18-26 - Young adults meet weekly during the summer - tonight at 7pm.   In addition, there is also a study this summer at the Zieg home discussing The War on Children by MacArthur (along with some hanging out time!).

Safety - The first safety training session is tonight at 7pm.  Attending one is required for all who work with children or youth at SSB.  

Car Show - Friday from 4:30 to 7pm is a car show for all....    bring that cool muscle car, the fast hot-rod, or even the old pickup truck that turns eyes.  This is an opportunity to invite those not connected to SSB...  may this lead to connections that open doors to speak of Jesus.  Ice cream treats will be served.

Member Meeting - A lunch and business meeting on June 30th at 11:45 am to hear from Jaime followed by a possible vote to fund him as an SSB evangelist.   

We celebrated a 70th anniversary - congratulations Roger and Shirley for saying "I do" in 1954, still saying "I do" in 2024.  Before they Lord, they will say "I did."   Their faithfulness in marriage is an example for us all - and a great picture of Christ's faithfulness to the church.  

We brought Mike Nylin in as an elder emeritus.  SSB has three men now who serve in this way (Ron Miller, Roger Schutte, and Mike Nylin).  These men can assist the elected elders with prayer, Bible reading, counsel and adding their wisdom as needed.  We value these men and are thankful for their service to us over the years.  

The message from 1st John 5 about praying for the church considered the church as God's flock.  Thus we thought of Jesus as our Great Shepherd (Psalm 23, John 10).   God's will for the church (consider several pictures of the church given in the New Testament) is that Christ is the head, the flock is unified, we obey (or are disciplined), we carry out Christ's mission, and we are cared for by God.  Thus, we pray... pray that we follow, pray for unity, pray against temptation, pray for opportunities to be salt and light, and pray for open eyes to see needs of other members.  

Obadiah was an official of King Ahab who was in charge of the palace.  When Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, decided to murder any remaining prophets of God, Obadiah took a hundred of them, hid them in a cave, and ensured they had bread and water.  During a famine, Ahab sent Obadiah to look for grass for the king’s animals.   While searching, he came upon the prophet Elijah who gave him a message to give to King Ahab.  Knowing that the king desired Elijah’s death, Obadiah was concerned that when he brought the king to Elijah, if Elijah could not be found, Ahab would kill him instead.   After Elijah reassured him, Obadiah took the message to Ahab.  Obadiah served a wicked king but only in a way that really served God.  He ultimately “feared the Lord” (1 Kings 18:3) and served Him above all else.  We can serve God wherever we find ourself planted.  The king we serve is not the one truly worthy of our glory… nor is our life even worthy of our fearing it.  Serve God and fear Him.  He is worthy! 

See 1 Cor. 3:11; Hebrews 13:8-9; 1 Peter 5:8.   “Fundamentalism” was a movement that arose in the US after WWI.  It began as a way to simply reaffirm orthodox Christianity and the fundamentals it holds to (thus defending it against the various “isms” deemed harmful).  As it progressed, some fundamentalists became militant and divisive in their methods.  Yet today, it is used as a derogatory term most often referring to protestants who remove themselves from mainstream culture and religion or extremists who tend to be aggressive and even violent in their views.  True believers do hold to fundamentals of their faith.  We can certainly be charitable in certain doctrines but the clarity of the gospel, who Jesus is, the impeccability of Scripture, and the sovereignty of God are not to be trifled with.  Although we might not want to be labeled “fundamentalist,” believers must hold to key Biblical fundamentals.

Oh, those first computer games.  I’m thinking of Microsoft’s famous “Flight Simulator.”  First played on home computers in 1982, you could choose a plane (prop plane, Lear jet, etc) and choose from over 100 airports around the country to take off from and attempt to return to.  It took hours of practice to avoid crashing the plane and, instead, landing safely.  It was very realistic.  I personally enjoyed the crashing.  Goodbye Empire State Building or Sears Tower.  “Hello, Lake Michigan, yes I would like to take a swim!”

The best part about the game was that you could always be restored.  When you crashed and burned, you always could return to the runway, ready to take off again.  Welcome to a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Those who are truly His can trust that the Lord is always ready to faithfully forgive us and restore us when we crash.   “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  Christ is faithful to forgive us; we are never eliminated from our life in Him. 

Satan asks the first question recorded in Scripture.  But then God asks the next questions.  Four of them in Genesis 3.  This second question was to Adam.   Imagine a world so perfect where you never had a reason to blush?  Adam and Eve, in their glory were naked and felt no shame.  The implication of the question is that it did not even occur to them that they were naked.   But, once they sinned, they could not look upon their own nakedness without blushing.

First, “Who told you that you were naked?” seems to be a rhetorical question.  Designed to get Adam thinking.  No one told him… somehow, he figured it out… something had changed.  This is connected to the “knowledge of good and evil.”  There is suddenly an evil knowledge that Adam now knows (just like God said would happen).
 
This question also looks past the results of the sin.  The results are the nakedness (and death, the curse, etc).  But we all know that often remorse is only for getting caught.  People feel remorse for the results of their action, their sin.  “Who told you that you were naked?” takes Adam from being naked (results) back to the sin, back to the cause.  A question we must always consider in our circumstances is “Am I harboring sin that might have led to this?”  

I can only think of a few times that my older brother tried to kill me as a child.   Thankfully, he was never successful.  To be fair, I don’t think it was always intentional.  Scott is seven years older than me.  These incidents all qualify for a “do not try this at home” warning:  

Scott was kind enough to pull me behind him while he drove the three-wheeler several times one snowy winter.  He strapped a long rope to the back that was then tied to an inner-tube (thinking back, I believe he may have even coated the tube with wax).  He particularly enjoyed swinging me down along the side of the irrigation ditch where he could then speed up, thus yanking me out in a way that caused me to go airborne.   Probably not trying to kill me but, still, one wonders.  

I can recall another time when he was throwing knives at me in our basement.  At first, he was really just throwing the steak knives at my feet (sort of a bizarre “dance” similar to cowboys shooting at feet).  At some point I did get scared enough to run upstairs.  The stairway went up about six steps to a landing and then the remaining six steps were to the right… after rounding the corner at the landing, I heard a thump as a knife stuck into the back wall of the stairs behind me.  Benefit of the doubt… not intentional (perhaps just trying to maim me).  

The last example I will give is the time we were playing a sort of “Russian roulette” with a bow and arrow.  I refer you again to the fact that I was seven years younger – he was maybe 16 or 17.  Out in the field, Scott would shoot an arrow from the compound bow straight up in the air.  A few times, we would just stand in place… he could watch the arrow going up and coming down, knowing it would miss us.  I recall one sticking to the roof of a garage.   I was the one who climbed up on top to get it out and I never could dislodge the tip… I had to unscrew the arrow.  The last arrow I remember him shooting up, though, I clearly recall him yelling “RUN!” – he’d lost it!  It landed within ten-feet of us.  

Not often does one look back on his childhood and recall God’s grace in saving him from his brother’s mischiefs but I had some close calls.   Yes, my brother likely should have been in a “home for wayward boys” - he is doing much better now.  He hasn’t tried to kill me (intentionally or not) for several years now.  Of course, I’m wiser now as well.  Each of us can recall “close calls” in our own life where God spared us (perhaps not from a “loving” brother).  Even so, each next breath is significant and we should praise Him.  We should also be mindful of God’s call on our life… thinking of Paul’s words here:  “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”   I wonder if Paul had an older brother?

1. Kathie Pieper still in rehabilitation at Old Mill (may be kicked out today)
2. Janet at home & improving
3. Joyce M recovering from UTI
4. Drew, Anderson's grandson, recovering from a face surgery
5. Phyllis Shook (Danell's mom) with memory issues and moving to care home
6. Laurie H as she recovers from knee surgery
7. SSB as she prayerfully considers next steps with Jaime
8. Gonzalez family as Isabelle comes home
9. Peggy beginning a new round of infusions

10.  Gerald at some hospital ER visits last week
11.  The Robert Family (Tristan and Autumn)
12.  McFarlings as they battle the courts