DEVOTION: Ecclesiastes 3:1 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven....."
Hi everyone! As you can see, I am back from vacation.
On vacation, mostly as I was driving, there was a lot of time for reflection. Not sure how many of you are aware of it, but this weekend is the ten year anniversary of my ordination and installation at St. John's.
Throughout those ten years there have been many "seasons" and "times" in the life of the church and in my life as well, both good times and challenging times, peaceful times, and times of turmoil and distress. I have seen my daughter grow up into the beautiful girl she is and have seen the birth of my son and the growth process he has taken. I have seen many f the children of this congregation grow up from youngsters into adults with jobs and families of their own. I have seen many new and returning Christians become members of this church and grow in their faiths. I have had the privilege to assist our Lord and Savior in the bringing of many a Christian into the fold through the waters of holy baptism as well as rejoice with many mourners as many of our faithful witnesses go on to the church triumphant.
Throughout that time I have grown as a person and as a pastor, mostly through trial and error, through the many "seasons" of my time here. That is what these "seasons" are about. They are about growing. They are about being transformed in the renewing of our minds, hearts, and lives to be about the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Many of you are struggling with all sorts of trials and errors right now as well, whether it be health issues, relationship issues, financial issues, etc. You may be going through some tough times right now. Others of you may be having the time of your life and everything is going well for you. Whatever the case you can know this one thing. GOD IS WITH YOU!!
It is a very obvious thing, isn't it, but how many times a day do we forget about God's presence in our lives? How many times a day do we sin because we have forgotten His presence? How many times have we been frustrated or ready to throw in the towel because we forget about God's powerful presence?
That's what Satan wants. He wants you to forget about God's presence with you. He wants you to get sp discouraged that you just give up. that way he can get you away from the Savior's love, forgiveness, and life.
Don't let him. Make use of God's means of grace, His WORD and SACRAMENTS, as often as you are able. Be IN God's Word. Eat His body and drink His blood. Remember your baptism! Be IN worship! Do all this, not out of drudgery or a sense of responsibility, but out of a need to realize God's presence more and more!
I thank you for the wonderful ten years I have had here at St. John's. To be honest, I don't really know what God has in store for me for the future. But I do know that whever I am and whatever I am doing He will never leave me nor forsake me and He will be with me to the end of the age! The same holds true for you!
PEACE BE WITH YOU ALL!
Prayer: Lord God our heavenly Father, help us to know, with more assurance daily, that You are with us, You are on our side, and You will be our shield, our protector, and our guide for all eternity! Amen.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CATECHISM:
Question: What is the summary of commandments 1-3?
Answer: Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind".
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
QUIZ: Who was Joel?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
NOTE: Birthdays, Anniversaries, and weekly volunteer schedule won't be in the daily email anymore. Please refer to your monthly NEWSLETTER for that information. Thank you
________________________________________________________________________________________________
CHURCH CALENDAR:
Tues- no Bible study
Wed- Pastor on KFUOam.org and 850 AM on your radio dial from 11:05-12noon.
Thurs- nothing
Fri- nothing
Sat- worship 5pm
Sun- Bible study 8am; worship 9am; Bible study 10:30
________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS:
VBS "Welcome to Holywood" IS COMING JULY 11-15!
"Kid friendly" meals will be provided from 5:30-6:00,festivities begin at 6pm, and end around 8:15pm.
Kids will explore a few of the many miracles of Jesus by becoming "stars" in the stories.
Please call the church office to sign with an agent (register) today so that we have a decent idea of how many kids we will have.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SECOND ANNUAL CAMPING/FLOAT TRIP COMING UP July 22-24
Four full hook up campsites are reserved at Onandaga Cave State Park. Cost is $54.50 for a site for the two days.
Saturday will be on your own: Please check your newsletter for all of the fun stuff there is to do.
Sunday the floating group will leave from Ozark Outdoors at 10am to do a five mile float which should take 3-5 hours. Cost to float in a canoe is $17.50 per person with two people per canoe. Rafts are $22 a person and tubes are $20.
Again, check the info in the newsletter for more info or call Teresa Scott at 359-0274 or email her at tscott@usmo.com.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
OUR THIRD ANNUAL GOLF SOCIAL IS COMING UP SATURDAY, AUGUST 13!
Registration: 7am
Shotgun start: 8am
Details: 4 person scramble format, cash prizes per flight and special hole contest, Burgers and brats for lunch
Cost: $50 per person includes round of golf, cart, lunch, and attendance gift. Hole sponsorship is $50 with proceeds going to Little Lambs. There will be 50/50 tickets, mulligans and other incentives available for purchase as part of the fundraising portion of the event as well.
Registration forms and sign up sheet are on the table in the narthex. You can call Alan Hofeldt at 456-3070 for more info or to sponsor a hole.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYERS: (If I have missed anyone please let me know.)
BUCK HAMPTON who is hospitalized with sever headaches and stomach troubles.
LIL WINTER who is going home from the hospital today after knee replacement.
DWAYNE SEXTON, Joan's son, who is recovering after surgery to remove a kidney, and thanksgiving that there was no cancer found.
RUTH CANTRELL, who continues to deal with cancer symptoms, more tests, and recovery from surgery.
KEN MEYER, Robyn McNew's brother, as he continues to recover well.
ALL throughout the upper midwest, especially in Minot, ND, who are struggling with flooding issues.
JOPLIN as they continue to recover.
MEMBERS OF OUR CHURCH WHO ARE MILITARY PERSONNEL, Ryan Woolf, Danny Dreyer, Sam Hargrove, David Mincemeyer, Alex Walters, David Tate, Jon Rahn, and Adam Klott. (If I am missing anyone please let me know.)
OUR CHURCH as we continue the CARE PROCESS.
Hi everyone! As you can see, I am back from vacation.
On vacation, mostly as I was driving, there was a lot of time for reflection. Not sure how many of you are aware of it, but this weekend is the ten year anniversary of my ordination and installation at St. John's.
Throughout those ten years there have been many "seasons" and "times" in the life of the church and in my life as well, both good times and challenging times, peaceful times, and times of turmoil and distress. I have seen my daughter grow up into the beautiful girl she is and have seen the birth of my son and the growth process he has taken. I have seen many f the children of this congregation grow up from youngsters into adults with jobs and families of their own. I have seen many new and returning Christians become members of this church and grow in their faiths. I have had the privilege to assist our Lord and Savior in the bringing of many a Christian into the fold through the waters of holy baptism as well as rejoice with many mourners as many of our faithful witnesses go on to the church triumphant.
Throughout that time I have grown as a person and as a pastor, mostly through trial and error, through the many "seasons" of my time here. That is what these "seasons" are about. They are about growing. They are about being transformed in the renewing of our minds, hearts, and lives to be about the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Many of you are struggling with all sorts of trials and errors right now as well, whether it be health issues, relationship issues, financial issues, etc. You may be going through some tough times right now. Others of you may be having the time of your life and everything is going well for you. Whatever the case you can know this one thing. GOD IS WITH YOU!!
It is a very obvious thing, isn't it, but how many times a day do we forget about God's presence in our lives? How many times a day do we sin because we have forgotten His presence? How many times have we been frustrated or ready to throw in the towel because we forget about God's powerful presence?
That's what Satan wants. He wants you to forget about God's presence with you. He wants you to get sp discouraged that you just give up. that way he can get you away from the Savior's love, forgiveness, and life.
Don't let him. Make use of God's means of grace, His WORD and SACRAMENTS, as often as you are able. Be IN God's Word. Eat His body and drink His blood. Remember your baptism! Be IN worship! Do all this, not out of drudgery or a sense of responsibility, but out of a need to realize God's presence more and more!
I thank you for the wonderful ten years I have had here at St. John's. To be honest, I don't really know what God has in store for me for the future. But I do know that whever I am and whatever I am doing He will never leave me nor forsake me and He will be with me to the end of the age! The same holds true for you!
PEACE BE WITH YOU ALL!
Prayer: Lord God our heavenly Father, help us to know, with more assurance daily, that You are with us, You are on our side, and You will be our shield, our protector, and our guide for all eternity! Amen.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CATECHISM:
Question: What is the summary of commandments 1-3?
Answer: Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind".
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
QUIZ: Who was Joel?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
NOTE: Birthdays, Anniversaries, and weekly volunteer schedule won't be in the daily email anymore. Please refer to your monthly NEWSLETTER for that information. Thank you
________________________________________________________________________________________________
CHURCH CALENDAR:
Tues- no Bible study
Wed- Pastor on KFUOam.org and 850 AM on your radio dial from 11:05-12noon.
Thurs- nothing
Fri- nothing
Sat- worship 5pm
Sun- Bible study 8am; worship 9am; Bible study 10:30
________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS:
VBS "Welcome to Holywood" IS COMING JULY 11-15!
"Kid friendly" meals will be provided from 5:30-6:00,festivities begin at 6pm, and end around 8:15pm.
Kids will explore a few of the many miracles of Jesus by becoming "stars" in the stories.
Please call the church office to sign with an agent (register) today so that we have a decent idea of how many kids we will have.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SECOND ANNUAL CAMPING/FLOAT TRIP COMING UP July 22-24
Four full hook up campsites are reserved at Onandaga Cave State Park. Cost is $54.50 for a site for the two days.
Saturday will be on your own: Please check your newsletter for all of the fun stuff there is to do.
Sunday the floating group will leave from Ozark Outdoors at 10am to do a five mile float which should take 3-5 hours. Cost to float in a canoe is $17.50 per person with two people per canoe. Rafts are $22 a person and tubes are $20.
Again, check the info in the newsletter for more info or call Teresa Scott at 359-0274 or email her at tscott@usmo.com.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
OUR THIRD ANNUAL GOLF SOCIAL IS COMING UP SATURDAY, AUGUST 13!
Registration: 7am
Shotgun start: 8am
Details: 4 person scramble format, cash prizes per flight and special hole contest, Burgers and brats for lunch
Cost: $50 per person includes round of golf, cart, lunch, and attendance gift. Hole sponsorship is $50 with proceeds going to Little Lambs. There will be 50/50 tickets, mulligans and other incentives available for purchase as part of the fundraising portion of the event as well.
Registration forms and sign up sheet are on the table in the narthex. You can call Alan Hofeldt at 456-3070 for more info or to sponsor a hole.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYERS: (If I have missed anyone please let me know.)
BUCK HAMPTON who is hospitalized with sever headaches and stomach troubles.
LIL WINTER who is going home from the hospital today after knee replacement.
DWAYNE SEXTON, Joan's son, who is recovering after surgery to remove a kidney, and thanksgiving that there was no cancer found.
RUTH CANTRELL, who continues to deal with cancer symptoms, more tests, and recovery from surgery.
KEN MEYER, Robyn McNew's brother, as he continues to recover well.
ALL throughout the upper midwest, especially in Minot, ND, who are struggling with flooding issues.
JOPLIN as they continue to recover.
MEMBERS OF OUR CHURCH WHO ARE MILITARY PERSONNEL, Ryan Woolf, Danny Dreyer, Sam Hargrove, David Mincemeyer, Alex Walters, David Tate, Jon Rahn, and Adam Klott. (If I am missing anyone please let me know.)
OUR CHURCH as we continue the CARE PROCESS.
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