Happy Wedding, Eileen!

Beacon Hill's secretary Eileen is getting married today!  Please be praying for good weather, no problems, and God's blessing on the union.

WEEKLY COMIC: Technology vs Law

DID YOU KNOW: What is "Ascension Day"?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

What is "Ascension Day" and why were some Christians celebrating on May 29?

The Bible is not generally very precise about the days on which things happened (with exceptions like Passover, Good Friday, and Easter.)  But the Church has chosen dates on which to remember the significant events of church history, even if they're not Biblical.  May 9th of this year was "Ascension Day" (or Analepsis by the Orthodox Churches) - the day to remember Jesus's ascension into heaven after his resurrection.

The Feast of the Ascension, also known as Ascension Thursday, Holy Thursday (only by some denominations; not to be confused with Thursday of Holy Week), or Ascension Day, commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. It is one of the ecumenical feasts (i.e., universally celebrated) of Christian churches, ranking with the feasts of the Passion, of Easter, and Pentecost. In the Roman Catholic church it is also known as the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter (following the count given in Acts 1:3), although some Roman Catholic provinces have moved the observance to the following Sunday.

So why didn't our church have a "feast" on this day?  (I know some of you were feeling extra hungry!) Because many Protestant - and especially Evangelical - churches choose to only celebrate the major, Biblical, holidays.  We go back only to the Bible.

That being said, if you want to celebrate, some churches celebrate as late as June 3!  Traditionally, it is commemorated by an All-Night Vigil (i.e. stay up late praying and singing hymns) followed by Communion, then various traditional actions like marking the boundaries of a church's influence, and then finally with a meal.  Enjoy!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Cresskill 2013 Quiz Meet

Taking this week for a quick flashback to the Quiz Meet that kicked off last season in Cresskill, NJ.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Waterfall

DID YOU KNOW: What are the names of God?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

What names does God have in the Bible?

Names are very important things in scripture.  God gave new names to many of His chosen people, to signify the change in their status or identity. Abram ("high father") became Abraham ("father of many nations").  Jacob ("deceiver") becomes Israel ("wrestles with God").  A name isn't just an equivalent for "that guy", but rather defines who we are.

So what names does scripture give for God?  You may be surprised just how many names He has!

• Advocate - 1 John 2:1 

• Almighty - Revelation 1:8 

• Alpha - Revelation 1:8 

• Amen - Revelation 3:14 

• Angel of the Lord - Genesis 16:7 

• Anointed One - Psalm 2:2 

• Apostle - Hebrews 3:1 

• Author and Perfecter of our Faith - Hebrews 12:2 

• Beginning - Revelation 21:6 

• Bishop of Souls - 1 Peter 2:25 

• Branch - Zechariah 3:8 

• Bread of Life - John 6:35,48 

• Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15 

• Carpenter - Mark 6:3 

• Chief Shepherd - 1 Peter 5:4 

• The Christ - Matthew 1:16 

• Comforter - Jeremiah 8:18 

• Consolation of Israel - Luke 2:25 

• Cornerstone - Ephesians 2:20 

• Dayspring - Luke 1:78 

• Day Star - 2 Peter 1:19 

• Deliverer - Romans 11:26 

• Desire of Nations - Haggai 2:7 

• Emmanuel - Matthew 1:23 

• End - Revelation 21:6 

• Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:6 

• Faithful and True Witness - Revelation 3:14 

• First Fruits - 1 Corinthians 15:23 

• Foundation - Isaiah 28:16 

• Fountain - Zechariah 13:1 

• Friend of Sinners - Matthew 11:19 

• Gate for the Sheep - John 10:7 

• Gift of God - 2 Corinthians 9:15 

• God - John 1:1 

• Glory of God - Isaiah 60:1 

• Good Shepherd - John 10:11 

• Governor - Matthew 2:6 

• Great Shepherd - Hebrews 13:20 

• Guide - Psalm 48:14

And many more.  Click thru the link for the full list!

HUMOR: Pray for the Food

Not mine.  From here.

Young Ernie and his family were invited to have Sunday lunch at his grandmother's house in Monkey's Eyebrow, Arizona. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served.  When Ernie received his plate he started eating straight away.

'Ernie, wait until we say grace,' demanded his father.

'I don't have to,' the five year old replied.

'Of course you do, Ernest,' his mother insisted rather forcefully. 'We always say a prayer before eating at our house.'

'That's at our house,' Ernie explained, 'but this is Grandma's house, and she 
knows how to cook.'

BIBLE NEWS: School System Backs Down on Bible Ban

You may have heard last week that a school district in Broward County, FL had forbidden a student from reading his Bible during a free reading time.  Well, after much back and forth, the school district has backed down and reaffirmed a policy that students may read their Bible during reading times.

...on Tuesday, Liberty Institute received a letter from the School Board saying, in part, that the state does not ban the Bible in public schools and that teachers and staff across Broward would be notified of this.

WEEKLY COMIC: A Wise Man built... wait, what?

QUIZ CHALLENGE: Bible Jeopardy

Everyone loves the "do-doo, doo-do, doo-doo-doo" of Jeopardy!  This week's Quiz Challenge is a "Bible Edition" of Jeopardy for your enjoyment.  Click here or on the image below.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Monks with Bibles

Ethiopian monks reading the scriptures in the early-morning light.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Tonight

2013-2014 Season Slideshow for Monroe

HUMOR: Ewwwwwwww!

Not mine.  From here.

Marty, a little boy, was in church one Easter Sunday with his mother Doris, when he started feeling sick.

'Mummy,' he inquired, 'can we leave now?' 
'No,' his mother replied, 'the service isn't over yet.'

'Well, I think I'm about to throw up.' Marty announced. 
'Then go out of the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush.' said Doris.

After about sixty seconds, Marty returned to his pew, alongside his mother.

'Did you throw up?' Marty's Mum asked quietly. 
'Yes,' Marty answered, embarrassed.

'How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?' Doris demanded.

'I didn't have to go out of the church, Mummy. They have a box next to the front door that says, "For the Sick".'

BIBLE NEWS: The Bible in the Opo language

Jesus said to take the gospel to all nations, and one way that this is being done is by translating the Bible into every language in the world.  Recently, the Anglican church passed a milestone by translating the gospel of Mark into "Opo", a people group from Gambella in South Sudan

The Opo desperately want the Bible in their own language. There is a team of three working on this project: the Rev. David Onuk is the only priest of the Opo, and recently attended a one month course on Bible translation in Addis Ababa. Rev. Isaac Pur Wal is a Nuer priest who helped with understanding the base text as they were translating from Nuer and inputting the translation into the computer. James Bol is an Opo who works for the Gambella government doing translation of documents into Opo.

WEEKLY COMIC: Softening the Blow

QUIZ CHALLENGE: Human Authors of the Bible

This week, the "Quiz Challenge" will focus on your knowledge of the human authors of the Bible.  Click on the image below for a quick 10-question quiz to check your knowledge.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Still Life with Bible

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: My Beloved

DID YOU KNOW: Who were the human authors of the Bible?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

Who wrote the Bible, in a human sense?

The Bible is not one book, but a collection of books written by a number of men (as inspired by the Holy Spirit) across the centuries. Did you know just how many people were involved with producing the scriptures you hold today?

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Joshua = Joshua - 1350 B.C.
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel = Samuel/Nathan/Gad - 1000 - 900 B.C.
1 Kings, 2 Kings = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah = Ezra - 450 B.C.
Esther = Mordecai - 400 B.C.
Job = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Psalms = several different authors, mostly David - 1000 - 400 B.C.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon = Solomon - 900 B.C.
Isaiah = Isaiah - 700 B.C.
Jeremiah, Lamentations = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
Ezekiel = Ezekiel - 550 B.C.
Daniel = Daniel - 550 B.C.
Hosea = Hosea - 750 B.C.
Joel = Joel - 850 B.C.
Amos = Amos - 750 B.C.
Obadiah = Obadiah - 600 B.C.
Jonah = Jonah - 700 B.C.
Micah = Micah - 700 B.C.
Nahum = Nahum - 650 B.C.
Habakkuk = Habakkuk - 600 B.C.
Zephaniah = Zephaniah - 650 B.C.
Haggai = Haggai - 520 B.C.
Zechariah = Zechariah - 500 B.C.
Malachi = Malachi - 430 B.C.
Matthew = Matthew - A.D. 55
Mark = John Mark - A.D. 50
Luke = Luke - A.D. 60
John = John - A.D. 90
Acts = Luke - A.D. 65
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon = Paul - A.D. 50-70
Hebrews = unknown, mostly likely Paul, Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos - A.D. 65
James = James - A.D. 45
1 Peter, 2 Peter = Peter - A.D. 60
1 John, 2 John, 3 John = John - A.D. 90
Jude = Jude - A.D. 60
Revelation = John - A.D. 90

From GotQuestions.Org.

HUMOR: If "His eye is on the sparrow"...

Not mine.  From here.

A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.'

His son asked, 'What happened to the flea?'

BIBLE NEWS: Archeologist finds David's Water Tunnel

Since the start of modern archeology, scientists and historians have debated whether it made sense to use the Bible as a guide to finding ancient sites.  Some skeptics dismiss the historicity of the Bible entirely due to its use as a religious document.  Others believe that the Bible recounts history.  

An Israeli archeologist may have bolstered the "Bible as history" argument by discovering the water tunnel that David used to conquer Jerusalem.

In the second Book of Samuel, David orders the capture of the walled city by entering it through the water shaft. Shukron's excavation uncovered a narrow shaft where spring water flowed into a carved pool, thought to be where city inhabitants would gather to draw water. Excess water would have flowed out of the walled city through another section of the shaft Shukron said he discovered — where he believes the city was penetrated.

WEEKLY COMIC: Missing the Point

QUIZ CHALLENGE: The Book of James

The Bible Quiz season is over, but hopefully your knowledge of Romans and James isn't going anywhere!  This week, the "Quiz Challenge" will focus on your knowledge of James.  Click on the image below for a quick 10-question quiz to check your retention (I apologize this was taken from the King James Version - it's still easy enough to figure out the answers.)

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: Year-End Pizza Party!

Thanks again to Pastor Greg for our pizza party!

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Place in This World

DID YOU KNOW: How long did it take to write the Bible?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

How long did it take to write the whole Bible?

It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ)

HUMOR: Fund-Raising from the Pulpit

Not mine.  From here.

One Sunday the Reverend Jones announced to his congregation, 'My good people, I have here in my hands three sermons...... 
A $100 sermon that lasts five minutes
A $50 sermon that lasts fifteen minutes
And a $20 sermon that lasts a full hour.

Now, we'll take the collection and see which one I'll deliver.'

BIBLE NEWS: Bible from the Titanic on Display

The Bible is not only about history, but has also been at the center of may major historical events.  It seems wherever Western History has gone, since Christ, the Bible quickly followed in the hands of Christians or scholars.  Now, a Bible that survived the sinking of the Titanic is on display.

"Bateman on the night the ship sank handed the Bible over to his sister-in-law, Ada Ball, who he placed on a life boat and then she returned it to her sister, his wife Emily. On her death bed she gave it to Dr. Harry Upperman from the Baxter Seminary here in Baxter, Tennessee," said Bob Thone, the actor portraying Rev. Robert Bateman at the Titanic Museum.

WEEKLY COMIC: Location, location, location!

QUIZ CHALLENGE: The Book of Romans

The Bible Quiz season is over, but hopefully your knowledge of Romans and James isn't going anywhere!  This week, the "Quiz Challenge" will focus on your knowledge of Romans.  Click on the image below for a quick 10-question quiz to check your retention.