Your Weekly Update, September 15

September 15, 2011

Your Weekly Update

I've Been Thinking...

A few months ago I had a cataract removed from my eye. (Okay, you can hold the "old guy" jokes, please.)

For a long time I had been telling Jeane, "I think I have something in my eye." Turns out I did! Things weren't quite as clear as they once had been; they looked blurred, dim, unfocused. No matter how much I rubbed or rinsed my eyes out with eye drops, I couldn't see any better.

So in I went, allowing the ophthalmologist to do things to my eyeball that, frankly, no one should be doing, such as poking it with sharp objects and shooting laser beams into it. You get the picture.

When the surgery was over and the patch came off, what I noticed most was how bright everything looked. Things weren't just clearer -- they were brighter.

The Apostle Paul tells us that "we see in a mirror dimly." (I Cor. 13:12). The distress, anxiety, emotional clutter and day-to-day maintenance can blur our eyes and allow the fog to set in. Sin can also do that to us. So can anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, fear. Ditto for a hard heart.

It's frightening to grope around in the fog.

Friends, maybe we need spiritual cataract surgery. And there's no one to perform it but Jesus. When we lose clarity and life turns gray, don't waste your time with over-the-counter eye drops. Our solution - always - is to turn to the Great Physician, the One who is always calling our name.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace.

Rx: SPEND TIME ALONE WITH JESUS DAILY UNTIL VISION CLEARS UP

Greg

Coming Up

Sunday, September 18: Breakfast Club at Greg & Jeane's House. Bring a brunch dish to share and arrive by 10:30 AM. Communion Service follows brunch. Call Greg for directions at 602-622-1488.

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Monday, September 19: This Monday we meet at Peace Lutheran to discuss and expand on the message of last Monday night's Wake-Up Call. If you did not get a chance to see it, or if you want to review it, you can watch it now online. Go to www.annegrahamlotz.com

Come on Monday night whether you have heard the messages or not - we'll have a re-cap of it. No meal, but you can bring snacks to share if you want. Class is at 7:15 PM.

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Life Recovery: Healing From Grief & Loss
Begins this Fall

Why would I need to attend a grief recovery class?

Have you had losses, either recently or in the past, and you find it hard to move on? Are you experiencing depression, lethargy, fatigue, anger, lack of interest in life? Society tells us to just "put on a happy face" and get over it, but sometimes it's not that simple.

We believe there's a better way!

Healing from Loss is a 12-week faith-based program that will take you through a series of steps to help you understand, process, and heal your broken heart. It involves weekly attendance, reading, reflection, homework and sharing.

Our fall workshop runs every Tuesday night for 12 weeks. Call Greg at 602-622-1488 if you have questions or would like to participate in the workshop. If you know someone who might benefit from this program, please speak with them and give them Greg's number.

Empowering People for Faith ~ Equipping People for Life ~ Helping People Heal