Daily Email: Wednesday, September 16, 2015

DEVOTION: James 3:13-4:10
¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

         4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

           ⁴ You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? ⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

"God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble."

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

 

 

Everything that James, the brother of Jesus, says above can be boiled down to one word, "submit".  If you're not getting what you pray for it is because you haven't submitted to God's will and so you're asking for wrong things, you're asking selfishly, or you're not believing that God can do what you ask. 

 

If you're fighting with the world, guess what, it's because you haven't submitted to him nor have you submitted to the world as a servant like God wants you to be.  You want to be god.  You want to be most important.  You want your needs and wants to be met first. 

 

Instead true wisdom, wisdom from the Lord, works itself out in humility and submission.  True wisdom from on High shows you that you are a sinner like everyone else, that you aren't god, and that you will keep making mistakes.  This will keep you from the selfish ambition that James talks about.  It will also keep you from judging others as if you were higher than they are. 

 

True wisdom will also show you that you are not in control of one bit of your life.  You can't make one more breath come out of you if God doesn't will it.   You can't keep yourself safe no matter what.  You will not live forever no matter how hard you try.  This realization should not alarm you or cause you to give up.  On the contrary, it should be freeing thing for you, because it will cause you to give everything up to God so that he can direct your path.  When you make decisions you do God's will, and when you don't necessarily know what God's will is in a specific situation you make the decision and then leave it up to God to do His will with it, because he promises that he will "work all things out for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose."

 

Let us pray: Lord, make me to submit to you and to others out of reverence for you that you alone may be honored, praised, and glorified in my life.  Amen.

 
 
 
 

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YESTERDAY'S QUIZ: Who was Elihu, in the book of Job, and what was different about him compared to the others?  He was a younger man and an acquaintance of Job, who waited till all of his elders got done rambling on and then stood up to speak and proceeded to scold everyone.  He got scolded right back.

 

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Today's QUIZ: Here's a "funny" question, was James, the brother of Jesus, older or younger than Jesus?  Explain how you know.

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CALENDAR:

Tues- Quilting 9-2; Bible Study 11:30-12:15; Council Meeting 7

Wed- Newsletter deadline; Ladies Aid noon; Choir 7

Thurs- Karate 5-7:45

Fri- Bible Study at Hendershots 7pm

Sat-  Worship 5
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45
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WORSHIP WORKERS:  
Acolyte-  8:30- Dawn Sherman; 11- Jacob Winn
Ushers-  Marv Hendershot, Don Luebke, Dave Callies, Don Nolte
Altar- Set up- Terry McKenzie; Clean Up- Sandy Robine
Communion Assistants- Sat- Randy Fischer; 8:30- Steve McDowell; 11- Charlie Figura
Greeters- 8:30- Dave and Hope Tinnin; 11- Charlie and Lynn Figura
Lay readers- Sat- Kathy Fischer 8:30- Steve McDowell 11- Christy Winn
Sat. Pianist- Tim Sherman
Organist-  Rachel Fisher
Projectionists: Sat- Perricone; Sun- 8:30- Panhorst
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NEWS!!!!  PLEASE READ IT ALL!!!!

 

HILDA HEICHELBECH FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS

Visitation and Funeral will be at Baue Funeral Home in O'Fallon. 
Visitation- Sunday, Sept. 20 3-6pm
 Funeral- Monday, Sept 21, at 9am with Burial to follow at Jefferson Barracks at 11:15

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CARNIVAL THANK YOUS!

A huge thank you to the Carnival Committee for all their hard work planning and carrying out this huge project!

Lani Heitgerd-chairperson

Karin Klaustermeier

Marcia Sevier

Joanna Hoelscher

Kathy Fischer

Karla Christophene

Chrissy Groeber

Rich Boeger

Erv Yoder

Betty Schirr

Kelsey Overbeck

(Sandy Robine started with the group but then was sidelined due to knee replacement surgery)

 

(If I missed someone please let me know.)

 

The carnival committee also wishes to thank their spouses who did a tremendous job in their support roles, and also the hundreds of volunteers who helped throughout the day or made food for the bake sale.  (They are too numerous to list here.)

 

We can't thank you all enough everyone! 

 

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

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OPERATION BACKPACK FOR SEPTEMBER  IS CANNED FRUIT!!

Many children in our community are very poor.  They are able to get some of their meals at school during the week, but often go hungry on weekends.  Operation backpack is a way that our community has decided to help these kids. 
 
Every month throughout the school year, each church participating will take one food item and collect just that food item.  At the end of the month the food will be delivered to school.  The school officials along with volunteers will distribute the food to kids backpacks to take home.   

Throughout the month of September we will be collecting canned fruit . All size cans and even individual portions will be accepted.  The fruit will be delivered to the schools October 1.   We will have a box in the narthex for deposits.

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SHOP WITH SCRIP!!  A NEW AND EASY FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY!!!

 Place your order for, along with your check, made payable to St. Johns, in the "Bob the Builder" box.  For additional information or to get your questions answered, call the church office.  456-2888.

  
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UNMARKED BLUE ENVELOPE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE GOING TO THE BUILDING EXPANSION PROGRAM
If you'd like it to go to the DCE fund you need to mark it for that!  Please make sure you mark the ENVELOPE clearly for the DCE PROGRAM!
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DO YOU HAVE A KROGER CARD?  ENROLL IT IN THE COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM!!!
Register it online www.krogercommunityrewards.com and have it swiped each time you shop to earn money for Little Lambs. 
 
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GENERAL PRAYERS:

For THE FAMILY OF HILDE HEICHELBECH who passed from death to eternal life Monday morning. 

 

For THE SYRIAN REFUGEES and those that are caring for them that they would find shelter and that those receiving refugees would be favorable and God pleasing toward them.

 

For SANDY ROBINE as she continues to recover from her knee replacement.

 

For DENISE SCHLESSELMANN as she is back in the Czech Republic to continue her mission work.

 

For DAVE AND CAROL KOHRS, who are BOTH on hospice care.

 

For WILMA WEIGLE as she continues to deal with the after effects of a severe stroke almost two years ago.