We Are All Part of the Body of Christ

I want to extend a great big Thank You to all of our members who worked very hard to clean our church over the past month! It looks great!!!! No one person could have done this alone and it is great to see people pitch in to help. Many came in on their own time and it was greatly appreciated!

The apostle Paul wrote in the book of Romans: “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” (Romans 12: 4-5). As church members, we are all part of the body of Christ. However, we all have different gifts that God has given us. In cleaning our church it took many different eyes to catch all the areas that needed to be addressed. It took many different experiences and knowledge to do things properly. The same is true of our church and its every day functioning. We need leaders who can see things that need to change and address it. We need people of service to provide meals for our members who are sick or visit members in the hospital. We need great financial leaders who can assist with the budget. God has provided us with many talents, but all of ours are different. Whatever our talent, we should be using it to glorify our Lord and to help in furthering his kingdom. He is our Maker and the One that has bestowed us with the gifts/talents we have. We are fast approaching a new fiscal year. I ask you to prayerfully consider if you are using your talents to serve our one and only King. Maybe there is a council you could be a part of, or maybe you could assist with inreach or outreach. Are you contributing to your church the way that God has contributed to you? “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.“ (1 Corinthians 10:31). I know I am guilty of letting my life get so busy that I forget what my main focus should be. I enjoy being around my church friends who remind me what our purpose is here on this earth and to live every day for Him, our Maker. Being among my church friends, giving back to my church, and living my life for Him gives me peace.

John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives...“

Yours in Christ,

-Becky Aragon, GSLC President

Leading and Living Generously

The Thrivent Member Network - Mid America Region is hosting a generosity event at Camp Joy in Clarksville, Ohio, Nov. 2. The goal of the event is to strengthen the Greater Cincinnati community through leadership development. We invite Thrivent members who lead church groups, nonprofits, small businesses and other organizations to join us for a FREE day of professional development with their teams – up to five people from an organization.

Steve Coats one of the leading authorities on the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®, will guide attendees through a personal assessment and understanding of the Five Practices during the morning. Then in the afternoon, attendees will have the opportunity to exercise two of the Five Practices by participating in challenge activities offered on the Camp Joy grounds. Please contact Tammy Woolley for more information. 

Reformation Bible Study

This Sunday we begin a new Bible study as we look forward to Reformation Sunday (10/29). In 500: The Impact of the Reformation Today, we examine how a lone monk’s actions 500 years ago continue to have a great impact. Hear from some of the world’s greatest scholars on Martin Luther and the significance of the Reformation for our modern world. This study reveals how the Reformation surrounds us more than we realize through religion, politics and our society.

We will meet in the Family Life Center between services. Hope to see you there! 

 

Finding Peace Among Chaos

Summer has quickly come and gone, and now I am finding myself trying to adjust to the busy schedule of work, school, and kid’s schedules.  Oftentimes this task can be overwhelming and leave a person exhausted.  I am often trying to find time to fit in time with my husband, time with my kids, and time for myself.  At the end of all of this chaos I often feel very empty.  I keep telling myself in time it will get better, but the truth is the to do list never ends.  I am ashamed to say I have felt this way a lot lately.  I have always felt that when I reach the extremes of various emotions, God has a way of talking to me.  Often this is through exposing me to various situations that help me realize that I spend way too much time focusing on things that in the end are not very important.

As many of you know, I am a Licensed Physical Therapist.  With that being said, I encounter a lot of interesting situations, especially in the Pediatric World.  I have met many awesome families who have the overwhelming responsibility of not only parenting their child with disabilities, but also having to be their nurse and caretaker.  Many of these families have to be with their special needs child 24/7 for the child’s safety.  Some of these parents even have to sleep in the same room as their child for pulmonary or cardiac reasons.  When I talk with these parents, we are able to carry on conversations just like I do withmy friends at church.  I am always amazed at how much responsibility lies on their shoulders, and they are not complaining.  That is just the way their life is and they are very happy to have this time with their child.  These families help to remind me what is important in life; and that is my religion and time with my family.

It is sad that I have to be exposed to somebody else’s struggle to remind myself to take time and breathe.  My best days are when I start in devotion, followed by Christian music as I feed the kids prior to school.  By the time I leave for work I feel I am at peace.  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27.  I pray that you have peace within as you go about your daily life.  If you do not have daily peace, I pray that you will find the time to dig within the scriptures, and that it can fill your life like it has filled mine.

 

Becky Aragon, GSLC President