Daily Wisdom: Clock and Christ

The clock and Christ are not close friends.

Imagine what God thinks of us now that we are so locked into schedules that we have locked ourselves out of the Sermon on the Mount - it is hardly possible to walk a second mile today without offending one's pocket calendar.

We jump at the alarm of a Seiko but sleep through the call of the Almighty.

~Richard M. Swenson~

Submitted by Carol Pigg

Dinner for Eight

Would you like an opportunity to know 7 other people over dinner and a devotion?  During Advent, several people will be hosting "Dinner for 8" in their homes.  You can sign up on Sundays or Wednesdays (or in the office) for the date and time that work best for you and to bring one food item to share.  If you would like to host- please contact Deb@troyumc.org.  Advent will be the "Pilot"- but we are confident that we will continue to have Dinner for 8 each month.

Karen Paubel's Daily Prayer: Pray in Agreement for Our Children and Grandchildren

Lord, may my children and grandchildren be merciful, for blessed are the merciful; they will be shown mercy.  May they become people aware of the needs of those around them, sensitive to people who are in want and pain.  Give them eyes to see the homeless, hands to feed the poor, hearts to mend wounded souls, feet to take the Gospel to the world.  May they have compassion on the lost and not be ashamed of the Gospel for the Good News of Jesus Christ is Your power bringing salvation to everyone who believes.  May they be slow to judge others and quick to extend understanding.  Give them hearts full of mercy.  In Jesus’ Name I pray.  Amen      

A Grandparent’s Prayer Journal

Lifting My Grandchildren to the Throne of Grace*

By Melanie K. Wayne

        

Family Feuds: How to Respond

by Tim Lane

Christmas is coming and that means family get-togethers. But these celebrations are not always a picture postcard of family bliss. For some, these gatherings are dreaded and avoided when possible. Why is that? Why is it so hard to get along with the people you grew up with? Is there any hope that old, hurtful patterns can be changed? In this booklet, Tim Lane writes about these challenges and how through your relationship with Christ you can learn how to love your family and reach out to them in concrete and practical ways.

Do you dread family get-togethers and vacations? Do you often regret the way you talk and act around your family? Do you avoid your family? Maybe some of these words sound familiar to you:

“I’m a grown woman, but I act like a child around my family and bicker with everyone.”
“I know it shouldn’t bother me, but my parents always favor my brother over me.”
“My parents still tell me what to do, even though I’m 40 years old!”
“My sister isn’t speaking to me, but she’s sure talking about me.”
“My childhood was so hurtful that I can’t imagine having a relationship with my parents now.”
“My family is out of control. Their behavior is so destructive that I don’t want my children to be around them.”

 If you have a hard time relating to your family, you have plenty of company. Many people have a difficult time dealing with the family they grew up in. Why is it so hard to get along with your family? Deep hurts from your childhood, unrealistic expectations, and old patterns resurfacing are just some of the reasons you might find yourself feuding with your family. Is it possible to love in the midst of these challenges?  Yes, with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Change begins with taking an honest look at your family and yourself, hearing what God has to say about your struggles, and then trusting Jesus to help you love in a difficult situation.

Every Family Is Flawed

What were your parents like as you grew up? Warm? Gentle? Encouraging? Distant? Passive? Abusive? What kind of family did you grow up in? Safe? Secure? Nurturing? Violent? Broken? Evil? There are as many different kinds of families as there are different people.
But one thing is true of every family—each one is flawed. None of us grew up with perfect parents or perfect siblings, and none of us were perfect children. Your parents and siblings sinned against you, and you sinned against them. This truth is not meant to excuse or minimize the evil and abuse that happens in some families; instead, it’s a reminder that we all need God to be at work in our family relationships. He is the only one who can redeem family relationships broken by sin and give you the grace to respond to your parents and siblings with wisdom and love.

Flawed Families Need God’s Grace

Read almost any Bible story and you will realize that God is very familiar with flawed family dynamics. King David, one of the greatest heroes in the Bible, was also the father of a dysfunctional family. His son, Absalom, conspired to murder him and take over as king, and David had to fight for his life against his own son. Despite his son’s treachery, David wanted to protect Absalom, and when he was killed, he suffered deeply.
But human sin is no match for God’s grace, and God still used David and his family in his kingdom. The psalms David wrote as he suffered have been used by God to bring comfort to his people for centuries. And from David’s family came Jesus Christ, the savior of the whole world and the only one who can help us love our families. Your family, just like David’s family, needs God’s grace. Only God can bring redemption to flawed people and families.

Your Family of Origin Does Not Determine Your Identity

Not only are family sins redeemed by God’s grace, so is our family background. We often assume that those who grow up in a “good” family will turn out “good,” and those who grow up in a “bad” family will turn out “bad.” It’s true that we are shaped by our family of origin, and we can see their mark on us in good and bad ways. But your identity and future is not determined by your family of origin. Many people who grew up in good families where there was lots of encouragement and nurture have turned out quite differently from their families. And, many people who grew up in horrific families have turned out to be kind, humble servants who are blessing to those around them.
Often when we have a bad experience (like growing up in an abusive family), we let that experience define us and become our identity. But when you come to Jesus in faith he gives you his life and a whole new identity as a child of God. Of course you are still shaped by your experience, but you are not defined by it. Your identity is no longer determined by your family of origin, but by who you are in Christ. As you depend on God for your identity, he will make it possible for you to change the way you relate to your family.

God’s Call to Love Includes Your Family

If you have grown up in a very difficult family where parents and siblings have actively sought to harm you and where harmful behavior was the norm, don’t despair. God is not shocked, he knows all about dysfunctional families and the hurt and sorrow you feel. He is not distant, silent, or passive. He wants to redeem your troubled family relationships, and he is calling you to be a part of that redemption by loving your family. Jesus calls you to love your neighbor as yourself and that includes those who are acting like your enemies (see Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 10:25-37).
How does Jesus help you love those who are so close to you and often so hurtful? He starts by saying some surprising things about how we are to relate to our families. Listen to these startling words:

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:25–27)

You might be thinking, How can this passage help me love my family? It seems like Jesus is encouraging me to hate my family! But Jesus isn’t saying that you are to actively hate your parents. Telling you to hate your family would contradict other parts of the Bible where Jesus calls us to love our enemies. It also would be a violation of the fifth commandment that calls us to honor our parents and provide for our families (see 1 Timothy 5:8). So what does he mean?¹
We get some help by comparing this passage to what Jesus says on the same subject in Matthew:

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39)

Notice that Jesus is using comparative language (more than) to contrast our love for him to our love for family. He is not saying we should hate our families. Instead he is saying something quite radical—you can’t be his disciple unless you treasure him above everything else. Our love for him must far surpass our love for anything or anyone else including family. Our devotion to him should be so unique that all other loves look like hatred by comparison.
We all grew up in families where parents and siblings sinned against us and disappointed us. When our need for their approval is more important to us than our love for God, it’s easy to hold grudges, get angry, and become bitter when we are mistreated. But when God is first in our hearts, we can put their failures and sins into the bigger context of our primary relationship with God. Then we won’t be eaten up by bitterness and disappointment. C.S. Lewis puts it this way:

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. Insofar as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.”²

Do you see what happens when you love God more than anything? You are free to really love the people in your life. You won’t think less of your family; you will think more of them. Because their love and acceptance is not your ultimate goal, you won’t be enslaved by your expectations for them and the disappointments that inevitably follow.
Jesus is calling you to turn from love of self to love for him. Think about how Jesus has loved you—he lived the perfect life you should have lived, and he died the death you deserved. When you wake up every morning and interact personally with the One who has done all this for you, your family’s slights and insults won’t plague you in the same way.
This won’t be automatic or easy. Jesus said that each of us must take up our cross every day (see Luke 9:23). You must daily die to your self-centeredness by finding your identity in what Jesus has done for you in his life, death, and resurrection. As you do this every day, you will turn from making anything else in creation more important to you than the God who has rescued you from your self-centeredness. Growing as a disciple is gradual in the same way that the crucifixion was slow and agonizing. As we die to self and embrace our new identity in Christ, God is slowly and patiently bringing us to the end of ourselves so that he might fill us with the life of Christ.

Changed by the Cross of Christ

Being defined by Christ’s grace and love and who you are in him will gradually free you to love your family well. You will grow in your ability to let go of your expectations for your family. Humility will replace the demanding cry in your heart to have your family treat you in a certain way. Humility will replace self-righteousness as you notice that you also are a sinner who has let others down. The temptation to look down on your parents and siblings will lessen, and your superiority complex will be replaced with a willingness to see your own sins and faults. You will no longer be controlled by the pressure of living up to your parents’ or family’s expectations because your identity and foundation for living is found in Christ, not your family.

Practical Strategies for Change

Let’s talk more specifically about how Christ’s forgiving and enabling grace will help you love your family. What does loving your family look like when you are in the middle of a feud? How does the grace of Christ change us and what does that change look like?

Respond with Grace to Your Family

Living with a conscious understanding of who you are in Christ can practically impact the way you love your family. Think of it this way: if you are very poor and someone steals a dollar from you, you’d be very angry and you’d try to make that person give you your dollar back. But if you are a multi-millionaire and someone takes $100 or even $1000 dollars from you, the offense, though real, doesn’t sting like it would if you were very poor. In the same way, when you become a Christian you are a spiritual multi-millionaire a millions times over!
Because of what Jesus did for you through his life, death, and resurrection, God has poured an unlimited amount of grace, forgiveness, love, commitment, security, and commitment into your life. Your spiritual wealth puts all of the slights, unmet expectations, and hurts of parents and siblings in a totally new light. It doesn’t mean you ignore or don’t feel the hurts, but they pale in comparison to what you have been given in Christ. Because of who you are in Christ, you don’t have to be overwhelmed and dominated by the sins and failures of your family. Instead you will be free to share with them the same grace and mercy God has given to you.
If you grew up in a very abusive family, you will need wisdom to know how to go about sharing God’s grace with your family. If you have concerns about your physical safety, you can still offer grace to your family, but in that case, moving toward them might mean simply forgiving them for what they have done and praying for God’s grace to abound in their lives.
If your physical safety is not an issue, but your parents and siblings still are manipulative and controlling, you should still try to move towards them. But be wise in how you initiate communication. Please get advice and counsel from wise brothers and sisters in Christ to help you decide how to best love your family. Above all, be patient and consistent; know that your efforts to love others are never in vain. God will honor and bless your efforts.

Take Responsibility for Your Sins, Not Your Family’s

Often in a family feud it’s difficult to know which sins you should take responsibility for. This is especially true in an abusive family because the victims often blame themselves for the abuse. Be careful that you don’t feel guilty for the abuse, but that you do own your response to the abuser. Is it possible you are so busy carrying the burden of your abuser’s sin that you can’t see your own? Do you struggle with self-righteousness, bitterness, anger, and paralyzing fear? Ask God to help you stop carrying the burden of your abuser’s sins against you, and then ask him to show you where you need to repent. Rely on the wisdom of other Christians. Ask a wise friend or pastor to help you decide where you may need to seek forgiveness for attitudes and actions that are sinful. You also need guidance and encouragement from others to help you deal in a godly way with the wrongs committed against you.

Become an Instrument of Grace

As Jesus builds in you a new identity that is dependent on him, not your family, you will see the Holy Spirit do amazing things through you. You will be able to forsake bitterness and disappointment, and replace them with acts of love and kindness that are simple and tangible. Perhaps God is calling you to do some of the things on the list below:

1. Pray for your family. Start by praying regularly for your family and for your relationship with them. Pray that the same grace that changed you will fill their lives. As you pray faithfully for them, you will find that God will make you the conduit of God’s grace to them by helping you move toward them in new and surprising ways.
2. Open up lines of communication. Call home; write letters; remember birthdays and anniversaries. If abuse has been an issue, ask a wise friend to help you decide how to protect yourself as you reach out in love.
3. Ask for forgiveness. Every human relationship involves two sinners, so that means you probably need to ask at least one family member for forgiveness. Have you been antagonistic? Easily angered? Self-righteousness? Go to the family member you have wronged and asked for forgiveness.
4. Don’t take sides and be drawn into new family feuds. Resist the temptation to go back to old patterns and ways of relating. Let your family know you have no interest in taking sides and gossiping about other family members. Instead let your words and actions demonstrate to them that you care for them and want your relationship with them to be close, but free of family politics. You may also want to tell them that you are praying for each of them.
5. Don’t take on the role of advising your parents on how to parent your siblings. It’s tempting to take on the role of telling your parents how to parent other siblings, especially when your parents make unwise decisions or show favoritism towards your brother or sister. Remember that God has given you clear responsibilities in your relationship with your parents; you are to pray for and honor them (see Deuteronomy 5:16). But you’re not responsible for making parenting decisions for them. When you know that God is working even in very messy family relationships and teaching you in the process, it helps you to be responsible, but not controlling. There may be times when it will be appropriate and loving to offer some helpful suggestions, but be careful not to do this in an overbearing and self-righteous way.
6. Be creative in how you spend your time together. Don’t just settle for a relational détente when you are in one another’s homes. Plan to do activities together where you are required to work together, plan together, and talk constructively. Can you visit places of interest together? Can you cooperate together on a project? How about working together around the house or in the garden? Be active, not passive, when you are together.

Make Wise Choices for Your Children

Your children’s relationship with your parents and siblings requires the same kind of wisdom you need. But because they are younger and more vulnerable, it’s your job to make wise choices for them. If you are concerned for their well-being when they are around your parents, you must be their protector and advocate. If there has been a history of abuse, you should be with your children whenever they see your family.
After you make sure they are safe, you can use the situation to help them learn to love difficult people. They will face many other difficult people throughout their lives, and now is an excellent time to teach them how to love others the way Christ loves them. If you are still struggling with exactly how your children should relate to your family then ask a trusted friend or counselor to help you make a plan that will protect your children and also teach them the value of loving others through difficulty.

Persevere in Love

The Bible says that one of the key marks of growth in grace is persevering in doing the right things even when you are not being rewarded. So even if your family is not responding to your attempts to love them, you need to keep on trying to love them well.
How you handle your family’s lack of response will show you whether you are moving towards them out of genuine love or out of self-centeredness. In Ephesians 4:1–3, we are called to exhibit character qualities like humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearing love. Patience and forbearing love means you are willing to be humble and gentle for a really long time!
The sincerity of your love is tested in situations where the other person is not changing in the way you would like or as quickly as you would like. The two questions you need to ask in these situations are: “God, what do you want to do in me?” And, “What is God seeking to do in me through this difficulty?” Even if your relationship with your family is never healed, God is still up to something. He wants you to depend on him with your whole heart, and he wants to make you more like himself. As you persevere in loving your family you are allowing God to do this work in you.
Loving your family in these ways will mean dying to self-centeredness and growing in Christ-centeredness. As you pray and ask the Spirit of God to change you, old barriers you have erected between you and your family will come down. This will encourage your family members to take down the barriers they have put up.
As your love for God grows, your movement towards your parents and siblings will be wise. Instead of looking for their validation or approval you will love them the sacrificially, the way Christ has loved you. You will be able to move toward them because God, in Christ, has moved towards you and his love has been poured into your heart (see Romans 5:4). God’s love will flow from you into your relationship with your family. You can depend on the unfailing love of God to change you and your family.

Submitted by Beth Miramonti

Thanksgiving Service

There will be a Thanksgiving communion service with soup lunch (chili, turkey noodle, vegetable beef, and salad, too) following on Wednesday, November 27 at noon in the Family Life Center.  EVERYONE is invited to attend.

Gracias Senor

I always feel so much better after attending church at Troy United Methodist Church.  For me, the sermon inspires me, the music gives me the goosebumps, and the people make me smile.  Today was no different.

Pastor Dennis' sermon was entitled, Gracias Senor, and the scripture reference was Philippians 4:4-9:

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Pastor Dennis was retelling about our church's work with another Hispanic church community in Southern Illinois (I cannot recall the name of the small town now, but do remember Pastor Dennis said this town came in second in the State basketball finals in '64).  While Pastor Dennis' college Spanish was rusty, he could make out the repetition of "Gracias Senor" which translates "Thank you, Lord" throughout devotions and prayers in this Hispanic community.  Thank you, Lord.  What greater gift to ourselves than to remember to repeatedly offer thanks to our Lord.

In fact, Pastor Dennis offered seven suggestions of further implementing this kind of thanksgiving into our lives:

1)  Have a morning gratitude session ever day.

2)  When facing the inevitable challenging day, compose a gratitude list.

3)  Instead of being angry with a person, show gratitude for this person.  Consider whether this person in question has done anything positive in the past, and focus on those acts.

4)  Show gratitude for your spouse versus criticizing him/her.

5)  Show gratitude for your kiddos versus criticizing them or their actions.

6)  When facing major challenges, be grateful for them.

7)  Look at what you have and be grateful versus focusing on what you do not have.
  
The hub and I immediately did just this by offering thanks to one another on our walk down the hall to pick up our kiddos from Sunday school.  Their joy after attending Sunday school filled me with gratitude.  Gracias Senor;  thank you, Lord.

By Courtney Winkler

Aunt Bet's Sage Dressing

Since my one attempt at homemade dressing was nothing but gooey, I have been a Stove Top kind of dressing girl.  Talking with my Aunt Bet, though, my mouth began to salivate at the mention of her Sage Dressing, so I begged for the recipe.

I USE WHITE BREAD AND TEAR IT UP THE NIGHT BEFORE AND LET DRY.

 

USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT AS TO HOW MUCH YOU WANT.  FOR US I USE A 1/2 LOAF PLUS 2 SLICES.

 

PUT BREAD IN BOWL.

 

1 EGG

1 SMALL ONION

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

SAGE I LIKE QUITE A LOT IN MINE, BUT YOU CAN PUT IN WHAT YOU LIKE.

 

IF YOU DON'T HAVE TURKEY OR CHICKEN BROTH, I USE EITHER BEEF OR CHICKEN BROTH CANNED.

 

MIX ALL WELL BEFORE YOU ADD BROTH THEN POUR ALL IN BAKING DISH AND GO FOR IT.

 

SURE HOPE THIS HELPS YOU.

 

LOVE,

AUNT BET

 

Submitted by Courtney Winkler

Why Do I Feel That It's My Fault When My Child Messes Up?

Why Do I Feel That It's My Fault When My Child Messes Up?

Submitted by Julie Ford, "Here's another post from Lysa TerKeurst as a reminder to us mommas."

Seek and You Shall Find

With minimal grading to do, I had no excuse not to walk for an hour today determined to hit the 10,000 step mark on my FitBit.  So, after dropping the girls at school, cashing checks at the bank, and purchasing fun patches at the Girl Scout office, I headed to SIUE Gardens, one of my favorite places to walk.  Not only is there a paved path, but there is also a trail hidden in the woods in which one may walk.  I plugged my headphones into my cellphone, hit "play" on Pandora, and set the timer for sixty minutes.  At roughly the twenty minute mark, the little girl's room was calling.  So, I visited the facility adjacent to the trail and then resumed my steps. 

With a mere three minutes left on the countdown, I headed back to the car.  Seated in the driver's seat, I adjusted myself so as to read my FitBit readout when, much to my surprise, it was missing from the waist of my stretch pants.  Ugh!  Thanks to woman blessing, Sherri Volz, I connected my steps to Walgreens balance rewards, and my thought was, I will never be able to earn points.  A tad frantic, I retraced my steps beginning with the path.  Passing an older gentleman, I stopped and asked if he had seen a lime green FitBit.  He told me, "My eyesight is shot," so I thanked him for his help and kept walking.  Over the river and through the woods I went to no avail all the while thinking, "My hub is not going to dig my losing yet another electrical device."  Two cellphones met the electronic graveyard due to my leaving them on top of my car and then driving away.  In fact, the hub found one in the form of roadkill at the entrance to our subdivision.  So, losing this FitBit after only three weeks was not going to fair well.  In a final attempt at recovery, I revisited the restroom near the parking lot.  On the floor beneath the sink lay the object in question.  Eureka, Baby!  Of course, forty minutes of the sixty I had walked did not register since the FitBit had disengaged from by body.  Bummah!  All of that walking had been for naught. . . or had it?  I felt better, and even though I could not prove my steps, I knew they had been taken.

Driving home with a smirk on my face, I thought of a favorite song, Seek and You Shall Find, I used to sing while in my parochial school choir.  As a tween, I would belt out the words to this song as if I could sing on key.  Miss Bowden would have us sing this song year after year in rounds.  Perhaps, there was a method to her orchestrations, one I have held in my heart all of these years.

Matthew 7:7 
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

By Courtney Winkler

Could I Be the Worst Mom Ever?

Could I Be the Worst Mom Ever?

Submitted by Julie Ford

God Is Not in the Coincidence Business

God Is Not in the Coincidence Business

Submitted by Deb Ellis

Raise the Praise

When:  Friday and Saturday, November 15 and 16 at 7:00 p.m.;  Sunday, November 17 at the 10:30 a.m. worship

Where:  Troy United Methodist Church in the Family Life Center

This concert is FREE!  Doors open at 6 p.m. each night.  A free will offering will be requested to benefit Beverly Farm Foundation in Godfrey, IL, a non-profit organization and home to nearly 400 residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

ALL welcome!

Living Simply

John 10:7-10

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

In the event you missed church this past Sunday at Troy United Methodist Church, Pastor Dennis Price delivered a sermon entitled "Simple:  Life."  The overall theme as I understood it was the need to simplify our lives and make Jesus our number one priority.  One of the examples Pastor Dennis used to demonstrate his point was, "What did you do with that extra hour last week?"  Did you use that extra hour to fit in three more items on a to-do list?  Did you use the hour to sleep?  Did you use the hour to replenish yourself by reading the Bible or praying?

Today being Veteran's Day, my two girls were off of school.  Although sleeping in was on my to-do list, it was not on theirs.  Instead of running errands or taking in an activity outside the home, we decided to simplify our lives today.  Opting to stay in our pajamas for the duration, a leisurely (not necessarily healthful) breakfast of homemade Nutella waffles started our day.  My oldest daughter had written a thank-you letter to a Veteran for a school assignment, so we folded said letter after the breakfast plates were cleared and addressed it to her Great Grandpa O., a radio operator on a B-17 during World War II.  In the meantime, my youngest daughter dug in our craft box and found a soap making kit given to us by our thirteen-year-old neighbor.  We proceeded to create soap (for the first time) and then wrapped it in order to gift it to the same thirteeen-year-old neighbor.  Even I managed to walk a mile with Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home video;  yes, I should have walked the 5 Really Big Miles  as the subtitle suggests, but, hey, one is better than nothing.  After a stint in the kitchen making cake balls out of bundt cake which failed to fully release from the pan, the three of us snuggled in and watched a movie. 

While the hub was downstairs directing the girls in clean-up duties, I took an Epsom salt tub (suggested long ago by woman blessing Jessica Dudley via Faithful Fitness Friends) by candlelight and prayed for some women blessing friends.  

After I finish this post, I plan to load the dishes before the hub and I catch up on a missed episode of Homeland. Then, I am off to bed with a novel I have been meaning to finish for a few weeks now.  Although my family and I spent the day living simply, I feel as if this kind of simplicity allowed me to appreciate the richness of my life.

By Courtney Winkler 

Metro East American Heritage Girls . . . Join Us!

American Heritage Girls is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. The organization offers badge programs, service projects, girl leadership opportunities, and outdoor experiences to its members. It serves as a catalyst for building young women of integrity and faith. It also broadens girls' social development through extra-curricular activities. This program of character building has successfully served thousands of girls since its inception and will continue to do so long into the 21st century.

For the past year, a group of hardworking moms and excited daughters have been meeting as an informal AHG group to see if there were any interest outside of our families for an organization of this kind. Troy United Methodist was so kind to allow us to meet monthly at church where we had over 60 girls attend our first gathering! The interest is definitely out there for families to have a Christ centered service-oriented organization for our daughters. We have had the privilege to serve homemade dinner that the girls prepared to those in need at a homeless shelter in Granite City, packed and sent out over 100 shoeboxes stuffed with goodies for Operation Christmas Child, had a great time camping this past summer, participated in a walk for unborn babies with Mosaic Crisis Pregnancy Center, walked in the Veterans Day parade and much more!

We are so proud to announce that after months of paperwork and hours of meetings Metro East American Heritage Girls troop IL2911 is now formally established! Troy United Methodist Church has agreed to be our charter organization, and we are very excited to see where God takes this partnership! I had the honor of naming the troop IL2911 after my favorite bible verse Jeremiah 29:11 which reads:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

It is our prayer that AHG troop IL2911 becomes a place where our daughters can investigate their relationship with Jesus Christ, where they can discover God’s will for their lives and where they can develop the heart, hands and feet of the gospel all while building relationships with each other and our community.

We would love for your daughters, granddaughters, neighbors or any other girls God might bring to your heart to come and experience this fantastic group of young ladies for themselves. Our membership is enrolling now from Kindergarten through 12^th grade! We would love for you to become part of the Metro East AHG IL2911 family!

Please contact Aimee Folmer at 618-659-3400 or Heather Budwell at 314-363-6011 for more information. Like us on Facebook at Metro East American Heritage Girls (IL)

By Heather Budwell

Living Proof Live

October 25-26, 2013, I attended the Beth Moore Living Proof Live conference in Springfield, IL, with my mom, aunt, and sister-in-law.

 

I love the way Beth Moore teaches.  She always is able to simplify scripture in ways that give me new insight I had never had before.  This weekend was no different.  The theme for this conference was "A Reach Beyond the Breach," the life of John Mark.  She talked about how John Mark and Barnabas were cousins, which I didn't realize, and that he went on Paul's first missionary journey, but then left for no explainable reason.  

 

Beth Moore refers to him as "Quitter Boy" for the rest of the weekend.  Later on, Paul and Barnabas argue about whether or not to let John Mark come with them again.   A breach has been made between Paul and Barnabas because of John Mark.  A few years later though, something has happened (that we are never made aware of)  that has repaired John Mark's relationship with Paul, and when Paul is writing while under house arrest, John Mark is listed as his coworker.  Paul is later martyred, and in Peter's letters he mentions John Mark as son.  John Mark would go on to write the Gospel of Mark.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main points that Beth Moore highlighted over the course of the weekend were:

1.  We can't keep riding on the coat tail of somebody else's faith. 

2.  We don't always thrive in the spot where we're so special.    (We don't realize how special we are to Jesus because we're so busy trying to be so special to people.)

3.  We will all fail, but the question becomes  "will we fail well"?

4.  To have a comeback we actually have to come back.

5.  Integrity refuses to enlist loyalty on the side of it's offense.   (Where loyalty reflects lovelessness, it is never noble.)

6.  Pressing in with Christ, our relational pattern can completely change.

7.  Those around us are reading the gospel according to us.   (What are they reading?  Hope or hopelessness?  Negativity or uplifting?

 

 

 

A few things that stuck out to me as I was listening and taking notes:

-We need to help mend the breach between people, not help widen it.  When we hear others talking negatively about others, we need to stop it and not add to it.  Especially within the body of believers in Christ, we are to  be united. 

-Peter and Mark got along so well because they were both former failures.  God used them both to do incredible things, but if they both would have just given up, God may not have used them the way He did.  The question is WHAT DO YOU LET JESUS DO WITH YOU NOW?

I feel like God had me go to this conference to hear two things.  One, I need to stop widening the breach between me and my husband.  When I want to nitpick, nag, or say something unkind, I need to stop it and concentrate on speech and behavior that will close the breach.

Also, Beth Moore talked about the people that were home praying for Peter's release from prison, that when Peter came to the door they didn't believe it and said it had to be an angel.  How often am I like that?  Feeling like my prayers will never be answered?  The second thing I needed to hear was that I need to stop acting like the people that were praying for Peter that really didn't believe their prayers could be answered.  I need to pray for things and expect God to answer because He is ABLE. 

2 Timothy 3: 1-9  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, trecharous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God---having a form of godliness but denying its power.  HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM!    (This is scripture I highlighted in my notes which almost gives me chills because you see how all of these things are true in our current society.)

By Lisa Powell

Door Prayers

"Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place."

2 Chronicles 6:39-41

"Ask and it will given to you;  seek and you will find;  knock and the door will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:6-8

"And on the two olive-wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold."

1 Kings 6:31-33

 

Have you ever done what I call “door prayers?” They can be done in any building or in your home. However, I often feel called to pray at the doors at church. I have found that it usually takes me about an hour, and I personally like going early before church services start on Sunday mornings. You can pray throughout the whole building or split it up over several visits and do a wing of the church at a time.

Here’s what I like to do.

Stop at any door, and pray for the person who uses that room, or the ministries offered through it. So, when I stop at our administrative assistant, Sharie’s door, I will lay my hands upon the door frame, and pray something simple “Dear Lord, bless Sharie and the work she does in our church. We are blessed to have her as she attends to all the needs of our staff and our congregation.”

Then, I may move on to Pastor Dennis’ door. I will lay my hands upon the door frame and say “Dear Lord, bless Dennis as he is the shepherd to our church. Keep him strong in the faith of the Lord. Protect him and his family as they remain faithful to our God and our Savior.”

When I move to a custodial closet, I might say “Dear Lord, thank you for the great custodians we have, who work many late hours keeping our church clean and prepared for all the events we hold. We bless and praise you that they are employed by our church.”

As I go to our daycare office, a prayer could be “Dearest Lord, how blessed we are that you said ‘Let the children come to me.’ Bless their families and help us all raise the children in our church to love and trust you.”

Stop by the kitchen and pray “Lord, you made the fishes and loaves of bread feed thousands. We bless those who cook here. Thank you for the nourishment not only of our souls, but also of our bodies. Bless our Wednesday night dinners, our celebration of lives, our fund raisers that start here with food.”

You get the idea. I have done this many times and find that it moves me so greatly that I find myself crying in love for all the Lord has given us. 

By Carol Pigg 

Ladies Christmas Brunch: "Gifts of the Heart"

When:  Saturday, December 7th from 10-noon

Special Guest Speaker: Mary Ann Turner, Journey Team Leader

The Journey ministry at Christ Church exists to connect women to Jesus Christ. We provide opportunities for women to go deeper in relationship with Jesus Christ and with others, to grow stronger in faith for a lifetime, and to reach out to our church, our community and beyond.  

Tickets will go on sale Sunday, November 10.  
Price is $13 ($10 if purchased by Dec. 1).

Girl Rising

I’m trying to bring a screening of the powerful movie Girl Rising to the Showplace 12 in Edwardsville, IL.  Girl Rising spotlights the stories of nine girls from around the world who face – and overcome – unbelievable obstacles on the path toward getting an education. Around the world, millions of girls face barriers to education that boys do not. When you educate a girl you can break cycles of poverty in just one generation. I believe this movie will be a great experience for you and your children, especially your daughters. It will definitely be a great topic for Thanksgiving week. This movie is available in limited release. The screening is possible thru a new option called ‘crowd-source’. Please consider attending this screening on Tuesday November 26^th. We need to rally 80 advance tickets, prior to November 11^th, to bring this movie to Edwardsville, IL. Your credit card will not be charged until this event tilts. If you haven’t seen Girl Rising, take a minute to watch the trailer and be inspired. 

When:  Tuesday, November 26th (Tuesday before Thanksgiving)
Where:  Showplace 12- Edwardsville
Time:  7:30 p.m.
Cost:  $10/person 

Reserve your ticket today: https://gathr.us/screening/6336

We need 80 tickets purchased by 11/1/13 to confirm the viewing will take place!

Girl Rising

Contact Glynda Lavelle for more information 618-977-5651 

Submitted by Deb Ellis

Pecans Are Here!

UMW pecans are on sale.  Now is the time to stock up for Christmas baking.  One pound bags of mammoth halves or medium pieces are $10/bag.  

To order, call Diane Jones at 288-7254.