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Each month's newsletter is posted here. Previous month's issues can be found in the archives.
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Church of God Faith Fellowship
www.churchofgodfaithfellowship.com
July 2024 - Vol. 24, No. 7
Meeting place: Gray Summit United Methodist Church
Calendar Notes:
🐈 July 13th - We’re upstairs; Community breakfast and rummage sale staging in the Fellowship Hall
Women’s Heart to Heart - Jeanie facilitating
🐈 July 20th - We’re upstairs; Family reunion in Fellowship Hall
🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈
We Will See Him
by Cynthia Saladin
I couldn’t believe my eyes! I was walking the dog and the cat up the hill one morning this week. I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. A pretty black and white striped “kitty” was scampering up the hill into the trees. Yikes! That’s not something I wanted Pepper to see. Thankfully, he didn’t and he was more than willing to come when I called. He was less than enthusiastic about his walk being cut short, but he was mollified with a treat.
I had never actually seen a live skunk in the wild before. I’ve seen lots of dead ones - and smelled more than I’ve seen. So it got me thinking about sight and vision and another experience I recently had.
I just got new glasses. Without glasses, I see distances with my right eye and midrange distances with my left eye. I can get along without glasses until it’s time to read something. If I don’t wear glasses all the time, I’m constantly searching for where I might have left them. So I decided a pair of progressives was worth the cost. But it was tricky getting the lenses ground correctly so that I can use both eyes.
But it was in checking out the glasses - to see if they really are balanced and if they really are an improvement - that I had another experience with sight. The lenses really do sharpen my vision and it’s better with them than without them. But the lenses color everything just a little, making the colors more vibrant.
It made me think of the disclaimers that people now have to put on their photos. “These were the actual colors! I didn’t add any filters!” In this age of AI, optical illusions, and retouching/air brushing, you can’t really tell what is real and what has been modified by man. So, in reality, you really can’t believe your eyes. You find yourself wondering, “Did I really see a skunk?”
Then last night, Ron and I were standing next to the Honda with the hood open. We were talking. Suddenly, Ron said, “Did you see the light flash?” I hadn’t, but I hadn’t been looking directly at it either. We continued our discussion and it happened again. Again, I hadn’t seen the flash. But now I was worried that maybe Ron had a tear in his retina. So I focused on the car. It was a relief when the light came on! Again, however, the phrase popped into my head: I couldn’t believe my eyes. And who knew that the car would flash its lights if the hood was open too long? These new fangled inventions!!
Here, in very short succession, I experienced three different events where I couldn’t believe my eyes. Is God telling me something? Am I being warned to be on alert not to be deceived? We know there’s a warning from Jesus in Matthew 24:24, "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” It certainly sounds like the deception involves what we see. It only makes sense, then, that the song which is currently playing in my head is “Open My Eyes That I May See.” I also thought about 1 John 3:2 “. . . we will see Him as He is.” I’m looking forward to the day when we will see Jesus our Messiah and deception will be gone along with tears and sorrow and pain and death. O.K. now I’m singing “What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see . . .”
🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈
The Fervent Prayer of a Righteous Cat Avails Much by Bill Stough
It was 11:30 p.m. when we first heard the pleading cry of the lost and frightened cat outside our bedroom.
“Meow, meow, . . . MEOOOW,” it cried over and over.
My wife Scarlett and I were exceedingly tired, but it was clear someone had dumped an unwanted kitten near our country
home. That cat looked for human help and recognized people were inside our window.
In exhaustion, we closed the window and slept lightly until morning. By that time, the young cat had found a place in our nearby storage shed. It continued to cry for help.
I had to go to work. Scarlett went out and cared for the young cat. She fed it food, which it gulped down. The cat then wanted to be petted and have endless attention. He purred and purred. He cuddled up to her and followed her everywhere she went.
The cat longed to be wanted. He wanted someone to care for him and was so responsive when petted and given attention.
We could not ignore the cat and let him go. He had sought help from someone in his great need. He had, in effect, been praying to us. It was not possible for us to leave him to starve when he so earnestly and persistently cried out to us for help, Was God showing us something about Himself?
So often when we pray, we wonder whether God will hear us. I have thought, “Why would God hear me? I’m not worth it. I am not righteous enough.” But here I was seeing things from the side of the one that hears the prayers. The cat was persistent. He kept crying out for what he needed. He was lost, abandoned, and needed to be loved. The cat was humble and scared. Scarlett and I were deeply moved by that cat. He was teaching us about prayer, showing us what moves God.
If we feel a great need and keep crying out to God in prayer, He can’t turn us away. The God who made us knows what caring really means. He is more moved by our pleas than we are for a needy animal.
Scarlett and I were unable to keep the cat because she had developed allergies to cat dander. So we found home for him. But I still think about that cat when I pray. I now have a better grasp of how God feels about my prayers.
Related Scriptures:
*James 5:16 - The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
*Matthew 10:29-31 - God even cares about sparrows. We are worth more.
*Luke 18:1-8 - Pray always. Do not give up. The persistent widow kept coming.
*Luke 18:9-14 - The publican was heard because he knew he needed God.
*1 Peter 5:5-7 - God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Cast your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Sabbath School
🐈 Sabbath, July 6th - "The Lord will watch over your life no matter where you go, both now and forevermore.” - Psalm 121:8 (NIrV)
🐈 Sabbath, July 13th - "Like a good soldier of Christ Jesus, share in the hard times with us." - 2 Timothy 2:3 (NIrV)
🐈 Sabbath, July 20th - "You are my hiding place. You will keep me safe from trouble.” - Psalm 32:7 (NIrV)
🐈 Sabbath, July 27th - "My people, listen to my teaching. Pay attention to what I say" - Psalm 78:1 (NIrV).
www.churchofgodfaithfellowship.com
July 2024 - Vol. 24, No. 7
Meeting place: Gray Summit United Methodist Church
Calendar Notes:
🐈 July 13th - We’re upstairs; Community breakfast and rummage sale staging in the Fellowship Hall
Women’s Heart to Heart - Jeanie facilitating
🐈 July 20th - We’re upstairs; Family reunion in Fellowship Hall
🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈
We Will See Him
by Cynthia Saladin
I couldn’t believe my eyes! I was walking the dog and the cat up the hill one morning this week. I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. A pretty black and white striped “kitty” was scampering up the hill into the trees. Yikes! That’s not something I wanted Pepper to see. Thankfully, he didn’t and he was more than willing to come when I called. He was less than enthusiastic about his walk being cut short, but he was mollified with a treat.
I had never actually seen a live skunk in the wild before. I’ve seen lots of dead ones - and smelled more than I’ve seen. So it got me thinking about sight and vision and another experience I recently had.
I just got new glasses. Without glasses, I see distances with my right eye and midrange distances with my left eye. I can get along without glasses until it’s time to read something. If I don’t wear glasses all the time, I’m constantly searching for where I might have left them. So I decided a pair of progressives was worth the cost. But it was tricky getting the lenses ground correctly so that I can use both eyes.
But it was in checking out the glasses - to see if they really are balanced and if they really are an improvement - that I had another experience with sight. The lenses really do sharpen my vision and it’s better with them than without them. But the lenses color everything just a little, making the colors more vibrant.
It made me think of the disclaimers that people now have to put on their photos. “These were the actual colors! I didn’t add any filters!” In this age of AI, optical illusions, and retouching/air brushing, you can’t really tell what is real and what has been modified by man. So, in reality, you really can’t believe your eyes. You find yourself wondering, “Did I really see a skunk?”
Then last night, Ron and I were standing next to the Honda with the hood open. We were talking. Suddenly, Ron said, “Did you see the light flash?” I hadn’t, but I hadn’t been looking directly at it either. We continued our discussion and it happened again. Again, I hadn’t seen the flash. But now I was worried that maybe Ron had a tear in his retina. So I focused on the car. It was a relief when the light came on! Again, however, the phrase popped into my head: I couldn’t believe my eyes. And who knew that the car would flash its lights if the hood was open too long? These new fangled inventions!!
Here, in very short succession, I experienced three different events where I couldn’t believe my eyes. Is God telling me something? Am I being warned to be on alert not to be deceived? We know there’s a warning from Jesus in Matthew 24:24, "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” It certainly sounds like the deception involves what we see. It only makes sense, then, that the song which is currently playing in my head is “Open My Eyes That I May See.” I also thought about 1 John 3:2 “. . . we will see Him as He is.” I’m looking forward to the day when we will see Jesus our Messiah and deception will be gone along with tears and sorrow and pain and death. O.K. now I’m singing “What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see . . .”
🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈
The Fervent Prayer of a Righteous Cat Avails Much by Bill Stough
It was 11:30 p.m. when we first heard the pleading cry of the lost and frightened cat outside our bedroom.
“Meow, meow, . . . MEOOOW,” it cried over and over.
My wife Scarlett and I were exceedingly tired, but it was clear someone had dumped an unwanted kitten near our country
home. That cat looked for human help and recognized people were inside our window.
In exhaustion, we closed the window and slept lightly until morning. By that time, the young cat had found a place in our nearby storage shed. It continued to cry for help.
I had to go to work. Scarlett went out and cared for the young cat. She fed it food, which it gulped down. The cat then wanted to be petted and have endless attention. He purred and purred. He cuddled up to her and followed her everywhere she went.
The cat longed to be wanted. He wanted someone to care for him and was so responsive when petted and given attention.
We could not ignore the cat and let him go. He had sought help from someone in his great need. He had, in effect, been praying to us. It was not possible for us to leave him to starve when he so earnestly and persistently cried out to us for help, Was God showing us something about Himself?
So often when we pray, we wonder whether God will hear us. I have thought, “Why would God hear me? I’m not worth it. I am not righteous enough.” But here I was seeing things from the side of the one that hears the prayers. The cat was persistent. He kept crying out for what he needed. He was lost, abandoned, and needed to be loved. The cat was humble and scared. Scarlett and I were deeply moved by that cat. He was teaching us about prayer, showing us what moves God.
If we feel a great need and keep crying out to God in prayer, He can’t turn us away. The God who made us knows what caring really means. He is more moved by our pleas than we are for a needy animal.
Scarlett and I were unable to keep the cat because she had developed allergies to cat dander. So we found home for him. But I still think about that cat when I pray. I now have a better grasp of how God feels about my prayers.
Related Scriptures:
*James 5:16 - The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
*Matthew 10:29-31 - God even cares about sparrows. We are worth more.
*Luke 18:1-8 - Pray always. Do not give up. The persistent widow kept coming.
*Luke 18:9-14 - The publican was heard because he knew he needed God.
*1 Peter 5:5-7 - God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Cast your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Sabbath School
🐈 Sabbath, July 6th - "The Lord will watch over your life no matter where you go, both now and forevermore.” - Psalm 121:8 (NIrV)
🐈 Sabbath, July 13th - "Like a good soldier of Christ Jesus, share in the hard times with us." - 2 Timothy 2:3 (NIrV)
🐈 Sabbath, July 20th - "You are my hiding place. You will keep me safe from trouble.” - Psalm 32:7 (NIrV)
🐈 Sabbath, July 27th - "My people, listen to my teaching. Pay attention to what I say" - Psalm 78:1 (NIrV).