Sharing With Steve
We are in the middle of The Story. We took a one Sunday break and will return on Sunday, June 5. We have just finished looking at the early years of the shepherd boy David and his transition into king of Israel. We will be looking at the mistakes that he made later in life and the severe consequences on him and his family. I have thought a lot about David these past couple of weeks as I have looked at sermon ideas and how best to convey his life. One thing stands out: he was a man after God’s own heart. What does this mean? I explored this idea this past Sunday and came up with five ideas. David had faith and determination as shown in his confrontation with Goliath. He was honest before God as demonstrated in many of the Psalms. He respected God and the choices God made. He would not kill Saul because he was the Lord’s anointed. He was thankful before the Lord as demonstrated in many of the Psalms. He had a passion for the Lord as demonstrated in his celebration of bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem.
Here is where it gets interesting. Later in life David will commit adultery then commit murder to cover up the adultery. One of his sons will rape a sister, and the sister’s brother will kill the son. David will allow Absalom to return but have nothing to do with him. Absalom will eventually rebel against his father and David will be forced to flee into the wilderness. The ensuing battle will cause the death of his son, Absalom. Another son will try to usurp the throne and David will take action and place Solomon on the throne. David’s later years will not be full of peace and harmony.
Yet, he is still considered a man after God’s own heart. When Paul is preaching to the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia in Acts 13 he mentions David in this way: Ac 13:22 :After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ ” Paul does not refer to David as an adulterer or a murderer or a poor father, even though he was definitely the first two and probably the last, also. Several things can be seen from this. When someone is truly sorry and repents, God forgives and forgets. After all that David did that hurt himself, his family, and friends, he is still considered a man after God’s own heart. It is great to know that we serve a God who forgives us and does not hold it over our heads. (Note: This does not take away the consequence of sin in our lives, but does restore us to a right relationship with God.) Another thing I can learn is that I do not have to live in fear and guilt. When I sin (and I do) God forgives and restores me. This does not give me the right to continue sinning. My desire is to please God. It does free me from living in guilt. There are times that I do not want to forgive myself. Knowing that God has already forgiven me should help me to forgive myself, repent, and stay on the straight and narrow. David was “a man after God’s own heart.” Let us strive to do the same.
Nathan’s Notes
Yesterday was a terrible day.
Most of the time, I would be able to tell you why.
Bad traffic, terrible news, bitten by a dog; something.
That was not the case yesterday. Instead, I had a great meeting, I got tasks done one after another, I talked with friends.
I did it all because it was on the schedule and I had to get it done, the entire time, stress was creeping up like a thief to steal my joy.
At the end of the day, I sat down, my to do list still in hand and I realized I had lived the whole day on my own power.
Sure, I talked about God.
I read his words.
I even thought about them, but never once did I invite Him into my day, into my projects, into my life.
If you are like me, you are busy. You have your checklists. God makes it on the list almost everyday.
He isn’t satisfied by making the checklist or the to do list.
God wants to determine what goes on the list in the first place.
He wants to be the entire list.
I know this doesn’t always seem doable, but I would encourage you to start small.
Start right where you are.
Take time.
Pray.
Invite Him into your day right now.
Set aside the to do list, the stress, the pressure.
Your time is precious, but God is worth it all, every single time.
May God bless your day and continually renew your joy.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL COMING IN AUGUST
Mark it on your calendar!
Invite your friends!
Come see The Most Spectacular Show On Earth!
VBS August 7th-11th 2016
6-8:30 p.m.
(For volunteer opportunities, see Nathan North)
Summer Camp is Around the Corner
If you are interested in having your child or grandchild attend a summer camp where God’s love is present and active, consider sending them to Lake James Christian Camp. Pamphlets are available in the lobby or you can talk to Nathan North.
Become a Prayer Warrior for CIY Attendees
We are excited for our High School students to attend CIY Move June 19th-23rd. Currently, we are looking for prayer partners who are willing to adopt a student to pray for. If you are interested in being a prayer warrior with us, talk to Nathan North.
Looking forward to July Church Picnic
Our Annual Church Picnic is scheduled for Sunday, July 17, following the church service at Civic Center Park in Auburn Hills. Keep an eye out in the church bulletin and next month’s Messenger for details.
Save the Date for the 3rd Annual Scrapbooking Crop Fundraiser Coming Up On Sept. 17
The 3rd Annual Scrapbooking Crop Fundraiser will be held on Saturday, September 17, 2016 in the fellowship hall. Proceeds will benefit the Teen Ministry at Meadowbrook. Besides telling your friends, family members and neighbors about it, you can start looking for items that could be donated for the raffle baskets. You can think of theme baskets and donate a whole basket of items, or give individual items that could be assembled into a basket. Look for large containers that could be used for the baskets themselves. These could be scrapbooking and craft items, food items, dishes, decorative items, personal care products, garden items, fall items, holiday items, etc. If you need more ideas, talk to crop coordinator, Cindy Gerstenlauer.
Still Time to Support Cycle the Campus
There is still time to support the Meadowbrook Team as they travel to Midland, MI, on Saturday, June 4, to ride in Cycle The Campus Fundraiser that benefits His House Christian Ministries. This is a very effective ministry working on the college and university campuses in Michigan. We currently have nine people who will be riding. There is a 50-mile ride, a 25-mile ride, and a 10-mile family friendly ride. If you want to donate please go to www.cyclethecampus.org and click on the Midland donation button. Click on Teams and then Meadowbrook. You can donate to the team or through an individual. All of the monies raised go to the work of His House. We always have a good time on this ride. Pray for nice weather and strong bodies as we represent Christ and Meadowbrook to the best of our abilities.
Mowing Season is Upon Us
Mowing season has officially arrived. Dandelions are already spreading their joy throughout nature. We sure do appreciate those who have volunteered to help with the mowing. The yard is looking very nice. The mowing teams for June are as follows: May 29 – Green Team, June 5 – Red Team, June 12 – Orange Team, June 19 – Blue Team, and June 26 – Green Team.
From the Pew
by Art Drake
WEAKNESS
“… So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 (NLT)
Last month we discussed being a soldier in God’s Army and being strong in Him. I intended to talk this month about donning God’s armor and fighting His battles, but I was moved to mention weakness before we talk of strength.
In my Christian walk, I made the mistake of many in trying to use self-discipline and my own strength to resist temptation’s and live the way God wanted me to. I soon learned that I was not strong enough to defeat the enemy on my own. Being a somewhat self-reliant person, it took some pruning from God for me to understand that He wanted me to depend on Him. He wanted me to learn there are things far beyond my capability to handle, but they were not beyond His capability. He wanted me to trust in Him, and Him alone.
Today, I pray not that I am strong, but that I can be strong through Him. Like Paul, I also boast of my weakness so the power of Christ can work in me.
The enemy is real. The battle is real. We need to don God’s armor and fight the good fight. We just need to remember it is not our own strength we seek, but God’s strength and guidance. By humbly submitting to His will and relying on His strength, we then have the power of the Holy Spirit on our side – a power that can’t be defeated.
Dan Bright – June 5
Pat Sipe – June 5
Jason & Debbie Stallings (Anniv.) – June 9
Jerry & Wanda Douma (Anniv.) – June 12
Ron & Ruth Lindhagen (Anniv.) – June 14
Matthew Zaremba – June 18
Jaysun & Traci Thomas (Anniv.) – June 18
Ron & Marian Murphy (Anniv.) – June 20
Sue Rose – June 20
Dick Tenniswood – June 22
Randy & Jerri Gilbert (Anniv.) – June 25
