HAPPY EASTER APRIL 20TH
Why is Easter celebrated sometimes as early as March 22nd and sometimes as late as April 25?
The early church fathers wished to keep the observance of Easter in correlation to the Jewish Passover. Because the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ happened after the Passover, they wanted Easter to always be celebrated subsequent to the Passover. Since the Jewish holiday calendar is based on solar and lunar cycles, each feast day is movable, with dates shifting from year to year. That is the short answer. The long answer is complicated and much longer.
DID JESUS CLAIM TO BE
THE SON OF GOD?
Although Jesus called himself the Son of man 69 times in the New Testament, John 5:18 says the Jews tried to kill him because he said “God was his Father”, making himself equal with God. Again in John 8:59 it is written that they tried to stone Jesus because he said “before Abraham was, I am.” They knew what it said in Exodus 3:14 when Moses asked God to tell him his name and God replied, “I AM THAT I AM.”
Jesus also said, I am the bread of life, John 6:35, I am the light of the world, John 9:5, I am the door, John 10:7, I am the good shepherd who gives his life for the sheep, John 10:11, I am the way, the truth, and the life, John 14:6, I am the resurrection and the life, John 11:25 .
When Jesus gave sight to a blind man Jesus asked him if he believed on the Son of God. The man asked who is he? Jesus said “You have seen him and it is he that talks with you,” then the man worshipped Jesus. When Peter said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus replied that Peter was blessed and that God had revealed it to him. Jesus never denied his deity.
The Jews tried to stone him when he said, “I and my Father are one,” John 10:30.
Jesus knew the time had come for him to lay down his life for the sins of the world, so when Jewish religious leaders asked if he was the Christ the Son of God, he replied, You have said it, nevertheless, hereafter you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Their response: guilty of death. No doubt they knew what the Old Testament in Daniel 7:13, 14 said. Daniel had seen in a vision: that one like the Son of Man coming in the clouds, who was given an everlasting dominion that all people, nations, and languages should serve him.
The Son of God died a brutal death and broke the power of death. Because He lives we need not fear the future or death.
SCHOOL NEWS
HISD, with 282 schools and 210,047 students, is the largest district in Texas and the 7th largest in the United States. There are 106 languages spoken in the district. 61.9% of the student body is Hispanic, 25.2% are African American, 8.2% white and 3.5% are Asian. The graduation rate is higher than ever with more students taking advanced college credit classes and more posting top scores on the SAT test, according to HISD website.
Almeda Elementary has 75% Hispanic, 20% African American, 5% Anglo, Asian, with 93% of the students on free or reduced lunch, and half of the students have limited use of English according to former principal Beverly Cage in attendance at a CAP meeting.
When asked what is the biggest challenge in education, Cage replied, “Preparing students to compete with other students in the world. In the US, and in Texas, many students have working parents who do not have the time to be involved in their children’s’ schools, their studies, or their futures. Many do not see the need for preparing for the future. They don’t see the need to succeed. Many students need one person in their life who “cares” what they are doing at school, a mentor, or an adult who is a role model.
James Harris and a
Kenya friend
James learned to appreciate mission trips when he went to Kenya. With no formal theological training, God had shown him the truth of many things he did not understand but God had lit a fire and James wanted to serve anyway he could. God had given him a loving heart. The next year he helped a mission team do repair work at the hospital for the House of Hope, an orphanage for children in Haiti.
In 2003, when his wife, Ellen, went to Croatia to teach English as a second language, James decided he would tag along. While Ellen was working with the missionaries, Richard and Paula Barnds, James was thinking about Ephesians 2:10 and thought, “I wish God would show me what he wants me to do.”
It wasn’t long before James saw Stephan Birac, a 13-year-old boy in the city of Sisak, standing at a window pretending to be an announcer for a baseball game. James gave him a thumbs up sign. The boy rushed out to ask J. D. if he would teach him about baseball. He thought all Americans would know about baseball. As a child growing up in New York City, James didn’t know a lot but he shared what he did know with Stefan and his friends.
Six months later J.D. and Ellen both returned as Ellen taught more English classes with the Barnds. Richard asked J.D. if he would hold a baseball camp for the kids’ baseball team. When they returned home, he began studying baseball and visited a baseball camp. In 2004, he returned to Sisak Croatia and started the first baseball camp. Ellen wrote up lesson plans to help the kids learn the English terms. The plans included info on the life and work of Jesus. As an incentive for memorizing Bible verses, J. D. passed out baseball cards.
When J. D. got the word out that the kids in Croatia needed baseball equipment, he not only got equipment, he got David Moss with the Texas Baseball Academy, who conducts baseball camps at West University in Houston, to go with him. David Moss and men from Fellowship Bible Church worked doing the camps ever since 2006 even last year when J.D.’s health kept him home. He is hoping to return this year and take part in what he got started ten years ago, teaching kids better ways to play ball and learning how to live the game of life in a way that pleases their heavenly Coach. James believes that God will always use anyone, if they are just willing to be used to the glory of God.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
A late birthday wish for Jean Collum who was 91 on March 20th. Jean is the kind of lady you would never imagine holding a gun, but she learned how to handle a gun when she was four years old and went rabbit hunting with her dad.
Hoping Mrs. Carmelene Ihrig will enjoy her 99th birthday on April 20th.
ALMEDA MOE
Moe’s Aunt Gussy, even though on Medicare for years, was able to have her first baby thanks to medical technology. Moe couldn’t wait to see his new cousin. After Aunt Gussy got home from the hospital, Moe went to her house. He asked to see the baby, but his aunt told him to sit down and visit for awhile. Thirty minutes later, Moe asked, 'May I see the new baby now?' 'No, not yet,' she said.
Moe waited ten minutes, “Now?” he asked. 'No, not yet,' said Aunt Gussy. Moe was getting impatient. 'Well, when can I see the baby?'
“When he cries!” said his aunt.
'WHEN HE CRIES?' Moe queried. 'Why do I have to wait until he CRIES?'
“Because I forgot where I put him.”
Easter Egg Hunt
First Baptist Church Fresno will be hosting a community wide "Easter Egg Hunt".
There will also be games, races and prizes.
It will be held at 10 am on April 19th. Location: First Baptist Church Fresno 4501 FM 521 (Next to Mustang Park)
(281) 431-4244
There will be different age groups and everyone needs to provide their own Easter Baskets
COMMISSIONER ON YOUR CORNER
FBC Commissioner Morrison, Precinct 1, will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting in Arcola on April 10th at the Arcola City Hall located at 13222 Hwy 6 from 6:30 P.M. till 8:00P.M. He will be discussing any concerns that the residents of Precinct 1 may have. Come out to see Your Commissioner!
Lone Star Stomp XXV
The Fort Bend County Museum Association is proud to announce that Michael Berry will Emcee the Lone Star Stomp XXV fundraising gala on Saturday April 12th at the indoor arena of the George Ranch Historical Park.
The Josh Fuller Band will also participate. email LoneStarStomp@FortBendMuseum.org or call (281) 342-1256 or visit www.fortbendmuseum.org/annual-events/stomp to purchase tickets and details.
condolences
Bert Edgar Bleil born July 14, 1938 in Houston, passed away March 2, 2014 in Richmond, TX. Bert graduated from Rice and the U. of Pennsylvania. His love of history lead to research the family ancestry in Fort Bend County. Bleil was instrumental in creating the DeWalt Cemetery Foundation, writing a historical ancestry book and securing a Texas Historical Marker. He was chairman of the Fort Bend County Historical Commission
Preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Patricia and Marilyn, he is survived by his wife Barbara; daughters: Diane and Karen; siblings: Bruce, Charles, Jeanne and Bonnie. Services were at the Dewalt Family Cemetery, 1915 Parkview Lane, Missouri City.
Johnnie H. Perry 91,
one of 15 children born in Goliad January 20, 1923, passed away March 16, 2014. During WWII he served as Private First Class with 577 Engineer Truck Company where he received two Bronze Stars, Marksman, Good Conduct and WWII Victory medals. He came to Houston and worked out of the same post office for 45 years and nine months delivering mail, first on foot and then by truck. He received a million mile accident free award and Houston’s first award for 3,000 hours of unused sick leave. Perry is survived by his daughters Johneborah Valentine and Rhonda Brisker and grandchildren
In Memory of Louis Harmon Ray
Sun Rise-5-1-1951 Sun Set 3-27-1975 39 years have passed and I am looking forward to seeing you again. I am 83 years old and living on borrowed time. I am having mixed emotions because I want to be with you, but I don’t want to leave Vicki—she is so precious to me. I love you both very much, so we will see what God has planned for us. Yvonne Ray-Mother
Vickie Melass-Sister
Tova Heimeyer Niece
CIVIL RIGHTS
Was it right that a Christian baker was sued by the Oregon state government for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a Lesbian couple because it violated their civil rights?
Should a black printer be forced to develop and print thousands of “White Power!” flyers for a skinhead rally because the potential customer is white?
Should a Christian florist be compelled to create and provide black floral arrangements to a hell-bound customer for her upcoming Satanist ritual?
Should a “progressive,” environmentalist sign-maker be forced to design and manufacture signs that say “Global Warming Is a Farce” because the customer is Hispanic?
Should a homosexual baker be forced to make a “God Hates Fags” cake for a church, simply because its members claim to be Christian?
Should a Muslim photographer, commissioned by San Francisco’s “Folsom Street Fair,” be forced to document that vile event – rife with nudity and public sex—because the customers are “gay”?
AFTER THE CUT…
Steven Long opened up a barber shop seven years ago but he wanted to do more than cut hair for the boys who came in. Many were being raised by a single parent and didn't have the guidance he knew boys needed so he decided to do something about it The result was the A. T. C. Mentoring program for at risk youth seven years old and up. His first experience was with his nephew after Steven’s brother had died. Since then he has helped over a 100 boys. Sometimes he will have 40 boys and sometimes only two, but to Steven each child is God’s gift to the world! “One man can help one child and help one community.”
The program’s mission is to help boys succeed in changing habits in their homes and communities by providing a building (the barber shop) where mentors can dialog with the boys. They meet twice a month and involve parents with a check list. As donations roll in, Steve takes the boys to events, but more important is the fact that the boys know they can call him anytime and he is there for them. Some of those calls are from boys who are now in the army or college or married.
In England more than 15,000 fetal remains of aborted and miscarried babies have been used to heat the hospital building. Sounds like the kind of stuff Hitler would do, but before we self-righteously condemn the English, we might ask what is done with the remains of the babies aborted or miscarried in the United States? Do you know?
Strange that there are laws about burying an animal but not for a human being. Oh I keep forgetting. Just because a fetus has ten toes, a nervous system that feels pain, a beating heart, and if allowed to live it would become a full grown man or woman doesn't change the “fact” it is just a glob of tissue.
ALMEDA PLAZA
GIGANTIC COMMUNITY YARD SALE
SATURDAY APRIL 5TH 8AM TO 12PM
Too big for one location. Over ten yards participating. Pick up a map at the tent by Fire Station 47 at 2615 Tidewater in the 1200 block of Almeda Road/521.
832 483 3751
A RESOURCE & EMPOWERMENT FAIR
Strengthening Women in our Community
Get the resources you need to sew threads of self-improvement into your life. April 12 th 11 AM – 2PM
WEST OREM FAMILY YMCA 5801 WEST OREM DRIVE,
Free tax preparation by Neighbor Center and free Child Watch by the YMCA PHONE: 713-987-4766
If a man goes into the woods, says something, and there is no woman to hear him, is he still wrong?
Vinson Library/Multi-Center
3810 West Fuqua 832-393-2120 Open Tue. & Wed. 10-6 Thurs 12-8 Fri. 1-5 Sat. 10-5 Closed Sun. & Mon. www.houstonlibrary.org always open
Multi-Center open Mon. –Fri.
Friends of Sienna Library
Spring Book Sale, April 24-26th.
Thousands of gently used adult and children's books, CDs and DVDs will be on sale at the at the Library, 8411
Sienna Springs Blvd. Hours for the Sale are Thursday, April 24, 6-8 p.m.;
Friday, April 25, 10:00 a.m.- 4 p.m., and Sat., April 26, 10:00 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Sienna Branch Library
8411 Sienna Springs Blvd. 281-238-2900
Mother Goose Time, Tues. at 10:00 am,
Toddler Time -- Thurs. at 10:00 am -- 12 to 36 months. April 3, 10, 17, and 24.
Pre-school children, Story Time, 10:00 am April 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30.
Pajama Night Story Time every Monday at 6:30 pm --
Kinder Korner -- at 4:00 pm. April 9
After-School Break 1st - 5th grades at 4:00 pm, April 24
Tween the Pages -- a book club grades 4 and 5 – 2nd Tuesday, 4:00 pm. April 8
Middle-School 5:30 pm 3rd Tuesday, grades 6 and up. April 15
“Facebook for Beginners,” on Tues. April 8, at 10:00 am, reservations are required
The “Microsoft Office Sampler Session” April 2, at 10:00 am, in the Computer Lab.
“MS Word Survival Basics” Wed. April 9, at 10:00 am.
“MS Word: Intermediate” class for version 2010 Thurs. April 10, at 10:00 am.
“MS Excel Survival Basics” April 16, at 10:00 am,
The “MS Excel: Intermediate” Thur. April 17, at 10:00 am.
“MS PowerPoint Survival Basics” Wed., April 23, at 10:00 am.
“MS PowerPoint: Intermediate” Thurs. April 24, beginning at 10:00 am.
“MS Publisher Survival Basics” will take place on Wed., April 30, at 10:00 am
Sienna Book Club at 1:30 pm, in Conference Room 2A. The book club discussion on Monday, April 14, will be on Population: 485, written by Michael Perry.
-Booked on Crime Mystery Book Club, which meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month, beginning at 7:00 pm, Conference Room 2A. The discussion on Tuesday, April 22, will be on The Mark, written by Jason Pinter
