A Musing for February 16

Perhaps you’ve heard about …
… the fellow who forgot about Valentine’s Day. His wife was really angry. She told him, "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE!!"
The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife awakened, she looked out the window and there was a small, gift-wrapped box lying in the driveway.
Confused, the wife put on her robe, ran outside and brought the box back in the house. Hopeful about what might be inside, she opened it and she saw a brand new bathroom scale.
Unfortunately, no one’s heard from the man since.

I’m thankful for a God who gives us good gifts (Matthew 7:7-11).

I HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT VALENTINE’S DAY
I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT
We played “The Price is Right” in worship. Some of the kids were pretty good at guessing the prices of the items. It’s nice to see that some haven’t fully entered into our materialistic world. Most of us know the value of “things,” and God wants to be sure we realize the value of eternal things. Jesus doesn’t want us to be confused about what is important in life. He taught that devoting your life to seeking wealth, happiness, and popularity will leave you empty. We need to put Jesus first. God’s love is priceless; for everything else there is the Master.

KIDS TOGETHER
I appreciate Dustin and Rory Flay’s service as leaders in Kids Together this week. We had seven children. Melissa brought her friend Bianca. It’s great to see the children bring their friends to church; we could learn something from them.

We talked about things that make us happy. Hopefully the kids understood that true happiness comes in knowing Jesus. We sang the old standby “If you’re happy and you know it.”

This coming Sunday we will talk about mountain top experiences. What can we learn from those really great moments of life? Natalie and Ezria Heaps will be our leaders this week.

NURSERY
Wendy Reid and Danielle Burkett were in the nursery this week. Each week there are two nursery workers scheduled; if only one is needed they can decide who will stay. Betti Sharpe and Sally Blagg are our nursery volunteers for February 18.

KIDS CLUB
The Kids Club will begin on February 25. Children grades 3 to 7 will meet from 6:00 to 7:30 every Sunday evening during lent. The program will be a combination of Bible Study, crafts, games, activities and a social ministry project. Pray that everything will come together.

SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS FOR PARENTS
This week we’re taking a break. The theme is “God’s Word for Parents!” Sunday we talked about difficult children. Ancient Israel had them; we have them. On February 25 we will continue the class with the theme of discipline. “Spare the rod and spoil the child” is a paraphrase from the book of Proverbs. How do we understand this issue today? What does Jesus have to say about discipline of children? The class is for parents, grandparents, those hoping to be parents, and anyone interested are invited to participate. We meet Sundays at 9:45 am in Room 2. Bring the kids; we have classes for them as well.

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." - Frederick Douglas (African-American advisor to President Lincoln)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS
This has been a week full of unexpected things. You may be aware that my 2 year old grandson, Daniel, was hospitalized last Sunday. He had surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Tuesday evening (in the midst of our winter storm) and he is on his way to recovery. Daniels’s 7 month old sister, Hannah, has been with Francesca and me all week. We thank the Lord that Daniel is doing well; please pray for a full recovery. Pray for Daniel’s parents, Bethany and Steve.

May you feel our Lord’s love in your lives this week and always.

Pastor Steve

This Week’s Motto: Amor tussisque non celantur (“Love, and a cough, are not concealed” by Ovid, a Roman poet who was banished by Caesar Augustus to a town on the Black Sea in 8 AD)

Disclaimer: That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. These are my musings concerning the Children’s Ministries of our church. If I said something that is incorrect or offensive, don’t complain to others, just tell me.