Keep it Simple

Everyone goes through times when things feel overwhelming – perhaps you’re dealing with it right now too.

Even in normal times the complexities of life can make your head spin, and these are not normal times.

But, there is one thing that has not changed – the simplicity of following Jesus. There is nothing better designed to simplify your life than the Gospel. There is nothing that gives greater peace and security.

Jesus made it simple. He said:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” (Matthew 6:33, CSB)

“… all these things” refer back to the necessities of life which Jesus had talked about just before making this statement.

There is only one critical thing to focus on – Jesus! When you have Him, everything else you need comes with Him. Jesus also said:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, CSB)

When you come to Him and stay with Him, He will guide you through the complexities of life and walk with you carrying the bulk of your burden.

Each day pray some form of this prayer of David recorded in Psalm 139:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
(Psalm 139:23-24, NLT)

And then follow this advice found in Proverbs 3:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)

Will life always be easy? We are not promised easy, fun, or untroubled – in fact just the opposite. But it will always be simple.

Ask God what He wants you to do, and then when He tells you – do it. He will never lead you astray and you will never regret it.

Sabbath Services

It’s been wonderful to have people back in our building again for worship. While our in person attendance has not high, it has been good.

Over the next few Sabbaths we will add some elements back into our worship service as we find people to lead out. Things like a live children’s story, live special music, and congregational singing. We will continue with social distancing, required face masks, and a format for our worship that focuses on both those who are watching at home and those attending in person.

Tentatively, we are looking to begin Sabbath School classes again following Labor Day (Sept. 12). Of course, this will depend on the current recommendation from our health professionals and our state and local government guidelines. We will let you know more as we get closer.  

Whenever you feel you’re ready to join us in person, you’ll be welcome – as long as you’re willing to follow the current health and safety guidelines (click here to see them).

COVID-19 Testing Around Omaha

There are numerous places around Omaha where one can get a COVID-19 Test. It is sometimes difficult to get one immediately. Here is a partial listing of Test locations – some of them are same day – just drive up and other require an appointment. KETV’s information site is helpful (click here)

• South Omaha, Parking Lot at 50^th and G street. Drive up, no appointment needed; Mon – Fri, 1:00 – 5:00 pm and Sat & Sun, 8:00 am to noon. Testing is Free. To register, click here, for more information, click here.
• Drive-Up Coronavirus Test at 14460 West Maple Road Omaha, NE 68116 – appointment needed, click here for more information.
• CVS Pharmacy, Minute Clinics – click here for information.
• Test Nebraska – click here for information.
• Walgreens Pharmacy – click here for information.
• Other Testing Sites and Information – click here.

Worship Service DVDs

There is a video recording made of each week’s worship service. It is available on DVD. If you would like to receive these please contact Lori Knutson (402-980-5018).

Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs

This is Part 8 of a series titled Love Matters Most, a blog on Lightbearers’ website.

Did you know that God practices a voluntary form of amnesia? It’s true. The only One who knows everything about everything chooses to block certain memories from His mind. “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,” God graciously says, “and I will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 8:10-12, ESV).

Psychologists have noted that it’s easier for people to remember negative social interactions than positive ones. According to Roy Baumeister’s social psychology research, “being abandoned by friends and receiving criticism will have a greater impact [on emotion and memory] than making friends or receiving praise.”

This doesn’t just happen to pessimists … (Click here to read the rest of the article.)

To read Part 1, click here; Part 2, click here; Part 3, click here; Part 4, click here; Part 5, click here; Part 6, click here; and Part 7, click here.

From Bible Gateway’s Weekly Brief

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity: What dangers lurk in technology’s ubiquitous and unrelenting encroachment in our lives? What are the perilous spiritual implications of artificial intelligence, bioengineering, facial recognition, and other hi-tech applications we’re accepting into our daily world with little concern? What does the Bible say about it all? Bible Gateway interviewed John C. Lennox about his book, 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity. (Click here to read more.)

What Made Jesus Mad? Christians love to focus on the gentle and tender heart of Jesus. But what about his righteous rage? In the Gospels, what, and who, ignited Jesus’ anger? How should we appropriately respond like Jesus when necessary? Bible Gateway interviewed Tim Harlow about his book, What Made Jesus Mad?: Rediscover the Blunt, Sarcastic, Passionate Savior of the Bible. (Click here to read more.)

When I Discovered My Dream Had Become an Idol: Tiffini Kilgore, author of Misfit Table: Let Your Hunger Lead You to Where You Belong, says, “Since I said yes to God, I’ve been journaling my thoughts, my questions, and God’s responses. But this morning, I sit at the table and read, you have ‘relied on oppression and depended on deceit’ (Isa. 30:12). The words pull my face to them and say, ‘Sweet one, pay attention. You are shaping your life on lies’…”(Click here to read more.)

Learn about and download the free award-winning Bible Gateway App by clicking here.

Check Out the entire Weekly Brief by clicking here. To subscribe to any one of their many email newsletters and Bible Studies, click here.

What’s Happening

Sunset this Friday – 8:22 pm

Sabbath School Resources

• Our Alternate Sabbath School Class is meeting through video conferencing. If you would like to be a part of this group, please text Alfredo Diaz (920-216-3625) to get the information you need to join them.
• To study the current Sabbath School Lesson on-line, click here.
• Hope Sabbath School, click here.

This Sabbath at Church: Please click here for information on attending as we reopen.

• Our Children’s Corner begins live and online at 11:05 am followed by the Worship Service. This Sabbath, Pastor T will continue the series Beyond the Fluff with a message titled Let Die or Speak Up. You can view it on our Website, our Facebook Page, or our YouTube Channel.
• To watch last week’s message by Trey Wisecup,  click here. You can download the page with Bible verses, questions, and this week’s assignment by clicking here.
• You can watch any of our previously recorded worship services by clicking here.

Pathfinders & Adventurers will not meet until further notice. For information about Pathfinders contact Holly Degerness (402-917-4718) or Marina Nolasco (402-594-0671); for information about Adventurers, contact Lori Knutson (402-980-5018).

Prayer Meeting is taking a summer break. We will begin again after Labor Day. Contact Pastor T for more information.

Church Board will meet this Tuesday (August 18) at 7:15 pm. For instructions on how to participate, click here. If you have any items that need to be considered, please text or email Kalvin Tuel (e-mail or 402-201-0630).

Miscellaneous Information

Remind is our emergency alert service. To get notices through Remind, you must be signed up. You can do this by simply texting the message “@tmartinse” to the number 81010 (or 941-787-5566) – click here for more detailed instructions.

Help for Survivors of Current Natural Disasters: ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) works with other disaster relief agencies to assist survivors of the many current natural disasters. To find out how you can help, click here.

Video Streaming: We are now live streaming our sermons each Sabbath – you can watch it on our Website, on our Facebook Page, or on YouTube.

On-Line Church Directory Information: If your contact information has changed in the last few months (phone number, email, address, etc.) please either log on to the Church Directory App and correct it or send a note with your updated information to Judy Carroll (judylcarr@aol.com or 402-290-3306).

You can sync our church directory directly to your Apple, Android, or Kindle Fire device with a FREE APP! You can search for other members – and then email, call, or text right from the directory app. It’s easy!

• Go to your device’s App Store. (Click here for Apple products, click here for Android devices, or click here for Kindle Fire.
• Search for Instant Church Directory.
• Enter your email as it’s listed in our church directory.
• Follow the directions on the screen to complete the login process.

On-Line Giving Available! Our church offers on-line giving through our website. If you would prefer to give electronically or if you are going to be away and want to stay up-to-date with your giving, click here. Adventist Giving now has an App you can download directly to your smart phone to make the process even easier. For an iPhone, click here. For Android phones, click here.

Our Church E-Mail Newsletter, Directly to Your Computer! If you would like to receive our weekly, e-mail newsletter, the Golden News, directly to your computer, click here and enter your information in the space provided.

Lippincott Family Updates: Check out the latest update from Lorilee and Bryon Lippincott about their family’s experiences serving God in Asia. To access a PDF copy of the most recent update, click here. To access a PDF copy that includes all we have received from 2020, click here; 2019, click here; 2018, click here; 2017, click here; 2016, click here;  2013-2015, click here. To check out their website, click here. Don’t forget to check out Sharing Dots for Kids. To sign up for their e-mail newsletter, click here.

Adobe Reader: To read and download many of the documents we post here you need Adobe Reader installed on your computer. To get a free copy of the latest version, click here.

Last Week’s Sermon

To watch last week’s message by Trey Wisecup,  click here. You can download the page with Bible verses, questions, and this week’s assignment by clicking here.

Prayer Watch

There are several people and concerns that we are praying about, for more information about any of these or to request something to be added to our list, feel free to contact Pastor T. (402-517-5333)

• The COVID-19 Virus epidemic here and around the world
• Andria’s Father, George, who is recovering from a stroke.
• The Future of Our Church – Please pray that God will make His will and the path to The Future of Our Church – Please pray that God will make His will and the path to achieving it known and that we will have the courage to follow wherever it leads
• Our Church Leaders (Pastor, Elders, Deacons, Board Members, Sabbath School Class Leaders, Pathfinder/Adventurer Leaders, Etc.)
• Raul Calderon, Larry Carter, Ron Egger, Gary Jeffers, Michael McKinnie, Dusty Mayhew, Floyd Morrison, Darin Stotler, Irvin Surber, Christian Willey, Gary Wilson, & Thaddeus Woolsey (inmates Pastor T. has is studying with)
• The Lippincott Family
• Kevin Klesh (Safety in his work as a Police Officer)
• Those dealing with Health Issues: Bill Agan, Al Bakerlis (Diane Harrington’s brother-in-law), Tammy Burville (Amy Newman-Holub’s cousin), Tanya Callahan (Elizabeth Knutson’s sister), Brenda Carroll (Judy Carroll’s sister-in-law), Dennis Cushman, Emma (Mary Jane Agan’s granddaughter), Tammy Gagne, John Hiers, Jane (Mary Jane Agan’s daughter-in-law), Janice (Elma’s friend), Brett Knutson, Reagan Knutson, Ginger Kroeker, Dagny Martinsen, Steve Newton (and family), Melody Parker, Gary Parker, Sheila and her brother Paul, Dane Swensen, JoAnn Swensen (Les Swensen’s step mom), Charise Talley, Cindy & Bob Tice (Elizabeth Knutson’s parents)

Pastor T’s Contact Information

martinsent@gmail.com or call/text 402-517-5333.