Praise Lutheran Church

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PRAISE LUTHERAN CHURCH

Pastor Brown — Sat, 14 May 2011 22:52:35 +0000

For more information on Praise Lutheran Church, please visit our other site at www.PraiseLC.org or call (260) 490-7729

FEEDING ON THE WORD OF GOD – PART I

Pastor Brown — Sat, 14 May 2011 22:49:37 +0000

To live a healthy and well balanced life, we must take care of ourselves in mind, body, and spirit. Great care, time, and expense go into caring for our mental health through the years of formal education we attend in grade school, middle school, high school, and for some, college and graduate school too. Many of us spend huge amounts of money and expend great effort to care for ourselves physically. And although our spiritual lives are the most important of the three, people in general spend far too little time nurturing and building their faith. God freely and generously gives us His Word for our spirits to be fed. What does it say when we aren’t in Sunday school on a regular basis to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity?
Parents, you are responsible for your children’s spiritual growth. You are responsible to provide for your child’s spiritual wellbeing. Some parents of slightly older children might claim that they don’t send their kids to Sunday School because the young ones or teens don’t want to go. My answer to that… send them anyway! I was recently asked if parents should force their kids to attend church, even if the children don’t want to attend. My answer was undoubtedly and a resounding, “yes!” Would parents allow their kids to skip junior high school because the kids found it more desirable to sleep in each day? Obviously, parents do force their children to go to school because they know it is best and it is what they need. Would parents allow their kids to eat nothing but candy bars for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Obviously, parents do force their kids to eat vegetables and engage in other activities that are best for their physical health. Why would it be any different for our spiritual lives? Proverbs 22:6 reads, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Parents, bring your children to Sunday School! At Praise we also have youth groups for 3rd to 12th graders which meet on Wednesdays. Youth should be coming to Sunday School too. This is not up to the children to decide.
At Praise we place a high value on the spiritual growth of our members, and especially our children. There are many other “religious” groups that treat church as merely a wonderful place to go for terrific social values. While that may be a bonus, and certainly God wants us to develop strong relationships with each other, our primary purpose for attending church, Sunday School, and youth group is for our spiritual growth and to be fed with the Word of God and His sacraments. Some other churches don’t have Sunday School for their youth and don’t even encourage their youth to attend regular worship services. This may seem attractive at first, but we all know neglecting our spiritual growth can have long-lasting consequences.
Until children are grown and living out of your house and removed from your direct care, they are not the ones to be making decisions for their own health. They need to be given the correct RDA (recommended daily allowance) of all the things necessary to help them grow in mind, body, and spirit. Parents, please feed your children!

FEEDING ON THE WORD OF GOD – PART II

Pastor Brown — Sat, 14 May 2011 22:49:02 +0000

Last month I wrote an article in the Pulse that encouraged parents to step forward and take action in training their children in the Word of God. I noted that parents don’t let their kids make unhealthy decisions for themselves in regard to their mental or physical health. Instead, good parents step in and mandate what needs to be done to keep their children healthy and safe. I exhorted parents to treat their children’s spiritual lives with the same, if not more, kind of critical care. The bottom line was that parents need to force their young ones to come to church, Sunday School, and youth group.
I do hope, however, that it wouldn’t have to come to forcing young ones to come to church. One way to instill it in their lives and help to make it a desirable activity is if they witness mom and dad exuding a healthy and happy faith life both at home and in the church. If mom and dad make church a priority, kids will see the importance of regular spiritual encouragement and strengthening. If mom and dad make Sunday School and Bible Study a integral piece of their life within the church, kids will see the importance of growing in a greater understanding of God’s holy Word. If mom and dad make service to the church (with both time and finances) part of their regular routine, kids will see the importance of getting involved (youth group) and sharing in the community of God. If mom and dad make family and private prayer time a necessity, kids will learn that there is no real life without being regularly connected to God. Think of 1 Corinthians 11:1 as Paul said, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” Also consider Titus 2:7, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good.”
And yet, your ultimate goal is not simply to get them involved for the sake of keeping busy or even to just immerse them deeply into the institution of the church to perpetuate its existence. Instead, we have the very best in mind for our children. Our efforts are there to set for them an example as Christ set an example for His church (1 Peter 2:21) and to model a healthy Christian life so they will not stray from the path when they get old (Proverbs 22:6). We want to show our kids what it is like to live out our faith and become recipients of God’s grace which is given to us by the Holy Spirit and found solely in the arms of Jesus Christ, the one who sacrificed His very self that we might be His own. With this our children will be well on their way to being rooted in the faith and having their lives securely built upon the strong foundation (Ephesians 2:20) of that which is most important for their spiritual health.

FOR MORE INFO ON PRAISE LUTHERAN CHURCH

Pastor Brown — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:02:15 +0000

For more information on Praise Lutheran Church, please visit our other site at www.PraiseLC.org or call (260) 490-7729

TRIP TO THE ISRAEL

Pastor Brown — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:00:47 +0000

The details are set and we are moving forward with the trip to the Holy Land in July of 2011. For information, please check out www.alpha2omegatravel.org/pastorjbrown

HOUSE BLESSINGS

Pastor Brown — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:59:45 +0000

Are you moving or know of someone else who has recently moved into a new house or apartment? Pastors Dancy and Brown are available to talk to you about having a house blessing. You might also consider a friend’s move to be an excellent opportunity to speak with them about Spiritual matters and introduce them to your church. Consider telling a new neighbor about Praise and the opportunity for a house blessing. The topic may even spark deeper conversations about your Christian faith. Pray about it, look for the opportunity, and let us know if we can help in any way.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PRAISE

Pastor Brown — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:21:23 +0000

For more information on Praise Lutheran Church, please visit our other site at www.PraiseLC.org or call (260) 490-7729

JUNIOR HIGH 2010 TRIP INFORMATION

Pastor Brown — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:18:51 +0000

Get ready for our summer 2010 Jr. High trip. You asked for it, and now you’re getting just what you wanted. At our planning meeting this last summer, the 6th – 8th grade youth and parents suggested a 3 or 4 day trip close to home (within driving distance) and something that included some fun and yet inexpensive activities, maybe even revolving around an amusement park. Well, hold on to your hats (or maybe your “derby”)… we’re going to Kentucky.
Join us for a trip to the Creation Museum, where you’ll enjoy the Dragon Theatre (learning all about dinosaurs and dragons), Last Adam Theatre (featuring a close look at Biblical history), Creation theater (exploring the 6 days of creation), and the planetarium (gaze upon the stars and all God created beyond the Earth). Furthermore, we’ll also visit the Louisville, KY Six Flags amusement park (water and roller coasters). Finally, we will do a little spelunking, or exploring caves, as we travel beneath the ground and explore this natural wonder. For more on these three exciting destinations, visit the websites at:

http://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/cavetours.htm

www.CreationMuseum.org

http://www.sixflags.com/kentuckyKingdom/index.aspx

For all interested in finding out more about the trip and digging into some more detailed planning, let’s meet together immediately following our first Advent service in December on Wednesday the 2nd. More about the meeting will be posted in the December Pulse. Contact me, Pastor Brown with any questions.

NOVEMBER YOUTH GROUP ACTIVITIES

Pastor Brown — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:17:46 +0000

** Note that there will be no youth group meetings the week of Thanksgiving.

3rd – 5th grades meet the 1st Wednesday of each month at 5:30.

6th – 8th grades meet the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 5:30.

9th – 12th grades meet every Wednesday of the month at 7pm.

Youth board meetings are held at 5:30 on the 3rd Wednesdays of the month.
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3rd – 5th Grades (November 7th) – Anyone up for a little Crazy Pinz? Let’s meet for pizza and bowling at 11am. Not all parents have to accompany kids, but we do need a couple of other adult chaperones to come along. Please arrange transportation in advance and money for Crazy Pinz and pizza is up to the individual.
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6th – 8th Grades Nov. 29th. Directly following the second youth service we will gather and leave for pizza and bowling at Crazy Pinz. This will not only be a fun afternoon out, but will serve as a great way to celebrate the hard work and tremendous effort that went into providing a successful youth service for the congregation at Praise. Thank you confirmands for all that you do!
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9th – 12th Grades Nov. 13th–15th Attending the Indiana District Youth Gathering.

BREAKING BARRIERS

Pastor Brown — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:14:49 +0000

Last month, Pastor Brown took advantage of the time that he was already going to be in Florida for the English District Conference and presented four Breaking Barriers demonstrations to schools and congregations in that state. It was a great opportunity to share the Gospel and both strengthen current believers and also witness to some who do not have faith in the Lord.
Later this month Pastor Brown will be presenting at Concordia in Fort Wayne for their morning chapel. Check the website at www.SinBusting.com for pictures and more information on upcoming shows.