Omelets Both EASY and Beautiful

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When I woke up this morning, I noticed my daughter was attempting to cook eggs. What at first looked like an omelet, soon looked like scrambled eggs. Once she was finished, I asked her what she was cooking. She told me she was trying to cook an omelet, but messed up as she had, alas, many times before. It all happened in the flipping over of the omelet. So, I asked, "Haven't I ever taught you how to cook an omelet the easy way?" After a little conversation, we figured that I hadn't. So, for all of you who would like to make a beautiful omelet...every time, here's some help.

Ingredients: 2 to 3 eggs, canola or olive oil, salt, pepper, cheese, onions, bell peppers, ham or sausage or bacon, any other ingredient you like.

Utensils: fork or whisk, spatula, bowl or cup, non-stick frying pan, extra plate, oven with broiler, and stove

1. Pre-heat the stove eye to medium high and pour some canola or olive oil in it into a non-stick pan

2. Once hot, cook all meat and vegetables in pan until vegetables are translucent and met is cooked.

3. While waiting, go ahead and crack 2 to 3 fresh eggs into a cup or bowl and scramble them with a fork until they are frothy.

4. Remove all ingredients from pan once cooked and place on a plate for later.

5. While pan is still hot, pour some more oil of your choice into the pan. Wait a moment to heat.

6. Pour whisked eggs into the frying pan.

7. Immediately place other ingredients, except for the cheese, on top of the now cooking eggs.

8. Turn oven broiler on high.

9. Sprinkle as much cheese as you'd like (or as much as you have, as the case may be) on top of the ingredients.

10. Now, here's the trick...Pull the pan off the stove and place under the broiler until the cheese melts. This should only take a minute or two depending on the heat of your broiler.

SAFETY TIP: Make sure you leave the handle of the pan sticking out the oven or your hand could be instantly blistered.

11. Once the cheese has melted, remove the pan from the oven. Slide a spatula under the omelet. and slide it onto an awaiting plate. At this point, it will still be open.

12. If you have placed your ingredients in the center of the omelet, you can easily use your fingers and fold over the sides in thirds over the ingredients. If you have placed all your filling on one side, then you can simply fold one half over the filling and, voila, you're done.

Finally, If you would like, you can put more cheese on top of the folded omelet and place it once again under the broiler to melt more cheese, but that's up to you. In addition, you can also dollop sour cream and salsa, or any other savory topping to make your omelette just like you want it. Your only limit is you own imagination. ENJOY!!

Thanks to our Jews for Jesus missionary, Mitch, who taught my son, Ben, and me how simple making an omelet can be.

Trey Rhodes

Memory Work; You're Doing It!

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Today and last night at Oceanside Church were really special. There was an excitement and a spirit that was contagious. We are going to become those families that impact and begin to change our families that will influence our culture.

Here's what happened: many took the challenge to begin memorize the 26 ABC verses. Two have already memorized them all. Many Oceanside Church families have taken up the gauntlet and have begun to put these important verses in their hearts. Good job to everyone. This is a great way you can move forward and begin to place His word in your heart. The next step is applying God's Word to your life everyday. it works...every time if you'll work it.

If you haven't started memorizing yet and would like to, the verses are on my last blog found here. just cut and paste them to your word processor and print them out for yourself. It's it e we get started making a change to our culture. Let's begin today with you. Let's be those people that believe the Word, know the Word, and live the Word.

Proud as I can be,

Pastor Trey Rhodes

 

26 Simple Memory Verses to Build your Family

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When I first came to know Christ, about the only bible verse I had memorized was, "Jesus wept." While every verse of Scripture is important and I have many important messages that used this verse describing the compassion and humanity of Jesus, this should not have been the only verse I knew in my heart. Soon after i was saved, I had memorized the entire Romans Road, chapters of the Bible like: Psalm 23, Pslam 100, 1 Thessalonians 1, Colossians 3, as well as many other important verses. I must tell you, I worked hard for those verses.

However, I wish someone had started me with some simple verses that covered most of what I need to know as a Christian. Things like sin, salvation, dying to self, thankfulness, love for God, prayer, importance of words, kindness, obedience, love for others, and the like. Well, do I have a treat for you.

I found these verses in Wolgemuth's book on family.
Here's his mother teaching his children these 26 verses

Here are 26 simple verses that you and your children, grandchildren or other children in your life. The good news is, you can probably come close to memorizing these in a few hours in one week. Most are a single line and simple enough for a child to understand, but deep enough to impact your life. Finally, here's a protip, for ya': to have the most impact, be sure you memorize the references as well.

Here's some kinds reciting their Bible verses. While not the same as we have listed, the sentiment is the same. Is it any wonder that the Jesus tells us we must become like a child to be included in the Kingdom?
Matthew 18:3

Here are these golden 26 verses:

ABC Memory Verses

A All we like sheep have gone astray. Isaiah 53:6

B Be kind one to another. Ephesians 4:32

C Children obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do. Ephesians 6:1

D Don’t fret or worry; it only leads to harm. Psalm 37:8

E Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

F “Follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

G God is love. 1 John 4:16

H He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

I “I am the bread of life.” John 6:35

J Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.” Matthew 19:14

K Kind words are like honey, enjoyable and healthful. Proverbs 16:24

L Love one another. John 13;34

M “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27

N Now is the time to come to Jesus. 2 Corinthians 6:2

O Obey God because you are His children. 1 Peter 1:14

P Pray about everything. Philippians 4:6

Q Quick Lord, answer me, for I have prayed. Psalm 141:1

R Remember your Creator now, while you are young. Ecclesiastes 12:1

S Sing a new song to the Lord. Psalm 98:1

T Thank God for Jesus. His gift too wonderful for words. 2 Corinthians 9:15

U Underneath are God’s everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

V Visit the orphans and widows. James 1:27

W We love because God first loved us. 1 John 4:19

X Except a kernel of wheat fall into the ground and die, it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24

Y You must be born again. John 3:7

Z “Zacchaeus, you come down; for I’m going to your house today.” Luke 19:5

There you go...26 verses you can memorize and use for the rest of your life.

Hiding God's Word in My heart,

Pastor Trey Rhodes

Building a Family

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To win the battle for your family, it will take some boot camp training. It doesn't just happen. So let's get some basic training.

1. Attend church together. This seems like a given, but many have chosen to make church an option. It is something that we do when there's nothing else going on or when no one has come in for the weekend. It is true that church attendance doesn't make you a Christian, nor cause you to lose you your reservation if you don't attend faithfully, but, how can you expect to grow when you don't deal with this most basic of requirements of the faith. Don't be like the heathen who want to avoid church, come together often to encourage one another.

2. God Talk. When you're at home, make the Lord the center of all you say. Bring Him up in everyday conversation. Fill your home with godly music. Make the conversation about Jesus. Even discuss how He worked on your behalf that day. He always does. Whatever you say or do, do it for the glory of God.

3. Everyone needs a Bible. A well used Bible makes for a good family. Make sure that everyone in your household has an easily understood one. I recommend the HCSB or Holman Christian Standard Bible. Don't wait until they're in third grade or get a little older, now is the time. The Bible gives us the heart of God, so if we are to know his will for us as a family, we must all have Bibles and have access to being able to read them.

4. Memorize important verses together. Reading the Bible is a great place to start, but we can go deeper through memorization. As a family, we should take the word of God and engraft it into our hearts. We call that memorization. There's nothing better that you can do for your family than have them all memorize Scripture together. For you, I put together 26 verses that are important and easy to remember for all your family. You can do it in a week or two. These verses can make a huge difference in the God talk in your family whether you're around the table, in the living room. or any time you're with one another. So, make a commitment this week to memorize scripture together. My next blog will have the 26 verses that go with the ABCs to help you memorize easily some important verses that will impact you for the rest of your life.

5. Pray before every meal, everywhere. I don't think we realize the impact we can make when we are around our table or out in public and pray with our family. They realize the importance our God is to us when we pray around the table.

6. Say, "God willing." No matter what we do or what we say we're going to do, we need to end our words with God willing. Too often we make promises that we're not able to keep. When we say God willing, it means that if God wants us to do it, we will do it. The book of James even talks about the importance of saying we're going to take a trip if God is willing. Make sure that you end your statements with what you're planning to do in the will of God. It could stop a lot of heartache.

7. Have family devotions. Nothing too complicated or complex. Just make sure that you read a scripture and did you talk about it briefly. Make sure especially if it's a young child or young children that you have a Scripture that they can understand easily. Use the Beatitudes or read some Proverbs. Maybe use the Proverb that corresponds with day of the month. It'll give you practical information and they should be able to use in their everyday life.

8. Pray. You need to pray when you go to bed. You need to pray when you're in your car on the road. You can even use what we call prayer "hooks." When you see something, that would remind you to pray for something or someone, use it as an opportunity to pray for them.

Take the step across the line and build your family. Let's make a difference beginning today!

Still working on building my family,
Pastor Trey Rhodes

Dueling Familes

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When I thought of a family feud, my mind immediately went to the old hillbillies fighting it out, pot shot after pot shot across the valley. That type of feud was immortalized on TV with the likes of the Andy Griffith Show. Now, the duel has opposite world views gearing up for a fight to the finish.

What is happening is this. Since the 1950's the family has been continuously re-defined by society. It now  seems to have devolved from a husband and wife with children into any group of people living under one roof. That definition is being accepted by what seems to be a large and growing plurality of people. As a matter of fact, 51% of people actually believe pets are family as well (does that include my Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches?) Accordingly, Brian Powell, a sociology professor at Indiana University, and his team tackled Americans' evolving definition of family. It was a landmark study surveying over 2300 households over a time period of 7 years. There seems to be a swing towards a complete liberalization as to what a family is. Powell shares this thought:

What we find is that people are moving away from a traditional definition of family and they're moving towards a modern definition of family. That includes a much greater array of living arrangements. They're including a much broader group of people, broader combination of people as families.

He continues:

by indentifying three clusters of Americans: "exclusionists" who hold onto a more narrow definition of family; "moderates" who are willing to count same-sex couples as family if children are involved; and "inclusionists" who have a very broad definition of family.

Here then is the rub...if we can liberalize our views of what the family without repercussions to our society, our nation, our communities, or our families, what does it do to the church? You see, the family is one of the major ways that the New Testament describes our forever family, our church family. So,if our physical families can be described in many varying permutations, then what does do to our view of the family of God?  The bottom line is the views of families cannot co-exist and will duel until one is triumphant.

Here's my point, for thousands of years before a word of the New Testament was written, when the word was used to describe how the family of God was to look and act and be, it was understood exactly what that meant. As we have re-defined the family, our happiness quotient has plummeted. Here's some number for you to think about. According to U.S mortality rates suicides among teens have skyrocketed 100% since the 1950's. Violence is at an all time high, increasing by 154% according to Donna Shalala, Health and Human Services Director until 1999. We now have unforeseen numbers of teens cutting, burning, and mutilating themselves to the tune of 1 in 200 girls in the US doing so.

Is that what you would call happy? Are these the results of a happy family? Or is this because we have moved our society and nations farther and farther away from the foundations of a family that was designed by God? God designed us to work a certain way. Every law/rule He gives us is not to spoil our fun, but to provide for us and protect us. It is high time we understand and respond to the obliteration of the modern family.

Wanting a godly family now more than ever,
Pastor Trey Rhodes

Consequences Covered

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Board game or reality?

For Part 1  Secret Service Sins, Click Here
The easiest way to understand the consequences of sin is to look at what it cost God. The cross of Christ shows to an attentive world that sin has consequences. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. But I want to take a look at that sin from another perspective, the cross. Sin has a wage, death. That wage was paid on the cross. The wage I was owed was paid to the Son of God, Jesus. It is not our sin we should focus on, but gaze at the One who was willing to take our wage of death and become our mercy seat. The explanation is found in Hebrews 9, listen to verse 26:

But now He (Jesus) has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Next time you think of sin, think of Jesus and how much He must love you. He sacrificed his very life for you. He is now in Heaven interceding for you. He has paid the price. So, why is everyone not forgiven for all their sin?

Because, the greatest sin is unbelief. It is the only one that cannot be forgiven. That may be shocking, but true nonetheless. Jesus told the crowd gathered around Him that day:

For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. John 8:24

There's nothing minimum about
the wage Jesus was paid.

Jesus has paid your wage. Jesus has the authority to intercede for you. Jesus even wants to forgive your sin, but this is the one caveat, belief. It is in believing that Jesus died for you that your sin can be transferred to our loving and merciful God. It is what the Greek word, pisteuo means, means "to entrust one's spiritual well-being to Christ" (Strong's Concordance).

Will you believe?
Pastor Trey Rhodes

For more about Oceanside Church
www.MyOceansideChurch
Connecting People. Completing Lives.

Want know what's going on at Oceanside Church, like our dinner this Saturday night? It's only a click away...
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Sin Is not a Secret Service

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In a theological sense, we define sin as missing the mark or a trespass against God's law. However, when it comes popular opinion, defining sin can be as difficult as nailing jello to a wall. What was sin yesterday, is okay today. And in many ways, is even dependent on your family's background, where you grew up, or how you vote. All that means that sin is hard to define as a member of society. The truth be told, we all want a little wiggle room and, when it comes to our own sin, forgiveness and understanding from others. We often are willing to pay for that service from others with our time, our penance, yes, and even money. So, we actually prostitute our sin. We pay someone to feel good.

I'm sure our president is bowing his head in shame over the
alleged Secret Service wrongdoing.

When it comes to the "sin de jour," our nation is now dealing with embarrassment and downright humiliation of prostitution among the top echelon of the Secret Service and Army attaché of the President of the United States. I'm sure they felt as if they were above rules and, at the very least, could cover it up. But, regardless of what Las Vegas tells us, sinning in Sin City does not stay does not stay in Sin City (see this article for more New Sin City). Sin is like a cockroach, it will stay hidden for a while, but it will run out of its hiding place into view for many to see.

Facebook isn't even a fraction of the problem...God knows.

Yikes, dem's scary words, ain't they? Now, that might not be perfect English, but the sentiment is well understood. What if every secret thing we ever did was published for our family, our friends, our spouses, our children...the whole world to know? That would be bad news...for everyone of us. But, there is good news. The good news is the remedy. The good news is it includes you. The good news is, well, good news. We don't have to pay the penalty for our sin if we'll do this one thing. Without it, there is no hope. All will be revealed.

Pastor Trey Rhodes
For Part 2, Consequences Covered, Click Here

Can I Borrow a Tomb? Life from Death

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"In the day you eat from it, you will surely die," (Genesis 2:17, NASB) warned God. It was not a threat. It was a plea. God's design was perfect. Man's choice was not. God understood that sin would destroy what He intended man to have, and that was real life. But, man chose wrong, so death entered as a conquering king.

You see, when the actual, historical Adam ate the forbidden fruit offered, he died. That doesn't mean he physically hit the ground, and his heart stopped. It meant that the moment he disobeyed, he was dead in his sin. It meant that the relationship that God wanted with him was over. It meant that no longer could he speak in the cool of the evening to God. It meant that the fury of a fallen creation would be released on all of nature. Addictions would dominate. Storms would destroy. Disease would sicken. Animals would die. Marriages would split. Plagues would kill. Death would reign. Not only did his sin destroy him, sin destroyed all it touched.

God created life. Man brought death. So, the Lord of life brought life from death. The kind of life that could not be contained in a borrowed tomb. Think about this, who borrows a tomb? I thought it was permanent acquisition!. As Lewis Sperry Chafer expresses it, "No situation conceivable could be more abnormal than that of the theanthropic (God-man) Person should enter the realms of death. He is the source of all life" (See John 5:26). A borrowed tomb was all the Lord of life needed. He was only going to be there for three days! Jesus arose because He could not stay dead. God would not allow His Holy One to "undergo decay" (Psalm 16:10). This was truly a fixed game. God sent His only Son to death because He knew life was intrinsic to the God-man. He knew that life would once again flow through the veins of Jesus Christ.

That's what ties death to life...the cross to the resurrection. As much as we fear death, Satan fears life. He has been on an all out assault on life since the moment God created life. You don't believe it? Look at the next cemetery you pass. It demonstrates the commonality of life and death. All who live, die.

But God wants more for us. He wants life for us...every one of us. That's not the kind of life that happens just because my heart is beating  God wants every one of use to experience life in Him. The kind of life that has "abundant" and "eternal" attached to it. That's God's kind of life and He wants it for you. The Lord of life is knocking on the door of your tomb. Your lease is up. He's ready to move you to a place of abundant life for all of eternity. Open the door and pack your boxes. He's here and He's alive!

Alive in Christ,
Pastor Trey Rhodes

Parenting by the Book coming soon! Join us at our weekend services and at small group.
Saturday night home-cooked meal soon.

For more information, 

GO TO

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The Dark Knight and the Longing for Resurrection

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In the latest installment of the newest batman series, the Dark Knight, one of the characters is resurrected. At least that's the latest Hollywood "scoop". Liam Neeson played the ignominious, Ra's al Ghul, in the first installment of the series, Batman Begins. Supposedly, this character was supposedly killed during burning of Wayne Manor. But, those of us who know, know that in some sort of way, he is "un-kill-able." While they are still not sure whether or not this means a cameo flashback or possible something more, the character's billing is being promoted as, "Risen from the Dead: Liam Neeson Makes Comeback in the Dark Knight Rises." His long-anticipated return has been further verified in the newest movie, Dark Knight Rises. According to NZ City:

The 59-year-old actor will reprise his part of Ra's al Ghul for the forthcoming movie, despite his character being killed off in 2005's 'Batman Begins', with the news revealed in Warner Bros' production notes for his latest film 'Wrath of the Titans'.

We Want Resurrection 

Liam Neeson reprising his role as Ra's al Ghul

We seem to always hope that someone can make a comeback from the dead. Our hope can be seen in the macabre with such characters as Dracula and Frankenstein's monster. It can also have a technological bent as people are placing their bodies is a frozen stasis in a hope that one day in the future, they will be able to be brought back from the dead. Spiritually, we often hear of "near death" experiences that tell us of those who were physiologically passed from this life, and were able to return. (Although I never believe I went that far, I did have something like that happen to me. See www.TreyRhodes.info for more on my experience). We all have a hope built into us that envisions more life after dying. It what the Bible terms, eternity in our hearts. These are the words of King Solomon:

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts (italics mine) Ecclesiastes 3:11 (HCSB)

If Only Someone Could Return from the Dead
I recently heard someone quip, "No one knows what waits for us after death, no one has ever come back to tell us." To that, my answer is there is someone. He is Jesus Christ. The only time the past tense is ever used of Him was when it was He who was dead and is now alive (Revelation 1:18, 2:8, 11:8). Unlike Liam Neeson's character Ra's al Ghul, there can be no doubt that our Savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead. For if He never rose from the dead, neither do we. (See 1 Corinthians 15). According to Dr. Craig H. Blomberg of Cambridge University in England:

If the Crucifixion was as early as A.D. 30, Paul's conversion was about 32. His first meeting with the apostles in Jerusalem would have been about A.D. 35. At some point along there, Paul was given this creed, which had already been formulated and was being used in the early church. Now here you have the key facts about Jesus' death for our sins, plus a detailed list of those to whom He appeared in resurrected form -- all dating back to within two to five years of the events themselves! (The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel, p. 44)

They Really Believed
There can be no doubt that the apostles believed what they saw. Paul believed what was reported to him. And the facts could be checked out by anyone of the day with over 500 people that saw Jesus of Nazareth alive after had been executed by crucifixion.

You can choose not to believe the accounts of these honest, upstanding men of the first century, but you you would be hard-pressed to say that they didn't believe what they reported to us. After all, these same men and women, nearly to the person, all died saying they believed when they could have easily recanted as they were tortured and martyred for their beliefs.

Will You?
This Easter, it all really comes down to this, will you believe? C.S. Lewis reminds us with what has come to be known as "the Trilemma":

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.

You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. (C.S.Lewis, Mere Christianity, London: Collins, 1952, p54-56)

The Apostle Thomas examines Jesus's side

You Shall Know the Truth
If you don't quite get it...you wouldn't be alone. You see, Thomas didn't quite get it, so Jesus came to Him and told him to touch His hands and side. Thomas examined Jesus and then fell at Jesus' feet and proclaimed Him as, "My Lord and my God." (John 20:28). The choice is before you. Jesus, willingly asks you to examine His life, death, and resurrection. He is not afraid. He wants you to find out the truth. So, Jesus comes to you today and asks you to believe. As these words reach through the millenia, Jesus is reaching out to you...

Will you believe?


Pastor Trey Rhodes

If you would like a copy of The Case for Christ, please send us your name and address at:
contact@myoceansidechurch.com and we'll get you a book.

See you this weekend at Oceanside Church. Two services for you to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and somewhere you can experience Him:

• Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. 
• Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. 

For more information, directions, and what to expect, go to:
www.MyOceansideChurch.com

For information about upcoming events go to:
www.OCAnnounce.info