{"id":2883,"date":"2016-03-11T22:17:21","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T22:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/balboaunionchurch.org\/?p=2883"},"modified":"2016-03-11T22:17:21","modified_gmt":"2016-03-11T22:17:21","slug":"weekly-newsletter-march-11-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/balboaunionchurch.org\/es\/2016\/03\/11\/weekly-newsletter-march-11-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Newsletter: March 11, 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Disculpa, pero esta entrada est\u00e1 disponible s\u00f3lo en English<\/a>. For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in the alternative language. You may click the link to switch the active language.<\/p>

<\/p>\n

Verse for today:<\/h1>\n
Protecting our youth – even today<\/h6>\n

Proverbs 1: 8 -19<\/h3>\n
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8\u00a0<\/sup>Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and forsake not your mother’s teaching,<\/span><\/span>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>for they are a graceful garland for your head<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and pendants for your neck.<\/span><\/span>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>My son, if sinners entice you,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>do not consent.<\/span><\/span>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>If they say, \u201cCome with us, let us lie in wait for blood;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>let us ambush the innocent without reason;<\/span><\/span>
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>like Sheol let us swallow them alive,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and whole, like those who go down to the pit;<\/span><\/span>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>we shall find all precious goods,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>we shall fill our houses with plunder;<\/span><\/span>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>throw in your lot among us;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>we will all have one purse\u201d\u2014<\/span><\/span>
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>my son, do not walk in the way with them;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>hold back your foot from their paths,<\/span><\/span>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>for their feet run to evil,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and they make haste to shed blood.<\/span><\/span>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>For in vain is a net spread<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>in the sight of any bird,<\/span><\/span>
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>but these men lie in wait for their own blood;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>they set an ambush for their own lives.<\/span><\/span>
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>it takes away the life of its possessors.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Verses 8-19 are addressed to a son who is young and inexperienced and who is, as yet, relatively innocent.<\/strong> Wisdom speaks through his mother and father (v. 8). I understand the young man to have reached his teen years, the point at which he is facing adulthood and has to make decisions on his own.<\/p>\n

At this point in life he is inclined to look more to his peers than to his parents for guidance and direction. He will normally begin to question the values taught by his parents. The father urges his son not to forsake what he has been taught and to avoid the evil way advocated by at least some of his peers. \u00a0The intention of the father\u2019s words recorded here is preparative and preventative.<\/p>\n

The child has not yet been approached by evil men, but that may soon come.\u00a0At first glance it seems incredible that a father would find it necessary to warn his son about the solicitations of violent men to join them in their life of crime. Consider:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. First, children, while sometimes sweet and innocent, have a natural inclination toward cruelty.<\/li>\n
  2. Second, violence has an attraction for young people, even those who have been raised in a warm and loving home.<\/li>\n
  3. Third, violence is a way of life for so many now-a-days. The media is saturated with violence. While it may seem far away, when they speak of ISIS, it’s not that far away if we look at Honduras, El Salvador & Mexico. \u00a0It’s right next door in Colombia. \u00a0And we have gang violence right here in Panama.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The first enticement is that of group acceptance and identity. In the teen years children establish their self-esteem more in the way their peers view them than by what their parents think of them. The result is a tremendous sensitivity toward what their peers think, and a strong inclination to be accepted by their own age group. Peer pressure is never stronger.<\/p>\n

    What are we doing to protect our youth from these approaches?<\/p>\n

    THIS SUNDAY AT BALBOA UNION CHURCH<\/h1>\n

    Worship Service at 10 a.m. \u2013 ALL ARE WELCOME!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    SPEAKER: \u00a0Joel Guerra<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Sunday School Teachers:<\/strong>\u00a0Shery Hansraj<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
    First Testament Readings and\u00a0Psalm<\/td>\nIsaiah 43:16-21,\u00a0Psalm 126<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Epistle Reading<\/td>\nPhilippians 3:4b-14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Gospel Reading<\/td>\nJohn 12:1-8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    \u00a0Prayers Concerns<\/h2>\n

    Please Pray for Our Brothers and Sisters from Siria and Iraq<\/p>\n

    Lord, please remind the world that we are all brothers and sisters and there should be no violence among us, only love and attempts to understand one another.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    We also remember in prayer our former pastor:<\/p>\n