Penny is doing well

Hello Life Group memebers.

Sorry to have been away so long. I had no Internet service all weekend, the result of a dying cable modem. That is now taken care of, but my days are full of work related stuff and I'm still not on line much.

The e-mail from the church about Penny having come out of the surgery and doing well is encouraging. That she even had the surgery despite her sinus condition is one answer to prayer. Let's continue to prayer for her, and for Mal, and for the recipient of her kidney--that his body would not reject it.

Don't forget the collection for some money to put on a gift card for them to eat out when Penny returns from Nashville. We'll continue to collect on that this coming Sunday, maybe one after that as well.

Class Function at Nightingale's

Reminder:

This Saturday, October 10, our Life Group will meet at the Nightingale's house for a cookout and time of fellowship. Gather there somewhere around 5:30 to 6:00 PM. The grill will be hot.

Bring whatever meat you want to grill, along with a side dish to share. You might want to bring a lawn chair for each in your party.

Missed Not Having Class

I enjoyed the joint service yesterday. The IHI kids sure showed us a foot-stompin' good time! And the praise band did a great job with their substitutes on several instruments.

But I missed not having class. Across the gymnasium I saw most of our class. How good to see Bob and Bessie Black in the service, way across the congregation, back from their wanderings. Next week we will begin our study of Hebrews. I'm looking forward to it.

What about prayer requests and praises? Anything? We didn't get to share, but we need to stay aware of what we should bring before the Lord. Penny, when exactly is it that you travel to Nashville and have the surgery? I hope you will post here and let us know, so we may be praying for you. Possibly it's next week, not this. And Gary, how goes it with you? Missed you Sunday.

Bible Study

I admit it: I'm a Bible study junkie. Whenever I read the Bible, it is almost always for study purposes. Oh, every morning at work I read a short Bible passage and then the devotional in Our Daily Bread. Since I have only five days at work and ODB is a 365 days a year devotional by quarter years, that results in some interesting devotions. Right now I'm reading the Dec 2008 devotions, which of course are all about Christmas. In September!

For me, sitting down and reading the Bible just for pleasure, or just for devotion, or just to have something to meditate on is difficult. I always feel that I should be doing in-depth study of whatever I read in it. Somehow I need to add the pleasure-devotional reading to the study reading. Perhaps this will be my project for the next twelve months.

Insights from Cycling

This morning I was riding a very familiar bike trail and happened to look away towards a hill which I was contemplating trying. My attention was turned away only for a few seconds, in that short amount of time, when I turned my focus back to the trail I realized I was very close to the edge! Not real dangerous but I was going a pretty good speed. It scared me as I corrected my bike back into the middle of the trail. Got me to thinking about our journey of faith and the path which God wants each of us to follow, keeping our focus on Him. When we get distracted, which is easy to do, we sometimes find ourselves off the path or maybe we heading in the wrong direction. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Also, coming up that familiar hill I found my God rock to be obscured by the overgrowth on the roadside. I realized sometimes we may not be able to always see or feel God working in our lives, but that doesn't mean he's not there. That's when we trust his heart and know he has control.

Acts 17:28

This verse from Mark's sermon last week really spoke to me. Acts 17:28: For in him we live and move and have our being. This verse concludes by calling us God's children or offspring. May we always be aware of the Holy Spirit's presence within us, giving us life and helping us become all that God wants us to be. We must remain in Him and he will remain in us. Praise God!

Dan & Lutrecia Church

Please remember Lutrecia and Dan in your prayers this week. You may have seen a prayer request for her. They had an unexpected stop in Memphis on their way to Nashville as Lutrecia was having health issues. Not sure of all the details surrounding what was going on with Lutrecia. Don't think the doctors knew either. Also pray for their safe travel.

Prayers Answered: Gary Borchert

It was good to see Gary Borchert up and at church tonight--and walking with a cane rather than his walker. Good job, Gary!

'Course, his arm looked as if it had been put through a wringer. He reports he has torn a bicep, and might be needing surgery. Continue to pray for Gary as he travels the long road to restored good health, and for Sue as she provides him with care, along with her other life duties.

Paul Jackson, R.I.P.

Lynda sent out an e-mail, and perhaps most of you that read this here will already have the news. Paul Jackson, song evangelist in the Church of the Nazarene, lost his battle with cancer and passed into glory at 3:30 PM CDT this afternoon. Lynda had frequently brought his name to the class as a matter of prayer.

Continue to pray for Paul's widow, Trish Jackson (Lynda's cousin), and for Paul's parents. Lynda and I will travel to Meade, Kansas for funeral services, the time for which has not yet been announced. There's a good chance we will be gone this Sunday.

Simon Says

Well, I hope everyone had a good time in class today. I enjoyed catching a couple of people in the game of Simon Says.

I chose the game, and the silly illustration of keeping your Bibles closed, because I wanted to demonstrate how we willing accept authority over us. I think at times we forget why we accept the authority of the Bible, and from time to time we should refresh our minds about it. Peter said it well in the passage we looked at (2 Peter 1:12-2:10a). I will be reading that again this week.

May you be carried along by the Holy Spirit this week as you study God's word.