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Are we glorifying our heavenly father?

John 3:16 says that He (God) gave His only begotten Son; and Psalm 2:7 says, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” God has existed as three persons from eternity past. Before creation, God the Son was happy and content in His role as the eternal Son of God. In John 17:5, Jesus prayed to the Father, asking Him to glorify the Son with the glory He had before the creation of the world. Jesus seems to be referring to the glory He had before Satan and the angels fell into sin. It would have been a time when God’s glory was untarnished and unaffected by the evil, wickedness, and ...

Local camp re-accredited by ACA

MIFFLINBURG — The American Camp Association (ACA) has announced that Camp Mount Luther has received ACA Accredited Camp Status following their site visit this summer. The Keystone Regional Local Council of Leaders of ACA voted to re-accredit the camp last fall. “ACA accreditation means that Camp Mount Luther submitted to a thorough review of its operation from staff qualifications and training to emergency management — and complied with the highest standards in the industry,” said Nancy Hartmann, ACA National Standards Commission. “Parents expect their children to attend ...

For Indonesia’s transgender community, faith can be a source of discrimination

The conversation Shinta Ratri, an Indonesian transgender woman, taught transgender people at the Al-Fatah Islamic boarding school she helped found in 2008 that God didn’t care if you were gay or transgender because sincere prayer will be accepted. Located in Yogyakarta, in southern Java, the school provided a safe space in a country where faith and transgender identities are often seen to be incompatible. Even though Indonesia transitioned to a secular democracy in 1998, all adults have to carry an identity card that clearly states their religion. Indonesia is a signatory to the ...

Religion Briefs

Editor’s note: To submit a nonprofit announcement to The Sentinel’s Religion section, contact Tom Laub at (717) 248-6741 or by email at living@lewistownsentinel.com. Items also may be faxed to (717) 248-3481 or sent to The Sentinel, 352 Sixth St., Lewistown, PA 17044. Items must be received by Tuesday for publication in the Saturday edition. Submissions will be published as space allows. The editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. ••• UMC to host Bible study LEWISTOWN — First Bakers United Methodist Church will host a Bible study every Wednesday at 7 p.m. ...

Deity decorating a calling for Hindu temple artist

CHENNAI, India (AP) — The former computer professional — now a very specialized type of artist — locked his gaze on the deity before him. On a recent afternoon, 33-year-old S. Goutham was perched on a ladder at the altar of the goddess Durga at the Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Chennai, India. Goutham — his hand moving steadily — was pleating a green silk sari to adorn the deity. “You cannot get tense when you are doing this work,” he says. “You can’t do this if you are not patient. You need to become one with her.” A computer science graduate, Goutham quit ...

God’s cure for disappointment within reach if we just try

I have spent 32 years in the pastorate and I have discovered some principles. The first is that the ability to apply a message is not in the genes. In other words, just because one becomes a Christian does not mean that you can automatically apply the truth of scripture. Scripture is taught to us by the Spirit not via human wisdom. Secondly, I have come to realize that there is a problem in every pew. Every Christian is struggling with some sort of problem, whether it is emotional, marital, financial, mental, psychological, physical, recreational, or inter-relational. Many years ago ...