Yesterday was a grim reminder of how painful our world can be. I used up all my cell phone battery by 4:45 p.m. due to the huge number of calls and responses that needed to be made. So many people with so many hurts. Even in the family of God, in God's church, there is much healing needed. God loves his people and will never forsake them. Even people who love Jesus with all their heart have times of deep pain. God created our world to be a place of perfect peace for his people to live in relationship with him. But sin has destroyed that peace. God is redeeming that peace and he is redeeming you and me.
Perhaps you, your children, your family, your work, your life, has been injured by other peoples' sin. Often we injure ourselves and must face the consequences and pain that occurs on the way to healing. It is amazing how fragile the human spirit is, how fragile the mind can be. We love stories of people who overcame great odds to beat an impossible situation, but more often I personally hear the stories of wounds from life's trouble that seem to never heal. The truth of these stories that make the news, is that many hurts remain and questions are unanswered once the cameras and lights move on to the next sensation.
As I think about these things, I am reminded that Jesus took up our iniquity (guilt), our infirmities (sickness), our transgressions (wrongs against God and others), and HE CARRIED OUR SORROWS!
I can't imagine the weight Jesus carried on the cross. I can't imagine all the types of prayers he must hear every day. Yesterday was a grim reminder that our world needs Jesus more than ever!
At 5:00, with my cell phone dead, I went to run on the river front trail. It was a great time of prayer! I took all these needs to the Lord. For an hour I ran and focused on God. As I ran the Lord rearranged some of my own feelings of despair. As I prayed the Lord reminded me that I would be preaching this Sunday on the "Be Attitudes" and "Blessed are they that mourn, for they will be comforted." Now I am trustintg that God will move and that many of the stories that I encountered yesterday will have a different ending than expected, an ending written by the power of the Holy Spirit in God's people and the love of Jesus, the redeemer of mankind.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Pray for Leaders
Tonight is our board meeting. The board will be taking care of some great business tonight. So, please keep the board in prayer. Please keep praying for your church. We want God's house to be a place of salvation, deliverance and healing.
While you are praying for leadership, don't forget the instruction of the Scriptures to pray for kings, leader, rulers and those in authority. Please keep our President and our leaders in prayer.
While you are praying for leadership, don't forget the instruction of the Scriptures to pray for kings, leader, rulers and those in authority. Please keep our President and our leaders in prayer.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
A Fire!
Today I read the passage in Jeremiah where he describes the urgency in sharing God's word as a "Fire shut up in my bones." He goes on to say, "I am weary from holding it in."
Can you imagine how many people would hear a testimony or receive a conversation about Jesus Christ if just a hundred people from First Assembly had this urgency to share God's Word!
Jeremiah's response to persecution was, "I can stop telling!"
Can you imagine how many people would hear a testimony or receive a conversation about Jesus Christ if just a hundred people from First Assembly had this urgency to share God's Word!
Jeremiah's response to persecution was, "I can stop telling!"
Business Meeting
Last night was our business meeting.
1. We presented two nominees for Elder, Jonas Temple and Mark Knickmeyer. Mark was selected to serve. What a great pair of people to choose from! We actually had a tie on the first ballot! The church broke into laughter. It was great.
2. We voted to put our building up for sale.
3. We voted to give the Elders authority to create a building committee and put offers on other property and present them for approval by the congregation once the negotiating process is completed.
I have already begun some of the work pertaingin to these decisions. The board will be working on some of the other items later this week.
Please keep your leadership in prayer! We must continue to pray about the decisions our church makes in the growing process.
1. We presented two nominees for Elder, Jonas Temple and Mark Knickmeyer. Mark was selected to serve. What a great pair of people to choose from! We actually had a tie on the first ballot! The church broke into laughter. It was great.
2. We voted to put our building up for sale.
3. We voted to give the Elders authority to create a building committee and put offers on other property and present them for approval by the congregation once the negotiating process is completed.
I have already begun some of the work pertaingin to these decisions. The board will be working on some of the other items later this week.
Please keep your leadership in prayer! We must continue to pray about the decisions our church makes in the growing process.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Reading
I just finished the book, "The Real Estate Gift" by Jim Wootton. I am now reading "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. It is not a religious book. I just received it as a gift from John McHaffiee. I read "Outliers" this winter and so I was interested in another Gladwell book.
If you want to read the Bible in 90 days, another group is forming at church. They will read the Bible in 90 days starting on June one. Call or talk to Brent Nissen for more info. I can get you a reading schedule!
Keep learning.
If you want to read the Bible in 90 days, another group is forming at church. They will read the Bible in 90 days starting on June one. Call or talk to Brent Nissen for more info. I can get you a reading schedule!
Keep learning.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sad News
We have some sad news. The oldest member of our church, Ursula Wallmeier, passed away Sunday night late. Services will be Friday at 10:00 a.m. at church. Visitation is Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Nieburg and Vitt Funeral Home.
Ursula has an amazing testimony. She was a young woman in Nazi Germany. Her first husband died in the siege of Stalingrad. After the war she married again and lived in East Germany. She and her husband escaped shortly after Joseph Stalin died. They were sponsored by a family in Washington, Missouri and made their home here. She had four children.
Ursula was saved in the early 1980's. While walking down 8th street, she fell and cut her knee. At the time our little church was not air conditioned so the windows were open on that hot Sunday evening. She heard singing from the building and came in to get some care for her knee. The ladies tended to her and she sat down for the preaching and was saved that very night. Her commitment to God has been extremely strong ever since. Just before her husband Heinz died, Pastor David Snodderly led him to Christ.
Each Christmas for many years, we have made a family trip to visit Ursula at Christmas time. We always took her Springerle Cookies. I always had her quote the 23rd Psalm or the Lord's Prayer to my kids in German on those visits. I want them to remember this lady. She may be their link to understanding that the horrors of the middle 20th century were not fictitious. She also loved the Lord and that is worth remembering!
Ursula has an amazing testimony. She was a young woman in Nazi Germany. Her first husband died in the siege of Stalingrad. After the war she married again and lived in East Germany. She and her husband escaped shortly after Joseph Stalin died. They were sponsored by a family in Washington, Missouri and made their home here. She had four children.
Ursula was saved in the early 1980's. While walking down 8th street, she fell and cut her knee. At the time our little church was not air conditioned so the windows were open on that hot Sunday evening. She heard singing from the building and came in to get some care for her knee. The ladies tended to her and she sat down for the preaching and was saved that very night. Her commitment to God has been extremely strong ever since. Just before her husband Heinz died, Pastor David Snodderly led him to Christ.
Each Christmas for many years, we have made a family trip to visit Ursula at Christmas time. We always took her Springerle Cookies. I always had her quote the 23rd Psalm or the Lord's Prayer to my kids in German on those visits. I want them to remember this lady. She may be their link to understanding that the horrors of the middle 20th century were not fictitious. She also loved the Lord and that is worth remembering!
Weekend Rewind
Sunday was a great day for church. We celebrated communion and had two great times of worship. A lady who has not visited our church in a long time came to second service and was saved. She was greatly emotionally moved. It was also great to have some new visitors Sunday.
The rough part was that my throat was killing me Sunday and my wife Stephanie had to leave early with Benjamin who started running a high fever in the 10:15 service.
The rough part was that my throat was killing me Sunday and my wife Stephanie had to leave early with Benjamin who started running a high fever in the 10:15 service.
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