Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012 (revised)

DEVOTION: The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Genesis 3:12-13


Police said Jennifer Brown stole some things from a Holiday Inn in Big Beaver, Pennsylvania.
They said she pilfered some sheets, an alarm clock, a coffee pot, a basket and a hair-dryer. Grand total for the theft was somewhere around $206.

"Not me," said Brown. "It was my evil twin sister who did the stealing.

While police were investigating the evil twin sister, they received a phone call from Brown. She said they could call off the investigation because her evil twin had returned all the things she had taken.

Sure enough. The things were back, exactly as Brown had said they would be.

So, case closed? Nope. In their investigation -- an investigation which had them talking to Brown's family -- they found Jennifer has no twin sister, evil or otherwise. The twin sister was just an invention to whom Jennifer could pass the buck and place the blame -- just like Adam and Eve up above.

Now we may not be as direct in our blame-passing as were Adam and Eve, and we may not be as creative as was Jennifer Brown, but that doesn't change anything. Sinful humanity, of which we are a part, loves to place the blame for all that is evil on someone else. We've found it's comfortable and convenient to blame a spouse, a sibling, a boss, a circumstance or situation.

We like the idea of making ourselves look good, while we make someone else look bad.

Of course, that doesn't fly with the Lord. In Eden's garden the Lord showed He held every soul accountable for his own misdeeds. In prison parlance we had "done the crime," so we had to "do the time." Unfortunately, the time we had to do was forever and the place we had to do it was hell.

This is why you and I ought to be eternally grateful for the Savior who had done no crime still took our evil misdeeds and carried them to the cross. There, having completed a life led without any sin of His own, the Christ died carrying our sins. In short, He died so we might live. He rose from the dead to assure us we need not die.

Jesus is God's Good News, which needs to be shared with everyone, with the exception, of course, of evil, non-existent twin sisters.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, we humans have always enjoyed passing the responsibility for our sins on to others. How thankful we should be to have a Savior who took our sins and disposed of them. May we be as ready to praise Him as we are to blame others. In Jesus' Name. Amen
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Last Thursday's Quiz: What chapter/s of Lamentation is an acrostic poem (A poem which has each verse beginning with the successive letters of the hebrew alphabet)?
Chapters 1-4
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Tuesday's Quiz:  Who were the three guys who were thrown in the fiery furnace for not bowing down to worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up?
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CATECHISM:
Question: What is Christ's exaltation?
Answer: Christ's exaltation is that as man He now fully and always uses His divine powers.
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CALENDAR: 
Tues- Quilters 9-2; Bible study 11:30-12:15; Strategic Planning Committee meeting 6:30
Wed- Pastor on KFUO.org and AM 850 at 11am
Thurs- 8th-12th graders and their parents meet about the National Youth Gathering 6pm
Fri- Jonesburg Nursing Home worship 10:30
Sat- worship 5pm
Sun- worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; worship 11am; CHURCH PICNIC AT STARKS Noon
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NEWS:
SUNDAY SCHOOL RALLY DAY THIS SUNDAY BEGINNING AT 9:45!!
It's time to get back into Sunday school!!!  If you have been neglecting it throughout the summer, now's your chance to get back into it!  We will be celebrating with a balloon launch, some fun song and dance, and learning all about Jesus and what He has done for us.  Sunday school goes from 9:45-10:45 and late worship begins at 11am!  Classes are available for 3-14 year olds!! 
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PARENTING COURSE "From Me to We" STARTS THIS SUNDAY at 9:45!!
Hey parents, please come to this course!  You will enjoy it immensely!  You can drop your kids off for Sunday school and then head right up to class!  It is a video based class with time for discussion and encouragement.  Come and check it out.  All parents are invited!!
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CHURCH PICNIC THIS SUNDAY BEGINNING AT NOON!
Come out and enjoy a lot of good food, fun, an fellowship!  Games, a zipline over the pond, lots of wonderful outdoors, and so much more! 
 
Directions:  From downtown Warrenton (Main Street) Go west Main St. to Hwy U, Turn left on Hwy U and go 2.2 miles.  Turn left on Firetower Rd.  Go 1.3 miles and turn Right on Sky Dr.  There will be a big painted leaf on the corner, the sign says Maple Leaf Farm.  Watch for balloons on the corner of Fire Tower and Sky Dr.    Bring your own chairs and either a vegetable, salad, or dessert to share. 
 
Please call the church office, 456-2888, if you haven't signed up yet, to let us know how many are coming and what kind of food you are going to bring!
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NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING MEETING FOR ALL 8th-12th GRADERS AND THEIR PARENTS THIS THURSDAY at 6pm!!!
It is imperative that you be there for this meeting.  We have a lot of stuff to discuss, forms to fill out, and things to decide. 
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PASTOR ON THE "ASK THE PASTOR" PROGRAM ON KFUO TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, AT 11AM!
Go to kfuo.org and click on the "listen live" button.  Or if you can get AM 850 on your radio, you can listen that way too at 11am.  If you aren't able to listen at that time, you can download it as a podcast. 
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MEN'S RETREAT COMING UP SEPTEMBER 28-30!!!!   REGISTER TODAY!
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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STEWARDSHIP SPOLIGHT FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER IS LCMS Global Missions
Go to LCMS.org to learn more about what our Synod is doing in the way of spreading the Gospel globally!!

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PRAYERS: 

For DENISE SCHELSSELMAN AND HER FAMILY as they mourn the loss of her grandma, who passed from death to life this past Sunday morning.

 

For DOLORES DEBLAZE as she continues to suffer with pain and shortness of breath because of cancer.

 

For LIL WINTER'S SON RAYMOND, who is recovering well after gastric bypass surgery.

 

For PEGGY KOHRING who has stage 2 breast cancer & its in her Lymph Nodes. She is Diabetic.  They will give her 4 wks of Chemo and then decide which type surgery to do.  She is Lil Winter's granddaughter's mother in law. 

 

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 severe cancer complications.

 

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

 

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.