Messages In a Bottle
Verse of the day for Monday April 17, 2023 – I Chronicles 28:20
20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.
Read I Chronicles 28 for meditation and inspiration.
LAKESIDE PRESBYTERIANS
CARING FOR CREATION
Dear Lakesiders and friends,
Caring for Creation is not just another Earth Day but our commitment. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God's Creation. Climate change and threatened species across our planet have already shown disastrous consequences with even more deadly risks for our children and grandchildren.
We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of His creation. The current environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored. Lakesiders are people who care and are devoted to care for God's gift of our "Good and Beautiful Earth". Scriptures for us to hold in our hearts:
Genesis 1:1-31
God made the heavens and the earth and it was good.
Genesis 2:15
Humans are commanded to care for God’s creation.
Leviticus 25:1-7
The land itself must be given a rest and not abused.
Deuteronomy 10:14
All of heaven and earth belong to the Lord.
Psalm 24:1-2
All the earth is the Lord’s.
Daniel 3:56-82
Creation proclaims the glory of God.
Matthew 6:25-34
God loves and cares for all of creation.
Romans 1:20
Creation reveals the nature of God.
1 Corinthians 10:26
Creation and all created things are inherently good because they are of the Lord.
Let us worship together SUNDAY as we remember "What a beautiful world!" In God's Love,
Roger
Verse of the day for Monday April 24, 2023 – Ecclesiastes 3:14
14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
Read Ecclesiastes 3 for meditation and inspiration.
FAITH
Dear Lakesiders and Friends,
Sometimes, we all live in Missouri, which is known as the "Show Me State!" We demand to see it before we will believe it, just as Thomas the doubting disciple demanded. Many of you remember the lines from "My Fair Lady" when Eliza turns to Professor Higgins and says, “Don't talk of stars burning above. If you're in love, SHOW me. Sing me no song, read me no rhyme. Don't waste my time, SHOW me. Don't talk of June, don't talk of Fall. Don't talk at all, SHOW me.” With apologies to the composers, I hear God saying, “Blessed are you who have not seen but yet believe, you will have a generous reward in heaven. For we must walk by faith and not by sight.”
Yes, we want to see. We want to look into the very face of Jesus just as those disciples did so long ago. If we cannot see Him, then at least let us see a real miracle from Him. Yet, no water is seen turning into wine; there is no calming of raging storms; no walking on water yet still we believe because so much of what others see as ordinary. We see the divine hand behind it all and the miracles seen in love and life, moment by moment
In Peter 1:7-9 it is recorded, "These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
You, dear Lord, do show us Your love and grace day by day
Please give us eyes to see You
Roger
Verse of the day for Monday May 1, 2023 – Daniel 3: 17-18
117 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Read Daniel 3 for meditation and inspiration.
MAID OF THE MIST
Dear Lakesiders and Friends,
Where I grew up in Ohio it was not too far to reach Niagara Falls by car and my family made the trip several times. When I had the chance, I took my two sons along with my mother to revisit that wonder of nature. It was a really great time and my mother’s last trip to the site. Now, if you have ever been to Niagara Falls, you may have seen the boat called "Maid of the Mist." One man who took a tour of the falls on that celebrated vessel said this about the experience:
“The boat headed straight for the base of the majestic falls. The closer we got, the slower we moved. Water was showering everything around us, and we couldn't hear each other over the tumultuous thunder. Suddenly, we broke through the curtain into a place of peace. Behind us, the water rolled from above and the sides. Ahead the falls were so close we sensed we could reach out for a touch. But there was a sense of peace which must be like being in the eye of a hurricane. Looking up, beautifully arched over our heads, was a rainbow. The wonder of it all filled our eyes with tears. I held my breath and listened closely, for I knew that at any moment, some great choir would break out in Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus." There was peace in the midst of the storm! There was God in the midst of the storm!”
II had the same experience during my visit to that great tumult of water coming over the lip of the falls. Yes, I, like many of you, have also had the experience of experiencing the eye of a hurricane. Both experiences give a perfect example of how God can hold our hearts and lives in a bond of peace that is truly both remarkable and beyond comprehension.
So many of us, when we experience turmoil or great loss, have said I could have never survived without my faith in God. So true for those of us who know that God is always in control and loves us with an everlasting love. So, no matter what you are facing today or will face tomorrow, always remember that you are in God’s grip – a grip that is stronger that any difficulty, challenge or even death itself.
God bless and keep you now and always,
Roger