I just saw the Movie "Recess Christmas: Miracle on 3rd Street" and was really tee'd off. I don't know what the directors and writers were trying to do but they messed up. The carton had little to do with Christmas until the end and the only time Christ was mentioned was in the title. The part featuring a Christmas play was to be interfaith but all holiday beliefs were represented but the Christian faith. We got Santa Claus. And Mickey learned that he was only rel if he believed in him in his heart. They could have at least given Christ the same blow-off. The real miracle on 3rd Street would have been the Lord getting far time.

Here is a list of those responsible for the Movie/cartoon. And visit the people at Disney.

Directed By:
Chuck Sheetz
Howy Parkins
Susie Dietter

Written By:
Chuck Sheetz
Holly Huckins
Joe Ansolabehere
Mark Drop
Michael Kramer
Paul Germain
Phil Walsh
Steve Bannos

The Ark:  A Place of Celebration
 
    The Ark is a place of celebration.  You often hear laughter and see job expressed as the volunteers minister together.  Some have been friends for many years while others have only met recently.  The Psalmist wrote to serve the Lord with gladness (Ps 100: 2).  Serving him produces gladness. Many of the workers express how blessed they are and how they enjoy working at The Ark.  There is a deep satisfaction that comes with helping people and serving the Lord. We are never happy until we get our minds on others and not just ourselves.  We were created to serve God and in doing so to be a blessing to others.
 
Recently, I met with the prayer team with a friend of many years.  It was a time of celebration for all in the room to witness God doing a wonderful work in the person's life.  Not only was the one prayed for blessed but the team rejoiced to see the powerful healing work of the Holy Spirit.
 
A couple in their 70's expressed that they wee having the time of their lives helping in the food ministry. It is more blessed to give than receive. Come join us and celebrate the living Christ who to know is to have life.
 
We have two new workers in the bookstore and the store is getting better organized.  Thank you, Dr. Bill Brown and Jim Faulk for joining the team.  We have several thousand volumes of books for sale.  Many are Christian books.  We also have a large selection of children's books.  We are open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm.  We also have tapes, CDs, and DVDs.
 
We want to thank all of you who pray for us.  We received a lot of good clothes, furniture, and appliances this past year.  We thank all of you for donating to the ministry.  We also want to express appreciation for the financial gifts this past year. We want to thank Joe Rice and the First Priority Club from Wicksburg School for helping with food on several ocassions. One brother helps with food from a grocery store.  Woody Chapman has blessed us on several occasions with items from his thrift store.  God bless you Woody.  
 
What about you? Would you like to volunteer at The Ark. Come and join the celebration.  The Ark is located at 475 W. Main St. in Dothan.  Our number is 334-794-7223.

Robert E. Grice, Director
 

By Robert E. Grice, Ark Director

Several months ago I called a friend in South Carolina who said he had just finished watching The Pursuit of Happiness.  The girl at the rental store said that she cried when she watched the movie.  My 10-year old grand-daughter made a similar statement.  I watch few movies that I know will make me sad.  I work with the sad and the glad.  Usually the sad help and the glad are the ones who are helping.

            Tears are not unusual at The Ark.  Some are shed by those who are hurting.  Others are tears of joy from being used by the Holy Spirit to be a blessing.  The Pursuit of Happiness for those who have not seen the movie is a true story about a man and his son, who become homeless.  The movie depicts the different experiences of the two.

            Many people and all followers of Jesus are concerned about others.  Tears are good for us.  They help us express grief.  Recently, my friend Thomas Robinson died suddenly.  I not only grieve for my loss but I hurt to see my family weeping. Someone said that the eyes are the windows of the heart and they often need washing.  It is good to have a gender heart, but we also need tender actions.  It is not enough to just cry over people. We need to get involved in helping those who weep.

             Sometimes you wonder if you are really helping people or are you just being taken advantage of.  Of course, some you help and some won’t let you help them.  You have to do what you do because it is the right thing to do.  The love of Christ constrains us.  Those who are Christians must understand that when we give out food, clothes, or visit the sick and those in prison we are doing it to Jesus Christ.  The Ark gives us many opportunities to dry the eyes of others.

             The man in the movie went on to open his own business.  A business he later sold for several million dollars.  My daughter saw him on television and said he gave a strong Christian testimony.  We need to remember that though someone might be hurting or needy today it does not mean they will be in the future.

            You can do more than crying by praying, giving, and volunteering.  Tears are good but they won’t pay the bills, provide food, or clothes nor will they provide encouragement.  The Ark invites you to join us as we seek to wipe away the tears of others. 

The Ark is located at 475 W. Main St. in Dothan .  Food ministry hours are from 9:30 am to 11:45 am Tuesday through Thursday.  The thrift store is open from Monday to Saturday.  Call 794-7223 for more information.

“Also the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was put into the lake and caught many different kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled the net to the shore. They sat down and put the good fish in baskets and threw away the bad fish. It will be this way at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the good people. The angels will throw the evil people into the blazing furnace, were people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.” Jesus asked His followers, ” Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes, We understand.” Matthew 13:47-51 NCV

Jesus speaks this parable or illustration. In the last days a net will be cast out. This I believe is a prophecy of the now internet. Never has there been a form of communication that makes it possible to reach the whole world at one time. With wireless networks everyone can be hooked to the grid and be in touch watch news as it happens on the other side of the world.

A lot of people see the internet only with it’s evils. Porn, gambling, and identity theft. But the Church may be missing out on what God has allowed to be setup for His work. A great net cast to catch the good and the bad fish.

According to the prophecy or parable when the net is full, when the time is ready it will be pulled in and the good fish are separated from the bad fish, the end is here.

Now the question now that you may ask is,” Who are the good and who are the bad fish?” The world view today is that although a person has done evil all his life he may still be basicly good and the little good will override the bad. Therefore all mankind is basicly good. So who sets the standard of “Good”, a benchmark of Godliness.

Mankind needed an example. God could not find one in man. That’s what the whole Old Testament is about. God let man try, but they could not do it. So, being a loving God he choose to make Himself a man and live among them. He becomes a real man and still remained real God. Something only a true God could do. He lives a human life under all the restrictions that man lives under naturally. And when the time came Him offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for man’s sins. He brought Himself back to life to show man that He had this power to defeat death. All mankind had to do was:

Receive the forgiveness He offered

Put their total trust in Him as God

Just as He put the worlds sins on Himself, man must put His Holiness on themselves.

This would make them “good” fish.

Now back to the “net”. The internet was put in place by God using man. The church has neglected this resource for social and spiritual change for enough years. It is time for pastors and saints to use this end time opportunity to reach out to the world.

Church, do not be afraid of the evil that is on the internet but overcome it with the truth of the Gospel of Christ. This is not about which church has the coolist website or about showing the world that we are web savy. The point is to reach the seekers out there and show them the truth of Christ. And when the net is pulled in, they will be with the good fish in Christ and not the bad fish in hell.

            We live in a time of hopelessness.  You can’t live without hope.  Many people that we minister to each week need hope.  One of the reasons for the despair that experienced by many even to the point of suicide is the absence of hope.  The root of hope is Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).  Faith in Christ produces a lively hope.  Unbelief produces despair.  The Ark is a place of hope not only in supplying food and clothes, but spiritual help through prayer and counseling.  We reap what we sow and there are many opportunities to sow hope in other through receiving hope ourselves.  Hope is a matter of choice and not circumstances.

 

            The Ark will sponsor a special series of services titled Celebration of Hope on May 24 – 27, 2007.  Services will begin at 7 pm on Thursday – Saturday and at 10 am on Sunday.  John Killian will be the guest speaker.  John was on track to be a career soldier.  He was part of the unit assigned to stand guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Unfortunately, John became addicted to drugs during this time and was dismissed from military service.  John began to lose hope as his drug addiction led to a series of failed jobs. 

 

            John’s life continued to drift in a hopeless direction.  He sought professional help for his addiction problem but to no avail.  Eventually, John spent time in jail and was confined to an institution for mental illness.  John was at the bottom and hope was far away.

 

            However, God touched John’s life and delivered him from drugs.  John began to walk with the Lord and even entered ministry training at Faith Training Center in Walhalla, South Carolina .  It was there that John sensed a call to the ministry and center personnel began to give him opportunities to minister.  After Faith Training Center , John and his wife, Marshalle, spent time as missionaries in India and England .  Since returning from the mission field, John and Marshalle have been touring the country in ministry to local churches and have seen God restore hope in the lives of people. 

 

            John will be sharing every service.  He will not only be sharing to help those who have problems with drugs, but also how the family and friends can receive help.  Every service will also feature the testimony of someone who experienced the transforming power of God years ago and are still walking in victory.  Collen Beasley will provide special music for the meeting on Thursday night

 

            I want to thank all of you who are part of the ministry at The Ark.  We are always in need of quality items in our thrift store.  We are grateful for every financial gift.  Please continue to pray for us.  Volunteers are needed.  For more information contact The Ark at 334-794-7223.      

The Ark is located at 475 W. Main St. , Dothan , AL , 36301

 

Pastor Robert E. Grice, Director

As Printed in the Dothan Eagle

 

Celebrating Thanksgiving at the Ark
The Ark is locatedon Thanksgiving Street. That is, it is a place of thanksgiving for many.

All of us who work at the Ark are thankful that we have experienced salvation thriugh accepting the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus' high level of commitment to us that was demontratedon the cross we believe anatural and reasonable response is to commit our lives to Him. We are thankful for the privilege of helping many people in His name.

We are thankful for those who provide food, clothes, furniture, and finances that enable us to help others. Many that we help express thanksgiving to God for the help they recieved at the Ark. Some have recieved the best gift, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ because a volunteerat the Ark shared the gospel with them. Others give thanks for the healing they have recieved.

We recently had a lady return to share that she had been healed of cancer and wanted to say thanks. Some who recieve food are very thankful. This makes us very grtaeful that God allows us to be a part of helping others.

Some time agoa person trew-up in the prayer room. Instead of being angry about having to clean it up, the workers rejoiced at being able to serve the Lord.

We are also very thankful for each other. It brings great joy to serve with believers ffrom differant churches and denominations. When we are flooded with love of the Lord, all fences that devide us are ignored.

recently we had workers from at least five churches eating together. I asked the speaker if he could tell the differance between the people. He responded that he could not.

I am thankful for all the volunteers who helped. They have helped more than 1,000 families with food. We are thankful for the churches that help us. It is a job to have the support of family members. Grace Harvest is the onsite congregation I have served for 36 years and it is a cause for graditude. We are thankful for the businesses that have helped us. The Dothan Eagle continues to be a special help to us.

The Ark is located at 475 W. Main St. in Dothan, Al. The Phone number is 334-794-7223. Sincerly,
Robert Grice
Director

You can maintain your blog by logging in to your Bravenet account. Once you are logged in you can customize the layout, colors, and features. In addition, you can add your own links, edit your profile, add your friends, and change many other options to personalize your blog.

Once you begin using your blog, you can view statistics in your members area to see how many people are reading your blog as well as where they come from.

We hope you enjoy your Blog. Be sure to tell all your friends about this great new service from Bravenet!