| Flower of the Month? |
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What's your favorite flavor of ice cream? There are very few I
don't like. As a kid, my childhood fantasy was to put a scoop of
every kind of Baskin Robbins ice cream on a cone that would be nearly
as tall as I was. Then I'd eat my way to the bottom. If I
ever found a flavor I didn't like, I'd just push it on the floor.
(I asked, by my parents wouldn't let me try it, the spoil sports!
I think their exact words werre, 'we think you should be happy to have one scoop.') Some people look at th church scene as a spiritual Baskin Robbins. You have 31+ flavors to choose from. You just need to find the kind you like the best. That idea is as tempting as having a head-high ice cream cone, but it's just as misguided. Wouldn't such an approach make God out to be nothing more than a desperate manufacturer constantly reformulating his recipe in order to create the next fad flavor that will captivate the picky taste buds of his target market?! If that were so, each denomination would be just another flavor among so many diverse, Yet equally good styles of Christianity. Is each church just another brand in the freezer for today’s religious connoisseur to sample to see if it suits his or her individual tastes? In our age of spiritual multiple-choice, should individual tastes be given supreme authority? Who is the final authority? I think the answer to that is obvious. How many times in the Bible did God criticize and show his power over false gods? You may recall names like Baal, Dagon, Ashteroth, Caesar and the list goes on. You may recall God saying to the Israelites that he would not share his glory with graven images. The true God does not change his truth to appeal to popular taste. He is the God who uses his unchanging truth to change human hearts to hunger for His truth. That’s why God does not need to serve up his truth in 31+ flavors. |
God’s
Word is absolute. That’s what Martin Luther discovered. The
Reformation, led by Luther, was a return to the basic truth of the
Bible: That we are
saved by the undeserved love of God through faith in Jesus.
The plain words of 2 Timothy 3:15 make this very clear. “From infancy you have known the Holy
Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith
in Christ Jesus.”
All his life, Luther had tried to please God, to earn God’s love. But the harder he tried, the more Luther realized that our sins can never be erased by our own doing. It was as he put it, ‘like trying to empty the ocean with a spoon.” The most popular religious flavor of Luther’s day was good deeds. The thought that you could somehow appease an angry God by making nice as much as possible was widely accepted. We can be sure we will go to Heaven one day not because we’ve been better than average, but because the Holy Spirit has worked faith in Jesus in our hearts. That’s what we proclaim at Good Shepherd. We are not a perfect church. But we are forgiven sinners who eagerly seek to follow God and His Word. We celebrate that this month at our anniversary celebration on the 16th and the Favorite Hymn/Reformation Festival. We hope you can join us especially then. God has blessed us with the truth. We need to partake of it often, to disgest if fully, and apply it to every area of our lives! Show him your thankfulness by taking advantage of these opportunities regularly! And share your thankfulness by inviting others to join you. After all, we are not asking people to try the flavor of the month, but God’s gift. |
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HURRICANE RELIEF:
So far, people in our church have contributed over $850,000. WELS
Kingdom workers have suspended all building projects so they can go to
damaged areas immediately. The church in Mobile will be their
first project since they aren't allowed back in New Orleans yet.
Four semi-trucks loaded with goods leave the Midwest every other week
with immediate needs like water, blankets, cots etc. This will
continue until the needs are met. 15 students from Martin Luther
College, “Timber Teams”, will spend two weeks cleaning up affected
areas. Project managers from each affected church have organized
teams to distribute materials and assist in meeting spiritual needs.
After the two hurricanes, it seems appropriate to hear God speak in Psalm 46 God is our refuse and strength, an everpresent help in time of trouble Therefore, we will not fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth . . . Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almight is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress! |
FAVORITE
HYMN FESTIVAL will take place on Oct. 30th in both services. You
will have the chance to choose your favorite hymns in the Sundays
leading up to the 30th. Pastor will take the top 10 and use them
as our liturgy that day. You can vote for up to 10 hymns and vote
twice. Also, if you enjoy classical music, Gloria Dei Lutheran church in Belmont is putting on a concert of hymns and songs that were popular at the time of the Bood of Concord in the 1500's. It will be held on Nov. 13th at 4:00. See Pastor if you have questions. SUNDAY SCHOOL has begun a new year. We offer classes for kids from three to fourteen years old. Sunday School is held at 9:15. We hope you want to help your children know the Bible better. PARENTS CROSSLINK (www.parentscrosslink.net) is live. The Web site is the on-line companion of the quarterly newsletter of the same name. The goal is to give parents a way to become better parents. It provides parents a link to each other, to ask questions, seek opinions and make on-line friendships. |
| SOMETHING
TO THINK ABOUT . . . I recently read some quotes from Charles Spurgeon that I thought fit with the thoughts from the front page. Allow me to share them with you. "Remember, sinner, it is not YOUR HOLD of Christ that saves you-- it is Christ. It is not YOUR JOY in Christ that saves you--it is Christ. It is NOT EVEN FAITH in Christ (though faith is the instrument)--it is Christ's blood and His merits that save you. Therefore, do not look to your hope, but to Christ, the source of your hope. Do not look to your faith, but to Christ, the author and finisher of your faith. If you do that, ten thousand devils cannot throw you down. It is not prayer, it is not faith, it is not our doings, it is not our feelings upon which we must rest, but upon Christ and ON CHRIST ALONE! Let me beseech you, look only to Christ; never expect deliverance from self, from ministers, nor from any means of any kind apart from Christ. Keep your eye simply ON HIM! Let His death, His merits, His glories, His intercession be fresh upon your mind. |
WORLD MISSION NEWS Japan--
In an effort to better reach out, the churches in Japan held a summer
Bible Camp for kids, and over 100 children came. The church in
Japan pays all of their own expenses.
Scandinavia-- The Swedish church there copied the Japanese Bible Camp, but included adults, and had an attendance of 110. Pastor Vogt has been accepted so well that he was asked to pay half the wedding reception bill. In Sweden, this is considered a high honor. Helping our church, others and
our environment:
You can bring in your old cell phones to church. We recycle them and get paid too. Another way that you can help church is to remember Good Shepherd in your will. Some have put church into their will like it is another child, to receive a portion of the inheritance. This is a way future generations can continue to find a faith in Jesus and continue in the faith into eternity. United Way campaigns are beginning now. Wisconsin Lutheran Child and Family Service is a qualified 501(c)3 agency. They provide counseling, adoption services, nursing care and so much more to people all over the United States. Some companies even match donations. Call WLCFS at 1-888-685-9522 ext. 225 if you have questions. NEW BIBLE CLASS TOPICS:
On Sunday mornings, we're going to be starting a series on the Lord's
Prayer . . . The Thursday morning Class is going to take a look at the
10 Commandments . . . The Small Groups will be starting a series on
"Prepared to Answer", discussions on challenges to our faitrh from
questions difficult to answer. That will start in November.
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ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION:
On Sunday Oct. 16th we'll celebrate our 6th anniversary in this
building. In addition to a special service, we'll have food, fun
and games (including the ;corn-cob-toss' from our church picnic) at our
Block Party following the 10:30 service. Friends are most welcome!
A PIECE OF CAKE
Sometimes, we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this" or "Why did God
have to do this to me?" Well, here is an explanation.
A daughter was lamenting to her mother how everything was going wrong. She was failing algebra, her boyfriend had broken up with her and her best friend was moving away. As they talked, her mother was mixing a cake. She asked her daughter if she would like a snack. The daughter said, "Absolutely Mom! I love your cake!" "Here, have some cooking oil," her mother offers. "Yuck" replied the daughter. "How about a couple of raw eggs?" "Gross Mom!" "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe some baking soda?" "Mom, those are all
yucky!" To which the mother replied: "Yes, all
those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put
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together in
the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God
works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go
through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He
puts
these things all in His order, they always work for good. We just
have
to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful." When God called my two-month old grandson to heaven last week, the temptation is there to think like that young lady did. I don't know why God didn't let Elliott enjoy more time on earth with us, but my family & I know God will work this too for our good. God has given us love, from Him and our family & friends. We thank you for being there for us and for lifting up up in prayer. We rejocie that Elliott is with Jesus even as we miss him here. I guess you could say Elliott has his piece of cake now. Humor Little Johnny was always in trouble at church. When he was punished, his mother often sent him to a small office to "think about what you did." Just before church one Sunday, a dog walked into church. Not having much time to take care of the dog, the usher chased him into the small office. Johnny happened to walk by then. Puzzled, the boy looked at the usher. Finally Johnny said "I have two questions. First, what'd he do? And second, how long does he have to think about it?" |
