June 2020
Thank You Letter From Jesús El Buen Pastor
The Lutheran Church of Jesus the Good Shepherd
3007 Mercier Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64108
Pastor F E Eberhart, Pantry Administrator, 913-707-3518 pastorfee@gmail.com ;
Timothy Lutheran Church
425 NW R D Mize Rd,
Blue Springs, MO 64014
June 1, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters at Timothy,
Thank you for your persistent love! You recently sent three pickup trucks loaded with a variety of groceries for the Food Pantry at Jesus El Buen Pastor Lutheran Church.
We are now regularly serving more than 100 client families a week. Because of Covid-19 our system has changed. God has not changed.
We have the chance to share the Gospel with a printed bilingual devotion and are never hesitant to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, the very light of God shining in darkness. Our masked clients and masked volunteers cannot stop that light. We serve five families at a time. Only one person may enter for the family. Children must wait with a caregiver. No longer do we serve a dinner or give an embrace. Clients accept this and understand. Yet the Holy Spirit allows us to show His love and power as we do all things in the Name of Jesus.
But as funds dry up and groceries are hard to replace, we ask God to show us how we are to feed the multitude. Harvesters is great for fruit and vegetables but other items are also in demand, soups, sauces, oil, sugar, flour, all the standard groceries.
So God says to us through Gary Flandermeyer and Associates and Timothy Lutheran Church, “It’s under control. Before you ask or even think about asking, it is under control. Trust me!”
All four Gospel writers include miracle of the the feeding of the five thousand. But Luke’s version is my favorite. The disciples come to Jesus and wonder how the multitude is going to get food. Our Lord’s first response to them was, “You feed them.”
Then they had to learn trust and obedience and Jesus showed them the way through thanksgiving and prayer and a love so deep that it is almost beyond comprehension.
“You feed them.”
And the saints of St. Timothy, Blue Springs, Missouri, said, Okay, Lord! And it happened! Thank you so much. God bless you and uphold you with His Spirit. It is my joy to serve with you.
Pastor Frank
Pantry Administrator
May 2020
Confirmation Class 2020
Kassie Ann Berthelson
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Emma Louise Freeman
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Gretchen Elaine Freeman
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Kaya Elizabeth Gorrow
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Allie Maree Gray
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any
powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ella Grace Hogan
Psalm 30:2
Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.
Jonathan Wesley Jackson
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
Brody Troy LaFrentz
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Anthony David Lorek
Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Annabel Rose Myers
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
Jack Alexander Parker
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
Emily Grace Poynter
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Alex Raelynn Taylor
Isaiah 43:18-19
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Aidan Thomas Trout
Isaiah 43:1
But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Aniston Paige Wulff
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
November 2019
Steve and Janel Schild in Nepal
Steve and Janel Schild Travel Half Way Around The World To Build A Home With Habit In Nepal.
Steve and Janel in Nepal with Habitat. The community is in the most southern part of country near India. Their team is the first team to enter the community where the people have not seen westerners. Once completed, there will be 54 houses for local families.
This past week Steve and Janell Schild arrived home from Kathmandu, Nepal after joining a team with Habitat to build a home in the east region of the country near Mount Everest. This area includes not only one of the world’s most beautiful tea gardens and wildlife reserves, but also families in need of better housing.
Habitat Nepal is serving homeowners from several caste systems and ethnic groups. Despite the fact that people of many different cultures live throughout the east region, there is unity in diversity. Agriculture is the main occupation for members of this community, and monsoon winds bring enough rainfalls in the summer to support the growth of food crops like paddy, wheat and maize.
Lodging was provided in a local hotel with volunteers sharing double-occupancy rooms. Breakfast provided at the hotel, with lunch, snacks and bottled water ready at the work site. The team had the opportunity to experience dinner either at the hotel or in local restaurants.
On the work site the team was led by local, skilled workers. They helped mix mortar and cement, carry sand and gravel, soak bricks and weave bamboo – all critically important tasks as Nepalese families start their journey towards building a safe home.
The Itinerary Included:
Friday and Saturday: Depart. Grab your packed bags and head for Nepal!
Sunday: Welcome. Welcomed in Kathmandu where the team was greeted at the airport by Habitat staff. They met up with the rest of the team and enjoyed dinner in Kathmandu.
Monday: Travel. The team headed towards the host community. Along the way they learned about Habitat’s innovative work in Nepal and the team’s project for the week. Habitat staff introduced the team to the community where they stayed.
Tuesday-Sunday: Build. The team headed out to the build site where they partnered with families recovering from an earthquake in 2015.
Monday: Explore. The team departed the host community and headed back towards the airport. There was time to explore the local area and participate in excursions.
July 2019
John 2:13-25 Worshiping God as He Desires
Living God’s Word
John 2:13-25 Worshiping God as He Desires
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” o
18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
Living God’s Word:
Too many churches today do everything they can to make the time of worship convenient for people. And some people attend church because they see it as a place for personal contacts or business advantage. But worshiping God is not always convenient; it demands true devotion and self-sacrifice. Nor is it for our own earthly advancement. Our focus should be on God alone. We are to worship sincerely, reverently, and humbly. That is not to say we cannot be excited, even zealous, about God. But we are always to worship with reverence—recognizing and remembering who God is. Great speaking preachers, top quality musicians, gifted singers are all wonderful and gifts from God! However, these are not be our focus for attending. Our greatest draw to church is Jesus who deserves our praises. It’s all about Christ who gave His life for you. “Come, let us worship Him.”
Making it REAL:
Does worship service have to fit your schedule, or is it the priority of your day? Why do you attend worship services; are your motives pure?
Words to Live By:
With holy zeal, Jesus cleanses the temple, which has been turned into a marketplace, and He predicts His resurrection to those questioning His authority. When we disrespect God’s Word and sacred things, He calls us to repentance. Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection reveal God’s heart, which is zealous for those He loves.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, give me a heart that fervently clings to You and Your Word. Cleanse the temple of my heart so that my desire is to offer my praise and worship to You alone. Help rid me of the worldly aspects of church and renew my Spirit to see and hear You as I gather with others to in You house of worship. Amen.
Are You Thirsty? Dave’s JourneyMen Devotion
Dave Smith’s JourneyMen Devotion
“Are You Thirsty?”
JourneyMen,
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. –John 4:13-14
This is my 9th year of being a “Pool Boy.” We opened our swimming pool earlier this year, and despite cooler temperatures than normal until recently, we have been able to get in a good amount of swimming. Due to the early pool open and cooler temperatures, my ‘Pool Boy” maintenance has been easier than normal. This includes something I didn’t plan on, which is not needing to add water into the pool, not even once. I am sure the pool will need water added as the temperatures heat up and God stops sending the amount of rain He has provided since the pool opened. But for now, my pool continues to not be thirsty, being supplied with all of the water it needs. How about you? Are you thirsty? Are you being supplied with all the “water” you need? Or do you need to be filled up again?
In ways, I am like my swimming pool. When we (my pool and I) have enough water, we thrive. Having the water we need enables us to function and do our best. At times, the refilling of the water comes almost without notice. Over time, we can come to expect it to happen. And then it occurs. God’s rain providing us with the water we need slows down. The temperature heats up, draining us of needed water. We eventually reach the point that we don’t have enough water to properly function. We are no longer thriving. We are then surviving! We find ourselves in need, praying for more rain, and water. How about you? Are you like my pool and I? If so, then what is the solution? How can we quench our thirst?
Closing Thought: My swimming pool needs water. I need water. You need water. The water that you and I need is different than the water my swimming pool needs. My swimming pool will become thirsty again. It will need water added in. Usually I add water in through my home’s garden hose. By comparison, we will also become thirsty again, but the water we truly need we actually already possess! This water is “living water.” Living water has already been given to us by Jesus himself. Even when we feel thirsty for water on earth, and we will feel thirsty a lot, we actually have the water we most need in us through Jesus amazing gift of “a spring of life welling up to eternal life!” Are you thirsty? Then go to the well of living spring water that Jesus has already given you, through faith, and take a drink from the well of Jesus! Remember, only Jesus can truly quench your thirst, both now, and for eternity!
