Numidia Mennonite Bible School - Reflector Yearbook (Numidia, PA)

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PRAYER LIFE What would we do without the avenue of prayer, that which is as necessary to spiritual life as breath is to physical life, that which connects the unlimited power of heaven to our helplessness? As with all of God's provisions, we need to meet the conditions. Faith that God is able to meet all our needs is necessary. We must pray according to the will of God and have a forgiving spirit toward our fellow man. Also Psalm 66:18 tells us, '6If I re- gard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. We need to come to Jesus humbly submitting to His will, confessing our sins and turning from them, and He will freely forgive and shower His blessings upon us. Satan, the enemy of our souls, is sure to try and hinder our prayers. He comes in many ways, such as the cares of this life, sleepiness during prayer, self sufficient at- titude, etc. But we know that as we walk by faith and obey the Word of God, our prayers will be heard and answered. Let us make use of this privilege at all times. -ELLIS KROPF L,l..i.1-- STEWARDSHIP The dictionary defines a steward as a keeper or person in charge. Often the first idea that comes to our minds when we think of stewardship is money and tithing. It also means our time, talents, health, body and mind possessions, and most of all, the Gospel. In Old Testament times God's people were required to give one-tenth of all their goods to the Levites, and in turn, the Levites gave one-tenth of their possessions to the Lord through a sacritice. It is not a com- mand in the New Testament that we give one-tenth of our goods today, but as God continually gives us many rich blessings, we, as Christian stewards, should want to give Him a tenth and more so that His name might be glorified in us. I Corinthians 4:1 and 2 says, Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. More- over it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. Our main goal in being a Christian steward should be as I Corinthians 10:31 states, Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. -CAROL SHANK SONG LEADERSHIP Serve the Lord with gladnessg come be- fore h1s presence with singing' Psalm 10032, It is UUIY 3 b16SSir1g to be able to f h' the Lord through singing. Singing ijgrielg 1mP0ft21Ht part of church services. It pre- PHTCS the Congregation for the remainder of the service. We were taught, by our enthusiastic teach- Sr, the basic time patterns, the difference between hymns and gospel songs, and what type of song to choose for different occa- sions. As ten students met in Room 2, we took turns leading songs in class while the rest of us watched for mistakes and gave us their constructive criticisms. I believe all of us feel that this course has been a benefit to us in the area of choosing and leading songs. -CLAIR HURSH INTRODUCTION TO CHILD STUDY aMother,,' questioned four-year old Susan, sitting on a chair holding a lunch box, do you think Doris and Donald are off the bus? Do you think they are at school yet'?'l Mother glanced at the clock, UI think so, Susan. Susan hopped off the chair, placed the lunch box on the shelf and picked up a book pretending to read. Imagination is a real part of a child's play. A proper development of imagination and thought patterns in childhood will lead to more constructive creativity in adulthood. Children are discoverers. They learn much by asking questions and observing others. Parents are responsible to provide the proper environment and training to help them de- velop emotionally, physically and spiritually. All children need proper discipline to pro- duce a secure, happy child, one who will blossom into the way of righteousness. In Psalm l27:3 we notice that children are an heritage of the Lord. Jacob recog- nized children as a gift of God's graciousness. God has instituted the home to evangelize the world. As future parents, we need to set our ideals high so that these Hjewelsf' that God may entrust to our care may some day enter into heaven to praise Him eternally. -RUTH KREIDER 32

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VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN SECTION rrr CHURCH HISTORY and MrssroNs HISTORY OF GOD'S PEOPLE In our study of Mennonite history using the book, Menrzonites in Europe, we found God calling a people separated unto Him- self in times past, even in the same way He is today. It was not long after the church began that decay set in. This was seen in part when the Roman Emperor, Constantine, made Christianity the state religion. This only brought further decay and ushered in the period called the Dark Ages. However, there were several groups which protested the corruption in the church: the Montanists, the Donatists and the Novationists. Later another group stepped out, and in spite of much persecution, a sound movement was established, known as the Waldenses. A sign of awakening took place in the church in the early 1500's when Zwingli and Luther attempted to establish biblical church- es. These soon reverted back again to the state church. However, there were still those with courage to stand for the truth. Men like Grebel, Manz, Blaurock, Sattler and Menno Simons lived and died for the truth and the purity of the faith. These held to the Word of God and endured great per- secution for their faith. The challenge for us today is to live by the same faith of our fathers, that we may come through the tests and trials of our day victorious even as they. -DUANE MILLER CHURCH EXTENSION Isaiah 54:2. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakesf' Often when we think of missions, we think of a place away from home. We found this is only a part of mission work. Mission work goes into many different areas. In Acts I :8, we find they started first at home then went into the uttermost parts of the earth. Each church should be a mission, and each person has his or her responsibility to fill. Four basic responsibilities or missions of the Church were brought out. The church is to reproduce herself, to bring honor to God, to make the gospel known, and to be the salt of the earth and a light to the world. We discussed several different areas of mission work: Christian day schools, giving out literature, personal work and many others. We cannot pay another person to witness for us. We need to be responsible ourselves if it is going to be effective. -LINDA WADEL T he Lord Is My Shepherd. SECTION IV - PRACTICAL STUDIES LIVING Even in this wicked world in which we live, it is possible to live a victorious Chris- tian life. This is a fact we have to keep be- fore us constantly. When Peter was walk- ing on the water toward Christ, he began to sink when his faith wavered. It is the same with us today. If we begin to doubt, we will sink in defeat. We studied how God has made victory possible, by paying the way for us, in that he has defeated our spiritual enemies, and now arms us for spiritual battle. The lessons following these dealt primarily 31 with man making victory actual. We need to renounce sin and have a singular loyalty to Christ. Spiritual strength is the product of the Christian availing himself of the provi- sions God supplies, and then applying him- self. .Many examples in God's Word are beneficial to us. David was able to defeat Goliath with God's help, even though Goliath seemed to be much stronger than he. . I am again challenged as I see the neces- SIIY of .placing my 'complete trust and confi- dence in God. Victory can be ours as we give our lives over to His control without reservation. -JAMES SENSENIG WI prayf life 2 COIIIII ollf I AS to IU' able I must have mall- gafdl heart subml and U forgir' San fry an many sleepir titude. by fai prayer Let times. The keeper idea th of stew means mind Gospel In I were rg 200ds! Sale o Lord rj' Hland i ODE-leg C0nrinu 55 Chri Him mighr I 3 -0 HC found SIIOUI Ilhah

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CHRISTIAN WRITING Famine! Food shortage! Headlines such as these would not fail to attract our at- tention and sympathy. There exists a spir- itual famine of Christian literature in our midst, yet few are willing to write. Many.1n- dividuals passively excuse themselves, claim- ing a lack of ability and time to write. They forget that Christian writing consists of ,IZ inspiration and 99076 perspiration. Writers learn to write by writing. Writing is simply speaking to the reader with your pen. To gain and sustain the read- er's interest, a problem or conflict should be posed and finally solved satisfactorily. Also a theme must be established and a goal in mind, as you gradually construct clear, con- cise words, sentences, and paragraphs. A conclusion which briefly sums up the prob- lem and its solution will finish your article or story. The Christian's purpose in writing is to answer the existing needs with a presentation of scriptural truth. The Christian writer's life must harmonize with what he writes, because we soon reflect what we are in our writing. Finally the Christian writer is rewarded, not by seeing his name in print, but in seeing needy souls helped and the church strength- ened by his usefulness. He seeks no mon- etary rewards for his usefulness, but only the final rewarding, Well done thou good and faithful servant . . . -ELVIN GRAYBILL, JR. YOUTH PROBLEMS It is evident that most of the young peo- ple we see today are not taking life very seriously. God has made man for a purpose and therefore we know life may not be taken lightly. Man was made different than any other creature. We have an eternal exist- ence. This makes our life on earth a very serious one. Next, we considered our place in God's first institution, the family. Responsibility comes in here, not only to our parents but the great responsibility to God when we reach the age of accountability. We dis- cussed different areas of responsibility, such as emotional, spiritual, inter-personal and child to parent. 33 This brought us to finding God's will for our lives, first, in Choosing a vocationl' and then, in Choosing a Life Companion. Our greatest decisions in life are made at this age. Therefore, we need to seek mature coun- sel and spend much time in prayer. Courtship is a very important time and needs much serious consideration. Love needs careful guarding and restraint to avoid de- stroying itself. We spent some time on the engagement period. I think a verse in Proverbs sums this study up real well: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Prov- erbs 3:5, 6. -JUDY AMENDT METHODS OF BIBLE STUDY Study? I don't like to study! I don't have time to study! This is a common expression among those unaware of the riches of study- I ing. The devoted Bible student will find a cleansing and unerring guide as he opens the door to the most unused best seller. The God-inspired standard for our lives will pro- duce an atmosphere of prayer as we turn an obedient heart to God. The soul nourishing study will instill in us a dependence on the Holy Spirit as we take our weapon to fight our enemies. Studying as a mere duty and then ap- plying the truths to others will lessen the de- votedness of the heart, obstructing the illum- inating power of the Word. Interpreting the Bible is an achievement that, when the right tools are used, will dis- ccllose a marvelous plan, which cannot be un- luerstood by the .natural man. Taking the iteral and figurative meaning in context with the rest of the Bible will unveil the symbolic messages of the Gospel. Studying the Bible by books chapters or words will instill practical knowledge of God's will for man. Following a topic, using the law of first reference will deepen the faith of an lover of the trutli and will increase appreciation for the Bible. As we apply the knowledge of the Bible personally and in a practical way, it will enable us to fight today's battle victoriously. -ETHAN WEAVER Pl HGO recvnci we aff how Ca for G0 dedicali obeyiHE also HC' and 21 ' develQP versatl0 share 0 with OU ties, CX meet aS we H1115 answer daily f0 OPPOIUF lieth WI' but hav only by RI I will live: I wil my being This cl which we of music. the kev S1 5 US how n measure 3 gem 3 bei and the d. CVCI l0ne Y beating tin C0l'I1m0n u Would bg I anything xg There g Thffw-nu arid Our W gel' Sing U Grit 113 god 'llmizl Ou hingx,