September Voters Meeting 2020

Albany man rescued from Lake George by priests on a floating tiki bar

LAKE GEORGE - It was a choppy afternoon on the lake and Jimmy MacDonald from Albany was paddling in a kayak.

As MacDonald tells it, he drifted away from his wife and step kids because he was taking pictures with his new smartphone "and not really paying attention."

As he tried to make his way back, the water got choppier, and he paddled harder before he tipped over and lost his paddle. 

He was in about 30 feet of water, his ill-fitting life jacket coming up over his head, and he was holding onto the kayak with one hand and his new $1,400 smartphone with the other. 

He says people -- other kayakers and canoeists -- were passing by in the distance, but the former amateur boxer's pride wouldn't let him scream for help. So for several exhausting minutes he kept trying to right the kayak.

"That's when I said, 'Alright, I think I might die today. I think this might be it.' I prayed to my lord and savior Jesus Christ for help," MacDonald said.

Greg Barrett is a captain for Tiki Tours.

"A lot of things aligned that day," Barrett said.

He typically pilots partiers, but not on this day.

Read and Watch video at

https://wnyt.com/albany-new-york-news/jimmy-macdonald-of-albany-was-rescued-from-lake-george-by-paulist-fathers-priests-on-a-floating-tiki-bar/5850670/

[Sunday] Little Judges - The Standard - 8th Commandment

Service [above] Sermon releases at 10pm [under]

Questions for the Week

1. What is the human temptation when talking about others?

2. Read Matthew 7:1-14.  According to Jesus, why is it bad for us to speak poorly of others and judge them?

3. How does breaking the 8th commandment hurt relationships around you?

4. Jesus is the ultimate judge.  Because of the cross, what is his final judgment for you?  Because of the cross, how will Jesus speak of you?

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---- THIS WEEK AT GRACE - Today September 13, 2020

Worship Service 8:30 AM

Second Worship Service and

  video service www.gracelutheranpsl.com 10:15 AM

Zoom into Fellowship 12:00 PM - Noon

Korean Church Worship 1:00 PM

AA 7:30 PM

Rest of the week September 14 - September 19

LWML Monday, 12:30 PM

Olivet School Tuesday, 8 AM - 1 PM

Heatherwood Meeting Tuesday, 7:00 PM

Individual/Family Communion Wednesday, 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 & Noon

ZOOM Bible Study Thursday, 11:00 AM

     www.gracelutheranpsl.com

Korean Church Prayer Saturday, 6:00 AM

For complete calendar information, go to www.gracelutheranpsl.com/calendar

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK: Melissa Bailey - 9/15

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES THIS WEEK:  Mark & Dena Davey - 9/13 (45 yrs), Norm & Marge Neuberger - 9/17 (69 yrs)

THE FLOWERS ADORNING THE ALTAR are given by the Young Family in remembrance of Barbara’s birthday on September 7th.

LADIES! Our ladies group, LWML, will have their first meeting of the season tomorrow,  Monday, September 14th, beginning at 12:30 PM.   ALL ladies, members and friends, of Grace Lutheran Church are invited to attend for a time of fellowship and conversation.  Please remember to wear your mask, and we will keep safe distance while enjoying our gathering.

PLEASE CALL PEOPLE I realize I take for granted that people just come to the church on a regular basis. So that we all don’t descend into madness, let’s call and talk to each other regularly.  Phone directories are available for your convenience.  

CARENET INVITATION:  Phil & Judy Fredrich, would like you to join them and fellow Grace Lutheran guests at a table for the CareNet Banquet, either Thursday, September 24 or Friday, September 25.   The guest speaker this year is David Williams, who at the the age of 19 thought abortion was the answer.  Table seating is limited this year so please call by tomorrow,  September 14th, and let Phil or Judy know which evening you wish to attend (772-237-2626). 

Online Giving We have now added Paypal for online donations. We have been approved as a trusted non profit organization. If you would like to give through Paypal, please go to: www.GraceLutheranPSL.com and click the “GIVE” button on the upper right side of the page.

COMMUNION ON WEDNESDAY: If you, or someone you know, would like to celebrate Holy Communion but prefer a small group or unable to attend Sunday service, Pastor Cris has set aside Wednesday’s to celebrate the meal in small/family groups.   Please come by on Wednesday at: 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 or 12:00 (noon) and partake of this wonderful meal.   

SEE YOUR GRACE FAMILY ON ZOOM!  Pastor and Coli will be hosting Zoom to Coffee at NOON every Sunday for those who would like to join in fellowship “virtually” to see and chat with Grace members and friends.  All are welcome!

BIBLE STUDY FOR ALL Pastor Cris is conducting a “livestream” Bible study online (www.GracelutheranPSL.com) with ZOOM, for you to participate in on Thursdays at 11:00 AM.  ** You are also welcome to attend the Bible Study at church, in person!  ** Seating with social distancing along with wearing your mask is now happening,  at the Bible Study on Thursday at 11 AM and at Worship on Sundays at 8:30 AM and 10:15 AM.
GIVING - Changing over to a social distance model of ministry has been quite challenging. We  needed to purchase new equipment and the overall church’s expenses did not go down even though we were not meeting in person.  We are here to provide “Grace and Peace in this Chaotic and Lonely Time” to those in our church and community.  Thank you for your past and continual prayers and financial support to Grace and your community.

What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Bible Study] 8 Commandment Zoom to Scripture

When the “Cart Narcs” Come for You

https://mbird.com/2020/09/when-the-cart-narcs-come-for-you/

Anyone who’s been to the grocery store is well aware of the temptation gnawing at you as the cart is emptied into the back of the car and an option is now presented before you. The cart corral is perhaps an aisle over, or maybe the sun has made its presence severely known that day, or possibly, probably, you’re just too tired from the day to even care. You could just leave it up on the curb. You could just abandon it in the empty parking spot next to you. Who would notice?

The Cart Narcs would.

Read the Rest at

https://mbird.com/2020/09/when-the-cart-narcs-come-for-you/

Barbara Bock Memorial

The family is asking for donations to a place which helped Barbara in recent history :

1)  Grace Lutheran Church Alzheimer’s Daycare Building Fund

     772-871-6599                
www.GraceLutheranPSL.com/Give

If you would like to give to Grace’s new Alzheimer’s daycare, just indicate “ALZ Daycare” .   

Barbara Bateman Bock

Barbara Elizabeth Bateman was born on June 1, 1938 at St. Luke's Hospital in Fountain Hill (Bethlehem), PA to Wesley Eugene Bateman and Mary Sims Bateman who lived at 714 Dellwood St Bethlehem, PA.

She had two much older brothers: Rolan (27) & Glenn (24) and a sister Elsie (21).

Her Mother died in 1953 when Barbara was only 16.

She Graduated from Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA in 1956.

She Graduated from the Allentown School of Cosmotoligy in 1958

Her first employment was Shampoo Girl at the Elsie Y Schupp Beauty Shop in Bethlehem

She served as Secretary of the Lehigh Valley Hairdressers Association.

She married Edward E Bock on September 8, 1962 and the couple resided at her father's house at 724 Dellwood St in Bethlehem because he had a heart attack right after their wedding until his death in 1964 when they bought the house from his Estate.    

She gave birth to a daughter Holly Elizabeth Bock on January 24, 1964.

They moved to 1221 Markley St in Norristown, PA in June of 1965 due to a change in employment for Ed.

During her years in Norristown she specialized in Manicuring & Pedicuring and worked for a Beauty Shop in Devon, PA; then at Jean-Madeline at the Plymouth Meeting Mall until the mall burned down.

After the Mall burned Barbara started working for the Norristown Police Dept as a School Crossing Guide.

They started doing Foster Care and fostered about 20 different children (from infant to 16 years old) some for a few days and others for up to 4 years.

She was recruited as a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant and went on to be a National Queen of Sales 3 times, National Queen of Recruiting once and a Mary Kay Unit Sales Director. She also won 3 diamond rings and a Mary Kay Car.

In 1985 they moved to 1469 Heather Place in Upper Pottsgrove Township outside Pattstown, PA

In 1993 they moved to 575 SE Euclid Lane in Port Saint Lucie, FL for warmer weather and less expensive living.

She worked as a Store Demonstrator and then in the Bakery at the Publix Store in Saint Lucie West before retiring in 1990. She continued as a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant until 2001.

She started to develop signs of dementia around 2008 after the death of her daughter Holly from Brain Cancer.

She was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2012.

She started attending daycare at the Alzheimer's Community Care Center at Saint Andrew Lutheran Church, Port St Lucie, FL in February 2018 and has a Caregiver from ComForCare Senior Services four evenings a week to bathe her before bed.

She became elegible for Medicaid in March of 2019.

She has always been faithful in Worship and service to the various Churches she has belongd to through her lifetime. She was in the Junior Choir at Christ UCC Church in Bethlehem as a child. After marriage at that Church she belonged to Salem Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, PA; Grace Lutheran Church in Norristown,PA where she was in the Choir; Trinity UCC Church in Norristown, PA where she was Girl Scout Leader for 12 years; Grace Lutheran Church in Pottstown, PA; Saint Andrew Lutheran Church in Port St Lucie, FL; Living Waters Lutheran Mission Church in Port St Lucie, FL and now Grace Lutheran Church in Port St Lucie, FL.

[Sunday] Give Life - The Standard - 567 Commandment

Service [above] Sermon releases at 10pm [under]

Questions for the Week

1. Read Matthew 5:21-26.  How does Jesus help you have a fuller understanding of what it means to murder?  

2. Read Matthew 5:27-30.  How does Jesus help you have a fuller understanding of what it means to commit adultery?

3. Read Martin Luther’s explanation to the 7th commandment in Luther’s Large Catechism.  What positive obligations towards money and possessions does God expect of all people? 

4. Thinking of the 5th, 6th and 7th commandments, how do these commandments involve concern for the welfare of your neighbor?

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---- THIS WEEK AT GRACE - Today September 6, 2020

Worship Service 8:30 AM

Second Worship Service and

  video service www.gracelutheranpsl.com 10:15 AM

Zoom into Fellowship 12:00 PM - Noon

Korean Church Worship 1:00 PM

AA 7:30 PM

Rest of the week September 7 - September 12

Labor Day Monday

Adopt-A-Mile Tuesday, 8:30 AM

Barbara Bock Memorial Tuesday, 11:00 AM

Individual/Family Communion Wednesday, 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 & Noon

ZOOM Bible Study Thursday, 11:00 AM

     www.gracelutheranpsl.com

Korean Church Prayer Saturday, 6:00 AM

For complete calendar information, go to www.gracelutheranpsl.com/calendar

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK: Dena Davey - 9/6, Gerald (Jerry) Davis - 9/7

THE FLOWERS ADORNING THE ALTAR are given to the Glory of God by Diane Heinz.

A MEMORIAL SERVICE for Barbara Bock will be held this Tuesday at 11:00 A.M.  The service will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend. 

ONE WEEK AWAY Our Ladies group, LWML, will have their first meeting of the season on Monday, September 14th, beginning at 12:30 PM.   ALL ladies, members and friends, of Grace Lutheran Church are invited to attend for a time fellowship and conversation.  Please remember to wear your mask, and we will keep safe distance while enjoying our gathering.

PLEASE CALL PEOPLE I realize I take for granted that people just come to the church on a regular basis. So that we all don’t descend into madness, let’s call and talk to each other regularly.  Phone directories are available for your convenience.  

CARENET INVITATION:  Phil & Judy Fredrich, would like you to join them and fellow Grace Lutheran guests at a table for the CareNet Banquet, either Thursday, September 24 or Friday, September 25.   The guest speaker this year is David Williams, who at the the age of 19 thought abortion was the answer.  Table seating is limited this year so please call by September 14th and let Phil or Judy know which evening you wish to attend (772-237-2626). 

ADOPT-A-MILE is this Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at 8:30 AM!   Our meeting place will be on the corner of Torino and Conus.  For more information contact: Judy Fredrich (561) 315-9555  pjfred@outlook.com

Online Giving We have now added Paypal for online donations. We have been approved as a trusted non profit organization. If you would like to give through Paypal, please go to: www.GraceLutheranPSL.com and click the “GIVE” button on the upper right side of the page.

COMMUNION ON WEDNESDAY: If you, or someone you know, would like to celebrate Holy Communion but prefer a small group or unable to attend Sunday service, Pastor Cris has set aside Wednesday’s to celebrate the meal in small/family groups.   Please come by on Wednesday at: 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 or 12:00 (noon) and partake of this wonderful meal.   

SEE YOUR GRACE FAMILY ON ZOOM!  Pastor and Coli will be hosting Zoom to Coffee at NOON every Sunday for those who would like to join in fellowship “virtually” to see and chat with Grace members and friends.  All are welcome!

BIBLE STUDY FOR ALL Pastor Cris is conducting a “livestream” Bible study online (www.GracelutheranPSL.com) with ZOOM, for you to participate in on Thursdays at 11:00 AM.  ** You are also welcome to attend the Bible Study at church, in person!  ** Seating with social distancing along with wearing your mask is now happening,  at the Bible Study on Thursday at 11 AM and at Worship on Sundays at 8:30 AM and 10:15 AM.
GIVING - Changing over to a social distance model of ministry has been quite challenging. We  needed to purchase new equipment and the overall church’s expenses did not go down even though we were not meeting in person.  We are here to provide “Grace and Peace in this Chaotic and Lonely Time” to those in our church and community.  Thank you for your past and continual prayers and financial support to Grace and your community.

What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Bible Study] 567 Commandment Zoom to Scripture

[Sunday] Well For You - The Standard - 4 Commandment

Service [above] Sermon releases at 10pm [under]

Questions for the Week

1. What is the distinction between loving someone and honoring that person?

2. What does it mean to be a representative?  How are parents God’s representatives in their families?

3. Read Ephesians 6:1-9.  What promise is attached to this commandment?  And what does that mean?

4. How does Jesus fulfill this commandment, and what does that mean for you?

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---- THIS WEEK AT GRACE - Today August 30, 2020

Worship Service 8:30 AM

Second Worship Service and

  video service www.gracelutheranpsl.com 10:15 AM

Zoom into Fellowship 12:00 PM - Noon

Korean Church Worship 1:00 PM

AA 7:30 PM

Rest of the week August 31 - September 5

Grace Crafters Monday, 10:30 AM - 2:00 PM

Individual/Family Communion Wednesday, 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 & Noon

ZOOM Bible Study Thursday, 11:00 AM

     www.gracelutheranpsl.com

Korean Church Prayer Saturday, 6:00 AM

Labor Day Weekend Saturday, (9/5) - Monday (9/7)

For complete calendar information, go to www.gracelutheranpsl.com/calendar

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK: Chuck Strickler - 8/31, Joelle Swanson - 9/1, and Norm Timinski - 9/5

THE FLOWERS ADORNING THE ALTAR are given by Kevin Garbers in memory of his father and his brother Andrew.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE KERSTNER FAMILY! Rod’s daughter Rachel Pierson gave birth to a baby girl this past week, Sarah Jean.  This is Rod’s 5th grandchild and Jim & Claren’s 12th great grandchild.

A MEMORIAL SERVICE for Barabra Bock will be held on September 8th at 11:00 A.M.  The service will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend. 

CRAFTERS’ GROUP Will meet tomorrow, Monday, August 31, from 10:30 AM till 2:00 PM (lunch provided!).   Please wear your mask, and we will keep safe distance while enjoying fellowship and will “craft” new and enjoyable items.  

Contact Judy Fredrick pjfred@outlook.com for info.

TWO WEEKS AWAY Our Ladies group, LWML, will have their first meeting of the season on Monday, September 14th, beginning at 12:30 PM.   ALL ladies, members and friends, of Grace Lutheran Church are invited to attend for a time fellowship and conversation.  Please remember to wear your mask, and we will keep safe distance while enjoying our gathering.

PLEASE CALL PEOPLE I realize I take for granted that people just come to the church on a regular basis. So that we all don’t descend into madness, let’s call and talk to each other regularly.  Phone directories are available for your convenience.  

CARENET INVITATION:  Phil & Judy Fredrich, would like you to join them and fellow Grace Lutheran guests at a table for the CareNet Fundraiser Banquet, Thursday, September 24 or Friday, September 25.   Please call 772-237-2626 and let Phil or Judy know which evening you wish to attend and your menu desire, either pasta or chicken.

Online Giving We have now added Paypal for online donations. We have been approved as a trusted non profit organization. If you would like to give through Paypal, please go to: www.GraceLutheranPSL.com and click the “GIVE” button on the upper right side of the page.

COMMUNITY BAG PROGRAM: Thank you to all of you who purchased the Winn Dixie bags in July.   You helped raise $40.00 to be used to help furnish the new Alzheimer’s Community Care building once finished, Thanks.

COMMUNION ON WEDNESDAY: If you, or someone you know, would like to celebrate Holy Communion but prefer a small group or unable to attend Sunday service, Pastor Cris has set aside Wednesday’s to celebrate the meal in small/family groups.   Please come by on Wednesday at: 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 or 12:00 (noon) and partake of this wonderful meal.   

SEE YOUR GRACE FAMILY ON ZOOM!  Pastor and Coli will be hosting Zoom to Coffee at NOON every Sunday for those who would like to join in fellowship “virtually” to see and chat with Grace members and friends.  All are welcome!

BIBLE STUDY FOR ALL Pastor Cris is conducting a “livestream” Bible study online (www.GracelutheranPSL.com) with ZOOM, for you to participate in on Thursdays at 11:00 AM.  ** You are also welcome to attend the Bible Study at church, in person!  ** Seating with social distancing along with wearing your mask is now happening,  at the Bible Study on Thursday at 11 AM and at Worship on Sundays at 8:30 AM and 10:15 AM.
GIVING - Changing over to a social distance model of ministry has been quite challenging. We  needed to purchase new equipment and the overall church’s expenses did not go down even though we were not meeting in person.  We are here to provide “Grace and Peace in this Chaotic and Lonely Time” to those in our church and community.  Thank you for your past and continual prayers and financial support to Grace and your community.

What Had happened at Grace this week. 

Repurpose an Old IPad

You can help us support patients in hospitals who have COVID-19. Donate your old IPad to help our groups in hospital!
ICTR (International Collaborative for Trauma and Resilience) is supporting the mental health of patients in hospitals who have COVID-19 by facilitating virtual group meetings.
The idea may be seeming simple, a group that takes place twice weekly for 50 minutes, but the outcomes speak volumes.
These groups support health recovery and aid in reducing isolation, increasing resilience for patients through contact, sharing, laughter and companionship.
One of greatest challenges being a not for profit is always funding but in this case the challenge is more personal in that not all patients are fortunate to have access to iPads.
So, we are appealing to the public to please help these patients and donate an iPad (an older one you may no longer use) to our effort. Your donation will help us to better the lives that have already suffered so much, by giving them access to behavioral health and breaking their isolation.
In order to donate the iPads please email drraz@theictr.org. We will contact you back and send you instructions.
Website: https://theictr.org/
Contact Information: Dr. Sherrie Raz
Email:   drraz@theictr.org
Mail Address: 10800 Avenida Del Rio, Delray Beach, FL, 33446
Cell: (561)703-4468

[Bible Study] 4 Commandment Zoom to Scripture

Learning in Coronatide: C. S. Lewis on Going Back to School

Taken from: https://mbird.com/2020/08/learning-in-coronatide-c-s-lewis-on-going-back-to-school/

on October 22, 1939, C. S. Lewis climbed up to the pulpit of the University Church of St. Mary in Oxford to preach about “Learning in Wartime” at the start of the school year. France and the United Kingdom were at war with Germany, and Poland had just been conquered. The day before, many of the students in attendance were required to register for the draft. The times were bleak, to say the least. While there are many differences between wartime and a pandemic, the view Lewis takes on how to proceed in the bleakest of hours is instructive for us as what seemed like a quick turnaround has become a more prolonged struggle.

In the midst of global upheaval of a different kind, when everything around us feels so uncertain, if not dangerous, something as simple as education can seem to be a trivial matter by comparison. This is precisely the question with which he begins his sermon:

What is the use of beginning a task which we have so little chance of finishing? Or, even if we ourselves should happen not to be interrupted by death or military service, why should we — indeed how can we — continue to take an interest in these placid occupations when the lives of our friends and the liberties of Europe are in the balance? Is it not like fiddling while Rome burns?

For that matter, how can we reasonably worry about anything except the pandemic? Why get married, have kids, build a house, or go to school when the future is so uncertain. It’s a fair question to ask, but one that rests upon an overly optimistic view of “normal’ life. Wartime, for Lewis, is not an anomalous time to live, an exception to the rule (we might say “unprecedented”).

The war creates no absolutely new situation; it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice. Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If [people] had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun. We are mistaken when we compare war with “normal life.” Life has never been normal.

The operative words in quarantine life have been “pause” and “delay.” Everything is put on hold until the coast is clear. Lewis might view this as a waiting for a certainty that will never come, an illusory desire for control over what cannot be mastered. Waiting for life to resume, we fail to notice that life is still happening. Taking a risk in such times, whether it be sending your kids back to school or visiting your parents, is enough to make one feel guilty. But life has never been ideal, and those waiting for a return to “normal” may never emerge from their bunker (even after a vaccine).

As Lewis sees it, the danger of quarantine life is not inactivity, but listless activity that amounts to nothing. A gap-year may feel like a gracious allowance to many. What we might actually do with that extra time is a mixed bag (Tiger King, anyone?). For Lewis, the frustration and restlessness we probably feel now is not a sign that we should immediately return to pre-pandemic activities, but a symptom that we have perhaps squandered the time we have been given.

If you attempted, in either case, to suspend your whole intellectual and aesthetic activity, you would only succeed in substituting a worse cultural life for a better. You are not, in fact, going to read nothing, either in the Church or in the line: if you don’t read good books, you will read bad ones. If you don’t go on thinking rationally, you will think irrationally. If you reject aesthetic satisfactions, you will fall into sensual satisfactions.

Would Lewis have socially-distanced and worn a mask? Certainly. For him, the duties of wartime necessity must be engaged. But he also cautions against an obsessive fixation on potential threats which precludes other worthy aspirations.

[W]e may have a duty to rescue a drowning man and, perhaps, if we live on a dangerous coast, to learn lifesaving so as to be ready for any drowning man when he turns up. It may be our duty to lose our own lives in saving him. But if anyone devoted himself to lifesaving in the sense of giving it his total attention — so that he thought and spoke of nothing else and demanded the cessation of all other human activities until everyone had learned to swim — he would be a monomaniac. The rescue of drowning men is, then, a duty worth dying for, but not worth living for.

In our times, the requirements of social distancing and mask-wearing are essential, but these are not a reason to get up in the morning. Staying alive is not a reason for living. The coronavirus has paused many aspects of our routines and vocations, while simultaneously providing new strictures within which to (yes) flourish. Whether it be in person or a hybrid classroom, education can still be one of many joys given to us. Being safe during coronatide is a social responsibility, but it doesn’t give us joy like the laughter of children, the voice of a old friend on the phone, or learning a new language. If the power goes out, we could sit in the darkness and stare at the lightbulb, but lighting some candles and playing a board game would be way more fun.

Our lives may have been altered, but God remains the unchanged. Grace does not wait for the perfection conditions, but comes to us when we least expect it. As Lewis reminds us, “The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received.” This time we have now is such a gift. God does not follow social distancing guidelines: his gifts remain and he pursues us still — even during a pandemic.

[Sunday] Slow Down - The Standard - 2&3 Commandment

Service [above] Sermon releases at 10pm [under]

Questions for the Week

1. Explain what is meant by the misuse of God’s name. 

2. Read Acts 19:11-20.  How do the sons of Sceva misuse the name of God?

3. Give present day examples of the way people sinfully misuse God’s name to gain something or selfishly manipulate other people.

4. How can we properly use God’s name?

5. This week, what are ways that you could remember the Sabbath and further observe the rest Jesus gives you?

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---- THIS WEEK AT GRACE - Today August 23, 2020

Worship Service 8:30 AM

Second Worship Service and

  video service www.gracelutheranpsl.com 10:15 AM

Zoom into Fellowship 12:00 PM - Noon

Korean Church Worship 1:00 PM

AA 7:30 PM

Rest of the week August 24 - August 29

Individual/Family Communion Wednesday 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 & Noon

ZOOM Bible Study Thursday, 11:00 AM

     www.gracelutheranpsl.com

Korean Church Prayer Saturday, 6:00 AM

For complete calendar information, go to www.gracelutheranpsl.com/calendar

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK: Mary Ann Roksvold - 8/23, Jerry Freudenburg - 8/26, Tony Young - 8/27, Susan Becker, Kyle Kneifel & Taytum Tucholski (1 year) - 8/28

THE FLOWERS ADORNING THE ALTAR are given by Susan Schill & George Tsikoudis in memory of Susan’s beloved mother Bonnie Schill.

OUR THOUGHTS & PRAYERS are with Ed Bock as he grieves the loss of his wife Barbara who passed away on August 12th.  A memorial service will be held on September 8th at 11:00 A.M.  The service will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend.     

PLEASE CALL PEOPLE I realize I take for granted that people just come to the church on a regular basis. So that we all don’t descend into madness, let’s call and talk to each other regularly.  Phone directories are available for your convenience.  

CARENET INVITATION:  Phil & Judy Fredrich, would like you to join them and fellow Grace Lutheran guests at a table for the CareNet Fundraiser Banquet, Thursday, September 24 or Friday, September 25.   Please call 772-237-2626 and let Phil or Judy know which evening you wish to attend and your menu desire, either pasta or chicken.

Online Giving We have now added Paypal for online donations. We have been approved as a trusted non profit organization. If you would like to give through Paypal, please go to: www.GraceLutheranPSL.com and click the “GIVE” button on the upper right side of the page.

COMMUNITY BAG PROGRAM: Thank you to all of you who purchased the Winn Dixie bags in July.   You helped raise $40.00 to be used to help furnish the new Alzheimer’s Community Care building once finished, Thanks.

COMMUNION ON WEDNESDAY: If you, or someone you know, would like to celebrate Holy Communion but prefer a small group or unable to attend Sunday service, Pastor Cris has set aside Wednesday’s to celebrate the meal in small/family groups.   Please come by on Wednesday at: 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 or 12:00 (noon) and partake of this wonderful meal.   

SEE YOUR GRACE FAMILY ON ZOOM!  Pastor and Coli will be hosting Zoom to Coffee at NOON every Sunday for those who would like to join in fellowship “virtually” to see and chat with Grace members and friends.  All are welcome!

BIBLE STUDY FOR ALL Pastor Cris is conducting a “livestream” Bible study online (www.GracelutheranPSL.com) with ZOOM, for you to participate in on Thursdays at 11:00 AM.  ** You are also welcome to attend the Bible Study at church, in person!  ** Seating with social distancing along with wearing your mask is now happening,  at the Bible Study on Thursday at 11 AM and at Worship on Sundays at 8:30 AM and 10:15 AM.
GIVING - Changing over to a social distance model of ministry has been quite challenging. We  needed to purchase new equipment and the overall church’s expenses did not go down even though we were not meeting in person.  We are here to provide “Grace and Peace in this Chaotic and Lonely Time” to those in our church and community.  Thank you for your past and continual prayers and financial support to Grace and your community.

What Had happened at Grace this week. 

Updated Pics of the New Building

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Crafters Goup on Mondays

Deferred Maintenance: Finding God in the Breakdown Lane

by SAM BUSH on Aug 17, 2020 • 8:30 am3 Comments

Earlier this week, right before dinner time, our refrigerator started to sound slightly off. Its normal low purr became something of a soft wheeze. When my wife made a passing remark about it, I shot back, “It’s fine! I think it does that sometimes,” as if I were defending the fridge for having been personally slighted. By some miracle, the matter didn’t escalate into an argument and we then ate dinner with our two boys (not peacefully, mind you, dinner was mayhem).

The next morning, the fridge was squealing. It got to the point where I had to speak up a bit in order for my wife to hear what I was saying. When the stainless steel elephant in the room could no longer be ignored, I conceded: “I think we should probably have someone take a look at it, I guess!” She looked back at me with a knowing, loving, slightly irritated look, reminding me that I was a very lucky man. Six days later and I still have yet to get in touch with a repairman.

Judging from the lines at the dentist, mechanic, and veterinarian, we’ve all been deferring maintenance. Routine checkups are being delayed indefinitely because we now have the ultimate excuse to not do things: You could die! At the very least, the pandemic has made most of these chores inadvisable and, yes, possibly life-threatening. The World Health Organization recently advised putting off visiting the dentist for routine care until Covid-19 rates drop or until researchers know more about the risks involved. Perhaps your teeth whitening is, in fact, a matter of life and death, but I happen to know a certain someone who already has been following this public health protocol for a couple of years now.

Pandemic or no pandemic, there are things that aren’t being fixed that need to be. The roof is leaking, but we’ve put buckets across the floor. Our knee hurts, but we don’t mind limping a little, and people seem to hardly notice anyway. We feel overwhelmed, but virtual therapy feels awkward. We’re in dire need of good news, but the church is closed. In many ways, delayed maintenance is our usual modus operandi, but our capacity to meet the bare minimum is at the lowest it’s ever been. If we had been required to file our taxes on time this past April, it might have led to the collapse of modernity.

Deferring upkeep in our lives during Covid-19 seems to be a microcosm of how we deal with inadequacy and judgment. The reason why I denied that my fridge needed to be fixed in the first place is twofold: 1. I don’t want to be the type of person that needs his fridge fixed (thank you very much); and 2. the necessary steps it would take to fix it are beyond my mental capacity at the moment. Life is hard enough as it is and a broken fridge may be all it takes to send me over the edge.

When modest crises present themselves, we might attempt a quick fix and hope for the best, but Lord knows the piper will always get paid and any delay will only accrue interest. In other words, you can fight the law of life, but the law will always win. Life, ultimately, will not be managed, but endured.

I recently left my job of ten years to pursue graduate school. Clearing out my office felt as if I was having an organ removed. Even voluntary surgery requires a recovery process. While talking about this new transition with a friend, I tried to evade the dramatic undertones of what I was going through. “It’s been a little stressful, but I’m trying to name it. I don’t want it to build into a big blowup,” I told her. To which she responded, “You know, it’s OK if it does.” It didn’t occur to me until then that the loss that I was feeling would, in fact, lead to some sort of a blowup if I ever wanted to allow myself to fully grieve.

Of course, there are various degrees of “blowup.” There’s the inconsolable crying while watching a survival show (this can be classified as an acceptable blowup). Then there’s the screaming at a guy who you think is driving too fast on your street (less acceptable). The hope is that the blowup is executed in a safe manner, preferably with someone you love and trust. In the areas of our lives where we have deferred maintenance, let us hope that the car doesn’t break down on the highway in front of an eighteen-wheeler. Then again, even then, it may just be OK if it does.

It’s been said before that God’s office is at the end of your rope. When the car breaks down, when the tooth decays, when your mental health deteriorates. The place that feels God-forsaken is sometimes the very heart of grace, or, at the very least, the gateway to true healing. As Kafka once said, “You can hold yourself back from the sufferings of the world, that is something you are free to do and it accords with your nature, but perhaps this very holding back is the one suffering you could avoid.” Kafka may be right, but I think it’s too much to ask people to try to not avoid suffering. Avoiding suffering is in our very nature. We will inevitably keep the crises of our lives at bay as long as possible, even if that may only delay the wideness of God’s mercy rushing in to meet us there.

The good news is that God works all things together for good. All things means all things. All things also means that one particular thing — whatever it is — that you happen to be putting off right now. He is working that out — as well as the subsequent breakdown — for good. How can we trust this? Because God did not hold back from the sufferings of the world, but instead was lifted up and drew all of it to himself. Jesus’ death was anything but a quick fix. On the Cross, God used his broken body to restore the world once for all.

In truth, I will not call the repairman today. Like most things in my life, I will prolong getting the help I need until it is much too late. In those moments of brokenness, may I trust that the help of God will “come with succor speedy.” There is no queue to wait for God’s mercy. When we pick up the phone to call we find he’s already arrived at our door, wrench in hand.

[Bible Study] 2nd & 3rd Commandment Zoom to Scripture

[Sunday] Fear Love & Trust - The Standard - 1st Commandment

Service [above] Sermon releases at 10pm [under]

Questions for the Week

1. In what ways do people look at religion as a “do it yourself” project?

2. How would you define the word’s fear, love, and trust?

3. What are other gods you’re tempted to trust?

4. In what ways does the first commandment address our inmost thoughts, attitudes, and concerns in life?

5. Read Philippians 3:17-21. Why can we fear, love, and trust in God above all things? 

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---- THIS WEEK AT GRACE - Today August 16, 2020

Worship Service 8:30 AM

Second Worship Service and

  video service www.gracelutheranpsl.com 10:15 AM

Zoom into Fellowship 12:00 PM - Noon

Korean Church Worship 1:00 PM

AA 7:30 PM

Rest of the week August 17 - August 22

Voting Machine set-up (limited office) Monday

Florida Primary - Office Closed Tuesday

Individual/Family Communion Wednesday 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 & Noon

ZOOM Bible Study Thursday, 11:00 AM

     www.gracelutheranpsl.com

Korean Church Prayer Saturday, 6:00 AM

For complete calendar information, go to www.gracelutheranpsl.com/calendar

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK: Roger Clemente - 8/16, Thomas Piotrowicz & Cindy Lynch - 8/17, Paula Wehling & Shirley Mullins - 8/19, Micki Tomasch - 8/21

ANNIVERSARIES THIS WEEK: Bill & Wilanne Kimball - 8/20 (54 Years)

THE FLOWERS ADORNING THE ALTAR are given by Cheryl Nolte in memory of her daughter Laura Sutterfield.

GOOD NEWS - A BIRTH: Marita Albano is now a great grandmother!  Alayna Elise Cooper was born on July 30, 2020, congratulations Marita and great aunt Karen. 

OUR THOUGHTS & PRAYERS are with Ed Bock as he grieves the loss of his wife Barbara who passed away on Wednesday.   

PLEASE CALL PEOPLE I realize I take for granted that people just come to the church on a regular basis. So that we all don’t descend into madness, let’s call and talk to each other regularly.  Phone directories are available for your convenience.  

CARENET INVITATION: Phil & Judy Fredrich, would like you to join them and fellow Grace Lutheran guests at a table for the CareNet Fundraiser Banquet, Thursday, September 24 or Friday, September 25.   Please call 772-237-2626 and let Phil or Judy know which evening you wish to attend and your menu desire, either pasta or chicken.

Online Giving We have now added Paypal for online donations. We have been approved as a trusted non profit organization. If you would like to give through Paypal, please go to: www.GraceLutheranPSL.com and click the “GIVE” button on the upper right side of the page.

COMMUNITY BAG PROGRAM: Thank you to all of you who purchased the Winn Dixie bags in July.   You helped raise $40.00 to be used to help furnish the new Alzheimer’s Community Care building once finished, Thanks.

COMMUNION ON WEDNESDAY: If you, or someone you know, would like to celebrate Holy Communion but prefer a small group or unable to attend Sunday service, Pastor Cris has set aside Wednesday’s to celebrate the meal in small/family groups.   Please come by on Wednesday at: 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 or 12:00 (noon) and partake of this wonderful meal.   

SEE YOUR GRACE FAMILY ON ZOOM!  Pastor and Coli will be hosting Zoom to Coffee at NOON on Sunday for those who are worshipping at home, or in person, who would like to join in fellowship “virtually” to see and chat with Grace members and friends safely.  All are welcome!

BIBLE STUDY FOR ALL Pastor Cris is conducting a “live” Bible study online for you to participate in on Thursdays at 11:00 AM.   Directions for participating can be found on the web page www.GracelutheranPSL.com.   ** You are also welcome to attend the Bible Study at church, in person!  ** Seating with social distancing along with wearing your mask is now happening,  at the Bible Study on Thursday at 11 AM and at Worship on Sundays at 8:30 AM and 10:15 AM.
GIVING - Changing over to a social distance model of ministry has been quite challenging. We  needed to purchase new equipment and the overall church’s expenses did not go down even though we were not meeting in person.  We are here to provide “Grace and Peace in this Chaotic and Lonely Time” to those in our church and community.  Thank you for your past and continual prayers and financial support to Grace and your community.

What Had happened at Grace this week. 

The Standard Sermon Series

The Ten Commandments have long been the standard to which we judge how we should live. But how many do we have to keep so that we can stay on God’s good side? Is it one or five? I mean, some of these are easy, like don’t muder. I haven’t broken that yet. However, when we look deeper at the commandments, we see a deeper standard for our lives.

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[Bible Study] 1st Commandment Zoom to Scripture