MIDWEEK MESSAGE #160
Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #160. Well…with the temps already in the August range, sort of makes ya’ wonder what August will be like. But I’m not complaining. I like it hot. It makes it easier on these old joints. ☺ Anyway, I do hope you have had a good beginning to your summer so far.
Let me remind you to pray for Ryan White this week. Ryan is the Sheriff of Owen County. Pray for him to be a good leader, a fair one, and a good team leader for the deputies. As you can imagine, his job is not easy. He is married to Karen and they have two sons, Kaden and Kysen, who a-l-w-a-y-s get along. ☺ Last week’s LEO, Caleb Hutchison texted me to tell our church family thanks for praying for him!
We celebrated Grad Day this past Sunday. All told we celebrated three college graduates.
- Abigail Herrington graduated from Taylor University. After a wedding on June 17th at Abram Event Venue, she and Jonathan will be moving to East Lansing where she will teach 5th grade language arts and science.
- Kelci Wood graduated from Goucher College in Towson (near Baltimore), Maryland. She attended there on a swimming scholarship. Kelci has accepted a job as special assistant to the Deputy Mayor of Baltimore.
- Jacob Schunk graduated from IU/Kelly School of Business and has moved to Illinois to work for Granger in Chicago. We honored Jacob two weeks ago because he was moving the week of May 22nd.
We do pray for God’s blessings upon Abigail, Kelci and Jacob as they continue to follow His path. My prayer for them comes from my favorite chapter in the Bible-Psalm 37: “Trust in the Lord, and do good…Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.” (Verses 3-5).
Father’s Day is just around the corner and there are men lined up to speak at each service about the man in the Bible they most admire. Last year I had enough men willing to speak to have one service. This year I am super excited to let you know that I had enough men respond to fill two services! Here are some of the men from the Bible they chose: Cornelius, Daniel, Jonathan, Job, Ananias, Joseph, Solomon, Stephen, Adam, and of course, Jesus. That last one was an expected one for obvious reasons. But…you knew that, right?! Those were names the men gave; not all will be spoken about.
When I mentioned Serving Owen County Together (SOCT) on Sunday, I said that I would have more information in the MM. We have helped and been involved since its inception 3 years ago. For those who may not have a handle on what SOCT is, here is a short rundown. SOCT involves several different organizations and vendors providing free shoes, socks, clothes, baby supplies, some furniture and a whole lot more! Here are more particulars for you:
- The date is June 24 from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (The rain date is scheduled for July 1, but let’s hope we don’t need it). The event itself is from 9-3:00.
- It takes place in the front parking lot of the middle school/high school complex.
- Help is needed especially during the set-up and tear down times.
- You may stay the whole time to help or take a shift.
- Snacks and drinks will be provided for volunteers and pizza will be brought in for lunch.
- Here is the link to sign up to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4dabae29a2fc1-2023#/
This is a good way to serve the community. This is a big undertaking and we need your help.
Switching Gears: Several weeks ago Pastor Ryan told us about the sabbatical he, Hope and their children were taking from July 12-August 30. As we was speaking he told us about a Sabbatical Prayer Guide which would soon be available so we would know how to pray for them while they are gone. It was available this past Sunday on the back table, but when I looked there was only one left. Since I know there were many who were not able to be here; forgot to pick one up and remembered when you were outside or on your way home; or had children to corral, I talked with Ryan and he said more will be available this Sunday.
This past Sunday during my sermon on Bringing the Giant to Its Knees, I spoke about worry being a choice and also a liar. It isn’t just a bad habit; it is the enemy’s tactic-a strategy built on lies. Those lies are designed to tear our mind to pieces and to take away our peace and joy. Our immortal enemy (Satan) will stop at nothing to accomplish that. Monday morning I was reading from Anxiety…Knowing God’s Peace, the 31 day devotional I recommended to you. On Day 28 the author made a comment about Martin Luther’s song, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” He said, “God is our fortress; He is a military stronghold-an impenetrable building where we can run and hide. He is our bulwark; He is a stockade-a wall of defense against earthly and spiritual enemies.” (p.79) Later in that same devotion he says, “Anxiety hinders our faith and clouds our focus. It disables us. It doesn’t want us to see the good works of the Lord.” (p.80).
To go along with that, someone sent me a quote via text this past week: “Appeal to God’s presence when fear begins to overtake you so that the emotion of fear doesn’t become a spirit of fear.” (Quote by Tony Evans)
My prayer for you this week is that you will know the truth of Psalm 27:1. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (ESV)
And may you always remember you are loved.
Pastor Bill
