Benevolence ministry has been busy this holiday season. When the holidays come, so rise the needs. There is no better way to celebrate what this season is truly about than serving the One it is truly about. In November Wendy Webb, the Director of F.O.R.- Food Bank, let COC know they were in need of 600 turkeys for families in need. In three weeks COC raised the money necessary for the purchase of all the turkeys. Many families were blessed by the generosity of our church family. The needs have never been more critical, given the difficult economic times facing our community, state and nation. Maricopa is not exempt from this, and rather, was one of the most hard hit areas in our country. This turkey drive helps meet the strong need Maricopa's Food Bank is facing. An incredible group of people from COC jumped in to help pass out over 215 turkeys and food boxes on Turkey Tuesday. COC's volunteers jumped in F.O.R.'s refrigerated truck, passed out turkeys and food boxes, and walked each person to their vehicle safely, sending them on their way to better holidays.

This season has been very busy with acts of generosity. One member of our congregation mentioned that she had once been helped financially when she was struggling and she wanted to give back at this time. We had a need of a single mother with two children who was struggling and could not afford to buy food and gifts for her children. With this information, this member of our church provided the family with a wonderful meal for Christmas meal and food to follow the holidays. This generous person, alongside the Church, provided the family with Christmas gifts. On another occasion, our C-City kids provided about 100 presents for very ill children at the Phoenix Children's hospital, via "Kate's Crazy Cool Christmas Project." We have so many wonderful people who are a part of our church following Jesus' example of generosity!

-Christi and Kenny Buckland

Rant about "Good"

I had a professor in college who taught Philosophy at both the University of Chicago and at Harvard for 13 years. My favorite discussion in the class involved the topic of Evil.

Now to give you a little background, Dr. Obrien was raised by a father who was a Congregational Pastor. That of course included all the cooky horror film "bells and whistles" as you can imagine. He is not a believer now. He actually lectured regularly at a Universalist Church in Chicago for 3 years before moving to Connecticut to finish his Doctorate work and teach.

Fast forward to our first week in class. We all had to choose in the very beginning which camp we decided to debate throughout the semester. It was his contention that we would all end up in the "Determinism" camp. (Basically ... in the beginning Science ... The belief that Chemistry and Biology and the chaos that perpetuates them reveals and determines all things.) Doc called himself a "soft determist" which was a nice naturalist ultimately ... if there can be such a thing.

I landed in the camp that was thrown out at the very beginning which was the only credible ying to his yang ... Predeterminism. (Basically ... in the beginning ... God ... The belief that all events have been set in motion and planned by a "higher power") You can imagine the argument that ensued as result of him saying that Predeterminism was essentially where only the week-minded and mentally challenged hung out and passed the bong. Yeah, I said it ... bong. And not the Billa ...

Anyway, Doc set out this challenge to everyone in the class.

To give you a little foresight, a few of us were able to share Christ with our entire class the last day of class and even went old school by handing out Gospel Tracts to everyone that attended. It was an amazing act of God.

ANYWAY ... The challenge was ...

If God is All-Powerful (Omniscient) He can do anything ...
If God is All-Knowing (Omnipotent) He knows everything ...
If God is All-Good (Omnibenevolent) He is Good all the time

Then "created things" meaning; us, dirt, and the stars ... cannot contain "Evil". Evil is defined as Natural Evil (Tsunami's) Moral Evil (Ft. Hood massacre) and Unbelief. Because we, and "it" apparently does contain evil as defined, God cannot exist ... or at least the God that I worship.


I thought long and hard through this argument that we spent over a two months 3 days a week debating. I read books, arguments, philosophers from every recorded century. Everyone seemed to have something to say about this.


Here's the real question ... what can any of us really know about God outside of what has been revealed to us through Scripture. I mean, this is the same God that Job spoke with on this very subject. It's the same God who's ways are not our ways according to Paul. I mean do any of us really know what we're dealing with when it comes to God? Outside of what we know? We know what we know for now ... right? I love what Moses said in Deuteronomy 29:29: "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever..."

Here's another thing ... when we're debating about terms such as Evil and Good, don't we have to debate them as they have been originally defined? I mean, where were these words and all that's incorporated in them brought about? Isn't it God who defined these terms as we know them? The whole concept of Good and Evil at least in this debate have been taken from the Biblical, Scriptural sense haven't they?

Here's my thoughts and ultimately my conclusion ...

God is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-knowing and Good.

And yes, evil does exist... moral and natural.

How can that be explained? Does God have to be either Evil or non-existent? No


The explanation comes with your definition of the word "Good"


Here's my point. Could it be that "Good" includes all that has been incorporated into all that God has willed ... Creation ... Mankind ... Fall/Salvation ... Eternity past and Forward?

I think the issue is that people are very uncomfortable with God. God is very uncomfortable. The idea that our lives are out of our control is very uncomfortable. The idea that God who created us will hold us accountable is very uncomfortable. The idea that some of us spend eternity in a terrible place of judgment for not believing is very uncomfortable. The reality is that God has made all and willed all and ultimately this is His story. The bad and the ugly are apparently GOOD to God.

God is the author of GOOD, not Kant ... not O'brien, not even you or I.

Video from Matt

Video from Matt

A Rant about Suffering

Is it possible that God uses the suffering and pain in our lives to communicate to us? Is it possible that God uses pain and suffering to keep those whom He loves close to Him?

Some wonderful people come to mind ... Jim and Stacy Roden. Josh and Ginger Barrett. Aaron and Holly Mcrae. Chris Simning. Gene and Karen Entz.

It is an interesting paradox that those that God has called daughters and sons have been guaranteed to live a life of suffering and persecution. Paul made the claim that those who choose to live a Godly life would suffer persecution. Jesus stated at the end of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 that we would be persecuted because of our affiliation with Him. James also said that we are to count it as Joy to encounter these "trials" in order that our Faith may be made complete. In another place he proclaims it to be a blessing to be counted worthy of the sufferings of Christ ... to join Him in His suffering!?!?!

In view of this I'm reminded that it was the Son of God Jesus Christ, the exact representation of God's glory, the one through whom all things are created and sustained, that planned without a 401k, that worked without a benefits program, that lived without a home to lay His head, that preached without a pulpit to call His own, that suffered without an immediate sense of recognition, that gave everything after only receiving so little in return. It is Jesus that, though being God, did not demand and cling to His rights as God. It was He who made Himself nothing taking the humble position of a slave in human form and even going as far as dying a criminals death on a cross ...

I don't know what any of this means except to say, in all my struggles, and in all the pain and suffering that I've experienced, I've seen God. I've touched Him. He has ministered to me there. Although it hurts I see God's Grace abound more and more. I have become more sensitive to my need of God in difficult times. In fact, I don't think I can recall a single thing that has any significance whatsoever in my life that didn't have suffering attached to it. Can you?

Therefore, I relinquish my desire to complain, grow tired, be apathetic, get lazy, and feel alone. I'll stand with Jesus, who's King over all, to joy and to suffer as He does and has done for me. I am child of God! A son of the Most high! A steward of His mysteries! A man after His heart.

Let's choose to cling tightly and in turn rest in knowing that HE is pleased with our faith and our resilience. It is God that gives and takes away. In the end, isn't it all HIS anyway?