A Judgement Nightmare

It’s been a hard day. You come home discouraged – bordering on despair, really. You are hurt, frustrated, and angry. And, feeling some guilt – both from what you have done and said and what you have not done.

After supper, you sit down and turn on the TV. It comes on to the Animal Planet and Treehouse Masters is on. You always dreamed of having a treehouse so you check it out.

It’s a bit weird watching Pete hug the trees and talk to them, but the design is intriguing. Not too far into the episode you realize you will never be able to afford a treehouse like this – another bummer, but you keep watching.

The furniture and decorations are just arriving as you drift off into troubled sleep; the day’s events pushing themselves into your mind.

Suddenly, you feel wide awake. You even pinch yourself.

There is a beautiful city a couple of miles away set against a majestic mountain. The light seems to come from inside the city itself.

There is a clear, lazy river flowing right out from the city meandering through the meadows. It passes by just in front of you. There was a charming bridge spanning the river and a path following the river’s edge right up to an impressive gate, which looks like a pearl, leading into the city.

Along the path are hundreds – maybe thousand – of bright-colored flowers. There are trees of all types; their leaves reflecting rainbows of color that change with the breeze.

Across the river to the south, you see a bountiful orchard, full of fruit. And between the orchard and the city is the most beautiful vineyard you have ever seen – the grapes look like small plums.

As you look around, you realize you’re in a line. Behind you, the line stretches several hundred feet and then disappears down the hill.

In front of you a few yards, you see a regal, older gentleman standing by the bridge. His hair and beard are white, his face is full of smile lines, and his skin is olive toned. As you inch closer you can see that he is full of wisdom, like he has lived for a long time but he appears to carry himself with the vigor of a man in his prime. He almost seems ageless.

He talks with each person as they come to the head of the line and then directs them either across the bridge towards the city or to the path that stays on this side of the river and appears to head down into a canyon.

As your eyes follow that path it appears to get darker the further down it goes until it disappears over a ledge that appears dark and foreboding. 

And then you find yourself at the head of the line facing the man. As his hand comes up to your shoulder, you see the scars – and suddenly you realize, this man is Jesus.

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Oct. 1-31 | Participate in The Altar Project!

Family worship, as simple and old-school as it sounds, is one of the most effective hedges around our families against the devil's hacks – challenges we face on a daily basis. You are invited to join The Altar Project, a call to restore family worship, from October 1-31. It's a call to 31 days of revival and reformation that begins simply with gathering the family at least once a day to pray and worship God together. Join us on a spiritual journey to "Alter the Altar" with your family! You may sign up for daily email encouragement by clicking here. Click here to watch the introductory video.

Calendar Events

Life Line Screening, a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings will be at Golden Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church this Thursday, (Oct. 3). To download a brochure you can print or share, click here. See below for more information.

Sunset this Friday – 7:01 pm

This Sabbath at Church

• Sabbath School (10:00 am)
• Traditional Sabbath School Class, Church Sanctuary: Studying the current Sabbath School Lesson (click here to read it on-line).
• Alternative Sabbath School Class, Hearth Room – Quest for Glory: So You Want To Be A Hero: We will look at the individual stories of the people mentioned in Hebrews 11 to see what made them a hero of faith and how we can apply those principles to our lives. Click here to see a basic outline of our study.
• Worship Service (11:15 am) – This Sabbath, Pathfinder & Adventurer will present our Worship Service and hold their Induction Service. For information about Pathfinders contact Holly Degerness (402-917-4718) or Marina Nolasco (402-594-0671); for information about Adventurers, contact Lori Knutson (402-980-5018).
• To download or print a PDF copy of last week’s sermon titled God Loves You! Yes, You!, click here.
• Potluck After Church this Sabbath in the Fellowship Hall. If you’re a member, please plan to bring your favorite dish to feed your family plus a few more. If you’re a guest, just show up and enjoy it!

Pathfinders & Adventurers meet this Monday (Oct. 7) at 6:30 pm. For information about Pathfinders contact Holly Degerness (402-917-4718) or Marina Nolasco (402-594-0671); for information about Adventurers, contact Lori Knutson (402-980-5018).

• Click here to download a copy of the 2019-2020 Pathfinder Calendar.
• Click here to download a copy of the 2019-2020 Adventurer Calendar.

Prayer Meeting meets this Tuesday (Oct. 8) at 6:00 pm. For more info contact Pastor T (402-517-5333).

Church Board meets Tuesday (Oct. 8) at 7:15 pm in the Board Room of the Education Annex. If you have any items that need to be considered, please contact our Head Elder, Steve Wilhelmsen (e-mail or 402-708-2730).

Church Hayrack Ride one week from this Saturday Night (Oct. 12) at Santa’s Woods (3764 State Hwy. 133, Blair, NE 68008). See below for more information.

Healthy for a Lifetime, October 19, 2019 at the CHI Health Center in Omaha (455 N. 10^th St., Omaha, NE). Click here for a  printable information sheet. Click here to go to their website. See below for more information

Called – Conference-Wide Women’s Retreat, October 25-27, 2019: Bonita Shields, the keynote speaker, will present Courage, Character, Commitment and Confidence for the Call. There will multiple seminars to choose from and a Saturday night full of fun! Registration forms and brochures are available in the church lobby or by clicking here. For more information, call 785-478-4726.

Response Worship Summit, October 31-November 2, 2019 at College View Church in Lincoln NE. Three days of rich worship experiences, captivating speakers, biblical preaching, and expert equipping. Pastors, worship leaders, and worshippers who long to get beyond the show and back to the substance, join us as this year we worship through the riches of inspiration, instruction, and experience within the Psalms. For more information and to register, visit www.responsesummit.org.

From Bible Gateway’s Weekly Brief

How to Lead in a World of Distraction: As a leader, how do you learn to tune-out distractions – busyness, the numbing nature of entertainment and social media, the urgency of ministry itself – without growing deaf to the inner desires and issues that you need to listen to? What are the common white noises in leadership and ministry that you use to mask your unpleasant emotions and ignore the desires deep inside of you? Bible Gateway interviewed Clay Scroggins about his book, How to Lead in a World of Distraction: Maximizing Your Influence by Turning Down the Noise. (Click here to read more.)

How Happiness Happens: What does it mean to have lasting happiness in an uncertain world filled with discord and turmoil, and that, for all its promises, delivers a fragile joy: here one day, tomorrow scattered by the winds of comparison, disappointment, or unmet expectations? What instruction does the Bible give for a person to be satisfyingly happy? In this Q&A, Max Lucado talks about his book, How Happiness Happens: Finding Lasting Joy in a World of Comparison, Disappointment, and Unmet Expectations. (Click here to read more.)

How Quiet Makes the World a Better Place: Rebekah Lyons, author of Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose, says, "Carving out space for quiet in your life helps you to better connect with the people in your life and become a closer friend to them...." (Click here to read more.)

Learn about and download the free award-winning Bible Gateway App by clicking here.

Check Out the entire Weekly Brief by clicking here. To subscribe to any one of their many email newsletters and Bible Studies, click here.

Church Positions

There are several positions we need to fill here at the church over the next few months. If you are interested in any of these, or have suggestions for someone to fill these, please contact Kalvin Tuel (e-mail or 402-201-6370) or Pastor T. (e-mail or 402-517-5333).

• Head Elder: The Head Elder works as the Pastor’s Associate here at church in providing for Spiritual leadership and direction. He/She also functions as the Chairman of the Church Board.
• Treasurer: The Treasurer manages the finances of our church. He/She maintains the financial records, pays our bills, and is instrumental in planning and maintaining our budget.
• Sabbath School Secretary: The Sabbath School Secretary orders and maintains the supply of Sabbath School lessons for all our Sabbath School Classes. They also collect the Sabbath School Offering each Sabbath morning from the classes.
• Junior Sabbath School Leader: The Junior Sabbath School Leader coordinates the teaching and activities of the Junior Sabbath School Class (Ages 10-12).
• Communications Director: The Communications Director coordinates and publishes the Golden News (email Newsletter), and develops other means of getting information to our members.

Life Line Screening

Life Line Screening, a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings will be at Golden Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church this Thursday, (Oct. 3). Ultrasound screenings to Identify risk factors for Cardiovascular disease include; Carotid Artery (plaque buildup-a leading cause of stroke), Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (an enlargement or weak area in the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body), Peripheral Arterial Disease (hardening of the arteries in the legs), a Heart Rhythm Screening (an EKG to detect Atrial Fibrillation-irregular heartbeat) and an Osteoporosis Risk Assessment for men and women. Being proactive about your health by knowing your risks helps you and your doctor address problems early. Register online TODAY by clicking here, calling toll-free 866-229-0469, or texting the word circle to 797979 to receive your Community Circle discount and your Preferred Appointment! For more information about the services provided, click here. To download a brochure you can print or share, click here.

Hayrack Ride

Come to Santa’s Woods (3764 State Hwy. 133, Blair, NE 68008) on October 12^th at 7:00 pm! The church will be having a bonfire and hay-rack ride. The hay-rack ride will be at 9 pm. S'mores, hot drinks, and condiments will be provided. Please bring your own hot dogs, buns, and skewers. Adults cost $9, kids ages 5-12 cost $6, and kids 5 and under are free. Please pay in cash to Hannah Eitel that night. If you want to come and just enjoy the fire and the fellowship without the ride, there is no charge. We hope to see you there!

Healthy for a Lifetime

Healthy for a Lifetime offers a powerful and positive message of hope to everyone who has seen family and friends affected by heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other conditions. There are few things more important than our health and while much time, effort, and money has been spend on ways to improve health over the past 50 years, obesity has nearly tripled, diabetes is up about 600%, and heart disease remains the leading killer.

Only whole food plant-based nutrition has been scientifically proven to actually reverse all these conditions without negative side effects, but this information has not been widely shared with the public. This is an opportunity to hear the evidence firsthand from the leading experts in a relaxed, fun, and non-medical atmosphere where all are welcome.

Healthy for a Lifetime will take place Saturday, October 19, 2019 starting at 9:00 am and concluding around 5:00 pm at the CHI Health Center in Omaha (455 N. 10^th St., Omaha, NE). The cost for the seminar is $49.50 per person ($39.50 for full-time students) and includes a buffet lunch, free parking, and a gift bag. Click here for a  printable information sheet. Click here to go to their website. Click here to register.  

Outreach/Community Service Opportunities

Help for Survivors of Current Natural Disasters: ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) works with other disaster relief agencies to assist survivors of the many current natural disasters. To find out how you can help, click here.

Used Stamps Needed! Your used stamps can help Christian Record Services for the Blind raise money. Just tear them off the envelope, being careful to include the entire stamp and bring them to church. Put them into the container provided out on the table and we will take care of getting them where they need to go.

Miscellaneous Information

On-Line Church Directory Information: Now you can sync our church directory directly to your Apple, Android, or Kindle Fire device with a Free App! You can search for other members – and then email, call, or text right from the directory app. It’s easy!

1. Go to your device’s App Store.(Click here for Apple products, click here for Android devices, or click here for Kindle Fire.
2. Search for Instant Church Directory.
3. Enter your email as it’s listed in our church directory.
4. Follow the directions on the screen to complete the login process.

Lippincott Family Updates: Check out the latest update from Lorilee and Bryon Lippincott about their family’s experiences serving God in Asia. To access a PDF copy of the most recent update, click here. To access a PDF copy that includes all we have received from 2019, click here; 2018, click here; 2017, click here; 2016, click here;  2013-2015, click here. To check out their website, click here. Don’t forget to check out Sharing Dots for Kids. To sign up for their e-mail newsletter, click here.

Free Estate Planning & Wills: Norm Zimmerman, Trust Director for the Kansas Nebraska Conference, is available by appointment to assist anyone who needs Estate Planning, Wills, etc. For more information contact Norm (402-617-2001).

On-Line Giving Available! Our church offers on-line giving through our website. If you would prefer to give electronically or if you are going to be away and want to stay up-to-date with your giving, click here. Adventist Giving now has an App you can download directly to your smart phone to make the process even easier. For an iPhone, click here. For Android phones, click here.

Our Church E-Mail Newsletter, Directly to Your Computer! If you would like to receive our weekly, e-mail newsletter, directly to your computer, click here and enter your information in the space provided in the lower right-hand portion of our church home page.

Adventist Screening Verification

Verified Volunteers has changed their name to Sterling Volunteers. The NAD has decided to select a parent name that can remain in their publications and website landing pages on a permanent basis. The name chosen for all our background screening and training needs is Adventist Screening Verification.

In cooperation with the Kansas Nebraska Conference, we are working with Adventist Screening Verification to provide background checks and on-line education for our church officers and everyone who works with our children. This helps ensure that we have some training to help us recognize and avoid situations that would put our children at risk. In addition to our elected Church Officers, everyone who works with Pathfinders and Adventurers, Children’s or Youth Sabbath School Classes, Children’s Church, and VBS must go through this training and submit to a background check (there is no cost to you or to our church). It will take about an hour of your time.

To go to the website where you begin this process, click here and then select First-Time Registrant and follow the instructions. For more information, contact Pastor T (402-517-5333).

Last Week’s Sermon

To download or print a PDF copy of last week’s sermon titled God Loves You! Yes, You!, click here.

Prayer Watch

There are several people and concerns that we are praying about, for more information about any of these or to request something to be added to our list, feel free to contact Pastor T. (402-517-5333)

• The Holy Spirit – to fill and guide our church
• Our Church Leaders (Pastor, Elders, Deacons, Board Members, Sabbath School Class Leaders, Pathfinder/Adventurer Leaders, Etc.)
• Donna & Gary Parker continue to have serious health. Donna is at Nebraska Med Center and Gary is at Hillcrest Heath and Rehab in Bellevue.
• Raul Calderon, Larry Carter, Ron Egger, Gary Jeffers, Michael McKinnie, Dusty Mayhew, Floyd Morrison, Darin Stotler, Irvin Surber, Christian Willey, Gary Wilson, & Thaddeus Woolsey (inmates Pastor T. is studying with)
• The Lippincott Family
• Kevin Klesh (Safety in his work as a Police Officer)
• Those dealing with Health Issues: Mary Jane Agan’s father, Al Bakerlis (Diane Harrington’s brother-in-law), Heather Boulais (UC Student), Tammy Burville (Amy Newman-Holub’s cousin), Tanya Callahan (Elizabeth Knutson’s sister), Brenda Carroll (Judy Carroll’s sister-in-law), Dennis Cushman, Emma (Mary Jane Agan’s granddaughter), Tammy Gagne, John Hiers, Irene (Mike Guy’s mother), Jane (Mary Jane Agan’s daughter-in-law), Janice (Elma’s friend), Dick & June Klein, Brett Knutson, Reagan Knutson, Ginger Kroeker, Paul Lostaglia, Dagny Martinsen, Steve Newton (and family), Melody Parker, Donna & Gary Parker, Sheila and her brother Paul, Dane Swensen, Donald & JoAnn Swensen (Les Swensen’s father and step mom), Charise Talley, Cindy & Bob Tice (Elizabeth Knutson’s parents).

Pastor’s Contact Information

• To contact Pastor T, leave him a message by clicking here.  

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