William Orville Douglas died JANUARY 19, 1980. He was a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for 36 years, after having taught law at Yale and Columbia University. In the 1952 case of Zorach v. Clauson, Justice Douglas wrote: "The First Amendment, however, does not say that in every and all respects there shall be a separation of Church and State...Otherwise the state and religion would be aliens to each other - hostile, suspicious, and even unfriendly... Municipalities would not be permitted to render police or fire protection to religious groups. Policemen who helped parishioners into their places of worship would violate the Constitution. Prayers in our legislative halls; the appeals to the Almighty in the messages of the Chief Executive; the proclamations making Thanksgiving Day a holiday; "so help me God" in our courtroom oaths - these and all other references to the Almighty that run through our laws, our public rituals, our ceremonies would be flouting the First Amendment. A fastidious atheist or agnostic could even object to the supplication with which the Court opens each session: 'God save the United States and this Honorable Court...'" Justice Douglas continued: "We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being... When the state encourages religious instruction...it follows the best of our traditions. For it then respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates the public service to their spiritual needs. To hold that it may not would be to find in the Constitution a requirement that the government show a callous indifference to religious groups. That would be preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do believe." Justice William Douglas concluded: "We find no constitutional requirement which makes it necessary for government to be hostile to religion...We cannot read into the Bill of Rights such a philosophy of hostility to religion." As for me, I am tired of folks attacking the rights of those who call themselves Christians! I hope and pray that those who want us out of the picture will be brought to their knees long enough to see the big picture! I pray that they will see and be thankful for all that God has done in and through those who were and are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is Monday morning May 2nd, 2011 and the news is all about the killing of Bin Laden in Pakistan! I am watching the news while reading and praying in preparation of Mother's Day which is this Sunday May 8th. My mind is going many different directions as I think about the last 10 years and what has taken place in my world since the Twin Towers fell at the hands of those led by Bin Laden. Over the past 10 years my world has changed a great deal and I am sure that most of you who read this, have seen many changes as well.

During this time both Esther and I have lost our parents, our children all got married, and we have been blessed with 4 precious grandchildren. Under the leadership of the Lord we began a new church which is known as Church Of The Journey, and we have we have been blessed beyond measure!

I say all of this to point out that in a 10 year span of time much good and much bad can happen. As I type, I cannot help but wonder what will take place over the next ten years in the World as I know it. I sit here in my office listening to the news as it relates to what took place in 2001 in New York, and how we as a nation never gave up in our search for, and destruction of Bin Laden, who masterminded the attacks on our nation. I, along with most of the free world am glad that he is dead, but am sad that so many have been hurt or killed during this decade. So many individuals and families have been impacted by the evil that this man purposed in his heart, and the sad truth is that other men and women will follow in his footsteps planning evil against others. We can all be guaranteed that more evil will come during the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. We can work hard to prayerfully protect our world from the evil that lurks, but please know that we cannot control all that takes place.

Let me encourage each who reads this to do what they can, in this world filled with evil, to bring good wherever and whenever they can! Most of us learned a prayer as a child that said; "God is great, God is Good"; and God is the greatest good that we can bring to our world! Our goal (if it is not) should be to share the light of the Lord and the goodness of God with the world we live in. I do not know how my world will change during the next 1o yeas, but I do know that there will be many things I will not be able to control. With that in mind I pray for God's strength, so that I do not lose heart in doing good, knowing that in due time I will reap a harvest if I do not give up!

The United States of America is a great nation even with all It's faults! You and I are good people even with all our faults! You and I, along with our Nation should never lose heart in doing what it good, and if we are wise, we will see that God is good and His Word should be our instruction manual for doing good! If we are wise we will seek His face and turn from our wicked ways and ask Him to heal our lives and our land.

In closing I pray that God will bless you and that He will bless the United States of America!!!!

It is Thursday morning 1/13/2011 and I have not written for some time! I really don't know how I feel about blogs because I don't know if anyone really reads them. With all the Facebook writers out there, I think blogging may have gone by the wayside! So, here I sit and type not knowing if anyone besides me will read this!!!

I had breakfast with some of the men from our church this morning and I was blessed by the fellowship that the nine of us had. I learned some new things about some of those who were there and my good friend Bob even paid for everyone!! I wish I could have paid this morning, but the money just was not in the account to cover it!!! Bob has such a big heart and I thank God for him and his blessing not only me but, all who were there!

My Blog today has to do with the memorial service that was held in Arizona last night for the six people who were killed last Saturday in Tucson Az. I am not a very politically minded person, and I saw the service last night as awesome, regardless of any political leverage that may have been gained or lost. I was proud as a taxpayer to have some of our countries leaders involved in a prayer service yesterday and the memorial service last evening! I was blessed to hear the Written Word Of God read at the service, and I was thrilled that the name of Jesus was lifted up!!! I know that many of you out there saw last night as a political move, but I saw it as a movement of God in and thru a tragic event that took place because the days are evil. I saw last night as light in the midst of darkness and a breath of fresh air in a smog filled world. I am praying that those who read from the Word Of God, that they would without apology believe in, and speak about Jesus Christ who rose from the dead and gives each of us the opportunity to experience the same resurrection!!! We can be saved by grace thru faith if we will accept the free gift that is offered to us by God. I do not know what everyone believes, but what was shared last night, would lead me to believe that that some of those who spoke, believe in and trust in Jesus Christ, as the Way, The Truth, and The Life, and that only thru Him can one gain entrance into the Kingdom of God!!!!

Because of last night I believe that no one can ask us not to pray in school or at public events, and that the separation of Church and State issue is only to restrict the state from mandating what we believe and not to restrict us from saying what we believe in and throughout our states!!!! Have a blessed day!! Until next time!!!! Mike

It is Mother's Day Eve and I am thinking about my mom Sue Fetters. She passed away last October 18th which makes this Mother's Day very special! It is special in that she is spending her first Mother's day in Heaven and she is hanging out with the three Mothers that I am preaching about tomorrow morning at Church Of The Journey! She is in Heaven with Hannah, Elizabeth and Mary (the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ)! It is sad for me and my family to not have her with us but exciting to know exactly where she is!!

Mom is in good company, and she fits right in with the Best of the Best Moms in Heaven! Just like Hannah, Elizabeth and Mary, my mom committed me to the Lord and then did everything in her power to help me become what God wanted me to be. Although I cannot hug her or touch her face this Mother's Day, I do hold her in my heart and mind. I loved my mom and believe that I served her the best I knew how, and I have no regrets.

I don't know if anyone will read this but me, but if they do, I just want to say; Live your life in such a way that you have no regrets when your life or someone you love comes to the end of life as we know it. Take time to tell those around you how much you love them and take time to back those words up with your actions. Life really is a Journey and there is great joy in the journey for those who have not regrets! So in closing this blog let me say;

Enjoy the Journey! I Sure Am!!!!!

Making A Difference

This is my first attempt at blogging and I hope this thing does spell check! The three post prior to this were put on here by an incredible young lady by the name of Sarah Hendricks, who created our new COTJ website. I feel like a bird that has been kicked out the nest and must learn to fly. All this computer stuff is beyond my comprehension and it amazes me. I'm not sure what I am to do next because I really have never been one to journal my thoughts for others to see. I really do spend a great deal of time thinking but I don't usually write those thought down.

Now that I have confessed my being a rookie, I will give this blogging thing a shot!!

My title for this blog is "Making A Difference", because inside of me is a real desire to do just that! As I look back over the past 56 years, I think of so many people who have made a difference to me, in both good and bad ways. All of us could make lengthy lists of those folks who have impacted our lives over the years. It would be a great exercise to make that list, including not only the names, but the how as well. I would think that after our list was complete we would see a vivid picture of just how important other people have been in our lives. We could then spend a great deal of time, energy and money, thanking all those folks that have sewn into our lives. I am not against doing that and as opportunity arises, I do, and will thank those who have impacted me.

It really makes me feel good when someone I have impacted lets me know it, by thanking me for being or doing something that really made a difference in their life. I have been on facebook now for aprox. 5-6 months and during that time I have been blessed by people contacting me that I have not heard from for years. To be honest, I do not remember many of those who have requested friendship! Many of those facebook friends have blessed me by telling me how much I meant to them. In many cases, I had no idea that I was important to, or made a difference to them.

With this thought in mind I want invite all who read this to take some time to remember those who have and continue to make a difference to you. Then I want to encourage you to join me in being purposeful in making a positive difference in the lives you are involved with at this time and in the future. A good place to start is right where you are!!! Whether it be with your family, friends , co-workers, employees, employer, etc..., seek opportunities to make a positive impact and not just hope it happens. In order to do this we will need to see others as worth our investment! Once we make that decision then we go to work!

As I said before, I really do want to make a difference and I realize that it may require a sacrifice of time, energy and finances to do so. When I think of all that has been invested in me, how can I do any less.

In closing this first Blog, let me apologize for run on sentences and poor grammar! I will work on these things. I want to proclaim that, I am called to impart not only the Gospel of Christ to others but my life as well. I Want To Make A Difference!!!!!

HAPPY MONDAY!

These thoughts touched!!

Selections from Genesis 22
"Abraham! ... Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." When they arrived at the place ... Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham! Abraham! ... Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from Me."

Just when we think we have God figured out, just when our future seems to stretch out before us with perfect predictability, that's when God has a way of pressing a new wrinkle into our neat, ironed-out ideas.

Abraham's testing foreshadowed the key event on which all Christianity turns, which was the atoning death of Jesus Christ when the Lamb of God was provided as the substitute for the sins of the world. In the same way, God often has more than just us in mind when he allows difficult seasons to move into our lives. He also has his eye on our unbelieving coworkers, our doubting relatives, our faltering friends. Our testimony through tough times may be the way God has chosen to speak so that those around us will listen.

Look At It This Way ...
Abraham loved God. But he also loved Isaac, the child of promise. This young lad had become the center of his life. Perhaps at this moment in his experience, if he were asked whom he loved more - Isaac or God - it may have been difficult for him to answer. Get the picture? God tested Abraham in the most emotionally sensitive area of his life. Was he willing to put his Lord before Isaac? Was he willing to obey God rather than following his own desires? You, of course, know what happened. Abraham passed the test. His love for God was stronger than his love for Isaac. He demonstrated this love through unwavering trust and confidence in his heavenly Father. Today God often tests us in these sensitive areas of our lives. What is most important to us? Where does our security lie? We mustn't be surprised if we're sud-denly confronted with a choice between our dearest possessions and the God we also love. It's in moments like these that we begin to understand how deep our love for God really is - or isn't.

Pray Right, Think Right and Do Right
Pastor Mike

Today!

Today!

It did not take me long to find out what God wanted me to do today!! I you were not sure what you were going to do today then try this on!!!

"He answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Luke 10:27(NIV)

Pastor Mike Fetters
Senior Pastor
Church of the Journey
(405) 474-8402

Happy Thursday COTJ Family!!!

Happy Thursday COTJ Family!!!

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." Psalm 86:11 (NIV)

Pastor Mike Fetters
Senior Pastor
Church of the Journey
(405) 474-8402

Be sure to dress for Pictures on Sunday!!! You may show up on the new website!!!