This past month I had a dental incident, a tooth that had previously had a root canal decided to crack in half. This issue was pretty obvious even without xrays, as there was a Grand-Canyon-shaped fissure running through my back molar. Every time I chewed anything it hurt, and apparently I needed a dental surgeon to remove it. I don’t know how many of you have tried to schedule orthodontic surgery recently, but most places are booked pretty far into the future. Some places couldn’t see me until November! Luckily, I found one who could squeeze me in after a week, and I took that opportunity. I was so excited to get that tooth pulled, and get on with my life. What I didn’t realize was that the real pain hadn’t yet begun. I’ve never had a tooth pulled, not even my wisdom teeth, and after the tooth was gone and the Novocain wore off,—boy, was I in pain. To make matters worse, there were only certain medications that I could take, because of other medications I was on. To make a long story short, I’m doing better now, but for many days I had this awful throbbing pain constantly, and it sure did interfere with my ability to concentrate and get things done. Sometimes life is like that; we can be doing mostly ok, and then out of the blue something difficult and or debilitating happens to us.
When you have a throbbing spot where your tooth used to be, it can be hard to focus on anything else. The pain in constant and constantly taking your attention. It does not matter if most everything else in your life is ok, or even if you know this pain will be temporary, for the time being it can be all-consuming. There are physical pains that are like that, and emotional and spiritual pains as well. I think about people whom I have lost and loved dearly, and at that moment there is very little else I can focus on. In the story of Christ, I think about the crucifixion and not only of the pain of Christ, but of the pain of the disciples and his family as well. How could they focus on anything else but the death of their savior. Of course, we know of the gift of the resurrection to come, but in that moment of suffering, even hope for the future can seem dim. For me, that is when I turn my focus to the God of the present, rather than even the hope of the future.
No matter what I have been through in life, it has always helped to be going through that with someone else, my spouse, my friends, and most importantly God. When we are in pain and discomfort, if we know we have others around us, if we know that we are loved and cared for, then it can make the pain of the present more bearable until a better future comes. This is one reason I often talk about Christ being present with us through the Spirit, and that God is always with us. Yes, I care about the promises of salvation and the eternity with Christ to come, but I also care about the here and now. I care about someone supporting me through the aching pains of life. Not only is God present for us always, but God places people in our lives to share the burden. If you are going through something difficult now or in the future, try to remember that we need not suffer alone. When others offer to help or hear you out, take them up on it, as this is one of the many ways God moves through the world. Perhaps by the time you read this, my tooth pain will be gone, and the pain itself is something I hope to forget, but never the people that helped me through it.
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Brian
Watch Past Worship Services
Videos of each week's service are available – click here. Sermons from past years are available on The Pastor's Page™.
Photos for the New Church Directory - September 10, 17, 24 following Worship Service
We will be collecting family photos for the new church address directory in September. You can either have your picture taken after church on Sunday September 10th, 17th, or 24th, or email a family photo to Alice Clausing. There will only be one photo per family. Please note that will be taking a congregational picture of everyone together after service on Sunday September 24th, so please come that day if you can. After the photo directory is assembled, we will make it available in printed form and on CD-ROM or USB drive.
Church Choir and Bell Choir Rehearsals
We will be starting choir rehearsals again on September 3rd. Choir rehearsals are from 12:15pm to 1:00pm after our fellowship lunch. We will also be starting bell choir rehearsals again on September 10th. Bell choir rehearsals are from 9:15am to 10:00am before church each Sunday. All are invited to sing in the choir or play in the bell choir, if you are interested, please talk to Karen Barger.
Payton Project Golf Outing
The Payton Project golf outing is a fundraiser for the Payton Project, a non-profit organization that helps address issues of bullying, mental health, and peer pressure in schools. It was started to honor Payton Freeze, a member of Mark’s family that was sadly lost due to school bullying. The church will be sponsoring a hole and playing a foursome for the event. If you know of others that might be interested, or just want to attend the lunch, or would like to donate to the event, more information here.
Church Invitation Program
Starting in August the church will begin passing out packets of 5 business cards on the first Sunday of the month. The idea is that members will take those packets and use the business cards as invitations to invite people to the church. Maybe it is someone you know well, or a stranger even. You can even use them to let people you haven’t seen in a while know that they are missed. We have a wonderful church here at Beaver and there are others out there that are looking for just the kind of worship and fellowship we have here.
Lingenfelter Scholarship Program
Many in the church have asked if there are ways to help the Lingenfelter family after the loss of Andrew. Through discussions with the family and the church, it has been decided that the church will set up a scholarship fund for the Lingenfelter children. Money can be donated to the church, and then the church will gather the funds together to give to Lindsey for 529 funds for the children. A special note, however, is that even though people will be donating to the church, these donations will not be tax deductible because they are being given for a specific family.
Any donations can be sent in with a note marking them as for the “Lingenfelter Scholarship Fund”.
Funeral Hospitality Team
The topic of how to best care for families and how to best provide funeral services came up at a consistory meeting recently. In the past we have put out a general asking for help, but it was decided that having a dedicated team of people to help with funerals would probably be a better system. Therefore, the church is organizing a funeral team to help with such things as lunches after funerals and any other related tasks. If you are interested in being on that team, please speak with Shirley Nelson.
Chicken and Noodle Dinner - October 14
We will be having our Fall Chicken & Noodle fundraiser dinner for the church and public on Saturday, October 14th. The dinner will be open for most of the day from 11AM to 7PM, and we will offer chicken and noodle, 2 sides, dessert, and a drink for $15. We will be doing advertising and please tell folks you know about it.