You missed a blessing in the Lord when you missed the camp meetings this year. My family and I went to Delmarva to listen to good preaching and fellowship with some old friends. We stayed through three days. We heard preaching on The Church, The Christian Life, The Christian Witness, Faith, Repentance and Baptism among other messages. We were warned, enlightened and encouraged by the messages. Raymond Bennett is the camp director for the family camp there. We only made it to the "Campaign For Christ" at Falls Mills Christian Church, for the evening session on Friday. Tom Reid is the director of the camp meet and preacher there. The messages were on the subject "My Witness To The World." The only thing we missed at these meetings was you. Attending a family camp is worth two or three visits to the shrink or the family therapist. We compel you to take time for God every week. The old saying goes, "seven days without prayer makes one weak." If I read my Bible correctly the saying should be, "more than seven day between meetings with the saints makes one not only weak but sick too." Please read the insert to the newsletter… We have had some dirt dumped on the church property from the digging of graves. While we mourn the loss of these loved ones we cannot continue to accept the piles of excess dirt from the graves. Please do not dump any more dirt on church property. Please find a way to dispose of the dirt to other locations. The church property is too small to continue this practice.

In an effort to rationalize the scriptures with their particular theological mindset certain theologians have explained away many of the doctrines (teachings) that we as Christians hold dear. Things like the resurrection, which had been witnessed by many as illustrated in the pages of the Bible. Oh yeah, I remember, they also call into question the validity of the testimony as given to us by the witnesses. That is they question the Bible from cover to cover. Their particular sins do not let them fully admire the scriptures for what they are. They need to alter the scriptures or at least their interpretation of them. This is happening in our day at an even greater rate that ever in the past. II Thessalonians 2:10 says that there is a deluding influence sent because of their sins, so they believe what is false. Many conscientious people have taken it upon themselves to study the scripture for themselves to find out what is actually true. It doesn't take much to actually find out what is the truth. First, though, you need to give up on the prevalent theology. It is most likely fraught with many false ideas sprinkled in among the truth and half-truths. Along with giving up on prevailing doctrine you need to quit filtering your theology through other people, creeds and catechisms. These half-truths and lies are not always as blatant as denying the resurrection. They could be as subtle as altering the salvation message. In this age of so many voices telling us so many things, how do we filter out the truth from the falsehood? First we need a thorough study of the scriptures. Then we need to conscientiously search for teachers who teach the Bible only without inserting man's doctrine. All this does not adequately prove that the Bible is true. How do we answer skeptics that say the Bible is a fictional work or that the stories are contrived to manipulate the results? A true hard-line skeptic will not concede so easily to allow you a simple explanation. The Bible has many manuscripts from ancient times numbering in the thousands. Each manuscript is exactly like the next in every detail even though they have been hand written. There are not enough differences in all of them to change anyone's doctrine in the least. What shadows the Bible with the veil of doubt is the differing doctrines of all the denominations in the world today. The question becomes, in many cases, if there are so many different doctrines (or interpretations) of the Bible, what make it true or false? These doctrinal divisions have definitely hurt the ability to evangelize. The Bible says divisions are not from God. In that case we cannot justify these divisions and chalk them up to selfishness and/or ignorance. Denominationalism then becomes sin.