The Centerpiece: November 2004

THE CENTERPIECE
April, 2005
From The Editor
In the secular age we live in, I wouldn't be surprised if someone did a survey which indicated that a high percentage of people think that attending Church is a waste of time. Were this to be the case, I'd also like to think that a committed Christian would have the kind of walk with Christ to boldly say what just such a person said in the following story:
A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all." This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: "I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know th... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!
May an ongoing fellowship with fellow believers never cease to nourish, strengthen and sustain you.
Blessings,
Terri Watson
Note: If you have a contribution for this column, Bob and I would love to hear from you. You can reach our Dashing Director at 412-682-1800 or via e-mail at bluesbob at earthlinkddnet.
March's Meal
When Debra Terhune makes "Debra's Delight," she really treats you to one filling, nourishing and delightful meal. After eating this lasagna-style Italian pie, the people who attended this meal were treated to one of Bob's owonderful devotions and great entertainment by Lois Briggs, a longtime meal attendee since the Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind opened its doors in March, 1999. What made this meal extra special was that we celebrated the Center's sixth anniversary. Regarding the guests we were asked to bring, we had fsttime meal attendee Jeannie Gargner and Longtime away attendee cathy Laslavic.
For his devotion, Bob eloquently addressed the rich spiritual significance of Good Friday. Bob began this devotion by saying that, in Germany, this holy day is referred to as mournful Friday. From there, Bob went on to make the point that Good Friday is indeed good because without it we would have no redemption or salvation, but mournful, too, because of the tragedy of such intense suffering and ultimately death. From the humble and spiritual to the slapstick and humorous, we were treated to entertainment by Lois Briggs in which she shared humorous anecdotes in the form of Church bulletin and church announcement bloopers. Examples of these included ladies being reminded to bring their electric girdles to an upcoming breakfast, and the congregation being encouraged to hear missionary Bertha Belch "belch all the way from Africa."
Although we did not lift up joys and concerns to the Lord in prayer, we did enjoy the rich spiritual dimension that was the uplifting Vespers service which Pastor Spittel led.
For making this meal, the Bible study which preceeded it, and the Vespers service which followed it, possible, much appreciation is extended to Center Director Bob Mates, Associate Director Sherri Crum, all of the volunteer servers from Abraxis, and the Spittel family.
A final note about the fellowship that is always part of the Center's monthly meals was that Happy Birthday was sung to the following people with March birthdays: Chuck Ridley, Kathy Susany, Terri Watson, and Jim Winaught.
CONTRIBUTOR's CORNER
NOTE: I wish I could remember who sent me this piece, so I could thank them. Unfortunately, I can't. Therefore, I'll just have to say, "Thank you, whoever you are, for such a gem!". I hope you folks agree.--Bob Mates

Installing Love
Tech Support: Yes, how can I help you?
Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?
Tech Support: Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do, first?
Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?
Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?
Tech Support: What programs are running?
Customer: Let's see...I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, and Grudge and Resentment running right now.
Tech Support: No problem. Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own, called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?
Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu, and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary, until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.
Customer: Okay, done. Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?
Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error -- Program not run on external components." What should I do?
Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but it hasn't yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.
Customer: So, what should I do?
Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance, then click on the following files: Forgive-Self, Realize Your Worth, and Acknowledge Your Limitations.
Customer: Okay, done.
Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone from your system and can never be restored.
Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?
Tech Support: Sometimes. For others this process takes a while, but eventually, everyone gets it at the proper time. So, Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules to you.
Customer: Thank you, God.
Please send this to every one you know. If you delete it, that's okay. God's love is not based on e-mail messages.
Go anywhere with your friends, provided it's forward.
    A LITTLE HUMOR ... VERY LITTLE
by Bob Mates
Even though Bob always describes the humor in this column as "very little," I consider it to be quite alot as you know. That's why I just can't wait to see what Bob has in store for us this month. So, with a combination of creativity, e-jokes, and friendly fellowship ... here's Bob.
Two ninety-one year old men, Moe and Sam, have been friends all their lives.
It seems that Sam is dying of cancer, and Moe comes to visit him every day.
"Sam," says Moe, "You know how we have both loved baseball all our lives, and how we played minor league ball together for so many years. Sam, you have to do me one favor. When you get to Heaven, and I know you will go to Heaven, somehow you've got to let me know if there's baseball in Heaven."
Sam looks up at Moe from his death bed, and says, "Moe, you've been my best friend many years. This favor, if it is at all possible, I'll do for you."
And shortly after that, Sam passes on.
It is midnight a couple of nights later. Moe is sound asleep when he is awakened by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calls out to him, "Moe.... Moe...."
"Who is it?" says Moe sitting up suddenly. "Who is it?"
"Moe, it's me, Sam."
"Come on. You're not Sam. Sam just died."
"I'm telling you," insists the voice. "It's me, Sam!"
"Sam? Is that you? Where are you?"
"I'm in heaven," says Sam, "and I've got to tell you, I've got really good news and a little bad news."
"So, tell me the good news first," says Moe.
"The good news," says Sam "is that there is baseball in heaven. Better yet, all our old buddies who've gone before us are there. Better yet, we're all young men again. Better yet, it's always spring time and it never rains or snows. And best of all, we can play baseball all we want, and we never get tired!"
"Really?" says Moe, "That is fantastic, wonderful beyond my wildest dreams!
But, what's the bad news?"
"You're pitching next Tuesday!"
The Atheist
An atheist was taking a walk through the woods. What majestic trees!

What powerful rivers!

   What beautiful animals!" he said to himself.

   As he was walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7 foot grizzly charge towards him.

He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him. He looked over his shoulder again, and    the bear was even closer. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw the bear right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.

At that instant the Atheist cried out: "Oh my God6..."

   Time stopped.

   The bear froze.

The forest was silent.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky: "You   deny my existence for all of these years, teach others I don't exist, and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this    predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?"

   The atheist looked directly into the light, "It would be hypocritical of   me to suddenly ask You to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps could you make the BEAR a Christian?"

   "Very well," said the voice.

The light went out.

   The sounds of the forest resumed.

And then the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together and bowed his head and spoke:

"Lord, bless this food, which I am about to receive from Thy bounty   through Christ our Lord, Amen."

   Don't Hit The Ducks

Three golfing partners died in a car wreck and went to heaven. Upon arrival they discover the most beautiful golf course they have ever seen. St. Peter tells them that they are all welcome to play the course, but he cautions them that there is only one rule:
Don't hit the ducks.

The men all have blank expressions, and finally one of them asks "The ducks?"

"Yes," St. Peter replies, "There are millions of ducks walking around the course and if one gets hit, he squawks then the one next to him squawks and soon they're all squawking to beat the band, and it really breaks the tranquility. If you hit the ducks, you'll be punished, otherwise everything is yours to enjoy."

After entering the course, the men noted that there was indeed a gaggle of ducks everywhere. Within fifteen minutes, one of the guys hit one of them. The duck squawked, the one next to it squawked and soon there was a deafening roar of duck quacks.

St. Peter walked up with an extremely homely woman in tow and asked "Who hit the duck?"

The one who had done it admitted "I did."

Immediately, St. Peter pulled out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed the man's right hand to the homely woman's left hand. "I told you not to hit the ducks," he said.

"Now you'll be handcuffed together for eternity.

The other two men were very cautious not to hit any ducks, but a couple of weeks later, one of them accidentally did. The quacks were as deafening as before and within minutes St. Peter walked up with an even uglier woman than before. St. Peter determined which one had hit the duck by the fear in his face, and cuffed the man's right hand to the homely woman's left hand.

"I told you not to hit the ducks," he said. "Now you'll be handcuffed together for eternity."

The third man became extremely careful. Some days he wouldn't even move for fear of even nudging a duck. After three months of this, fortunately, he still hadn't hit a duck. St. Peter walked up to the man at the end of three months, with a knock-out gorgeous woman -- the most beautiful woman the man had ever seen. St. Peter smiled to the man and then, without a word, handcuffed him to the beautiful woman and walked off.

The man, knowing that he would be handcuffed to this beautiful woman for eternity, let out a sigh and said: "What have I done to deserve this?"

The woman responded: "I don't know about you, but I hit a duck."
Dear GOD,
Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't You just keep the ones You have? comAmy
Dear GOD:
Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother. comLarry
Dear GOD:
If You watch me in church on Sunday, I'll show You my new shoes. comMickey
Dear GOD:
I bet it is very hard for You to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it. Nan
Dear GOD,
In school they told us what You do. Who does it when You are on vacation? comJane
Dear GOD:
Are You really invisible or is it just a trick? comLucy
Dear GOD,
Is it true my father won't get in Heaven if he uses his bowling words in the house? comAnita
Dear GOD:
Did You mean for the Giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? comNorma
Dear GOD,
Who draws the lines around the countries? comJan
Dear GOD,
I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that okay? comNeil
Dear GOD,
Did You really mean "do unto others as they do unto you"? Because if You did, then I'm going to fix my brother. comDarla
Dear GOD,
Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. comJoyce
Dear GOD,
It rained for our whole vacation and is my father mad! He said some things about You that people are not supposed to say, but I hope You will not hurt him anyway. Your friend, (But I am not going to tell You who I am)
Dear GOD,
Please send me a pony. I never asked for anything before. You can look it up. comBruce
Dear GOD,
If we come back as something -- Please don't let me be Jennifer Horton because I hate her. comDenise
Dear GOD,
If you give me a genie like Aladdin, I will give You anything You want, except my money or my chess set. comRaphael
Dear GOD,
My brother is a rat. You should give him a tail. Ha! Ha! comDanny
Dear GOD,
I want to be just like my Daddy when I get big but not with so much hair all over comTom
Dear GOD,
You don't have to worry about me. I always look both ways. comDean
Dear GOD,
I think the stapler is one of your greatest inventions. comRuth M.
Dear GOD,
I think about You sometimes even when I'm not praying. comElliott
Dear GOD,
Of all the people who work for You I like Noah and David the best. comRob
Dear GOD,
My brother told me about being born but it doesn't sound right. He's just kidding, isn't he? comMarsha
Dear GOD,
I would like to live 900 years like the guy in the Bible. Love, Chris
Dear GOD,
We read Thomas Edison made light. But in Sunday school they said You did it. So I bet he stole your idea. Sincerely, Donna
Dear GOD,
The bad people laughed at Noah -- "You made an ark on dry land you fool." But he was smart, he stuck with Y. That's what I would do. comEddie
Dear GOD,
I do not think anybody could be a better GOD. Well, I just want you to know but I am not just saying that because You are GOD already. comCharles
Dear GOD,
I didn't think Orange went with Purple until I saw the sunset You made on Tuesday. That was cool. comEugene
How Many Christians Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?

Charismatic: Only 1 - Hands are already in the air.

Pentecostal: 10 - One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

Presbyterians: None - Lights will go on and off at predestined times.

Roman Catholic: None - Candles only. (Of guaranteed origin of course.)

Baptists: At least 15 - One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken.

Episcopalians: 3 - One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks, and one to talk about how much better the old one was.

Mormons: 5 - One man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.

Unitarians: We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, you are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.

Methodists: Undetermined - Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Bring a bulb of your choice to the Sunday lighting service and a covered dish to pass.

Nazarene: 6 - One woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.

Lutherans: None - Lutherans don't believe in change.

Amish: What's a light bulb?

A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology ;(courses. She   started her class by saying, "Everyone who thinks you're ;(stupid, stand up!" After a few seconds, Little Johnny stood up. The teacher ;(said, "Do you think you're stupid, Little Johnny?" "No, ma'am, but I ;(hate ! see you standing there all by yourself!"
Little Johnny watched, fascinated, as his mother smoothed cold cream on her face. "Why do you do that, mommy?" he asked. "To make myself   beautiful," said his mother, who then began removing the cream with a   tissue. "What's the matter?" asked Little Johnny. "Giving up?"
A Sunday School teacher of preschoolers was concerned that his students might be a little confused about Jesus Christ because of the Christmas season emphasis on His birth. He wanted to make sure they ;(understood that the birth of Jesus occurred a long time ago, that He grew up, etc. So he asked his class, "Where is Jesus today?" Steven raised his hand and said, "He's in heaven." Mary was called on and answered, "He's in my heart." Little Johnny, waving his hand furiously, blurted out, "I   know! I know! He's in our bathroom!!!"   The whole class got very quiet, looked at the teacher, and waited for a   response. The teacher was completely at a loss for a few very long seconds. Finally, he gathered his wits and asked Little Johnny how he   knew this.   Little Johnny said, "Well ... every morning, my father gets up, bangs on   the bathroom door, and yells, "Jesus Christ, are you still in there?!"
The math teacher saw that little Johnny wasn't paying attention in class. She called on him and said, "Johnny! What are 2 and 4 and 28   and 44?" Little Johnny quickly replied, "NBC, CBS, HBO and the Cartoon   Network!"
Little Johnny's kindergarten class was on a field trip to their local police station where they saw pictures, tacked to a bulletin board, of   the 10 most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a   picture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person.   "Yes," said the policeman. "The detectives want very badly to capture   him." Little Johnny asked, "Why didn't you keep him when you took his picture?"
DEVOTION
by Bob Mates
Bob never seems to tire of simmering steaming pots of spiritual chicken soup in the form of educational and uplifting devotions.
Because there's no doubt that God helped Bob develop, prepare and write yet another insightful and Bible-based devotion, let's turn, now, to Bob's words of wisdom:
THE REAL CURE
by Bob Mates
America has become an angry, polarized country. People are broken up into us-vs.-them camps: black vs. white; rich vs. poor; liberal vs. conservative; young vs. old. Some of these divisions have always been there, but, with the Internet, and with politicians and media types (at least, some of them) very ready to exploit people's fears and prejudices, it's little wonder this society has become increasing angry, polarized and suspicious. Even the church has, sadly, fallen into this trap. The Christian Right has allowed itself to become a lap-dog for the conservative wing of the Republican party. Because of this, any moderates in the party may now not only be labeled as radicals, but as ungodly. Of course, it goes without saying that Democrats, to these folks, are, by their very nature, ungodly, atheistic swine.
As for the Christian Left, some of them are scared to stand up for anything, lest they be accused of narrow-mindedness. Thus, they also end up with some strange bed-fellows, who love neither them nor their God.
Now, if you listen to talk radio, you quickly get the idea that the way to cure the ills of this country is to get rid of all "liberal" or "progressive" influences. Well, that's fine for Bill O'Reilly, G. Gordon Liddy or Rush Limbaugh. However, intelligent, thinking people realize that the answer is a bit different.
we could certainly point out that it was the "progressives", if you will, who gave us the Civil rights bills, as well as the ADA. However, you have to agree with conservatives, who decry the moral decline of this country. Why, and what to do about it?
In philosophy, we talk about a kind of equation: Thesis plus antithesis equals synthesis. Here's what it means, in English. Let's say you start out with a thesis. That is, you start out with something which is generally accepted, such as "marriage is for everyone." The antithesis would be: "Marriage is for no one." You see, they're opposites. Well, over the years, you reach a synthesis, or middle ground. "Marriage is for most, but not all people. That's how it works. Then, that synthesis becomes the new thesis. That's how thought works: it's a continuing series of thesisstantithesistsynthesis. The problem, though, is this: every time a synthesis becomes the thesis, it moves further away from the original thesis, and closer to the antithesis. Translated, it means that the worst thing becomes accepted, and becomes the norm after awhile That's what's happened here.
So what do we do? Well, no matter what the rush Limbaughs or Bill O'reillys say, supporting George W. Bush won't cure it. The only thing the last presidential election fixed was President Bush's place of residence, for the next four years. The ills of America will never be fixed with politics they can only be fixed with the gospel. This means the CHRISTIAN Right and Christian Left will both have to rid themselves of the notion that they are the exclusive bearers of the truth. There's only one gospel, and the words Republican and Democrat are not mentioned anywhere in it. In 2 Chronicles 7.14, God says: 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Hmm! Not one word about politics, or red states or blue states: not a word about anything, but turning to God.
Let us resolve, from this day forward, to do our part to heal the wounds of our nation, by telling its people of God's love and grace.
amen.
     PERSONAL PROFILE-- Louise Chuha Meal attendee Louise Chuha is someone who has been in and known by the blind community for quite some time. When you combine that name recognition with someone who has done alot for the blind community, you get someone I consider to be a wonderful person to profile. So without further ado, let's get to know Louise Chuha just a little bit better: Question: As you know, we just celebrated the Lutheran Center for the Blind's sixth anniversary, the Center having opened its doors in March, 1999. Have you been coming to the Lutheran Center since it opened? If not, how long have you been coming to the Center? Answer: I started coming to the meals at the Center about a year and a half ago, shortly after I retired.
Question: In each month's newsletter, we read that the mission of the Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind is to reach out to Pittsburgh's blind community, "feeling" their needs, and touching them with the love of Jesus. How do you feel that the Center does this? If you feel that there are also additional ways in which the Center could accomplish this spiritual mission, what else could the Center do? Answer: Along with everybody else, I enjoy the fellowship and, of course, the good food that I don't have to prepare, but I always look forward to the vesper service. I really appreciate that the Center makes everything available in whatever accessible format we need. I think we need a lot more publicity and recognition. As far as I know, "word of mouth" has been our best way of getting out the word, but perhaps we could do more to reach out to those who might need us. How about getting RIS to do an interview with Bob on the "Town talk" program.
Question: Although most, if not all of our meal attendees have known you for some time, what are some things you'd like to share about yourself that people might not Know? Answer: Everybody probably knows everything about me that's worth knowing, but here goes. I came originally from Massachusetts, where I was a rehab teacher. When I came to Pittsburgh, I worked as the recreation co-ordinator and rehab teacher for PVS (then known as "the blind association." After about ten years, I was laid off from PVS because of a money crunch and went to work as a supervisor at the Association For The Blind in Beaver Falls. When that job ended, I came back to PVS as a volunteer to teach knitting and various other things. Somehow I got involved as a volunteer in the Access Technology center in Bridgeville, And when Athena Computer Technology started I went to work for them as an instructor of beginning computer skills for the blind, among other things. I am very involved in the music program at Good Shepherd church in Braddock. I love to read and do a lot of handwork, including making bobbin lace. I travel with a Seeing Eye dog-a yellow labrador named Dylan. I am a great advocate for the use of braille, especially among the students who think that the computer makes braille unnecessary.
Question: As someone who lives in Braddock, one of Pittsburgh's eastern communities, do you attend the events at the Lutheran Center East, and, if so, what can you tell those of us who wouldn't be as familiar with this new Center about that facility's programs and services? Answers: The Living Waters center is, as yet, a small one. The church in Swissvale, where it is located, has a large deaf population and I think its original purpose was to become a center for the deaf-blind community. That hasn't yet happened. There are some dedicated volunteers who prepare and serve the meals, several of whom are deaf. We all seem to manage to communicate with each other. Although the center is small, we enjoy each others' company and Bob always has a devotion prepared for us.
Question: Is there anything more you would like to share about the Center or yourself? Answer:
Including this newsletter, people who have been profiled so far include Ayn Apelman, Louise Chuha, Maggie Fagliano, Ellie Goldfon, Bob Mates, Kathy Susany, Terri Watson and Jim Winaught, but there's many more of you out there whom we'd love to get to know better. If you are willing to be profiled, please call our dedicated Director at 412-682-1800, or e-mail Bob Mates at bluesbobatearthlinksionet.
BIBLE BITS
The purpose of having Bible Bits each month is to increase your love of and walk with the Lord. To do that this month, the drink of spiritual water I will share will center around the theme, "I am the light of the world" (John 9.5), a theme around which Bob Mates has also done a devotion.
After the following Scriptures which will focus on Christ as the light of the world, I will offer questions for discussion and reflection.
So without further ado, let's read, reflect and grow in our relationship with Christ.
1 John 1:7-10 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives.
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will have the light of life. John 8:12
Questions FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
1. We just finished reading in the above passage from John's Gospel that we are liars if we claim to be without sin. Have you ever met someone who tried to portray himself or herself as perfect? If so, how did contact with that type of person make you feel?
2. In the above Gospel verses, John instructs us to confess our sins with our mouths. How easy or hard is such a confession? How easy or hard has this been for you?
3. Use the concept of Christ as the light of the world to help you think about the person who brought you to Christ through his or her witness. When did you first come to see Jesus as the light of the world, and how has transformed you spiritually from who and how you were before you came to know the Lord?
If you have a theme on which you would like me to center and develop a future Bible Bits, Bob and I would be delighted to hear from you. Share any ideas you might have for this column by calling Bob at 412-682-1800 or by e-mailing him at bluesbobatearthlinksionet.
LOOKING AHEAD
April's meal, which is possibly a chicken casserole, will take place on Saturday the 30th. There will be a Bible study from 4 to 5 PM; the meal will go from 5 to 6:30 and the Vespers service will be held from 6:30 to 7.
To attend this meal, reserve with Bob Mates no later than 4 PM on Thursday the 28th by calling him at 412-682-1800. Remember that if you must cancel your reservation to attend a monthly meal, you must do so no later than 2:00 PM on the day of the meal. Also remember that you are under no obligation to give a free will offering when one is taken up at monthly meals, but if you do give whtever you feel you can afford, your offering will be very much appreciated.
A final note about monthly meals is that a meal also takes place at the Lutheran Center East in Swissvale. If you would like to attend meals there, or would like more information about that outreach ministry, call our wonderful director at 412-682-1800.
PRAYER REQUESTS
As you prepare to lift um the following joys and concerns to the Lord, know that you were formed, fashioned, minted and mined in God's unconditional and everlasting love.
Also as you ponder the petitions, prayers and intentions listed below, say, first, whatever prayer or prayers would best guide you to a prayerful state of mind.
1. For the repose of the soul of Pope John Paul II: May this soul of this good shepherd and great leader rest in peace.
2. For physical therapy to be successful for a woman who severely injured her knee on which she recently had surgery.
3. For comfort, peace of mind, and an accurate diagnosis for a friend whose mammogram found an abnormality.
4. For Christ's loving, healing hand to be with Carol who will be starting aggressive chemotherapy for bone cancer that is progressing rapidly.
5. Thanks be to God for Bob Mates, Sherri Crum, Pastor Spittel, the pastor's family, and all who make the work of the Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the ghl possible.
6. Blest and Happy Birthdays to all meal attendees and volunteers with April birthdays.
7. For positive outcomes for the Saint Paul Monastery choir director as he prepares to perform many organ recitals.
8. Congratulations to any meal attendee who has achieved a significant accomplishment in April, and praise the Lord for the works and the gifts that make all of our accomplishments possible.
9. May the Lord's love and the Holy Spirit's healing be with one of our servicemen in Iraq who was recently shot in the head, and may Chri's comfort and compassion be with his family as they cope with this horrible crisis.
10. May the Savior's soothing presence be with Dee Wilson as she deals with some stressors.
11. A Prayer by Mary Stuart Keep me, O God, from pettiness. Let us be large in thought, word, and deed. let us be done with fault-finding and leave off self-seeking. May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face without self pity and without prejudice. May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous. Let us take time for all things. Make us grow calm, serene, and gentle. Teach us to put into action our better impulses and make us straightforward and unafraid. Grant that we may realize that it is the little things in life that crate differences, that in the big things we are all one. And, O Lord God, let us not forget to be kind. Amen.