Connecting individuals to Jesus
Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the just decrees that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.’” And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’”
Today’s story begins on July 31 – this I know for sure. The year, however, is another thing. I could easily say, “The story begins on July 31, 1976.” Or, I could just as easily say, “It really starts on July 31, 1983.”
On one of the very few rainy days during our recent vacation, Monica and I decided to have lunch at the Applebee’s in West Branch. We were seated at a high-top table just inside the door, given a couple menus, and asked if we wanted any beverages. After the waitress left we noticed the couple on the table next to us. They were about our age. She was wearing a colorful bandana headpiece.
Join us for dinner at ferlito’s and a percentage of your bill will be donated to STL to fund our week supporting the homeless of macomb county.
One week from tomorrow Monica and I will be attending a 50th anniversary reunion. In many ways it is hard to believe that it is already 50 years since I graduated from Concordia Junior College, Ann Arbor (now Concordia University). Then again, in other ways it seems like a few lifetimes ago. It will be interesting to see who shows up, and who we remember. Though it is a two-day affair, we decided that one evening was sufficient time for all the catching up we would be interested in.
Jane Lamond (Riffenburg) Gurnack, age 97, of Sterling Heights, Michigan passed away on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Jane was born August 15, 1925 in Detroit, MI to the late Charles & Mary (Roth) Riffenburg.
The other day pastor Jerry and I got talking about big things and little things in our lives. The big things, of course, are hard to miss. The little things, on the other hand, are easily missed … and often are much more important than we give them credit for being.
Neither the author nor the audience of this book is specifically named, but the book is written for Jesus-believing Jews who are in danger of falling away from the faith. Our reading today from chapter 12 reminds us that God’s discipline is always done in love.