-40 young students, teaching them to sing English songs (about Jesus) and addressing the large group with a message about God's love. Then we broke up into three smaller groups, divided by skill level, and taught them some basics of the language. The children were introduced to several new vocabulary words and were given the opportunity to interact and practice their English on native speakers. In the oldest group of kids we had several great conversations about God and what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. 

Through the camp, some residents of Dzierzoniow have noticed the blessing that this church is to the community and have praised God because of it. Relationships were formed between the students and the American leaders, despite the linguistic obstacles. We praise God for the opportunity to be here and to work with this church. They, and we, look forward to doing this all again next year.

Ray Gross and Carrie Calhoun

Our friend Alexander Shein, the pastor from Moscow, Russia visited us in Dzierzionow, Poland. This was Sasha's first visit to Poland and it proved to be most profitable for all of us. Pastor Shein preached to an audience gathered in tree-mast tent on the subject of the importance of making the right investments in our lives. These investments were not to be limited to finances only but include time and talents which in the final analyses means the investment of our lives; his message was well received.

In addition to his preaching, Sasha helped us greatly with our IT work and with development of this Blog. Tomorrow our friend is leaving for Moscow. We, who are remaining in Poland already, miss him, who is such a multitasking talent. Bon Voyage, mon frere!

Paul Weresch

Break Any Commandments Today?

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
"Yeah, $1000 is a lot to spend on a TV. But, our whole family watches TV constantly."

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
"I work six days a week, I don't want to waste Sunday in church!"

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
"They’re just a couple old fuddy-duddies. They’re spying on me!"

You shall not murder.
"He's about as worthless as they come. Have you heard what he did?"

You shall not steal.
"Let’s mark that up a little more we could use a little extra profit on this junk."

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
"He’s not the same as us. He’s probably growing dope in that house."

How did you do … that is only half of God’s ten commandments (Exodus 20:2-17). It is ten parts of one law. He designed them knowing we could not keep them. And, if we break one (see statements above) we have broken God’s Law.

That is why He gave us a solution, the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 8:1-3 states: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering."

That, my sinful friends, is called GRACE!

Larry Abele - Editorial Team