Dancing With God
When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw 'G': I thought of God, followed by 'u' and 'i'. 'God, 'u' and 'i' dance.' God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.
And
I Hope You Dance !
— Submitted by Shirley Campbell Boyer, a long-time high school friend of Pastor Cain / 10-12-07
<><><><><><><>< ><><><><><>
EMORY MACY: Several have written asking for an update on Emory. Today (14TH) we celebrated Emory's 96th birthday. He is in the hospital now, but we took him a cake and he ate a piece with ice cream and polished it all off.
He continues with congestive heart failure, kidney failure and pulmonary problems. We're very thankful he is in no pain. When he is awake he is inevitably cheerful and enjoyed the brief time of conversation today, especially as his sister. Lorna, came to visit him on his birthday.
Thank for remembering him. His family is deeply appreciative of the brotherhood of faith. — Kent Ross, 10-14-07
YOUR CALENDAR MAY BE WRONG. It may show next Sunday as the date to turn your clocks back one hour, but a new law has set the date instead for Nov. 4th.
DAVID & MEGAN FREDERICK: Hi Pastor Cain - Just wanted to send an update on the Frederick family. We're no longer living in our camper...after a little more than four months we've moved into our new house. We love having more space, both inside and out (it's on 5 acres). Hannah and Matthew are doing great--Hannah is learning some letters and loves to help cook. She also loves Sunday school at church. Matthew is 8 1/2 months old now and learned how to crawl the day we moved into the new house (last Saturday). I guess the camper was cramping his style! Dave's teaching 4th and 5th grade math, and I'm still home with the kids, trying to unpack and organize the new house. Please tell everyone we said hi, and we hope all are well! — Megan Frederick / 10-12-07
HOME BIBLE STUDY will be held at Phil and Susan May’s home this coming Tuesday evening (23RD) at 7pm. Anyone is welcome. I would suggest you call a few hours before the meeting to make sure all systems are go. Call pastor at 440-232-3970
“Coins for Africa”
We have set aside October to use our faithful “spin jug” to collect coins and dollars for Africa. There are several needs there – for example: For buildings, cement ($11.25 per bag) / Tin for roofs ($10.00 per sheet) / Food for orphans ($12.00 per week) / Bibles ($5.00 each).
Your coins and dollars can be a tremendous encouragement to our brethren there!
Oops!
In last week’s bulletin I said Szekely’s
would push on for FL on Aug. 15th – I obviously meant Oct.
15th – this past Monday.
I’m only running two months behind!! 
They called from SC this past week and
hoped to move on south within a couple days. They might be in LaBelle FL by
today.
Have You Thought About Attending the
Loving & Learning Conference
Nov. 8-11 at North Hills Church of God?
See Details on Bulletin Board!
BETH MARSH has requested that anyone wanting Christmas baskets (needlepoint on plastic canvas) should let her know soon.
PRAY FOR: Tyler Moore (auto accident), Jeff Stoneman (cancer, by Whaley), Frank Toth (tests), Terry James (cancer, by Roper), Evelyn Pennington, Emory Macy (broke hip 9-10), Jason Dishong (by G. Whaley), / Pastor Beder (cancer, Peru), Pastor Jack Hearp, Kate Liauw (28, MS, by R Phillis), Amy Gunselman (cancer, by R Phillis), Ruby Korode, Lucinda (by Szekely), Gene & Gloria Faehnrich, Edith Speer, Grady Hudspeth*, Jacob Hinton*, Kathy & Destiny Reed + current pregnancy*, (*by Skip), W.C. & Craig Blankenship, College students: Andrew Weaver, Jackie Schuld, Dan & Rachel Cain (internship / teaching degree), Shut-ins: Helen Matthews, Evelyn Pennington 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
OUR CHURCH WEBSITE
http://openbible.homestead.com
Has had 6800 visits!
Contains a practical yearly Bible reading plan
Contains church news going back 2 years
Contains dates of upcoming events for us and the Northeast Conference
Contains a map on how to find Bedford and our church
Contains links to mission reports / find books published / radio broadcasts / videos
Contains our statement of faith and who we are – our history
Contains a guest book you can view or sign and write in
Contains links to virtually all our churches / serious Bible study links / our conferences / fun links / Bible links / interesting links
I watched a 2-hour video of Anthony & a Muslim debate last week on our site from Toronto Canada!
Spend some time here!
October 2007 (“Coins for Africa” Month)
23 Home Bible Study at Phil & Susan May’s home, Euclid
28 SS Offering goes to “Coins for Africa” project
Future dates: Nov. 4 Agape Mtg / Nov 4 End Daylight Saving Time / Nov 8-10, THRIVE Conference, North Hills Church, Springfield OH / Nov. 16, Home Bible study / Nov. 25, Hanging of the Greens / Dec 2, Secret Pal Social / Dec 9, Emerald Ridge Christmas program / Dec 16, Christmas Banquet / Dec 23, Christmas theme – specials / Jan 13 Gideon Speaker
SUNDAY
SCHOOL: 9:45A.M.
WORSHIP
10:45A.M.
Musicians: (Sharon and Mark Cain)
Welcome / Announcements
Worship Hymns / Mark Cain
433 A Shelter in the Time of Storm!
423 Soldiers of Christ, Arise
Prayer / Offering
Message: “From Farmer’s Overalls to a Military Uniform”
Key Texts: Judges 6-8; 21:25; 2 Pet 3:4-9; 2 Cor 10:3-5; Heb 11:32; Rev 3:5
438 Is My Name Written There
BOOK REVIEW - NOVEMBER, 2007 by Anita Cain
Sister Wendy on Prayer
By Sister Wendy Beckett
A few years back you may have seen Sister Wendy Beckett in a series of BBC specials shown on PBS about art. Her delightful, fresh, light-of-heart way of approaching great art is so refreshing that, if you saw even one of those specials, you would likely remember her. Art, however, is a sideline for Sister Wendy. Her main vocation, as a Carmelite nun, is prayer. This month’s review book is one she has written on prayer, which, she says, is a much more difficult subject for her to write about than art. Why? Well, her art critiques are opinion, but prayer is her life. Writing about prayer, she expresses her deepest and most intimate convictions.
Sister Wendy on Prayer by Sister Wendy Beckett - She has lived in a convent for 60 years and 35 of those have been as a hermit. That’s just what it sounds like. She lives on convent grounds, but off to herself in a simple Portakabin, which is the sort of thing used by site managers on building sites as a simple shelter from the elements. She has a desk, table, chair and bed – no electronic gadgets. Her silent day is broken only by a meager lunch of cold vegetables, skimmed milk and rye bread. On major feast days, like Easter, she might have hot vegetables and a small piece of fish. Sister Wendy goes to bed at 6:30 p.m. and arises at 1:30 a.m., praying for seven hours during the silent night. By 8:30 a.m. the most important part of her day is over. The rest of her day is filled with more periods of contemplation and with work. She refuses to give complicated instructions about prayer, which she insists is essentially nakedly simple. She says that many people have difficulty accepting the sheer, terrifying, uncomplicated reality of prayer, which is simply inviting God to take possession of us. This is the whole purpose of life. Prayer IS our relationship with God. But most people would rather write, read, talk and think about prayer than to become powerless, vulnerable, blind, still, and trusting in His hands. She says that when we accept that no one can help us; that we alone must stand there in prayer, our responsibility ends. Prayer is God’s business – we must simply bring our unprotected selves to it.
