It was a beautiful day to worship the Lord on Sunday! Attendance was down but we were still blessed with new people in our service once again. Keep making an effort to welcome all those who are visiting with us. If you see any of our members that weren’t here, be sure to let them know you missed them.

 We have been blessed with inspiring messages from God’s word by Gary Edwards over the last few months. We have one more week to hear him as our interim minister. Don’t miss his message this coming Sunday. This week he spoke about so many churches that are closing their doors. There are more churches closing their doors than new churches opening doors. Gary used KJV: Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is now vision the people perish.” What are the goals of our church? Do we have a vision? Do we have a mission statement? It is the dreams and vision of our church that determines what is going to happen to the growth of our church.

  Have you ever received a “Memo” from your boss? The vision of our church comes from Christ’s Word in a “MEMO FROM JESUS” to the Ladoga Christian Church. “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:18-20. It is important for this church to reach out to everyone that lives in this community.

  “Memorial Day” is this Monday, May 27. This is a day that we recognize the fallen soldiers and loved ones. Ladoga will celebrate Memorial Day with a breakfast at the Old Normal from 7:30-11:00am. Following the breakfast at 11:30 there will be a Memorial Service at the Ladoga Cemetery.

  The month of June is coming quickly. It is filled with a lot of activities. Nathan and his family will be starting their service to the Lord with us on June 2. Watch for more information on the activities that are coming up.

  We look forward to seeing you Sunday as we gather for worship. May God bless you with a wonderful week.

Final RUNTS ended with a fantastic show from Animalia.

65 in attendance enjoyed his kid friendly animal show.

Thanks to all who provided refreshments and helped throughout the year.

RUNTS Summer Camp will start after VBS.

If you haven’t signed your child up call me at 307-8401.

To God be the glory.

Vol. 12-19                                        Sharing  and  Caring                                  May 19, 2013

Compiled  from  input  by  friends  and  our  church  family  at  Ladoga  Christian  Church 

NINETEEN SOMETHINGS TO SAY TO CHILDREN

1.   I love you! There is nothing that will make me stop loving you. Nothing  you could do

            or say or think will ever change that.

2.   You are amazing! I look at you with wonder! Not just at what you can do,  but who you are.

            There is no one like you. No one!

3.   It's all right to cry. People cry for all kinds of reasons: when they are hurt, sad, glad, or worried;

            when they are angry, afraid, or lonely.  Big people cry too. I do.

4.   You've made a mistake. That was wrong. People make mistakes. I do. Is it something we can fix?

            What can we do? It's all over. You can start fresh. I know you are sorry. I forgive you.

5.   You did the right thing. That was scary or hard. Even though it wasn't easy, you did it.

            I am proud of you; you should be too.

6.   I'm sorry. Forgive me. I made a mistake.     7.   I missed you. I think about you when we are not together!

8.   You can change your mind. It's good to decide, but it is also fine to change.

9.   What a great idea! You were really thinking! How did you come up with  that?

            Tell me more. Your mind is clever!

10.   That was kind. You did something helpful and thoughtful for that person. 

            That must make you feel good inside. Thank you!

11.   I've a surprise for you. It's not your birthday. For no reason at all. Just a surprise, a little one, but a surprise.

12.   I can wait. We have time. You don't have to hurry this time.

13.   What would you like to do? It's your turn to pick. You have great ideas.

            It's important to follow your special interests.

14.   Tell me about it. I'd like to hear more. And then what happened? I'll listen.

15.   I'm right here. I won't leave without saying good-bye. I am watching you. I am listening to you.

16.   Please and Thank You. These are important words. If I forget to use them, will you remind me?

17.   Just try. A little bit. One taste, one step. You might like it.  I'll help you if you need it. I think you can do it.

18.   I'll help you. I heard you call me, here I am. How can I help you? If we both work together,

            we can get this done. I know you can do it by yourself, but I'm glad to help since you asked.

19.   What do you wish for? Even if it's not yet time for birthday candles and we don't have a wishbone,

            it's still fun to hear about what you wish  for, hope for, and dream about    -- Author Unknown

Brothers in the Lord: Philemon 1:16 He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.   Now we get a little more of this story between Paul, Onesimus and Philemon. Sounds as tho there was a slave situation going on here. But whatever happened to Onesimus status in life he had become a working brother in the faith with Paul. We should all strive to become workable brothers and sisters in the faith.

Prayers and Thoughts:  Remember our soldiers that are making sacrifices for our country. Remember our church as we transition to our new minister Nathan Powell.   Remember Paul and Stacey Leonard in Turkey.

JESUS IN THE HOUSE

     One day he decided to invite the Lord to come home and stay with him. When the Lord arrived, this young man offered him the very best room in the house.  The room was upstairs and at the end of the hall.  "This room is yours, Jesus! Stay as long as you like and you can do whatever you want to in this room, remember Jesus, its all yours."  That evening after he had retired for the night there came a loud knocking at the front door. The young man pulled on his robe and made his way downstairs. When he opened the door he found that the devil had sent three of his demons to attack the man. He quickly tried to close the door but one of the demons kept sticking his foot in.

     Sometime later, after a great struggle, he managed to slam the door shut and returned to his room totally exhausted. Can you believe that," the man thought. Jesus is upstairs in my very best room sleeping while I am down here battling demons. Oh, well, maybe he just didn't hear. He slept fitfully that night. The next day thing went along as normal and, being tired as he was, the young man retired early that evening. Along about

 JESUS IN THE HOUSE  midnight, there came such a terrible ruckus at the front door that the young man was sure that whatever it was would tear the door down. He stumbled down the stairs once again and opened the door to find that were dozens of demons now trying to get into his beautiful home. For more than three hours he fought and struggled against the demons from hell, and finally overtook them enough to shut the door against their attack.  All energy seemed to fail him. He really didn't understand this at all.  Why won't the Lord come to my rescue? Why does he allow me to fight all by myself? I feel so alone. Troubled, he found his way to the sofa and fell into a restless sleep.

     The next morning he decided to inquire of the Lord about the happenings of the last two evenings.  Quietly he made his way to the elegant bedroom where he had left Jesus.  "Jesus," he called as he tapped at the door. "Lord, I don't understand what is happening. For the last two nights I have had to fight the demons away from my door while you laid up here sleeping.  Don't you care about me?  Did I not give you the very best room in the house?" He could see the tears building in Jesus' eyes but continued on, "I just don't understand, I really thought that once I invited you in to live with me that you would take care of me and I gave you the best room in my house and everything. What more can I do?" "My precious child," Jesus spoke so softly. "I do love and care for you.  I protect all that you have released into my care. But, when you invited me to come here and stay, you brought me to this lovely room and you shut the door to the rest of your house. I am Lord of this room but I am not Master of this house. I have protected this room and no demon may enter here."

     "Oh, Lord, please forgive me. Take all of my house -- it is yours. I am so sorry that I never offered you all to begin with. I want you to have control of everything."  With this he flung open the bedroom door and knelt at Jesus' feet. "Please forgive me Lord for being so selfish."  Jesus smiled and told him that He had already forgiven him and that He would take care of things from now on. That night as the young man prepared for bed he thought, I wonder if those demons will return, I am so tired of fighting them each and every night. But, he knew that Jesus said that he would take care of things from now on. Along about midnight the banging on the door was frightening. The young man slipped out of his room in time to see Jesus going down the stairs.  He watched in awe as Jesus swung open the door, no need to be afraid. Satan stood at the door, this time demanding to be let in.  "What do you want, satan?"  the Lord asked. The devil bowed low in the presence of the Lord,  "So sorry, I seem to have gotten the wrong address."  And with that, he and the demons all ran away.

     There is a moral to this tale. Jesus wants all of you, not just a part. He will take all that you give Him, but nothing more. How much of your heart have you given to the Lord? Are you keeping a portion of it away from Him? Perhaps the attacks are coming more and more each day. Why not let the Lord fight the battles for you? He is always victorious. I have found that God made man simple, all of man's complexities are of his own devising.-- Author Unknown                                                   Judge  Gently

Pray, don't find fault with the man that limps  Or stumbles along the road.

Unless you have worn the shoes he wears  Or struggled beneath his load.

There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt  Though hidden away from view.

Or the burden he bears placed on your back  Might cause you to stumble too.

Don't sneer at the man who's down today  Unless you have felt the blow

That caused his fall or felt the shame  That only the fallen know.

You may be strong but still the blow  That was his if dealt to you

In the selfsame way, at the selfsame time  Might cause you to stagger too.

Don't be too harsh with the man that sins  Or pelt him with word or stone

Unless you are sure - yea, doubly sure -  That you have no sins of your own.

For you know, perhaps,  If the tempter's voice should whisper as soft to you

As it did to him when he went astray  It might cause you to falter too.

Let's all try to be a little bit more sympathetic to others.  Let's try to live life with a clear conscience.  Let's not judge others.  Let's treat everyone like we want to be treated.  Let's act as Jesus would want us to act.

Let's not just talk about it.  Let's really do it!  Starting right now!!     shared by Sharon Miles

Check in with our heavenly Father,  do some good and disappear.  Clay Halsey  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

... He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother,...   Philemon 1:16

Youth Group

Are you in 7th-12th grade?

Do you want to learn more about the Bible?

Well here’s your chance.

Come to Youth Group.

Sunday 6-8pm.