The Murder has been Solved

Congratulations to Garrett, Savannah, Megen, and Cody for being the first to gather the evidence and solve the crime! Many thanks to all the good church members living here in the village who helped us make this happen. It was a really fun experience getting to adventure around the neighborhood.

Because some of you have been asking what the crime was who weren't here, here's what we learned today:

Mickey Mouse is dead.










He was murdered at Disney World.











The Jolly Green Giant apparently has a bad temper.












The Green Giant wasn't allowed on a ride because he was too tall.












To express his frustration, he trampled Mickey to death.











Crime solved.

Thanks for participating!

Know Thy Hymns

Richard Collins shared these with me, and I thought you might enjoy them.

Dentist's Hymn....................Crown Him with Many Crowns
Weatherman's Hymn..........There Shall Be Showers of Blessings
Contractor's Hymn..............The Church's One Foundation
Tailor's Hymn.......................Holy, Holy, Holy
Golfer's Hymn.....................There's a Green Hill Far Away
Politician's Hymn.................Standing on the Promises
Optometrist's Hymn............Open My Eyes That I Might See
IRS Agent's Hymn................I Surrender All
Gossip's Hymn......................Pass It On
Electrician's Hymn..............Send The Light
Shopper's Hymn...................Sweet Bye and Bye
Realtor's Hymn.....................I've Got a Mansion, Just Over the Hilltop
Massage Therapists Hymn...He Touched Me
Doctor's Hymn......................The Great Physician

And for those who speed on the highway - a few hymns:

45 mph........................................God Will Take Care of You
65 mph.......................................Nearer My God To Thee
85 mph.......................................This World Is Not My Home
95 mph........................................Lord, I'm Coming Home
100 mph.....................................Precious Memories

Give me a sense of humor, Lord
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And pass it on to other folk.

A Crime Has Been Committed

I can't tell you who dun it, where they dun it, why they dun it, how they dun it, or who they did it to...but we're going to find out!

Be planning to hang around Sunday afternoon Sept. 30th. This is a 5th Sunday, so we'll have potluck followed by the evening worship. That lets out around 1:30pm. We'll get things going around 2:00pm. Hopefully, by 5:00pm, a few of you will have solved the crime!

You'll do this by going around the Old Hickory Village to different members' houses who live here. They'll be giving you clues to help you solve this mystery. This will be a lot of fun, and a great way to get to know some of the people at our congregation.

Please be planning to attend! We'll finish by having dinner together at around 5:30pm.

OHYG! - FALL RETREAT '07

When?
October 5th-7th. We’ll leave around 6:00pm on Friday, Oct. 5th, and return around 11:00am (tentatively) on October 7th.

Where?
Camp Christian – 2550 Hwy 47 E. – Burns, TN 37029
http://www.campchristian.cc

What do I need to bring?
You’ll need all the basic stuff like clothes, flashlight, bathroom stuff, a sleeping bag & pillow, YOUR BIBLE, a pen/pencil and some scratch paper.

How much does it cost?
The cost will be $35.00 per person. This includes:
- OHYG! T-Shirt (Extras are $10 each)
- The cost of staying at the camp
- A snack on Friday night (eat dinner before you come), all meals on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday.

What are we doing?
We will be having several different fun activites, games, devotionals, and classes. Use this as a weekend to recharge yourself as a Christian!

I want to come!
1. Then you MUST sign up with Mark Adams (847-2386) by Wednesday, September 26. Your $35 is due NO LATER than Sunday, Sept. 30th.

2. You must make sure that Mark has your MEDICAL RELEASE FORM.

Satan

Today in class, we talked about angels, and especially about Satan. I personally find some of the biblical descriptions of angels rather frightening. They are extremely powerful creatures. Likewise, Satan was originally a beautiful creature (Ezekiel 28:12-17), but was cast out of heaven because of his pride. He is losing, and he knows his time is short (Revelation 12:7-12). I thought these pictures were interesting. I think in general, Satan is hardly the goofy guy in a red suit.

Something about him remains beautiful to us, but his beauty is only surface deep. He looks appealing, and he makes us think that in following him, we'll find happiness and whatever we desire. But in the end, he seduces us to our doom.

I thought this one artist's picture of Satan as a devouring lion was pretty scary!

How about you guys? Based on some of the passages we read, has it changed the way you think about Satan?

If you need a refresher, I'm going to paste some passages below:

Ezekiel 28 -
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.

15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.

Luke 10 -
18He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Revelation 12 -
7And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short."

A Presentation of the Office Staff

You're probably all wondering exactly what we do at the office on the average day. Here's a taste.

A Letter To The Youth Group...

Today, I got the following note in the mail from Wayne and Chris Gragg, and they asked me to make sure that you guys got the note contained in it. The Graggs are one of many great couples we have at church, and it was good of them to send us a nice note.

To our wonderful group of teens and their parents,

Our thanks to our teens and their parents for the nice reception you hosted for all Old Hickory grandparents last Sunday. Everything was so special--the refreshments were so good. Honoring us made us feel like a special group. We appreciate your thoughtfulness.

You are a very special group and we love and appreciate all of you. We appreciate you most for the Christian values you have. Thanks for being so involved in the activities at Old Hickory. VBS, camp, mission work, retreats, teen nights, etc. You are a great group.

In Christian love,
Wayne & Chris Gragg

Basketball

Last night we had our first guys basketball practice, and I think it went great! Allan is extremely competent as a basketball coach, and I know he's going to do a great job. Everyone hustled, and I can't wait to start watching the games. It makes me miss my old youth group days when I played church league basketball.

How are you guys feeling about it? Getting pumped?

Once again, by popular demand...

Hannah Duke and Caylin Paul found a 9th grade picture of me and a facebook Carolina picture and made this. I guess since I'm making fun of everyone else, I have to be a good sport. So at Hannah and Caylin's request, here is another dance production of OHYG!