>Just Walk Across the Room Week 3

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Lord Jesus, as we continue to make our way "across the room" help us to craft our individual faith stories in a way that people can understand and relate to. At the same time, Father, guide us when we present the follow-up 'Good News' story about your Son to others. Amen.

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>Just Walk Across the Room Week 2

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Father, we thank you for the many groups that are forming. Thank you for
the new leaders, and the friendships that will come from this time together.
Father, we ask for focus and time management as fall activities vie for our
time. Bring each of us closer in our relationship to you. Show us those
people you want us to walk to and prompt us to hear their story and develop a relationship with them. Make us sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and make us the instrument to bring 'life' to spiritually 'dead' people. Lord, we are asking to be truly 3D people. This we ask in the holy, precious name of Jesus. Amen

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>Life Chain 2007

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Submitted by Neil Stolman

This past Sunday 24 people took part in holding up signs supporting 'Life' along the Halsted entrance to Grace Chapel. From 2:30 - 3:30pm a steady stream of traffic worked its way up and down Halsted, along with the many cars leaving the strip mall across the street. Even though it was just for an hour, it seemed a bit longer as the hot sun was beating down on us pretty well. Seven of the 24 people, consisting of four adults and three children, were from other churches. They had noticed that our church was on the list of road choices for the event this year, and decided to join us. How cool was that! To the folks from Grace Chapel who participated, as always, it was an honor to have you there standing with us and supporting the innocent victims who die by the thousands every day in this country - the unborn children. God Bless you all.

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>Just Walk Across the Room Week 1

>Would you join us in prayer as we study together this month?

Father in Heaven, help us to realize that "The Greatest Gift" we can give
to someone is a personal explanation on how to become rightly connected
with Jesus Christ. Give us strength and passion to leave our "circles of
comfort" and take the "Good News" forward to others. Lord, help us to
further realize the we need your Holy Spirit to speak through us and to
convict those we are talking to. We lift this prayer up in the name that
is above all names - the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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>Happy New Year

>I was surprised to learn from Al Feria (our missionary in Paris) that in the French culture the beginning of the new school year is considered THE new year. The end of summer marks the end of the year, and the start of school marks a new year. I thought I was the only one who felt that way. Guess I'd feel right at home in France, apart from that language barrier problem.

So, Happy New Year! Isn't autumn a great way to start the new year? Think of the colors, trips to the cider mill, apples, donuts.

At the Schmidt house we are settling in to our new schedules and routines. It can be a bit of a challenge to maintain balance between activity and rest, but we're getting there.

This year we have added a new element. Larry and I will be hosting a small group for Just Walk Across the Room. We're pretty excited about this, in large part because of the great training we received from Roy and Deb Yanke in September on how to lead a small group.

But we're also excited about the material we will be going through this month. Larry and I are already gaining a new perspective on that scary word "evangelism".

Doug's sermon Sunday was another fresh perspective. In the past when I have heard or even thought about the Great Commission, "Go ye therefore..." (Why do I always think in King James?) Well I have always pictured traveling. Go. Gotta get up and go. Move. Do something else.

What a different picture I have now when I think of the Great Commission as beginning: having already gone. I've already gone. I'm there. Having already joined a hockey team, having already joined the swim team, having already moved in to our house, having already taken this job, now look around, Who can I serve? Who can I listen to? Who can I love? If my life shines with the light of Jesus, who is that light falling on?

How do we share the love and life that Jesus offers us all? Just walk across the room, just skate across the ice, just swim across the pool. Having already gotten involved in these things look around - this is the harvest field. In Michigan terms - the apples are ready for picking. The trees are burdened with ripe fruit. Having already climbed in the wagon to go out to the orchard how shall I love my neighbor as myself?

That is what we hope to begin to understand as we study together this month. Are you signed up? Have you begun reading the book? Sunday marks the first sermon and then the small groups begin. We're not going far, just across the room, come with us.

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