I’m really excited about this coming Sunday’s message in our “Nutshell” series, and I hope you’ll be there. In fact, the remainder of our summer sermon series will really be worth our attention :
August 3 “Offerings in a Nutshell.” We’ll talk about why we give offerings (money and other offerings) to God. what does He want out of that, and why ?
August 10 “Preaching in a Nutshell.” I’d like to take the church on a journey to discover, or re-discover, why preaching is a part of the ministry of the church. Why do we do it, and what is meant to be accomplished by it ?
August 17 “Depression in a Nutshell.” See below.
August 24 “The Bible in a Nutshell.” Still working on this one. How to give a one-Sunday message on the entire Bible ? I’m looking forward to the challenge.
I will try my best to include time at the end of the service to answer questions you may have as the sermon rolls merrily along.
There are many exciting plans being made for fall ministry at Emmanuel ! Please pray that God’s Spirit will guide and bless our ministry efforts for His glory and for the good of many, many people. Ministry Team leaders, please don’t forget our “Staff Meeting” which will be held on Wednesday, August 13, a 6:00 pm at the church. Your presence at that meeting will be a key to a successful fall ministry season. Thank you !
Our theme this fall will be “Connections.” Hey, did you ever think that one of the ways you can promote connections with newcomers at Emmanuel is during the time we set aside to greet one another during the worship service on Sunday ? Try saying “hello” to someone you don’t know that well, … or introducing yourself to someone you don’t know at all ? That would really fire up the connections if we all tried that this Sunday. Thanks !
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One of the books that has been a blessing to me recently in my personal reading is Depression : Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness, by Edward Welch. The author describes depression accurately, I think, and has an interesting thought about how to walk through it :
Depression is a mind that frequently reverts back to a “disengaged state.”
Depression feels like a state of not-thinking.
It’s hard to work up any enthusiasm for anything.
All emotions and feelings have a language and message to tell us. The message of depression is usually not simple ; it is heavily encrypted. It may take some decoding before it is understandable, but it’s worth the effort.
Just knowing that the message may be able to be decoded is a hopeful thought and, I agree, that it is ultimately worth the effort. God knows all about depression. It appears more frequently in the Bible than you might think !
A song I’ve enjoyed listening to this summer (I don’t know who wrote it or originally sang it – I heard it on A Prairie Home Companion radio program) is “I Remember Lovin’ You.” Each verse speaks of things two people remember about their relationship with each other. Then, the chorus goes like this :
I remember lovin’ you,
Back when the world was new,
And I think you loved me too,
I remember lovin’ you.
I remember all these things,
But mostly I remember lovin’ you.
It’s fun to remember those days when the world was new. But it’s possible, too, to look forward to the day when, because the Lord Jesus will return and establish His reign, the world will be new again.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday !
Gospel of John class at 9:00.
Worship at 10:15.
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