Chapter 7 / Face Your Battles with Strength and Courage
When someone keeps telling you to “be strong and courageous,” you might suspect you are up against something big. And the Israelites were.
About to enter the land that had been promised them 600 years before, they had a giant-sized task awaiting them. Literally. Forty years earlier ten spies had come back and told the Israelites that the inhabitants of the land were so big they felt like they were the size of a grasshopper in comparison. Fear took them captive without a battle and sent them off as a group to wander around in a wilderness where they took their chances against wild animals rather than face their giants.
They wandered so long that those who had grasshopper-sized faith died out. Forty years later their children were ready to take the land. They were physically no taller than their parents had been. The enemies in the land were no smaller than before. But the Israelites’ faith muscles had grown.
There were two spies who had reported the land was theirs for the taking by God’s hand. One of them, Joshua, is now the Israelites’ leader. God told him to be courageous and that God would be with him. Just to be sure Joshua heard it God tells him three times in the first nine verses of the first chapter of Joshua: “Be strong and courageous.” He also reminds Joshua “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
My guess is you have a few giants in your life too. Some uphill battles that appear insurmountable. A task demanding more than you think you have to give. One too many things on your “to do” list than you have the time or energy to do. Unemployment is staring you down. Depression has a grip on you. Bills have raided your bank account and left it empty. An illness hovers in your life like a threatening storm. You want to go back to the way things were- or you’d rather just run and hide. Instead, be strong and courageous. Hold onto the promises made by God to You have a Joshua that will lead the way. The New Testament equivalent of the name “Joshua” is “Jesus.” And he has promised to be with you always (Matthew 28:20) to the very end.
Jesus knows how to lead you through battles; to be with you in them and to hold you up when you are weak. He had a few of his own while he was on this earth. Enemies attacking him with accusations (Mark 3:22). No home and no bed (Luke 9:58). Crowds and expectations pressing in on him (Luke 8:45). The religious establishment eventually insuring he was sentenced to a brutal death. (Mark 15:14). He knows the battle and will never leave or forsake you. Yet he took on the most barbaric giant there is, death, and lived to tell about it. He can help you do the same. You need only be strong and courageous in your faith.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
TODAY: NEXT SUNDAY:
NURSERY: Carmen Noteboom, Paige Fedders Audrey Broek, Erin Miedema
Mandy Bonnema, Mikaela Broek Susan Ten Napel, Olivia Fedders
USHERS: Cody D., Dick Bonnema, Tim Bonnema Adam V., Calvin Bootsma, Doug Broek
GREETERS & COFFEE SERVERS:
Don & Verla Van Sloten (4 doz cookies) Benjy & Nicki Weida
Jim & Mandy Viet (4 doz cookies) Ryan & Angela Zomermaand
ORGANIST: A.M. Donna Koopmans Dordt Praise Team
P.M. Donna Koopmans Shirley Ten Napel
PRAISE TEAM: 3 year – 3rd (up to 5th) Grade Special Music Dordt Praise Team
LIBRARIAN: A.M. Jan Fedders Wanetta Vander Plaas
OFFERING: A.M. Christian Education Food Bank of Siouxland
P.M. Christian Education Food Bank of Siouxland
PRAYER FOR:
· Safety and good conditions for the harvest.
· Pray for safety as the Christian Education Unit cover silage piles.
· Betty Juffer & Janet Brown who are dealing with cancer—and their families.
· Toots Kooi, Sadie De Vries and Gert Mulder who are under Hospice Care—and their families.
· Kevin Karhof- (grandson of Tena Kramer) as he deals with cancer again and infections.
· Those who are unable to get out—Jason, Joanne, Earl & Toots, Deb, Sylvia, Dick, and all the elderly.
· Please be in prayer for those who have been nominated for the office of elder and deacon.
Hawarden CRC invites you to rejoice with them. The Lord has led Rev. Mark Klompien to accept a call to serve there as Minister of the Word. The installation service is planned for Sunday, November 2, at 2:00 PM. You are welcomed to attend.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
--PASTOR APPRECIATION - October is pastor Appreciation month. In honor ofPastor and Cherie for all they do for the church we will be serving cake today after the morning service.
--A NOTE FROM THE DEACONS: We are currently $57,412.93 short of making our budget for the year. November is coming soon. Please consider when giving. Thank you!
--STILL NEEDED FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL -Substitutes for the lower grades. Anyone wanting to help, we would love to hear from you. Also still needed is a pianist for the younger kids singing and someone who is willing to lead the Christmas program. Don’t hesitate, now is your chance to provide leadership to our kids. Please prayerfully consider any of these positions that you can help with and let Susan or Donna know.
--IRETON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IS SELLING SCHOOL APPAREL with our new “Eagles” mascot. We are selling short sleeve t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts and stadium blankets.Order forms and pictures are on the back table if you would like to take a look and place an order. We will only be placing one order for this. Order and payment deadline is Sunday, October 19. Please put order form and payment in Benjy Weida’s church mailbox.Please don’t miss this opportunity to support Ireton Christian School and show your school spirit!!
--JUSTICE FOR ALL invites you to attend the Fall Banquet & Annual Society Meeting on Monday evening, October 20 at 6:30PM at Trinity Christian Reformed Church of Rock Valley, IA. Our special guest this year will be Pastor Lowell Ten Clay from the Winnebago Reformed Church of Winnebago, NE. There will also be a short business meeting. Reservations for the meal are necessary and can be made by calling 712-476-2804 or emailing by October 19. Please join us as we celebrate JFA ministry over the past year and look forward to what God is calling JFA to in the next year! An offering will be taken for JFA ministry.
--ELDER’S MEETING will be held on Tuesday, October 21 at 7:15 pm.
--HOPE HAVEN AUXILIARY MEETING will be held on Tuesday, October 21. Everyone Welcome.
--BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS:Please put any bulletin announcements in Pam De Wit’s Church mailbox or via email () by NOON on Thursday, October 23. Thank You.
--PRAYER SUMMIT: SEEKING GOD’S FACE – OCTOBER 24
Join us as we worship, pray and learn more about what it means to cultivate a desire for and the skills to seek the face of God. We will be gathering in Sioux Center on the evening of October 24 and the morning of October 25. Individuals and churches from the tri-state area are invited to be inspired, encouraged, and edified in their practice of prayer and to pray together. Keynote speaker, Rev. Moses Chung, says, “Prayer is as vital as the air we breathe. If we don’t pray, we die—spiritually.” Moses was raised as a part of the Korean prayer tradition and is currently serving as Director of Home Missions for the Christian Reformed Church. Breakout sessions will include: “Listening Prayer” by Tony De La Rosa, Rejoice Community Church in Le Mars; “Prayer Saturated Churches” by Barb Hibma, Classis Heartland Prayer Coordinator; and “Praying for Your Pastor” by Shawn Lohry of Yasha Ministries in Sioux City. Registration will close Monday,
October 20 at noon. You may call or text Barb Hibma at 712.541.1502 tel:712.541.1502 or email with your names and how many will attend and pay at the door. The cost is $10.00 per person for the Summit payable Saturday morning at Dordt which includes a continental brunch and a book on prayer. This is a joint effort of the CRC and RCA to serve you the people of God.
--TRANSPORT FOR CHRIST will hold their annual banquet Saturday, October 25 at 6:00pm at the Ramkota Inn, Sioux Falls. The Master’s Voice Quartet will provide the entertainment. The meal is paid for by sponsors. Reserve your tickets by contacting Pastor Norlyn.
--HALLOWEEN OUTREACH PROJECT - It's October, and that means Halloween is quickly approaching. Our church will once again be doing our Halloween Outreach project.There isn't any other time that I can think where almost every home in the community opens their doors and willingly accepts what people have to give and receive.What a great opportunity to drop off a message of God's Love to so many people!All "Trick-or-Treaters" meet at Ireton CRC at 5:30 to receive your bucket of give-away treats.We will meet back at church at 8:00 for pizza. If you have any questions, please contact Pamela Fedders 278-1057.
--BEEF FOR SALE!!
There is still a little bit of beef for sale at school yet. There are 2 lb packages of ground beef, beef ribs, and liver.If you are interested in some, please stop at school to purchase it.The best time to come is when a secretary is in the office (Monday, Wednesday, or Friday) or Tuesday/Thursday afternoon when Marlin is in the office.
Prices:
2 lb pkg. of ground beef $6.00 ($3.00/lb)
Beef Ribs $10.00
Liver $3.00
--SUNDAY MORNING DRIVERS WANTED - Check the back table –If you signup—please call Chris on Saturday night. THANKS! To everyone who has helped already!!
--SCHURINGA SPEAKS ON CAPITOL HILL – How does a pastor end up speaking at a bipartisan Senate briefing? Find out on this week’s episode as Dr. Schuringa recaps his visit to Washington D.C. to voice his support for the Democracy Restoration Act. Go to KDCR, 88.5 FM on Sunday at 2:30 P.M. to listen to Crossroad Connection - a restorative justice ministry of Crossroad Bible Institute.
ADVANCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
--TENTH AVENUE NORTH with special guest Phil Wickham will be performing in Orange City at Northwestern College’s Christ Chapel Sunday, October 26 at 7 p.m. The From Islands to Cathedrals Tour is leading up to the release of the Dove Award-winning group’s fourth album in November. General admission tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.ticketfly.com. Enter the RISE Ministries promo code “RISE” when ordering online to receive $18 general admission tickets. A $35 deluxe ticket comes with early access, a Q/A with Tenth Avenue North, and an exclusive tour poster.
--UNITY CHRISTIAN’S FALL MUSIC CONCERTwill be held on Thursday, October 30 at 7:00 pm in the Unity Christian Knight Center. All large groups will participate. Please join these young people as they give of their talents to praise and glorify our Father in song and on instruments.A free-will offering will be taken to purchase acoustical sound shells for the Music Department.
--THE BANQUET We will be serving at the Banquet in Sioux Falls on Monday November 3, the,menu will be goulash. They have hamburger so prefer to use that, so we will not be taking any food items with us. Please keep that in mind when we take the offeringto cover the cost of the food. Wewill have a sign up sheet in the back to sign up to help make the food and serve it. Thanks for your willingness to help.
--CURSILLO “A Short Coarse In Christian Living” will be held at Inspiration Hills from 7:30pm Thursday evening through Sunday at 5:00pm. The men’s weekend is November 6-9. The women’s weekend is November 13-16. The cost to attend is paid for by previous attendees and sponsors. Please prayerfully consider attending a weekend that will help equip you for the life of a Christian in the world today. For more information go to www.nwiacursillo.com or talk to Pastor Norlyn or Cherie. Registration deadline is October 16.
--UCHS AUXILIARY IS SPONSORING THE ANNUAL HOSTESS SUPPER on Monday, November 10 at 7:00 pm in the school gym. We would like to encourage supporters of Unity Christian to join together for this fun night of fellowship and great food followed by a program. A freewill donation will be taken at the supper and will go directly into Unity's general fund to help keep the cost of Christian education affordable for all. If you cannot attend and wish to make a donation, please put it in an envelope and get it to Unity. If you have not been invited by October 28 and would like to attend, please call Unity and a hostess will contact you.
--FAITH FORMATION WORKSHOP November 15, 9am-12:30 pm Covenant CRC—Syd Heilema
How can we seek to make our congregations places in which all members of the community—from the youngest to the oldest—find a spiritual home and are challenged to grow in Christ?How can we cultivate the kind of hospitality in which seekers feel welcomed into God’s family? The expected outcome for each group in attendance is a clearer vision of the shape of congregational health, specific "handles" for working towards it in the long-term, and a tentative action plan for the short-term. More info to come—talk to Pastor Norlyn if you are interested. We hope to have a team of 6-8 people from our church attend.
PRAISE TEAMS FOR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER
October 26 Pastor - Dordt Praise Team
November 2 Verla, Don, Nathan, Cinda
November 9 Cherie - Sunday School Class 6-8th Grade- Tammy
SCHEDULE FOR STUDY AND SERMONS:
Please do join any of the study groups even if you have not attended!
19-Oct Chpt 7 –The Battle Begins: Joshua 1-2, 6, 8, 10-11, 23-24
26-Oct Chpt 8 –A Few Good Men and Women: Judgess 2-4, 6-8, 13-16