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A Word About Stewardship: Stories of Blessings
WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A SIGNIFICANT STEWARDSHIP SEASON IN OUR BELOVED CONGREGATION. Over the past weeks we have heard two remarkable stories of faith and blessing from both Julie Hennessey and Bob Ady.
JUST ENOUGH...
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10/31/2011
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Count Yourself Blessed
Dear PRCC Members and Friends,
We recently gathered as one church family to celebrate Rally Sunday. It was a glorious day as we left our summer behind and began our new church year. We heard a great message of God’s gifts of Peace and Hope. The Chancel Choir, along with the Arlingtones returned to inspire us in worship. Our wonderful Sunday School teachers were back in their classrooms ready to offer faith and learning. The Deacons prepared a delicious hot dog feast for us out on the lawn...
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9/28/2011
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A WORD ABOUT WHO'S WATCHING
OUR GRADDAUGHTER FIONA SIMPLY LOVES HER GRANDMOTHER. G-Mama, that is. What G-Mama does, Fiona wants to do, too. More often than not, Fiona’s first question up arrival at our home is, “G-Mama, can we sew something?” She has seen the magic her theatrical costumer/seamstress extraordinaire grandmother is capable of…and Fiona wants so much to be a part of it...
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9/1/2011
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A WORD ABOUT THE SOUNDS OF SUMMER
“LOVE IS LIKE A HEAT WAVE, BURNIN’ IN MY HEART!” The exquisite vocals of Martha and the Vandellas (and later, Linda Ronstadt) wafting over the beach was always a beloved –and welcome--sound of summer in my long-ago youth. In recent days, I have heard some who sing the praises of the actual record-breaking heat wave that is currently roasting much of the country. Others would rather be singing “White Christmas”. Having been born and raised south of the Mason-Dixon Line, my beloved Lauri...
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7/28/2011
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A WORD ABOUT THE GIFT OF LIFE
I WASN’T AT ALL CERTAIN THAT I WOULD EVER GET OUT OF BED. Fifteen years ago this last March, I lay dying from a drug-resistant blood infection. Ironically, I contracted it through the ports used for the kidney dialysis that was keeping me alive. By the grace of God and the skill and persistence of the infectious disease team at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, I survived the infection...
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6/1/2011
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A WORD ABOUT BEING THE (RESURRECTED) BODY OF CHRIST
HAT JUST HAPPENED? What happened on Easter Sunday? Yes, we attended worship and, probably, sat down to a meal with friends and family. What happened? We, somewhat sophisticated twenty-first century people, came and marked out a day to acknowledge the resurrection of a human being from death. This is something that never, ever happens in the course of our daily lives, this resurrecting of the dead...
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4/29/2011
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A WORD ABOUT THE NEXT CHAPTER
WHEN WILL I READ CHAPTER BOOKS? This was a big question for our children as they discovered the world of books. (Or, more properly, were inducted into their parents’ passion for books.) Picture books were a lovely introduction to the joys of reading: Frog and Toad, Tell Me a Mitzi, On Market Street, Good Night, Fred, and countless others. (Grab their attention with enthralling pictures until their imaginations begin to supply their own images! Then you have lifelong readers.) As reading ability increased and a greater sense of independence came along, something more was needed. “Chapter books,” books arranged by chapters and generally devoid of illustrations, marked a new level of maturity...
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4/2/2011
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A WORD OF GRATITUDE IN A TIME OF LOSS
IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER IS A FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CAROL OF MINE. The bleakness of midwinter itself is not. The cold, the snow, the seemingly sunless days gather gloom all around. This year, the bleakness of midwinter was magnified by the death of my mother, Dorothy McCleneghan, just before dawn on 30 January. Though we—my siblings and my mom along with the medical team—had made the decision to accept hospice care for mom back in October, her eventual decline and death were no less devastating...
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3/1/2011
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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO LENT AND EASTER?
BY THIS TIME LAST YEAR WE WERE PREPARING FOR ASH WEDNESDAY. That’s often the case, as Lent frequently begins during the month of February. Not this year. This year Ash Wednesday, which signals the beginning of Lent, occurs on March 9th, the next-to-latest- possible date...
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1/27/2011
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A Word About the New Millennium Ten Years On
WELCOME TO 2000! Do you remember all the hubbub and worry ten years ago this week as some anxiously awaited the coming of the new millennium? Who could forget the good old days of Y2K? So, did you pick up the telephone at midnight on New Years’ Eve? You know, just to check and see if the Y2K bug had taken a bite out of the phone system. If you did, you obviously were one of billions of people who, in one way or another, listened for the sound of the new millennium coming on line. I remember that I did...
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12/30/2010
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