| CHASING AFTER A RABBIT |
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A neighbor
has a retired racing Greyhound for a pet. It’s a nice dog, never
barks, good with kids. The dog does look sort of silly on a leash when
you think about what it was trained for. These animals are the
Indy cars of the dog world. They’re made to go around a circle,
fast. VERY FAST. Greyhounds can go from 0 to 45 mph
in three strides, 1 1/2 seconds. They’re world class sprinters
with fur.
Put a greyhound in the starting cage and let loose a mechanical rabbit and watch him go! That mechanical rabbit is the most important thing in the world to him. It seems as if his very existence is tied to catching that rabbit. Does that sounds like some people you know? Too many people chase after things as if those objects were the most important treasure a person could ever have. They run around in circles chasing wealth, or fame or their own evil, selfish desires as if those prizes could grant them lasting happiness. Should these be the most important desires in the world? You know the answer. Jesus warned about chasing after foolish things. He said, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? ” (Matt. 16:26) So often those who find the currency they seek come to realize that it does not satisfy. Far too many find that they have wasted so much precious time in the pursuit of goods that they have forgotten about God, family and personal integrity. And then they are lost. Once when the greyhounds were racing, a terrible tragedy happened. The wiring on the electric rabbit wore away, and, in the middle of the race, caused a short circuit. This in turn led to an explosion inside the rabbit, which destroyed the rabbit. The dogs were dumbfounded! Their whole world had just blown up. Two of the dogs fell to the ground at full speed and injured themselves so badly they had to be put to sleep. One dog |
went back to the starting boxes,
lay down and shook uncontrollably. Another dog kept chasing his
tail until his trainer calmed him. Three other dogs started
growling at and chasing each other. The remaining dog sniffed the
pieces of rabbit, growled, ran a few yards, then went back to the
pieces as if to will it back to life and give chase again. What happens when a person’s carefully constructed world falls apart due to accident, illness, tragedy or circumstances beyond his/her control? Some implode into alcohol/drugs shaking all over. Others just shrivel up and die. Some let the rest of their lives be controlled by ‘what if’ or ‘if only’. Some lash out at those closest to them. Others just don’t know what to do. And some discover (or re-discover) the comfort, security and healing that only God can give. St. Paul was one of these. He was on the fast track to the Pharisee Chief Operating Officer. His single-minded pursuit of the followers of The Way (as the Christians were called) had him zooming up the seniority list. But then God blew up his world. (See Acts 9 and the Bible Quiz for the whole story.) In dazzling light display which knocked Paul to the ground, God reprogrammed St. Paul. Paul was led from a vicious circle of works and self-promotion. Instead of chasing mechanical laws, he saw the light, the light of faith in Jesus Christ. He saw Jesus as his Savior from sin. He was shown that all his good works counted for nothing toward his eternal life in Heaven. Now, his whole life had new meaning and a new purpose. He said, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own…but that which is through faith in Christ… I press on toward the goal.” (Php. 3:8,9, 14) Look at your life. What are you chasing after? A rabbit? Or a Savior? |
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PAUL HARVEY'S ON-AIR PRAYER 'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!' Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.' Something To Think About… Sin – Bitter Milk It was reported in an Associated Press article a few years ago that Russia had developed a hybrid plant as cheap cattle feed. However this designer plant has an unusual effect on the milk it produces – bitter taste! Now they’ve also discovered the plant, once established, is virtually unstoppable and causes “burns” and “stinging” for those who come in contact with it. The effects of sin are much like this! What seems a good idea to man, turns into a disaster in the end! “There is a way which seems right to a man, yet its end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12; 16:25 NKJV) |
ACTIVITY SHEETS: One of the
things we need to do is to get more people involved helping out.
We distributed sheets last week with most of the things that can be
done at church. We ask you to pick out at least one item to help
with. You can either turn in your sheets to Pastor or he will
call you. WE NEED EVERYONE TO DO WHAT THEY CAN! WORLD MISSIONS- Nepal - A fourth worker training workshop was held last month. This is the second level of study--the Bible institute level. 33 students are enrolled. Since its inception in January 2006 the Scripture Learning Program has distributed over 28,000 pieces of Christian literature in Nepal and 4,000 students enrolled in the program. Free medical clinics are held every two months in various, even remote areas, that form a bridge to bring the Gospel through Christian literature distributed at the clinics. Pakistan - Over 23,000 pieces of Christian literature have been distributed in this Muslim nation since the beginning of the Bible Correspondence Program in February 2006. Nearly 10,000 individuals are enrolled in the program. Even in this highly restricted area, the Gospel is taking root. WELS NEWS: We thank God for moving the hearts of congregations all across the country to not only wipe out the deficit of the previous year, but to expand mission outreach (like the new congregation being started in Reno) and to provide a ‘buffer’ fund for emergencies. I hope no one gets the impression that we can do less now. No, we still have a $22 million dollar debt to be retired before we can really move forward as we feel God is directing us. We have neglected many areas for the last several years. If we continue to give sacrificially, we can seize these opportunities. |
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SATURDAY
WORSHIP: Pastor Mueller has been called to serve the small
congregation in Santa Clara called Peace Lutheran Church. Since
he is busy here on Sunday mornings, Pastor drives to Peace every
Saturday night for a 5:00 worship service, a pot-luck dinner after and
Bible Class after that. Pastor would be happy to have you join
him, especially if you are busy on Sunday morning.
BIBLE BASICS CLASS has gone back to meeting on Monday nights at 7:00. If you are interested in being a part of it, talk to Pastor. A minister was planning a wedding at the close of the Sunday morning service. After the benediction he had planned to call the couple down to be married for a brief ceremony before the congregation. For the life of him, he couldn't think of the names of those who were to be married. "Will those wanting to get married please come to the front?" he requested. Immediately, nine single ladies, three widows, four widowers, and the organist stepped to the front. Johnny was a very dedicated follower of God, even as a young man. He decided to give God 25% of his earnings until he had a family. When he was young, the teens used to play ‘spin-the-bottle’. Everyone took turns and if the bottle pointed to you, the girl could give you a kiss or a quarter. Now, I don’t want you to think Johnny was unpopular, but by the time Johnny was 17, church had all stained glass windows, with Johnny as the donor. |
FAMILY BIBLE TIME: In Place of
our regular Vacation Bible School, every Thursday will feature what we
call our Family Bible Time. It starts with a meal at 6:15, songs,
interactive Bible Story for the whole family, crafts and dessert.
Set aside your Thursdays to grow in the Lord! The meal is
at 6:15 and the Bible Class starts about 7:00. Below is a list of
the story, food and craft we’ve done and what’s coming • 7-3 Jonah and the Fish Fish & fish cookies Fish-shaped Key racks • 7-10 Walls of Jericho Build-your-own-sandwich City of crackers & frosting • 7-17 Singer Chris Driesback Chicken • 7-24 Naaman’s Leprosy White-bread Sandwiches & Marshmallows Gehazi Run • 7-31 Widow’s Oil & Flour Pizza & Bread Sticks • 8-7 Naboth’s Vineyard Grapes & Spaghetti • 8-14 Samuel in the Temple Lasagna YOU WILL NEVER BE SORRY... ..for thinking before speaking. ..for forgiving your enemies. ..for hearing before judging. ..for doing the right thing ..for keeping pure thoughts. ..for helping a fallen brother. ..for being honest in business. ..for closing our ears to gossip. ..for being loyal to your church. ..for standing by your principles. ..for holding a venomous tongue. ..for being courteous & kind to all. ..for sympathizing with the afflicted. ..for loving Jesus with all your heart. |
