As soon as I saw this church building, surrounded by scaffolding, and obviously undergoing a renovation, in the small town of Alexandria Bay, New York, I thought of an old cliche I have heard in the South: "The work is not finished, but the carpenter has moved in." It is referring to the fact that once you make a decision to be a Christ-follower, you are not instantly free of all your bad habits and "stinking thinking". Rather, it means, that you have allowed Jesus (aka "the carpenter") into your life to start the transformational process of making you into that new creation that is promised to you in the Bible.
This photo of a historic church building in the tiny village of Thousand Islands Park, New York, shows workers doing the necessary preventive maintenance on it, that is necessary to keep it a functioning and usable space for people to gather. The sign outside (bottom photo of collage) proves the point that it is a well-used meeting space----movies on week nights , Catholic mass for the Sunday morning early risers, and Protestant service for the mid-morning folks. Likewise, the wear and tear on our own, well-used bodies (which the Bible calls "the temple of the Holy Spirit") requires preventive maintenance. We cannot keep using them, and using them, expecting them to keep being productive, if we don't do some "preventive maintenance" on our bodies as well. Part of that preventive maintenance includes putting the appropriate "fuel" into our body, to provide the maximum benefit.
While I was traveling in Vermont and New York this past spring, I had the opportunity to see lots of different sizes and colors and types of temples (some of them are shown in the photo collage). Although they are all different in appearance, they all have one thing in common: They were created for the purpose of worshiping God. How tragic it would be to read in the local newspaper that vandals had gone into one of these beautiful temples, and dumped garbage and slop and toxic chemicals onto the altar, and throughout the sanctuary of the temple. Yet, that is what WE are doing when we "dump" unhealthy foods into OUR temple (aka "our body")! I have heard people make the statement "It is my body, and I will do what I want to with it." But I Corinthians 6:19-20 says otherwise: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
If you are interested in learning more about how to take better care of "your temple", AND you could benefit from doing so, in a non-judgemental, friendly, supportive, group setting, join us for First Place 4 Health Orientation at 6 PM, September 1, in room 1203 of the CLC (Christian Life Center) of First Baptist Church, at 400 Club Boulevard in Mountain Home, Arkansas. At this no-obligation, free Orientation Session, you will learn all about First Place 4 Health, a non-denominational, Christ-centered health improvement program with an emphasis on weight management. The Bible study for the fall session is entitled "God's Purpose For You" and can be purchased from most major bookstores or over the Internet. Persons who do not want to purchase the written material may use a copy of the book available for check-out use at the CLC. The actual classes for First Place 4 Health will start on Wednesday, September 8, at 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm, in the CLC, and will meet weekly at that same time on Wednesdays until mid-December. If you are not able to attend weekly classes, there is also an "on-line" version of the program that you can learn about by clicking on their website address
http://www.firstplace4health.com/ . So here's wishing you miles of smiles---First Place 4 Health smiles! Tricia Turner
As soon as I saw this church building, surrounded by scaffolding, and obviously undergoing a renovation, in the small town of Alexandria Bay, New York, I thought of an old cliche I have heard in the South: "The work is not finished, but the carpenter has moved in." It is referring to the fact that once you make a decision to be a Christ-follower, you are not instantly free of all your bad habits and "stinking thinking". Rather, it means, that you have allowed Jesus (aka "the carpenter") into your life to start the transformational process of making you into that new creation that is promised to you in the Bible. 
While I was traveling in Vermont and New York this past spring, I had the opportunity to see lots of different sizes and colors and types of temples (some of them are shown in the photo collage). Although they are all different in appearance, they all have one thing in common: They were created for the purpose of worshiping God. How tragic it would be to read in the local newspaper that vandals had gone into one of these beautiful temples, and dumped garbage and slop and toxic chemicals onto the altar, and throughout the sanctuary of the temple. Yet, that is what WE are doing when we "dump" unhealthy foods into OUR temple (aka "our body")! I have heard people make the statement "It is my body, and I will do what I want to with it." But I Corinthians 6:19-20 says otherwise: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
If you are interested in learning more about how to take better care of "your temple", AND you could benefit from doing so, in a non-judgemental, friendly, supportive, group setting, join us for First Place 4 Health Orientation at 6 PM, September 1, in room 1203 of the CLC (Christian Life Center) of First Baptist Church, at 400 Club Boulevard in Mountain Home, Arkansas. At this no-obligation, free Orientation Session, you will learn all about First Place 4 Health, a non-denominational, Christ-centered health improvement program with an emphasis on weight management. The Bible study for the fall session is entitled "God's Purpose For You" and can be purchased from most major bookstores or over the Internet. Persons who do not want to purchase the written material may use a copy of the book available for check-out use at the CLC. The actual classes for First Place 4 Health will start on Wednesday, September 8, at 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm, in the CLC, and will meet weekly at that same time on Wednesdays until mid-December. If you are not able to attend weekly classes, there is also an "on-line" version of the program that you can learn about by clicking on their website address http://www.firstplace4health.com/ . So here's wishing you miles of smiles---First Place 4 Health smiles! Tricia Turner
