The only child of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her husband Henry Stuart (Lord Darnley), James was born in Edinburgh and proclaimed king at the age of one year when his mother abdicated. He was kept in safety at Stirling Castle; there his tutor, George Buchanan, gave his a good education, especially in languages. Assuming active rule in 1578, James sought to strengthen the monarchy’s power in Scotland. He entered an alliance with England in 1586 and married Ann of Denmark three years later.

When Elizabeth I died in 1603, James succeeded her on the English throne because of his mother’s descent from Henry VII. As James traveled to London to be crowned, he was handed the "Millenary Petition" (with a thousand signatures), an appeal by Puritans for Concessions to be made to the consciences. To discuss their grievances he called a conference at Hampton Court in 1604. A positive result of that meeting was the decision to prepare a new translation of the Bible, published in 1611 and known as the King James Version. The Puritans, however, gained only minimal concessions. Clearly James considered that kings and bishops stood together. He pressed for the establishment of episcopacy (church rule by bishops) in Scotland and saw it introduced in 1610.

Though he intended to be lenient to Roman Catholics, james failed to make leniency an official government policy. Hence a group of Catholics plotted to kill him when he visited Parlimaent in the unsuccessful "gunpowder plot" of 1605. In 1618 James offended both the Scottish Calvinists and the English Puritans over the issue of the Book of Sports, which approved lawful sport on the Sabbath. It was during his reign that English and Scottish Protestants developed the settlement of Ulster in Northern Ireland.

Among James’s writing, which included treatises on the divine right of kings on witchcraft, were several other works on biblical themes (for example, on the Lord’s Prayer and Revelation 20). James was succeeded by his son, Charles I.

Abide in Me . . Jn 15:4

Think of the things that take you out of the position of abiding in Christ. You say, "Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do. Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then." Get moving— begin to abide now. In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will abide in Him without any conscious effort. Make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the future.

Amour En Action –

Thank you for your donations to help Haiti

A simple drive through the capital of Haiti corroborates the dreaded fact that the gruesome pictures and the depressing commentaries on TV are quite illustrative of the actual situations on the streets of Port-au-Prince and the desperation of the people of Haiti. There is a death toll of over 200,000 people and counting.  Hundreds of thousands of people have been seriously injured and because some of their injuries were not deemed life threatening, they were ignored. 

The majority of the country is in "survival mode."  One medical staffer that has been to Haiti said that the need there is so great that "everything is needed, even a pacifier

for a baby." This puts it all into perspective.  Some of the needs include:

Medical Assistance-- Care for those with serious medical needs because their cases were deemed not life-threatening or their areas were not reached.  Medical needs may include injuries, infectious diseases, chronic diseases; provide education/preventive tips.

Food and water-- distribution of food is quite ineffective: some areas are not being served in an orderly way.  In an effort to preserve their self-esteem, some choose to stay away from distribution places.

Clothing/ shoes --many lost all their possessions.

Shelter - Tents are needed. Most of the tents in the "Tent Cities" have been made with regular blankets held up with tree branches as seen here in this photo. 

Education-- the complete shutdown of the school system in Port-au-Prince, along with the mass exodus of people from the capital will increase the enrollment in school in provincial areas.  School expansion to accommodate the influx of new students due to migration away from the capital.  Support for programs aimed at helping children cope with the aftermath of the traumatic experience-recreational sessions while awaiting re-opening of schools.

Some of our youth could benefit from earning money and jobs are hard to come by. If you have a chore, yard work, Spring Cleaning that needs to be done contact Dan Schaeffer who will match a teen(s) who is best suited to handle that assignment. Even if you cannot pay for their services, still contact Dan as Christian volunteer service has perhaps even more value.

Contribution towards Youth retreats/events.

Dan 732.233.1300

Sean and Esther Higgins for the birth of their daughter, Lily Hope, born March 1, 2:32pm, 7lbs 7oz, 19 1/2" long. Lily joins her brother Daniel.

The competition Chili was seriously scrutinized by our Chili Judges, Josh Sigley, Chris Ellison, and John Gustavsen who sampled all of the entries (Chili Bowl) which had to meet the criteria of Color, Aroma, Consistency, Taste, & Aftertaste, each category receiving a score a 1-10, then all categories tallied. Highest score wins.

Next year remember: There are only eight (8) entries for the Chili Bowl. Sign up is first come first serve. Additionally, anyone who brings a chili is eligible to participate in the Peoples Choice (no recipe restrictions)

Christ is the Son of God. He died to atone for men's sin, and after three days rose again. This is the most important fact in the universe. I die believing in Christ. -

To abandon all, to strip one's self of all, in order to seek and follow Jesus Christ naked to Bethlehem where He was born, naked to the hall where He was scourged, and naked to Calvary where He died on the cross, is so great a mystery that neither the thing nor the knowledge of it, is given to any but through faith in the Son of God.--

"Out, damned spot!" That is the true cry of human nature. That stain cannot be removed without blood, and that which is infinitely more, and deeper, and profounder, and more terrible than blood, of which blood is but the symbol - the suffering of Deity. --

Today Jesus Christ is being dispatched as the Figurehead of a Religion, a mere example. He is that, but he is infinitely more; He is salvation itself, He is the Gospel of God.

The nature of Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist. He announces a Savior from Hell rather than a Savior from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness.

The Lord never came to deliver men from the consequences of their sins while yet those sins remained…Yet men, loving their sins and feeling nothing of their dread hatefulness, have, consistent with their low condition, constantly taken this word concerning the Lord to mean that he came to save them from the punishment of their sins.

That is why He warned people to "count the cost" before becoming Christians. "Make no mistake," He says, "if you let me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in my hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less, or other than that.

All our salvation consists in the manifestation of the nature, life and spirit of Jesus Christ in our inward new man. This alone is Christian redemption, this alone delivers from the guilt and power of sin, this alone redeems and renews.

Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation not only in its application but also in its once-for-all accomplishment in the finished work of Christ. Indeed the whole process of salvation has its origin in one phase of union with Christ and salvation has in view the realization of other phases of union with Christ.

If you have eternal life at all, it simply means that you have the Son, Jesus Christ NOW! Eternal life is not a peculiar feeling inside! It is not your ultimate destination, to which you will go when you are dead. If you are born again, eternal life is that quality of life that you possess right now, at this very moment, in your own physical body, with your own two feet on the ground, and in the world TODAY! And where does this life come from? Of Him! He is that life! So if you have eternal life, it means that you have Somebody, Jesus Christ, and the life that you possess is of Him.