Newsletters - Susan L Dinkel

Striving to Remain Calm

Ecclesiastes 10:4

You may be able to relate to an experience like this. Early this past Sunday morning, Ecclesiastes 10:4 was the focus of my meditation in God’s Word. “If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.” The NET Bible notes give two options for the point of this proverb. First, it may communicate the idea that a calm response can diffuse a king’s anger. Second, it may communicate the idea that a calm heart in the midst of rising tension will keep a person from doing things that could offend the king. Either way, the focus is on the good that results from calmness or a calm response.

Based on that idea, I wrote the following in my journal: “I will strive, with the help of God's grace, to remain calm and composed in the situations I face today. More can be accomplished by not allowing myself to become riled up.” Later in the day, the rubber hit the road. After worship, my youngest son, Joseph, was not all that hungry. He was more tired than hungry. So, I took him downstairs to his room for a nap. As soon as we walked into his room, he said to me that he wanted to wear his T-Rex shirt. (Joseph is totally into dinosaurs right now.) I suggested to Joseph that we should wait until the next day to wear his T-Rex shirt. (In my mind, there was nothing wrong with the shirt he was already wearing.) Instantly, the crying began. Tears began to fall. And there was nothing I could do to console him. And then I did it. I raised my voice at Joseph. I spoke strongly to him about immediately stopping his fussing. As you can imagine, that only made things worse, not better. I gave in. I changed Joseph’s shirt to his favorite T-Rex shirt, grabbed a book off the bookshelf, and settled him into my lap to read with him before putting him into his crib.

Then it hit me. I had already failed in my desire to strive to be calm and composed in the situations I faced that day. How is it that I can so quickly go back on the commitments I make? I had just resolved six hours earlier not to do what I had just done. I said a silent prayer, asking the Lord for His forgiveness. And I asked Joseph to forgive me as well.

This seems to be the cycle we all face. The good we want to do, we struggle to do. The bad that we do not want to do comes all too easily for us. Kind of sounds like Romans, chapter seven, doesn’t it? Happily, our Lord Jesus is in the position of continually forgiving us for our failings and shortcomings. Let’s continue to grieve our sin, but also continue to rejoice in the forgiveness Jesus provides.

By the way, in this Holy Week, we’re reminded of Jesus remaining calm and composed before His accusers, both the Jewish religious leaders and Roman officials. We saw in Mark’s Gospel this past Sunday that Jesus’s calmness was amazing, both to Pilate and the Roman centurion involved in Jesus’s crucifixion. With God’s grace, let’s strive to follow that example. We will not be perfect in doing so, as my example makes clear, but there is a lot of good we can do by remaining calm in challenging, tense-filled moments.

Pastor Jeff

A few Sundays ago, Tim Raile provided us some projects for our church building and parsonage which need our attention. Would you be willing to consider one or more of these projects, supporting them with labor, labor and cost of materials, or donations? Sign-up sheets are available in the lobby.

Church Building

Exterior

South Sidewalk, replaced
Bell Tower, painted (Tim and Margaret Poling have volunteered to donate.)
Exposed Electric Wires on North Side, fixed (Tim Raile has volunteered to provide both labor and cost of materials.)
Caulk Gable Ends (Tim Raile has volunteered to provide both labor and cost of materials.)
Caulk and Seal North Side Stucco to Sidewalk (Tim Raile has volunteered to provide the labor and cost of materials.)
South Door Painted, Sealed, and Adjusted (Perry and Paula Keller have volunteered to provide the labor.)

Regular Maintenance

Fertilize/Herbicide Blue Grass (Perry and Paula Keller have volunteered to provide the labor.)
Apply Weed Control on Buffalo Grass on West Side (Troy Hilt has volunteered to provide the labor and cost of materials.)
Apply Soil Sterile to East Parking Lot and Control Weeds Throughout the Summer

Interior

Fellowship Stairway Area, painted and cracks filled (Tim and Robyn Raile have volunteered to provide the labor and cost of materials.)
Fellowship Hall, painted and cracks filled (The Bracelins and the Dinkels have volunteered to provide the labor and the cost of materials.)
Downstairs Bible Study rooms, plaster fixed
Pastor's Office Door, fixed
Entry Area, refreshed and brightened (Pam, Taighe, and Talexa Weeter have volunteered their labor.)

Parsonage

Short-term Needs

Fix or Replace Rear Door and Walk-in Garage Door
Finish Back Splash in 1/2 Bathroom
Replace Old, Broken Mini-blinds Upstairs
Fix or Replace Water Heater
Add Water Softener

Mid-term Needs

Kitchen Cabinets Replaced (Tim and Robyn Raile have volunteered to donate $1000.)
Paint Upstairs
Paint Outside Siding and Soffit
Partition Laundry from Kitchen for Noise Reduction
Update Kitchen Appliances
Fireplace Repairs
Back Patio Cover

Long-term Needs

Concrete Patio Removed and Replaced
Replace Upstairs Carpet with Hard Floors

The Caller

Striving to Remain Calm

Sunday, April 1st (Easter Sunday)

Sunday, April 8th

Monday, April 9th

Sunday, April 15th

Sunday, April 22nd

Friday, April 27th

Sunday, April 29th

Prayer Requests

Offering Update

Spring Cleaning

April Item for Operation Christmas Child

Invitation to Work in Vacation Bible School This Summer

Join Dennis Kramer for a Missions Trip This Summer

April Birthdays and Anniversaries

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