Lent: : Giving Up

 LENT: Giving Up  
 
Self Denial is about making a sacrifice that makes a difference, focusing on the Cross and reminding ourselves what Christ gave up for us. 

Rev. Craig Gates of Jackson Mississippi has a great list of suggestions. He says we should: (quoted)



"GIVE UP grumbling! Instead, "In everything give thanks." Constructive criticism is OK, but "moaning, groaning, and complaining" are not Christian disciplines.

GIVE UP 10 to 15 minutes in bed! Instead, use that time in prayer, Bible study and personal devotion. A few minutes in prayer WILL keep you focused.

GIVE UP looking at other people's worst attributes. Instead concentrate on their best points. We all have faults. It is a lot easier to have people overlook our shortcomings when we overlook theirs first.

GIVE UP speaking unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting or to offer a smile. Why not check that sharp tongue at the door?

GIVE UP your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love. "Love covers a multitude of sins."

GIVE UP your worries and anxieties! They're too heavy for you to carry anyway. Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety is spending emotional energy on something we can do nothing about: like tomorrow! Live today and let God's grace be sufficient.

GIVE UP TV one evening a week! Instead, visit someone who's lonely or sick. There are those who are isolated by illness or age. Why isolate yourself in front of the "tube?" Give someone a precious gift: your time!

GIVE UP buying anything but essentials for yourself! Instead, give the money to God. The money you would spend on the luxuries could help someone meet basic needs. We're called to be stewards of God's riches, not consumers.

GIVE UP judging others by appearances and by the standard of the world! Instead, learn to give up yourself to God. There is only one who has the right to judge, Jesus Christ." By Rev. Craig Gates, Jackson, MS, “WHAT TO GIVE UP FOR LENT”

Read more at What To Give Up For Lent

shared by John F. Hawkins III
Interim Senior Pastor
Christ Lutheran Church
Valparaiso, Indiana

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Looking to join a Ladies Bible Study in Valparaiso, IN ? Come Join Us @ Christ Lutheran ChurchTuesday Evenings Starting 2/28/12 For "The Peace God Promises "

Come Join Us!

The Tuesday Evening Ladies Bible Study at Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, IN is starting a new book study on 2/28/12

The Peace God Promises – >

Closing The Gap Between What You Experience and What You Long For...

by  Ann Spangler

  

Read Synopsis of the description of this Book here:

We are a small group of ladies of all ages that enjoy fellowship, the study of God’s word (bring your own bible – we will share each other’s versions of scripture) and lifting up each other’s prayer requests.

Our meeting time is = 7:15 pm to 8:45 pm Room 120 on Tuesday Evenings starting February 28, 2012

Each Chapter of the Book has a separate focus on Scriptural Promises of Peace from both the Old and New Testament. The book is not cumulative, so even if you miss a week of this study, you won’t feel lost.

If you would like to join us, please sign up by calling Grace Safrin (facilitator) safrin@jorsm.com  or leave a message at Christ Lutheran Church 219-464-6660 with a call back number. 

We will be ordering the book (used- cost TBD) if you need one, please let us know when you sign up.

Read a sample Chapter of this book here

xxxx

Praying Without Ceasing ?

Pastor Hawkin’s sermon yesterday got me started thinking about praying without ceasing (the text was in Ephesians 1:16).

He talked especially about those moments in the day when my thoughts are my own, especially wait times—doctor’s offices, grocery lines, trains… for me, that might include time in front of the copier at school (I’m a teacher).

Which got me thinking about where and why I pray.

I guess I’ve known for a long time that there are parts of my life where I’m less likely to present moments to God in prayer—and I think the school setting is one of them.
It’s not that I don’t consider myself a Christian at school, just that it doesn’t occur to me as often to pray before a staff meeting, or about a student’s difficulty with reading, or as I’m planning lessons for the next week. I tend to think of those as areas I’m supposed to be handling—I am a professional, after all!

But I’m thinking that for me, praying without ceasing may mean developing a greater awareness of God at my elbow (and in my head and heart) in every moment.
It would mean losing the sense of going into any task or setting on my own powers, and instead knowing I’m always part of a team (and I’m NOT the coach!).
Naturally, as a team begins a task they discuss it.
The more often I’m mindful of God’s presence—God, in all His power, goodness, love, and wisdom—the more often I’ll be running things by Him, thanking Him, and especially listening to Him!

So I’d like to grow in this, and I’d like to hear back from anyone who might be working on the same thing.
Are there any corners of your life that you’ve recently invited God into? Times in your day when you’ve newly realized God’s there with you, too?

Am I the only one who’s so full of herself that she forgets God is always there, in every moment?!

Blessings—

Lisa Owen

Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, Indiana Welcomes New Interim Associate Pastor!

Hello!
I’m Pastor Erica Gibson-Even and I’m so very glad to be joining the Christ Lutheran Church family as Interim Associate Pastor this month.
My family and I have been thrilled to find ourselves in such a welcoming community. An area of special focus for me at CLC will be Faith Formation.
Christ Lutheran is richly blessed with ways to support growth in faith – from birth, childhood, throughout life - I am excited to see what the Spirit has in store as we continue to deepen our emphases on family ministry and our growth in discipleship as a community of faith.

Pastor Erica

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Ladies Come Join Us, New Bible Study Starts 10/25/11 -> The Tender Words of God

Come Join Us!

The Tuesday Evening Ladies Bible Study at Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, IN is starting a new book study on 10/25/11:

The Tender Words of God – by Ann Spangler

God speaks words of: Compassion, Forgiveness, Peace, Strength, Protection, Love and Mercy, Blessing and Provision, Guidance, Faithfulness, Hope and Comfort, and Healing!

Jesus is The Last, Most Tender Word.

Enjoy the journey through the Old and New Testaments where scriptures are revealed that every human longs to hear.

We are a small group of ladies of all ages that enjoy fellowship, the study of God’s word (bring your own bible – we will share each others versions of scripture) and lifting up prayer requests.

Our meeting time is= 7:15 pm to 8:45 pm Room 120 on Tuesday Evenings starting October 25, 2011

Each Chapter of the Book is on a Different WORD. The book is not cumulative, so even if you miss a week of this study, you won’t feel lost :)

If you would like to join us, please sign up  CLCValpo@frontier.com  or  call 219-462-6660

We will be ordering the book if you need one, please let us know when you sign up if you need us to order you a book also-> the cost is $13.25 new.

Gifts and Talents, A Bible Study Outline For the Nominating Committee of CLCValpo

Nominating Committee,

As we think about those who will be the leaders into the future for Christ Lutheran Church of Valparaiso, it is imperative that the Nominating Committee understand the qualities required. In the church we call those gifts and talents. These are not necessarily the same, though they may be. Paul in his first letter to his protégée Timothy spends times describing the qualities of a deacon:

 “Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the m mystery of faith with a clear conscience. And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless; let them serve as deacons. … Let deacons be married only once, and let them manage their children and their households well; for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” (1Timothy 3:8-10, 12-13)

In an understanding of the above passage, we as a church have applied this as a rule of thumb for the leadership of a congregation. Granted when Paul was writing he was referencing male leadership as that was the model for his day. However, I believe these qualities to be universal regardless of the gender of the leader. Also, we have massaged out some of this in the realization that in today’s culture not everything Paul was using as a measuring stick is useful.

When we talk about gifts and talents these are a bit more specific. Most of the information I am going to share here is from, Discovering God’s Vision For Your Life: You and Your Spiritual Gifts, developedby Kenneth C. Hauck, Tebunah Ministries, ©1998.

Dr. Hauck defines spiritual gift as:

“Spiritual gifts are unique endowments from the Holy Spirit, generously shared with Christians in community for building up the body of Christ in practical ways.”

He believes and so do I that every person is given at least one spiritual gift to use for the building up of the community of faith. Many people are endowed with several spiritual gifts as well. The one thing we as a Body of Christ can be assured of is that Jesus did not leave us bereft of all the gifts necessary to be His living presence in this community. We, the Congregation of Christ Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, Indiana, have been given all the spiritual gifts required to be about Christ’s business in God’s creation. So what are the spiritual gifts Dr. Hauck identifies? He has a group of twenty that are referenced in scripture. I will list them and the scripture references he provides as support.

1.       Proclamation – Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians12:10; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11.

2.      Servanthood – Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:5.

3.      Teaching the Faith – Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11.

4.      Encouragement – Romans 12:8.

5.      Generosity – Romans 12:8.

6.      Nurturing Leadership – Romans 12:8.

7.      Mercy ­– Romans 12:8.

8.      Wisdom – 1 Corinthians 12:8.

9.      Knowing - 1 Corinthians 12:8.

10.   Faith ­– 1 Corinthians 12:9.

11.   Healings – 1 Corinthians 12:9; 1Corinthians 12:28.

12.   Miracles – 1 Corinthians 12:10; 1Corinthians 12:28.

13.   Discernment – 1 Corinthians 12:10.

14.   Tongues – 1 Corinthians 12:10; 1Corinthians 12:28.

15.   Interpretation of Tongues – 1 Corinthians12:10; 1 Corinthians 12:30.

16.   Apostleship – 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11.

17.   Helping – 1 Corinthians 12:28.

18.  Visionary and Managing Leadership – 1Corinthians 12:28.

19.   Evangelism – Ephesians 4:11

20.   Shepherding – Ephesians 4:11

For each of these gifts as Dr. Hauck identifies them he has written up how he understands their definition. I have his whole system of gifts discernment in my library and will be more than happy to share these definitions with the Nominating Committee. I hope this is helpful and insightful as you accomplish the task of discerning the leadership for Christ Lutheran Church.

CLC Valpo

 Shalom

Pastor John

Prayer Vigil @ Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, IN on 4/12/11 Come Join Us!

On Thankful Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Let’s come together in prayer, filled with thankfulness for 32 years of faithful ministry to CLC from Pastor Jerry W. Castleman
Pr. Castleman will retire after Mothers Day in May. May Almighty God continue to bless Pastor and his family during his retirement.


We Invite You to Join Us to Ask for God's Blessings and Lift Up Those in Need by attending a

Public Prayer Vigil
on
Tuesday, April 12

anytime between
9:00 am to 9:00 pm
at the
New Sanctuary of

Christ Lutheran Church
2610 N. Campbell St. Valparaiso, IN 46385
Map

219-462-6660 or clcvalpo@frontier.com


Please commit to participating on this Thankful Tuesday
in the Sanctuary
or in your heart
at a specific time of your choosing.

Come Join Us, All are Welcome Here!

Christ Lutheran Church serves as a Great Commission congregation

Christ Lutheran Church serves as a Great Commission congregation.

· We love our neighbors who need our help inside and outside of the church.

· We attempt to invite those who are “disconnected” from Jesus Christ or from a church home to join us in loving God and loving our neighbors.

We begin by realizing what only God can do, and then what we can do. Only God, the triune God, can convince people of their need for a Savior, forgive sin, give faith, bring people to repentance and conversion, and give people lasting peace and hope.

We can model Christ’s love by building relationships based on trust and caring, and helping others to meet their needs in a culture, where Christian service and friendship can make a huge difference. If our lives reflect more love and caring, then more people would be encouraged, empowered and equipped to act in neighborly ways.

It’s about WE. We will pray. We will invite. We will serve gladly. We will shine!

We will pray, in Jesus’ name, for people “disconnected” from Christ or a church home.

We will pray, in Jesus’ name, that the work of Satan in our community will not disunite more lives.

We will pray, in Jesus’ name, that God’s love will shine through us so that others see that God is good.

We will invite people to meet Jesus with us.

We will pray that the Holy Spirit will be active in all hearts -- to soften the hard-hearted and to ignite the believers to shine the love of Jesus.

We will pray that the Holy Spirit will open all eyes and ears to God’s word and the love of Christ.

We will invite people to come for worship and to serve gladly and help others.

We will pray, in Jesus’ name, to shine God’s love to make new friends and build caring relationships in our community.

We will pray that the Holy Spirit will give people confidence to “connect” with Christ in this congregation.

We will pray that the Holy Spirit will ignite the light of Jesus to shine on others in this congregation and in the community -- to serve gladly and to help others.

It’s about WE. We invite you . . .

· We invite you to an all day public PRAYER VIGIL on Tuesday, April 14. We will welcome you to Christ Lutheran’s new sanctuary -- joining others in the Valparaiso community to thank God for the faithful service of Pastor Jerry Castleman, who will retire on Mothers Day. Pastor Castleman has served as a Pastor of the Great Commission at Christ Lutheran for 32 years. Also, this is an occasion to ask almighty God to continue to look on Pastor, and his family, with grace and favor.

Karen Seykowski - Evangelism Chair, CLCValpo

Prayers For Svitlana Mayboroda and her Missionary Ministry work in Russia!

At our Tuesday Evening Ladies Bible Study @CLCValpo we had a special guest visitor.

Svitlana Mayboroda is a Christian Missionary who visits state orphanages in Khabarovsk, Russia bringing children the word of God and Bibles (Bibles For Russia).
In winter, she travels from Khabarovsk to remote parts of Siberia on frozen river beds to deliver the word of God!

It was fitting that she came and shared her ministry (including many photos)with us the week we studied Yahweh Tsuri - The LORD is My Rock.


Sveta's work is challenging, needing a firm foundation of faith and prayer that only God can provide...and he does!

We were blessed by her story and thankful for people like her who devote their lives to spreading God's word to children who have no homes.

Please keep Sveta and her missionary work in your prayers.

Mary of Nazareth–A Musical Dramatization by Keri Burman Yadah Praise Productions @ CLCValpo- Public Welcome!

Mary of Nazareth – A Musical Dramatization by Keri Burman of
Yadah Praise Productions @
Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, IN 46385 on Tuesday, 12/7/10 @ 7pm – Public Welcome!

If you attended the presentations of Queen Esther, or Mary Magdalene, then mark your calendars, because you won’t want to miss Keri Burman of Yadah Praise Productions perform a Musical Dramatization of Mary of Nazareth!

Through songs and monologues,

one woman tells the story of the birth and death of the Savior of the World.

Scripture:

Matthew 1:18-25,

Luke 1:26-38, 46-55, 2:1-52

Songs:

"Sing We Now of Christmas"

"Mary, Sweet Mary"

"Breath of Heaven"

"My Son or My Savior"

"Bethlehem Morning"

Come join us on Tuesday Evening, December 7th at 7:00 pm for this 45 minute presentation in the sanctuary followed by refreshments (Homemade Christmas Cookies) in our gathering space!

There is no charge to attend - (free will offerings for Keri Burman are appreciated).
We just ask you RSVP in advance by Sunday 12/5/10.
To RSVP please call Paula Starek at Christ Lutheran Church. tel # 219-462-6660 or
or email - >
CLCValpo@frontier.com

Come Join Us...All are welcome here!

Christ Lutheran Church is located @ 2610 North Campbell St. in Valparaiso, IN 46385

Follow us @ CLCValpo on Twitter, Facebook, You-Tube or our Website or BLOG

The Meaning of the Hand Crafted Stained Glass Windows in our New Sanctuary at Christ Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, IN

We Are Blessed to have members of Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, IN that have time and talents to do wonderful things, like Design, Create and Install the stained glass windows in our new sanctuary! Won't you join us on Sundays in worship and experience the beauty for yourselves. All are welcome here! Until then, here is the story behind the meaning of each window behind the altar......

WINDOW OF THE COVENANT

God creates! And sheds his Spirit to be with those created in his image, man and woman. He establishes his Covenant with his chosen people Israel, whose twelve tribes are represented in the central motif. The deep blue at the bottom of the design recalls the waters of Creation, the triangular section in red names the tribe of Judah from which shall come The King of Kings, the green and gold tell of the richness of life that God has promised to his people.








WINDOW OF MESSIANIC PROMISE

This is the Jesse Tree - the family tree of Christ -deriving front Isaiah's prophecy of the coming Messiah from the royal line (Judah) of David (Star of David motif): "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots". This motif has a rich historical place in stained glass story-telling, dating back to the first half of the twelfth century, Christ's words "I am the vine, you are the branches" underline the basic, all-embracing metaphor of the root and branch of salvation. Hope for an errant Creation!







WINDOW OF BROKENNESS

God's giving of the Law is seen as a scroll, a scroll torn by Israel as they refuse to obey the perfect plan given to them. Brokenness results between people and God, between one with another. The rich gold is infiltrated by the murky brown and one can only perceive through the glass darkly. The center of all of this is hope in the promise of God to all of his children that nothing can separate them from his love. The blue and red burn with hope and the promise of salvation from sin.








WINDOW OF DESPAIR


The Chosen turn their backs on God, and in despair, know destruction, death, and hell. Alone, colorless, transparent, distorted. Here are a people and individuals without purpose - or God. The rich gold is dimmed, but still surrounds, the deep blue envelopes the experience of despair. God, however, forgets not His promises and so the deep blue is also of a gracious, loving Father, The Spirit and the hope persist, at the center of it all.

WINDOW OF EUCHARISTIC J0Y

With the chalice we remember: "This is my body, this is my blood...given for you". The new life is now nourished. The risen Christ shares our new life and by his presence we live and move and have our being. The deep blue of hope is framed here by the sacrificial red of Christ's own blood, poured out for us for the forgiveness of our sins. The chalice set within the green of new life proclaims the resurrected Lord and Savior.

WINDOW OF BAPTISMAL LIFE


The Spirit and waters of Creation are restored to all of God's people. We are re-created and receive new life through God's gift of Baptism. He comes to offer abundant life and tells us that he is the light of the world. Whoever believes this shall have everlasting life. The gold shines with un-marred intensity!

WINDOW OF LIFE

A mirror image of' One West - the believer becomes as Christ: God's image on earth for service. The life with God is a life of hope and joy, committed to God's people, and anticipating the life to come. Life everlasting is expressed by the up-turned face, the uplifted hands. The beginning and ending (alpha and omega) of Christian living is in love toward God and Neighbor.

WINDOW OF FULFILLMENT


Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, becomes the son that God intended Israel to be. He becomes God's image to serve, not to be served. The symbol above the Christ figure's head is the triquetra and circle, demonstrating the continuous indivisibility of the Holy Trinity. As the light shines through this figure of Jesus, son of man, notice how his face, upturned in praise and adoration of his Father in heaven, is illumined by that "light" from above.

-
Barbara Clements, 1985



The project committee was comprised of these three workers:



Barbara Clements - design, and project director

Debra Stack - glass craft

Bernhard Bittorf - installation and advisor

These windows will give worshipers inspiration for decades to come. Let us give thanks unto the Lord for His goodness!

Feel free to visit us on the web at the following sites:

http://www.clcvalpo.org/

http://www.clcvalpo.blogspot.com/

www.facebook.com/people/Christ-Lutheran-Church/1383698108

www.twitter.com/clcvalpo

www.youtube.com/clcvalpo