THE CENTERPIECE
Summer, 2006
 The newsletter of the
Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind

535 North Neville Street
Pittsburgh, Pa 15213
PHONE: 412 682-1800

Bob Mates, Director
Sherri Crum, Associate Director

The Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind seeks to reach out
to the visually impaired of Pittsburgh, feeling their needs, and
touching them with the love of Jesus, that they may reach out and
touch others with the love of Jesus.

THE CENTERPIECE is available in Braille, large print, and on
cassette tape.  You may also read it online, at our web site:
www.plcb.net.

Terri Winaught, Editor FROM THE DIRECTOR

Hi, everyone! Welcome to a very special edition of "The
Centerpiece".  This edition is special for a number of reasons. 
For one thing, it's a rare Summer edition.  For another, it's
crammed full of important news! Of course, it contains the usual
things.  There's the devotional, and, what would a "Centerpiece"
be without the humor column? (Who said "better"?) So, sit back,
relax, and get ready to be entertained and informed.

TRIVIA TIME

If you pride yourself in knowing such useless information as
every winner of the Kentucky Derby, or all of the different
sponsors of "Gunsmoke", get ready to have a blast! The pittsburgh
Lutheran Center for the Blind will be holding its Trivia Time, on
July 22, 2006, from 1:30 to 4:30.  Test your knowledge on a wide
range of subjects, from the Bible, to old-time radio, to the
movies, to...  well, you name it; we'll ask about it! We'll be
awarding prizes, so you'd better have your thinking caps on.  For
more information, (no answers, though), call (417) 682-1800, or
email bluesbob@earthlink.net.  Light refreshments will be served.

TALENT SHOW

Are you talented? Well, we'll be the judge of that, as the
Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind holds its first annual
Talent Show, on Sunday, August 13, 2006, from 2 to 5 P.M.  (Might
be its last annual, too!) If you sing, tell jokes, play an
instrument, or have a dog guide who who sings "How Much Is That
Human In the Window", while eating a milkbone, this is where you
want to be! Even if you don't think you have any talent, you're
welcome to participate; no one else has any, either! If you don't
want to participate, just come and enjoy it.  Prizes will be
awarded, and light refreshments will be served.
For more info, call (412) 682-1800, or email
bluesbob@earthlink.net.  Please sign up by August 6.

On God, Man and Cats
by Bob Mates

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you.  4:8 Come near to God and he will come
near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your
hearts, you double-minded.
It has been jokingly remarked that dogs have owners, while cats
have staffs.  Having recently spent a good deal of time around
cats, I can vouch for this statement.
There's nothing sweeter than an affectionate cat.  It lies in
your arms, or on your lap, purring for all it's worth.  It kneads
you with its paws.  If it's on the floor, it rubs itself against
your leg, meowing until you pet it.
On the other hand, a cat, who's not in the mood to be played with
or petted, is nothing to trifle with.  It tries to pull away.  It
may hiss at you.  If you're foolish enough to ignore these
warnings, you may end up getting scratched or bitten, neither one
of which are pleasant.
So what does this have to do with God? Well, we humans are kind
of like cats, in our relationship to God.  We want him when we
want him.  We ask for His help; we pray for His protection; we
loudly profess to love Him.  However, when we're not in the mood
for Him, we jerk away from Him.  When He attempts to guide us, we
hiss and growl.  We tell Him "Don't call me; I'll call you!".
Our scripture text tells us quite a few things, in just two
verses.  First, we must submit ourselves to God.  We do that by
prayer, study of His Word, and by being controlled by His Spirit. 
This helps us to do the next thing, which is to resist the devil. 
When we do, he runs away, like a scared mouse!
We're also told that, as we draw near to God, He draws near to
us.  The more love we give Him, the more we get back!
The command "wash your hands, you sinners" refers to becoming
spiritually clean.  One way of doing that is to be single-minded. 
That means that our hearts and minds are always focussed on God.
As we said before, humans sometimes tend to act like cats, when
it comes to God.  But, we are neither cats, dogs, nor any other
animal.  We are humans.  We were created in God's image, and He
sent his only-begotten Son to die for us, so that we might have
eternal life.  He didn't do it because we deserved it, but
because we didn't.  He only desires to love us, and forgive us,
and redeem us.  Let us be filled with the desire to know Him, His
grace and His love.
Amen.

A LITTLE HUMOR: VERY LITTLE

Q.  What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?  A. 
Ruthless.
 Q.  What do they call pastors in Germany?  A.  German Shepherds.
Q.  Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?  A.  Noah.  He
was floating his stock while everyone else was in  liquidation.
Q.  Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?  A. 
Pharaoh's daughter.  She went down to the bank of the Nile and
drew  out a little prophet.
Q.  What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?  A.  Jehovah
drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury.  David's Triumph
was heard throughout the land.  Also, probably a Honda, because
the apostles were all in one  Accord.
Q.  Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?  A.  Samson He
brought the house down.
Q.  What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no
longer  lived in Eden?  A.  Your mother ate us out of house and
home.
Q.  Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the 
Bible?  A.  Moses He broke all 10 commandments at once.
Q.  Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy?  A.  The area
around Jordan.  The banks were always overflowing.  Q.  Who is
the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible?  A.  David.  He
rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.  Q.  Which Bible character
had no parents?  A.  Joshua, son of Nun.
Q.  Why didn't they play cards on the Ark?  A.  Because Noah was
standing on the deck.  (Groan...)     PS...
Q.  Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?  A.  Yup,
it's in the Bible.  It says . . .  "He-brews"

HOT NEWS

Well, gang, if you're still here, after the humor column, you're
about to hear or read some big, big news.  This would be "stop
the presses" type news, but there are no presses.  There's just
me and my BrailleNote, and if I stop writing, nothing will get
done.  As for you, you can't stop reading, or you'll never find
out what I'm leading up to.  So, here we go!
If there's one thing that's certain, it is that, as they say, the
only thing constant in life is change.  Change can sometimes be
painful, but it can also be wonderful.  I experienced the painful
part of change, during my wife's illness and subsequent death. 
Now, I'm about to experience the wonderful part.
On September 9, 2006, I will be married to Doris Lopez, the
director of the Kent County Lutheran Center for the Blind, in
Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I will be moving to Grand Rapids, to be
co-director of the center.  I will be leaving this center in the
more-than-capable hands of Sherri Crum, who is now the Associate
Director.  There's no one I'd rather see run this center than
Sherri.  I think she's going to take PLCB to new heights.  She
already has some fantastic ideas for the fall! I'm sure she would
covet all of your prayers, as she seeks to continue the work
which has been going on for the past seven years.  God be with
you, Sherri!
As for me, I have had seven of the most rewarding and blessed
years one person could ever have.  However, it's time to move on,
and do God's work in another place.  Doris and I believe we can
make our center every bit as vital and effective as PLCB is. 
Please pray for us, as we do this work.
As I leave, it's impossible to thank everyone, who has helped me
over the years.  This is just a partial list:
Vicky Vaughan; Terri Winaught; Sherri Crum; Cindy Fenger; Eugene
Rossi; Norma Jean Rossi; Debra Terhune; Pastor Douglas Spittel;
Pastor Eric Andrae; All of the folks who have volunteered, both
within and outside of First Trinity; Pastor Dave Andrus; Kathy
Susany; anyone who mentioned us to a friend; the late Bob Taylor,
who entertained us so many times; Lou Schreiber; the Operating
board, and Board of Elders at First Trinity, who were always
supportive, and who told me what I needed to know; the
congregation of First Trinity; other area LCMS churches, who
supported us, both prayerfully, and financially; and of course,
the rest of you, who supported us, by attending a function,
reading the newsletter, or just praying for us.  I love, and will
miss, all of you.  May the Lord richly smile upon all of you, and
may you always be filled with the knowledge of the love of God,
through His Son, Jesus Christ.

HOUSEKEEPING

THE CENTERPIECE will continue.  However, I will not be sending
out the email version.  Therefore, if you wish to continue to
receive this newsletter, you must notify Sherri Crum.  To do
this, please send an email, letting her know that you wish to
continue to receive the newsletter to: ssmiley@access995.com.

 PRAYER REQUESTS

1.  Pray for Suzanne Lopez, who is in the hospital with a viral
infection, and lung trouble.
2.  For Sherri Crum, as she assumes her new responsibilities, as
Director of the Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind.
3.  For a lady, named Cindy Ridge, who needs a kidney transplant.
4.  For an un-named person, who is having medical problems.