Children of God,
The Pistol Shrimp came home from a very long week in the middle of June. They traveled all the way to Pennsylvania to play baseball. Not only did they have a rough week playing baseball, but from what our two players said, travel was hard also. They were sort of down. Then I showed them the picture of Pete Jacobson wearing his Pistol Shrimp T-shirt will receiving chemo. I asked them to look at the t-shirt he was wearing. I also told them a little bit of the history of his cancer. I wanted them to realize how important their team was to this community. It is so much more than baseball and wins and losses. It is about what they bring to the community. I’m not sure if they got it, but sometime in their life, they will.
The Evangelism committee has firmed up some plans for this summer. It is a little early but you may want to mark your calendars. On July 15th, we are hosting the Pistol Shrimp for lunch at 2:00 p.m. If you are a fan or your children are fans, you may want to join us for this event. This is the third year we are offering this. Every year we are reminded that young men can really eat. It’s just another way our church reaches out to the community.
We are also having a potluck dinner on Saturday, July 19th. We will only be having one service during this weekend. Our goal is to bring the Sunday church crowd to the Saturday church crowd. On August 24th we will be doing the same but in reverse. There will be no Saturday service that weekend.
The garden continues to grow. Squash will be ready soon. Herbs are ready. Tomatoes and peppers still need some time. Please, feel free to pick the produce yourself. Our garden people are working really hard watering and weeding, etc. I would like to reduce some of the burden on them. If you can pick the items you would like, that will help a great deal. Also, please remind friends and neighbors about the garden. It is a community garden. Spread the word.
We are at 8 minutes of silence during our prayer time for those who are participating. Honestly, I like the increased time versus 1 or 2 minutes. I feel I can rest in God’s presence with the increase of time.
We started our 4-week discipleship class on the discipline of prayer last Sunday (June 22). You do NOT have to take the 8-week session in order to participate in this class. It will be roughly an hour long. I hope you all consider participating. Even if you missed the first one, we would love to have you attend the rest of the sessions. Remember, it is right after worship service.
I will be on vacation starting July 1st through July 6th. Thank you to Paul Baker ahead of time for filling in for me during this time. I will be asking Paul Baker and Dave Kromphardt if they would handle any pastoral duties in my place during this time. If needed, you can call them directly or call Eloide.
Wow, it has been hot. Not a big fan. Of course, you will hear me complain about not being a big fan of the cold either. Part of our family is involved in a computer program called Letter Loop. You can create questions for the whole group to answer. For instance, one of the questions my daughter came up with is, what fictional character do you feel you are mostly like. My wife Patty said Miona’s grandmother for obvious reasons. Another question was what season do you like the most. The majority of my family picked fall. I happen to agree with this. I don’t mind wearing a long sleeve shirt or a sweater (Letter Loop is a neat way to stay in touch with your family. I would recommend it.).
Even though the summer helps some to slow down, I want to make sure you know that your church hasn’t. There are still many things going on to increase your faith. The Women’s Bible Study is still happening. Did you know they had to add another table because the group is growing. We are studying the prayer discipline 4-weeks during the summer. Some are adding silence to their prayer routine. You can come to church. We would love to have you present. If you are away for the weekend, find a church in the area or hop on line to view our services. Maybe summer is a time to relax for some. Don’t let your faith suffer. All of us need to continue growing in Christ. So very thankful that God doesn’t take time off.
Crossed marked and spirit sealed,
Pastor Tom
815-223-1144
Readings for the third Weekend after Pentecost– June 28 and June 29
1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 Psalm 16 Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Luke 9:51-62
Reading the Bible in a Year- Monday, June 23 to Sunday June 29
Day Jeremiah Psalms Proverbs 1 Timothy
Monday Ch 46-Ch 47 119:73-80 Ch 6:3-21
2 Timothy
Tuesday Ch 48-Ch 49:6 119:81-88 Ch 1
Wednesday Ch 49:7-Ch 50:10 25:21-28 Ch 2
Thursday Ch 50:11-Ch 51:14 119:89-96 Ch 3
Friday Ch 51-64 119:97-104 Ch 4
Titus
Saturday Ch 52 119:105-117 Ch 1
Habakkuk
Sunday Ch 1-Ch 3:19 26:3-12 Ch 2