Sharing With Steve
After the Easter break we have just returned to our sermon series, The Real God. This is an examination of God as we see Him and should see Him. We have just started the section on the sovereignty of God. This is our third section. We previously looked at God’s pursuit of us and God’s love. His sovereignty adds a new dimension. It is good to know that God will always pursue us, that He will never give up. We are conscious of His love and what it means to us. We bank on that both in our salvation and in His love for us daily. Sovereignty is a harder pill to swallow.
Accepting God’s love is usually an indication that He has given us something of value because He loves us. Sovereignty is accepting that God is the boss. We have a harder time doing that. Too many times we want to tell God what to do. We want to set the guidelines, and those guidelines often have more to do with our desires than what God wants us to do. I recently read an opinion piece in USA Today by a retired minister that we needed to rethink our position on acts that are considered wrong in the Bible, but acceptable by society today. He feels that the future of the church depends on this. The overriding rule must be the rule of love, and love means that these deeds are no longer wrong, but are now acceptable and appreciated because of God’s love. That is telling God what to do. If I can tell God what to do He is no longer sovereign; we have become the bosses. Man has been questioning God’s sovereignty since the Garden of Eden. In simple terms sin is putting self above God; it is self-worship. If we put ourselves above God then He is no longer sovereign.
This is not going to be an easy chapter. We can find so many ways to skirt around God’s sovereignty. Carefully read this chapter ( chapter 5 in the book). Prayerfully consider God’s rule in your life. Do we make excuses for our sins? Do we catch ourselves telling God what to do? Do we act, banking on His love and goodness, when we should be honoring His sovereignty? Pray that we can humble ourselves and serve the sovereign God.
Our next four week session started on April 28. We are in the chapter about the sovereignty of God. On May 5 we will have a sermon from the Old Testament and on May 12 there will be a sermon from the New Testament. Steve and Phyllis will be gone for two weeks for a memorial service for his aunt and then to visit their family in Oklahoma. The final sermon for this chapter will be on June 2. Please be reading Chapter 5 in The Real God to get prepared.
ADULT BIBLE STUDY
The last adult Bible study before the summer break will be Wednesday, May 8. We will be starting Mark chapter 4. We are having a good study on the life of Christ from Mark’s perspective. Even if you have missed a few studies plan now to join us. This is a great time to learn about Jesus and His life.
MEN’S BREAKFAST
The last men’s breakfast before the summer break will be Saturday, May 11, at 8:30am. We are having Tom Schwartzenberger’s made from scratch pancakes. We will eat, have a short study/discussion, and then close with prayer. We will finish the video on 7 questions that most men ask. There is a sign-up sheet in the foyer.
Ladies Luncheon
The Ladies Luncheon is scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2019. It will be held at the Rivercrest Banquet Center and starts at 11:30 A.M. Our guest speaker, Leslie Schonfeld, will share a special message titled SOAR: The Beauty Within. Cost: $23.00. Contact Cathy Podvin by May 5 at 248-884-3279 or cathypodvin28@gmail.com to confirm your attendance. Friends are also welcome.
SOAR: The Beauty Within
MENU
Chicken Picatta
Red Skin Potatoes
Green Beans Almandine
Chef Salad
Assorted Dessert Pastries
Beverages
This month’s Missions focus is on Kerala Christian Mission, organized in 1978 for the restoration of New Testament Christianity in Kerala in the Southern part of India.
Rajan Ipe and his wife Reni have faithfully served in the Kerala region of India, where Hinduism is the prominent religion. KCM works to establish churches to spread the good news of Jesus Christ throughout India. In addition to church planting, KCM supports hospitals, orphanages, senior-citizen homes, college campuses, and even ministries for the blind. In the fall of 2018, the Kerala region experienced devastating floods and KCM was able to offer relief to some of those who were affected. KCM acted as the hands and feet of Jesus, distributing food, water, and clothing, and moving on to help people clean up their houses, as in some cases the mud was up to four feet deep.
A door has opened for Rajan to visit the U.S. in October of this year. We will look forward to meeting with Rajan to hear firsthand about God’s work in India. We have been told that Indian government regulations prevent KCM from publishing detailed accounts of the work they are doing, so this time with Rajan should be refreshing and informative.
Baby Shower for Crossroads
Sisters in Service is holding a baby shower for Crossroads Care Center. During the month of May we welcome all donations of wipes, diapers (size 4, 5 & 6), new onesies (size 12, 18 & 24 months), and new boys clothing (size newborn, 12 & 18 months). Drop off your items into the Pack n’ Play in the foyer. Located in Auburn Hills, Crossroads is a non-profit, Christian organization dedicated to assisting abortion-vulnerable women and men involved in a crisis pregnancy, to choose life for their unborn children. Toward that end, they are committed to encouraging godly sexual attitudes and practices in our community.
The many services offered by Crossroads Care Center include:
Pregnancy Tests (Our tests offer the earliest detection of pregnancy available.)
Limited Ultrasounds
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Testing and Treatment
The Truth about Abortion
Material Assistance
Lay Counseling
Post-Abortion Counseling
Men’s Counseling
Premarital and Marriage Counseling
Childbirth and Infant Care Classes
Prenatal Health Care Information
Fetal Development Information
Adoption Referrals
Medical Referrals
Abstinence Education (Public and Private Schools; Churches)
5th Meadowbrook Scrapbooking Crop a Record Success!
Meadowbrook really shined for our 5th scrapbooking ‘crop’, held on April 13, 2019. There was a record total of 28 participants, 5 from the church and the rest from the community at large. We had 30 registered, which is our space limit, but two had to back out last minute. Some were repeat attenders and others were first-timers. We have gained a reputation for being friendly, having great food and service, and desirable raffle baskets. Several women told me this was their favorite crop, to make sure they were invited again, and could we have it more often? One first time attendee sent a thank you note and said she enjoyed her day so much, that she hoped to do it again. She asked me to thank all the ladies and youth for a job well done. Recipes are always requested. People also took advantage of the two vendors there, who also felt their time was well spent.
I am pleased to report that 100% of our eligible teens participated, one brought a friend, and several younger kids also helped. The women were so appreciative of the help to cart all their stuff in and out, and it made it easier for them to see who was benefiting from the fundraiser. The kids did a fantastic job of being service oriented, working hard, and their smiling faces helped sell more raffle tickets! We can be proud of our children. Thanks to the parents for getting them there and back. Steve Martin did a great job sharing what will be done with the money.
I am very appreciative of all the people who donated baskets and items for the raffle, assembled the raffle baskets to make them attractive, made food for the event, donated their time to help serve, clean up, set up and take down. It is a lot of work, but the participants appreciated it and had a good time, while supporting a worthwhile cause. Together we raised a record $1,666 towards participation in future events that we hope will have lasting effects for our youth.
Check out some of the photo’s below from the event:
LAWNMOWERS NEEDED
Spring is in the air, and it is not too early to begin planning to help with the lawn mowing at Meadowbrook Christian Church. We need men and women to volunteer to help our mowing teams. We need at least four teams of three to four people each. Four teams will mean that you only will mow once a month during the cutting months. If you can help or need more information please see Dan Bright. Thank you in advance for helping out this way and keeping our church in great shape.
Wanda Douma – May 9
Kiersten Zaremba – May 13
Randy Gilbert – May 13
Joe & Mimi Romaella (Ann.) – May 14
Mike Gerstenlauer – May 18
Jerry Douma – May 21
Tom & Andrea Schwartzenberger (Ann.) – May 25
Gene & Nancy Paul (Ann.) – May 28
Steve Martin – May 30