New Clues, $6500 Donor Match, Shelf-Awareness |
|
|
|
|
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.
I hope you're simply having a wonderful Christmastime. We went to the service at our church on Christmas Eve, so I got to see ApX bassist Keith Haynie and ApX guitarist Tom Milnes and their families. My youngest daughter, Natalie, and I sang some Christmas carols with the worship team, too.
On Christmas Day, Lisa and I had all five of the kids and both of our son-in-laws at the house, along with Lisa’s sister, and two of our nieces. I received a bunch of cool gifts for Christmas, most of which were books. That’s fitting, because we just got some new shelves in our house … but not for Christmas.
You see, on December 18 — ’twas the week before Christmas — I came home through the basement one night and heard a terrible clatter upstairs and discovered that two full-length bookcases (each about 70” x 30”) had just collapsed in our front room. It looked like a demolition site in there.
The bookcases were destroyed, but the books were mostly fine. We’d had the bookcases for a long time, and they were cheap ones from Target, so I guess we got our money’s worth. The new ones are sturdier models from IKEA. One of our other old ones is sagging, so we’re going to replace it before disaster strikes again. |
|
Speaking of books, I have an observation to share from my favorite Book, the Bible. I noticed this in late November but have been saving it till now for the newsletter. I’ll start by asking you a question: What do Jacob, Moses, and David all have in common?
Yes I know they’re all people featured in the Old Testament who had encounters with God and figured prominently in the history of Israel. I’m looking for something more than that. And while we’re at it, what do all three of them have in common with the LORD?
Think about their resumes. Past job experiences. Here’s a clue: Psalm 23. That’s right; Jacob, Moses, and David were all shepherds. So was Abel, the first person we read about in the Bible whose offering found favor with God (Genesis 4:2-4).
That wasn’t an occupation held in the highest esteem, even in ancient times. In fact, Joseph told his brothers that “all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians” (Genesis 46:34). But after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, who were the first people told about the newborn Savior … by angels, no less (Luke 2:4-20)? Shepherds!
And once he had grown to be a man, what did Jesus call Himself in John 10:11? The good shepherd. After His resurrection, Hebrews 13:20 went a step further and referred to Him as “that great Shepherd of the sheep.” Very cool, don't you think?
Look at that: I went from being shelfish to sheepish in the span of one preamble! But I have to go pick up that new bookshelf unit soon, so I’ll sign off. Even though it’s Christmas break, we’re still planning to put out one last new single before the big ball drops on 2025. You can read the clues for that among the articles below. |
|
Clues for 2025 Single #24 |
We hope to release our 24th single of 2025 by the end of this weekend, Lord willing.
Here are your clues. Want to really impress us? See if you can spot all of the references in both entries. We counted a total of 22.
SONG #1
The young and proud envision a beautiful life in a happy nation in a perfect world on the edge of heaven. Always have, always will. But you and I can see those poor souls are living in danger in a ravine where everything is just chaos. They're waiting for magic to make things perfect, but we know lives don’t turn around without the Lord.
SONG #2
Jesus is the light of the world, but some people have been stuck in a rut so long they think they don’t need sunshine; they’d prefer to go on living each day blind. But just because you’ve always had the blues, that’s no reason to reject the power and the glory of love in Christ. You’re givin’ up a solid-gold, one-way ticket to everlasting happiness. Once the new single is released, we'll announce it in our news bulletin, on our website, and on our Facebook page. |
|
$6500 Donor Match Now Offered by Two Couples |
We have some incredible news to share.
In our newsletter Saturday night, we announced that a couple in Ohio was offering a $1500 matching donation through December 31. That was amazing enough. And then ...
On Sunday afternoon, we were contacted by a different couple who recently moved from Colorado to Southwestern Ohio (170 miles away from the first couple, who live in Northeastern Ohio). The husband said the following: |
"I read your email today and your mention of a couple from Ohio who are doing a matching donation of $1,500. We'd like to increase your support from Ohio with a matching gift donation of up $5,000. We'll do the same time period as the other couple to keep things simple for everyone.
"Your work has continued to be minister to me. The lawn at our new house in Ohio needed to be mowed several times before the cold came in. Each time taking 2.5 to 3 hours. I've listened to hours of ApologetiX. Merry Christmas and praise be to God!" |
Merry Christmas and praise be to God is right! Hallelujah!
To summarize things ...
Together those two Ohio couples will match all donations sent in response to this offer from now through Sunday, December 31, at 11:59 p.m. PDT, up to a cumulative total of $6500!
Yes, it’s totally unbelievable and totally unexpected. And both couples seemed as excited about telling us their news as we did hearing it! We know it’s Christmas time and the end of the year, so we don’t know how ApX fans will respond to this massive matching offer, but we’re just relaying the information and trusting in the Lord.
If you're interested in participating toward the matching donation, here's how you can help: |
Give by mail: ApologetiX, 208 Charlemma Dr., Pittsburgh PA 15214
|
Donations are not tax deductible. Please only give if you feel led and can afford it. Thanks for reading this and for praying, either way! God bless you! |
|
Get ApX Complete Library, USBs, Songbook |
To get the complete ApologetiX library, ApX USB thumb drives, and/or the new ApX digital songbook — or to get more info about them — just click on the item(s) you want below. |
|
Bible-Reading Plan for 2025 |
We began our latest trip through the Bible on Wednesday, April 3. Note: If you don't have a Bible handy, you can look up these passages for free on Bible Gateway. They have about 60 different English translations/versions there to choose from, plus translations in many other languages, many of which also have multiple translations/versions. |
CLICK HERE to see the reading plan for the whole year. |
|
If you'd like to donate to the ministry of ApologetiX, there are a couple ways you can do it. |
If you prefer to mail a check or money order, please make it out to "ApologetiX" and send it to:
ApologetiX
208 Charlemma Drive
Pittsburgh PA 15214-1414
Although the donations are not tax-deductible, they will be received very gratefully and used immediately. Thank you! |
|
Luke 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” |
|
|
|
P.O. Box 101705
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
USA
|
You're receiving this email because you're signed up to our mailing list. You can unsubscribe here. |
|
|
|
|
|
