New Song for Worship...

Pastor Wally, Pastor Shawn, and Church Administrator Scott are working on doing this little number in an upcoming service...



Pastor Noel

Math Opinions

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The Hilarious History of Newark

A lighter note this morning...

There was an interesting article in today's Newark Advocate that detailed some of the inventions that came from our humble town...

The Invention of Fiberglass
The Invention of the Roller Coaster
The Invention of Remington Rolling Block Rifle
The Invention of the Coca Cola Bottle (the shape)
The Invention of the Combined Hair Curler and Crimper (I use one of those)

But the most hilarious part of the article is about the invention by one Dr. James Henry Salisbury...

JAMES HENRY SALISBURY (1823-1905)

A physician by trade, Salisbury is best known for his invention of chopped beefsteak covered in gravy.

He served as a physician during the Civil War and became convinced that diarrhea suffered by the troops could be controlled with a diet of coffee and lean chopped beefsteak.

Eventually he came to believe most diseases were a result of an unhealthy diet and spent the rest of his life developing this meat patty which came to be known as Salisbury steak.

Salisbury also had a geology background and helped map the earthworks in Newark. He lived in Licking County for several years, between 1860 and 1862, said Ohio Historical Society archeologist Brad Lepper.

Why couldn't I have lived in the time when steak and gravy was considered health food? You can read the full article here.

Pastor Noel

Don't Teach Your Kids To Spell

It's a family TV night. We're going back and forth between Dancing with the Stars and the Cleveland Indians game. Niether one is very exciting. I'm not a fan of professional baseball or professional dancing. I've never been so glad we didn't have picture in picture on our television. I don't think I could handle watching both at the same time.

Donna wanted to tell me something we just saw on tv was 'dumb.' The only problem is that we don't allow our kids to say that word. (I know that is a silly rule, but I just don't like to hear kids constantly say things and people are dumb.) So Donna, out of habit said, "That was d-u-m-b." Her comment was immediately followed by Emily's (our six year old), "Momma, I know how to spell and you just said a bad word."

Caught!

Emily is sitting with me, and I can see her little mind trying to process this contradiction. Is it wrong to say 'dumb'? Does mom really think it is wrong to say 'dumb'? Maybe what is right and wrong changes from time to time. Is this a classical case of situational ethics? Have I witnessed a paradigm shift in the ethical mores of my family? What is the epistemological foundation for banning the word 'dumb'?

O.K. Maybe she wasn't thinking all of that, but I do wonder how she processes this.

It might not be such a serious matter if Emily rebels one day and sows her oats by saying 'dumb' over and over and over, but I do wonder if we are sending the same kinds of signals with more important matters. I wonder what messages we're sending about the importance of prayer, the seriousness of gossip, and the value of loving the people God puts in our lives.

Something for all of us to think about.

Noel