Thursday, August 30, 2012

DEVOTION: 
Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared. Psalms 130:1-4

Our catechisms list many of the blessed Lord's attributes. Unfortunately, one of the qualities we Christians often forget is the Lord's sense of humor. As proof of the fact the Lord likes to smile, I offer the story of Sal Bentivegna.

Depending on what news source you read, Bentivegna is either an atheist or an agnostic. Either way, he thought religion was a joke and his very-Catholic mother had been misled. To prove there was no Lord watching over her, Bentivegna would often get sarcastic. He was being sarcastic when he told his mother she ought to pray "to her God" and ask for cash to remove her money problem.

Mom declined to pray for such mercenary matters.

Her prayers were reserved for important things like asking the Lord to provide a miracle for her boy -- a miracle that might resurrect his faith. In reply to her son's challenge, mom said he was more than welcome to go to the Lord on her behalf. He took up the challenge and mockingly asked God to help his mother win the lottery.

Now, although these Daily Devotions do not endorse or support the playing of the lottery, we have to be amused by the fact that, the next day, Mrs. Gloria Bentivegna won the New York Lottery Sweet Million game.

Every year for the next 20 years, Bentivegna's mom is going to receive $50,000.

Sal Bentivegna's "prayer" had been answered. But how about his mother's request for her boy to be given a life-changing, soul-shaking experience? Bentivegna himself can answer that question. He said, "I sat back and thought about it and realized the odds against this are astronomical. I can't shrug off that Jesus had a hand in it. No pun intended, it was a Godsend."

So, where does this devotion go from here?

Simple, it goes this way -- experience has taught me two things: First, many Christians are in the same situation as Mrs. Bentivegna. Like her they are praying for a loved one's relationship with the Lord. Like her they are asking the Lord to use an event that would bring a wandering soul back to his Lord.

This takes me to the second thing experience has taught: life will produce those moments when the Holy Spirit will bring a soul closer to the Lord, or the devil will drag that individual further away.

At those moments when an unbeliever ought to be conscious of his limitations and his need for the Lord's assistance, close, caring Christians can be used by the Lord to accomplish His purposes.

This is why we pray for those who have wandered and those who care about them.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, today I ask that You will be with and use Your people to reach out to lost loved ones. Give them the words and wisdom to say the right thing to those who have wandered. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.  
 
 
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Wednesday's Quiz:  Who was Nebuzaradan?  Jeremiah 39:9   He was commander of the Imperial Guard.
Good job Dianne and Bob!
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THURSDAY'S QUIZ: What chapter of Lamentation is an acrostic poem (A poem which has each verse beginning with the successive letters of the hebrew alphabet)?
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CATECHISM:
Question: Has Christ redeemed only you?
Answer: No, Christ has redeemed me and all people (universal atonement).
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CALENDAR: 
Sat- worship 5pm
Sun- worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; worship 11am 
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NEWS:
MEN'S RETREAT COMING UP SEPTEMBER 28-30!!!!
The 10th annual T-3 (trap, tackle, and tees) retreat is coming up September 28-30!!  The cost is $45 for lodging and meals.  (You can get a hotel room or bring your own camper or tent if you wish to have your own lodging.) $35 for our 2 person scramble golf tourney.  There is also a fishing tournament, skeet shooting, a guided tour of Mark Twain Lake and forest, hiking, biking, and much, much more.  All that plus some of the best food you can eat and the best Bible studies and worship times you can have at a camp!  It is a time that you will never forget!  I will give the first one besides me to sign up my special (pastor) room that I get every year. 
 
 I (pastor) am going!  I wouldn't miss it for the world.  Let me know if you want to go. 
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HELPERS NEEDED FOR A NEW GOOD NEWS CLUB!!!
 
Right now I have two possible helpers if schedules can be worked out.  I could use at least one or two more!  Let me know if you are interested!!
 

As many of you know, CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) does an after school program called "Good News Club".   The change to all elementary schools being preschool-5th grade has created an opportunity for us (St. John's) to host a GNC at Rebecca Boone.  CEF has leaders in place to help us get started (They would eventually step out of the way and let us take over fully.)  What we need is two or three volunteers, who like working with kids and want to see more of them come to Christ, to be a part of this exciting opportunity. 
 
Please call me at 359-1061 to let me know if you are interested!! 
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STEWARDSHIP SPOLIGHT FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST IS OUR OWN LITTLE LAMBS PRESCHOOL!!!

What a great opportunity to support a mission right here!  If you don't want to do the golf outing, but you still want to help Little Lambs just put a check in the offering plate that is specifically designated to Little Lambs.  They start school on August 16.  

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PRAYERS:

For JEANETTE KOEHLER as she gets to go home today!!!

 

For DON TURNURE who is going to have to have his hip replaced on October 22.

 

For PAUL BRENDEL, Barb Dreyer's dad) who is recovering from internal bleeding.

  

For CLYDE SPRICK, grandfather of Shawn and Sierra Jaeger, who is dealing with sever cancer complications.

 

For BRENDA ROLOFF, daughter of Cal and Betty Tameler, who is dealing with complications and a fever after her hysterectomy.

 

For DOLORES DEBLAZE as she had her last radiation treatment yesterday. 

 

For Denise Schlesselman's grandma, DOROTHY SCHLESSELMAN, as the spinal tap the doctors did revealed an unidentified virus.  

 

For ERNA VANHORN who is recovering well from surgery at Delmar Gardens

For BILL MCKENZIE as he recovers from a stroke at home.   

 

For JOYCE SCHIEN as she recovers from a stroke.  She is at the DePaul rehab hospital.

 

For BOB LAMPEN, Karin Klaustermeier's dad, as his treatment is doing some good, and as he is starting a new treatment for his liver cancer.