Maybe Miracles

September 2016

1 Peter 3:4-5

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A Turning Point Women's Publication

Within

here's this interesting passage in Jeremiah 21 where the people declare, "Maybe God will do miracles for us." The people are, of course, at that moment in need of some miracles, some acts that only God can perform. What's interesting about this is the way the people conceptualize the relationship between themselves, their God, and His miracles. To the people who make this declaration, there is no question that this is their God. They do not doubt that they are His people. These are what we'd call in mathematics, "givens" - they are what they are, and they are not going to change. The miracles, then, are the variable. Maybe God will do miracles for us. Inherent in such a maybe is just its opposite - maybe He won't. Whether or not there are miracles does not change the nature of either of the givens. Whether or not there are miracles, this is still our God, and we are still His people. Fast-forward a couple of thousand years, and the equation is much different. There are no longer any givens, no longer any values that don't change. There may be a God. We may be His people. There may be miracles. Who knows? But that's not our most tragic math. No, we take it a step further and turn what was once a set of givens with just one variable into... ...a conditional statement. If He does miracles for us, then He must be our God and we must be His people. Of course, we might read this any number of ways. If He is our God, then maybe He will do miracles for us; if He does said miracles, then we are His people. Or If we are His people, then maybe He will do miracles for us; if He does miracles, then He is our God. Or maybe we take out the maybe altogether: If He is our God, then we are His people and He must do miracles for us. All of a sudden, faith is an SAT question. And I don't know about you, but that significantly lowers my probability of getting it right. We are His people. Our existence depends entirely upon Him. We are His creation. He formed us with His very hands. There is nothing we can do to change this, nothing we can say that makes this less than true. There is no explanation for our being other than that God has given us this very life. And so, like any work of the artist's hands, we are His. Given. God is our God. We are His people. This much is true. On these facts alone, our faith is secure. And maybe....there will be miracles. That would be cool, too.

I am sure you have often heard it said that "God never gives you more than you can handle," maybe you have said it yourself. Well, actually I don't believe that is true. I believe God allows us to experience "more than we can handle" so we will give it to Him. If we could always handle everything thrown our way, would we ever feel like we needed God? I remember feeling so helpless the first time I was diagnosed with cancer. I could get the best doctors, take the best medicine, pray my best prayers, but ultimately I could not do anything about this thing attacking my body. I needed God and I knew it. It was a great time of growth and learning to trust God that I would have never experienced if I could have "handled" it on my own. So, yes, I believe that God does give us "more than we can handle" and I am glad He does.

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Cross

My Hear

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September 12

(Monday)

Dinner

@ Arni's

7 p.m.

September 16

(Thursday)

Christian Craft Club

@ Turning Point

6:30 p.m.

COMING SOON!

Be sure to mark your

calendars for our

annual Women's

Retreat:

October 28‐29

We will have interactive

classes where you will

be busy, a scavenger

hunt, free time for

shopping, dining or

crafts, lots of discussion

and laughter. A chance

to spend time with God

and your fellow sisters

in Christ. You won't

want to miss it.

Sign up in the lobby!

SeptemberSocial

The Promises of GodRomans 4:21

We live in a world that constantly lets us down. Friends say they will, until they decide that they won't. Or they forgot. Or something more fun came up. Or it rained. Or it was too hot. Or a thousand other reasons why nobody can seem to do what they said they were going to. We're guilty of this ourselves. How often have we promised something that we have failed to deliver?

Thankfully, we have a God who is not like us. We have a God who is not only able, but faithful, to deliver on all of His promises. He promised to the Hebrews an Exodus, and He parted the Red Sea. He promised to David a kingship, and He delivered him out of the hands of Saul. He promised to Israel a savior, and indwelt fully His Son, who fulfilled hundreds of other promises God had made about Him. And He makes promises to us, too. He promises to be there, to be here. And He's here. He promises to comfort us in our grief, and He does. He promises to forgive us of our sins, and we are forgiven. He promises to teach us and guide us in His ways, and indeed, here is the path before us. He promises us amazing grace and eternal life, and both of these are true. We have a God who delivers on all of His promises, who doesn't let us down, who doesn't forget or get better offers, who isn't turned away by rain or heat or a thousand things or even one thing.

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When we think of someone who is gentle, we often think of someone who is

soft. But they are not quite the same things. We think of someone who is quiet,

but that's not it, either. When we think of someone who is gentle, we think of

someone who knows how not to rock the boat.

But God's gentleness is one that knows how to handle the boat even when it's

rocking.

A rocking boat doesn't necessarily make us think of gentleness, so let's put

another image here. We think of someone who is gentle as being someone who

can walk through a china shop, touch everything, and break nothing. But God's

gentleness is not so dainty.

God's gentleness goes not for the fine things, but the broken things, and it

knows how to handle them.

It knows how to pick up the pieces, how to sweep away the dust, how to brush

away the eyelashes without causing any more damage, without creating any

more mess. It knows how to wipe the tears away without demanding that they

stop. It knows how to speak the truth in a tone that's not aggressive, but

affirming. It knows how to love well in quiet whispers, in the little things that

only seem big to the beloved.

Gentleness does not necessarily walk softly, but it has soft hands. Everything

that God's gentleness touches is in the same breath penetrated to its depths and

brought to its surface. It is both broken and held together. It aches, and it is

loved. Only gentleness can do this. It meets us in our tender places and loves

them.

How? How do we do God's gentleness?

The way your mom always taught you.

Go slow. Keep your eyes on where you're walking and keep your hands open.

Understand the nature of fragile things like the human heart. Make sure you've

got all the broken pieces, and never forget what it looks like without all

the cracks. And love well.

The Fruit of Gentleness

God,I'm a mess. All the little pieces of me

have been scattered, and sometimes, I wonder if I'll ever find them all. My hair's not did, my nails aren't done, and half the time, I'm not even sure I'm wearing shoes.

But if I'm not, Lord, it's because this ground I'm standing on is

somehow holy. It's somehow sacred.

There's something going on here that

I haven't caught onto yet, but I'm

glad that you have. And if I have to

stand here barefoot over the broken

pieces of me, then so be it. Because I'm longing for

holy, and it might just be here.

4 Bible Word Search 1 Peter 2:21-24

Slow CookerApple Crumble

For the apples:

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar

5 large apples, peeled

and cut into chunks

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

For the topping:

2/3 c oats

2/3 c loosely packed

brown sugar

1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3‐4 Tbsp soft butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, apples, salt, and cinnamon. Spread onto bottom of slow cooker. Mix crumble topping ingredients until it comes together. Sprinkle it over top of the apples. Cook on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours. Turn off heat and let sit, covered, for one hour to let the caramel thicken.

Sweet Life Cafe

Ladies, start making plans now to attend our annual fall retreat.

This weekend will allow you to slow down and savor time with God

and each other. it will be a place where you can find rest, laughter,

share your life, and grow closer to each other and God. We have a

couple of new, fun options planned this year. Write the dates on

your calendar. As a bonus, we ARE talking about October in Brown

County State Park!

October 28‐29 | Abe Martin Lodge

Those who keep waiting on things to

fall apart do not know the One who

holds all things together.

God called you to endure suffering because Christ suffered for you. He left

you an example so that you could follow in his footsteps. Christ never

committed any sin. He never spoke deceitfully. Christ never verbally abused

those who verbally abused him. When he suffered, he didn't make any

threats but left everything to the one who judges fairly. Christ carried our

sins in his body on the cross so that freed from our sins, we could live a life

that has God's approval. His wounds have healed you.

"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path." Psalm 119:103-14 This psalm reminds me of the hymn we used to sing when I was younger, "Sweeter as the Years Go By." I feel so blessed that I grew up knowing and singing so many of the old hymns. They still resound within me at times and bring me strength and peace. It reminds me of the way God's word recaptures our hearts at the times we most need them. His words have never failed me yet. So many times I have heard people say that God failed them because He let a loved one suffer, or He allowed a loved one to die in a tragic accident. What they fail to realize is that God has never promised us a life free from illness, tragedy, or death. He has never promised us a life free from pain, grief or despair. He promised to be with us through these times. He will help us and bring us comfort and peace if we trust in Him. He will be with us in our moments of deep despair, or when we are feeling low and melancholy, and even when we are searching for a word to comfort a friend. His word is there to bring comfort if we will only turn to Him and seek that comfort that He makes available to us. Philippians 4:19 says it so well, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Not only do we gain comfort from His word, but as the text above in Psalm 119 says, we gain understanding. If we are in God's word, reading it and studying it, we gain more knowledge of the heart of God. He says that we cannot completely understand Him or His thoughts, but at least we can know that He loves us and only wants the best for us. He loves us as His children, just as parents love their children. We can understand that He disciplines those that He loves, He allows bad things to happen, but will never leave them alone. Further, this psalm declares that when we truly know God we will love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. As we gain more knowlege of God's words, it is easier to understand them, and as this psalm says, they grow sweeter and more precious to us as time goes by. To some, when they first look at what God expects from His obedient children, they think He is too rigid and too demanding. This is usually because they don't want to give up their own undisciplined lifestyle. They believe that their happiness and well-being comes from pleasures of a worldly life. They don't want to give up the seemingly good feelings they experience while participating in a lifestyle that eventually ends in eternal death and separation from God. They are looking and seeking in all the wrong places for a life that brings peace and fulfillment. That peace and fulfillment that is sought after by so many can only be found in the riches of God's word. This same thought, the sweetness of God's word, is followed by another verse (verse 105) that says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." The meaning of this is clear: If we look to God's word for guidance it will lead us in the right way. When we wander off that path we are taking our focus off what God's word offers us. When we wander off that path we wander into darkness. The light is on the path. Our salvation is on that path that is illumined by God's word. Indeed, God's word is "sweeter than honey." It helps us gain understanding of His will for us, and it helps us to love what He loves and hate what He hates.

by Barbara DuShane

In God's Own Word

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Hymn and Her

by Aidan Rogers

Reflections on Worship

Sometimes, life just feels like a bunch of noise. And sometimes, worship feels that way, too. Like we're not even making

music any more; we're just making noise. Sometimes, I hear the sounds come �om my own mouth, and I wonder why I'm

doing this. Why am I making noise? My soul is craving quiet.

My soul is craving quiet in a place that seems to have forgo�en what quiet means. My soul is craving quiet in the ver� same

breath that it's t��ing to sing worship. Even the sound of my own praise g�ates against me, and it doesn't even feel like

praise. I hate it. It's just noise.

And we've go�en to where, in our world, we fill even quiet spaces with noise instead of silence. Elevators play music. The

telephone plays music when we're holding for the nex� available operator. We play music while we pray and while we pass

Communion. There's music at the g�ocer� store, where musc's entire pur�ose is to drown out the noise. But this music, too,

is just noise. It's the soundt�ack of our lives.

Sometimes, I long for quiet. I ache for it. I wish we could do just one thing without sound, without noise. My soul craves the

quiet.

Because when it's quiet, I can finally hear the music.

I can hear the song that God is singing oer me. I can hear the har�ony He's composing in my life. I can hear the shists

bet�een the major and the minor chords, bet�een the melodies of joy and the melancholy t�nes of g�ief and sadness. I can

hear the way He resonates with the stor� in the ly�ics, the way His hear� keeps time.

So maybe it's not really quiet I crave, but just for the noise to stop. So I can hear the music.