The Church Mouse A NEWSLE1''!'ER FOR

LEISURE LUTHERANS AUGUST -SEPTEMBER, 2010 Erma Jean Haas, Editor

OB, LORD, THOU HAST SEARCHED ME AND KNOWN ME Thou knowest my downsitting and my uprising, And understandest my thoughts afar off. - ~ ­

Search me, 0 God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; See ifthere be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139, 1 & 2 - 23,24

This is a very thought-provoking Psalm, although I think the Lord let King David put an "if" in there that doesn't belong! All of us have bad thoughts sometimes; the Lord knows that, better than we do. We know that David did, too. God put the story of Bathsheba into the Bible as a warning to us. What great sins followed his lustful thoughts, as David saw Bathsheba in her bath. (and what was she thinking, to bathe on her roof when she must have known David had not gone out to battle that day?) What a blessing it is, that, because of Jesus' perfect life, His death, and resurrection, our thoughts are forgiven; even the ones we don't remember! It's hard to figure out, that David's sins were forgiven, even though he lived so many years before Jesus was born, but Isaiah, the prophet, who also lived in Old Testament times, wrote, "But now this is the word of the Lord -- Have no fear; for I have paid your ransom; I have called you by name and you are my own." Isaish 43, 1 and 2.

This promise is many times repeated, also in the New Testament: Jesus' words, quoted by John, reassures us. "In very truth, anyone who gives heed to what I say and puts his trust in Him who sent Me, has hold of eternal life, and does not come up for judgement, but has already passed from death to life." John 5:24. (New English Bible) These thoughts, about time passing, remind us that the Bible says with God, a day is like a thousand years. "For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday, when it is past, and as a watch in the night." Psalm 90:4. So time began when God said, "Let there be light." --- "And the evening and the

morning were the first day. "Genesis 1:1 & 5. So time will end at the last day, and there will be no more time. Revelation 10:6.

And no one knows when the last day will come. For many of us the last day will come with our death; but we will be raised; we won't miss out. Some will still be alive when the last day comes, with the Lord, our Savior and our King, as Judge of all, and we'll hear the most beautiful trumpet music ever heard, and thousands of angels singing "AUelujah! Amen. Praise our God, all ye his servants, and all that fear him, both small and great. AUelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give aU honor to Him. Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. These are the true sayings of God." Revelation 19. "He who testifies to these things says, Surely I come quikly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20.

Nelda Carney, Christian Growth Chairperson

NEWS FROM OUR PARISH NURSE - Esther Robertson

HEART ATTACK AND STROKE

Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most of them start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening.

• Chest discomfort • Discomfort in other areas of the upper body, such as one or both arms,

back, neck, jaw or stomach. • Shortness of breath.

Other signs could be breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light headedness.

STROKES - They are a medical emergency. Time lost is brain lost. Symptoms:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm, leg especially on one side of the body.

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking. • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance. • Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

If you have any of these symptoms, go to the emergency room; better to go and fmd out it wasn't a heart attack or stroke, than to not go and wish you had.

FROM OUR LIBRARIAN, Arlene Marr - We call our Library "The Book Nook" A number ofbooks have been" donated to the Book Nook since the May/June article. Most of these have been in the Inspirational Fiction category. Two books added to Inspirational;

• Afternoon: For the Women at the Heart ofLife by Jeanne W. Hendricks and Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul by various authors. .

I am presently enjoying The College Press NIV Commentary on James and Jude by Gary Holloway, recently donated. It is easily read and understood---if only I could remember what I read!!! Quite interesting. Inspirational Fiction:

The Bride Backfire Kelly Eileen Hake Sophie's Heart Lori Wick Beside Still Waters Tracey V. Bateman Grace Linda Ford Miss Katie's Rosewood Michael Phillips Angels Watching Over Me Michael Phillips Protecting Her Child Debby Giusti The Defender's Duty Shirley McCoy The Taking ofCarly Bradford Ramona Richards Maine 520 Carol Mason Parker Minnesota JoAnn A. Grote Voyage Elaine Schulte By the Light ofa Thousand Stars Jamie Langston Turner Distant Bells Diane Noble Waiting for Morning and Take Three Karen Kingsbury (#1 Forever Faithful series & Above the Line series Line ofDuty Terri Blackstock

(#5 Newpointe 911 series) Where the Wild Rose Blooms Lori Wick

(#1 Rocky Mountain Memories series) Whispers ofMoonlight Lori Wick

Rocky Mountain Memories series) We have had To Know Her By Name #3 Rocky Mountain Memories series that some of you have read. You may enjoy #1 and #2 although you already know the end of the story. We are getting donations of new authors to the Book Nook. If you especially like or dislike any, please put a note in the book pocket. Thank you!

THE SAXONS HAVE ARRIVED AND A COMMUNITY IS BORN

It's 1839 and you have just arrived on a river steam boat from St. Louis to a wooded region along the Mississippi called Perry County that you will soon be calling home.

This is what the 600+ Saxon Lutheran immigrants faced as they disembarked onto the shores in Wittenberg, MO. They traveled here by ship from Bremen, Germany through New Orleans and up the river to St. Louis. There they stayed for a few months until land was purchased and they could finally settle and become a community again. This was the beginning of the East Perry County community as we know it today with Altenburg, Frohna, Uniontown and Wittenberg being the active communities rich in churcb history, German culture and family heritage.

The Saxons suffered many difficulties and losses, yet through persistence, determination, good community neighbors from Brazeau and above all, devout faith in God, they survived. Not only tbat, they thrived. They were a hardy bunch with a mission to be able to freely worship and teach in a way that was agreeable with their conscience. And in this endeavor they also succeeded.

For more detailed information about the history of the Saxon Lutheran immigrants, there are two books, highly recommended for your reading pleasure and education. The first one is called "Zion on the Mississippi" by Forester. It is a complete historical account of their voyage even before they left Germany and through the first years of establishing the Perry County settlements.

The second book is called "Except the Corn Die", by Koenig. This is a fictional story based on actual facts, so it is an easier read with lots of information about the area.

BY THE WAY, BOTH BOOKS CAN BE FOUND IN THE LEISURE LUTHERAN LIBRARY!! Try to read them before we go to Frohna.

THE LEISURE LUTHERANS WILL BE GOING THERE ON OCTOBER 9TH•

See information about the trip elsewhere in this newsletter. Be sure to sign up for the one-day trip to this German Community where ....

WE CAN LEARN SOMETHING NEW BY SEEING SOMETHING OLDI!

GAME DAyS ..... . . ~ 5••

The group of Older Adults who get toge~her on Mondays~.'it\~ I • and Thursdays to play cards have such agood time. The

schedule is:

\ .. \ \ ...

The 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 1:00 p.m.. \ ...",'_ s .,...

Every Thursday at 1:00 p.m. -in the Fellowship Hall.

Sometimes we have as many as six tables of players. We have room for more! We welcome friends from the community, and other churches in town, as well as those from Immanuel and Redeemer congregations.

The coffee pot is always on and those who attend bring a little snack of some kind to go with.

Some like to play Canasta, some Pinochle and Bridge. Other games are available - dominoes, King's Corner, Trivia, etc. Come join us - the Fellowship is GREAT!

Please note: There will be no regular meeting of Leisure Lutherans on the 4th Wednesday in August. It's VACATION TIME. Meetings will resume in September.

ONGOING FUND RAISERS .••..•

RADA CUTLERY, CANDLES, GREETING CARDS, ETC.

We have a good supply of Rada Cutlery right now. The IItomato slicer" has been a good seller this summer. This great knife sells for only $4.50 and will last a lifetime. There is a sale right

now on the Peelers and the Granny Paring Knife. All the products are available now with either black or brushed

aluminum handles. Talk with Erma Jean if you are interested in seeing this cutlery which is advertised as IIa cut above the rest".

Our candles are soy, and cost $9.00. You will find greeting cards for all occasions in the bookcase in the

narthex of the church - under the bulletin board on the west wall.

AN OPEN LETTER TO FUZZY Marie Elizabeth Shade Dow

Dear Fuzzy, I have always wanted to make a visit to your bar (don't worry, we're Lutheran)

because you are the namesake of our dearly departed Old English Sheepdog. He was our first dog, great blood line, straight from the UK according to the Virginia breeder ­smart mom, Panda Bear, raised on a beautiful rolling-hills farm. We chose a healthy little pup,the largest in the litter. Since we had attended Valpo, we named him Fuzzy Bear, because you were the only Valpo grad (as far as we knew at that time) to make it in the pros. We thought you might enjoy some Fuzz stories, many of which are recounted by our ardent Notre Dame friends and neighbors when we over-celebrate a bad ND season.

Here are his stats: 1) Caught his first ball at age 11 (He lived to agel3, so he had a two year stint as

wide receiver.) . 2) Bad breath notorious. (Onetime our ND neighbors asked us if their

priestlbrotl1er/unc1e could stay at our house in exchange for feeding our dog while w~were out of town. Heapproached his sister-in-law asking, "Could you wash my shirt? I've been petting the dog:")

3) Loving - he jumped right into the dog-catcher's truck from our front yard (the dog catcher was after another dog) only to be rescued by me, pleading his case

. and explaining that we lived there. 4) Wanderer - once he got out when the fence was ajar and we hunted for him for

days. He was parked on a porch a few blocks away but couldn't find his way home. I spotted him while driving the Lutheran school car pool in my Beetle Bug. All the kids cleared out saying, "We'll walk."

More points of interest:

Once my mother-in-law came to stay, and she was determined to solve the breath problem. She brought some pills from her Vet - to no avail. Then she tried vinegar. We returned to halitosis & vinegar.

One of the ND neighbor boys, now a well-established orthopedic surgeon, was taking care of Fuzz. The neighbor lady on the other side (who must have had a periscope as she never missed a trick at our house) caught up with him as he was leaving and said, "That's the stinkingest dog I've ever met." This remark became a permanent quote in the ND family for several generations.

(continued from previous page) . Fuzz. did make one tackle - unbeknownst to him. A wild kid went up to Fuzz threatening him with a stick. Fuzzy just knocked him down and sat on him. We rescued

. the kid and we never saw that rascal again.

As a postscript, when I enrolled at Valpo, everyone asked me whether I was related to Rocky Shade, a Valpo football player from Cleveland. No one in our family was anything near a "Rocky", but just to be fair, we named a later dog "Shady". We haven't tracked down Rocky (although Shady had a rocky life) because unlike you, he didn't make it in the pros!

Fuzzy Thurstonplayedfootballfor Valparaiso University 1952 -1956, and the Green Bay Packers as left guard (1959..,...1967). He now owns a popular restaurant and bar called Left Guard in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

. We send best wishes for good health to Fuzzy.

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFESTYLE

It is never too late to adopt a lifestyle that makes it possible to reap positive benefits... to experience healthy aging ...

• Trust in God • Watch your diet • Participate in daily physical activity • Keep mentally active • Engage in social affairs • Spend time with friends and family • Have regular physical check-ups • Meditate on the Scriptures • Offer a helping hand to people in need • Pray daily • Laugh • Smile when someone says to you "my you are aging beautifully" and thank

them.

AN EVENT YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS Lets take a bus trip to .....

The 30th Annual Fall Festival Of

THE SAXON LUTHERAN MEMORIAL Saturday, October 9, 2010 in

Frohna, Missouri & near Altenburg and Wittenburg in East Perry County. .

Settled in 1839 by Saxon Lutheran immigrants from Germany.

An historic farmstead and log cabin village

You'll find more information about this event elsewhere in this newsletter. We just wanted to get started on the publicity so you can

make plans ahead of time to attend.

WE WILL TRA VEL VIA USA TOURS. THE COST IS ONLY $69.00 EACH IF WE CAN GET 30 TO GO. We will be able to eat at the Festival where they will have many

different food booths.

WE WILL START TAKING NAMES RIGHT AWAY FROM THOSE WHO WISH TO GO ON THIS ONE-DAY TRIP.

THERE WILL BE A SIGN-UP SHEET ON THE COUNTER IN THE NARTHEX.

THE AUGUST IIADVENTURE" FOR THE LEISURE LUTHERANS

SUNDAY, AUGUST 22ND At about 10:30 a.m., following Bible Class,

We will be going to MONTAUK STATE PARK for Lunch

- they serve excellent food in their Restaurant ­And then on to Bo's Hollow

About 2 miles from Montauk A STEP BACK IN TIME - FUN FOR EVERYONE

RIDE IN A "MODEL A" FORD THROUGH THE COVERED BRIDGE. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WILD LIFE YOU'LL SEE ALONG THE

CREEK ROAD. On this /Iadventure" we'll drive.

There will be plenty of room for those who don't wish to drive. Lunch is lion your own" and we'll order from the Menu.

DOESN'T THIS SOUND LIKE A GOOD WAY TO SPEND A SUNDAY AFTERNOON?

COME, JOIN US.

THERE WILL BE A SIGN-UP SHEET FOR THIS II ADVENTURE11 ALSO, ON THE COUNTER IN THE NARTHEX. THESE LISTS WILL BE CLEARLY MARKED, SO THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SIGNING UP FOR.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT STEPHEN MINISTRY

What Do Stephen Ministers Do? ll.·.· Stephen Ministers are caring Christian friends who listen, ...

understand, accept, and pray for and with care receivers who are working through a crisis or a tough time.

.". ' It

Are Stephen Ministers Counselors? Stephen Ministers are not counselors; they are trained as lay caregivers. Their role is to listen and care-not to give advice or counsel. Stephen Ministers are also trained to recognize when a care receiver's need exceeds what they can provide. When that happens, they work with care receivers to help them find the level of care they really need.

Who Are Care Receivers? Care receivers are people from our church or community who are experiencing life's difficulties. Stephen Ministers usually meet with their care receivers once a week for about an hour for as long as the care receiver will benefit from the relationship.

How Can I Become a Stephen Minister? Because two of our Stephen Ministers are no longer active or living in the area, our Stephen Leaders, Julie Crews and Dan Canfield, have decided to start another training class this fall. Please consider a call to serve the church in this important ministry. Applications will be available soon.

A free tranquillizer to help relieve stress and worry is called "laughter" • -..

, CAN YOUHEARMffi NOW? An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of

years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100 percent.

The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must really be pleased that you can hear again.

The gentleman replied, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times!"

----------------~------------~ ­

A GUEST DEVOTION We want to share the following devotion from Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker of THE LUTHERAN HOUR. It was years ago that Julian Levitch was bowling in Memphis, Tennessee.

Levitch was bowling beautifully. He threw 11 straight strikes at Park Bowling Lanes on a Saturday night.

This is big news for bowlers. It was bigger news for Levitch. You see, the ally had a standing offer of $10,000 to any player who

bowled a perfect 300 game. Levitch rolled the final ball. All the pins moved. All but one fell down - a five pin. It wobbled. But like the proverbial weebies, it didn't fall down.

That one standing pin cost Julian $10,0001 I don't think I would like to have been there to see the reaction of him or any of his friends.

Sometimes that's the way my life seems to go. Everything is perfect except for one thing. That one thing seems to

ruin all the rest that is good. Because of that one thing, happiness eludes me. Frustration keeps me

captive. If that describes your situation, then you really do need to see Jesus. In

His life, death and resurrection, the Redeemer knocked down all the pins of the devil and this world.

When I recall His love, the little number-five pins of frustration in my life seem to fall over on their own, and I can be given peace once again.

This is why, if you do have a standing five pin in your life, I pray you will think of Jesus, and be granted the peace you need.

PRAYER: Dear Father, in life's difficulties, uncertainties, and frustrating times, may we find direction in You. Help me see that You are the One in control of all things. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

THE NEWSLETTER FOR LEISURE LUTHERANS is the Senior publication of Immanuel Lutheran Church. Editor: Enna Jean Haas, Director ofth Leisure Lutheran Ministry. Reporters this month: Audrey Medrow, Arlene Marr, Marie Dow, Nelda Carney. Mailing helpers: Andy and Nancy Anderson, Marianne Hodonsky, Lola Mesko

BACK PAGE RECIPE CORNER ..... . It's blackberry season - time for a fresh blackberry pie. You might want to try this CREAMY BLACKBERRY PIE recipe. It's an easy-to-make recipe, a sour cream mixture helps fill the pastry shell. Try it!

3 cups fresh blackberries 1/2 cup commercial sour cream 1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pastry shell 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/3 cup all purpose flour 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/8 tsp salt 2 eggs beaten

Place 3 cups blackberries in a pastry shell. Set aside. Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup of flour and salt. Add eggs and sour

cream, stirring until blended. Spoon over blackberries. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour; cut in butter with pastry

blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle evenly over sour cream mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until lightly browned. If desired, garnish with blackberries and mint leaves.

"LEISURE LUTHERANS" Immanuel Lutheran Church 801 West 11th Street Rolla, MO 65401

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