Devotion – August 2022

We are all familiar with the sign that says: TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED!

It means that you need permission to be in the place where you are. It means don’t go there, stay out. There will be consequences for disobeying. Still, we mentally measure up the risk and decide whether it’s better to rely on forgiveness rather than get permission. Human nature is at work. Human nature is aligned with St Paul when he writes in Romans 7:14,15 (NLT) about the struggle we have with God’s Law which clearly points out our sinful nature. So, the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead I do what I hate…

Read Pam’s full devotion here …

The Lord’s Prayer: Teach us how to pray – Bible Study, August 2022

Who taught you how to pray?

Are there any people you can name as mentors/influential in your prayer life?

Do you remember learning the Lord’s Prayer?

How have you prayed it over the years?

What happens in your mind as you pray it in our weekly liturgy?

If your church does not use liturgy regularly, do you still use this prayer? Why or why not?

Think more about prayer with this Bible Study by Sal Huckel …

President’s Reflections – August/September 2022

Debts, trespasses, sins … many of us have, over quite a time, possibly prayed these words in a version of The Lord’s Prayer. You can probably think of many other words which have “changed” to suit the times. So … debts come to mind, as something we might owe … trespasses, we’ve gone somewhere the sign told us not to go … sins, we’ve done something wrong and hurt someone or something. Transgressions is another word in this context. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against …

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On the Cover – August/September 2022

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us What this means for us We don’t deserve anything we pray for. We sin every day, and all we deserve is punishment. But, in this prayer, we are asking: “Father, do not look at our sins or refuse to listen to our prayers because of them. Instead, give us everything we need simply out of your kindness.” In the same way, when people sin against us, we will gladly forgive them and be kind to them. Luther’s Small …

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Wide Bay Burnett Zone Fellowship Day 2021

On 13 October, Faith North Bundaberg ladies hosted the day with the theme Under His Wings, text: Matthew 23:37. Fifty-two attended. Karen Bryce from “Faith” and Heidi Lane, Zone President warmly welcomed everyone. Pastor Ryan Norris opened the morning with a devotion from Isaiah 40:28-31. Pastor Ryan stated we should never forget God in our ability to hang on during tough times in life. Take time to remember God’s faithfulness as he is always there for us. Just a prayer away. Trust and Obey and A Mighty Fortress were sung, …

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“… droughts and flooding rains”

A collection of first-hand accounts of the floods in Queensland in 2022. SE Qld Flood 2022 March … SE Queensland … Autumn … a beautiful time of the year. The heat is abating, the cyclones and rainy season should be gone. The skies are blue, the air is cooler, and mornings and evenings have a little crispness about them. Well, that’s the way it should be – but not March in SE Queensland in 2022! The heat is unrelenting, the humidity is stifling, the clouds are gathering in great mountainous …

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Book Review – The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Joan Didion’s poignant memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, is an account of her experience dealing with grief during the first year following the sudden death of her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne. John and Joan had been married nearly 40 years when he suffered a fatal heart attack one evening in their New York apartment. To make a tragic event more complicated, the couple had just returned home from a visit to the hospital where their only daughter was comatose after a struggle with pneumonia. Thus, the surreal experience of dealing with bereavement was compounded for Didion by worries about her daughter’s health, and the necessity of informing her of John’s passing when she eventually regained consciousness.

Read Megan’s latest book review here …

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St Peters, Gerogery

Our St Peters, Gerogery Fellowship continued to meet spasmodically last year, despite restrictions. Our numbers remain at ten even though our congregation numbers are not much more. Pastor Christian Fandrich leads our Bible studies which are taken from Lutheran Women. Pastor makes our studies so interesting, and he encourages discussion. Our President and Secretary/Treasurer have served in their positions for many years. President, Ros Wilksch, has clocked up thirty-five years while Ann Salzke has passed forty-five years as Treasurer, and twenty-five years as Secretary after taking over from her mother-in-law. …

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LWNSW/ACT Retreat – Pathways to the Good Shepherd

PATHWAYS to the GOOD SHEPHERD was the theme chosen for the Retreat in March 2022 after nearly three years in the planning and development stages due to COVID-forced postponements. It was worth the wait! Those of us who were able to gather at Warrambui, near Murrumbateman, felt very privileged to be there.

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Brekky @ The Hub

Lameroo Regional Community School (LRCS) in the South Australian Mallee has a student population of close to 200 from Kindy to Year 12. About 40 kms east is the Pinnaroo Primary School and equidistant to the west is Geranium Primary School. Secondary students from these schools travel firstly by bus to their own school and are then bussed to Lameroo. This amounts to quite a considerable amount of travel time before they reach LRCS, equating to an early start to the day. In 2018, it was noticed that some students, …

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Luther Study Centre

The Luther Study Centre (LSC) is based in Pematang Siantar, Indonesia and aims to help church members, seminaries, and pastors to understand and appreciate Lutheran doctrine. To promote the work of LSC and to explore the needs of the people, LSC are teaching and equipping. The National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation in Indonesia (KN-LWF) regularly visits church leaders, member churches, and theological seminaries. Luther Study Centre is a new LWA project. Through your financial and prayerful support of LSC, following are ways we provide for our family of …

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Perth World Day of Prayer, 2022

On 4 March, many of the Duncraig ladies travelled to St Anselm’s Anglican church in Kingsley. The church displayed cherished items from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Our pastor’s wife, Maria Rudolph, was the guest speaker, and she spoke of growing up in a non-Christian household in East Germany and then backpacking around Australia when she was 18. In Adelaide one day she wandered into a Lutheran church, was made to feel welcome and invited back to a Sunday service. Maria asked to be baptised soon after, wanting to know …

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