June 17, 2007
While the article below isn’t exactly a Father’s Day theme, it does speak to aging gracefully and weathering the storms of life successfully. Fathers, have you been faithful to your duties … as have the old weathered barns?
For some reason I have a fondness for old, weathered, beat up, leaning barns which look as though a strong wind could collapse the old structure. They, however, have survived through many years of adversity and use. To me they are beautiful and interesting, reminding me of my Grandfather’s barn in which we, as children, played.
When the new barn was erected it was strong, good looking and reliable to shelter the animals, bales of hay, chickens or whatever the farmer’s need was at that time. It may not serve the same purpose, yet it is still standing, defying the ravages of sun, wind and rain. The wood is a lovely silver gray from the severe elements and cannot be reproduced with any paint. Many people seek out those old barns for the beautiful wood to use in crafts and to decorate their homes.
Many of us began as the old barn, strong, good looking, reliable, and useful. We have weathered, grayed, and changed as the old barn; yet, the battering of life’s storms has served to increase the beauty and strength of our souls. I like to think that God looks upon us, as I do the barn, saying, you have been strong during your allotted time, serving your master in all things and you are still standing. “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” – Matt 25:21
– From THRIVE Ministries / February 25, 2006 / Anita Zirkelbach (Texas)
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“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you [Israel], then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
– Joshua 2415
Fathers, will you make the same declaration?
RICHARD MARSH will be speaking next Sunday while my family and I are all gathered in Springfield Ohio for Dan Cain and Rachel Cunningham’s wedding. It requires 3 pastors to marry them: Seth Ross and Alan and Rex Cain. We want the knot real tight! J Thanks, Richard, for ably filling in for me!!
EVELYN PENNINGTON (Charles Jones’ sister) entered Mary Mount Hospital June 9th with slurred speech. I visited her 6-11 and she was alert and talking very well. Keep her in prayer.
ISRAEL LAUNCHED a new spy satellite last week to monitor their enemies, especially Syria and Iran. As I said in my sermon last Sunday, the hateful rhetoric is dramatically escalating in the Mideast. I can’t envision that the nations can hold a lid on an “explosion” that will spread far and wide from Israel. Surely, we are living in the last days of this age. “Come, Lord Jesus!”
NOTICE ANY COLOR when you pulled in? Frank Roper and Al & Arlene Szekely worked up a good sweat June 7th in 90 degree heat by planting flowers and trimming trees. We DO APPRECIATE those who make time in their busy schedules to keep our church running smoothly and looking nice.
DOROTHY ROBERTSON is planning to be here today. She’s had some medical problems, feeling sick, couldn’t sleep and losing weight. But new medicine has been helping a great deal causing her to say last Wednesday she hopes to be here today. Keep her in your prayer.
CONGRATULATIONS TO RACHEL CUNNINGHAM (soon to be Cain)! She graduated June 8th from Sinclair College in Dayton OH in deaf interpretation. She will continue her studies in Omaha for a degree in elementary education.
Rex, Thanks for your prayers. The first of four of a 3 hour chemo treatment June 12th turned into 7 hours because she had a very bad reaction at the start. They gave her a shot of Benadryl and she was fine. Next time they will give her medication before they begin.
– Rick Phillis, 6-12-07
$THE UNITED STATES was the world’s biggest military spender last year - $528 billion!! Imagine what Jesus could have done with that much money! Even though I ran this last Feb., it seems a good spot to rerun the item below:
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into perspective.
A billion seconds ago, it was 1959.
A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive.
A billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes at the rate Washington spends it!
A RECENT GALLOP POLL of 1300 people done May 10th (as seen in the June 79h Plain Dealer) showed that 87% felt moral values in America were getting worse, 87% of liberals felt homosexuality was morally acceptable and 23% of conservatives felt it was acceptable. Among many other topics, 67% of liberals felt abortion was morally acceptable, 39% of moderates felt the same and 24% of conservatives felt abortion was acceptable.
PRAY FOR: Vicki Phillis, Pastor Beder (cancer, Peru), Kate Liauw (28, MS, by R Phillis), Iris Horst (cancer, by Roper), Emory Macy, Beth Marsh. June Routson, Amy Gunselman (cancer, by R Phillis), Evelyn Pennington, Ruby Korode, Lucinda (by Szekely), Gene & Gloria Faehnrich, Edith Speer, Grady Hudspeth*, Jacob Hinton*, Kathy & Destiny Reed*, (*by Skip), W.C. & Craig Blankenship, College students: Jackie Schuld, Dan Cain (internship), Rachel Cunningham, Shut-ins: Helen Matthews, Military: Rodger Schuld, Those serving in other countries: Lupe Badillo-Mexico, Tracy Zhykhovich-Russia, Beder Ucañay-Peru, Pastors in Malawi & Mozambique, Lesly Bertrand and the Pastors in Haiti. Colleges / Churches: RRCC, ABC, Golden Rule, Grace Brethren and for the peace of Jerusalem, Ps. 122:6; Isa. 62:6, 7
June 2007
17 Father’s Day / a gift for all the men
23 Dan Cain and Rachel Cunningham’s wedding / Springfield Ohio
24 Richard Marsh speaking (Pastor & family at Dan’s wedding)
Future Dates: July 15-20 National Camp / Aug 26, Annual SS Picnic
SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:45A.M.
WORSHIP 10:45A.M.
Musicians: (Sharon & Mark Cain)
Welcome / Announcements
Prelude: Dorothy Robertson,
“Behold, What Manner of Love”
Worship Hymns / Mark Cain
521 Our Thanks, O God, for Fathers
407 Faith of Our Fathers
Prayer / Offering
Solo: Mark Cain, “Daddy’s Hands”
Message: “Daddy’s Hands”
Texts: Ps 24; 1 Tim 2:1, 8; Lk 6:45; 2 Thess 3:6-8; Ex 20:8-11; Ecc 9:9; Eph 5:28
49 God Leads Us Along
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Congregational Reading:
Ps. 24:1 The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty-- he is the King of glory.
By Mark Galli
Though it is difficult for me to believe the title of this month’s review book isn’t deliberately meant to be a shocker, this is an excellent book written by a former pastor who is now the managing editor of Christianity Today. Jesus, he says, is wild and untamable, not just meek and mild. He quotes Annie Dillard’s famous passage that instead of wearing straw or velvet hats to church, we should be wearing crash helmets, and the ushers should issue life preservers and lash people into their pews. Dillard asks, "Does anyone have the foggiest idea of what sort of power we so blithely invoke?" When my good friend, Lynn, was attending a Methodist church in Kansas, the pastor read this Dillard quote to the mostly elderly congregation. The next Sunday when she stood up in the pulpit to preach, the congregation, in a sudden flurry of activity, reached under pews where they’d been stashed and strapped crash helmets onto their grey heads. The pastor laughed so hard she could hardly continue with her "dangerous" sermon!
Jesus Mean and Wild (The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God) by Mark Galli - The wild side of Jesus is not currently in vogue, but the author insists that seeing Jesus solely as meek and mild casts him in our minds as only an idol which misses vital aspects of the richer, fuller, more deeply dimensioned character of Jesus as he really is. American Christianity, he says, has become "soft around the middle," and needs to be jolted awake. His way of doing this is to point out aspects of Jesus we haven’t paid much attention to in this culture - Jesus the consuming fire or the raging storm, for instance. There was a reason they killed him, after all. Jesus has as his motive our salvation, of course. He’s harsh sometimes to motivate us to change. In the short term, though, we don’t always welcome Jesus being Jesus instead of the tame version we’ve conjured up in our minds. Jesus makes it clear that following him will entail suffering and death. If you like a challenge, read this book.
