The Anabaptist Voice 11

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The Anabaptist Voice
11/12/2008

Warm greetings, dear friend of Jesus,

       How are you? We pray you are well under the love of our Heavenly Father. The weather is beautiful and the sun is not hot but lovely. This afternoon, we sat on a bench in our backyard and enjoyed the sunshine for a few minutes. We started to feel rather too warm, so we went inside. Five year old Titus Murphy told us that there is lots of snow at his home in Manitoba, Canada. We love to see the beautiful snow. Here is a photo of our rabbit pen at Fan Lake in Washington almost buried under the snow. We miss it, but we are thankful for the warm weather and dry road, so that we do not have to worry about slipping on ice. But living in the desert has its own challenges, as this photo taken behind our house yesterday shows the dry river and the nearby mountains blurred by the desert dust.
       Titus lives in a Hutterite colony where the children speak only a German dialect. When they start school, they begin to learn English. His English is getting better now that he is in the first grade. Even before he started to go to school, Patrick and Betty taught their children English, so we could communicate with them. It is so wonderful to listen to them singing hymns for us, too. Two year old Elizabeth sings “Hallelujah” for us. Titus sings “Beloved, let us love one another, First John 4 7 and 8” for us these days. We talk with them quite often on the phone and it is a joy!
       It is wonderful to hear them singing praise songs which they have done ever since they were very young. Michi started to think about how we taught our children. She has one good memory of that. When we were on the way in 1964 to our new home in Quito, Ecuador, our oldest son Michael was 5 years old. As soon as the airplane went up in the sky, he asked; “Mama, where is Jesus?” J
       This week Don has been struggling with a hawk that comes to kill and eat the peaceful doves that he feeds in our back yard. He chased a hawk out from a tree in our back yard but a short time later it returned and caught a dove, as you can see in the photo here where the hawk has the poor dove under his feet waiting for it to die. Don went out and chased it but it was too late, the hawk flew off with the dove.
       Last Friday evening we went to a meeting at the home of Michael and Sushma Hobson. It was the first meeting for that home group from the Vineyard church and so we got acquainted with each other. Michi shared about mailing a birthday card to her daughter-in-law in Canada that took several weeks to get there. She had prayed that it would not get lost but she forgot to pray that it would get there on time for the birthday. The Lord reminded her of that.
       Last Sunday Naomi led the singing in the car as we were on the way to the Vineyard church. It takes 30 minutes to get there and Naomi led us in singing most all the way. She can remember which songs we know by heart. It was wonderful to worship and praise the Lord together on the way to the church. We were filled with His love as we were singing and praising.
       The Sunday morning sermon at the Vineyard was on the meaning of the word ‘righteousness’ as in the Bible verse “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:10) Righteousness is right standing with God by living according to His will, obeying His laws as given by Jesus in the New Covenant.
       We have been going to Wednesday night Vineyard meetings at Elizabeth Willott’s home for Bible study and fellowship. We study, learn the way of God and during that time, we can share our lives what God our Father is doing for us or done for us. Also we pray together. It is wonderful.
       Naomi has started physical therapy again. She said, “I started therapy again last Thursday. I went by AMTZ (Arizona Medical transit), a van that picks up disabled people and takes them to medical appointments. It comes an hour early, so I get to therapy early and I have to bring something to do during waiting time.  Even so, my therapist calls me early anyhow, because I'm there early. When I was called, I was shocked to find out that two therapists left. And one of those two was mine, I had three therapists, one for exercises on the mat, a pool therapist and a therapist that helps me balance and walk better. The therapist that left was the one that helped with exercises on the mat. But I didn't do any therapy that week, just signed some papers. Why do I go to therapy? #1 To get out of the house; #2 To strengthen my muscles; #3 I have nobody here to talk to; #4 I have friends there; #5 To learn how to use crutches.”
       Don is busy as usual with our software business, medical billing software for doctors (see our web site www.pma2000.com). This week a psychiatrist in Fresno, California, called about a dozen times for technical support. His troubles are so unusual that one time he said that he must be cursed to have such strange computer troubles. Don finally got him going ok and so he called back at 10 pm last night to thank Don for his help.

How to be Saved (according to Jesus)

       In our daily 5 pm church service in our house, we are reading through the Gospel of Matthew, usually 15 or 20 verses a day. This week we read an interesting but unusual teaching about how to be saved (Mt 19:16-30). A rich young man asked Jesus what he must do to obtain eternal life. Jesus told him that he must obey the commandments. The man asked which ones so Jesus listed four of the Ten Commandments: do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, honor your parents. And then Jesus added one more: love your neighbor as yourself. The rich young man said that he has kept these commandments but Jesus corrected him by telling him that if he wanted to be perfect (or complete, mature - Greek ‘teleios’) he must sell his possessions. (Which is logical since a rich person is not loving his poor neighbor as he loves himself.)
       The footnote in Don’s study Bible for this passage in Mt 19:21 says, “Should all believers sell everything they own? No. We are responsible to care for our own needs and the needs of our family so as not to be a burden on others.” Now this sounds reasonable but it contradicts the teachings of Jesus and the example of His disciples. In Luke 12:33 Jesus tells all of His disciples that they must sell their possessions, which they did as we see in Acts 2:44-47 and Acts 4:32-5:11.
       It seems that most Christians see Jesus as the babe in the manager at Christmas and as the sacrifice on the cross on Good Friday but very, very few see Him as the One who tells them how they are to live. (Sell my possessions? He didn’t really mean that, did He?)

“I Am Beside You” (from God Calling for November 4)

       In Thy Presence is fullness of Joy; at Thy right Hand there are pleasures for evermore. Ps16:11

       Do not seek to realize this fullness of Joy as the result of effort. This cannot be, any more than Joy in a human friend’s presence would come as the result of trying to force yourself to like to have that friend with you.
       Call often the Name, “Jesus”.
       The calling of that Name does not really summon Jesus because He is beside you. But it removes, as it were, the scales from your eyes, and you can sense the presence of Jesus. It is, as it were, the pressure of a loved one’s hand, that brings an answering pressure, and a thrill of Joy follows, a real, and a joyful sense of nearness.

Psalm 131, a favorite Anabaptist psalm (we read it on November 11)

           My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty;
        I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
         I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother,
             like a weaned child is my soul within me.
       We pray that out of His glorious riches the Lord God may strengthen you, dear friend, with power through his Spirit in your inner being, with Christ dwelling in your hearts through faith. (Eph. 3:16-17)

Your Anabaptist brother and sisters in Christ,

Don, Michi and Naomi Murphy
Tucson, AZ, phone 520-297-1639
www.AnabaptistChurch.org

"This is how we love God - by obeying His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? He who honors Jesus as the Son of God." (1 John 5:3-5)

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