June 29, 2009

Good Monday Morning!

Its a great weather day today, especially after all the heat of last week!

Social Stuff:

Jane and I became grandparents for the third time this past week! Ms. Wendy Jane Koerber was born on June 23, 2009 at 8 lbs and 5 oz and 21" long. She had a few complications with Spina Bifada but otherwise she was a healthy and beautiful little girl. As a result Jane and I spent a lot of time this past week helping the parents - Amy and Todd - with the new baby and the current siblings - Audra and Ryne. Wendy even gave me an excuse to cancel a golf game which was welcomed due to the heat that we experienced. Jane and I are watching Audra and Ryne in our home this week even though it is possible Wendy will be released to go home the middle of this week.

I was privileged to represent Salem Church by thanking Julie Callaghan for her five years of service and presenting her with a cash gift given from the congregation. I thought Julie's last service went well and I. along with the rest of the congregation, wish she and her family good fortune in all her future endeavors.

It is worth noting here that with respect to my MS Bike Ride scheduled for September 12 and 13, 2009, the various church members and organizations have contributed $515 towards MS which will be donated in Julie's name. I think this is great stuff and I thank everyone for helping.

As you know, this coming Saturday is the Fourth of July when we celebrate the birth of our Nation. I would encourage everyone to find a way to celebrate this event. I know Jane and I will be spending the evening at Jane's sister's home in Webster enjoying a great outdoor barbecue and the fireworks display that Webster Groves puts on. I would encourage everyone to get out and do something similar. I know some people who like to just stay home and not get caught up in all the crowds, but I look at it a little differently. I see it as a time to get out and be with other Americans as we celebrate this "Freedom" that we live in. I recommend getting out and enjoying the whole atmosphere and maybe shaking another American's hand and saying "God Bless America". I think you will find it very therapeutic.

Koinonia Sunday School Class:

Members Present: Bill Nichols, Genny Maas, Denise Kelly, Jane and Terry Pursley.

Prayers requested for:

1. Wendy Jane Koerber and her parents Todd and Amy.
2. Bill Vallely
3. John Kelly - Son of Denise Kelly
4. Mark Nichols - Nephew of Bill Nichols.
5. Linda Buermann

We didn't have much time to spend in Sunday School Class this past Sunday because the first service ran a little long and the choir needed a little extra practice time before the second service as a result of Sunday being Julie's last Sunday as our pastor. Thus I am afraid we didn't cover much material, but here is what we did discuss.

We read I Peter Chapter 2 vs 4 thru 6. We read in verse 5 these words (New Living Translation version) - "And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God."

We understood the term "living stones" to mean that God is using us as active members of his church on earth. This term active members is reinforced in the next sentence where we are called "holy priests". We determined that "priests" do not just sit in Church and worship but rather they are actively involved in the life of the Church. They DO things for the Church and more importantly for people! Therefore Peter is telling us that as "living Stones" of God's Church ("Spiritual Temple") we are to be actively involved in the life of the Church, WHEREVER WE FIND OURSELVES! Each of us has special gifts and are placed by God in our unique positions. We are to use these gifts in whatever situation God has placed us. We don't whine about not hiving other gifts and we don't complain about the location God has placed us. Rather we take the gift(s) we have and use them in the situation we find ourselves.

This completed our discussion this week and hopefully we will move further along next week but as always we will let God determine what and how much he wants us to cover.

Have a Great Week and Enjoy Life!



Terry

June 22, 2009

Good Morning!

Boy is it HOT, and it looks like its gonna be HOT all week. Must be summer! Make sure you stay cool thru all of this!

Social Stuff!

Jane spent a lot of time this past week with our daughter Amy who is now into her last week of pregnancy with our third grandchild (daughter)! As you may remember this grandaughter has been diagnosed with Spina Bifada so there has been considerably more attention paid to this upcoming birth than some of the others. Amy will go into Barnes Hospital on Tuesday (6-23-09) where a "c-section" will be performed and then the baby will be taken to Cardinal Glennon for some follow-up surgery associated with the Spina Bifada issues. Other than the Spina Bifada, both Amy and the baby have been doing very well so we are hopeful the birth and the following surgery's will have positive results.

Today (6-22-09) is our grandson's (Ryne) and we had a great time. Amy was doing great but she looks like she has enjoyed this current pregnancy just about as much as she can and is ready to move on to the next stage!

Last Friday, Jane and visited our friends Cathy and Jim Ross who we have known for a very long time. We ate at the Long Horn restaurant in Chesterfield Valley and it was a very good meal and a great evening talking about old stories, kids and medications!!!!

This last Sunday I received $145.00 in donations from various Salem Church people as support for my Muscular Sclerosis Bike ride/fund raiser. This was a great start to the fund raising effort and I very much appreciate the support. Pastor Julie Callaghan is also very appreciative of our efforts and I am very glad to be riding in her name this September 12 and 13, 2009 for the 25th annual MS Bike Tour that takes place in Columbia, Missouri. Anyone who wants to help in this tax deductible fund raising effort can give me a check, made out to "The National Multiple Sclerosis Society".

Koinonia Sunday School Class:

Attendees: Denise Kelly, Cindy Jones, Alan and Teresa Schlobohm, Bob Hardcastle, Jane and Terry Pursley.

Prayers were requested for:

1. Angie Hamilton (friend of Cindy Jones) whose father died from cancer.
2. The work Phyllis Hardcastle is helping to perform in renovating an old home for veterans.
3. Amy and Todd's upcoming new baby's birth on Tuesday June 23, 2009.
4. Boy Scouts returning from their trip to the Philmont Ranch in New Mexico.
5. Alan and Teresa's friends - Barb and Bobby's sister.
6. Bill Vallely's continual lung issues.
7. Sharon Whitworth (Jane's cousin) who has been fighting cancer for two years.
8. Alan and Teresa's great aunt Mimi who will be celebrating her 104th birthday this next week.
9. Terry's preparations for the MS Bike Tour in September.

Class Material Studied:

The material read and discussed was from I Peter Chapter 1 vs 13 to the end of Chapter 1.

We remembered Peter is writing to new Christians in remote parts of the Asia Minor approximately 20 - 30 years after the death of Jesus and Peter is reinforcing some fairly new "Christian" fundamentals that are just as relevant to us today as they were back when Peter wrote them. We noted that Peter is very precise in his descriptions concerning the relationships of God to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit, and how all relate to us as created humans. It is with this understanding that we read these words in verse 13 - "So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world." Peter is telling us to not become confused but to focus on our salvation.

Peter then tells us in verse 14 "...Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires". I related the analogy that in my current "Weight Watchers" program it is somewhat difficult while in the process of losing weight but we all know it is much more difficult to maintain a weight loss after achieving our weight goal. Similarly with our faith - while it is somewhat difficult to grow in our relationship with God it is much more difficult to maintain that relationship once we achieve a certain level. We get comfortable and we all tend to revert back to where we were and Peter is telling us to not do this.

Peter emphasizes in verse 20 that God chose Jesus to be our salvation long before the world began and that this salvation thru Jesus was only recently revealed to us. Which is to say that this "Jesus salvation thing" is not just the latest "fad" of God but rather it is part of the overall plan of God that has existed from the very beginning of time. Therefore; in verse 21 Peter says we can trust and place our faith and hope in God.

In verse 22 peter writes "You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters." Peter is telling us that because of this new relationship with God thru Jesus Christ that we must sincerely care for each other. THIS IS A MAJOR FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF CHRISTIANITY - WE ARE TO LOVE EACH OTHER AS BROTHER AND SISTERS. This doesn't mean we love each other once in a while, when we agree with each other, or during the good times, but rather we are to love each other sincerely and continually as Christ loves us. This can be a humbling experience because sometimes to love someone else we must but them above ourselves, but this is exactly what Christ did for us when he died for us; therefore, we can proceed knowing that loving others is exactly what God wants us to do!

This completed this week's lesson and we will pick up next week at Chapter 2 of I Peter and go for as long as God determines is best for us.

Thanks for your support and in the meantime

Have a Great Day and Enjoy Life!

Terry

June 15, 2009

Good Morning!

I hope things are going well for you!

Social Stuff:

First - We had the Pursley family reunion this Saturday. It was my family's time to sponsor the event and we held it at the American Legion Hall in Pacific, Missouri. We spent most of Friday getting ready and then Saturday managing the event. It went pretty well and the weather was great. Jane and I were able to take my mother from the nursing home to the reunion and she seemed to have a good time. By the end of Saturday we both were pretty tired and went to sleep early.

Second - Earlier in the week I had an excellent scheduled doctor's visit. Not only had I lost the 40 pounds thru the Weight Watchers program but my blood tests came back very good. So good the doctor was able to cut back on a lot of my medicine to the point that I saved more money than what Weight Watchers costs me per month! This was great news and I now just have to keep with the program. Doctor wants me to lose another 60 pounds so I have a ways to go yet.

Third - I registered to ride in this year's Multiple Sclerosis Bike Ride. It takes place on September 12 and 13, 2009 and the minimum distance is 40 miles each day. I was reluctant to register until after my Diabetes bike ride, but since I did OK I decided to commit to the MS ride. The MS ride is more difficult with much longer distances over more hilly terrain, but I decided to give it a try. In addition, Julie Callaghan, gave me permission for me to ride in her name and this will add additional incentive for me to complete the route. I'll have to go back out and seek donations again, and I don't take this lightly, but it is such a good cause that I must try.

Koinonia Sunday School Class:

Attendees: Bill Nichols, Denise Kelly, Alan and Teresa Schlobohm, Genny Maas, Jane and Terry Pursley.

Prayer Requests:
Prayers were requested for:
1. Lisa Kirk whose father died from cancer in a fairly sudden manner.
2. Ernie Niswonger's 36 year old daughter is very ill with cancer and most likely will not survive. Ernie is a good friend of Alan's and Alan was going to spend some time with Ernie and his family this next week. The daughter is married and has I believe two small children. Very tough situation.
3. Bill Vallely's continued health problems with his lungs.
4. Mike Thompson is now back home but looking for work.
5. Zach Seitz and his new church responsibilities.
6. Both Julie and Suzanne's transition as pastors of our church.
7. The victims of the recent local weather storms.
8. The up-coming birth of Todd and Amy Koerber's daughter on June 23, 2009.

Material Studied:

We covered "I Peter" Chapter 1 vs 3 thru 12.

This section is sub-titled "The Hope of Eternal Life". Peter is writing to people who have or will soon experience considerable persecution. Peter encourages the readers that God is our Father and by his mercy we are saved because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Our salvation is a priceless inheritance that is kept in heaven and will not erode. Therefore, we can remain confident throughout our trials that our inheritance is kept safe until the time of our salvation.

In verse 9 we find one of those "little hidden messages" that are packed with great significance. Verse 9 reads "The reward for trusting him (Jesus Christ) will be the salvation of your souls." I asked the class to reflect upon this verse 9 and to grasp its meaning. We often "trust" various "people" but "trusting in Jesus" sometimes becomes a little difficult. No one knew this better than Peter who, as we remember, denied Christ 3 separate times, just before Jesus was betrayed. Often, it is difficult to "trust" Jesus until we have no other choice. Up until we are out of options, we have a tendency to "trust" in ourselves or others before trusting in Jesus. I related to the class my story of when my grandfather (whom I loved very much) died and I challenged God by saying that, if my grandfather was going to hell, I wanted to go to Hell also because I'd rather spend eternity in Hell with my grandfather than in Heaven with God. I was serious and this was tough talk, but I received an almost instant message in return. It wasn't a voice or any type of oral conversation but rather I simply came to understand that God told me "Terry - as much as you loved your grandfather I love him infinitely more - Trust Me!" I hasten to add that I am not educated as a theologian and I can't get into a long informed philosophical discussion about what this message was suppose to convey but I can tell you that upon receiving this message I was at peace! I knew that my grandfather was okay, because God was taking care of him. Now I don't know what "taking care of" means exactly but I do know that as long as God was in charge of the "taking care of" that things would be okay because he loved my grandfather a great deal more than I did.

Peter in verse 9 is telling us the same thing. He is telling us that we simply need to "trust" Jesus and relax! It doesn't mean that we can just sit and do nothing. We each have a unique set of gifts that we should and must use, but we should not worry that our gifts or our exercising of them is sufficient. We should do our best and we should "trust" Jesus to make up any shortfall in our efforts. This is what Grace is all about. We do our best and we "trust" Jesus to do the rest!

In verse 12 we read an interesting section. It says the Good News has been preached to us thru the Holy Spirit and "It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen." The question was asked in class - Didn't the angles already know what was going to happen, and if so why would they be so eagerly watching? We decided that even thought the angles were in heaven watching everything they did not have or experience "free will" as we humans have, and thus the exact course of the "human experience" is not something that can be readily discerned by the angles. Therefore since they do not know how we humans will act, the angles "eagerly watch" to see how the human adventure plays out!

That basically completed our class for today and it evoked a good lively discussion. We have some excellent members in our class and the discussions can often be very enlightening.

Next week we will pick up at "I Peter, Chapter 1, verse 13, and go as far as God leads.

In the meantime -

Have a Great Day and Enjoy Life!

June 8, 2009

Good Morning Everyone!

I hope you had a great weekend and have even a better week this week!

Social Stuff!

On Saturday, I rode my bike 30 miles in the American Diabetes Association's "Tour de Cure" centered at Grafton, Illinois. It was a beautiful day and Jane was my support team, which I really needed. Seems as though about halfway through the ride I had a flat tire and Jane was a big help in me getting the tire fixed and me back on the ride. It was a perfect day for the ride and it was most enjoyable. There were a few hills along the route that I wasn't expecting. The first few were very tough because I wasn't use to using my bike's gears but once I got better at this gear coordination I did better on the hills. There were a whole lot of people participating in the ride and I don't know how much the entire group raised for the Diabetes Association but I alone raised $440 thanks to my sponsors - some of which were from Salem Church.

On Friday night (6-5-09) Jane and I had the chance to attend an Art Exhibit at a gallery along Jefferson St. in St. Louis. We don't go to these much but our neighbor was one of the artists displaying her work and so we went. It was a very nice experience, even for those of us who aren't particularly into the art scene! Before the exhibit we ate at Mama Capisi's on The Hill which we enjoy.

Sunday (6-7-09) Jane and I attended first service, Sunday school and then went home early to take our daughter and her kids to the swimming pool. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate so we didn't get much pool time in. Jane was courageous enough to take them in the cool water for about 15 minutes but that was about as much as we could accomplish.

Koinonia Sunday School Class!

Members Present: Denise Kelly, Bill Nichols, Genny Maas, Jane and Terry Pursley.

Prayers Requested For: Genny's sister Margret who is experience failing vision. Amy and Todd Koerber whose baby is due June 23, 2009. Genny's granddaughter Libby's safety who is on a school trip, Bill Vallely's continued lung health issues and who is also having a birthday (66). The Vogt Scout Trip which is starting this next week. Meryl Garnto who is leaving on a Trip to Costa Rica, and Helen Kokesh's failing health.

Material Studied:

Today we completed the Book of James from Chapter 5 vs 13 thru the end of the Chapter/Book at verse 19. From there we began reading "I Peter" Chapter 1 vs 1 and 2.

In finishing James we found in verses 13 thru 18 where James emphasizes the power of prayer. James emphasizes in verse 16 that "..The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." This reminded each of us to focus on our prayer life and begin to practice it on a regular basis. It was noted that Jane Pursley continues to lead a prayer group that meets on Wednesday evening and that invites people to come join in the prayer session.

In the last verse of James we find James exhorting us to bring people back to the truth of Jesus. James states "My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins." Our class understood this to emphasize the importance of entering into relationships with people to help bring them back to God, and that our doing so is critical in the life of these other people. Therefore; we need to be aware of and looking for ways to help those who have wandered away from God.

We started "I Peter" by understanding Peter was writing to new Christians who were or who were about to experience some very tough persecution times. Peter wanted to give them strength with knowledge that God cares about them and God will keep his promises.

"I Peter" starts with Peter identifying himself as an "apostle of Jesus Christ" We had some discussion as to what is the difference between terms "apostle" and a "disciple", and we resolved that an "apostle" is someone who lived with and/or leaned directly from Jesus; whereas a "disciple" is a person who is a follower of Jesus Christ. A disciple does not have had to have had direct contact with Jesus. Therefore, when Peter starts his letter he is identifying himself as someone who lived with and learned directly from Jesus, which would obviously be and important description to impart to those reading the letter. The first verse concludes by simply identifying to whom Peter is writing which are foreigners in various outlying provinces.

We determined verse 2 of this first Chapter was critically important due to its summary nature of the gospel and the holy trinity. The verse reads as follows (from the New Living Testament) - " God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. This particular verse is one of those summary verses that we run into from time to time that encapsulates a great deal of information in a very few words. I encourage each of us to read and reflect upon these words because they are powerful and I certainly have no ability to improve upon them with verbose dialog!

Next Week:

We will pick up next week at "I Peter" Chapter 1 verse 3 and go from there to the degree that God determines is best.

In the meantime, I hope you -

Have a Great Day and Enjoy Life!



Terry Pursley

June 1, 2009

Good Morning to Everyone!

Here it is the first day of June and the year is flying by. I hope you are getting a chance to enjoy life.

Social Stuff:

Last Thursday (May 28, 2009) Jane and I had dinner with our daughter Amy and her two children (Ryne and Audra) at Mama Capisi's on the "Hill". I had never been there and our experience was wonderful. The food was excellent and the waiter was very attentive. We'll go back here again soon!

Friday (May 29, 2009) my brother Jeff and I played golf at Gateway National Golf Links over on the East Side. This was a very good/tough course I had never heard much about. The White Tees had a slope of 126 so it was tough and my brother "took me to the woodshed". No respect for his elder at all!

Saturday (May 30, 2009) Jane and I traveld to Columbia, Missouri to celebrate our daughter Rebecca's 30th birthday. Her birthday is actually May 31st but her social calendar was filled for that day and thus mom and dad settled for Saturday, which actually worked best for us anyway. We went to a restaurant named "Jazz" which we like and had a very good meal from a "cajun" style selection.

Sunday (May 31, 2009) we had a great time at Sunday School and Church, and the subsequent "pot luck" lunch that was provided. The meal was excellent and we extend a big "thank you" to those who prepared it. After the pot luck, Jane and I put on our biking clothes and went over to 66 Park at Times Beach and rode our bicycles. It was a beautiful day and the Park was wonderful. I rode 30 miles with Jane accompanying me on part of it and reading in the shade at other times. When I finished my 15 laps of the 2 mile courese, we rode down by the river where the scenery was just outstanding. It was truely an excellent day to be outside and I hope you also got the chance to enjoy the day.

Koinonia Sunday School Class:

Members Present: Bill Nichols, Jackie Thompson, Denise Kelly, Jack and Dwyla Beverlin, Shirley Cary, Madeline Walton, Jane and Terry Pursley.

Prayers Requested for: Mark Nichols (Brain issues), Amy & Todd Koeber (upcoming birth), Rebecca Pursley (birthday), Dwyla Beverlin (Alzheimers), Hedi (friend of Jack & Dwyla's with cancer issues), Bill Vallely (lung issues - going to Mayo Clinic), Terry Pursley's diabetes bike ride this coming Saturday.

Material Studied: (From a New Living Translation of the Bible).

James Chapter 4 Verses 11 thru 12 - James warns us against judging others by saying "But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?"

James Chapter 4 vs 13 thru 17. - James warns against taking for granted our future activities. Our futures are not guaranteed and thus James says in vs 15 "What you ogut to say is, "if the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." We mentioned that it is for this reason that we perhpas should more concsiously enjoy the "today" that we have rather than relying so heavily on what "Might Be" in the future. Enjoy today and be thankful for the"today" that we have!

James Chapter 5 vs 1 thru 5 - James advises the rich people that they should be in much anguish because of the terrible troubles in front of them and that their riches will be taken away. We clarified the term rich is a relataive term in that a person who has nothing but one coat is rich compared to another person you had nother and not even a coat. All of us are rich when compared to someone one an thus the question becomes do we cling to the riches we have over the well being of others that we meet? This was the issue when Jesus me the Rich Ruler in the New Testament parable. The Rich Ruler could not let go of his wealth and thus James is telling us that if we cannot "let go of our wealth" then we should know that it will be taken from us. Thus each of us must assess our own lives and determine whether we are able to "let go" or not.

[Special Note: I mentioned at this point in the class what I believe is an important aspect to remember. We will all find ourselves "falling short" of one aspect or the other of James teachings and thus we will find oursleves thinking we are "separated from God", but we whould always remember that as Christians Jesus has paid the price for our failures. Therefore; it is important for us to read James and other Bible studies to help determine how we should conduct ourselves as Christians but we should not become overly depressed when we find ourselves failing to meet all the requirements. The "Good News" is "God loved the world so much that while we were yet sinners God gave his only begotten Son that everyone who beleives in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)] We can enjoy our "Today" with this knowledge!

James Chapter 5 vs 7 thru 12: James encourages us to be paitient and to endure difficult times and relationships. In one of the more pointed verses James writes in vs 9 "Don't grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look - the judge is standing at the door!" How many of us speak differently if we think someone is listening? James is telling us GOD IS LISTENING!

This completed yesterday's class and next week we will pick up at James Chapter 5 vs 13 and probably complete the Book of James. If so we will contine into the Book of "I Peter".

I hope thinks go well for you this week and whatever your circumstance -

Have a Great Day and Enjoy Life!


Terry