"We have this treasure (the glory of God) in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Cor. 4:7

Did you know we have a mini-volcano in Ulysses? It is about 18 inches high. It doesn't belch black smoke and lava, but it does hold a candle at top of it. This feat of nature stands under the ping pong table in my garage. Bill Brown helped my kids build it out of plaster of paris for a school project. It looks almost real. Fortunately, it is not real, because I don‚t know what I would do if started emitting smoke, gas and lava!

But something like this did happen with a fake volcano in Duluth, Minnesota. The Edgewater Hotel and Waterpark in Duluth has a 20-foot plastic volcano. That's a little bigger than the one under my ping pong table. It is still not as big as the real ones, but at 20 feet it requires even a tall man to look way up. Imagine the surprise of the Waterpark guests and workers when suddenly the fake volcano began belching black smoke and shooting flames! This activity was not part of the regular show. Guests ran to the parking lot clad in bathing suits and bare feet.

Firefighters were called in to put out the fire. They also investigated the cause of this fake volcano acting temporarily like it was a real one. Apparently an internal speaker malfunctioned, causing the fire. It generated enough heat and flame that part of the volcano actually melted.

Guests certainly got their money's worth that day! Not only did they see a fake volcano act as if it was real, but the hotel treated them to free ice cream. (From Preaching Now 4-3-07)

There are a lot of fake things in our world that belch, snort, get attention and look as if they are real. "Things" that look real to us are our possessions. When we run out of room in our closets we move our stuff to the garage. When the garage fills we move the stuff to the shed (Okay, I'm making a confession here). We may not look through that stuff for years at a time, but it is ours and it seems real and valuable, so we horde it.

It is difficult to distinguish the real from the fake. The fake often seems real and we are attached to it.

Paul says the real is what is inside us. The real is not our possessions, our savings, our clothing. The real is what we carry around in our hearts and that permeates our whole being if we will let it. The REAL is the presence of God in our lives. Everything else is fake.

We have a hard time recognizing the real because "the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they (we) cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Cor. 4:4). The presence of God in our lives is real because it is from God and has permanence. Everything else in our lives deteriorates and ruins: our possessions, savings, food, houses, and even our very bodies. But the presence of God in our lives gives permanence so that "inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (2 Cor. 4:16).

That is why we spend time in devotional reading in the morning. That is why we pray, worship, fellowship and encourage one another. That is why we spend moments in personal inventory, assessing our weaknesses and sins and confessing them to God and even a brother. Because, in all these activities we are feeding the real and the permanent: the Spirit of God who indwells us. We are feeding the treasure, the all-surpassing power of God that he is pleased to entrust to the fragile clay jars of our lives.

Meanwhile, the world still has fake volcanos that occasionally belch smoke and flame. They look real. Through spiritual discernment God enables us to distinguish the real from the fake so that we give most of our energy to feeding and caring for the holiness growing within us.

Warren Baldwin



Note: We have about 45 people in Tulsa, OK this weekend for Leadership Training for Christ. Let's pray for them to have a wonderful experience at LTC and to have safe travel.



ULYSSES CHURCH OF CHRIST WEEKLY NEWSLETTER APRIL 8, 2007

THOSE SERVING US TODAY

SONG SERVICE: John Turner

OPENING PRAYER: Ken Kistler

LORD'S TABLE: Rob Berry, Spencer Smith

SCRIPTURE READING: Person giving the Sermon

SERMONS: AM: John Stinebaugh; PM: Care Groups

ANNOUNCEMENTS: John Turner

CLOSING PRAYER: David Higgins

POWERPOINT: Rick Trejo

BACKROOM/AISLE: Bruce Foster



IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

The Carters, Ronnie Lofland, Roy Bessire. Those expecting: Cinda Wolf, Meagan Bartlett(set for April 12), Amy Carter, Anna Faulkner & Jennifer Garrison.

Those with cancer: Les Ballard, Mary Turner, Levie Hughes, Gayle Caffey, Terry Pepper, Betty Jo Bartlett, Dewaine Moses, Darlene Lucero, Debbie Perry, Janett Smith, Larry Tremmel, Darris Hanes, Ryan Maturey, Valdene Huffman, Sharon Simpson, Teresa Haliburton, Lorraine Cook, John Stewart, Butch Wolf, Mark Lott, Teri Anderson, Ed Applegate, Don Williams, Norma Dudley, & Joyce Smith‚s Aunt Irene & friend Rowena.

Military: Matt Jones, Mark Aycock, Chris Maturey, Matt Cook, John Wilson, Dave Knight, Jerry Baker, Nick McGraw, Travis Kaufman, Kenneth Schwindt, Curtis Keene, Timothy Newman, Brian Kelly, Trafton Wieland, Mark Newman, Brad Anderson, Chris Brown, Jamin Hartman, Monty Duncan, Brett Scarborough, Nick Lane, Marcus Betzold, Kenny Henley, Cyrus Cole, Danny Graves, Peter Gangwer, Chance Carter, Corey Shelbourne, Jacob Bauregard, Tyler Humphreys.



AREA HAPPENINGS (info on board)

Weekend-Remember Marriage Conferences

April 14 Lariat Bible Camp Work Day

April 15-16 Lakin Meeting

April 28 Goodland Lectureship

April 28 Scott City - The Islam Seminar

May 26 Bill & Shirley Brown's 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

May 31-June 2 OCU Quest

Lariat Creek Camp - June 8 & 9 3rd-4th grade; June 10-16 5th-7th grade; June 17-23 - 8th-12thgrade; July 8-14 - 7th-9th grade; July 22-28 - 9th-12th grade.

Silver Maple June 10-16 Family Camp; July 8-14 Junior Session; July 15-21 Senior Session; July 22-28Jr./Sr. Session.



SERVERS NEXT SUNDAY

Opening Prayer: Harold Jones

Song Leader: Ted Maple

Lord's Table: Bill Brown

Assist Lord's Table: Richard Brollier

Scripture: Karl Baker

Closing Prayer: Shane Sullivan

Power Point (Sun & Wed): Tracy Caffey

Sunday PM Song Leader: Ted Maple

Wed PM Song Leader: Ted Maple

Back Room/Aisle Workers: Jason King

Greeter/Recognition: Steele

Weekly Budget needs: $2668

Last Weeks Contribution: $2245

Mission Contribution: $598

Attendance Last Week: 102



TODAY

Elder Contact: Keith Steele

Greeters: Ted & Paula Maple

Birthdays: M'Lynn Blundell, Micah Hibbard

Western Prairie Care Home 9:30



ANNOUNCEMENTS

No one has signed up for this weeks Wednesday night meal. If you can prepare a meal or help with clean up please sign up in the hallway.

If your child is graduating from college/ high school/ 8th grader promoting - please give Linda those names & a photo ASAP. Here is who she has heard from so far: College Students - Stacy Grimes, Kelsi (Baier) Sneyd. Seniors - Jenny Baldwin, Daniel Newman, Vanessa Smith, Brooke Tyler. 8th Graders - Kristin Baldwin

Next Sunday the15th we will be taking a special contribution for Sarah Novak's mission trip to Africa this summer.

Next Sunday - Elder/Deacon meeting at 5:00.

Tuesday is Ladies Luncheon. Pat K. & Louise S. are fixing chicken & noodles. Please bring veggies, salads & desserts.

Our sympathy is extended to Dorothy Rubart & family in the passing of her sister. The funeral was this past Monday.



The Ulysses Church exists to reach the lost, to continue to grow as a family of God, to serve our fellow man, to worship God, and to do all this in the spirit of unity.