A Note from the PastorAt the beginning of this year, I started a reading plan (well, a listening plan) through the Bible. Each morning after I wake up and make a cup of coffee, I will listen to a day's reading from the Bible in a Year. Early on, I wanted to also make this a time of prayer, as I am historically not as persistent with this spiritual practice. I’ve had prayer journals in the past, but I was inconsistent with those as well. When my prayer life has moments of consistency, I am constantly reminded of how much I am in need of communication with God. I remember a quote I heard once, which is attributed to a former Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, who said: “When I pray, coincidences happen.” I resonated with that thought, especially during moments when my prayer life was consistent. At times, I’m not really sure why it gets disrupted, but life changes, transitions happen, and if we’re not careful, “there’s no knowing where we might be swept off to” as Bilbo Baggins tells Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. So, I began this year using prayer beads as a way to help me stay concentrated with my prayers. There is something meditative about going through each bead and reciting a prayer. Who would have ever guessed that having a baby would disrupt this attempt at being more consistent? After a few months and still wanting this spiritual practice to be more prominent in my own life, I started reading a book about prayer. This book has now inspired me to take the congregation through a sermon series about this great spiritual practice. Over the course of the next few months, we are going to go through a sermon series all about prayer. My hope is that through this series, we can all learn more about how to pray through scripture & saints. A lot of this was inspired by a book I’ve been reading called ‘How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People’ by Pete Greig. The book uses the Lord’s Prayer as a way to explain several types of prayer, which include prayers of adoration, intercession, petition, and a few more. During our worship services, I will be going along with themes of the book, focusing on a scripture that helps expand on this idea, and also sharing a famous prayer from history for us to focus on that week. I hope through this series we can all take the posture of the disciples when they came to their teacher, Jesus, and asked him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’. This is a launching point for Grieg’s book, ‘How to Pray’. Jesus gives us the Lord’s Prayer after the request from the disciples to teach them to pray. Each week, we will have the prayer in focus printed in the bulletin so that we may glean something more from that throughout the week. Ultimately, this series is a way to remind us of the importance of prayer and also how prayer invites us into deeper communion with God. Grace & Peace -Justin Miller Christian Education NotesBible StudiesTuesday Morning Bible Study "If you are interested in diving deeper into God's Word in a different, more casual, setting as compared to Sunday morning, join us for the Tuesday Morning Bible Study. It is a time to gather, discuss, and learn from one another how God's Word is speaking to and through each of us. We will be hosting Bible studies at the church, meeting each Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. in the Youth Room. We look forward to seeing you there!" Wednesday Evening Bible Study will resume in the fall. We will have updates in the bulletin. Music Notes“Every good and perfect gift is from above, Coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 I seem to always wait until the last possible moment to send an article for the PresbyNews. But interestingly, this procrastination has proved itself to be a blessing. Often, something happens or something is spoken that propels me toward the subject and the point. I was, of course, still thinking about the organ and its revival, but today in Justin’s sermon he talked about the gift and the Giver. Ah Ha! I have been describing the wonders of
having the pipe organ functioning as a miracle – “an extraordinary event
manifesting divine intervention”. I
still believe that to be true. John
Barton and Bill Stager used their God-given gifts of electrical expertise,
their love of music, their tireless efforts to fix a problem and their genuine human
goodness to make the miracle happen. The
gift was having our beloved instrument in working order again. The Giver of the gift was our Father in
heaven. We survived six months without something we
loved. We were diligent about searching
for a possible solution. When John and
Bill took on the task of bringing the organ back to life, we waited with
patience and hope. Our call is to accept and love this gift but not to neglect
acknowledgement of the Giver. Because of
God’s loyalty to us, we enjoy this gift and a renewed awe and appreciation for His
unending faithfulness to us. Thanks be to God! Looking AheadWednesday, September 2 Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal 7:30 p.m. Saturday, September 5 Sing-a-thon 10:00 a.m. – Noon Sunday,
September 13 First Sunday in
Worship AnnouncementsAfter Worship LuncheonWe hope you will join us after worship on July 5 for lunch in Fellowship Hall. We look forward to being together to celebrate our country's 250th birthday! Chicken and dessert will be provided; please bring a side dish to share with the group. Ann will be in the kitchen for you to bring your food up before church begins. A Presidential trivia game will follow lunch; you can join in or sit back and watch the fun! We hope to see you there! M & M (Men & More) Monthly OutingEveryone is invited to join this group for dinner and fellowship at Wildwood Golf Club, 601 Aberdeen Dr. on Tuesday, July 14. Fellowship begins approximately at 5:00, and we usually order dinner around 5:30. We hope to see you there. We Celebrate the birth of. . .Amelia Remedios Wilson, born on May 4, to Bill and Jessi Wilson, who live in Honolulu. The proud grandparents are Steve and Lisa Wilson. Samuel John Parsons, born on May 5, to Will and Carrie Kienlen Parsons. The proud aunt is Ann Veith.
We give thanks to God for the life of. . .In Case of an EmergencyIf you have an emergency after hours or on the weekend, please email Justin at justin@fpcmiddletown.com. The church calendar is now online! Go to https://www.fpcmiddletown.com/calendar
|