ON A GOOD NOTE.... I have made the halfway point to the 1,000 miles by August 1. I am officially at 510 miles today!! Praise the Lord!! Go to www.leadachild.org and donate!
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DEVOTION: Isaiah 65:1-9 English Standard Version (ESV)
Judgment and Salvation
65 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me;
I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, "Here I am, here I am,"
to a nation that was not called by[a] my name.
2 I spread out my hands all the day
to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices;
3 a people who provoke me
to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens
and making offerings on bricks;
4 who sit in tombs,
and spend the night in secret places;
who eat pig's flesh,
and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;
5 who say, "Keep to yourself,
do not come near me, for I am too holy for you."
These are a smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that burns all the day.
6 Behold, it is written before me:
"I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will indeed repay into their lap
7 both your iniquities and your fathers' iniquities together,
says the Lord;
because they made offerings on the mountains
and insulted me on the hills,
I will measure into their lap
payment for their former deeds."[b]
8 Thus says the Lord:
"As the new wine is found in the cluster,
and they say, 'Do not destroy it,
for there is a blessing in it,'
so I will do for my servants' sake,
and not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
and from Judah possessors of my mountains;
my chosen shall possess it,
and my servants shall dwell there.
If you've ever wondered what the Lord thinks about those who ignore Him and go about their lives without any thought to Him, or those who deny His existence all together, all you have to do is read the passage above. In a word, He don't like it.
He calls it an insult, and even worse, a "smoke in His nostrils that burns all day." Not good...... Not good at all.
At the beginning he tells us that he sits waiting for them all day. He is waiting with arms wide open. He loves those rebellious, inactive, losers that He has created and redeemed with His precious blood. HE LOVES THEM, but they don't love Him. That is the definition of unbelief, the definition of a person who will be lost forever in hell unless they come to their senses, repent, and believe the good news.
That could've been us. We could've been one of the ones who "did not ask for Him" and "did not seek Him". Yet, the Holy Spirit called us and by a miracle we answered that call and believed. By another miracle from the same Holy Spirit, He will call others through us. That's right, He will use you and me to bring more lost souls to Him. By still another miracle, the Holy Spirit has given us a portion of His love for those lost losers who don't want anything to do with Him, and He gives us a heart for them. And so we continue the struggle, as difficult as it often is, to share the good news with the lost and to show them that the Lord God does indeed have His arms wide open ready to receive Him.
Is there someone in your life, a brother, sister, mother, father, cousin, coworker, friend, or acquaintance that is lost and needs to know that the Lord Jesus, who created that person, has His arms wide open and ready to receive Him as His child once again? One of the best things you can do is invite that person to worship! It doesn't take much! It just takes a little guts. Well..... I guess it also takes you getting up and getting yourself there.
The other thing you can do is pray for and with that person. All that requires is that you know the person and know what he or she needs from the Lord. The praying part requires a voice and heart ready to talk to God and the person's ears ready to listen.
As a Christian and a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, this is your main duty! Get to it!
Prayer: Lord, I could've easily been the one who wasn't looking for you or listening to you, but you opened my heart and my ears. Thank you! Make me Your instrument to open the eyes, ears, and hearts of those around me. Amen.
CALENDAR:
Tues- Quilting 9-2; Trustees meeting 7pm; National Youth Gathering Meeting 7pm
Wed- Ladies Aid meeting 10am
Thurs- L 101 @ 7
Fri- NO Bible study at Hendershots
Sat- Men's breakfast 8am; Worship 5pm; 18-35 year old BBQ 6pm
Sun- worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; Worship 11; Father's Day
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WORSHIP WORKERS:
Acolyte- 8:30- Lydia Miller 11- George Pezold
Ushers- Allan Dreyer, Lew Feldkamp, Kent Jacobsmeyer, Paul Klover
Altar- Set up- Cheri' Hofeldt; Clean Up- Pam Linke
Elders- Sat- Randy Fischer; 8:30- Jason Cluver; 11- Charlie Figura
Greeters- 8:30- Paul and Cindy Klover; 11- Doug and Ruth Walters
Lay Readers- Sat- Sandra Perricone 8:30- Allan Dreyer; 11- Kailyn Blechle
Organist- Rachel Fisher
Piano- Barb Dreyer
Projectionists: Sat- ????? (I need someone as Pam has requested to be taken off the scchedule) 8:30- Dawn Sherman 11- Masters
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YESTERDAY'S QUIZ:
What does Obadiah's name mean?
What happened during Joash's reign that causes great turmoil and distress in the kingdom and is something that Joel writes about?
It was clear that Joash's heart was devoted more to Jehoida than to God. When Jehoida was no longer in the picture, the king's true allegiances emerged.
https://youtu.be/5GdFb96nHi8
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CALLING ALL 18-40 YEAR OLDS!!
What? Barbecue Picnic
When? Saturday, June 18, at 6pm (after worship)
Where? Church Pavilion
Who? All 18-40 year olds and their friends
Why? 1. Fun and Fellowship (getting to know others)
2. Fact Finding and Future Planning (How can the congregation better serve this generation, and how can this generation be of service to, in and through the congregation?)
What will be provided? Hamburgers, hotdogs, pork steaks, buns, plates, napkins, cups, and plasticware, tea, and lemondade.
What should I bring? Bring your own adult beverages and a side dish or dessert to share.
Please RSVP by Sunday, June 12 if you can, but if you don't RSVP, please come! The Lord will provide.
WHAT IS STEPHEN MINISTRY?
Stephen Ministry is a lay ministry of caring for individuals on a one to one basis through listening and prayer.
WHO NEEDS A STEPHEN MINISTER
Basically anyone who has gone or is going through some type of struggle or loss could benefit from a visit from a Stephen Minister. People who are going through grief, divorce, loneliness, or a whole host of other circumstances are all good candidates for a Stephen Minister.
WHO LEADS AND DIRECTS IT?
It is led by lay people, under the supervision of Pastor, who have been trained to be Stephen Leaders at a special Stephen Leader training course. Molly Hendershot, Joanne Hachtel, and Chrissy Groeber are our current Stephen leaders.
HOW DOES ONE BECOME A STEPHEN MINISTER?
Stephen Ministers go through 50 hours of training to be the best active listeners and responsible caregivers that they can be.
WHAT DO STEPHEN MINISTERS DO ONCE THEY ARE TRAINED? Stephen Ministers are responsible to
Listen
Pray
Share Christ's love
Attend to the caregiver process and leave the results to God.
Maintain confidentiality
WHAT IS CONFIDENTIALITY
WHO CAN BE A STEPHEN MINISTER?
Anyone who has a heart for hurting souls can be a Stephen Minister. It does require a time commitment, so be sure that you have enough time to commit to the training and to being a Stephen Minister (About 1-2 hours a week.)
WHY DO WE NEED STEPHEN MINISTERS?
It's best to answer this one right from the Scriptures. In Acts 6 we see that the disciples were getting very busy as the church was growing exponentially. They needed some "helpers' to help take care of the needs of the people. So they chose seven people, one of whom was Stephen, to help take care of the physical and spiritual needs of the people.
To these seven, and then to billions after them in the millennia since, have been given the task of being the ears, hands, and hearts to care for the people.
St. John's is in need of such people! As our congregation grows and changes and as needs increase, the need for Stephen Ministers increases as well. We just need more people listening and praying and that's what Stephen Ministers do.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO EB ASSIGNED TO A STEPHEN MINISTER AS A CARE RECEIVER?
Contact one of the Stephen Leaders, Marilyn, or Pastor and we will get you set up. Church phone is 636-456-2888 or Pastor's cell is 636-359-1061
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO BECOME A STEPHEN MINISTER?
1. Contact one of our Stephen Leaders, Pastor, or Marilyn to be put on a list of trainees. 636-456-2888 or Pastor's cell at 636-359-1061
2. Wait for enough people to fill out the list.
3. Attend and participate in training when it is scheduled. We have to wait till there are enough people willing to go through the Stephen Ministry training before we start.
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Here's how it works:
We have been blessed beyond measure in the United States haven't we? I want you to join me in making a global difference by releasing children from poverty through Christian education.
Instead of taking a week off and joining my fellow Lead a Child bikers who are riding the Fault Line across four states this year, I have decided to go solo and bike 1,000 miles locally and while on vacation by August 1 to raise funds for LeadaChild. Would you sponsor me so that I can raise funds to support this most worthy organization? In my opinion, there is no more worthy organization to support than LeadaChild!
LeadaChild provides educational assistance to over 26,000 children and shares the love of Jesus Christ with the students and their families! LeadaChild supports the poorest of the poor children through Christian education in the following countries:
Guatemala Chad Honduras Palestine Haiti Uganda
Gambia Ivory Coast El Salvador Nigeria Panama Nicaragua
Burma Ghana Chile Venezuela Bolivia Mexico
Liberia Uruguay Sri Lanka India Guinea Sierra Leone
Bangladesh Cambodia South Africa Togo Thailand
These students need your help to find a way out of poverty through Christian education and learn of the hope of Christ our Savior.
Please fill out your information below and send it with your check or donate online through the LeadaChild website: http://www.leadachild.org/bike
Every dollar makes a difference. Please give generously. Please remember all of the riders in your prayers! Thank you much for your support!
Biking For Kids Together,
Pastor Jeremy Klaustermeier
LeadaChild is a 501 C-3 non-profit organization and is a Recognized Service Organization of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
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