Mercy Me!

By Jennifer Koryta

 

Despite the harsh realization as I have grown older that there are people in the world who are not fond of or are rather allergic to one of God's creations known as the cat, I have always been a huge fan. In fact as long as I can remember I have loved cats, and I guess word on the Koryta street says that when I was three I wanted to get one so bad that I started saying in my prayers, "Thank you for Mommy and Daddy and Michael and the kitty cat that I am going to get one day."  I suppose that prayer of a three year old's "faith" was soon accurate, because my father softened, and despite his thought that he wasn't fond of the animals, the Koryta family soon acquired what would become our fifth member, an animal shelter adoptee named Cuddles.

 

            Cuddles lived to be 17 years old and when she died when I was 21 years old, I sobbed my eyes out and truly grieved over losing a lifelong friend. Since that time my parents have gotten a new cat, but I, who have been living on my own and in dorms and apartments where they weren't allowed, have never had a cat that was my "own". This summer I moved to Indianapolis and to a new apartment where much to my excitement I found out that I would be allowed to have a cat.

 

            A month ago I was approached by a patient whose cat had had kittens she was unable to keep and soon enough I found myself with a 4 week old baby kitten in my home. My peaceful home, mind you.  A home that consists of me, myself, and I. A home where doors that are shut stay shut and where food that is in plastic wrappings stays there until opened by one of the three previously mentioned people. And a home where when I am taking a shower, I am quite used to doing so in the utmost of privacy. I naively assumed that after bringing home a new kitten this activity would remain as peaceful as before.

 

            I had never really known a kitten this young, and I had forgotten that cats don't all start out like Garfield. This kitten could open bedroom doors, fit under closet doors, jumped in the refrigerator, the dishwasher, the toilet, the running shower, the bathroom sink, the window sills, the potted plants, and soon I realized that she was airborne far more than she was curled up in the cute ball I imagined. Suddenly my peaceful home was one where I never knew where I would find a loaf of bread, when I might have a fur ball joining me in the shower, who would jump on me for attention with her dagger-sharp claws and draw blood, and one where it was a daily adventure to come home and find out just how destroyed my home would look. I should have named this kitten Tornado or Torpedo, but instead I named her Mercy.

 

            I named her Mercy before I met her because I thought it was a cute and girly name and because my favorite description I have ever heard of Mercy is one where the pastor described holding a kitten who is purring and sweet and cuddling and you are enjoying holding it close and feeling loving toward it. Then he said to imagine that the kitten is clawing and biting and trying to get down and making you bleed, and instead of drop-kicking it across the room, locking it up, or yelling... you continue to hold it close, love it tenderly and wrap your arms around it to keep it safe. He said that is mercy. I have always loved that description and thought it would be a good name for a kitten to remind me of God's mercy. However, I prefer to tell the sweet story, and I never thought that an animal named Mercy would require such mercy from me.

 

            I have been reminded in the last month that God doesn't want us to just enjoy who He is or talk about who He is or learn about who He is. He wants us to day by day strive to be more like He is. In the book of James we are told to not just listen to the word, but to ". . . do what it says" (James 1:22). It is easy to share the sweet story of how merciful God is that touched my heart, but it is harder to show genuine mercy to those who need it sometimes. And despite the scratches, nights of no sleep, and destroyed home, the reality is that this kitten doesn't require even close to the amount of mercy that I require to live each day with a promise of a coming kingdom that I don't deserve, with blessings of which I am unworthy, and with an almighty and loving God who holds me close in His arms every day and every night no matter how bad I have been. 

 

            Peter was a man who knew the beauty of mercy. A man who denied Christ repeatedly and vocally during Jesus' darkest hour, and yet a man who went on to preach Jesus' message and the coming kingdom so effectively knowing that despite his past he was cleansed through Jesus and brought to a personal relationship with his merciful God through Jesus. I believe that understanding of mercy is important as we approach God and try to reach others for God, and I pray that my heart can always echo Peter's words which say, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (I Peter 1:3).

 

by  Jennifer Koryta / VitalKnowledge.org / Feb. 23, 2007

 

MY DEEP THANKS to the men who ably brought you God’s truth while I was away.  They were Mark Cain, Richard Marsh and Steve Weaver  Much appreciated!  Also my thanks to others who took care of music and services and to the cleaning and mowing of the property! 

 

REX AND SHARON enjoyed immensely our vacation – the first time we’ve ever taken a vacation without children in the car!  It took a l-o-n-g time for that to happen, but we admit, it was very nice!  We traveled almost 5000 miles without incident … except for the Buffalo … I’ll explain later.  

 

“Welcome to the United States!”

Michal Sittek, 16, is here from the Czech Republic and Frank Roper is hosting him for the coming school year.  He enjoys cycling, skiing and plays a flute, acoustic and electric guitar and enjoys photography.  He’s nearly a straight A student - a junior this year.  He will be attending the Richmond Heights high school near Roper.

 

Welcome to our nation, our city and to this congregation!  We are very pleased to have you with us for several months!

 

COMMUNION DEACONESSES for next Sunday are Dorothy Robertson and Marge Reed.

 

THE THERMOMETER GRAPH now shows that we have about $1200 toward our goal of $1500 to buy Pastor Rex a MacBook laptop computer in lieu of a raise this year.  Pam Weaver is spearheading this effort. THANKS EVERYONE!

 

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - NE CONFERENCE: Our church belongs to a group of 6-8 churches in Ohio, which collectively make up the Northeast Conference. These churches partner together every summer to run Summit (summer camp for grades 3-8), to meet financial needs of struggling churches, to plant new churches, and to encourage the ministries of each other.

 

            The new NE Conference president, Kent Ross, wants to send out a monthly e-newsletter to people from those churches to keep people in touch with what is happening. If you'd like to receive that email newsletter each month, please let Pastor Cain know.

 

PRAY FOR: Skip Reed (eye infection), Lois Maze (by Robertson), Pastor Dale Swartz (cancer), 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 & Rachel Cain (internship), 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

 

July 2007

24        Michal Sittek of Czechoslovakia, an exchange student, arrives in the U.S. – he will be residing with Frank Roper and attending church here.

 

Aug. 2007

2-3       Annual General Conference / Cornerstone Bible Church, McDonough GA

 

26        Annual Church Picnic / No services here (no SS classes) – all at Longwood Park, Rt. 82, 1 mile east of Macedonia

 

 

Musicians: (Frank Roper and Sharon Cain)

Welcome / Announcements

Worship Hymns / Mark Cain

450 Trust and Obey

447 ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

Prayer / Offering

Message: “Enoch Was Not Found”

Texts: Gen 5:21-24; Lk 3:37; Heb 11:5; Jude 14, 15; Deut 34:1-7; Heb 7:3; 11:3; Rom 5:14; Jude 24

481 He Is Coming Again

 

Jude: 24, 25: Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.