December 31, 2008   I trust each of you had a wonderful Christmas and that you are looking forward to 2009. This past year has been a challenging one for many of us, and as we look to this year ahead, I realize we cannot help but be a little anxious about the future. We have real concerns about the economy, the government, unemployment. some of us are facing serious health issues, or family problems.   Let me share a comforting word, (one that's been confirmed by others) which I believe is from the Lord for us. "It is going to be a little tough but we are going to make it by God's grace".   We can look forward to 2009 with great excitement knowing that whatever the future may hold, we can trust our God! He is our Savior, our provider and the supplier of all we need!   Rick Warren asks this loaded question, "If you could change anything in the world. what would it be?  How would you change it?  When would you change it?"   For me the answers are simple. What would I change? I would change every single person's worldview if it were not already a Biblical one. This is why.a Biblical worldview acknowledges that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, it honors God's written Word, the Bible and believes it to be without error, and applicable to each one of our lives, it understands that God is holy and just has provided redemption for all in the finished work of Jesus Christ.   How would I change it?  At first, I thought this was the more difficult part of question and would require lots of research to come up with a plan to accomplish my goal.  But, then it dawned on me, (I am a little slow sometimes). to have a Biblical worldview, a person needs to read the Bible, study it and apply it to their life.   That is so simple it has to be from God!   Here is a true story to illustrate my point: A friend of mine described to me a scene he'd witnessed in Africa; where individual Christians did not each have their own copy of the Bible. In fact, they had to all share one copy. So, they tore the pages out and each one would take a few pages home to read and then bring them back to swap with one another the next week. As I reflected on this, it occurred to me that even with all our Bibles, believers in America might actually be at a disadvantage. Those African Christians actually believed the words they were reading on those pages and applied them to their lives. They did not realize that they were living the in the freedom and power of having a Biblical worldview.   Finally, when would I do it? RIGHT NOW.Jan. 2009! As 2009 begins, the world, and even many believers it seems, are looking everywhere but to the church for their answers. This is because without a Biblical worldview, the church has no more wisdom to offer than anyone else does. But, with a Biblical worldview restored, the world will again be looking to the church for its answers. We must know the answers before we can give them to anyone else.   So.where do we get these answers worth sharing. obviously from knowing Jesus Christ as our Personal Savior, and beyond that from reading and studying His words of life in the Bible! With this in mind, I would like to ask you to join with us in making 2009: "The Year of the Bible," here at Church of the Blue Ridge.   And here's how we are going to do it. First, let's all commit to read through the entire Bibletogether this year.  We are enclosing a little guide as a suggested reading plan, so that all of us will be reading the same passages each day. Next, along with reading God's word together we are also going to study it. "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim 2:15) God has already provided a way for us to do this together as well. As most of you already know, Jim Hardwick has agreed to come on board at CBR as a teaching pastor. On Jan. 6, he will begin a mid-week Bible class.  This first class will be a series on: "The Sermon on the Mount."  It will be held at CBR on Tuesdays at 10:00 AM and will be repeated again at 7:00 PM.   The elders and I are also extremely excited to announce that CBR, under the leadership of Jim Hardwick, is founding a Bible Institute, which we have named: ACTS 29. Afton Christian Training School.  This will be an ongoing multi-year program offering certificates and diplomas for completed classes.  The first quarter of classes will begin in March.  The first class will be Old Testament Survey and it will meet on Tuesday nights at 7:00. We will have more information on this soon so that you can begin to spread the word to the community.   Here is a vision I have for this Bible Institute and the young people who are going to be involved. I believe that God is going to use this generation of young people, age 13 -21, to lead our nation in a new more God-focused direction.  With this in mind, I trust that many area youth will want to sign up for the Bible Institute. Our goal is to instill in them, and all who participate, a Biblical worldview that will help to prepare and to give them the leadership tools they will need.   Finally, my prayerful declaration for 2008, as I apply His words of life, is "All of me. for all of God. all of the time"! I hope you too will make this your own. After we have read God's word and studied it we need to apply it to our lives. It is then.  "We will shine like stars in the universe holding forth the Word of life"! (Phil 2:15b-16a)   If you have any suggestions or questions, you can reach me at 540- 241-3305 or email me at: wcritzer@ntelos.net    A Happy New Year to you and your family!                                                                                                                                    In  His Word,                                                                                                                                       Whitney