Hello Emmanuel family and friends !
It’s exciting to see God meeting needs in our church family and among those we love in Hermann and beyond. So many of you are doing the very thing God calls us to do in Isaiah 40:31 —
Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength ;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
A favorite pastor and author of mine elaborates on these three or four promises God makes (from The Bumps Are What You Climb On, by Warren W. Wiersbe) :
1. First of all, God promises to help us fly. There are times in our lives when the only solution is to fly – to rise above the problems of life and soar over them. That doesn’t mean ignoring problems, but it means rising above them and getting a heavenly perspective. When God allows us to fly, the things on earth start to look smaller.
2. Second, God promises to help us run. There are times when we just have to keep running — crisis hours when we simply cannot quit. God enables us to run and not be weary. We just keep going with God’s supernatural aid.
3. But, the third promise is that God will help us walk. Sometimes it’s actually more difficult to walk through the day-to-day routine of life than it is to fly or to run. To walk slowly through each day – God promises help for that too.
But, how ? How does it happen ? What are the 1-2-3, a-b-c steps to strong flying, running, and walking ?
God says there are not three steps, but one condition : Wait on the Lord.
To wait on the Lord means we must spend regular time in His presence in worship and prayer. If we would remain quiet in His presence for some significant period of time, we would receive the wisdom and strength we need to keep going day after day. “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart ; wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).
Then, the word “renew” in Isaiah 40:31 means “exchange” : You will exchange your strength for His strength.
I hope that waiting on the Lord (regular quiet time of worship and prayer – every day and on Sunday with the church family) is becoming more and more a key element in your life. I know personally I’m never disappointed from having spent time with the Lord. The “exchange” truly does take place, even if it’s just the exchange I need for that particular day. God will help you, too, to fly, run, and walk !
What’s God doing at Emmanuel ?
Church Membership
The elders are pleased to announce to the church family that Jane Cantrell has met with the Elder Baord and completed the church membership process. Many of you already know Jane and Mike. They are a blessing to the church, and I hope you will continue to get to know them and serve alongside them in God’s work here.
Vibrant VBS
Thanks to everyone who served and prayed for Vacation Bible School last week ! It was awesome to observe the great organization and the impact God’s Word and love were having on a fantastic group of kids. We were able to minister to 85 children, ages 3-11, during the week. And God allowed us to build some friendships with parents too ! Thanks to Pastor Jeff, Keely, and many others who led and served !
Upcoming Sermons
This Sunday, July 27, we will take a one-week break from our “Nutshell” sermon series. My son-in-law, Jason Harms, will bring God’s Word to us with a sermon from Nehemiah 4 on the subject of “How to Combat Spiritual Opposition.” Jason, Emma, and Hudson will be visiting this weekend. Jason recently received his Masters of Divinity degree from Columbia International University with an emphasis in Bible Exposition. He has been serving as a pastoral intern at Riverside Community Church in Columbia, South Carolina, and is working toward his ministerial license with the Evangelical Free Church of America.
We will continue our “… in a Nutshell” series in August with the following topics :
August 3 Offerings in a Nutshell
August 10 Preaching in a Nutshell
August 17 Depression in a Nutshell
August 24 The Bible in a Nutshell
Staff Meeting
Our Staff Meeting has been postponed two weeks. The new date for this important gathering of Ministry Team leaders is Wednesday, August 13, at 6:00 pm at the church. We will put together the fall ministry calendar, so if you are a ministry leader at Emmanuel please plan to be part of the “team” and let’s see how God pieces together the puzzle of ministry for Emmanuel this fall. Our theme this coming fall is “Connections.” How can we build on the growing number of relationships God has given us in our Hermann community ? How can your ministry team help all of us at Emmanuel build more and stronger connections ?
Kick-Off Sunday
We will kick off our fall ministry season with a special worship service and carry-in dinner on Sunday, September 7. Wouldn’t it be great to have the whole “family” together, along with others, following a busy summer ? Time to regroup and recommit to what could be one of the most exciting seasons of ministry at Emmanuel ever.
Closing Thought
I love this quote from Peter Marshall who at one time was chaplain of the United States Senate. I thought it fit in with our sermon last Sunday on “Revelation in a Nutshell.” Sometimes it seems hard to be the overcomers described in the Book of Revelation during these trouble-filled days on the earth. Sometimes our efforts to reach the lost, to love other people, to make a difference in the world seem less than successful. The return of Jesus Christ is our great shining hope and reason for confidence as we move forward. Marshall said this :
It is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail.
What you and I are part of, through our attachment to Christ and the Church, will ultimately succeed ! God has already given His final word on that !
See you Sunday !
Gospel of John class for adults, 9 a.m.
Worship at 10:15 a.m.
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