Resurrection Hope

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. ~Colossians 2:7 (NLT)

We have just completed a four week study on some of the resurrection encounters that are recorded in Scrip-ture. This was concluded with our Easter Sunday message on the reinstatement of Peter in John 21. It was an amazing day of celebration. We had 96 in attendance and the children had an opportunity to pick up colored

eggs in the church yard and exchange them for bags of candy. God’s Spirit was with us in a powerful way.

I have been thinking a lot about the impact that resurrection has on my faith and I wanted to share with you something encouraging that has happened to Joanne and I this spring. It all started back in 1989 when Joanne and I got married and rented our first house in Fort Wayne. It was a small house on Paulding Avenue and I noticed that there was a flower bed in the yard that was overgrown with weeds. I began to pull out the weeds and I discovered that it had once been a strawberry patch. There were just a couple of strawberry plants that had survived and I began to nurture them back to health. They quickly began to spread by sending out runners that became new plants and within two years the patch was full and healthy. Within another two years I looked forward to a June harvest of huge red ripe strawberries. We have moved many times in our soon to be 30 years of marriage and it became a tradition that every time we moved we would move a few strawberry plants with us and start our patch all over again at our new house. These plants moved with us to Illinois and even to Michigan. Well, in 2017, when we moved back to Indiana we continued this tradition and planted the starter plants at our home in North Manchester. It has been a rocky restart for our strawberry patch. I planted them next to the house but they quickly started to die due to the dirt along the house not retaining enough moisture. I sensed that the plants were not going to make it and I moved them into the back yard. I then discovered that where I had planted them had been sprayed with a heavy dose of grass killer. The plants died off one at a time until only one remained. I dug them up again and removed a pile of soil from the infected area and replaced it with good soil that I got from my landlord. I replanted the last remaining plant last fall and hoped that it would survive the winter. The green sprout died during the first heavy cold spell that we had and I knew that the end

of our 29 year strawberry patch was near. It was out of my control.

When we had our winter thaw I started to go out regularly to my garden area and check to see if I was going to see a resurrection. I was faithful to do this for many weeks. Imagine my joy when finally a small green shoot came out of the ground and my strawberry patch once again had hope. Joanne and I are so thankful for the new start that we have in our garden. The joy that we get and the encouragement that we feel has strengthened our ministry. Our God is the God of resurrection. Nothing is impossible with Him and we are learning not to get discouraged when we cannot see what He is doing. May God encourage you today. May

your faith be rooted in Christ and may joy flood through your soul.

In Christ, Pastor Ken

2019

Missionary Messenger North Manchester Missionary Church

806 State Road 114 East North Manchester, IN 46962

Phone: 260 982-6012 manchestermissionary@gmail.com

www.nmmc1.com

Our next prayer meeting is Tuesday, May 14 at 7PM. Please note the change from Wednesday to Tuesday. We will be meeting the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Please pray that the change will make it easier for more to attend. We want to be a church

that prays and believes that God will hear and answer. There is power in the name of Jesus! Come and join us as we pray in Jesus name.

I thought the following on praying aloud was helpful and

wanted to share it.

Dianne Fox, Prayer coordinator

5 Good Reasons to Pray Aloud (Even When You’re Alone)

Even when no one else is around, words spoken out loud to God are powerful.

By Bob Hostetler Posted in How to Pray, April 1, 2019

There’s nothing wrong with silent prayer. On the contrary, the Bible depicts Hannah being judged by others (a priest, no less) as she prayed silently—but her prayer was heard and answered by God (see 1 Samuel 1). Still, there are some good reasons to pray aloud, even when no one but God is around to hear you.

1)Focus: Maybe, like me, you’ve nodded off while praying silently. Maybe (again like me) you even prefer to end your day by climbing into bed and praying until you fall asleep. But I don’t believe I’ve ever succumbed to sleep while praying aloud. Like David, who wrote, “I cry aloud to the Lord’ I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy” (Psalm142:1,NIV), I find that praying aloud focuses my mind and heart on what I’m saying, and my voice reinforces my thoughts while also preventing distraction.

2)Emphasis: Asaph urged God’s people to “Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!” (Psalm 81:1, NIV). Some thoughts and emotions are almost antithetical to silent prayer; they must be spoken, even shouted. Joy, rage, confession and confusion are expressed and emphasized best, I think, when the vocal chords and tongue join together with mind and heart in the act of prayer.

We are still having Bible Study through the month of May. Then we will take a break for the summer. The men are finishing up the book of Matthew. The ladies are studying the book of Genesis.

Men & Women’s Bible Studies

Tuesdays 7p

PRAYER

FOCUS

3) Memory: I remember some of the things I pray silently, but I recall far more of what I pray aloud. It’s simple math: thought + word = more memorable. And writing a prayer as I’m speaking it often adds more action to the equation, particularly when I’m praying for the needs of others. It’s easier to remember to pray for someone when I’ve already prayed aloud for that particular need.

4)Faith: I was once so overcome with disappointment and discouragement that I lay on the floor of my home office, face down, and prayed aloud for more than 30 minutes, “My help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (based on Psalm 124:8). I prayed these words aloud, over and over, sometimes softly and sometimes loudly, until I found myself believing them. Praying aloud—especially when combined with praying Scripture—can revive and increase the faith of the person who is praying.

5)Health: David sang, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” He said God’s hand was heavy on him, and “my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:3- 4, NIV). It’s not healthy to hold in our emotions, and sometimes silent prayer just doesn’t give full expression to the things we’re feeling. Praying aloud can relieve our burdens and release our emotions in healthy ways.

Why not try it? If you’re accustomed to praying silently, it may take some effort—but praying aloud even when you’re alone might also be just what your heart, mind and soul need. https://www.guideposts.org/faith-and-prayer/prayer-

stories/how-to-pray/5-good-reasons-to-pray-aloud-even

-when-youre-alone

May Connection

Musing:

Since Sue has been laid up this month with her broken hip, I was trying to figure out what to do to fill this space that she usually does. Pastor Ken is often en-couraging us to share

our story. Sue’s article last month talked about sharing our stories. Do you see a theme here? I felt like God was telling me to share my story. “God, You are pushing my comfort zone.” But that is a good thing as I want to keep growing. Now where do I start? God says, “Why not with

your comfort zones?” There have been many.

The most important nudge out of my comfort zone was when I made my faith my own. I grew up in a Christian home and was a good kid. When I was 9 we went to our church conference. The children’s class went through the book of Pilgrim’s Progress. When the teacher asked at the end of the week if anyone wanted to accept Christ, I was too scared to go up in front of the class. A couple days later I asked Christ to be my savior on my own. I didn’t go public with my faith though until I was 12 and

got baptized.

One thing you need to know is that I was not an upfront person. What if I made a mistake? Oh the fear of failure, it keeps us from doing so many things. I was a wall-flower. In high school I made myself try to say ‘hi’ to 3 people between classes. That was definitely pushing my comfort zone. God has been gently nudging me as I

learned to trust in Him.

Another major comfort zone nudge was when God put the desire in my heart to do some mission work. “Ok God, I will go, but only if someone goes with me or I know someone there.” . . . “Ok God, I will go even if I don’t know anyone, but at least send me where some-one knows some of the same people I do.” . . . “Ok God, I will go, even if it is by myself and I don’t know a single person there.” Eventually I ended up in Guatemala at an English missionary school and I didn’t know anybody. I went down as the bookkeeper and assistant librarian. Before I was done I was also the 7th grade math teacher, grade school music teacher, and high school typing teacher. Plus I had to give the devotion for 3 chapel services throughout the year. Talk about

pushing my comfort zone! God was faithful

OUTREACH EVENTS:

Timbercrest Birthday Celebration

May 9th

Daughters of the King Brunch May 11th, 10-11:30a

This is for all women. Anyone who is a daughter! We will have a short program and a craft activity to share in. Come join us as we get our "crown's" on. Invite family and friends to join us.

and I made it through and am so thankful I went. I learned a lot about being able to do things when you

have to do it even if you don’t feel qualified.

Before Guatemala when I was in Bible College, I was amazed at all the girls who wanted to be a pastor’s wife. Why would anyone want to do that? Pastor’s wives have to lead Bible studies, play the piano, teach Sunday school, etc. Basically be an upfront person which I was not. Doesn’t God have a sense of humor?! Thirty years ago this June I married the love of my life who just happened to be . . . a pastor! God has done many gentle (and maybe some not so gentle) nudgings during our ministry years from learning how to be comfortable praying out loud to being able to speak in front of people without having every single word

scripted out.

We all have a story. Maybe you can start to share yours by writing it down for the monthly newsletter. Think

about it.

Stretching our Comfort Zones together, Joanne

Join us for Craft Day on May

25th from 10a to 5p. It is a

time for you to do your own

thing and fellowship with

others at the same time.