Announcements St. Paul's Episcopal is hosting a reception for Charlie Hughes, who is retiring from the Community Kitchen after 25 years of service. It will be Tuesday, June 17 from 5-7 (brief remarks at 5:30). Purpose-DrivenLife!--This Sunday will be our last week summary as we focus on evangelism. Next Sunday (6/22), we'll wrap up the whole experience. If you have feedback or want to study particular chapters/topics more, please speak with Andy Sanislo. New Hope News Sunday School--For the next three weeks, we'll be studying the first 6 chapters of Nehemiah. Pray For: Norma Capone Links Keith's Random Thoughts Our house is pretty clean. This is a rare thing in our lives. Neither Rachel nor I are obsessive about a clean house, and we both have more than enough on our plates to push dusting and cleaning way down on the list of things to do when we have some time and the kids aren't screaming or placing their own lives in imminent danger. But with the cats gone, that has drastically cut down on litter dust and cat hair. With the big move coming up, we've had to de-clutter and clean counters and rooms and make the house look presentable. We keep walking into rooms and being amazed and surprised at how clean they are. We wonder why we didn't do this sooner. We realize that we didn't clean sooner because nothing was forcing us to. There was no external impetus driving us to clean the house. Now, though, that strangers are going to be wandering through my bedroom deciding whether or not they want to make it their bedroom, there is a reason to clean it. This isn't the only time this happens in life. I think it happens quite frequently—we refuse to change until we have to. Doctors tell us to change our lifestyles, but we just don't get around to it until some drastic event forces us to change. In school, I was always waiting until the deadline to write a paper, often staying up late into the night because there hadn't been enough of a drive to finish it early. Often, I write my sermons on Saturday night, because on Thursday there is still so much time... The temptation in our spiritual life is to never examine what we're doing and change. It's easy to drift along, not pushing ourselves forward to grow, because there often isn't an impulse. We don't feel pressured to change or grow, so we stay in the same spot. The danger is that we can grow stagnant, gather moss, and find that in a moment of crisis our faith hasn't grown deep enough to be a true resource when we most need it. It's not easy to push ourselves to grow, but it's necessary, I believe, that we continue to encourage one another and push ourselves to grow in faith, that we recognize the importance of continuing to become more like Christ each and every day. Text for this Sunday (Click on Link below to read) New Hope on iTunes Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle
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Announcements St. Paul's Episcopal is hosting a reception for Charlie Hughes, who is retiring from the Community Kitchen after 25 years of service. It will be Tuesday, June 17 from 5-7 (brief remarks at 5:30). Purpose-Driven Life!--This Monday is Day 36! Want to continue the conversation? Reach out to Andy Sanislo if there have been particular days or topics that merit further conversation. Community Kitchen Spot There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf. Plastic Forks, Knives, Spoons Dinner Napkins Heavy Duty Sectional Dinner Plates Dessert Plates New Hope News Sunday School--We're going to wrap up Matthew with a study on the Great Commission this coming Sunday (Matthew 28:16-20) Pray For: Norma Capone New Hope's session meeting this coming Sunday Links Keith's Random Thoughts So there I was... I moved a bookshelf in the basement the other day, and there was a skink sitting in the place where my bookshelf had been. He was quite surprised to be in sudden light, and I took advantage of his momentary lapse in attention to capture him in a container so he could be released outside. Before he was trapped, I took a moment to contemplate his situation. He looked healthy and happy, but I knew that my basement was not the ideal place for a skink. (I don't think so, anyway) There aren't that many bugs down there, and it's not filled with trees and ponds and the like. (No predators, too, I suppose) As I let him go in the backyard, I had to imagine he'd be better off. I've been reading Acts lately, and in Acts you get a good picture of the conflict between the early Christian church and the Jewish community. Peter, Paul and others are trying to help the Jews see that they need to make a move into a new environment, but the Jews are resisting. They have become comfortable, and they don't see the world the same way Peter and Paul do. They refuse the Good News, the revelation that a whole new way of life is calling them forward. They stick with the old, where it seems safe. For us to flourish, we need to be willing to examine ourselves and our choices. There is always a part of us that will choose what is known, what is comfortable, over the unknown and the new. God is always calling us forward, and this isn't always easy. Change is tough. But it can also be a time of great growth if we're willing to let God lead and direct. So may we examine our environment, and see how it fits. If we're still growing and feeling challenged, then we are in a good place. If we have grown comfortable and stopped looking for the next step into which God is calling us, then perhaps we need to reach out a bit, to set aside some time to listen for what God has in store. Text for this Sunday (Click on Link below to read) New Hope on iTunes Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle Announcements Due to the cake and ice cream celebration of confirmation last Sunday, as well as the Memorial Day holiday, there will be no potluck this coming Sunday. Community Kitchen Spot There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf. Plastic Forks, Knives, Spoons Dinner Napkins Heavy Duty Sectional Dinner Plates Dessert Plates New Hope News Sunday School--We press forward in Matthew, focusing on Jesus' trial Pray For: Norma Capone Give thanks for those willing to serve in the Armed Forces. May we honor those who have died serving their country. Those individuals caught up in wars and strife. Politicians, that the spirit of wisdom and compromise might rest in them Links Keith's Random Thoughts Danielle is now crawling. Quickly. With every inch forward, my sanity slides a bit farther away. Have you ever dropped something into that space between the driver's seat of your car and the center console? There is a black hole in there, and you know that whatever you dropped is in there, but you can't reach it for the life of you, no matter how you contort your arm and hand. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you can just touch the end of the pen or whatever it was, but you can't quite wrap your hand around it. It teases you, and you give up, thinking your arm will break in at least 14 places if you continue to try and do this. Also, you're moving at 60 mph, making this all the more exciting. In order to reach it, you have to stop the car, open the back door, stick you hand, arm, shoulder and probably half your torso under the driver's seat in the hopes of somehow reaching it. I'm convinced that the space under my driver's seat is probably 71 times larger than it looks. That's what it's like for me to think rationally about something at home. I can do it, but it's just so difficult, because so many things are racing through my mind most of the time. I'm trying to get dinner cooked while washing the dishes while making sure Caleb doesn't destroy anything while hoping Danielle doesn't put Caleb's toys in her mouth while getting ready for tomorrow, all while Rachel is doing the same thing. The fact that there are two of us means we get as much done as one normal person, giving us more and more respect for single parents each and every day. Life has seasons like this. I know that every day of life will not be like this. There will be years when we miss this, and there will be years when we are more productive, when we'll be able to volunteer more and focus more thought and energy on what's happening beyond the walls of our house. That time will come. Right now, though, there are things to enjoy. If all I ever think about is how things will be different, I'll miss a lot. I'll miss tiny blessings and precious moments. I'll miss what God is doing here while I'm busy trying to prepare for what God might do later. It's hard work to be present in the moment, and it can be very difficult to try and enjoy those moments when they are loud and chaotic. But God has given me here and now, and there is no guarantee of later. It's all a gift, and I try to remember to give thanks to God for now, even if I'm not always sure what I'm thankful for. I may understand later, or I may not, but life is still a precious gift, and it all comes from God. Text for this Sunday (Click on Link below to read) New Hope on iTunes Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle Announcements Confirmation!-- The session approved Jade, Chase, Ashley and Jackson to be confirmed on May 18! This is great news for the kids, for this congregation and for the Kingdom of God! Please join us on the 18th to celebrate what God is doing in their lives. Community Kitchen Spot There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf. Plastic Forks, Knives, Spoons Dinner Napkins Heavy Duty Sectional Dinner Plates Dessert Plates New Hope News Sunday School--We press forward in Matthew, focusing on the Lord's Supper this Sunday. Pray For: Norma Capone The medical research community, that a cure for cancer may be discovered The displaced people from Syria, and all those who live in refugee camps Links Keith's Random Thoughts My mother has approximately 14 million books. They are everywhere in her house, and she is constantly on the lookout for more. I have acquired this trait, for we have too many books in our own household. I long since stopped trying to acquire enough bookshelves to house all of our books. Now I just look for creative ways to store them. (I haven't found any... they just end up in piles on the floor.) So it makes perfect sense that when I ask her to borrow a particular book, that one isn't available. It's been lent out to someone else. Fortunately, I have enough of my own books to distract me until it returns. I can't read the book if it's not available, right? I was listening to a sermon the other day on availability, and it's the same principle. God wants to use us for his glory and for his kingdom. I believe that when God is using us for his purposes, our lives are as fulfilling as possible, because we were created in the image of God and are most fulfilled when we are living into our created purpose, which is for God's Kingdom. So God wants our live to be rich with his presence and glory. But what happens is we loan ourselves out and become unavailable to God. We get so wrapped up in our pursuit of our own goals that we aren't available for God to use us. God wants to use us, and he can use anyone, but only if we make ourselves available to him. So we need to check ourselves back in to God, and to make sure that we are paying attention to him above all else. When we go out to work or play or serve, we need to do so with a mind focused on paying attention to God in the midst of what we are doing, to make sure we are available to him while we are doing the things of life. When we are available during work and school and such, God will work in and through us, that our lives might find their ultimate purpose in God alone. Text for this Sunday (Click on Link below to read) Romans 12:1-8(NIRV) 12 Brothers and sisters, God has shown you his mercy. So I am asking you to offer up your bodies to him while you are still alive. Your bodies are a holy sacrifice that is pleasing to God. When you offer your bodies to God, you are worshiping him. 2 Don’t live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed. Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will agree that what he wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and perfect. 3 God’s grace has been given to me. So here is what I say to every one of you. Don’t think of yourself more highly than you should. Be reasonable when you think about yourself. Keep in mind the amount of faith God has given you. 4 Each of us has one body with many parts. And the parts do not all have the same purpose. 5 So also we are many persons. But in Christ we are one body. And each part of the body belongs to all the other parts. 6 We all have gifts. They differ in keeping with the grace that God has given each of us. Do you have the gift of prophecy? Then use it in keeping with the faith you have. 7 Is it your gift to serve? Then serve. Is it teaching? Then teach. 8 Is it telling others how they should live? Then tell them. Is it giving to those who are in need? Then give freely. Is it being a leader? Then work hard at it. Is it showing mercy? Then do it cheerfully. New Hope on iTunes Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle Announcements Confirmation!-- The session approved Jade, Chase, Ashley and Jackson to be confirmed on May 18! This is great news for the kids, for this congregation and for the Kingdom of God! Please join us on the 18th to celebrate what God is doing in their lives. Purpose-Driven Life!-- This Monday is Day 8! We have a few books left in the office if you're interested in joining in and catching up! Community Kitchen Spot There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf. Plastic Forks, Knives, Spoons Dinner Napkins Heavy Duty Sectional Dinner Plates Dessert Plates Pray For: Norma Capone Those kidnapped girls, their families, their captors, the country of Nigeria, and the human brokenness that allows such travesties to occur For Steve Hayner, the president of Columbia Seminary and one of the best men I know. Links How Heaven is for Realportrays American religion Keith's Random Thoughts I am not a farmer. I have never lived on a farm, though we did have a garden growing up. (Technically, the garden is still there. If you want anything other than poison ivy, however, I'd recommend gleaning elsewhere.) I suspect that most of America shares this in common with me, although I know many folks who have grown up on farms. The point is this—many of Jesus' agrarian metaphors are lost on us. I was thinking about this yesterday while listening to Albert Mohler's interview with Stan Hauerwas. (You can listen to it here) Jesus constantly talked in agrarian language, and partly this was because he was in the midst of an agrarian world. If he walked and talked among us today, I imagine many of his parables would be different. (I'm not entirely sure that the 'pearl of great value' would be replaced by 'an expensive smartphone') But maybe they wouldn't be. See, farming is hard work. It's also slow, patient work. It's work that doesn't pay a lot of immediate dividends. No one plants a seed and then plans a harvest party for the next day. Well, no smart person does that. Instead, the diligent farmer plants a seed and then spends months weeding, pruning, watering, watching and waiting. It's a long, slow process that depends on a lot of things beyond our control. Farming requires faith that a seed will germinate, burst forth from its tomb. It requires rain and sunshine. It requires a miracle to transform a seed into eventual bounty. It takes time. While there are many small celebrations throughout the season, when it rains or when a plant flowers, the truest and best celebration is reserved for the final harvest. In the same way, the faithful life isn't necessarily a triumphant one of continual celebration. It's a lot of hard work, a lot of unglamorous labor, a lot of non-triumphant work. It's a lot of weedy and watering, neither of which are particularly sexy. But they are necessary, and they pay enormous dividends at the end of the season, when the God of the universe invites us in to an enormous harvest party, thrown by him. So discipleship is a way of life, one that calls for patient endurance and small acts of selfless love. It's not necessarily triumphant. It's not always glamorous. But it's faithful, day in and day out, to the call, and it's trusting in the God who will one day throw a party larger and more generous than we can imagine. So let's keep working, day after day, and trust in the God who calls you deeper into life. Text for this Sunday (Click on Link below to read) New Hope on iTunes Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle Announcements Purpose-Driven Life!-- This Monday is Day 1! If you're joining us on this adventure to discover our purpose and grow in discipleship, starting reading Day 1 this coming Monday (May 5), and then be sure to join us for worship on May 11 to explore and review the previous week. Community Kitchen Spot There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf. Plastic Forks, Knives, Spoons Dinner Napkins Heavy Duty Sectional Dinner Plates Dessert Plates New Hope News Sunday School--Don Kaller is going to be teaching the adult Sunday School class through May 4. Session Meeting--May 4, 5:30-7:30. Pray For: Norma Capone Peggy & John L. For our session, meeting Sunday For our presbytery, meeting Tuesday Links 10 Tips for Parents at a Soccer Game (Seriously, talk about a place that needs some serious application of the love of Christ) Keith's Random Thoughts I have a very special gift. I have a mechanism in my brain that automatically shuts off the listening device the instant anyone starts giving me directions. I went to visit a church member at Alexian Village on Tuesday morning and was given very simple 5-step instructions to reach her room. After the nurse talked for a minute and concluded her directions, I nodded, believing I had listened completely and had a firm grasp of where I needed to go. The first step went flawlessly. Then, I emerged from the elevator, and the next 30 minutes are a bit of a blur. Let's just say that I finally made it. This special gift has a definite ability to hamper certain abilities—like, say, when I need to figure out where I'm going. It's becoming somewhat frustrating, particularly when paired with my male inclination not to ask for directions in the first place. It's hard enough to ask once. Asking twice seems crazy, especially when the odds of listening aren't much higher. I don't try and ignore people... it just happens. Remember when Paul, in Romans 7, talks about not doing the good he wants to do and does the very thing that he does not want to do? He's saying that we are broken—we cannot do the basic good things that we know we are supposed to do. We sin despite knowing that sin is wrong and not wanting to sin. What's the solution? It's not to try harder. That won't work. We haven't arrived at our current state by not trying hard enough. We are fundamentally flawed. Think of it this way. When your car battery is dead, it doesn't matter how hard you turn the key. It doesn't matter how long you let the starter try and crank. (Well, it matters in that you may wreck your starter. But it won't fix it.) When your car battery is dead, only an external solution (new battery, jump start, etc.) will alter the situation. Trying harder won't fix it. In the same way, we need an external solution. We need someone else to deliver us from our wretched, sinful state. Since all humans share this sinful state, no human is good or perfect enough to do so. Only Christ can truly deliver us. We who are sinful are ultimately dependent on an external Savior to rescue us from the peril of sin. Thanks be to God that Christ both can and will deliver us from sin through his atoning death on the cross. Text for this Sunday (Click on Link below to read) New Hope on iTunes Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle Announcements Potluck!--This Sunday Community Kitchen Spot There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf. Plastic Forks, Knives, Spoons Dinner Napkins Heavy Duty Sectional Dinner Plates Dessert Plates New Hope News May Newsletter--If you have anything you'd like included in the May Newsletter, please submit it to the church office by Monday. Sunday School--Don Kaller is going to be teaching the adult Sunday School class through May 4. Session Meeting--May 4, 5:30-7. Pray For: Norma Capone Peggy & John L. For those in darkness struggling to see the light bursting forth from the empty tomb For the kids in confirmation class Links Keith's Random Thoughts The last few years have seen a huge rise in participation in endurance athletic events. Full & Half-marathons and Full & Half-Ironman Triathlons are more popular than ever. Thousands of people spends thousands of hours preparing for such events. In order to complete such an event, training has to become a certain way of life. You can't just walk out the door and complete and Ironman. (Well, I can't. I used to think I wanted to do an Ironman. Then I did an Olympic distance tri, which is ¼ of an Ironman, and I realized that I'm good with the sprint races, which are ½ of those. Moving in a straight line for 12-17 hours in a row doesn't actually seem like something I'm particularly called to do.) Picking up training for such an event disturbs rhythms and patterns in life. There was a fascinating article some years back about rifts in relationships, including divorces, that are caused by one partner dedicating themselves to training for such an event, while their partner gets left behind if they don't take up the training. One feels guilty criticizing the other for choosing physical fitness, but there can be no room left for the other partner when solo training takes hours each morning or evening. Paul talks about this in 1 Timothy. He says that physical training is of some value, and it certainly is. It's good to be healthy, and it can enable us to participate more fully in various opportunities. Paul goes on, however, to say that training in godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise in this life as well as the one to come. Suddenly, we recognize the limits of physical training. No matter how good my physical fitness may be, I can't beat death, and it won't help me beyond the grave. Resurrection doesn't depend on one's ability to do 40 pushups. But training in godliness—that will help us beyond death, and it helps us here and now. It helps release us from fear and anxiety and to live with boldness today, and it prepares us for the eternal life that is to come. Wouldn't it be great if we dedicated ourselves to godliness training with the same passion we dedicate ourselves to physical training? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we recognized the benefits of spending 30 minutes a day getting spiritual exercise? I believe the benefits would compound, and we'd grow deeper and more faithful over the years, recognizing God at work in our hearts and lives. We may not end up with the fancy race t-shirts, but the ability to recognizing God's blessings around us would surely make up for that! Text for this Sunday (Click on Link below to read) Acts 17:16-34(Common English Bible) New Hope on iTunes Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle Announcements Easter is April 20!! Maundy Thursday--Thursday, April 17 @ 6:30 Easter Egg Hunt-- This will be Easter Sunday @ 10 am. Please bring Easter Eggs to donate by this Sunday! Easter Cantata-- During the worship service on Easter morning @ 10:45. Sunrise Service-- 7:00am on Easter morning on the patio of the McMillan Building. Community Kitchen Spot There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf. Plastic Forks, Knives, Spoons Dinner Napkins Heavy Duty Sectional Dinner Plates Dessert Plates New Hope News Sunday School--Don Kaller is going to be teaching the adult Sunday School class in March & April. Pray For: Norma Capone Peggy & John L. For those still dwelling in the uncertainty of Flight MH370's disappearance For teachers and students, who deal with the anxiety of violence in schools For those in the Ukraine For the kids in confirmation class Links Keith's Random Thoughts My bushes died. Well, they look dead. I keep thinking that if I wait long enough, they'll come back eventually. (I can't help but laugh at the thought of doing this with my goldfish that died a few months back. “Just wait, Rachel, it might come back eventually!”) There are some signs of life, but overall, they look sad. And dead. But they just may come back. It was obviously a tough winter, and perhaps these particular bushes are just waiting to see if spring is really here, or if this is just some tease before the snow and freezing temperatures return. Maybe I need to go outside and assure them that spring is really here, that Easter is near and that perking up a little might improve their chances of not being dug up. Looking at my bushes, I can't help but reflect on my own life. I wonder how often God looked down from heaven and thought, “Is there any faith left in that kid? Or should we go ahead and just give up hope on him?” Surely, I have given God moments to doubt the sincerity of my declarations of faith. My life's direction has not always sought Christ first, and perhaps God wondered if there was any hope. If the Bible is clear on anything (and I think it's clear on a lot of things!), it is pretty evident that God is patient. The entirety of the Old Testament testifies to God's willingness to endure patiently the rejections of Israel. God threatens and warns many, many times before taking action. God patiently waits for the people to turn back. I think God is patient with us, with me, too. God knows we are tempted by sin. God knows that sometimes, we give in to temptation. We hurl vicious thoughts (and sometimes words) at those closest to us. We cut corners. We idly waste time. We choose not to grow in faith. But God waits, and continues to prod us via the Holy Spirit. Christ keeps urging us to grow, and God returns and refreshes us, day after day, hoping that we will choose the wiser path, the one that pursues God and the faithful life. So I'll give those bushes an extension on life in my front yard, for they remind me of God's patience towards me. Text for this Sunday Mark 11:1-11(Common English Bible) When Jesus and his followers approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Jesus gave two disciples a task, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village over there. As soon as you enter it, you will find tied up there a colt that no one has ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘Its master needs it, and he will send it back right away.’” 4 They went and found a colt tied to a gate outside on the street, and they untied it. 5 Some people standing around said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They told them just what Jesus said, and they left them alone. 7 They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes upon it, and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread out their clothes on the road while others spread branches cut from the fields. 9 Those in front of him and those following were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessings on the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest!” 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. After he looked around at everything, because it was already late in the evening, he returned to Bethany with the Twelve. New Hope on iTunes Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle Announcements A Great Presentation-- Last night, we were treated to a great presentation from Bob Mendelsohn from Jews for Jesus. If you want to learn more about the organization, go to JewsforJesus.org Devotionals-- If you're interested in having all of the New Testament daily devotionals on your e-reader, they can be purchased on Amazon. Just click here for 6 years worth of devotionals that cover the entire New Testament. Community Kitchen Spot There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf. Plastic Forks, Knives, Spoons Dinner Napkins Heavy Duty Sectional Dinner Plates Dessert Plates New Hope News Holy Week Schedule--Thursday, April 17: Maundy Thursday service @ 6:30. Sunday, April 20: Easter Sunrise service @ 7. Sunday School--Don Kaller is going to be teaching the adult Sunday School class in March & April. Easter Egg Hunt--Sunday, April 20 @ 10. Please bring plastic eggs filled with non-chocolate candy to the Narthex over the next few weeks! Pray For: Norma Capone Peggy & John L. For Nelson, Judy's brother For refugees, those who flee their homes with little to nothing in order to save their lives. For the kids in confirmation class Links Keith's Random Thoughts Baseball season is here! The long-awaited arrival of spring has arrived in the form of baseball, and I am so grateful for its presence. I love the cadence of listening to a game on the radio. It casts a nice atmosphere over my evenings. (At our household, it is a nice distraction from screaming children.) But it's so easy to criticize baseball. The Reds, too, leave plenty of room for criticizing. The game moves too slowly. There are too many commercials. Too many strikeouts. Lazy baserunning. Unwise decisions. All these things grind on my nerves, and I'm perhaps guilty of complaining. See, I forget how great it is just to have baseball. I forget that, just a week ago, there was no baseball game on the radio. I forget about the long, slow months of winter that lack baseball. I take it for granted that it's on, and I forget just to be grateful. It's easy to do—once our blessings arrive, we forget that initial moment of gratitude and start to take them for granted. That's why more stuff never satisfies the soul—we stop being grateful and just assume we'll always have this stuff. We forget what it was like when we didn't have stuff at all. The same can happen with faith. Waves of gratitude wash over me when I contemplate the life God has given me and the redemption in Christ he has freely offered me. But these waves wear off, and pretty soon I'm wondering why God didn't answer this prayer or that request. I start to ask God just when he plans on doing exactly what it is I've requested. I wonder if God listens at all. So I need to remember that this is all a blessing, that no one had to give this to me. I need to remember gratitude, to remember that I peer up at God with no standing to demand anything. Just as baseball arrives on its own schedule, the grace of God and the answers to prayers show up on God's time, not mine. May I have the wisdom to be grateful that it shows up at all, and to give thanks for God's steady presence. Text for this Sunday Acts16:16-40(Common English Bible) 16 One day, when we were on the way to the place for prayer, we met a slave woman. She had a spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She made a lot of money for her owners through fortune-telling. 17 She began following Paul and us, shouting, “These people are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming a way of salvation to you!” 18 She did this for many days. This annoyed Paul so much that he finally turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave her!” It left her at that very moment. 19 Her owners realized that their hope for making money was gone. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the officials in the city center. 20 When her owners approached the legal authorities, they said, “These people are causing an uproar in our city. They are Jews 21 who promote customs that we Romans can’t accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attacks against Paul and Silas, so the authorities ordered that they be stripped of their clothes and beaten with a rod. 23 When Paul and Silas had been severely beaten, the authorities threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to secure them with great care. 24 When he received these instructions, he threw them into the innermost cell and secured their feet in stocks. 25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 All at once there was such a violent earthquake that it shook the prison’s foundations. The doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer awoke and saw the open doors of the prison, he thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted loudly, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!” 29 The jailer called for some lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He led them outside and asked, “Honorable masters, what must I do to be rescued?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your entire household.” 32 They spoke the Lord’s word to him and everyone else in his house. 33 Right then, in the middle of the night, the jailer welcomed them and washed their wounds. He and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his home and gave them a meal. He was overjoyed because he and everyone in his household had come to believe in God. 35 The next morning the legal authorities sent the police to the jailer with the order “Release those people.” 36 So the jailer reported this to Paul, informing him, “The authorities sent word that you both are to be released. You can leave now. Go in peace.” 37 Paul told the police, “Even though we are Roman citizens, they beat us publicly without first finding us guilty of a crime, and they threw us into prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? No way! They themselves will have to come and escort us out.” 38 The police reported this to the legal authorities, who were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 They came and consoled Paul and Silas, escorting them out of prison and begging them to leave the city. 40 Paul and Silas left the prison and made their way to Lydia’s house where they encouraged the brothers and sisters. Then they left Philippi. New Hope on iTunes Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle Announcements Mark Your Calendars-- On Wednesday, April 2 @ 6:45 we will have a representative from Jews for Jesus to explain how the traditional Passover meal foreshadowed Jesus' death & resurrection. Potluck!-- This Sunday! Devotionals-- If you're interested in having all of the New Testament daily devotionals on your e-reader, they can be purchased on Amazon. Just click here for 6 years worth of devotionals that cover the entire New Testament. Community Kitchen Spot There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf. Plastic Forks, Knives, Spoons Dinner Napkins Heavy Duty Sectional Dinner Plates Dessert Plates New Hope News Sunday School--Don Kaller is going to be teaching the adult Sunday School class in March & April. Easter Egg Hunt--Sunday, April 20 @ 10. Please bring plastic eggs filled with non-chocolate candy to the Narthex over the next few weeks! Pray For: Norma Capone Peggy & John L. For Nelson, Judy's brother For those who mourn, that they may recognize the presence of the risen Christ with them, and that they may lean into the promise of resurrection. For the kids in confirmation class: Ashley, R.J., Chase, Jade & Jackson Links Keith's Random Thoughts A week ago, you never would have believed that it would have been possible to fit a riding lawnmower into my mother's garage. It was filled with stuff, from raccoon traps to a snowblower to a chainsaw to a sled. There was room for the cars, but little else. I'll admit to a moment of trepidation before I rolled up my sleeves to get working. (Ok, it actually entailed putting on a sweatshirt, since it was cold, but that metaphor doesn't work as well.) The tractor needed to fit, because otherwise the mice in the barn would make a home in it, and they're much better at breaking things than fixing it. (Just think—if we could harness the destructive power of small critters and put that to use fixing things like potholes and leaking pipes... But I digress.) I moved a lot of things around. I tried a few things that didn't work. I made multiple trips to Lowe's. It took 3 days before I was finally happy with the general structure of things, and even then I had to do some minor adjustments to make sure that everything fit. New things needed to be added. Old things needed to be discarded. Existing things needed to be re-imagined and re-purposed. Sounds a bit like a spiritual life, doesn't it? First, we have to know our priority. What do you want your life to be about? What are the most important things? What absolutely has to fit? (At first glance, you may wonder how something else will fit in to your already-packed life. It may not the way you live now. But with changes, you can fit new priorities in if you're willing to de-prioritize other things.) Secondly, you have to take some things apart, move things around, to see what the empty space looks like. You might be astonished how much room you have if you take everything out, and then it might go back in much more orderly. Finally, you have to be willing to discard some things, to try new things, and to admit that some ideas won't work. They may work for a neighbor or friend, but it's ok if they don't work for you. Not all of us are meant to spend hours in meditation. That's ok. Find what works. Make room for it. You might be surprised at the results of intentional action. Text for this Sunday Acts14:8-20(Common English Bible) In Lystra there was a certain man who lacked strength in his legs. He had been crippled since birth and had never walked. Sitting there, he 9 heard Paul speaking. Paul stared at him and saw that he believed he could be healed. 10 Raising his voice, Paul said, “Stand up straight on your feet!” He jumped up and began to walk. 11 Seeing what Paul had done, the crowd shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have taken human form and come down to visit us!” 12 They referred to Barnabas as Zeus and to Paul as Hermes, since Paul was the main speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was located just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates. Along with the crowds, he wanted to offer sacrifices to them. 14 When the Lord’s messengers Barnabas and Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes in protest and rushed out into the crowd. They shouted, 15 “People, what are you doing? We are humans too, just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you: turn to the living God and away from such worthless things. He made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.[a] 16 In the past, he permitted every nation to go its own way. 17 Nevertheless, he hasn’t left himself without a witness. He has blessed you by giving you rain from above as well as seasonal harvests, and satisfying you with food and happiness.” 18 Even with these words, they barely kept the crowds from sacrificing to them. 19 Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and won the crowds over. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing he was dead. 20 When the disciples surrounded him, he got up and entered the city again. The following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. New Hope on iTunes Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle |