The moment I called out you stepped in; you may my life large with strength.  Psalm 138.3

When my youngest daughter was just a few weeks old, doctors became concerned that her eyes looked as though she would suffer from Down’s Syndrome.  After a year and half of follow up visits and testing it was determined she was in perfect health. She was to go on to excel in all her schooling.

While our story had a happy ending, there are thousands of families who do not hear the healthy words I did. According to the National Down Syndrome Society webpage, down syndrome occurs in one out of every 733 live births, and more than 350,000 people in the U.S. have this genetic condition.

In Kansas City, the Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Line teams with the local Down Syndrome agencies to raise money for support, care and research and to create positive image of those with Down Syndrome. You can check for more details on this at  http://www.fdfds.org.

Bear Witness would like to help this year by supplying a teddy bear with back pack straps and a teddy bear tshirt. If you would like to help make this possible, please contact us to send a tax deductible contribution OR you can contribute via PayPal.

Bear witness of the Light, that all may believe.   John 1:7 ASV

Bear Witness is blessed this month by being featured on the front page (lower portion) of our local church’s newspaper. If you’d like to read the article you can download the newspaper.  This is a large Adobe Acrobat file (4 MB) and will open slowly on most connections. For faster results, right click your mouse on the link and select “save target as.”     Click here.

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.   1John 1:7, NLT

I overheard a couple of people talking while standing in a grocery check out lane.  One woman asked the other about an event at their church. The second woman responded she didn’t attend the church. “Too many hypocrites!” she said. “I can believe in God and not go to church”.

Actually I have heard many people make these same statements. Yes, I agree, there are hypocrites in church. There are also hypocrites in politics, in schools, in scouting programs, local chambers of commerce and every other gathering that you can name. We are human, we are fallible and not everyone is true to their word.

So is it a good reason not to attend church?  If you don’t attend gatherings of God’s people you are starving yourself of His fellowship and His Word. You are depriving yourself of sharing your love. So many places are banning the sharing the God’s love and God’s Word.

Too many hypocrites where you attend? The pastor doesn’t preach God’s Word? Find another one!  There are many Bible teaching, Bible believing, God serving churches. Check them out.  When the preacher speaks, don’t just accept his word as to what scripture says, search it out for yourself.

Spend time with God’s people. Spend time in God’s Word. Spend time with God. You cannot seek His mercy and forgiveness if you do not know Him.

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you (Isa. 26:3).

When I was about 6 years old my mom and aunt took us kids on a bus ride to downtown Chicago. My cousin and I were walking along the way looking in the windows of the many stores and weren’t paying attention to where we were going. At one point we stopped to find we had wandered away from our mothers. Fear gripped us as we looked around trying to find them in the crowd.  Just then they stepped into our view and we ran to their arms. We were at peace again.

Fear  grips our hearts when we lose touch with the Lord. Feeling fearful? Call on Him.

You made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun to know when to set.  Psalm 104:19

IT’S SPRINGTIME, ALMOST TIME TO PLANT YOUR GARDEN

How To Plant Your Garden
First, you  Come to the garden alone, 
                  While the dew is still on the roses…. 

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING,

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS

1. Peace of mind 
2. Peace of heart 
3. Peace of soul 
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:

1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:


1. Lettuce be faithful

2. Lettuce be kind

3. Lettuce be patient

4. Lettuce really love one another 

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:

1. Turnip for meetings 
2. Turnip for service 
3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:

1. Thyme for each other 
2. Thyme for family 
3. Thyme for friends

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE.

Can I Know God ??       Yes, you can!  It sounds too good to be true. But the Bible says you can know God in a personal, relevant way. This is much more than merely knowing or believing he exists.

GOD LOVES YOU:             The Bible makes it clear that God created us, loves us and wants a relationship with us (see John 3:16, Ephesians 2:10 and John 1:12 in the Bible).

A BROKEN RELATIONSHIP: However, all of us have offended God by our wrong actions and attitudes (Romans 3:23). We have failed to consistently live up to the standards we know are right.  As a result, we have become separated from God. Unless our relationship is restored, we will be eternally separated from God in hell.

RESTORING THE RELATIONSHIP: God loves us so much that he send his son Jesus to die in our place and pay the penalty for our wrong actions (1 Peter 3:18). He took our punishment upon himself so that we can receive God’s forgiveness and eternal life (Romans 6:23). Because of the work of Jesus, we can have a renewed and close relationship with God that lasts forever.

BEGINNING THE RELATIONSHIP:  God is eager to begin a relationship with you today. Would you like to know how you can receive his free gift of friendship and eternal life?

Got Questions?    Please  click here

For God so loved the world (that means YOU) that He gave His only Son, that whoever (yes, YOU) believes should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…..  Col 3:16

I wonder what would  happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our
cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What  if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go  get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the  text?
What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
What if we  gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if  we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go….hmm…where is my Bible?  Makes you
stop and think ”where are my priorities?”

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to  worry
about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

And no dropped calls!