"Did you lock the door," I whispered when we crawled into bed. "No," my hubby responded.
Married a year, we had purchased our first house, a "semi detached," what I called a duplex in Ephrata, PA. A "fixer upper" from the poorly papered red, white, and blue room in which two of my good Illinois friends had the pleasure of staying, to the broken latch on the patio door, we were gradually making home improvements. On this particular day, after having lived here for a few weeks, Cliff had fixed the patio door lock and for the first time, we were able to secure it. Now we were in bed having slept in this house for a month without being able to bolt the door, and this was on my mind. Hmmmm... did the lock create a feeling of security or insecurity? I had slept fine up to this point with an unlocked door. I got up, went down the stairs, and flipped the little latch to the right.
The other night we were talking and laughing as a family. The story came up recounting how Cliff was teaching an adult Sunday school class on the topic of security and trust, and he started pulling items in which we humans tend to put our assurance out of a backpack--insurance policies, padlocks, and the shocker for me, a handgun (not loaded of course!). This week we will be back in the benches at Ridgeview, and Brother Mick's message, "Who's the Boss?' will challenge us to consider where we place our security and confidence. To whom do we grant authority and power over our lives? The sermon text will be drawn from Romans 6:12-23, and other texts to consider are Psalm 89:1-4;15-18 and Matthew 10:40-42. Sure, there are practical measures we should take for safety, so let's get the discussion started and talk about this! I'm looking forward to Brother Mick's exegesis on this passage; I've not considered the words from this passage in this light.
In the Upper Room this week, if my calendar is correct, Nelson and Pat will be sharing their story at 9am. The corporate worship service begins at 10:15am :)
Last night was the final night of VBS in the park. Thanks so much for your help! Yep, it is a lot of work, and I'm glad for Zook's chicken pies to pop in the oven for supper, but what a wonderful time to interact with children and share about our God whose love extends to infinity and beyond! (No, we did not have a Buzz Lightyear theme)
My prayer for you today: Spirit of peace, quiet our hearts, heal our anxious thoughts, free us from our fretful ways. Breathe on us your holy calm so that in the stillness of your presence we may open ourselves to trust and be transformed.(HWB #729)
Help us, Lord, to understand that real security and control outside of you is merely an illusion. Come Kingdom of God. Be done, will of God, on earth as it is in heaven. In your name, Jesus. AMEN.
Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too!
love and light, carol
http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/
"Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe, because it does make a difference! Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend. " JD
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