This Week At Mt. Olive

Good morning, fellow redeemed!

From the Large Catechism concerning the Lord's Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven:
No person can perfectly keep the Ten Commandments, even though he has begun to believe. The devil with all his power, together with the world and our own flesh, resists all our efforts. Therefore, nothing is more necessary than that we should continually turn toward God's ear, call upon Him, and pray to Him. We must pray that He would give, preserve, and increase faith in us and the fulfillment of the Ten Commandments (2 Thess. 1:3). We pray that He would remove everything that is in our way and that opposes us in these matters. So that we might know what and how to pray, our Lord Jesus Christ has Himself taught us both the way and the words (Luke 11:1-4), as we shall see.


A word about the freewill offerings at the Lenten meals: We've read and seen a lot about the earthquake in Japan here recently, and rightly so. Unfortunately, in this frenzied world, the things that happened a while back tend to get pushed aside by the world's news services. Last year, a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, a nation in the Caribbean Sea, and thought to be, if not THE poorest, one of the poorest nations in the world. In an email I received several weeks ago, the biggest problem in Haiti isn't radiation, but cholera, a disease that spreads through the lack of clean drinking water. LCMS World Relief and Human Care, in partnership with Lutheran Disaster Assistance, is making water filters available in Haiti. At a cost of $30 each, these filters provide fresh water for a family of six for five years. Our Lenten meal offerings this year are being given to LCMS World Relief and Human Care for this very worthwhile endeavor.

This week at Mt. Olive, a couple of changes are in store for Bible study.
Sunday mornings, we will be undertaking a study called Faith on the Edge: The Quest for Spirituality. According to the description, topics include Extrasensory Perception (ESP), paranormal and psychic phenomena, astrology, meditation and contemplation, Wicca, and health practices such as yoga and crystals.

Wednesday mornings, we'll undertake a study of 1, 2, and 3 John.

A few notes:
I hope to finish Mere Christianity this evening at Lutheran Book Club. The next book for consideration is "Why I am a Lutheran: Jesus at the Center" by Daniel Preus. The book club meets most Tuesday nights at the home of Dru and Tammy Blanc.

The April Church Council meeting has been moved up to April 4 at 7 p.m.

April 11, Vladimir Nitmitsky and his wife Julia, missionaries from Jews for Jesus, will be at Mt. Olive presenting a program titled "Christ in the Passover: Model Seder." Please make every effort to attend!

Finally, I'm a little reluctant to do this, but I encourage anyone who desires to come by McDonald's at Weber and Saratoga this evening between 5 and 8 p.m. The Carroll Tiger Band, of which Jonathan is a part, is having a fundraiser there.

Prayer Concerns:
David Simonds, undergoing surgery
Doris Nelson, going through physical therapy
Ruby Rieder, Emmet and Emma Wright, Ann Cleveland, Walter and Pearly Theiss (Houston), Norene Estes (Oklahoma)
Those who serve in our Armed Forces and their families: Rob Vadney (Afghanistan), Richard Rhode (North Carolina), John Sorensen, Ryan Radtke, Dru Blanc (Corpus Christi)
The Church throughout the world as she continues the walk to the cross through this Lententide

This Week at Mt Olive:
Tuesday, March 29
7 p.m.
Lutheran Book Club

Wednesday, March 30
8:30 a.m.
School Chapel

9:30 a.m.
Bible Study (1, 2, 3 John)

12:15 p.m.
Lenten Midday Prayer

5:30 p.m.
Lenten Meal (baked potatoes, sponsored by the Board of Elders)

6:15 p.m.
Choir

7:15 p.m.
Lenten Evening Prayer

Thursday, March 31
7 p.m.
Guitar Practice

Sunday, April 3
Regular worship and Sunday School schedule.

God bless!
PKJ