The Fog of Fear: Panic Attacks, Anxiety and Being Overwhelmed
We have a God who is with us always. Who never abandons us as orphans, who walks through death-valleys with us, and whose strength is sufficient in weaknesses. Those are all promises. They are all true.
You can see it far off, looming on the horizon, a thick fog menacing off the coast and swirling in the distance. You know the signs. You’ve been here many times before, but you’ve learned to carry on. At first you kind of ignore it, you are aware it’s there, but you don’t want to work yourself up so you busy yourself with things in the hopes the winds will change and it is driven out to sea. But the winds rarely change.
In time it approaches, subtle and quiet, caressing its way—almost seducing—its way back into your life. Your ostrich-defense has not worked and you aren’t able to continue the charade of hiding. At first it’s manageable. “This isn’t so bad” you think, “I can handle this.” But before you know it the fog is all around you, the thick blur is everywhere and the familiar comforts are whited-out. In the fog sounds are distant echoes, faces are veiled shapes and the familiar becomes strange—but strange because this particular strange you know all too well. Feeling alienated, overwhelmed—unable to trust yourself, in the fog of anxiety you give up. You lose yourself in a kind of existential madness. You have a panic attack.
Nahum - The Minor Leagues
The Shortest book in the bible has a timeless message to us all.
We had a goof this weekend and the Camera was never started. So enjoy the same sermon from Mark Adrian at Messiah Lutheran in Tampa
Nahum 1
An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.
God's Wrath Against Nineveh
2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.
His way is in whirlwind and storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
he dries up all the rivers;
Bashan and Carmel wither;
the bloom of Lebanon withers.
5 The mountains quake before him;
the hills melt;
the earth heaves before him,
the world and all who dwell in it.
6 Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.
7 The Lord is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him.
8 But with an overflowing flood
he will make a complete end of the adversaries,[a]
and will pursue his enemies into darkness.
9 What do you plot against the Lord?
He will make a complete end;
trouble will not rise up a second time.
10 For they are like entangled thorns,
like drunkards as they drink;
they are consumed like stubble fully dried.
11 From you came one
who plotted evil against the Lord,
a worthless counselor.
12 Thus says the Lord,
“Though they are at full strength and many,
they will be cut down and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more.
13 And now I will break his yoke from off you
and will burst your bonds apart.”
14 The Lord has given commandment about you:
“No more shall your name be perpetuated;
from the house of your gods I will cut off
the carved image and the metal image.
I will make your grave, for you are vile.”
15 [b] Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him
who brings good news,
who publishes peace!
Keep your feasts, O Judah;
fulfill your vows,
for never again shall the worthless pass through you;
he is utterly cut off.
Romans 10
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
![[Sunday] Divisions - Together 1 Corinthians 1-4](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1757016029499-QYKYXUZGFPWS60G27RFV/Together+1a.jpg)
Email July 19th
The latest email
Listen to the Scriptures: Nahum!
Meet up Tomorrow (Thursday) 11am to listen to the scriptures.
Through the summer we will be reading through many of the Minor Prophets. On Thursdays at 11:00 am we will listen to the minor prophet for that week. If you are not able to join us, I encourage you to listen to it with your family.
Links can be found at
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/read/
Welcome, Baby Gunnrik!
Matthew, Annalee, and Baby Gunnrik will be honored at a small reception shower after service on Sunday, July 23.
If you're able to "shower" this sweet little one, born in May, we encourage you to write a blessing in a beloved children's book, either new or used (instead of a card). The family would also appreciate baby toiletries and boy clothes sizes 9 months and larger. Thanks for showing your support to our littlest Grace friend!
Family Meals
Grace is collecting food for Summer Family Meals.
Last Easter we were the number 1 donor church. Let's keep it up!
Just bring food to the church and put it in the bin.
This year they are asking for desserts (boxed mixes).
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/news/family-meals-summer-food-drive
Sarah's Kitchen at the Ballpark
- St. Lucie Mets game on Thursday, July 27 at 6:30 pm
- $7.00 general admission tickets with some proceeds going to support the Sarah's Kitchen mission
- Dollar night on various concessions
- Contact Sherry Evans (772 626 9425) for tickets.
Watch Last Week's Sermon
Obadiah and the Love of Manure
This tiny book shows how massive our love is for Manure but also how massive God's loving ways are towards us.
WATCH SERMON HERE
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/news/obadiah-the-minor-leagues
Watch all past sermons at
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/sermons/
GraceLutheranPSL.com/Read
GOD'S HUMILITY FOR YOU
By Martin Luther
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." -Philippians 2:5-11
Christ assumed the form of a servant, even while remaining God and having the form of God; he was God, and his divine words and works were spoken and wrought for our benefit. As a servant, he served us with these. He did not require us to serve him in compensation for them, as in the capacity of a Lord he had a just right to do. He sought not honor or profit thereby, but our benefit and salvation. It was a willing service and gratuitously performed, for the good of men. It was a service unspeakably great, because of the ineffable greatness of the minister and servant -- God eternal, whom all angels and creatures serve.
Read the rest at:
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/read
See you Sunday!
Family Meals Food Drive Spring 2017
Family Meals Food Drive!
This is the last week to bring in food!
Keep St Lucie beautiful Mets game!
Join us with the keep St Lucie beautiful crew at a fun Mets game
Dear Adopt-A-Street Groups,
Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful has volunteered to participate for the 10th Anniversary Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup event which will be held Saturday, July 29, 2017 from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM. We are inviting you to join our team.
Since 2007, they have removed more than 72 tons of trash in Martin, St. Lucie & Indian River Counties. This year the Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup will be cleaning up 125 miles of waterways in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties. The event is for all ages and all volunteers will receive an event T-shirt and those with watercrafts will receive a commemorative burgee to fly, which shows that they are part of the event. There will be an appreciation BBQ in August (date TBA) for all volunteers.
The team name is: Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful and our team will report to the C-24 Canal Park Boat Ramp in Port St. Lucie at the roundabout on Floresta and South Bend,500 SW Oakridge Drive.
Please feel free to check out Treasure Coast Waterway website for more information; http://www.tcwaterwaycleanup.com/
To register, please click this link and fill out the required information; http://www.tcwaterwaycleanup.com/register-here.html
For the day of the event, we ask that all volunteers follow the following safety rules:
►Always wear closed toed shoes.
►Please examine all litter for sharp edges before picking up.
►Please provide adult supervision for all minors
►Hats, sunscreen, bug repellent, gloves and water are strongly suggested.
We look forward to seeing you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful
Georgette Beck
Secretary
Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful
Public Works Department
121 S.W. Port St. Lucie Blvd.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34984-5099
Email: gbeck@cityofpsl.com
Phone: 772-873-6312
Fax: 772-871-5185
God's Humility For You
An Excellent Article by Martin Luther, Yes that Martin Luther.
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." -Philippians 2:5-11
Christ assumed the form of a servant, even while remaining God and having the form of God; he was God, and his divine words and works were spoken and wrought for our benefit. As a servant, he served us with these. He did not require us to serve him in compensation for them, as in the capacity of a Lord he had a just right to do. He sought not honor or profit thereby, but our benefit and salvation. It was a willing service and gratuitously performed, for the good of men. It was a service unspeakably great, because of the ineffable greatness of the minister and servant -- God eternal, whom all angels and creatures serve.
Obadiah - The Minor Leagues
The Shortest book in the bible has a timeless message to us all.
Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom:
We have heard a report from the Lord,
and a messenger has been sent among the nations:
“Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”
2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
you shall be utterly despised.[a]
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rock,[b]
in your lofty dwelling,
who say in your heart,
“Who will bring me down to the ground?”
4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle,
though your nest is set among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,
declares the Lord.
5 If thieves came to you,
if plunderers came by night—
how you have been destroyed!—
would they not steal only enough for themselves?
If grape gatherers came to you,
would they not leave gleanings?
6 How Esau has been pillaged,
his treasures sought out!
7 All your allies have driven you to your border;
those at peace with you have deceived you;
they have prevailed against you;
those who eat your bread[c] have set a trap beneath you—
you have[d] no understanding.
8 Will I not on that day, declares the Lord,
destroy the wise men out of Edom,
and understanding out of Mount Esau?
9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman,
so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.
For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
your deeds shall return on your own head.
16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain,
so all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow,
and shall be as though they had never been.
17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape,
and it shall be holy,
and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel
shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule Mount Esau,
and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.
Philippians 2
2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,[a] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,[b] 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,[c] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.What Happened This Week
![[Sunday] Body- Together 1 Corinthians 5-7](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5852f18a20099e30cd2c01dc/1757614641277-E3RL138857X8O6C1GA6P/Together+2a.jpg)
The Tragic End Of Appealing To Man's Righteousness
Abraham didn’t understand God very well (at least not early on). I don’t say that as a dig against the Patriarch. I don’t think any of us understand God very well either.
Abraham didn’t understand God very well (at least not early on). I don’t say that as a dig against the Patriarch. I don’t think any of us understand God very well either.
When Abraham discerns that God is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah he is bold enough to attempt to talk God out of it. To his credit, he seems to have genuine concern and compassion for the people who lived there. He does not want to see them destroyed. Of course, his nephew lives there, so that is an added motivation. But I don’t think we should assume that is the only source of Abraham’s concern.
I’m not so sure modern Evangelicals would plead with God for mercy toward a notoriously wicked group of people. Sadly, we’re more likely to start gathering the firewood for the roast. And we tend to be more like Jonah pulling up a lawn chair with a bowl of popcorn to watch those sinners get what they deserve.....................
Death To Self: Can You See It? GERHARD FORDE
perhaps you can turn away from yourself, maybe really for the first time, and look upon your neighbors. Maybe for the first time you can begin to receive creation as a gift, a sheer gift from God’s hands.
As we have heard, he who would save his life shall lose it, and he who loses his life for Jesus’ sake shall find it. But what does that really mean to die to self? Does it mean, perhaps, selling my car and going on foot or by bus? It might. We can’t rule out the possibility. Does it mean, perhaps, selling my good clothes and furniture so that my wife and I should sit around in rags on orange crates? It might. Certainly we can’t dismiss that possibility either. For the problem is that words like “dying to self” are translated into some kind of action, or something that actually happens -that is, some real change -they don’t have any real meaning. So we certainly must try, eventually, to translate them into the language of action.
But before we get too hasty and impatient there are some things at which we should take a hard look. The first is that we have a rather incurable tendency always to refuse to really listen to the words of God and instead to translate them immediately into something we are going to do, indeed, can do. This is what we always do with the law. We take it and translate it into a do-it-yourself kit for salvation. It is as though we think we are going to do God a big favor by living up to what is demanded of us and even, possibly, put him out of the salvation business by accomplishing all or at least some of it ourselves-even if that turns out to be just a teeny-weeny little bit. But when we do that we really come a-cropper when we come to this word about dying to self. For what can that possibly mean in a do-it-yourself religion? Here God has set a snare for us in our easy confidence that we are big enough to handle the job. ......
Micah - The Minor Leagues
Micah is asking us, ‘’Do you see God? Look, He is taking our hurts, pride, and sins and is turning them into tools for farming fruitfulness.
Micah 3
Rulers and Prophets Denounced
3 And I said:
Hear, you heads of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel!
Is it not for you to know justice?—
2 you who hate the good and love the evil,
who tear the skin from off my people[a]
and their flesh from off their bones,
3 who eat the flesh of my people,
and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces
and chop them up like meat in a pot,
like flesh in a cauldron.
4 Then they will cry to the Lord,
but he will not answer them;
he will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have made their deeds evil.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
who puts nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without divination.
The sun shall go down on the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
Micah 4
The Mountain of the Lord
4 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
2 and many nations shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,[a]
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore;
4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
5 For all the peoples walk
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.
The Lord Shall Rescue Zion
6 In that day, declares the Lord,
I will assemble the lame
and gather those who have been driven away
and those whom I have afflicted;
7 and the lame I will make the remnant,
and those who were cast off, a strong nation;
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
from this time forth and forevermore.
8 And you, O tower of the flock,
hill of the daughter of Zion,
to you shall it come,
the former dominion shall come,
kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem.
Micah 5
The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem
5 [a] Now muster your troops, O daughter[b] of troops;
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the judge of Israel
on the cheek.
2 [c] But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of theLord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace.
What Happened This Week
Email Blast 7-5-17
The Latest From Grace
Listen to the Scriptures: Micah!
Thursday 11AM
Through the summer we will be reading through many of the Minor Prophets. On Thursdays at 11:00 am we will listen to the minor prophet for that week. If you are not able to join us, I encourage you to listen to it with your family.
Links can be found at
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/read/
Family Bike Ride!
Saturday, July 8 at 8:30 am
At Grace Lutheran
Join us for a fun little family bike ride. We ride at your pace.
See you then.
Family Meals
Grace is collecting food for Summer Family Meals.
Last Easter we were the number 1 donor church. Let's keep it up!
Just bring food to the church and put it in the bin.
This year they are asking for desserts (boxed mixes).
. https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/news/family-meals-summer-food-drive
Sarah's Kitchen at the Ballpark
- St. Lucie Mets game on Thursday, July 27 at 6:30 pm
- $7.00 general admission tickets with some proceeds going to support the Sarah's Kitchen mission
- Dollar night on various concessions
- Contact Sherry Evans (772 626 9425) for tickets.
Welcome, Baby Gunnrik!
Matthew, Annalee, and Baby Gunnrik will be honored at a small reception shower after service on Sunday, July 23.
If you're able to "shower" this sweet little one, born in May, we encourage you to write a blessing in a beloved children's book, either new or used (instead of a card). The family would also appreciate baby toiletries and boy clothes sizes 9 months and larger. Thanks for showing your support to our littlest Grace friend!
Watch Last Week's Sermon
What do Fireworks and Amos have in common?
It's 4th of July, and we get to display our hollow respect for fireworks. Amos says in the same way our respect for God and the creation is hollow. But one is coming who will turn our hollowness to hallowness.
WATCH SERMON HERE
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/news/amos-the-minor-leagues
Watch all past sermons at
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/sermons/
GraceLutheranPSL.com/Read
OUR TAINTED ACTS OF GRACE
People have often tended, quite wrongly, to view me as saintly. I attribute that undeserved reputation to the fact I have always had a very strong sense of the kind of person I should be. I would describe my ideal persona as one who was conscientiously obedient and loving. I strove to be a person of strong moral character whose actions were always wrapped in love.
When my church-pillar parents’ marriage blew apart during my pre-teen years, and my father came out as gay and began a life with the young man, half his age, with whom he had been having an affair, I strove to let him know that I accepted them both and my love for him had not changed.
When my mother married the abusive man with whom she had begun an affair in response to my father’s affair, I was determined to maintain a loving relationship with her, despite his abuse toward both of us, even after she left me with friends and followed him thousands of miles away........
Read the rest at:
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/news/our-tainted-acts-of-grace
See you Sunday!
Amos - The Minor Leagues
Amos forces us to ask ourselves, “Has our worship become hollow?” His answer is “yes” if our lives have become unfruitful and only self serving.
Amos 2
Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals—
7 those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
a man and his father go in to the same girl,
so that my holy name is profaned;
8 they lay themselves down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
the wine of those who have been fined.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
whose height was like the height of the cedars
and who was as strong as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above
and his roots beneath.
10 Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
and led you forty years in the wilderness,
to possess the land of the Amorite.
Amos 5
Let Justice Roll Down
18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why would you have the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, and not light,
19 as if a man fled from a lion,
and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
and a serpent bit him.
20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves,27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
Acts 7
42 But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
“‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You took up the tent of Moloch
and the star of your god Rephan,
the images that you made to worship;
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
44 “Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. 45 Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.[a] 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’
51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
The Stoning of Stephen
54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together[b] at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Matthew 21
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.
20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
cleaning the temple
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
What Happened This Week
Our Tainted Acts Of Grace
we are free to stop pretending that our motives are pure. We are free to declare that we are simultaneously saints and sinners. We are free to confess all of the messiness of our hearts.
People have often tended, quite wrongly, to view me as saintly. I attribute that undeserved reputation to the fact I have always had a very strong sense of the kind of person I should be. I would describe my ideal persona as one who was conscientiously obedient and loving. I strove to be a person of strong moral character whose actions were always wrapped in love.
When my church-pillar parents’ marriage blew apart during my pre-teen years, and my father came out as gay and began a life with the young man, half his age, with whom he had been having an affair, I strove to let him know that I accepted them both and my love for him had not changed.
When my mother married the abusive man with whom she had begun an affair in response to my father’s affair, I was determined to maintain a loving relationship with her, despite his abuse toward both of us, even after she left me with friends and followed him thousands of miles away........
Email Blast 6-28-17
Biking, Reading, and Bible Studies Oh My!
Listen to the Scriptures.
Thursday 11AM
Through the summer we will be reading through many of the Minor Prophets. On Thursdays at 11am we will listen to the minor prophet for that week. If you are not able to join us, I encouge you to listen to it with your family.
Links can be found at
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/read/
Family Meals
Grace is collecting food for Summer Family Meals.
Last Easter we were the number 1 donor church. Lets keep it up!
Just bring food to the church and put it in the bin.
This year they are asking for desserts.
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/news/family-meals-summer-food-drive
Watch Last Weeks Sermon.
Wait eating Raisin Bread is a sin? Check out the wild story of Hosea and see how amazing God's love is for us.
Hosea was a prophet with a rough home life. God has put him in a situation where he has to constantly show forgiveness, even when it is difficult. God has put him there to show us His grace.
Watch all past sermons at
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/sermons/
GraceLutheranPSL.com/Read
ARE YOU WILLING TO BE SENT WHERE FEW CAN SEE YOU?
She was elderly and wore a lavender cardigan. She gripped my arm more firmly than I thought she could. She said she had something she wanted to tell me.
I had just preached a Pentecost Sunday sermon about how the Holy Spirit commissions us all as missionaries, or sent ones, to alert others to the universal reign of God wherever we might find ourselves.
I had preached that all vocations offer us the opportunity to mirror the work of God in the world, whether it’s to bring healing or justice, reconciliation or wholeness, whether to design and build, or to serve and love. And I threw in references to a few random vocations like stay-at-home parents and lawyers and nurses and union officials and artists and builders and teachers.
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/news/are-you-willing-to-be-sent-where-few-can-see-you
See you Sunday!
Family Meals' Summer Food Drive
Grace is collecting food for Summer Family Meals.
Last Easter we were the number 1 donor church. Lets keep it up!
Just bring food to the church and put it in the bin.
This year they are asking for desserts.
Family Meals' Summer Outreach 2017
We need lots of volunteers to help us deliver to over 1000 families! Our summer menu includes: a frozen chicken, fresh carrots, fresh potatoes, canned vegetables, bbq beans, rolls and boxed desserts. These meal bags will be delivered directly to families' homes. We do not require families to sign vouchers, wait in line or carry a food box. We ask them to enjoy a family meal in their homes, using their recipes. We always include table-talk questions to get the table conversation started.We also include mealtime prayers for the families to share.
Dogs and Cats Forever in Fort Pierce is donating pet food to families this year! The entire family will be fed. http://dogsandcatsforever.com/, 4600 Selvitz Rd, Fort Pierce, (772) 489-5454
As always, we need lots of help! Volunteer opprotunities are available on Friday, July 28 at 1:00pm setting up the room, counting potatoes, and unloading the food trucks. AND on Saturday, July 29 starting at 7:30 am. We need packers and lots of help in many ways! We deliver, sort and pack out of Trinity Lutheran Church in Fort Pierce. http://trinitychurch4u.com/
Volunteering as a driver takes a total of 3-5 hours of your time - about an hour during the week calling families to let them know their delivery time and about 3-4 hours on Saturday morning the 29th picking up and delivering to families. Please contact FamilyMealsDrivers@gmail.com ASAP to sign up as a driver.
Family Meals is a 100% volunteer, 501(c)3 local organizationfamilymealsinc.org, familymealsfl@gmail.com or call us 772-210-0900
If you can volunteer, please message us or email familymealsvolunteers@gmail.com
Are you willing to be sent where few can see you?
For thousands of years now missionaries have been willing to undertake thankless tasks in overlooked corners of the planet, serving unknown people for no material reward, often with little discernible effect.
She was elderly and wore a lavender cardigan. She gripped my arm more firmly than I thought she could. She said she had something she wanted to tell me.
I had just preached a Pentecost Sunday sermon about how the Holy Spirit commissions us all as missionaries, or sent ones, to alert others to the universal reign of God wherever we might find ourselves.
I had preached that all vocations offer us the opportunity to mirror the work of God in the world, whether it’s to bring healing or justice, reconciliation or wholeness, whether to design and build, or to serve and love. And I threw in references to a few random vocations like stay-at-home parents and lawyers and nurses and union officials and artists and builders and teachers.
Email Blast 6-23-17
Biking, Reading, and Bible Studies Oh My!
Global Hymn Sing this Sunday!
We will be joining millions of voices in churches across the globe will rise up in worship together. This year believers will sing For the Cause written by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend, a song focused on taking the gospel to all nations. Please familiarize yourself with the song by going to
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/news/for-the-cause-global-hymn-sing
Listen to the Scriptures.
Through the summer we will be reading through many of the Minor Prophets. On Thursdays at 11am we will listen to the minor prophet for that week. If you are not able to join us, I encouge you to listen to it with your family.
Links can be found at
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/read/
Miss a sunday?
Every Week we video the sermon.
Watch past sermons at
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/sermons/
Good Article about Being the Church
Adventure Is Good. But Planting Roots Is Essential
“To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul. It is one of the hardest to define. A human being has roots by virtue of his real, active and natural participation in the life of a community which preserves in living shape certain particular treasures of the past and certain particular expectations for the future.” – Simone Weil
Simone Weil, 20th century philosopher and writer, penned these words in the midst of a global war, yet poignant and true they remain today. In our globalizing, urbanizing world, roots to a place can be seen as unwanted tethers. Still, without ties to a community that preserves the “treasures of the past and certain particular expectations for the future,” in what are we rooted?
https://www.gracelutheranpsl.com/news/adventure-is-good-but-planting-roots-is-essential
See you Sunday!
Hosea - The Minor Leagues
Hosea was a prophet with a rough home life. God has put him in a situation where he has to constantly show forgiveness, even when it is difficult. God has put him there to show us His grace.
Slides From the Sermon
What Happened This Week!
Instead of treating the body as a means for selfish gain, Paul's message points to a greater purpose where our bodies are made into a holy dwelling for God himself.