July 25 through July 30, Ellendale Baptist Church joined a team of 200 volunteers in the tornado-torn city of Joplin, MO.  We served as part of the NAMB World Changers group, who typically offers free labor to residents of homes in need of repair.  Last week, however, was not typical.  You may remember the news that an F5 tornado, 3/4 mile wide ripped through parts of Joplin in late May.  What is left in affected areas looks more like a war-torn wasteland than a thriving community.  Now, two months later, the city is still working hard to get things back to normal.

Recently in the student ministry, we have been studying the book of Genesis. Our Pastor has also been preaching through the book of Genesis on Wednesday evenings for the last several months. You can find those sermons on the Ellendale Baptist Church website, or the You Have Hope radio ministry website.

A repeated lesson in the early chapters of this monumental book is basic to our faith: sin is disobedience toward God and He expects us to turn away from such disobedience in repentance and faith. This truth cannot be explained more clearly than in chapters 3 & 4 of Genesis. The Lord gave Adam & Eve the opportunity to turn from their sin more than once:

Where are you?...Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?

What does overloaded fanfare, worldwide media coverage, overpriced entertainment and extensive celebrity involvement have in common? Well, it's not the finale of the latest American Idol season, but the royal wedding in London, England.

You may have been aware of this "royal wedding" which took place early this morning. In fact, if you have observed any media lately, you couldn't miss the announcements. The prospective king of England, Prince William was wedded to Kate Middleton. Though I think a lot of hype surrounds the event, I do appreciate the thoughts which this wedding brings to mind.

Not only are hoardes of people consumed with the celebration of the marriage, but often the next topic of contemplation is that of the future king; as if this wedding now makes William ready for the throne. We may wait many years to find out if that is true, but I find it very interesting that so many around the globe are so consumed with the event. Just a speculation, but it seems to me that there is hope of a better prospect for king than William's father presented. Not merely the right blood and the right training make a fit king. People want a worthy king.

Today is the day we remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. To the unsuspecting, the crucifixion may have seemed like the end. In fact, we read what seems a little like disappointment in Luke 24, when some of His disciples (not of the eleven) express, "we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel." Maybe they saw the crucifixion as a battle lost. Actually, isn't that what is going on in all of Scripture and even in history. From the Garden until the end of time, we observe a great war between the God of Righteousness and all those enemies of righteousness. Satan, in the form of a serpent, enlisted Adam and Eve as the first rebel army. Though Adam had walked in the glorious presence of God, he willfully chose to reject God's Word and sought his own will. Throughout the pages of Scripture, person after person, nation after nation, attacks God's people and rejects God Himself. We see a people infected with Adam's sin who repeatedly wage this war against God. Sometimes, I wonder, "Shouldn't God have simply overthrown the powers of darkness immediately and rule over all?!" But that is not the wise plan of God. Nor do we get to experience the mercy of God that way. What would have been the outcome had God simply destroyed Adam, that first rebel, in the garden? What would be our fate, being rebels in the same army?

This week marks the first edition of our EBC Blog.  If you are new to the world of blogging, this is a great chance to get involved.  Blogs give an opportunity to spread much information in a convenient-for-the-reader kind of way.  You can come to the web whenever you like to digest the latest additions.  You can subscribe to the RSS feed and read the blog in your favorite reader (such as Google Reader or your email client).  You can revisit old posts whenever you like and not have to worry about keeping up with the information yourself.