the visitor january 7, 2014 vol. 45—no. 1 a publication of...
TRANSCRIPT
The Visitor A publication of Morningside Lutheran Church, Sioux City, Iowa
Vol. 45—No. 1 January 7, 2014
I don't make New Year's resolutions because I
haven't been successful at keeping them. At first
I'm really vigilant. Almost dictatorial in keeping to
the very letter of the straight path I've written. I make
myself dot every "i" and cross every "t." But before
long, those "i"s and those "t"s start to wobble and look
more like sideways "m"s and "n"s because I find myself
not minding my "p"s and "q"s. So I tear them up and
muddle through another year without resolutions.
If I can't keep them perfectly, I don't keep them at all.
Imagine what would have happened if David would
have had the same attitude.
David writes, "This year I resolve to be just as big and
as brave as my brothers." When he faces the giant
Goliath, he dresses like his brothers. He fights like
them. And he fails like them.
God does not call
David to be an
imitation. He
does not call any
of us to be
someone we are
not. God made
each of us
uniquely and has
given each of us
unique gifts that
He calls us to use
for His purpose.
God calls David to fight the giant with what he had
with him—a sling and a rock. The same things the
shepherd boy uses to ward off wolves to protect his
sheep. David does not wear the armor of a king. He
wears his regular clothes because he's dressed in
God's armor. God's the one who fights the giants in
David's life.
God's the one who will fight the giants in your life, too.
I know because He's been fighting the giants in my life
for a very long time—a lifetime. That's one of my
resolutions. To step out of God's way and stop trying
Resolutions We Should All Strive to Keep
“God's the one who will fight the giants in your life, too. I know because He's been fighting the giants in my life for a very long time—a lifetime.”
–Kathy Yoder
to do what only He can do. To let God be God. He is
God and I am not.
I resolve not to give up when I don't keep my resolu-
tions perfectly. That's impossible. Besides, God doesn't
call us to be perfect. That's Jesus' job. God calls us to
be who He made us to be.
I resolve to strive to follow the greatest command-
ment. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all
your strength.." and to "... love your neighbor as
yourself..." (Mark 12:30-31).
When the Holy Spirit nudges me to make a move I
would never make on my own or even think of in the
first place, I resolve to step out in faith, only by the
grace of God, and make that move.
I resolve to not judge others. "Do not judge, and you
will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not
be condemned..." (Luke 6:37).
I resolve to "clothe (myself) with compassion, kind-
ness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians
3:12b).
I strive to be forgiving. "Bear with each other and
forgive one another if any of you has a grievance
against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave
you" (Colossians 3:13).
I strive to listen to that still, small voice of God. To look
for God in the spaces between all the words I'm trying
to write in my life. All the "i"s I try to perfectly dot and
all the "t"s I try to perfectly cross because I'm trying to
straighten out all the crooked paths I've written for
myself. But God is the greatest path-straightener of all
time. I resolve not to be afraid and to let Him make my
paths straight.
Elijah was afraid, but God was faithful to him. "... 'Go
out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.' And
behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong
wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in
(Continued on next page.)
Attendance
Worship Sunday School
2013 Average 776 150
Dec. 22 775 N/A
Dec. 24 1,566 N/A
Dec. 29 503 N/A
Giving
$US Worship Sunday School
2013 YTD Average 19,507 50
Dec. 22 26,035 N/A
Dec. 29 27,281 N/A
We were pleased to welcome crowds adding up to more than 1,500 at our three Christmas Eve services.
We appreciate your continuing support through your giving!
M L C by t h e N u m b e r s
O u r C h u r c h Fa m i ly Hospitalizations
Unity Point (St. Luke’s): Mercy:
Gloria Mueller Dick Miller
Judy Enfield
Surgery Center (same-day procedures)
Carl Hesse
Jill Hathaway
If you feel God is leading you to go on a short-term mission trip to Haiti this year, please come to an information meeting on Sunday, January 12, at 12:15 pm in the high school youth room. The trip will primarily be for adults 18 and older. If you have gone to Haiti before or are a high school student with a strong desire to go, please come to the meeting as well. If you are unable to attend, please contact Dana Kennedy at 712-898-2164 or the church office, and Dana will contact you.
Haiti Mission, June 2014
W h at Wo u l d J e s u s D o ? Learn how Jesus used assertiveness to cope with daily life. MLC is offering five classes on Christian Assertive-ness on Sundays January 12 through February 9 at 10:40 am in the Fireside Room. Please register in advance in the church office as there will be a accom-panying paperback book. Hope to see you there!
–Marcia Hovland, Instructor
R e s o lu t i o n s
(Continued from previous page.)
pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the
wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD
was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a
fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire
a still small voice" (1 Kings 19:11-12).
Resolve to let the still small voice of God lead you from
now on. That's the best way to mind your "p"s and "q"s
on the straight paths God creates just for you. Happy
New Year.
—Kathy Yoder Children’s Ministries Director
Sunnyside Neighborhood Fellowship will meet on Sun-day, January 12th at 6:00 pm for their soup and pie supper at the Sunrise Community Center.
Please note that we will provide December and full-year 2013 MLC budget data in an upcoming issue of The Visitor.
N OT I C E
Ac k n o w l e d g e m e n t s Giving Tree Thank you to so many generous MLC members for donating 222 gifts for the 2013 Comfort & Joy Giving Tree. We touched many lives and shared the joy of Jesus with those in need through this wonderful ministry!
—Social Concerns Sympathy We extend our sympathy to Julie Davies-Roost and families on the loss of Fred Davenport, Randy and Diane Behrens and families on the loss of Helen Hintz, Joyce Boeshart and families on the loss of Frank Boeshart, and Donna Swan and Larry and Cathi Swan on the loss of Bob Swan. We pray that God will continue to comfort them during their time of loss. Wedding Allison Padomek and David Jung were joined in marriage on December 28, 2013. We pray they will be blessed during their lives together.
MLC will offer Financial Peace University, a 9-week course that will teach you to achieve financial peace and learn to manage your finances in a biblical way.
The course features videos by Dave Ramsey that will help you learn to take control of your money, invest for the future and give like never before.
Kelly and Eric Hoak will lead the program, which will be held weekly on Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 6:30 in the kitchen lounge. Classes start on January 5, 2014.
You will need course materials, so we urge you to register in advance. You may do so online by going to Morningside Lutheran’s website at morningsideluther-an.com. Using the menus at the top of the page, click on “Resources”, then “tools”. From here, you will be
guided to the Morningside Lutheran registration page on Dave Ramsey’s site. If you need help registering, please contact the church office.
Wednesdays Our Wednesday women’s Bible study group will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. beginning January 8 in the Fireside Room. For the next study we are leaning toward Beth Moore's study "Wising Up", which focuses on the Proverbs. We have all the DVDs and listening guides, there is no book to purchase, and no home-work.
Thursdays The Thursday morning women’s Bible study group, which is from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room, will re-convene on Thursday, January 9, with “When
Life is Hard” by James MacDonald. We expect to finish the series on January 23 and begin the new series, “Always True: God’s Promises When Life is Hard”, on January 30.
F i n a n c i a l P e a c e U n i v e r s i t y Morningside Lutheran presents “Choose Joy”, an event at which women can learn to experience the joy of Jesus in their lives.
Join us on January 10 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the sanctuary to begin your journey of sharing your life with others—an intentional journey, a journey to deepen your faith and build relationships, a journey to choose Jesus—to Choose Joy.
There is no cost, and we encourage you to bring a friend or two.
C h o o s e J oy
Wo m e n ’s B i b l e St u dy
Periodical POSTAGE PAID
Sioux City, Iowa 51106
Morningside Lutheran Church 700 South Martha Street Sioux City, Iowa 51106
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Next Issue of The Visitor The deadline to submit articles for the Jan. 21 issue is Monday, Jan. 13. Please email submissions to Kim Mathers at [email protected]. We reserve the right to revise copy.
MLC’s Mission To bring people into a relationship with Jesus Christ, which results in changing lives and a commitment to follow his example.
Our Worship Schedule 8:00 am: Traditional Worship 9:30 am: Celebration Worship
11:00 am: Contemporary Worship 11:00 am: Multicultural Worship
“The Visitor” (USPS #708360) is a
semi-monthly publication of Morningside Lutheran Church, 700 S. Martha St., Sioux City, IA 51106, ph. (712) 276-2511. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Visitor, Morningside Lutheran Church, 700 S. Martha St., Sioux City, IA 51106
Office Hours Monday - Friday
8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Phone: (712) 276-2511 Fax: (712) 276-5459
Website: morningsidelutheran.com E-mail: [email protected]
Church Staff
Darrin Vick ...................................................... Senior Pastor Tom LoVan ................................................. Associate Pastor Paul Andell ................................................. Associate Pastor Barb Baker ..................................................... Administrator Charity Koehler ........................ Director of Music Ministries Charity Peterson ............ Contemporary Music Coordinator Paul Peterson ............................. Senior High Youth Director Kathy Yoder ............................ Children's Ministries Director Kim Mathers ............................. Communications Specialist Judy Kane ....................................... Administrative Assistant Jim Ewoldt ............................................................ Custodian Zack Skokan ......................................................... Custodian Lisa Coates .............................................. Preschool Director Julie Larson ............................................. Preschool Teacher
An LCMC Congregation