Announcements
Wednesday
Night Suppers—Hooray!!!!!
Next Wednesday, the 26th,
we begin again!!!! Dinner at 6—hot dogs fresh from the grill are
provided by our grilling experts. Please help out and bring a side
item to share. We'll be studying 1 Peter, so feel free to read
ahead!
East
Brainerd Elementary—are
you interested in helping out at East Brainerd? They need someone to
volunteer as a kindergarten assistant—doing tasks like cutting
things out, laminating, etc.
Pizza
& Ping-Pong—The
youth & their friends are invited to the Geerlings' house on
Sept. 22 for an evening of pizza & ping-pong. Please RSVP to
Janet.
Dinner
for 8—There's
still room! This small-group discussion will take place this Sunday
from 5-5:50.
New
Hope News
Sunday
School—We'll
explore Hosea this Sunday @ 10.
Men's
Breakfast—Saturday,
Sept. 22 from 8-9. We're going to begin a Bible Study called Quiet
Strength that was written by Tony Dungy.
Sunday
Evening Prayer Service—Join
us Sunday @ 6
Pray
for:
Those
in mourning
Jacob
Geerlings, as he continues his seminary studies
Pray
for those who do not see the hand of God at work in their lives
Links
Book
Recommendation
I
love God. I like Guinness. So when The
Search for God and Guinness crossed
my path, I felt somewhat compelled to read it. It's a history of the
brewery and the family that started it all, but it focuses on the
family's strong desire for the brewery to make a positive impact on
society. Guinness brewery wasn't simply another brewery among
many—Arthur Guinness and many of his descendants felt a strong call
to improve society and care not only for their own employees but also
for the residents of Ireland. It's an easy read, but can be an
important lesson about how to let God use you in a corporate setting.
Random
Thoughts
So
there I was...
I
was just about to leave for church on Sunday morning when I noticed a
wet piece of cardboard in the basement. Upon doing some research, I
discovered that the source of the water was the shower drain. (It
just occurred to me that I'm not 100% sure that the drain I've been
trying to fix all week is the problem...) Being determined (read:
cheap), I then proceeded to take the shower drain cover off and stare
at it the (very dirty) innards of the drain for a while.
A
few YouTube videos later, I knew that I needed to unscrew the part
inside the shower drain in order to remove & replace it. So I
tried to unscrew it. The video makes it look very easy.
It's
not.
A
screwdiver, some pliers, several wrenches and my bare hands later, it
still hasn't budged. Somehow, I've avoided major injury (so far).
Back
to YouTube, I discovered there's a neat little tool that was made
just for this job. They even include it with the new drains. Without
it, I'm hopeless. But with that specific tool, I can fix the
possibly-broken drain. (Well, if it wasn't broken beforehand, it
definitely is now!)
There
are two purposes to my relating this story. The first is that
YouTube is a great place for home repair tips and hints when working
on projects. (Also, kitten videos are cute)
The
second is to remind you that you were created with a purpose. God
made you just the way you are so that you might join in with God's
work to spread the Kingdom. You have a specific role, a part you
were called to play, and no one else can do it for you. You have
unique gifts and talents that enable you to share Christ's love. It
might be a role you can play in your workplace, in your neighborhood
or your school. It might be a certain relationship that provides a
path to discuss faith with someone close to you. It might be the way
your example of faith and integrity speaks to someone. There are any
number of ways God can use each and every one of us—but we have to
let God use us, to empty ourselves so that Christ might fill us, to
let our lives be an offering to Christ. (This is turning into a
sermon, isn't it?) We have to play the role we were called to play,
to let God work through us, so that others might know Christ by our
works.
Don't
let your life slip by without letting Christ rule your mind, your
heart, your hands, your feet, your every action. Let's join in with
what God is doing.
Text
for Sunday, September 23
John 15:1-11
‘I
am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes
every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit
he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been
cleansed by
the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in
you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides
in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the
vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear
much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever
does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such
branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
If
you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you
wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by
this, that you bear much fruit and become my
disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you;
abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in
my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in
his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be
in you, and that your joy may be complete.
New
Hope on iTunes
No comments:
Post a Comment