This issue starts off with another Abba Graphics cover. I particularly liked the nature themes. All of the "wood working" around the picture looks very 70's.
Ken Pagaard's cover article is about the absolute need for perseverance in the Christian life. I think that this is a truism for all time, but it was especially true during the days in community. Life in community was difficult -- sometimes great -- other times horrid. It was very easy to rationalize dropping out. We had a lot of drop outs during my seven years in community. Thankfully not all of the drop outs from community were drop outs from the Lord! I have to say that because there was a general feeling of those in community that to leave community was to leave the will of God. Of course that wasn't (isn't) true, but we had a lot of strong feelings in those days. The call was to hang in there.
Gary Bell starts an article on Christian Friendship. Actually the principles are good for any friendship, but he is really talking about friendship in a Christian setting; community. These principles were very important in maintaining community. Lack of trust, resentments, gossip will quickly destroy community.
McFoone discusses things with C.S. Lewis. He was a very important author in the life of our church and the community during the 70's.
Larry Clark reports on the ministry that he and his wife, Joyce, experienced in Edinboro, PA. He begins by relating an anecdote on the high level of expectancy among the people there.
Larry continues his discussion of how he and Joyce had been able to minister to the people there.
Joyce Clark was the pastor's secretary. She was the main person involved in typing OLT for years. In this article she discusses how she had to come to grips with her own selfishness in order to really love others.
As Joyce continues with her article she deals with the concept of loving another whether we are loved in return or not. The question of how we love one another was a very practical issue within community. We were not doing this in order to fulfill some kind of ideal; we really believed that this was what God wanted. Thus, God was the glue that held us together, but this was seen in the way we were able to love one another.
Clay writes a little article encouraging us to continue to pray for our nation and state. Of course we are always to pray for our government, but this seemed even more of a crucial practice during this bicentennial year.
Carolyn Cool provides us with another article on love; this really was more than a theological issue -- very practical. Carolyn later married Mike Secor. She and Mike are still in the local area. At the time I believe that she was a member of Oaklawn (later to become Bethel) household which was headed by George and Eleanor Burger.
I don't remember much about Harry Orgovan. I do remember playing golf with him a couple of times. I have no idea what ever became of him.
Harry's little article is followed by another prophecy. We usually didn't put a name on them because we wanted to accept them as words from the Lord and not from an individual.
Here I am really going to show my ignorance. I have no idea who "Yes" is. I assume that they were a popular Christian music group.
The following pages are more practical issues: in the family, money and Pastors week of renewal.
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