Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #127! For many of you this is Fall Break week and that means \u201cget away.\u201d For others it simply means the kids are off school, but your week will go on as normal.\u00a0 I\u2019ll try not to take up too much of your time with this MM so I don\u2019t anticipate it being as long as they normally are.\u00a0 I can see Diana rolling her eyes right now saying, \u201cThis is the same man who says he is not going to do a MM and then at the last minute changes his other mind.\u201d J<\/p>\n
I feel more mature as I write this. As many of you know my birthday was Sunday. The BIG 7-0!\u00a0 Many of you said, \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d to me and some were oh\u2026so\u2026cruel. Eli Wood you know exactly who I am speaking to. He \u201csmells someone older\u201d and then he asked me if it is 39.\u00a0\u00a0 I told Jo that I was going to tell people I had finally reached the \u201cmature\u201d stage. She gave me \u201cthe look\u201d as if to say, \u201cSeriously?\u201d\u00a0 I don\u2019t think her \u201cseriously\u201d was in response to me telling people that, but that I would actually think that and then to believe people would feel that way. What\u2019s a guy have to do around here to get some respect? But, please, whatever you do, don\u2019t agree with her! It will only embolden her. J Thanks again for your kind words and cards.<\/p>\n
Our 18th<\/sup> Anniversary celebration is getting closer!\u00a0 I\u2019d like to remind you to put October 30th<\/sup> on your calendar. I\u2019ve said a lot about the celebration already so I\u2019m going to give it a rest this week. All I would like to remind you of is signing up to bring something to our pitch-in dinner following the 2nd<\/sup> worship service. During that pitch-in we plan to honor our volunteers and hopefully present you with some preliminary drawings on the proposed building addition.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Three prayer reminders for this week:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ALSO, as a reminder, the 66 class will not meet on Wednesday, Oct. 12.<\/p>\n In the \u201cthis reminds you that you are getting older\u201d department: our grandson, Braden, took his first driving lesson Sunday. He turns 16 this month as well. I can still remember making a surprise trip to Ohio to see him when they brought him home from the hospital. Janna did not know, so the tears were priceless and memorable. I can still remember holding Braden in my arms and praying for God to protect him and to use him for His use. I still pray that for him. But\u202616???? Where did the time go?<\/p>\n I said this would not be a long MM so I intend on proving Diana wrong and doing just that. I want to close with what I used for my Communion thought this past Sunday. I have been reading a book by Pastor Chris Hodges entitled Out of the Cave<\/em>, a book subtitled \u201cStepping INTO THE LIGHT<\/strong> When DEPRESSION <\/strong>Darkens What You See.\u201d Pastor Chris had a serious bout with depression several years ago, as well as fairly recently. He is writing from experience. As I said Sunday, I have (gratefully) never had a struggle with depression, but do need to know how others feel and how to help.\u00a0 Here is some of what I said Sunday:<\/p>\n When we are in the throes of depression-or know people who are struggling with depression, anxiety, or mental illness-we need to treat ourselves and others the way Jesus treats us-with compassion. Compassion begins by recognizing our human limitations, brokenness, and even sin\u2026God never condemns. Condemnation means you\u2019ve got a problem and there\u2019s no way out. Conviction,<\/em> on the other hand, says you\u2019ve got a problem and here\u2019s the way out!\u00a0 Romans 5:1 tells us \u201cThere is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.\u201d (taken from pages 35-36) See that? NO CONDEMNATION. God doesn\u2019t condemn us. He will convict us of our sin, but He will not condemn us.<\/p>\n Many of those I know who suffer depression struggle with condemnation and guilt and shame. Not all\u2026some. But if you are one of those who simply cannot forget what has happened and dwells on it, I want you to know God does not condemn you. He does say, however, \u201cCome to me.\u201d<\/p>\n I hope you have a fantastic rest of the week and find some time to relax. In the meantime, know you are loved.<\/p>\n Pastor Bill<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MIDWEEK MESSAGE #127 Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #127! For many of you this is Fall Break week and that means \u201cget away.\u201d For others it simply means the kids are off school, but your week will go on as normal.\u00a0 I\u2019ll try not to take up too much of your time with this … <\/p>\n\n