Issue #6 - October 2006

Minister's Message

Psalm 1: Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not whither. In all that they do, they prosper. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The book of Psalms goes a long way in helping us to grow spiritually. That is why so many people read it daily when they are seeking to have a stronger trust and deeper understanding of God. Psalm 1 tells us that there are basically two kinds of people.

The first are those that delight in the law of the Lord. They gladly abide in God's law ... they seek God day and night. They are like a tree planted by the water. A tree by the water will be more prosperous than one planted in the high mountains or away from the source of nourishment. More fruit will grow on a tree that is near water. We, too, need to plant ourselves near our source of nourishment. We need to plant ourselves near God so that we can be more productive. The second type of people are those that do not delight in the law of the Lord. They are like chaff (the leftover product of wheat that is not really usable or desirable). They are not helpful to the world. They are not rooted in the ground, and they will never be stable.

I must admit that I am somewhat disappointed that more people do not attend the Prayer Service and Bible Studies offered by the church ... not because I care about numbers, but because my calling in life is to help people grow closer to God. I wish that everyone would take every opportunity available to learn more about God and to worship God. I simply find it hard to understand why each person would not put a lot of effort into growing closer to God.

Most people only know of Benjamin Franklin as a good politician and inventor. However, he was also a man of great devotion to his Christian faith. At one point in his life he set out to study more about God and be more virtuous. He came up with a list of thirteen virtues that he believed defined the Christian life. For example, one virtue was to not eat more than was absolutely necessary for basic nourishment. Also, no unkind thoughts should ever enter the Christian mind. Franklin worked on each virtue one week at a time so that he could be the Christian that God wanted him to be. He even had daily charts to measure how many times he failed and what virtues he needed to work on more diligently. There is much inspiration to be gathered from Benjamin Franklin's devotion to his faith.

We can only be useful to this world, to God, and to ourselves when we delight in God's law, just as Franklin did. Just like the tree, when we plant ourselves near the water, we, too, become more productive. Being planted in the nourishing love and instruction of God will change who we are and how we treat the rest of the world. Not only will we benefit from this relationship with God, the rest of the world will benefit from our personal relationship with God.

~ Matthew

CWF ... Finding Our Calling

For four decades, the number of women entering the workplace grew at a blistering pace, fostering a powerful cultural and economic transformation of American society. At the peak in 2000, some 77% of women in the prime ages of 25 to 54 were working outside of the home. With jobs and careers, marriage and children in addition to all the other demands on everyone's time, is it naive to think that the CWF might be able to exist, even thrive, in today's world because we are following God's purpose?

Finding and following our calling can bring new clarity to the life of the Christian Women's Fellowship. Suddenly, we know which tasks to take on and which to turn down. We commit ourselves only to jobs, tasks and other pursuits that serve others and exhilarate us. You feel at one with God, yourself, your career, your family and your acts of charity. In short, if we have really found the CWF's calling, our individual lives will be filled with a meaningful balance.

So, how do we find our individual purpose and the CWF's calling? Here are five suggestions that can help us. 1. Listen for the "wow." Try remembering your own "wow" moments and find that common link between those moments. For some, the link may be talking in front of large groups of people. For you, it might be singing, writing, or riding a horse. Once you pinpoint this link, you're well on your way to discovering your true purpose and we're well on our way to discovering the CWF's calling. 2. Take risks. If meditating on your majestic moments makes you feel strongly that CWF is not living up to its potential, gather the courage to speak up. This doesn't mean we have to quit doing the things we do for our church. Instead, let's invest some time to investigate new directions, seek out others who have taken similar risks and get their advice. Do a trial run and see what happens. 3. Look for meaning. If switching directions is impossible for the CWF at this point, there are usually ways to make the CWF's role more meaningful to you. If your mission is important, then the CWF will benefit. For example, you might find satisfaction in bringing in flowers to other church members or in starting a church reading group or in setting up a holiday fund-raiser for underprivileged children. 4. Remind yourself. Whenever you feel overloaded, take a new look at your new purpose. Have you agreed to tasks that deviate from it? Conversely, when you feel CWF doesn't have a calling, is it because we aren't doing things with purpose? Or has your purpose simply changed? That can happen as the group ages. 5. Fill out a CWF survey to express your views and desires for our new direction. If you feel confused about what we should do, try praying or meditating for direction. The survey can be found on our church web site or call Patricia, 967-4884, for a copy.

~ Patricia

Thousands Rally Worldwide to Stop Genocide in Darfur

An estimated 30,000 people gathered in New York City's Central Park on Sept. 17 to focus attention on the worsening genocide in Sudan. The Save Darfur Coalition (SDC) supported rallies in more than 18 states that were attended by tens of thousands of people. Hundreds of thousands more attended at least 50 additional events in dozens of countries on six continents. The National Council of Churches USA is a founding member of the SDC.

The Janjaweed, a militia that the Sudanese government is suspected of supporting, has perpetrated genocide that has claimed at least 400,000 lives, displaced 2.5 million people and left nearly 4 million completely dependent on international humanitarian aid. During an address to the United Nations Aug. 19, President George W. Bush pledged that he would work to get U.N. peacekeepers deployed into Darfur and announced the appointment of Andrew Natsios as presidential special envoy for Sudan. SDC applauded Bush's announcement. For more information on SDC, visit: www.savedarfur.org.

Schedules

Acolytes

October: David and Abbie
November: Fairlyte and Shawn
December: No one as of now

Nursery

October Adult:
Steff Throckmorton 22nd & 29th
Need help - 1st, 8th, & 15th

October Youth:
Need help

November Adult:
Diane Keffer 5th & 12th
Need help - 19th & 26th

November Youth:
Jacob Keffer 5th & 12th
Need help - 19th & 26th

A Great Joke

Some church signs seen around:

Preach the Gospel at all times, use words if necessary.
This church is Prayer-Conditioned.
Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
God so loved the world that he did not send a committee.
Having trouble sleeping? We have sermons – come in and hear one!

~ Thanks to Nora Jane for sending some of these

Lectionary

October 1, 2006
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22; Psalm 124
James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50

October 8, 2006
Job 1:1; 2:1-10; Psalm 26 or Psalm 25
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16

October 15, 2006
Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15
Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31

October 22, 2006
Job 38:1-7 (34-41); Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45

October 29, 2006
Job 42:1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34:1-8 (19-22)
Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 10:46-52

Take a moment and read these scriptures each week!

Volunteer Opportunities

Upcoming Youth Activities

Worship

Sunday School every Sunday at 10 AM
Worship Service following at 11 AM
Prayer Service each Wednesday at noon

Every Wednesday we offer a Bible Study at 10:30 AM and 6:30 PM
Community Youth Night every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:15 PM

Louisa Christian Church
P.O. Box 1344
104 Elm Avenue
Louisa, VA 23093

www.louisachristianchurch.org

Rev. Burnette: 540-967-4884
Email

Rev. Ricks: 804-683-3537
Email

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