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Make
it a
habit |
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to find a time and place for
daily reading of your Bible. Do it every day at that
time.
"Everything
I do, everywhere I go, I'm trying to live
up to or represent Jesus. Having the faith I have is
first and foremost in my life." - Kurt Warner,
quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals
Lutheran Senior Services
in St. Louis offers excellent materials. You can
subscribe to their free Newsletter and other materials
for the seniors in your church. Email Rev. Walter
Schoedel at wschoedel@lssmo.org
Wow!
The average person handles about 300
sheets of paper per day including catalogs, magazines,
newspapers, etc. Good tip: At home and in our offices -
try to handle one piece of paper only once.
Pastor...
Do you meet regularly with your teachers for (1)
training, (2)lesson planning,
(3) encourage-
ment,
(4) problem solving, and (5) goal setting? Imagine what
could happen if you did. Praise God if you already
do.
"But Lot's wife...
looked back, and she became a pillar of
salt." The Sunday School teacher was describing how
Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt,
when little Jason interrupted, "My Mummy looked back
once while she was driving," he announced triumphantly,
"and she turned into a telephone pole!"
Good news/Bad news for the
pastor:
Good news: The women's group voted to send
you a get-well card. Bad news: The vote passed by
31-30. |
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God has two valentines
for you: His Word and the Cross. He gives you want
you need. You have one valentine to give God what
He wants: your heart!
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Loving
Enough to Be Hurt
a sermon on 1
Corinthians 13:5 by Don Ginkel for February 8 or
15 or any Sunday (includes a video clip and a
responsive Scripture reading)
 Years ago Ann
Landers published a survey taken by parents of
children of all ages. The question was this: "If
you had to do it over again, would you have
children?" 70 percent of the parents surveyed
said, "No." Most of the "No" responses came from
parents with babies and parents of teenagers.
Some of us might
be shocked with that survey, and then again, if
our true feelings were known, we might at times
agree with the 70 percent.
Another example
that some of us can identify with. Tom told his
wife right after they got married that he wanted
no children. At the age of three he had a dog
named Murphy. He loved Murphy deeply. He and
Murphy were always together. Murphy was his prized
possession. When Tom was four years old, Murphy
disappeared. He either ran away, was stolen, or
was killed, but the fact is that Murphy never
returned. [Complete
Article] |
Who's
Your GR
Person?
by Kent
Hunter
 "Whatever happened to
those spiritual gifts surveys we completed about a
year ago?" asked George. Twelve months earlier,
the entire congregation was asked to complete the
surveys along with a time and talent sheet. The
project was led by Mary, the congregation's
Christian Education Director. However, like most
churches, the information was never translated to
a useable format for retrieval. Would
it help your church run more smoothly to get more
people involved? Wrong question! A better
approach, from the biblical perspective, is this:
what is your church doing to help people find
fulfillment by discovering their place in the
Kingdom where God has uniquely created them to
serve? It's not about maintaining the institution.
It's about helping people find a ministry that
provides fulfillment-producing fruit that is
eternally significant. [ Complete
Article] |
Stack
of Stuff
It costs
$3,000,000,
it's over in 30 seconds, and it may not be
remembered the next morning. It's a Super Bowl
commercial. Something else cost more than
all the money in the world, it will never
be over, and it will be remembered for all
eternity. It's your salvation. "You were
redeemed... with the precious blood of Christ, a
Lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter
1:18-19).
Two suggestions
(1) Forward these Newsletters to key leaders
in your church. (2) Make a hard copy each month
for your personal use. Highlight items that
need special attention from you in the days
ahead.
St.
Michael Lutheran Church
of Fort Myers,
FL, is taking some giant steps in
ministry to their people and community. Rev. Jon
Zehnder is the pastor. The Spirit of God is truly
filling these people with vitality and insights
and is empowering them for numerous ministries in
the name of Jesus. They have four types of worship
services. Just a few of their programs: Grief
Share, Divorce Care, Men's Ministry, Hispanic
Ministry, view their worship services live, a
Christian School, and much, much more. It's well
worth your time to study St. Michael's for their
ministries and the well constructed website. Click
their website: www.smlcs.org.
Shepherding Ministry Venue: Sunday
School Teachers
If you
have a snow blower,
consider using it to clear sidewalks and
driveways for others. Leave a church business card
with your name and phone number on
it.
The three basic parts to a
sermon
are (1) Introduction, (2) Body, (3) Call to
Action. In all three parts be as direct and to the
point as possible.
You won't regret it...
As important as your responsibilities are as
a salesperson, a computer specialist, or owner of
your own business, your connections with your
spouse, your children, and your friends are much
more important. At the end of your life you will
never regret having sold more merchandise,
mastered more computer software, or increased your
net profit. But you will regret time not spent
with your spouse, your children, and your
friends!
George Beverly Shea
is celebreated his 100th birthday on
February 1. He has performed with Rev. Billy
Graham for many years. To help celebrate, UNC-TV,
the state public television network, is planning a
musical special. During his long career, Shea is
best known for his stirring presentation of " How Great Thou
Art." He has cut over 70 albums and been
nominated for 10 Grammys. We praise God for giving
us this great Christian man. For information on
the Shea tribute concert, call 866-779-0012.
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Visit
Them at Work
by
Michael Lindsay, Outreach Jan/Feb 2009, page
81
"Of the 360 top business
leaders I interviewed for Faith in the
Halls of Power, only one business leader
recalled his pastor visiting him at work. It had
happened 20 years earlier, but it meant so much to
this church member. He vividly recalled what the
pastor was wearing, what they talked about, and
how he introduced his minister to all of his
colleagues. One pastor friend of mine now
makes a habit of welcoming new deacons and
elders to their leadership positions by meeting
them for lunch at work. This gives him a chance to
see what their lives are like outside of the
church
context." |
| After
You Say "I Do"
Information gathered from
spouses who had been married at least forty-five
years revealed six keys to a successful, long-term
marriage:
- consider your mate to be
your best friend
- like your mate as a
person
- see marriage as a
long-term commitment
- see marriage as a sacred
institution
- agree on goals
- laugh together
frequently
After You Say "I
Do" is packed with a wealth of practical
ideas and thought-provoking questions. Great
for a husband and wife to do together or for
a couples study group. There are 14 Chapters;
they include Evaluating Your Marriage, Love
As a Basis, Goals, Fulfilling Intimacy Needs,
Responsibilities and Decision-Making,
Communication, Conflict, Finances, and much more.
97 pages, 8 1/2" x 11" #308,
only $9.99. Order a copy
today. |
The
sky is falling! The Sky is Falling! Or is
it?
by Craig
Loving
 Sometimes,
worry is like
an alarm going off when
there is no fire. What do
you do then? Use these 7
tips to get a handle on
out-of-control worry.
- Find out whether
other people you trust are worried
about this. If no one else is
bothered about this issue, you could be (a)
ahead of your time, and the world is waiting
your insights, or (b) making a mountain out of a
mole-hill, in which case, it may be helpful to
let go of unrealistic worries.
- Ask a trusted
friend their opinion on your worry.
Sometimes hearing how another person thinks
about an issue helps us refine our own thoughts.
- Ask yourself,
"If what I'm worried about comes about, what's
the worst that could happen?" Develop a
"worst case scenario" (WCS) for your worry,
then ask yourself these two questions, (1) "What
is the likelihood of this WCS actually
happening?" (2) "How much control do I have over
the WCS happening / not happening?" If the
answer to either or both of these questions
is "low," pay special attention to the next
strategy. [Complete
Article]
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Heart
Attacks
 If you
even suspect you are having a heart attack,
down a couple of aspirin. During the early stages
aspirin can prevent a clot from getting bigger.
Actually, call 911 first, then take two 325 mg
aspirin at the onset of chest pain or other
symptoms of a heart attack. Two aspirin will work
faster if you chew them instead of swallowing them
whole. We are told that 10,000 American lives a
year could be saved if they took two aspirin at
the start of chest pains. Suggestion: Carry two
aspirin (in a small plastic bag) in your billfold
at all times.
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"Mooooo!"
from the Leader's Guide for I
Have Good News for You - "About a Meal Which
Feeds You," page 127
Before
we take the next section I want to share with you
my concern regarding the gross ignorance on
the purposes and benefits of the Lord's Supper. So
many people in the church do not understand this
heavenly Meal. Let me
illustrate. Imagine that a farmer
this morning named Fritz opens his barn doors to
milk his cows, and he says, "Here bossie!" They
all come to the barn lining up in order. Cow #1 is
always first, cow #2 is always second, etc. This
never changes. Bessie goes to her stall. Ethel
goes to hers. Every cow has her stall. Now as the
cows are coming into the barn, let's assume that I
would put out my arm and stop cow #1, old Bessie.
I would bend down a little and look into her big
brown eyes and say, "Bessie, vas sagen sie? Vos is
los? What are you doing? What meaneth this
procession?" And Bessie would stand there on all
fours and try to think, and then she would lift
her soft, beautiful head up toward my face and
with all the energy she possessed she would say,
"Mooooo!" And then go on. That would be her
answer. That is the best she can
do. Now let's go in spirit to some
churches this morning at the early service, and we
picture Fred and his wife Elsie who are going to
into the church. It could be any denomination,
Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, whatever.
[ Complete
Article] |
Obama
and the
Cardinals
by Bob Tasler
With a popular new
president sworn in, and with the Arizona Cardinals
going to their first NFL Championship game in 65
years, expectations have been swirling around here
in Arizona like a desert whirlwind. And
people want their expectations to come
true.
Hopes, desires, and dreams are
all powerful agents in life, and when unfulfilled,
they can be really painful. There is a fine
line between wanting our expectations and needing
them to be true. It's the difference between
a joyful life and a painful life. Some of us
expect certain things to come true, and when they
don't, we look for someone to blame. It
didn't happen, so it must be someone's
fault. Rarely will we realize that our
expectations may be unrealistic. Basing
happiness on someone else fulfilling our
expectations is a recipe for trouble. [Complete
Article] |
A
Letter To the Christian Education
Staff
by Susan
Christie
 "Every meeting
Pastor Don keeps asking how many of us would
be willing to bet our souls that every one of our
students is saved. Most teachers probably don't
really stop to think about it too much - because
what can happen to a little child where you would
wonder?
"Things do happen! Maybe not too often,
but they happen. From experience I'll tell you how
you will feel. At first, it is a great shock. Then
you start to wonder if that child is in heaven. A
few questions start going through your mind such
as: Did I really do my best, what could have
been done differently, and should I have talked to
that individual child about his faith in Jesus
Christ as his Savior? [Complete
Article] |
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"Here
Is Love"
A hymn that will
bless you and praise God each time you sing it
privately or in public worship. Please view the video clip and sing
along. The first verse -
Here is
love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness as the
flood,
When the
Prince of Life our Ransom,
Shed for us
His precious blood.
Who His love
will not remember?
Who can
cease to sing His praise?
He can never
be forgotten,
Throughout
Heav'n's eternal
days. | |
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