October 2024 - Volume 56 - Number 10
Can You Believe? I Can’t Believe!
Have you noticed how the older we get, the more often we use one of those phrases to express our surprise at something that is normal? For example, have you heard yourself saying that in any of these scenarios?
• Can you believe it’s October already?
• Can you believe how big the baby has gotten (after one year)?
• I can’t believe she is ten years old already.
• I can’t believe I will be seventy-five in three months!
• Can you believe how short/good/interesting/insightful/challenging the sermon was? (Okay, it may have been a while since you said any of those.)
• Fill in your own “I can’t believe it!” statement.
• I can’t believe Christmas decorations are in the stores already! (I once suggested we should adopt one holiday for the final three months of the year—Hal-giving-mas. But recently, Hal has received much more attention, -giving is down to -gv, and -mas is MAS, as everyone expects Christmas to be the salvation of the economy for the year.)
• I can’t believe it is time to nominate people for the church board!
Why are we so surprised (for most of these statements)? October comes around the same time every year. Babies get bigger each year. People have a birthday every year. It happens, whether we believe it or not, or whether we want it to happen or not. Some things that seem to surprise ought not surprise us. Perhaps the greater surprise is that we are surprised when these natural events occur.
Here is a question from a different slant. Has God ever surprised you? Months follow the same months each year. We get bigger and older each year. Christmas is always on December 25. You can count on it. But God is not that predictable. He often surprises us with blessings when we least expect them, but most often need them. I am curious. How has God surprised you? Not necessarily recently, but at any time in your life, or even several times. If you would like, send me a text at 660-676-7732 (and please include your name, I do not recognize all the phone numbers), or email me at richfordyce49@gmail.com and let me know of a time(s) when God surprised you. As we reflect on these surprises from God, we may wind up agreeing with the words from the old hymn, “and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
Sermons. This month, we transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament. I can hear some of you breathing a sigh of relief. Some of the Old Testament has been difficult to read. Some of it has been even more difficult to preach from. But we got through it. I hope some of the readings and sermons reminded you of stories you already knew. I hope some gave you new information and insight into the stories we know from the New Testament. Remember the words of Paul, all Scripture is inspired and profitable. When he wrote those words, the only Scripture he had was what we know as the Old Testament. I pray the readings and sermons have been profitable to your understanding of God and how he controlled the movement of history to the birth of his Son.
Looking Ahead. Each year, Camp Point celebrates Christmas in the Village. While not all the focus in on the birth of Christ, it is a good time for us to transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This year, Christmas in the Village is on December 6. Once again, we are hosting a soup dinner in our basement. We also have the opportunity to have a float in the parade to remind people of the true meaning of Christmas. The music that used to be performed in the upstairs of the Bailey House will be performed in our auditorium.
It could be a busy night for our building and people. Do you know what we need? We need people to say, “I will be in charge of that project.” Being in charge does not mean you have to do it all, but that you will coordinate the effort by getting other people involved, and it means doing it far enough in advance, so we are not panicking on December 6. Is this something that you would enjoy doing? Text me or email me that you would like to be involved by coordinating the event.
Thanks for reading,
Rick
Have you noticed how the older we get, the more often we use one of those phrases to express our surprise at something that is normal? For example, have you heard yourself saying that in any of these scenarios?
• Can you believe it’s October already?
• Can you believe how big the baby has gotten (after one year)?
• I can’t believe she is ten years old already.
• I can’t believe I will be seventy-five in three months!
• Can you believe how short/good/interesting/insightful/challenging the sermon was? (Okay, it may have been a while since you said any of those.)
• Fill in your own “I can’t believe it!” statement.
• I can’t believe Christmas decorations are in the stores already! (I once suggested we should adopt one holiday for the final three months of the year—Hal-giving-mas. But recently, Hal has received much more attention, -giving is down to -gv, and -mas is MAS, as everyone expects Christmas to be the salvation of the economy for the year.)
• I can’t believe it is time to nominate people for the church board!
Why are we so surprised (for most of these statements)? October comes around the same time every year. Babies get bigger each year. People have a birthday every year. It happens, whether we believe it or not, or whether we want it to happen or not. Some things that seem to surprise ought not surprise us. Perhaps the greater surprise is that we are surprised when these natural events occur.
Here is a question from a different slant. Has God ever surprised you? Months follow the same months each year. We get bigger and older each year. Christmas is always on December 25. You can count on it. But God is not that predictable. He often surprises us with blessings when we least expect them, but most often need them. I am curious. How has God surprised you? Not necessarily recently, but at any time in your life, or even several times. If you would like, send me a text at 660-676-7732 (and please include your name, I do not recognize all the phone numbers), or email me at richfordyce49@gmail.com and let me know of a time(s) when God surprised you. As we reflect on these surprises from God, we may wind up agreeing with the words from the old hymn, “and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
Sermons. This month, we transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament. I can hear some of you breathing a sigh of relief. Some of the Old Testament has been difficult to read. Some of it has been even more difficult to preach from. But we got through it. I hope some of the readings and sermons reminded you of stories you already knew. I hope some gave you new information and insight into the stories we know from the New Testament. Remember the words of Paul, all Scripture is inspired and profitable. When he wrote those words, the only Scripture he had was what we know as the Old Testament. I pray the readings and sermons have been profitable to your understanding of God and how he controlled the movement of history to the birth of his Son.
Looking Ahead. Each year, Camp Point celebrates Christmas in the Village. While not all the focus in on the birth of Christ, it is a good time for us to transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This year, Christmas in the Village is on December 6. Once again, we are hosting a soup dinner in our basement. We also have the opportunity to have a float in the parade to remind people of the true meaning of Christmas. The music that used to be performed in the upstairs of the Bailey House will be performed in our auditorium.
It could be a busy night for our building and people. Do you know what we need? We need people to say, “I will be in charge of that project.” Being in charge does not mean you have to do it all, but that you will coordinate the effort by getting other people involved, and it means doing it far enough in advance, so we are not panicking on December 6. Is this something that you would enjoy doing? Text me or email me that you would like to be involved by coordinating the event.
Thanks for reading,
Rick
YOUTH
