Dear Peace Members and Friends,
During these last weeks, we have been in a sermon series, “Ordinary People.” We all know the principal characters in the Bible—Abraham and Sarah, Mary, Paul, Peter—and, of course, Jesus, the focus of the Bible for all Christians. (As Martin Luther said, “The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.”) Yet, there are lesser-known characters in the Bible that we rarely, if ever, hear about; those people through whose lives God made a difference in the world and in the lives of others.
So far in this series we have lifted up the two women who pulled baby Moses out of the Nile, Jacob wrestling with God, and Vashti saying, “no” to the King. This Sunday (9:30am) we will hear about Ananias. A strong case can be made that without Ananias, we would not have the Apostle Paul. We’ll hear more from Pastor Joe in a message, “Ananias—When We’d Rather Not.” We’ll also share in Holy Communion, pray and sing praises to our Lord, and gathering after worship. I’m looking forward to it!
I also want to pass on another reminder of the upcoming course at Peace: Powerful Tools for Caregivers. Beginning in late August and continuing into September, Peace is co-hosting this class with Normandale Center for Healing and Wholeness. Taught by certified instructors, this class will help us gain knowledge, support, and self-care tools to help you take care of yourself while caring for the ones you love. You will learn tips to reduce stress, improve self-confidence, manage time, better communicate feelings, and make tough decisions. This 6-week class begins on Thursday, August 22 and will continue weekly until September 26th. The total cost for all sessions is $20. To register, you can e-mail Normandale Center at [email protected] or call the directly at 952.977.9357. Join me and others for this timely and helpful class!
See you on Sunday! Mark