One Nation Under God!
I was recently on a quora website reading some of the comments on the subject of “why is life so unpredictable”. Most of the comments I read on there were self-centered, selfish responses of people wondering why everything wasn’t going exactly the way they wanted their life to go.
After reading some of the comments I started to reflect on how unpredictable our Nation has been in recent years. Granted, every generation in America has had its share of hardships, trials, wars, and at some times more than others, just the everyday struggle to make ends meet. But in recent years it seems like everything has been pushed to the limit.
I was thinking back to when Abraham Lincoln gave a famous message, a proclamation, for a National day of prayer and fasting. He saw the direction our Country was going in and he felt, along with many others, that the civil war was a punishment from God for the way our country had drifted away from Him. Abraham Lincoln came to the realization that they had offended God and needed to humble themselves before Him as a Nation and get back in the right direction with Him as One Nation Under God.
I’ve written here an excerpt from that speech that Abraham Lincoln spoke in 1863 at the national day of prayer and fasting.; “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power, as no other Nation has ever grown before. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the Gracious Hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all of these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of preserving and Redeeming Grace, too proud to pray to The God who made Us…..”
In a similar way, on 9/11/2001 God let us see the urgency (911) of our need as a Nation to turn to Him. Following that horrific event I prayerfully asked God, as many Christians did, a lot of questions about what His message was to us as a Nation. God put this message of Abraham Lincoln on my heart in response to my prayers.
You may be asking the question “what is the relevance of the proclamation that Abraham Lincoln wrote in 1863 and the events that took place on 9/11/2001?”…. The similarity between what our spiritual condition is now and what it was then is where Abraham Lincoln said “We have grown in wealth (the world trade center), and power (the Pentagon), as no other nation has ever grown before. But we have forgotten God. (We were saying “we would never forget”), but God was telling us we did forget, Him! It’s Something to think about.
Pastor John
Bible Verse Memory Plan
Week #1: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, withthanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts an your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7 NIV
Week #2: Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Luke 9: 23-24 NIV
Week #3: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5: 8-9 NIV
Week #4: If you declare with your mouth, “ Jesus is Lord” and believe in your hear that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10: 9-10 NIV
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sunday School – 8:30 AM in the Community Building
Choir Practice Every Thursday at 1pm
You may reach Pastor John at #607-651-4760 or at his.ship@gmail.com
Tuesday, November 5th– Election Day
Sunday, November 10th – Church Service at Barnes Kasson/SNF. If Interested in helping or going, please see Pastor John.
Monday, November 11th– Veteran’s Day
Thursday, November 14th – PW meeting – 11am
Wednesday, November 20th – Men’s breakfast – 8am
Sunday, November 24th– Christ The King Sunday
Tuesday, November 26th– Newsletter Deadline – get your articles to Carolyn White
Thursday, November 28th– Happy Thanksgiving
Sunday, December 1st – First Sunday in Advent – Hope Grows From The Manger
Christmas Greeting – If anyone would like to put a Christmas Greeting in the December Newsletter, please give a handwritten note to Carolyn White or e-mail her at whisperpines@frontiernet.net by
December 10th – Ladies Christmas Tea at the Montrose Bible Conference. Christmas music, devotional thoughts with a speaker, a light lunch, assortment of seasonal goodies & teas. 11Am to 1pm, $12 per person. PW will be paying for each lady. See Bonne Travis
Bill’s Kids for Christmas Mission: Rev. Bill Townsend was the Director of Spiritual Life at the Children’s Home in Binghamton. Our congregation has been donating money for many years to help to make Christmas more merry for the residents; it will begin Sunday, November 10thth and continue to Sunday December 1. Please see Bonne Travis
Thank you to all who gave for the Air Conditioning- a total of $3180.00 was donated.
Thank you to all who donated to Trehab – Feed A Friend Mission. We received $594.00 in monetary donations, plus 44 jars of gravy, 47 boxes of potatoes, 36 jars of applesauce and 4 boxes of Mac & Cheese!!!
Rev. Mahalo has met with a serious setback . He had been planning to visit here for the last year,but when it was time to apply for his Visa, he had to travel to the city of Nairobi. At his interview, he was denied. All his fundraising by the east African pastors Assn. was suddenly put on hold. Apparently, the rules for obtaining a visa have changed with their last political administration. Now he needs to reconsider any future visit to Penna. In the meantime their school continues to grow. They have 48 students living at the home and 320 students at the school. They are busy growing vegetables now. They are getting into their rainy season and the students need to help out and do the work. Julia, Mrs Malaho, has been my correspondent. She is also a pastor at a different church. She also asks for prayers for her church to be able to grow musically. They have a large membership of young people and they are trying to grow their music program. They are always very appreciative of all our prayers and support. by Jim Kessler
We are looking for Fund Raising ideas - if you have an idea – please talk with Kathy Walker
Don’t forget our card ministry - If you would like a card sent to a particular person to give them a lift or let them know they are missed or offer encouragement, etc. etc., just give the name and address to Cathe. Cards, envelopes and postage will be provided and placed on a table in the Community Building the first Sunday of each month. As we file past the table on our way to the coffee pot, we will be able to sign each of the cards and Cathe will address the envelopes and mail them.
E-Mail Carolyn White with any praises, joys, or prayer requests (whisperpines@frontiernet.net) throughout the week.
Helping Pack Bags at Trehab for Feed-A Friend…..Halloween Party…..Steeple Work
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Something to think about…What if you woke up with only what you thanked God for today….
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Thank you Lord for farmers, Who each and every day, Plow and plant and tend their fields, To send good food our way. Amen
