The 2006 Christmas Card Quiz

1.) After 7 years in NE Ohio, where are the Fortunes moving in January 2007?
A. Mom's House
B. Ronald McDonald's House
C. Disney World
D. Toledo, Ohio

2.) Who is the most happy about this move?
A. Mike's church in Toledo
B. Grandparents
C. Ronald McDonald
D. Both A and B

3.) Who is the most unhappy about this move?
A. Mike's Canton church
B. Mike's Wooster church
C. All our NE Ohio friends
D. All of the above

4.) In first grade at Mayfair Christian School, what instrument is Joshua learning how to play?
A. Kazoo
B. Spoons
C. Bells
D. Digardoo

5.) Which additional "Enrichment Classes" did Lydia sign up for at her Christian pre-school?
A. Ice cream
B. Christmas
C. Nails galore
D. All of the above

6.) Barkley will chase:
A. Frisbees
B. Squirrels
C. Dreams
D. Both A and B

7.) At bedtime, Joshua and Lydia pray for:
A. Golu and Solome, their "adopted" brother and sister from Compassion International in India
B. The devastating effects of insect repellant on Ohio's mosquito population
C. Jesus to come soon
D. Both A and C

8.) What type of nursing has Jackie been doing this year?
A. Pediatric home health care
B. Geriatric home health care
C. Elementary school care
D. Both A and C

9.) Now that Barkley is fully grown, he weighs in at a whopping:
A. 40 lbs
B. 30 lbs
C. 20 lbs
D. 6 lbs

10.) Which never happened?
A. Joshua lost one of the lenses from his glasses at the beach
B. Joshua's other front tooth finally came in
C. Joshua only ate 1 piece of Halloween candy
D. Joshua learned how to read

11.) Finish this actual post disciplinary response from daddy to Joshua or Lydia: "I love you when you're good. I love you when you're bad. I love you when you're happy. I love you when you're sad. There's nothing you can do, to make me love you more. There's nothing you can do, to make me love you less. But there's still...
A. ...dessert
B. ...cartoons
C. ...homework
D. ...consequences

12.) What didn't Mike's churches give away last year?
A. Kindness 2 Go bags
B. Flowers 2 Go bunches
C. Fresh squeezed lemonade
D. Guilt trips

13.) Which movie would win an Oscar if Joshua was the only one deciding its worthiness?
A. Cars
B. The Shaggy Dog
C. Barbie: The Nutcracker
D. Either A or B

14.) Joshua and Lydia are "unplugged" Monday thru Friday. What does that mean?
A. It means a thunderstorm is coming
B. It means they can play inside or outside after school with friends but cannot watch TV or play video games
C. It means they're playing bells on MTV
D. It means they're hyper

15.) Joshua's favorite band is:
A. The Cleveland Philharmonic
B. The Tibetan Chanting Monks
C. The Canadian Brass
D. Toby Mac

16.) Lydia would probably die without:
A. Pizza
B. Chocolate Milk
C. Mac-n-Cheese
D. All of the above

17.) Joshua would live, but not happily, without:
A. Tofutti Cutie ice cream sandwiches
B. Apple pie
C. Life cereal
D. All of the above

18.) Joshua loves:
A. Gymnastics
B. Remote controlled cars
C. Playing Lego with daddy
D. All of the above

19.) Lydia's loves:
A. Barbie
B. School
C. Tap dancing
D. All of the above

20.) Some of Lydia's favorite songs are:
A. Days of Elijah by Donnie McClurkin
B. We've Got Elegance from the Hello Dolly Soundtrack
C. Jingle Bells
D. All of the above

21.) Mike's favorite books include:
A. Knowing God In The Real World by Jon Paulien
B. a.k.a. Lost by Jim Henderson
C. Epic by John Eldredge
D. All of the above

Answers: 1D; 2D; 3D; 4C; 5D; 6D; 7D; 8D; 9D; 10C; 11D; 12D; 13D; 14B; 15D; 16D; 17D; 18D; 19D; 20D; 21D

>17 Very Fortunate—YOU are en fuego!
>11 Fortunate—We should call you butter cause you're on a roll!
>7 Unfortunate—Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades
>3 A misfortune—Not the sharpest knife in the drawer

If you got less than 7 questions correct, you may need to update your address books and keep in better touch!

Mike and Jackie Fortune
3945 Turnbrook Drive
Toledo, Ohio 43623

(330) 353-3002 Mike' cell
(330) 353-3004 Jackie's cell

mike4tune@gmail.com Mike’s email
jackie4tune@gmail.com Jackie’s email

mike4tune.blogspot.com Mike’s blog
myspace.com/mike4tune Mike’s website
myspace.com/jackie4tune Jackie’s website

You Choose! Which Sermon Series You Wanna Hear?

The following are potential sermon series bakin' in the oven. Which one YOU wanna hear first?


E³ = JC²
Three Elijahs
One Message

Christ's 2nd Coming

Wonder
Women
of the
Bible

Raising Adventist Bois-n-Gurlz in the 21st Century

Newsflash: Motley Crue Loves Jesus

Byline: Wooster, Ohio

Saturday night, November 18

Tomomy Lee, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, and Vince Neil weren't there. But Wanda, Betty #1, Rambo [aka Patrick], Dave and three of his gayest "man hugger" friends were. Along with about 25 other folks.

They all came out in force. Just like Tuesdays for Soup and Sandwiches. But this time, the tables were arranged with special cloths and candles.

But before they all stomped downstairs for a never ending meal of real Turkey and green bean casseroles, mashed potatoes, and the works followed by 8 feet of pies jammed end to end and the "Untalent Show" entertainment that followed, they were all seated in the sanctuary upstairs listening to the teens explaining the significance of Thanksgiving.

After the teens finished, the food wasn't quite ready. But instead of grumbling, this motley crue started shouting out songs to sing! "Jesus Loves Me!" shouted Rambo. "In the Garden" shouted Wanda. "Trust and Obey" shouted Betty #1.

So I played hymn after hymn on the piano listening to 30 of the most unchurched and unlikely people singing their lungs out to some of the songs they remember most. Which reminded me. Jesus loves Motley Crue. Which I knew. But what I learned was our Motley Crue also loves Jesus! Which was a pleasant surprise. Betty #1 and Wanda are now regulars at midweek on Wednesdays. But even if they weren't, I couldn't be prouder of my little church. Especially on a night when the crue outnumbered the members present.

My Fave Homer Simpson Quote

Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand.

Zero Weddings and a Funeral

Some say they have read in the Adventist Review and elsewhere that the majority of Seventh-day Adventists are under 30 years of age. Keep in mind that those statements are about the worldwide membership. The source of that worldwide information is a survey of youth leaders, not direct research with church members. When it comes to North America, Europe and Australia, the evidence tells us another story. If you want to see the details of data on this subject, the Center for Creative Ministry has published two books with data from multiple surveys: Chapter 3 in Adventist Congregations Today and Chapter 2 in Trends, Attitudes and Opinions in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America. You can order either or both of these at the resource store at http://www.creativeministry.org/ or by dialing (800) 272-4664.

To refresh your memory [since many in preliminary Alzheimers may need it by now], the opening statement of the original article said, "The median age for the Seventh-day Adventist community in North America, including the unbaptized children in church families, is 58. The median age for the general public is 36 in the U.S. and 37 in Canada. Among native-born White and Black members the median age is even higher."

On a more personal note, to be fair, I have done 2 weddings and 3 funerals recently. And have crashed 1 birthday party for Kumar. See his riveting post "Musings from Yesterday" if you haven't already forgotten why you don't care.

Never Without An Intercessor

BOOK REVIEW: NEVER WITHOUT AN INTERCESSOR
Never Without An Intercessor: The Good News About the Judgement by Morris Vendon. Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1996. Available at www.adventistbookcenter.com

The title caught my attention right away. It was taken from a statement in The Great Controversy p. 614. Heres that statement. "When He [Christ] leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed."

What is this statement talking about? Vendon, on page 67 says, "It's talking about the intercession, the intervention that God has manifested to keep this world from falling apart. That comes to an end." Significantly, it is not talking about a point in time when the righteous must stand alone without Jesus perfect righteousness covering theirs. How do we know?

The context of the paragraph itself prevents such an interpretation. If we were to keep reading The Great Controversy p. 614, Ellen White actually identifies who this lack of intervention effects. "Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent...The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation...Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked one."

So when Jesus releases the four winds (Revelation 7:1) and all hell breaks loose, it may be a scary time even for Christians. But we need not be overwhelmed. For Hebrews 7:25 says Jesus is able to save "them that come unto God by Him" because He "ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). "Ever liveth" means long after the beginning of the end of the world! Romans 8:38-39 says nothing can separate us from Jesus. He is "With us always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

For fearful Adventists, intimidated by misunderstandings of judgement and times of trouble, Vendon reminds us why Revelation 14:7 is indeed very good news.