Joy and Sorrow

I believe that our time here on earth gives us the opportunity to grow spiritually. We can experience much personal growth because of all the suffering, worries, and difficulties we have to go through during our mortal lives. It is God's way of fine-tuning us so we become more compassionate, more caring, more loving, and more aware of others' pain. After all, how could we ever dry the tears of others if we had never cried ourselves?

We all find ourselves in the valley of despair sometimes. It may sometimes seem that we are forever worrying, learning lessons, suffering pain, and facing challenges. But we must try to remember that the fertilizer that helps us "grow" is in those valleys, not on the mountain tops.
During the times that we feel scared and confused, we will always end up wiser and we will grow more from the experiences. We will understand more about people and life, become more sensitive, and we'll be able to enjoy life more after we go through the hard times.

We have to experience sadness so that we may better measure joy. Life has a way of balancing the sorrow with the joy, the disappointments with the hope, and the emptiness with the meaning.

An aching heart is but a steppingstone
To greater joy than you've ever known,
For things that cause the heart to ache
Until you think that it must break,
Become the strength by which we climb
To higher heights that are sublime,
And feel the radiance of God's smiles
When we have soared above life's trials.
So when you're overwhelmed with fears
And all your hopes are drenched in tears,
Think not that life has been unfair
And given you too much to bear.
For God has chosen you because,
With all your weaknesses and flaws,
He feels that you are worthy of
The greatness of His wondrous love.
So welcome every stumbling block
And every thorn and jagged rock;
For each one is a steppingstone
To God, who wants you for His own.
For discipline in daily duty
Will shape your life for deeper beauty;
And as you grow in strength and grace,
The clearer you can see God's face;
And on the steppingstones of strife,
You reach at last eternal life.

Hey Will

Just want to thank you for the message you brought this morning! You did a great job.

I am so thankful!

I am so thankful for so much! My salavation and God's love for me. My son and his health. My husband and his children. My home, job. Our families. The new friends we have made this year that have truly made a difference in our lives. Shown us so much love. I am truly blessed. I am even thankful for the challanges that have faced us this year. It has taught us that the small things that don't seem that big are really big blessings.

That he died for me.. that he loved me enough.

Thankful

So thankful for each and everyone of you.God Bless you and yours this Holdiay Season! This church has changed our lives and I just wanted to tell you all how much you all mean to us.

~Kelly

Happy Birthday Justin

We all love you! Have a very happy 18th birthday!

Your Prayers

Paulette and I would appreciate your prayers as we travel early in the morning for Missouri. It was so great to be with all of you today - such a sweet spirit in the services. Please do not let Will down next Sunday - support him as he brings the message the Lord has put on his heart.

We just want to wish all of you a very Happy and Wonderful Thanksgiving! We will see you when we return - not sure when that will be yet, but hopefully sometime next weekend.

God Bless all of you! We love you!

Bob & Paulette

Another family recipe for pie!

JEFF DAVIS PIE (named after President Jefferson Davis and claimed this was his favorite pie)

5 - eggs
3 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of butter (not margarine)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tall can of milnot or carnation milk (12 oz.)

Mix well, pour into 2 unbaked pie crusts, bake slow for 1 hour. Bake 15 minutes at 325, then turn down to 300 and bake until done.

Note: The above is the orginal recipe. Our family added shredded coconut from the bag or can - enough to totally cover each pie, then dunk under with a fork so that when done baking the coconut is slightly toasted.

cranberry salad recipe

Had a request to post Paulette's cranberry recipe she made Sunday at the Homecoming. This was my mother's recipe that she made every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we do.

CRANBERRY HOLIDAY SALAD

2 - oranges
2 - apples
1 qt. - cranberries
3 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of chopped celery
2 boxes respberry or cherry jello or one of each (only use 1 cup of water per package)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Grind oranges, apples and cranberries. Do no peel. Combine with the 3 cu. sugar, let stand until sugar is dissolved.
After jello has cooled down a bit, add nuts, celery, and stir in rest of ingredients. Cover & place in gridge to set up.

Note: You can add 1 can crushed pineapple to mixture, but will have to add extra jello
What I made for Homecoming Sunday had the addition of pineapple in it.

Enjoy!

Paulette

Proof of Jesus' existence

Years ago historians and archaeologists found what they thought to be the wrappings for Jesus' body after he died. Apparently, they were very much correct. The news media released information this morning about how they came across proof of Jesus' existence. Here is a link to the news article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_italy_shroud_of_turin

Thoughts from Bev Stewart

Bev asked me to post her thoughts she sent me through an email. Below is what she wrote.

Just read the read Web Site. I think it is just super,fantastic,great,wonderful and any other words to describe it !!!!!! Thanks to all who worked on it. I know about Justin and Kelly ,in case there were others I say THANK YOU SO MUCH. Especially Justin who I know spent a lot of time and thought in getting a Web going for Hinkle. If I remember correctly, John Chambers was the one who brought to the Ministry Council his interest in Hinkle developing a Site. I think others had wanted to have a Site , but John started putting it together. Thank you John !! As I think about the last few months and years and all the exciting things that have taken place , I just have to say WOW !!! It truly is a GOD thing and I give HIM all the PRAISE HONOR AN GLORY. Bob I have heard you say so many times that God has a Plan for Hinkle. I have to admit I didn’t have the faith you had. Thanks to all the people who have prayed over the years for Hinkle=there are many. May GOD continue to bless Hinkle for many years to come. Bob would you mind putting my thoughts on the blog? Thanks a bunch LOVE BEV

Check it out!!!!!!

We are now on the World Wide Web!!! Thanks to Justin Forrestal for all of his hard work, it was finally launched this evening. It is preliminary with changes to be made, but this is what we have so far. Kelly Haemmerle is helping Justin and together they are our "webmasters"! So, if you have an idea or something you would like to see put on there, contact one of them. There will be some updates made tomorrow. Go to www.hinklecreekfriends.org and check it out! How far we have come in the past 173 years!

Tonight

Just a reminder about Bible Study tonight at 6:30. Not sure what everyone is bringing, but I do know that I'm smelling the aroma of Chili in our house! I'll try my best to remember to make up the decaf coffee to bring this time. Also, the cemetery association is meeting tonight at 7:00 in the teenage classroom. I've invited some of them to come early and enjoy a meal with us. I'm working at getting a couple of them to come to our Church, so thought this was a good way for them to get acquainted with us. I don't think there would be anymore than 4 joining us for the meal. I'm really looking forward to getting into God's Word tonight. It's been a busy week thus far and I need to get centered down and fellowship with my Church family. See you tonight everyone!

Oh, by the way, I've caught 4 "church mice" thus far! Wish those little devils had missed Noah's Ark! :-)

Realize

Learning to draw water up from the spiritual well is hard labor, indeed.... because our senses are so much in the habit of flitting about from one worldly distraction to another. And so you must learn to set aside what you see and hear in order to see and hear what God would pour out upon you from his invisible kingdom.

When we begin to renew our minds in this way - that is, building the habit of constantly, deeply meditating upon the Lord Jesus - we draw water up out of the deep wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3).

So, this is our part in the work to wrestle with our wandering senses and our flitting thoughts. And God's part is to enliven our meditations by the power of his Spirit, so that it becomes for us living water - and this part, of course, does not depend upon us at all; it depends upon God.

In this way, the tender "flowers" of new spiritual growth are "watered"

Saint Theresa of Avila

Prayers Needed

Got word today that Martha Barnes was rushed to the hospital late last night coughing up blood. They determined she had pneumonia and during her stay, she had a heart attack. The repaired a stint that she had and is resting comfortably today. Please keep Martha, Sharon, and Denny in your prayers. They have all had so much to deal with lately. Martha is just so tired and needs prayers for her strength and healing.

Thank you!

I just wanted to thank everyone who helped today with an amazing homecoming event. I enjoyed seeing some new faces and talking to some old acquaintences. Thank you to all who provided the wonderful food! The most terrible thing is that my stomach wasn't big enough to try everything! Thanks Trish for the greenbean casserole - it was outstanding. And Pam - how awesome were those chicken and noodles! Oh now I know I'll leave someone out, so I should stop. But I will add that Heather's cake dessert was wonderful! Please give Paulette that recipe!

I'm looking forward to our 175th homecoming and hope we will have people interested to help get that organized early. There is much that can be done ahead of time to plan for that special time.

What a sweet spirit we had today and the love and unity I felt was just overwhelming.

Thank you again to all who did your part to make this such a wonderful day.

I love you all so much!

Bob

When I think of the love and happiness at Hinkle Creek Church I think of the children.

Homecoming

Just a reminder that this Sunday is Homecoming with a meal after services. Sharon is going to do Turkey Breasts and one crock pot of turkey dressing. Bev is doing a brocolli salad. Paulette is doing a cranberry salad. Pam is doing Chicken and Noodles. So, we need people to bring green beans, sweet potatoes, all sorts of side dishes and desserts. Paulette and Pam will do mashed potatoes. If someone would like to bring another meat in the event that someone doesn't like Turkey, that would be helpful. Was wondering if Trish would like to bring her famous green bean casserole???? As you can see, this is a "Thanksgiving Theme" to not only celebrate homecoming, but to have a Thanksgiving meal together as a Church Family.

Please invite someone to come to this special day as we celebrate 173 years as a Church!

See you all Sunday!

Bible Study

Just a quick word to remind everyone about Bible Study. I think Heather said she was bringing meat balls, and Paulette is bringing fried chicken and bread rolls and iced tea. Mike Haemmerle jumped in on Sunday afternoon and worked in the Church yard and all the raking is done! I went up with the tractor and worked down the parking lot, then Larry Butcher, Mike Haemmerle, and Luke Reeves came and we moved all the wood from the tree to make room for parking for Sunday. So, the kids shouldn't have to rake this evening. It looks really good up there! Thanks for everyone who helped get it done.

Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see." --William Newton Clark

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAXON!

All your friends at Hinkle Creek Church love and appreciate you!

He is.

we hope to shine
but He is light
we try to embrace
but He is love
we are left to ponder
but He is wisdom
we bear our burdens
but He is strength
we are prone to laughter
but He is joy
we all make the journey
but He is the way
we question and doubt
but He is truth
we wither and fade
but He is life
they break our courage
but He is spirit
they broke His bones
but He is God
He is breath
He is air
He is.

Fellowship Breakfast!

Just a friendly reminder about the fellowship breakfast in the morning at 9:30. I intended to post this earlier, but my circumstances have kept me away from the computer today. I sure hope you all get this and can come in the morning!

Some of my thoughts

I am so proud of our Church that we have such a vision for the future. So many things have happened over the past couple of years that just excites me when I ponder them in my mind. As one who has gone to this Church all of my life, I have seen more enthusiasm and vision for reaching outside the walls of this dear old building than I've seen in many years. I remember Bonnie Zarins starting a newsletter many years ago and was enjoyed by so many. When that stopped, nothing happened here for a long time. Thanks to Rusty for ressurrecting that ministry. Look at it today! Our newsletter is so beautiful and reflects who we are as we send that out among Friends in our community. Thank you Heather for an outstanding job putting that together! I remember back when we got our first copy machine and being used, we had to pamper it along to get a few copies out of it. Prior to that, we had an old memeograph machine that you had to ink up and turn a handle to print off bulletins typed on a manual typewriter with correction ink in hand for all those mistakes that was so easy to make. Then, in 1994, we were given a gift of a new copier which has served us so well. Now, the Church has leaped into the future and we now have a copier that is computerized, copies in color, copies on both sides at once, and even collates so we can make a color directory in an easier fashion without all the cutting, taping, copying, and recopying to put it together! We had been paying around $100.00 a month to print our newsletters - now we can do that with our own equipment and it will surely pay for itself in about a year and a half.

We are in the process of putting a website together which should be going online at any time! What a vision of the future to put our Church on the World Wide Web! Then there is the new sign out front that is warming and greeting to all who pass by and see that this 173 year old Church is alive and well!

I just love this blog! Thank you Kelly for establishing this! What a wonderful way for us to communicate and have a time of devotion each day. It's so nice to keep in touch with each other through this wonderful ministry. I hope that we can use this to express positive things, devotional material, and uplifting posts. Afterall, this is out there for ANYONE to see and it represents our Church. I would encourage Friends to keep postings uplifting. Many of us go to this blog everyday to recieve spiritual nourishment and as for me, that's what this Blog is all about. It's sort of a "cyber Open Worship" the way I view it. If I wouldn't say it in Open Worship, then I probably wouldn't say it on here. I just love the pictures, video clips, music clips, and scriptures that uplift me when I read them. Remember, we post this blog address in our newsletter, so we never know who is looking at us as a Church.

I also look back and remember how hard it was for so many years to find anyone who would bring special music to the services. We went for many years without that. Now we are blessed with the beautiful music of Jeff VanWinkle and Mike Haemmerle. Each of these guys are gifted in different ways and each unique in their own right! How blessed we are to have them! I just know there are others in our congregation who are very talented and more is coming! Oh how far we have come!

I feel so good about the great love we have for one another and the respect we hold for each other's views. That's what makes us a beautiful congregation in God's eyes.

I'm looking forward to us gathering together on the 15th to celebrate 173 years as a Church that has impacted so many lives. I would love it if all of you could be thinking about that day and share in services what this Church has done in your life. Try to imagine your life without it. Where would you be?

Thank you Lord of Hinkle Creek Friends!

Well, that's enough of my rambling. My heart was just full this morning and had to share it with you! I pray you all have a great day and look forward to the warmth of the sunshine and the upcoming weekend when we will all gather again under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

A family friend... A beautiful singer

This gentlemen is a family friend of mine. He sent us his music today and wanted to share. Its so wonderful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2yylX5PA4U

Please pray... And will you send a card.

My friend has a nephew that is 5yrs old and is in the last stages of his battle with Neuroblastoma cancer. They are going to celebrate Christmas with him next week. They have been told that he may not make it until then and they want to celebrate it with him one last time. They are asking all friends and family to send a little Christmas card to him personally. I thought you all might want to send a little love to him as well. And please put him and his mother in your prayers.

Noah Biorkmen (Mom is Diana)
1141 Fountain Circle
Lyon, MI 48178

Video For All To See.

This is a video that I think is very touching. I found the video on Facebook. I have watched it time and time again. I think that you will like it.

One of the most wonderful things about knowing God is that there's always so much more to know, so much more to discover. Just when we least expect it, He intrudes into our neat and tidy notions about who He is and how He works.”

—Joni Eareckson Tada

When you have decided what you believe, what you feel must be done, have the courage to stand alone and be counted..... Eleanor Roosevelt

We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 1 Thessalonians 4:14

Bible Study

Just a friendly reminder that tonight is Bible Study at the Church at 6:30. Looking forward to seeing everyone! I think I heard that Trish is doing a meatloaf, so bring dishes that would compliment that.

Silent Cry for Help....
As Christians are we listening...for that silent cry for help. I know many of you can understand what I am saying. Have you heard someone speaking, read something they wrote, or watch their actions and felt something pull at your heart.

Would God say - Don't run away if they tell you, Don't cower if they show you, be there,tell them you are there, and keep your word.
Through the scars, and the tears, through the blood, and the pain. all they want is for someone to care,to be there to listen. Don't tell them its not normal, they know. Don't tell them they are wrong. just be there,to listen, to care, and to heal the want, the need and silent cry for help.

When I see the actions of the hurt.... I hear them saying I am hurting, I am sad. I think the reason I can relate to them is I was at that point in my life before. I felt invisible to my family and friends. I wanted to live but didn't feel a reason to or I wanted to talk but didn't feel anyone was listening. Even in our walk with the Lord it can start out amazing and then when the honeymoon stage is over we can fall back in the valley of hopelessness and pain. Isn't that what Satan works on the minute we give our life to God. A friend shared this song with me when we discussed how we see when others hurt and how we can help.

I'm alone, Lord are you here?
I am hurt, do You care?
I am drowning, yet trust in You
I'm not afraid, you'll lead me through
I hear you child, your every word
I know your need, I have heard
We'll walk on water, hand in hand
My strength will hold you, you will stand

Heal me, heal my soul
Heal me, make me whole
Heal me, heal me Lord
Through life's storms, I'll reach for shore
Waves will not drown me, I'll doubt no more
We'll walk together side by side
Through this journey, You will provide
My precious child, I'm holding you
I'm your Lord, I'll guide you through
Walk with me, I'll heal your soul
Through your trial, it's me they'll know


Heal me, heal my soul
Heal me, make me whole
Heal me, heal me Lord
I love you Lord
The promises you've made
Thank you Lord
I am not afraid
I may stumble
I may fall
Yet I will walk
In spite of all
Upon these waters
I will stand
With your spirit
Hand in hand

Dear Lord.. please help me act when I see pain and hurt and not turn the other way.