What Does Your Happy Look Like?

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Timothy Scott Weaver
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need? Would a 3 x 3 inch yellow post-it be adequate (there are, after all, two sides), or an 8 ½ x 11 inch sheet of ruled notebook paper not

Or historical events like the signing of the Constitution or Reformation Day or victory for your favorite sports team?

Except for maybe spray-on sunscreen, which is supposed to provide the worst coverage, and oh, by the way usually contains alcohol which could

God gives us too much upside for free. Maybe we re more seasonally happy. (cont d next page) Save the Date!

1 What Does Your Happy Look Like? If you were to sit down and make a list of all the things that make you happy, things you are thankful for, how big a piece of paper would you need? Would a 3 x 3 inch yellow post-it be adequate (there are, after all, two sides), or an 8 ½ x 11 inch sheet of ruled notebook paper not nearly enough? Have you ever thought about sitting down one day and making yours? Would your list be composed of mostly people or mostly stuff? Or historical events like the signing of the Constitution or Reformation Day or victory for your favorite sports team? That s sort of historical. If you are a fair skinned Southern Californian, maybe you are thankful for the guy who invented sunscreen. Except for maybe spray-on sunscreen, which is supposed to provide the worst coverage, and oh, by the way usually contains alcohol which could make you flammable. A cynic might claim that in order to have an upside, there has to be a downside. I don t believe that. God gives us too much upside for free. Maybe we re more seasonally happy. (cont d next page) Save the Date! November 11/3 F&FF 11/5 Fall back 1hr 11/14 SuperTuesday 11/21 No Reading 11/22 Thanksgiving Eve service 7pm December 12/1 F&FF 12/3 Advent Fair 12/6 Soup Supper 12/8 PreK Xmas 12/10 Xmas Party 12/16 Parents Night Out 12/24 SS Xmas January 1/1 Welcome 2018! 1/2 No Reading 1/6 Epiphany 1/9 SuperTuesday 1/16 Church Council 1/26 Winterblast 18

cont d from page 1 One person may get happy about the thought of Christmas coming. Another about hollow chocolate Easter bunnies. Or Peeps (they re on my list).

Makes you think about what might make your list if you got really serious about it and nobody but you would ever read it doesn t it.

Over 600 pages of things, a whole lot of them little things, the kinds of things that make life interesting and memorable and jog good memories. The things that make us happy in life.

2 cont d from page 1 One person may get happy about the thought of Christmas coming. Another about hollow chocolate Easter bunnies. Or Peeps (they re on my list). But holidays might also throw someone into a deep funk. They can be lonely times, filled with memories of holidays past, glad and sad. Makes you think about what might make your list if you got really serious about it and nobody but you would ever read it doesn t it. Author Barbara Ann Kipfer made a list and then published it in this little book. Imagine being able to come up with a list like that. Over 600 pages of things, a whole lot of them little things, the kinds of things that make life interesting and memorable and jog good memories. The things that make us happy in life. Things that wouldn t ordinarily rate our Thanksgiving sharing around the family turkey later this month but could. When I first came across this book I thought, What a great idea for a sermon series. We could start on page one and do a dozen or so happy things each week for the next ten years! But then I realized that wouldn t make a lot of people very happy at all. It s great little book about the big things and the little things that bring joy into our lives. Not always jumping up and down joy, but at least a little smile at the thought or the memory. Here are just a few of the things on her list I picked randomly: Toasting marshmallows, alkaline batteries, large seashells, dermatologists, a night without your partner snoring, cinnamon apple waffles with maple syrup, pepper bacon, fresh fruit, coffee and freshly squeezed juice, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, elevators, squeezing one more brushful out of the toothpaste tube, getting an I Voted! sticker, free concerts in the park, ticket windows, a sky the shade of faded blue jeans, faucets and their handles, granny nighties, rain forests, box springs, burying the hatchet with an old friend with whom you had a falling out, burning 100 calories an hour just sitting, bathtubs, popping corn, eyes crying from pride, extra car keys and blowing the wrapper off a straw. Made you smile didn t it. It makes me smile every time I pick it up and read a few pages. It would be a nice book to give someone who might need a lift once in a while. In this month that is set aside to be intentionally thankful for the things that make us happy, I hope you ll discover that you don t have to look too far or think too hard. We re surrounded by blessings if we d only take our blinders off a moment to see them. Of course the blessing that overshadows all other blessings is this one: Without the cross of Christ, without Calvary and Easter, there would be no hope and we would be a people of no joy. But thanks be to God! He brought us peace and reconciliation through his Son Jesus. The forgiveness of sins by faith alone in the Son should put Christ and heaven at the top of all our lists. Followed by about 13,998 other things. No matter what trials life hands us, we still have so much to be happy about. So much left to be thankful for. More than we ever take time to think about. So think about it this month. Start your own happy list and rejoice! - Pastor Rob Words of Peace Newsletter "2 November 2017

3 Birthdays Anniversaries & H appy Birthday Congratulations Bill & Linda Young 11/6 Tim & Robin Schmidt 11/6 Ken & Rita Reuter 11/16 Adam & Tiffany Bedard 11/16 David & Vicki Hutter 11/17 a ne to: Logan Farrell 11/6 Tom Waddell 11/9 Adam Bedard 11/10 Alicia Miller 11/11 Veronica Lee 11/12 Luci Pommers 11/12 Bill Fitch 11/14 Ken Mobley 11/15 Leo Chu 11/16 Sharon McCracken 11/17 Chandler Supple 11/21 Dave Miller 11/26 Melissa Hamilton 11/26 Aija Rebensal 11/30 Words of Peace Newsletter "3 November 2017

4 ELDERS CORNER Can you believe Thanksgiving is almost here? Christians and non-christians can both be thankful. The problem is that non-christians do not know who to thank. We have all heard the expression thank my lucky stars. What does that mean? We are fortunate that as Christians we know who to thank. We know that God is the source of all things good. We know that it is God who has so richly blessed our lives. We thank God that he sent his only Son to suffer and die for us so that we may have eternal life in heaven. Obviously we should thank and praise God all year long, not just at Thanksgiving. In addition to thanking God with our lips, we should reflect God s love in our actions. There are many people out there that do not know God s love. It is up to us to share that love. Sometimes we might find that difficult due to our human shortcomings. We should always be on the alert for opportunities. There are many people locally and in the world that are less fortunate and need help with the basic necessities of life like food, shelter and clothing. At Peace we have opportunities to help those who are less fortunate. You can volunteer at Many Meals to help feed the hungry. You can volunteer at Luther s Attic to help provide very affordable clothing. You can volunteer at Habitat for Humanity to provide housing. Such acts show others that as Christians we care about them. It may make them curious why we do it. It may give you an opportunity to talk to them about Jesus and his love for them. So thank you to all those who already volunteer in one or more of these ways to help others. If you have not volunteered yet, this Thanksgiving season might be a good time to start! To paraphrase Jesus speaking in Matthew chapter 25 whenever you help out someone less fortunate you are serving Christ. Peace in Christ, Your Elders BLOOD DRIVE NEWS!! A very sincere thank you to everyone who donated blood on Sunday. October 1st. A special thanks to the newbies, those who donated for the first time. Our sponsor at United Blood Services reported that the Blood Bank responded to the Las Vegas shooting, which was the day following our drive, by immediately sending available units of blood to the Las Vegas area Blood Banks. Although the blood donated here on that Sunday morning was not sent to Las Vegas, she identified that it was very instrumental in rebuilding the stock for patients in this area. After blood is drawn, there are forty- eight hours of processing time before the blood is available to be administered to someone. On behalf of the Social Concerns Committee, thank you again for your ongoing support of this outreach program. And, if you missed the opportunity to donate in October, you have another opportunity. The Spring 2018 Blood Drive is already scheduled for Sunday, April 22, Mark your calendars now to save the date. IT S ALMOST CPR TIME For those who joined in the Peace sponsored CPR class last year, you may have noticed that your CPR card expires in April of Peace will be sponsoring a renewal class on a Saturday morning in March, next year. As you may remember, in having AED s on site here, we must also maintain CPR certified members. Last year s class was very successful with over twentyfive attendees. Please plan to attend again to maintain your certification. If you were unable to attend and now wish to be certified, or if you just want to know what it is about, you will be welcome to attend also. CPR is a skill that could be useful in your home, with your spouse or your grandchildren, or just walking down the street. And, there is no waiting, you will take your card home with you at the end of the class. The time will definitely not be time wasted. For those with HealthCare provider cards, the exam for those cards will also be available. Finally, with the Fellowship Center being used for more and more children s activities, we have added a set of Pediatric or child pads to the AED case in the Fellowship Center. With the preschool presence, the AED located in the overflow area of the sanctuary has always had a set of pediatric pads. The adult pads are attached to each device, and the pediatric/ child pads are located in the cabinet, right below the device. When you attend the CPR class, you receive instruction in using the device, and have the opportunity to see the actual AED, turn it on, and learn where to place the pads. Again this is good knowledge to have, as there are AEDs located in many public places. You may one day walk into a situation at a theater or in an airport where the training can save a life. The date of the class will be determined by January Watch for the dates and more information. Words of Peace Newsletter "4 November 2017

Peace Booth at the Christmas Parade We had a It s that time again folks: Our yearly Christmas Evangelism booth!

It s a BIG day and filled with fun and excitement for everyone!

Any help is so appreciated. Please think about, won t you? Just a few hours of your help is okay.

If you are interested in helping out loading, manning the booth, face painting, dressing up and greeting people - any part of the process

OVER 100 LUTHERANS GATHERED TO CELEBRATE A DAY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD! The food was outstanding and rumor was that the beer was fine also.

Everyone enjoyed the food, the dessert and most of all the loving people.

5 Peace Booth at the Christmas Parade We had a It s that time again folks: Our yearly Christmas Evangelism booth! It will beheld on DEC 9, 2017 immediately following the Camarillo Santa Claus Christmas Parade. It s a BIG day and filled with fun and excitement for everyone! It s our day as Christians to to spread the joyous Word of God to children and adults - every creature. We will, of course, need HELP! Any help is so appreciated. Please think about, won t you? Just a few hours of your help is okay. We can work in shifts at the Camarillo Community Center lawn area. More details to come. If you are interested in helping out loading, manning the booth, face painting, dressing up and greeting people - any part of the process - then please contact: We sang and some danced...ask Luci about her dancing in the Fellowship Hall. And she does not even like beer! OVER 100 LUTHERANS GATHERED TO CELEBRATE A DAY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD! The food was outstanding and rumor was that the beer was fine also. Thanks to all of the cooks that brought wonderful food to keep the brats company. Everyone enjoyed the food, the dessert and most of all the loving people. When we thought the day just could not get any better, we were entertained by the Covenant Players with a thought provoking drama. Good job! We went our way full of good food, good fellowship and warmed by the love of God and each other. My personal opinion... The day was a special day of blessing. Carol Troglia (805) Peace to you, Sharon McCracken Beulah O Neal dresses up in period piece as docent in our historic Luther Haüs Words of Peace Newsletter "5 November 2017

Let s Pray Remember in your prayers Lili Baehr, Cindy Fox, Elias Fraser, Phil Hamilton, Ken Haugrud,

Pein, Jim Pickler, Ingrid Poehler, Rawlin Radle, Stan Reich - father of Julie Schermerhorn (preschool

Pray for our military men & women Jeremy Bronner, Jacob Chiles, Daniel Gross, Michael Hanson, Davis

6 Let s Pray Remember in your prayers Lili Baehr, Cindy Fox, Elias Fraser, Phil Hamilton, Ken Haugrud, Vicki Hutter, Mickey Kohut, Marsha Larson, Pat Lehman, Doug Morrison, Bee Muenich, Ken Nipstad, Hedy Pein, Jim Pickler, Ingrid Poehler, Rawlin Radle, Stan Reich - father of Julie Schermerhorn (preschool aide), Joyce Snow, Noreen Taylor. Pray for our military men & women Jeremy Bronner, Jacob Chiles, Daniel Gross, Michael Hanson, Davis Kelly, Brian Miller, Kevin Palos, Stephen Volpei, Amy Waddell, Lucas Wentlandt and also remember their families in your prayers. Words of Peace Newsletter "6 November 2017

Unity Wherever Possible; The Truth At All Costs - Martin Luther One of my new favorite Lutheran works is the magisterial tome, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology, published in 1872 by one

D. Originally an avid proponent of the "Americanizing" school in Lutheranism that aimed to compromise with the liberal Reformed Churches, Dr.

Lutheranism. An adaptation of a sample of his work follows. Error In 3 Acts.

unvarying way. When error is admitted into the Church, it will be found that the stages of its progress unfold in three acts. ACT I. It begins by asking toleration.

The church has her standards of doctrine; of course we shall never interfere with them; we ask only for ourselves to be spared interference with our private opinions.

Truth and error have devolved into two co-ordinate powers and the great secret of churchstatesmanship is to preserve this fair balance between them. ACT III.

7 Unity Wherever Possible; The Truth At All Costs - Martin Luther One of my new favorite Lutheran works is the magisterial tome, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology, published in 1872 by one of America s great Lutheran apologists, Charles Porterfield Krauth, D.D. Originally an avid proponent of the "Americanizing" school in Lutheranism that aimed to compromise with the liberal Reformed Churches, Dr. Krauth after beginning his ministry was converted to the confessional school and for the rest of his life was one of the foremost defenders in the English language of confessional principles in Lutheranism. An adaptation of a sample of his work follows. Error In 3 Acts... But the practical result of this principle [of the Church tolerating within her bosom those who claim she is teaching error] is one on which there is no need of speculating; it works in one unvarying way. When error is admitted into the Church, it will be found that the stages of its progress unfold in three acts. ACT I. It begins by asking toleration. Its friends say to the majority of the faithful: You need not be afraid of us; we are few, and weak; only let us alone; we shall not disturb the faith of others. The church has her standards of doctrine; of course we shall never interfere with them; we ask only for ourselves to be spared interference with our private opinions. in common is now perceived as fundamental; anything on which they differ is ipso facto non-essential. And anybody who draws attention to this matter is called a disturber of the peace of the Church. Truth and error have devolved into two co-ordinate powers and the great secret of churchstatesmanship is to preserve this fair balance between them. ACT III. From this point error soon goes on to its natural end, which is to assert supremacy. Truth started with doing the tolerating, now truth itself comes to be merely tolerated - and that only for a time. Error claims a preference for its judgments on all disputed points. It puts men into positions, not as at first in spite of their departure from the Church s faith, but, now, because of their departure! Their recommendation is that they repudiate that true faith, and preferential position is given them to teach others to repudiate it, as well, and to make them skillful in combating the truth. Dr. C.P. Krauth, AD 1872 (Adapted from The Conservative R e f o r m a t i o n a n d I t s T h e o l o g y. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1872, pp ) It is amazing to me that this insightful piece was written way back in 1872 now two centuries ago. It may have been written originally with America s religious landscape in mind, but despite that intent the principles have demonstrated themselves to hold true with regard to our American (even international) politics, culture and academic institutions, as well. 4 Measure Measure - Your Stewardship Committee As we reflect this Thanksgiving on God s generous outpouring of love and grace that fill our lives, let us in turn consider how we ourselves can become more generous toward one another. Jesus in His own words, gives us the perfect formula for generosity. He says, Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.. (Luke 6:38, NIV) In other words, Jesus promises that when we are generous toward others, we will also be similarly blessed. Each of us, according to God s plan for us, has been given gifts to share time, talents, treasure. Which of these gifts will you share generously, with another? ACT II. Indulged in this for a time, error goes on to assert equal rights. Truth and error are now seen as two balancing forces. The Church dares not do anything which looks like deciding between them; that would be partiality. It is bigotry to assert any superior right for the truth. We are to agree to disagree, and any favoring of the truth, because it is truth, is partisanship. What the friends of truth and error both hold Words of Peace Newsletter "7 November 2017

8 Giving Thanks God is good! The harvest was plenty at the 8th annual Peace Pumpkin Fest & Patch. Thanks to all the eager hearts who served our community s families. Smiles abounded all around. It was another great start to the holiday season! ah ppy Thanks Giving Words of Peace Newsletter " November 2017

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2017 5 8am Traditional Service 9:30am Adult 9:30am Children's SS 9:30am Jr.

9 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday am Traditional Service 9:30am Adult 9:30am Children's SS 9:30am Jr. High OT (PCH) 9:30am Praise Service (FH) 10:42am Young Adult (PCH) 11:00am Traditional Service 11:30am New Life 4:00pm Boy Scouts (FH) 12 8am Traditional Service 9:30am Adult 9:30am Children's SS 9:30am Jr. High OT (PCH) 9:30am Praise Service (FH) 10:42am Young Adult (PCH) 11:00am Traditional Service 11:30am New Life 4:00pm Boy Scouts (FH) 19 8am Traditional Service 9:30am Adult 9:30am Children's SS 9:30am Jr. High OT (PCH) 9:30am Praise Service (FH) 10:42am Young Adult (PCH) 11:00am Traditional Service 11:30am New Life 4:00pm Boy Scouts (FH) 26 8am Traditional Service 9:30am Adult Bible Study(Coffeehouse) 9:30am Children's SS 9:30am Jr. High OT (PCH) 9:30am Praise Service (FH) 10:42am Young Adult (PCH) 11:00am Traditional Service 11:30am New Life (FH) 4:00pm Boy Scouts (FH) 30 8am Prayer Vigil 6 8am Prayer Vigil 13 8am Prayer Vigil 20 8am Prayer Vigil 27 8am Prayer Vigil 31 10am Women's (FH) 5pm Reading Mentoring (PCH) 7 10am Women's (FH) 5pm Reading 7pm Community Outreach Comm. (FH) 14 10am Women's (FH) 5pm Reading Mentoring 7pm Super Tuesday 21 10am Women's (FH) 5pm Reading Mentoring (PCH) 28 10am Women's (FH) 5pm Reading Mentoring (PCH) 7pm Church Council 1 9:30am Adult 9:30am Preschool 6pm LifeLight 6pm Sr High Bible Study 8 9:30am Adult 9:30am Preschool 6pm LifeLight 6pm Sr High Bible Study 15 9:30am Adult 9:30am Preschool 6pm LifeLight 6pm Sr High Bible Study 22 9:30am Adult 9:30am Preschool 7pm Thanksgiving Service 29 9:30am Adult 9:30am Preschool 6pm LifeLight 2 6:45am Men's (FH) 9:30am PreK 10am LifeLight 5:30pm Handbells 7pm Choir 9 6:45am Men's (FH) 9:30am PreK 10am LifeLight 5pm Many Meals 5:30pm Handbells 6pm GSA 7pm Choir 16 6:45am Men's (FH) 9:30am PreK 10am LifeLight 5:30pm Handbells 7pm Choir 23 Thanksgiving Day 30 6:45am Men's (FH) 9:30am PreK 10am LifeLight 5:30pm Handbell 7pm Choir 3 6pm Faith & Fun Friday 10 6pm Confirmation Class 6:30pm Storytellers 17 6pm Confirmation Class 24 8pm New LIfe Christian 1 6pm Faith & Fun Friday 4 10am Praise Band 12pm Cub Scout Pack Meeting 11 10am Praise Band 18 10am Praise Band 25 10am Praise Band 2 10am Praise Band Words of Peace Newsletter "9 November 2017

November Servers 2017 DATE ELDER USHERS ALTAR READERS GREETERS ACOLYTES November 5 Communion Dave Schmidt +++++++++ Bob Hutchison Ken Anderson* Scott Ehlers Glenn Benitz Art Schmidt ++ Scott

Sandstrum Mike Elbert Todd Harter Linda LaJeunesse Stepp family + Cindy Klittich Anna Pettit Marisa Denninger November 12 Dave Schmidt +++++++++ Bob Hutchison Blaine Wanke* Gene O Neal Keith Hedrick

Frye* Karen Taylor Gary Taylor Bill Young Rick Poore* Dave Miller Tom Taylor Bob Lacy Lori Schultze Millie Dunivin Sandy Miller Carter Supple +++ Hayden Supple November 26 Dave Schmidt +++++++++ Bob

10 November Servers 2017 DATE ELDER USHERS ALTAR READERS GREETERS ACOLYTES November 5 Communion Dave Schmidt Bob Hutchison Ken Anderson* Scott Ehlers Glenn Benitz Art Schmidt ++ Scott Klittich* Matt Schultze P. Sandstrum Mike Elbert Todd Harter Linda LaJeunesse Stepp family + Cindy Klittich Anna Pettit Marisa Denninger November 12 Dave Schmidt Bob Hutchison Blaine Wanke* Gene O Neal Keith Hedrick Todd Harter + Mike McCracken* Tom LaJeunesse Susan Klein Dave Schmidt Beulah O Neal Sharon McCracken William Frye +++ Melissa Poore November 19 Communion Dave Schmidt Bob Hutchison Craig Frye* Karen Taylor Gary Taylor Bill Young Rick Poore* Dave Miller Tom Taylor Bob Lacy Lori Schultze Millie Dunivin Sandy Miller Carter Supple +++ Hayden Supple November 26 Dave Schmidt Bob Hutchison Jim DeVries Bob Lacy Helmut Klein +++ Dave Schmidt* Roy Poehler Mike Hale Mike Elbert Jim & Kerry DeVries +++ Mike & Linda Elbert Ryan Tsai +++ Derek Olewiler December 3 Blaine Wanke Al Bosman Ken Anderson* Scott Ehlers Glenn Benitz Art Schmidt ++ Scott Klittich* Matt Schultze P. Sandstrum Mike Elbert Nancy Fitch & Millie Dunnivin Ingrid Poeher + Linda Elbert Carmene Meyer Connie Morris Carter Supple +++ Hayden Supple 9:30 Service Elder Readers 11/5 Bob Weaver/Tom Waddell Tom Waddell 11/12 Bob Weaver/Tom Waddell Jane Capodice 11/19 Bob Weaver/Tom Waddell John Capodice 11/26 Bob Weaver/Tom Waddell Craig Frye 12/3 Dave Hutter/Phil Hamilton Steve Herman ACOLYTES: If you have any conflicts, please call Mike Schultze or the Elder in charge. READERS: If you have any conflicts, please call Cheryl Sanders (805) Words of Peace Newsletter "10 November 2017

It s Still Lent, But Easter s Coming!

Words of Peace The chastisement that brought us peace was upon Him - Isaiah 53:5 It s Still Lent, But Easter s Coming! So maybe you saw the article about the surgeon in India who removed a 4.1 pound tumor