The Spiritual Benefits and Costs of Keeping Secrets |
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It's no secret that I skipped church last Sunday! See below for details of what happened early Sunday morning that changed the course of my day so dramatically! And thank you so much to everyone who chipped in to make the day run smoothly!
This coming Sunday I plan to continue the subject of secrecy and
openness. There are times for each. Even Jesus instructed people not to tell certain things. Sometimes they obeyed, other times they didn't. Secrets have power. Letting them be known also has tremendous power. What are you keeping secret? How could the Lord use it if you let it became known?
SUCCESSFUL Calendar Planning Meeting
#1 Well, well, well! We had a GREAT brainstorming session. Elise captured a ton of ideas. There was really good energy for sustaining many of the activities that we are used to, and also fresh energy for new ways to serve. People who are taking initiative will help communicate as things progress, and Elise and I will also do what we can to keep up the momentum. Thank you
to these people who participated last Sunday! Darleen R, Gail B, Kelly W, Steve and Betsy G, Frank R, Lex W, Michael B, Elise and yours truly.
Thinking of you all with love and respect, Nathan
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In the ER last Sunday morning |
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Yes, that's me getting my left wrist x-rayed after the ER doc "reduced" the fractured radius into position and fixed it in a splint. Early that fateful morning on my way to the church, riding my bicycle down my driveway, I fell when my front tire stopped suddenly in a patch of sand and I lost control. Fortunately, I
could walk my crooked wrist back to the house so my sleepy wife could drive me to the emergency room. At 6 a.m., I got very good treatment and was out by 9 a.m. But Elise drove straight home insisting, “I'm not taking you to church today!”
Fortunately, from the emergency room, she had called Michael Brown who willingly said he would conduct the service that morning in my absence. (Frank Rose, by the way, was out of town on a family vacation.) In a brilliant flash of insight, Michael invited
our guitar accompanist, Pablo, to introduce each song with some thoughts about the lyrics. Then Michael read the lessons from the Word that I had chosen for the day, and talked about what they meant to him. From everything I heard, the service went very smoothly.
And I am very grateful!
After the service, the Arizona Mountain Camp luncheon team did another great job providing a delicious repast for everyone who stayed, and there
was also another planning meeting of the upcoming fundraiser Gala in February.
Meanwhile, I was on the phone from home giving instructions to various people about arrangements for the memorial service which was to be held at 4 p.m. I was meant to co-facilitate it, but that was not going to happen. Nevertheless, people needed instructions about chairs and tables that needed to be set up and rearranged in Friendship Hall. Additional chairs needed to be set up in the chapel, and the audio/visual
equipment needed to be prepared. There was a flurry of activity by a number of volunteers before and after the memorial service to ensure that everything went according to plans.
Did I say I am grateful? You bet! What a blessing it is to have such willing hearts and hands in our community.
Thank you to everyone who stepped up to participate in making the day's activities run smoothly in spite of the
interruption.
Monday morning, I went to the orthopedic surgeon who evaluated my wrist. He said the ER doc did a good job on Sunday morning and he hopes I will not need surgery. Time will tell, and I'll go back for another eval next Monday. In the meantime, I'm nursing that arm, and cannot use it even for typing. Thank goodness for modern voice recognition software! It's not perfect but it helps
a lot.
Thank you to everyone for you concern and love. I will be conducting the service this Sunday, with healing in my bones!
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Fundraising Gala Friday February 8, 2019 |
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We've booked La Mariposa (at a discounted rate) for a dinner + dancing + auction fundraising event! Momentum is building for our first big fundraising event in a while.
Thank you to Gail B for taking initiative to get us rolling. She has already received donations to cover the $500 deposit as well as the first of many other donations of goods and services for the auction! In addition, we already have an out-of-town sponsor who is gifting $2,000 towards the
success of the event!
I am excited about the possibilities for this event, not just in terms of the fundraising, but the community-building that results from people working together toward a common goal.
Mark your calendar, and set aside Friday night February 8th, 2019 for a fun night of socializing over dinner, music, dancing, and fundraising for a good cause. The idea is to provide a fun, social evening, including a meal, entertainment, and an auction of goods and services that a broad audience will bid on. This kind of event is not only fun, but it can also
be morale-boosting as we work together on a common project. It can also be an opportunity to welcome friends and others who appreciate Sunrise Chapel.
It will take collaboration and lots of planning to pull it off. The plan is to do a lot of preparation in the next couple of months since people get really busy in November and December; then pick up momentum again in January. Put a big star on Friday February 8, 2019. Consider it a big "date night" or some special event with family and friends. It's gonna be great!
~Nathan
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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL
11 am Worship with Pastor Nathan - "Keeping Secrets - part
2" 12 noon LUNCHEON
MONDAY 8/6/2018 11 am Tai Chi Basics 6:30 pm Bereavement Support Group (in the small room of the
Chapel) WEDNESDAY 8/8/2018 9:30 Worship Team meeting 11 am Tai Chi Yang 24 Friendship Hall
7 pm Women's Group: Contact Elise Gladish for details 11 am Worship with Pastor Nathan 12 noon LUNCHEON
Who will study the
Bible with me? |
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As I think about planning the calendar of church activities for the coming year (our "church year" started July 1), I plan to offer more opportunities for group Bible study. There are many ways of doing this, and what we settle on will depend on the interests of the
group (or groups).
I have already gotten replies from some folks who are interested. Let me know if you are curious about studying the Bible in a group and what times of the week and day you prefer.
~Nathan
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Sunrise Chapel Needs Summertime Donations |
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Please consider Sunrise Chapel in your charitable giving this month. Your dedication and support throughout the year is
invaluable. However, with folks going and coming on vacations, summertime is typically a time of lower attendance at church activities, which is often reflected in decreased donations. Have you considered setting up a regular, automatic donation to the Chapel's general operating
budget?
The PayPal button here as an option for one-time or monthly donation. If you write a check, make it to Sunrise Chapel.
Thank you from our Treasurer, Bill Smith |
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Readings for
this Sunday's church service |
Samson Keeps the Source of His Strength Secret
Judges 16:4-9
Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven
hundred shekels of silver.”
So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. With men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he
snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
Jesus Commands Secrecy
Mark 7:31-37
Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place
his hand on him.
After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done
everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Ultimately, Nothing Is Secret Secrets of Heaven 1931 In the Word, even though Jehovah knows already, it is common for Jehovah to question someone and for people to make replies to Him. He knows not only what took place but also the
causes and the ends, thus every least intimate detail. But since a person is not aware of this and believes that nobody else can possibly know what he does in secret, and still less what he thinks, that which takes place therefore does so in accordance with his belief. But the truth of the matter is that even quite common and ordinary spirits perceive a person's thoughts better than the person does himself. Angelic spirits perceive the more interior
aspects of his thoughts, and angels those that are more interior still, that is to say, the causes and the ends in view about which the person himself knows but little. This I have been given to know from much and continuing experience lasting for many years. Since spirits and angels perceive those things, what then must the perception be of the Lord or Jehovah, who is Infinite, and who enables all others to perceive? |
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Your church home for cultivating spiritual growth in order to experience heavenly joy www.sunrisechapel.org
nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245
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