Life Lessons: Emotions-Eight Points to Consider by Gary Petty

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1 UNITED CHURCH OF GOD Jackson, Murfreesboro and Nashville From the desk of Gary Petty October 7, 2016 Please keep Theresa Freudeman from Nashville in your prayers. She has suffered for a long time and the doctors don t think she will live much longer. There has been some small improvement with Mrs. Kellers. Keep in mind all those who will not be able to attend the Feast of Tabernacles. Taking time to send a post card or or making a telephone call to someone who can t attend can me a bright spot in that s person s day. This will be the last Pastor s Update until after the Feast of Tabernacles. I hope all of you will have a wonderful and spiritually uplifting Feast. Sabbath Webcast before the Feast - October 15 For those who are unable to attend a local service on the Sabbath of October 15, there will be a webcast available originating from Panama City Beach at 2 p.m. Central time. You can access the webcast at Webcast Connections during the 2016 Feast of Tabernacles For those not able to attend the Feast this year, you will be able to connect to live services by going online to Then choose the "Webcast" link. Panama City Beach, Florida, in the Central time zone and Bend, Oregon, in the Pacific time zone will webcast daily services. Other Feast sites may post their sermons to this website during the Feast. Please check the "sermons" section at feast.ucg.org during the Feast to listen to archived messages. Life Lessons: Emotions-Eight Points to Consider by Gary Petty All human beings want to be happy, yet for many people it seems to be the most elusive of human conditions. A person can spend a lifetime in pursuit of happiness and never find it. Solomon searched for happiness in the accumulation of wealth, in the arms of many beautiful women, in music and finery, even in the abuse of alcohol. In the end, he concluded that obeying God was the most important key to happiness (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; also read Ecclesiastes 1-2). Points to Build On 1. Contentment comes from a right relationship with God. Proverbs 14:14: The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above. A key to happiness is the ability to be content regardless of what s happening around us. This contentment comes from a close relationship with God and is achieved by spending time in prayer, Bible study and meditating on God and His ways. 2. The human condition is a mixture of happiness and sadness. 1

2 Proverbs 14:13: Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, And the end of mirth may be grief. It is important to keep a perspective that joy, happiness, sadness and grief are all human emotions that everyone experiences from time to time. 3. Anxiety is a root of depression while serving others can lift depression. Proverbs 12:25: Anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression, But a good work makes it glad. A source of depression is anxiety and worry. Depression can become so debilitating that a person no longer has the energy to face life s problems. This leads to more worry and anxiety. A key to breaking this cycle is to change your perspective by doing good works for others. 4. Delayed success can cause discouragement. Proverbs 13:12: Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. 5. Sadness breeds loneliness. Proverbs 14:10: The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy. carry the burden of sadness. Life is meant to be shared in close relationships with others. Bitterness tends to drive a person to avoid others and shun the encouragement he or she needs. Close friends and relatives can help 6. Negative emotions cause physical health problems, while positive emotions are a cause good health. Proverbs 17:22: A merry heart does good like a medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 18:14: The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken sprit? 7. Emotions are communicated in our expressions and posture. Proverbs 15:13: A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by the sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. 8. Treating others depression or discouragement lightly will make their hurt worse. Proverbs 25:20: Like the one who takes away a garment in cold weather, And like vinegar on soda, Is one who sings songs to a heavy heart. Application Happiness and sadness are experiences in each person s life. Contentment, a vital key to happiness, begins with a close relationship with God. 2

3 Personal from the President... Dear fellow servants of God, Activity at the home office is still intense, even though there are more and more empty offices as ministers and employees begin traveling to different places around the world for the Feast. Bev and I are looking forward to keeping the Feast with our family, which includes four grandchildren. We are concerned about Hurricane Matthew's force and trajectory as I write this Thursday, about noon. Rick Shabi is cancelling services in Jacksonville, Florida, and will be evacuating tomorrow. Chuck Zimmerman has cancelled services in Vero Beach. Pray for the safety of our brethren as the storm heads north out of the Caribbean to the mainland of the United States. Earlier this week, we finished the introductory message for the opening night of the Feast which will feature scripture readings from children and a welcome message from me. Also, this week, our Ministerial Education team finalized the Pastoral Development Program that will run from November 7-16 here at the home office. Twelve couples will be coming for an robust period of training during that time. We also laid out the subject matter for the next round of Regional Conferences, starting with the Southeast region in January. Alongside the conference for elders, which will be on Monday and Tuesday, we will have a special day seminar for church leaders on Sunday, the day before. We will talk about practical engagement techniques to involve the congregations more actively in the "Preach the Gospel into all the world" aspect of our mission. The following conference for elders will also be about this, and also about the development of manpower to continue pastoral care for our congregations. Telling the world about the Feast One Feast-related public item that you may have seen already is our 2016 press release about the Feast of Tabernacles. It can be accessed online at: and you are welcome to re-post it on social media. It has already appeared on more than 100 news-related Web properties, and the headline "United Church of God (ucg.org) to celebrate coming Kingdom of God Oct " It was distributed on three different media Twitter networks, marked with the hashtags #ucgfot and #christian to make it easy to find online. While we also are directly distributing the release to area media where the Feast is being observed, the online version is permanent and searchable in both domestic and international media. Its language is voiced toward people who have little or biblical background, to the depth we do. This effort folds in well with our other media outreach. Awesome Days! As I write, we are in the midst of a very special period of time between the Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement known to the Jews as the "Ten Days of Repentance" or the "Days of Awe." In Jewish culture this is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and to individually repent before fasting on the Day of Atonement. In the scriptures, the Day of Atonement represents a time of reconciliation with God. Here's an interesting view: during this time, many Jews are also encouraged to seek reconciliation with people who they may have wronged during the course of the year. To atone for sins against another person, they are encouraged to seek out and be reconciled with that person. Reconciliation includes offering amends, and, where possible, righting the wrongs that were committed against them. It is a thought-provoking perspective. Of course, we do not observe added formal traditions in connection with our Christian conduct on the Holy Days. However, as we prepare for Atonement, the spiritual themes of self-examination and reconciliation fit well. Being in a continuous attitude of positive repentance is never a bad idea. And preparing for the Day of Atonement represents a time of year when we can also focus on conducting a spiritual inventory to see where we stand. 3

4 The Bible specifically instructs us to conduct a period of self-examination in the first Holy Day season as we prepare for the Passover. As ministers, we practice this in our own lives and we speak clearly and boldly from the books of Corinthians about being mentally and spiritually prepared. We must have the right attitude of humility before taking the symbols of Christ's death, which is for the forgiveness of our sins and making right where we have been wrong. Note two passages that are oft-quoted during that time: "So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup" (1 Corinthians 11:27-28, New Living Translation). "Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5, NLT). As a spiritual church, we seek and long for unity and peace. But, I also know that it's simply a matter of time before some issue arises--big or small--and some level of conflict ensues. That's inevitable. We are still human. But, that's where God and Jesus give us a unique opportunity: how we manage that conflict determines the healthy outcomes and the healthy environment we need. When we're spiritually healthy, conflict is generally short-lived. With that as a backdrop, why not use this time, the time the Jews call the "Days of Awe," to individually review where we might have fallen short in our relationships in past months? Let's positively and humbly consider what conflicts we may have become involved in, whether knowingly or inadvertently. As you all know, unresolved conflict can result in some level of disunity and saps our strength. As we read in Hebrews, we are told to "encourage one another daily" (Hebrews 3:13). Let us positively and honestly examine ourselves for how we can do better than we have. The Bible names peacemakers as a specially blessed state. Jesus is emphatic that if we know of unresolved conflict with a spiritual brother, we are to make resolution a priority (Matthew 5:23-24). Fulfilling that is part of learning how to love one another, a key defining sign of a true Christian (John 13:35). So while we're in this time before Atonement, let's think about this. A good starting point is at the very beginning of Jesus Christ's ministry: "Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel'" (Mark 1:14-15, emphasis added). Christ's keynote message? A commanding announcement about the Kingdom of God. To prepare, we must repent, which involves powerful personal change. For Christians to inherit the Kingdom of God, it is absolutely necessary to have humble repentance, a positive and active willingness to change, to surrender and become more like God and our Elder Brother Jesus Christ. So, as we approach the Day of Atonement, let's personally make them "Awesome" by lovingly and humbly reconciling ourselves with our brothers and with God during this time! We wish you a wonderful Feast of Tabernacles. Use it as a time not only for the enjoyment it affords, but also for coming to a deeper understanding of our relationships with God and purpose for living. Remember those who will not be able to go to the Feast because of health or other reasons. Let them know you're thinking of them. In Christ's service, 4

5 From Ministerial and Member Services... New Ministerial Trainees In this issue of the enews, we are introducing four couples who are in the process of being hired as ministerial trainees for the church. These couples will be among those attending our Pastoral Development Program at the home office in Cincinnati for 10 days during the month of November. Your prayers for them are appreciated as they begin this new chapter in their lives. Doug and Dianne Collison Doug and Dianne Collison attend the Lansing, Michigan, congregation where Doug serves as a deacon. Doug has worked in the Information Technology field for most of his adult life. Doug studied Business Administration at Baker College. Doug, Dianne and their family own and operate two businesses located in Grand Haven, Michigan, and South Bend, Indiana. Mike and Laura Phelps Mike and Laura Phelps are members of the Cincinnati East, Ohio, congregation. Mr. Phelps was most recently an Application Development Consultant for Magellan Health. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration 5

6 degree in Management Information Systems from Ohio University. He and his wife, Laura, are both graduates of Ambassador University. Devin and Tiffany Schulz Devin and Tiffany Schulz are members of the Springfield, Missouri, congregation. Mr. Schulz was most recently a Regional Sales Manager for the Paul Mueller Company. He and his wife, Tiffany, are both graduates of Ambassador Bible College. Dave and Carrie Wells Dave and Carrie Wells are members of the Troy, Illinois, congregation. Mr. Wells works as a Budget Analyst in St. Louis, and he holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Webster University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from James Madison University. His wife, Carrie, is a graduate of Ambassador Bible College and she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Math from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. 6

7 Recent Ordinations Jerry and Linda Burnhauser On October 3, 2016, Jerry Burnhauser was ordained into the ministry. He and his wife, Linda, serve in the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, congregation. Aaron and Whitney Creech On October 3, 2016, Aaron Creech was ordained into the ministry. He serves as an Assistant Pastor in the Bethlehem, Lewistown and York, Pennsylvania, congregations, with his wife, Whitney. 7

8 Andy and Karen Lee On October 3, 2016, Andy Lee was ordained into the ministry. He and his wife, Karen, serve in the Cleveland, Ohio, congregation. Harvey and Connie Wierenga On October 3, 2016, Harvey Wierenga was ordained into the ministry. He and his wife, Connie, serve in the Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, Michigan, congregations. 8