Clean Basement

As many may know, we live in a flood plane and every now and then we get water in our basement. In September of '04 we had 5 1/2 feet of water in there. So now everytime flooding is predicted, we get a little nervous. It has been raining here for a few days and the creek was rising. News flashes warned of severe flood so off to the basement we went. Thankfully, we were spared. One good thing came from it...a clean basement. It is spotless. Now if only my wife will keep it that way.:)

Renewal Vows

This past weekend I had the privilege to preform a renwal of wedding vows ceremony at a 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration, a first for me. Eldon and Marlyn Kohler, a couple that attends our church, had a beautiful ceremony in their back yard last Saturday afternoon. I have never seen a back yard as beautful as theirs. Sis. Kohler has a natural green thumb and had everything looking stunning. Their were over 100 people in attendance. Anyways, it was a neat experience and a joy to be part of.

Poison

Well, I am here to report my first bout of Poison Ivy. I am highly allergic to it and it seems that I can catch it by jist seeing it. Oh, well such is life. A freind of mine said that when he was little he had it a time or two, but then one day he ate some of it and ever since then he hasn't got it. It sounds tempting and I almost tried it until I was reminded that what enters your body must exit it. I think you get the drift. Knowing my luck, I'd catch it. Are there any other suggestions?

6.11.06

Sunday, June 11, 2006 was a sad day for the Ellison's. Sunday evening was the last service in which Steve and Sarah Miller would attend our church. They have answered the call to an administrative position at Northwest Indian Bible School (NIBS), in Montana. Since we came here to New Columbia, a special friendship was made with the Ellison's and Miller's. They have been a tremendous asset to our congregation. For the past two years they have been our youth pastor, in which they have done a wonderful job. They were the kind of people every church would like to have. They were faithful to the services, to their labors, and in their support. They plan to leave Penns Creek Friday morning. Truly we are losing a great family and also some great friends. We wish you the best Steve and Sarah.

Philadelphia

Wednesday evening we left for Philadelphia, PA. One of our young people had a surgery scheduled for early Thursady morning do we went down on Wednesday evening. After the surgery on Thursday, we decided to do a little sight seeing. We were able to see the Liberty Bell, Congressional Hall, US Federal Reserve (we were given $100.00...of course it was all shredded and in a plastic bag). We saw Camden Yards and Citizen Bank Field, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. We saw the steps that "Rocky Balboa" ran up in his training to fight "Apollo Crede" and many other interesting things. It truly is a town filled with history. Of course, we didn't see everything, so it would really be nice to return some day. It was really neat to see just days after Memorial Day. There were still some Memorial Day decorations standing. I was reminded again, what a privilege it is to be an American no matter how rounchy things seem to be at times. I also participated in an anti-gambling rally...sortof. There were a bunch of people gathered protesting gambling in PA. As we drove by I hollered out the window my support. All in all we had a great time. We stayed at the Sheraton Center City on the 21st floor. What an awsome sight to look out across the city at night with everything lit up. One thing we found that Lewisburg has on Philly is that our Dunkin Donuts is open 24 hrs. Every Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts we found was closed by 9:00 pm. What a shame. OK enough is enough. Bottom line...Philly was great!

BLOGGER EXCLUSIVE!!!

If you attend a Gaither Homecoming anytime soon,(they will be in Hershey, PA September 22) you will notice that they have a new permanent pianist. His name is Gordon Mote. You can read more about him and his expertise at www.gordonmote.com. You can hear him on XM 34 "EnLighten".

Billboards

I am very excited. Our area God's Missionary Churches are soon going to have billbords in the Susquehanna Valley. These churches include New Columbia, Beavertown, Penns Creek, Millmont, Sunbury, Newport, Duncannon, and Pillow. But, we could use some help from your creative minds. We want to have short, creative and catchy messages on these boards. An example would be...a picture of a pencil with an eraeser on both ends...the message is "Life without Christ...has no point." Another example would be....a picture of a candle with the flame blown out and smoke waving from the wick...the message is "Has your relationship with Christ done the same?" If you have any bright ideas, send them to mattellison@chilitech.net or leave them on the comment page. If yours is used, you will receive credit and recognition. I'll wait to hear from you!

Box Seats

This past Saturday I had the privilege to once again announce the Penn View Girls & Guys softball games with my good friend Doug Rine. What a hoot. The announcers box is set up behind the backstop on top of the schools panel truck. I realize it isn't as plush as the announcers booth at Wrigley's Field (Chicago Cubs), but it works. The High School/College Guys game was unique. It was a high scoring game of 29 - 27 in favor of the High School. It was a game filled with so many errors it made the elementary game look professional. Oh well. It was fun any how. Until next time....

Easter Sunday

Justin and Kayla Easter Sunday morning.

Improvement Is Good

My parents were in this past week and as usual, my dad and I took advantage of the time together to play a couple rounds of golf. Now, my dad is a feirce competitor, (even though he says he's not). So it is always my goal to beat him. The problem is, dad gets to play alot in West Virginia. I usually just play when we are together. So, when dad and I played on Tuesday, he already had 4 rounds under his belt. Me, I hadn't played since last summer. Needless to say I was a little rusty. The first round I played I shot a 106. NOT GOOD. I don't think that I have ever shot over 100. This was at White Deer Golf Course. On Thursday, we played again. This time at Liberty Valley Country Club in Danville. The good news is, this time I shot a 94. I was defintely impressed. With that kind of improvement, I should be to my usual game of 84/85 by my next round. I can't wait.

HELP!!!

I am in need of help (more ways than one). My son, Justin, has been rather persistent lately about wanting a dog FOR A PET ONLY!! Part of me says no way, just buy him a book of dogs. Another part of me says, hey, he's a boy. He needs a dog. I need some input people. Can you help me out?

ELIGIBLE FOR DEATH!

Today the jury finished its diliberations on wether or not Moussaoui, the terrorist who was captured, was eligible for the death penalty. Their answer was "yes" on all counts. To this, I lend my support. Of course, I am an advocate of the death penalty. I believe in justice. This man was part of a major terrrorist act that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. For this, he should, and must, face the consequences for his actions. I am presently listening to family members who have lost loved ones in this terrorist act on Fox News. To hear their emotions and heartache only enforces my belief that justice must be served. As the verdict was read, a bilgerent Moussaui hollered and cursed America and all who love it. I cast my vote with the jury's decision.

Immigrations

I want to weigh in very briefly on the immigration issue. I just hope that terrorist orginizations do not switch and try to start recruting hispanics. You talk about global warming. With the millions of undocumented, illegal, aliens, America would quickly slide into oblivion. I say let them work their way to being registered and legal or rope them up and send them back. No matter how hard they work, illegal status is illegal staus no matter how you look at it. I can't believe that thousands of illegal aliens had the nerve to protest in California and then on top of it they waved their Mexican flags. I have two words... Adios, Amigos!!

Allergies Already

All day I have been in the cleaning mood, so I thought I best do some cleaning while the urge was present. It all started at the church. We just purchased a new copier/printer and the guy was delivering today. I got over there a little early to clear the way for him. The next thing you know, I was doing some major "house cleaning". When I came home, we ate supper and then I decided to hit the basement. Yuk!!! I worked downstairs for about an hour and I felt rather happy about the success that could be seen. I am now upstairs and my allergies are raging. Our basement has seen many floods and damp just about 24/7. So between the dampness and mold, it hit me good. Exciting.

Gas Pills 2

I was informed recentley that I never did explain what I really meant by my last blog, for which I am extremely embarassed because the reason for my posting this information was to really explain what I meant. The reason I was embarassed in my message was because the "gas pills" were not for what it sounds like they are for. They are small pills that you put in your gas tank and it is supposed to give you better gas milage.

Gas Pills

This past Sunday I had one of those embarassing moments (a couple actually). I was trying to illustrate the point that it is important to get behind what you believe because it will help you be more effective when you try to "sell it" to those in need. My illustration was about a man who recently was trying to sell someone "gas pills". I went on to say that the person who was supposed to buy these pills asked the seller if they really worked. The seller said he didn't know, because he really hadn't had time to try them out himself. By this time, I could tell by the looks on the faces in the congregation, my illustration was missing the mark. Of course, the smiles, smirks, and surpressed laughter made me keenly aware that I should have used a different term then "gas pills". Oh, well, maybe I should start selling them because after church different individuals asked if they could buy some for their better-halves:)

Music - Part 2

I am writing in response to a comment left on one of my post. To read, check comments under UBC Choir. Since I have the faintest clue who the author of that response was, I feel I have a little freedom to respond, even more so since it is my blog;) I would agree with the author on some aspects, maybe one, but disagree on others. I agree fully that some songs are overused simply because they are easy to sing and you can sing them without any practice at all. With that I agree. I think many time we see the lack of professionalism in our special singing due to this mindset. I greatly disagree with the statement that , "southern gospel has dumbed down our worship". It is clearly evident that the author is a fan of "classical" style music, and I, me, Matt Ellison, can't stand it. I prefer the "southern gospel" style. One of my favorite choirs is the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. For the most part I like their style, but occasionally they put in their a song that in very unfamiliar, but worshipful, and I grow to like it just as well as the gospel style songs. I am not against that. What I was meaning in my previous post was, I have set in services where the choir sang 80 - 90 percent songs that were unfamiliar to everyone in the congregation. The people left "unfulfilled" in their spirit. To me, that is the purpose to come to church, to worship and be touched. No I have not attended seminary for music and I may not be as educated in music as this author, but I do still have a strong opinion. By the way, I didn't realize Bach was one of our godly fore-fathers. I understand he was involved in many things that we as Christians do not accept. God may still have used some of his music, but on the other hand, He Touched Me, by Bill Gaither has been used just as greatly.

UBC Choir

We were privileged to have the Union Bible College Select Choir at our church yesterday morning. They were awsome. That was definetly the best choir that I have heard in a long time. Then again, I have heard that many recently. Their sound was beautiful. They had a 9 piece orchastra that consisted on a cello, 2 violins, 2 flutes, a trumpet, a french horn, a saxaphone, and kettle drums. The thing that stuck out to me was that they sang songs that people knew for the most part. Songs like, "When He was on the cross, I was on His mind" and "The Lighthouse" etc. I am convinced that a choir service is much better recieved by a congregation where the songs that are sung are familiar to those listening. There may be a select few in our congregations that like the "high-flutin'" songs that sound like Bach's 5,6,7 movements, but on the whole those types of songs do not connect with the people. When I come to a church service I want to worship God and I worship God by connecting with the songs. I don't come to church for a concert and to see what level of songs the choir is capable of singing. So much for my ramblings. These thoughts are just deep rooted beliefs that I felt were confirmed yesterday morning, not only to myself, but also to the 200 people who were setting in the congregation.

Is Hillary a threat in 2008?

Recently I was in an interesting discussion. The matter at hand was, "Is Hillary Clinton a threat in the 2008 elections?" As you may know, posted on Jon Plank's blog, the results of this discussion are laid bare. You will notice that I alone said no, she will not even make the primary. I have many reasons for my decision and I will not be swayed on my thoughts. First off, I don't think there are as many people that like her as the media would like you to believe. I think it is all a bunch of hyped-up coverage. Secondly, I do not think that America as a whole is ready for a woman president, even if her name is Hillary Clinton. In my humble opinion, a woman president will not be threat until at least 2016. But, Hollywood is helping us prepare for it with a popular TV program called Commander in Chief. It is about a woman who is Vice-President but becomes President because the President dies. This show apparently has been on the rise in popularity. Yes, with propaganda like this I believe we will see a woman president some day, but it will not be a major threat until 2016, in my opinion!!!

Praying Son

Well it has been a while since I was here last as you all know, especially if you you read Jon Plank's blog. (Thanks Jon for reminding me and everyone else)!!!!! Justin has become an avid pray-er at our family feedings. He doesn't think anyone else's prayers are sufficient. He does a good job at it. But now his prayers are expanding. Last Wednesday I started getting sick with the dreaded flu. By Thursday I had it bad. Now my wife calls me a wuss, but only I know the pain I was in and it was bad. I wanted to put the "sick curse" on her but being the nice guy that I am, I refrained. I didn't have too. It wasn't long until she was feeling ucky too. So here we are both with this terrible flu. I am proud to say that the first knock-down-drag-out fight we ever had in our 6 years of marriage was this week as we fought over the toilet! (Don't tell my wife I exposed such a truth)!
As we were both in such pain, I thought it would be good to pray and ask God to send one of us, if not both, some relief so taking care of the kids would be a little easier. Well, Justin heard us praying and now every-so-often he comes into where ever we are and makes us stop what we are doing so he can again pray for mommy and daddy. God did hear his prayer and sent us relief in the form of a mother-in-law. God does work in mysterious ways. It wasn't the exact relief I was looking for, but she sure was a help. On a serious note, it was neat to show Justin that mommy and daddy were feeling better and when he asked the famous "why" we were able to say because Jesus heard your prayers. Hopefully that is a lesson he will grasp and hold on to for the rest of his life.