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Other Resources
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Letter from CityLife Church |
Good Morning Prayer Partners of City Life Church,
I just felt impressed to drop you a note this morning. We have about 4 weeks until City Life's 5th Birthday Party, and things are wild and crazy around here... I'm so excited and believe it's going to be a truly wonderful day of celebration. I find myself pretty nostalgic as I think back and read over the prayer letters I've been sending you since 2004! Wow!
Let me again say—we would be so honored to have you join us for our birthday celebration on Sunday, September 26 from 3-5:00 p.m. Holland Central Wesleyan's choir will be leading in worship, Mayor Heartwell will be sharing a few comments, and you'll hear the testimonies of several City Lifers. You have been a very significant part of City Life's history, and we are incredibly grateful! Please don’t hesitate to contact me at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 616.260.1477 if you have questions about this event.
I wanted to share a prayer point with you. I am continually amazed at how one of the greatest poverties I see here in our community is the poverty of relationship. Economic poverty is most certainly an issue. But I think one of the most painful and depressing types of poverty is really the poverty of relationship.
We had a group over to our home this past week in an effort to get to know people better. We do this fairly regularly, and it's always a neat time to connect very different people with each other. It was a mixed group of some City Lifers who've been around for a while and some newer people who were just starting to connect. As people shared and as the conversation progressed through the evening, I was just amazed at the number of people who dropped a comment here or there about simply being very lonely.
Loneliness is something that I think we all feel at times. Hearing the recovering addict say she feels lonely, the young educated couple say they feel lonely, hearing the new student say she feels lonely... It just seems that with all this loneliness going on, we should be able to help each other out that way, doesn't it? I know I have often felt lonely in ministry. I think loneliness is something that most of us face at times.
As we continued our dessert night together, discussion deepened into laughter and shared interests. Three of the people were in the medical field. Four were students. Some were married, Some were single. Three of the women loved to shop at thrift stores, and let me tell you—they were clearly experts at it! (One woman bought her wedding dress there for $17!) It was really amazing to see people have things in common with people who seemingly were SO different from one another.
All of this led me to think about City Life and our ministry here. I'm constantly hoping for more formalized types of "ministries" and "events" for people to connect with. And I think there's a big place for those. But I was reminded that the GREATEST NEED, and the greatest poverty here, is for healthy, strong, meaningful, Christ-oriented, joy-filled, FUN relationships.
That has been City Life's priority from the beginning, and I'm so grateful that we have let other "programs" be second place to our priority of relationship.
Relationship, you see, is NOT glamorous. People who come to City Life to serve are really looking for a short-term mission type experience in which they can "do" things to "help." What we have offered mostly, though, is the opportunity to connect long-term, on an equal level, on a give-and-take level, in relationships. This means that people who come to "give" really need to learn how to "receive." Because real relationship is a two-way street.
Recently Adam met with a director at Goodwill Industries who has done quite a bit with ministry programming for felons released from prison. Adam was asked, "Do you have any felons at your church?" Adam laughed, because we have a LOT of felons. "Yes," Adam answered, "quite a few." The director then asked, "What kind of programs do you have for them?"
"Well," Adam replied, "We don't really have specific programs. We just expect them to be part of the church. We ask them to get into a Life Group, and we ask them to help us serve our community." The director was astonished, and he said, "Wow—that is exactly what is needed!"
The power of relationships. There is often little "glory" in relationships. Joy in relationships comes after a lot of hard work. Crossing cultures, ethnicities, economic divides and educational divides can make for awkward relationships at first. But I think this is what it means to "love one another" as Christ has loved us.
We are called to this incarnational ministry of "dwelling with," of "living with," of 'doing life together." It's not about being do-gooders—it's about the ministry to sharing life with... AND of having the "least of these" GIVE BACK to us and allow them to meet OUR relational needs.
Thanks for letting me share this with you. I just felt impressed to do so. I pray it encourages you, and also that it informs your ability to pray for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your faithful prayers for us!!!
Christy |
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Of Heaven & Hell Resources |
If you've been attending the Of Heaven & Hell series and have more questions, Pastor Paul would like to share this list of resources with you. The following is a list of books that will be helpful:
Heaven, by Randy Alcorn
An excellent, exhaustive work on heaven.
Heaven Help Us!, by Steven Lawson
A popular focus on heaven, concentrating on the book of Revelation.
What About Heaven?, by Kathleen Long Bostrom
A great book for parents to read with young children.
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, by N. T. Wright
A superb academic treatment of heaven by one of today's bright evangelical minds.
Heaven or Hell, by Bill Bright
A clear presentation written with typical Campus-Crusade-for-Christ candor.
Heaven and the Afterlife, by James Garlow and Keith Wall
A popular, well written book. It deals with many common questions regarding the afterlife. |
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Wesleyan Church eZine sign-up |
For all the latest news from the Wesleyan denomination, sign up for the Wesleyan eZine that includes articles and updates.
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Hello Friends,
The response to the message, "Wise Up About Alcohol," given January 31, 2010 has been rather remarkable. Remarkable in the number of comments, the great questions and the wonderful spirit with which those questions were voiced, even by those who see the matter differently. Most interesting was the number of INCREDIBLE stories from people who have been delivered out of unbelievably painful and heart-wrenching situations by the grace of God. It was so moving to read story after story.
In the message of January 31, I'd mentioned that time would not enable me to touch on every aspect or question related to the topic at hand. I indicated if you would give me enough time, I'd seek to response to any questions that you sent in and see that this was posted online. (It seemed like a good idea at the time!) Many of you did just that. The following questions and responses are a reflection and a compilation of those questions. The questions may not be expressed exactly as you wrote them, but they reflect similar questions that others also raised in that area. Thank you for sending them along. I trust that my responses will be of some help as each of us seeks to discover what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ who walks in wisdom and seeks to embrace that which is best. So, here we go:
QUESTION: I personally see nothing wrong with the consumption of alcohol in moderation, and it's not for other Christians to judge. (OK, so this wasn't a question, but it's worth a response).
RESPONSE: I would certainly concur that this is NOT a matter for one believer to judge another about. I sought to make that clear in my message. I would go further and state that one would look in vain for support in Scripture flatly stating that it is wrong to drink alcohol. It's just not there. One, in fact, could make a case that drinking, wine in particular, was commonly done throughout the Old and New Testament. That was neither my argument nor my reason for advocating total abstinence. Rather, I sought to communicate that while the Bible doesn't require total abstinence, I believe that it certainly recommends it as the highest and best course. You might recall that I concluded the message by noting that given the destructiveness of alcohol across our nation and principle of total abstinence is a wise choice (Proverbs 20:1); a loving choice (Romans 14:13,15-17) ; an edifying choice (Romans 14:9); and a supportive choice (Romans 14:21). As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:12, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of anything."
QUESTION: How do you explain the passage in John about Jesus making wine? And wasn't wine frequently used throughout the New Testament including the Last Supper? Surely Jesus must have drunk wine since He was charged with being a "drunkard and glutton."
RESPONSE: Christians are clear everywhere that drunkenness is a sin. No question about that. But it needs to be said in order to be true to Scripture that the Bible does not prohibit alcohol, only drunkenness (please note: I do not believe that that negates the arguments about what is best or wise). We should assume that all the biblical figures drank wine except when the Bible explicitly tells us otherwise. The Nazirites were just a small group within Israel. One of the things that distinguished them from the rest of Israel is that they did not drink. The implication is that most everyone else did. Jesus distinguishes Himself from John the Baptist as someone who drinks, while John the Baptist did not. "John the Baptist came not drinking, you said he had a demon; I came drinking, you say I'm a drunkard." Jesus turned the water into alcoholic wine. Paul tells Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach's sake (note the medical/drug intention); and so forth.
Now, having acknowledged this, let me share with you four reason why Jesus drank wine and I don't (with special thanks to Denn Guptill for his insights on this matter):
1. It was a different time. Imagine what it was like to live 2,000 years ago when water supplies were used for bathing and washing clothes, and there was no effective way to treat waste water. There was no refrigeration. Drinking untreated water would have been dangerous and the most practical solution was to use the antiseptic qualities of alcohol. There weren't many options then. That is not the case today. I don't drink because I have other options.
2. It was a different place. In Jesus' day, wine was an important part of everyday life—from meals to celebrations. Drinking alcohol, however, was not recreational. Our culture's view on drinking today is typified by writer Stephen King: "I found the idea of social drinking ludicrous—if you didn't want to get drunk, why not just have a Coke?" Drinking a little in our culture can easily become drinking a lot. As Francis Scott Fitzgerald said, "First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you." When does having a drink become drunkenness? I'm not exactly sure where that line would be for me—or whether when I got close to the line I would be able to keep on this side of it (As I'm writing this, I can't help but think of a recent headline in The Sentinel. I'm certain that the individual mentioned did not intend to take his drinking as far as he did. Yet once drinking begins, it gets cloudy to distinguish where that "line" is). So, I don't drink because my culture doesn't require it and often abuses it.
3. It was a different brew. I seldom hear people exploring this matter, but from all the reading that I've done, one can't help but conclude that the wine Jesus drank 2,000 years ago wasn't a whole lot different than the wine that is around today—somewhere between 3 and 11% alcohol content. BUT is was mixed with water. Some say anywhere between 2 to 5 parts water for 1 part wine. It was diluted. To not dilute one's wine was considered barbaric in the Greek world. There was nothing stronger than wine. Distillation was not discovered until about 1500 A.D. When the Bible speaks of strong drink, it's referring to unmixed wine. Are you going to follow Jesus' example by drinking? Then you should be willing to limit your alcohol consumption to what His would have been. And by the way, if you intend to copy Him, keep in mind that He also prayed with devotion, studied the Word of God, fasted and tithed—not to mention that He gave His life for others. I don't drink because it's not even close to what Jesus was all about.
4. It hurts others. I'll not spend much time here as I think I clearly communicated that in the message. I would only say this: I don't want my example in this area to cause another to stumble. "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble." (Romans 14:21, NLT). I don't drink because I will not support an industry that contributes to destroying lives, wrecking marriages and killing people. The Bible doesn't order you not to drink, but it does say, "Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts" (Ephesians 5:18-19, NLT).
QUESTION: What about using wine for health reasons?
RESPONSE: To begin with, Dr. Ken Schenck of Indiana Wesleyan University notes that The Wesleyan Church already allows alcohol for medicinal purposes. Given the spate of studies showing that moderate drinking of red wine is good for our health, Wesleyans can technically already drink red wine moderately (though the argument is still on-going about whether the medicinal value is actually found in the alcohol or, rather, in the grapes—specifically the skin of the grapes themselves). Still, Dr. I.J. Goldberg, writing in an editorial for the New England Journal of Medicine, articulates another perspective: "There is, however, insufficient information to encourage patients who do not drink alcohol to start. The data on alcohol and cardiovascular disease are still correlative, whereas the toxic effects of alcohol are well established. Perhaps that is why some studies show a reduction in cardiovascular disease, but not overall mortality, in patients who drink alcoholic beverages. Substitution of one disease for another is not a medical advance. This is especially the case with respect to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, since a number of preventative therapies, such as exercise, smoking cessation and lowering of cholesterol levels and blood pressure, do not have the undesirable effects of alcohol. If alcohol were a newly discovered drug (instead of a drink dating back to the dawn of human history), we can be sure that no pharmaceutical company would develop it to prevent cardiovascular disease. Nor would many physicians use a therapy that might reduce the rate of myocardial infarction by 25 to 50 percent, but that would result in thousands of additional deaths per year due to cancer, motor vehicle accidents and liver disease." (I. J. Goldberg, "To Drink or Not to Drink?: New England Journal of Medicine 348 (2003): 163, 164).
QUESTION: I strongly disagree with your statement that alcoholism is not a disease. Would you like to reconsider your position?
RESPONSE: Of everything that I stated in the message, this is the one point that I wished I had presented differently. I am ready to do some re-consideration at this point, but with some hesitation and reservation. As I understand it, there are varying views on the "disease concept" within the behavioral health field, but the majority do recognize it as such; especially the genetic link concept telling us that those from families with alcoholic members have a statistically greater chance of alcoholism than those from non-alcoholic families (seems to me, though, that this is one more reason for promoting abstinence!). It was properly pointed out to me that there are many sin-induced or lifestyle-induced illnesses, i.e. smoking leading to cancer; obesity-related diseases such as type II diabetes and heart disease. However, experts say that the "disease concept" would certainly endorse abstinence. The biological reaction within an individual actually threatens their ability to drink responsibly. Hence the AA mantra: "I am powerless to the disease without abstinence."
I think that if I were addressing this again, I may have tempered my remarks to go something like this: "Alcoholism IS a disease, but it's so much more than that." I would NOT want someone dealing with alcoholism to forego necessary medical treatment because of thinking that alcoholism is not a disease. Drinking itself is not a sin, rather abusive excessive drinking is. However, neither would I want that individual to think of "excessive drinking" (alcoholism), as ONLY a disease. Alcoholism (excessive drinking) does have moral consequence for which each one needs to take personal responsibility.
And if alcoholism is a disease, I find myself wrestling with two other thoughts: 1. It's sure treated in a unique way by the government in terms of its encouraged use, taxation and distribution and 2. I know of an easy way to never, ever get this disease: total abstinence.
Having said this, I would have done a better job crafting how I said this and tried not to come across as dogmatic, as I may have about alcoholism not being a disease.
QUESTION: If I or someone I know and love has a problem with alcohol, where can I go for help?
RESPONSE: This was my biggest blunder (I think, I hope): that I could go through a whole message like this and not highlight places to find help. I'm really sorry for dropping the ball on this one. There are many fine places to seek help here in our community. I'll mention just four:
1. Alcoholics Anonymous (still one of the best places for help with alcoholism) 616.392.3360
2. OAR 616.396.5284
3. Holland Hospital 616.395.3926
4.The Watershed (a nationwide treatment program. The number listed here is the local chapter) 1.866.549.5989
QUESTION: I've heard that you are seeking to encourage Central Wesleyan's and The Wesleyan Church's stance of abstinence for church membership to be reconsidered. With all the reasons you've given promoting total abstinence from alcohol, why are you doing this?
RESPONSE: Let me try to respond to this in three parts. First, I do strongly encourage total abstinence from alcohol as the best and wisest choice for Christians. I do this for all the reasons noted in the message, and more. In fact, without elaboration, allow me to give you a few more reasons: 1. Abstinence is a great conversation starter when you're with people who drink. 2. The thought of addiction scares me. 3. Alcohol is hard on the body. 4. I can't afford to drink—ever check out those wine prices?! I'd rather spend my money elsewhere. 5. I don't mind being different. I even kind of like taking a counter-cultural position on a matter like this. 6. Alcohol induces destructive behavior. My position on abstinence has not changed one iota.
Second, I firmly believe that our Church/Denomination SHOULD clearly express our position promoting total abstinence as the wisest and best approach for the follower of Christ and that it should be declared in the area of our Discipline under "Special Direction." These are the expressions declared by The Wesleyan Church for the purpose of bearing witness to contemporary society of matters concerning Christian life and character and their interaction with the culture. These are important declarations regarding such matters as equal rights, substance abuse, peace, human sexuality, abortion and so forth. But they are NOT membership commitments. Furthermore, there are many who look at what is asked of membership, i.e. total abstinence from alcohol, giving food to the hungry, visiting those in prison, etc. not as a legalistic "this is necessary for membership" list (by the way, when did you last visit those in prison?) but rather as a denominational declaration that we embrace (we don't fight against those principles) and as principles consistent with a strong Christian stance. There's much more to be shared about this.
Third, for all the reasons listed above and in the message of January 31, I am a very happy teetotaler, and would like you to consider being one also. But that brings us to the principle question: should total abstinence be a requirement for church membership? My answer is, no. The reason is this: the New Testament allows for a difference of conviction and practice on this issue in the church and, therefore, it is wrong to not allow for that same difference in the church today. Romans 14:20,21 puts wine-drinking in the category of eating meat sacrificed to idols and leaves the ethical judgment with the believer to grapple with whether his/her behavior will make the brother stumble.
Our church and denomination have always sought to be sensitive to the nature of biblical ethics and their relation to church membership. When others were silent, we were not. It is my contention that we continue to honor our commitment to Scripture and its interaction with culture, that we continue to declare the wisdom of total abstinence from alcohol and that we continue to embrace the authority of Scripture. I believe that would involve not requiring total abstinence as a condition for membership. It would, in addition, align us with the clear declaration in The Wesleyan Discipline says "No person who loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and obeys the gospel of God our Savior, ought to be deprived of church membership" (272), and, "Every person has an inalienable right to private judgment in matters of religion, and an equal right to express personal opinions in any way which will not violate the laws of God or the rights of others" (274).
LAST WORDS
Well, I've just put in nearly four hours on a Saturday afternoon responding to these questions. I'm sure that there are others that yet remain. But I do hope that my responses will be of some help to you as you seek not only to follow hard after Christ, but also to influence your children to do so as well. You might find it helpful to copy off this question/response section and to secure a copy of the message (you can purchase a CD in our Media area by the library). Maybe your kids are young and the timing isn't right to share with them, but I promise you, it's coming, so be prepared.
Thank you for grappling with these challenging issues. I realize that not everyone will agree with all of my positions. And, as I said in the message, these are "my positions." But I hope that wherever you are in this matter that you will refrain from casting judgment on another for taking a position contrary to yours (that would lead to a host of other issues!) and that you will not blindly pursue your position just because "that's the way you've always believed." Our collective desire would be to build convictions based upon the expressed Word of God and the principles contained therein.
It remains a pleasure to shepherd such a wonderful flock as this.
Paul |
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God is faithful...right?! |
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Recently, Pastor Paul was asked by a staff person how he deals personally when facing difficult circumstances….in this case, his dads very risky heart surgery.
We asked Paul if we could share his thinking with our church family, and even though he had responded in a private email, he graciously agreed. We hope it may help you if you are facing times of pain, tragedy, loss:
From: Paul Hontz
Sent: Monday, December 21, 2009 9:43 PM
To: Mike McKay
Cc: Paul Hontz
Subject: RE: God is faithful...right? !
Thanks for your good question, Mike. I'll try to respond to you. Feel free to use or not use any of this as you see fit. This certainly takes on a more personal, less theoretical, aspect given my Dad's situation. And what I'm about to share, I hope I can prove this to be true for me should things not work out as I would like.
These are things I believe we can confidently embrace in times of pain, tragedy, and loss. Sometimes these principles are easier to share with some folks than with others depending upon what I'm able to discern regarding the other person's faith in the face of difficulties.. Here goes:
* I believe that God does all things well. He makes no mistakes. He sees everything from the perspective of eternity. I would always choose what God chooses if I could see things as He does.
* I believe that all things really, really do work together for the good for all those who are called according to His purpose. For me, that's Bible. That's truth. And it really IS true or it is NOT. I put my trust in this as a promise from God. I may not understand what's happening. I may not like it nor, if it were up to me, chosen for this to happen; but I believe this is true. And if I question this or fight against this, where else would I go? Does believing otherwise offer me greater comfort or hope?
* I believe God loves me. I believe God is committed to my best. Nothing can happen to me that isn't first filtered through my loving, sovereign Savior. I can trust Him to use every life experience for my well being. I don't need to understand. I don't need to like what's happening. I do need to trust
* I believe in heaven. I believe that heaven and eternity is what we are made for and that our clinging to the things i.e. health, relationships, etc. of this world are held lightly only in proportion of our confidence and grip on eternity. The less sure we are of heaven and God's purposes, the more susceptible we are to clinging to the things of this world.
* I believe that God knows my frame. He understands that I am but dust. He understands my questions, my pain, my frailty, my hurt. He even understands when I am angry at Him.
* If I really do believe these things are true, then the final choice I must make involves my attitude.
All of these are part of my reality. I embrace them all; even when at times they seem to contradict one another and must be held in tension. I seek to communicate this to others in ways that are appropriate. These matters, I believe, are best embraced in one's life before tragedy strikes. It's tough to form this framework in the midst of life's trials.
Mike, I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for or if it's helpful in any way. Nevertheless, I found this to be a good exercise in anticipation of flying out to California tomorrow. Thanks for the opportunity to do this. I look forward to hearing your message when I get back. I'm confident you'll do a great job. I will be praying for you, friend.
Warmly,
Paul |
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