MIDWEEK MESSAGE #53<\/p>\n
Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #53!\u00a0 I know I made your day showing up in your inbox since you were waiting with bated breath to see if I had decided the MM was done or would continue.\u00a0 Surprise! And that is the correct word as many of you responded to my short survey last week. Thanks for taking the time to let me know you appreciated the MM. I\u2019m glad you have enjoyed it and found it to be a good way to stay connected. That, after all, was the reason I started writing it to begin with.\u00a0 A couple of you added that if it is a burden for me or Diana to do it then it would be okay to discontinue sending it.\u00a0 I enjoy writing (as seen by my blogs and my journals) and like the discipline it takes to sit down and write.<\/p>\n
As you get this edition of the MM, Jo and I will be heading toward Ohio (or may have already arrived depending on when you read it). Our grandson, Braden has his first ballgame on Thursday evening, but since Janna has him on Wednesday this week, we wanted to see him and take him out to eat after practice.\u00a0 On Thursday morning we will be heading up to Sandusky so Jo can see her sister. Vicki has been in a nursing home with dementia for almost two years now and it has been since before COVID started that Jo has had a chance to see her. They were going to allow her 15 minutes for a visit but when Jo told them we would be driving 7 hours and haven\u2019t seen her since February they signed her up for a \u201ccompassionate care\u201d visit. 30 minutes. But that is better than nothing and sadly, we are not sure if she will even remember us. We would appreciate your prayers for the extra driving, but also the emotional toll it may take, especially on Jo. Seeing your sister going downhill is not a fun thing. Some of you know how that is. Our plan is to stay until Saturday so we can go out to eat Friday night with Janna and her friend, Mike. Ryan is preaching Sunday so we are planning on being elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Some who don\u2019t know our situation may wonder why I leave when Ryan preaches. It certainly isn\u2019t because I don\u2019t respect him. He has my highest respect. It isn\u2019t because he does a terrible job. He doesn\u2019t. He is a good communicator. I leave because it is \u201chis day\u201d not mine. If I am here, then people want to put their focus on why I\u2019m not preaching. I also need some time away to stay fresh. Besides, I want you to miss me!!\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
Just a heads up: After next week\u2019s sermon (the 25th<\/sup>) closes out the series on Ecclesiastes. I will be preaching an 8-week series called Eyes Wide Open. I\u2019m going to look at how Jesus treated people: the leper, the centurion, the woman at the well, and others. We are going to see people through the eyes of Jesus, which I believe will be helpful as we come in contact with people from all walks of life. I am enamored by how Jesus related to the outcasts of society, the ones no one wanted to be around. One week we will look at how Jesus dealt with religious people (Pharisees) who thought they were always right. I think it is going to be an exciting series to do (it is one I have never done before) and I am looking to learn a lot.<\/p>\n Hey Ladies! Just a reminder, OVCF Connections Women\u2019s Ministry has planned a Coffee and Chocolate event! Before the pandemic hit, the ladies had a couple of well attended gatherings. They are trying to get back on track and it sounds like this will be a great time to do just that. It is Saturday, April 24th<\/sup> from 2-4:00 in the church auditorium. Sally and Hope have worked hard to make this special. Please join them!<\/p>\n I am currently reading a book called After Doubt<\/em> by A.J.Swoboda. If you follow any religious news at all, one of the biggest bombshells in recent years has been what are called \u201cdeconstructions.\u201d In short, it is people (men and women) who turn their back on faith and all they have known and sometimes deny God exists and sometimes just walk away from faith. Because of people I read about, this has been a hard read, heart-breaking actually, to see how and why people do that. Two quotes stand out from the last page I read:<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who tell me there is no God are like a six-year old saying there is no such thing as passionate love-they just haven\u2019t experienced it.\u201d (William Alfred-p.56)\u00a0 Just because we don\u2019t believe doesn\u2019t mean it isn\u2019t true.<\/p>\n And here is one for the ages: \u201cWe won\u2019t be judged on whether we liked<\/u> the Truth. We\u2019ll be judged on whether we followed Him\u201d (Swoboda-p.56) The Apostle Paul wrote \u201cLet God be true, and every human being a liar.\u201d<\/strong> [Rom.3:4] No matter what man may say; no matter how much they may \u201cbroker\u201d their thoughts about who God is; they cannot change reality. God is God.\u00a0 Faith is not based on our feelings, even though our culture wants us to base right and wrong on them. Truth is truth and cannot and will not be changed. He is Truth. Jesus said, \u201cI am the<\/u><\/em> Truth<\/u><\/em>\u2026\u201d Nothing will make that go away.<\/p>\n Have a great week. I love you all.<\/p>\n Pastor Bill<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MIDWEEK MESSAGE #53 Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #53!\u00a0 I know I made your day showing up in your inbox since you were waiting with bated breath to see if I had decided the MM was done or would continue.\u00a0 Surprise! And that is the correct word as many of you responded to my … <\/p>\n