Right Here – Right Now!

The other day I was reading in the devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest, and came upon this paragraph:

The things Jesus did were the most menial of everyday tasks, and this is an indication that it takes all of God’s power in me to accomplish even the most common tasks in His way. Can I use a towel as He did? Towels, dishes, sandals, and all the other ordinary things in our lives reveal what we are made of more quickly than anything else. It takes God Almighty Incarnate in us to do the most menial duty as it ought to be done. (My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, September 11 – to read the entire selection, click here)

So often, we feel as though we have to be doing a planned outreach activity or active Bible study in order to be sharing the truth about God and His love.

We don’t consider that God may have us exactly where He needs us as we just live out our lives day by day.

Perhaps, if we just had our eyes opened to the numerous opportunities that bump into us each day, we would see what it really means to live as a Christian.

We tend to compartmentalize our lives. We have a work life, a church life, a school life, a family life – and perhaps even more. And when we view life this way, each of these areas compete for our attention.

God intends for our life to by unified in Him. His principles are to govern every other part of our lives and to keep them in balance. When we make it our practice to invite Him to lead us through our day and learn to listen for His voice, our life will then touch others for Him in ways we can hardly imagine – just through the ordinary course of our day.

Then, we can recognize that any interaction – with family members, co-workers, fellow students, as well as random people who cross our paths – may be a divine appointment.

Paul wrote:

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10, NLT)

When you realize what a wonderful gift God has given you in salvation, you can then rest in His care and allow Him to make you into the masterpiece He has envisioned for you. And when He is doing this work in your life, you will find yourselves doing things that demonstrate His love for others – the good things He plans for you to do!

And then, you will be serving Him right here – right now in the ordinary things of life!

Verified Volunteers Training – Sept. 15

If you need to complete the training and authorization for a background check through Verified Volunteers, we will have some computers set up and available this Sabbath, September 15. All elected church officers and anyone who assists in any of our children’s/youth ministries (even occasionally) needs to complete this process.

If you wish to complete this yourself at home, you may download a PDF page of instructions and links to help you through this process by clicking here. To go to the website where you begin this process, click here and then select First-Time Registrant and follow the instructions. For more information, see the announcement near the end of this blog or contact John Stroman (e-mail or 402-871-9764) or Pastor T (e-mail or 402-517-5333).

I Can Only Imagine

We will be showing the movie titled I Can Only Imagine on Sabbath, September 29 during our worship service. The movie is based on the life of Bart Millard, the lead singer of Mercy Me and the composer of the song I Can Only Imagine.

This is a true story of great pain, deep forgiveness, and supernatural healing. For any of us who have experienced pain through the action of others, this story will bring encouragement and hope. It will help us understand how we can both be forgiven, and extend forgiveness through the power of God’s love.

We will have a shortened Sabbath School Time that Sabbath so we can view the entire movie during our worship service – which will begin at 10:30 am. You will not want to miss this experience. Take this opportunity to invite your friends, neighbors, and family to join you here at church. For more info contact Pastor T (e-mail or 402-517-5333).

From Bible Gateway’s Weekly Brief

How Does the Bible Describe God’s Love for Us? What does it mean to fall in love with God? How much does God love each person? How are we made to be in relationship with God, wired to love him and be loved by him? How can God keep pursuing us even when we reject him? Bible Gateway interviewed Van Moody about his book, Desired by God: Discover a Strong, Soul-Satisfying Relationship with God By Understanding Who He Is and How Much He Loves You. (Click here to read more.)

How to Intentionally Strengthen Your Faith: Are you dissatisfied with your spiritual life? Do you feel stuck or stagnant? Are you tired of going through the motions of faith? Do you want to make real progress in your life, but don't know where to start? Bible Gateway interviewed Darryl Dash about his book, How to Grow: Applying the Gospel to All of Your Life. (Click here to read more.)

Learn about and download the free award-winning Bible Gateway App by clicking here.

Check Out the entire Weekly Brief by clicking here. To subscribe to any one of their many email newsletters and Bible Studies, click here.

Calendar Events

Sunset this Friday – 7:35 pm                                                           

This Sabbath at Church

Verified Volunteers Computer Stations set up at Church this Sabbath – to access one of them speak with John Stroman (e-mail or 402-871-9764) or Pastor T (e-mail or 402-517-5333). For more information about Verified Volunteers see the announcement below or click here.

Breakfast in the Fellowship Hall, 9:20 – 9:50 am

Sabbath School (10:00 am)

Traditional Sabbath School Class – Church Sanctuary: Studying the current Sabbath School Lesson (click here to read it on-line).

Alternative Sabbath School Class: Hearth Room: Studying the book Boot Camp for the Last Days by Randy Maxwell. Paper copies of the book will be available at class but if you wish to purchase one for your tablet – click here for a Kindle, click here for I-Tunes, or click here for a Nook.

Worship Service (11:15 am) – This Sabbath we will continue our series on the Book of Acts with Pastor T’s sermon title Holy Mission, based on Acts 13-14. (For additional insights see Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, and Chapter 18.)

Church Work Bee this Sunday at 1:00 pm – trimming bushes and general grounds maintenance.

Pathfinders & Adventurers Meet this Monday (Sept. 17) at 6:30 pm. Contact Kalvin Tuel for more information about Pathfinders (e-mail or 402-201-6370) or Lori Knutson for the Adventurer Club (e-mail or 402-980-5018).

Click here to download a copy of the 2018-2019 Pathfinder Calendar.

Click here to download a copy of the 2018-2019 Adventurer Calendar.

Prayer Meeting is taking a Summer Break and will begin again on October 2. For more info contact Pastor T (e-mail or 402-517-5333).

Health Emphasis Weekend at College View: Make plans to join us for a special Health Emphasis weekend, September 22-23, with Melody Prettyman-Caviness, 3ABN Guest Speaker and Chef. To register or for questions call 402-450-3082 or carol.huenergardt@gmail.com. Sponsored by CVC Health Ministries. All session will be held in Heartland Hall, College View SDA Church, 4801 Prescott Ave., Lincoln, NE 68506.

·         September 22, Sabbath

§  1:30 pm – Fellowship potluck

§  3:00 pm – Mini Concert

§  3:30 pm – Simple Home Remedies

·         September 23, Sunday

§  3:00 pm – All About Choices (with food samples)

Video – “I Can Only Imagine”, Sabbath, September 29 at 10:30 am here at church. For more information see the announcement at the beginning of this blog. It will be a great event to bring your friends and family to. For more info contact Pastor T (e-mail or 402-517-5333).

Alaska Mission Trip Report, Sabbath, October 6 during our worship service. You will not want to miss this report which includes stories and pictures!

Christian Record Services EYE RUN: Join Christian Record Services for the Blind’s EYE RUN on Sunday, October 7. See below for more information.

Christian Woman’s Retreat will take place October 26-28 in Grand Island, Nebraska. For more information, or to register – click here for the adult version; click here for the teen version.

Church Positions Available

We are looking for people to fill some vacant positions here at church. If you would be interested or would like to suggest someone for these jobs contact John Stroman (e-mail or 402-871-9764) or Pastor T (e-mail or 402-517-5333).

Head Deaconess: This person would coordinate the activities of our Deaconess Group. This would include preparation and participation in Communion services and may include arranging for things like flowers for people in the hospital, planning meals for funerals, and providing support and assistance to people in need.

Women’s Ministries: This person would work to connect with the women of our congregation and plan some events that would bring them together and provide mutual support. They would also be our contact person with the Conference Women’s Ministries Coordinator.

Webmaster: This person would keep our website updated with current news, announcements, and dates. It would be helpful to understand HTML a bit, but not completely necessary.

Social Media: If you are really into social media and would like to help our church have a greater visible presence there (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), please let us know.

Christian Record Services EYE RUN

Walk or Run for a reason! Lace up your shoes to walk or run, with proceeds benefitting Christian Record Services for the Blind, an official ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that supplies inspirational books, magazines, and confidence-building camp experiences to more than 20,000 people who are legally blind. Learn more and register at www.EYERUN.info.

The EYE RUN, is Sunday, October 7, at Holmes Lake Park, in Lincoln, Nebraska.

A satellite event will take place on Sunday, October 7, at Johnson Lake in Fremont, Nebraska. Contact Jen Bullion at 402-800-4854 for more information about this satellite event.

Outreach/Community Service Opportunities

Used Stamps Needed! Your used stamps can help Christian Record Services for the Blind raise money. Just tear them off the envelope, being careful to include the entire stamp and bring them to church. Put them into the container provided out on the table and we will take care of getting them where they need to go.

Miscellaneous Information

Lippincott Family Updates: Check out the latest update from Lorilee and Bryon Lippincott about their family’s experiences serving God in Asia. To access a PDF copy of the most recent update, click here. To access a PDF copy that includes all we have received from  2018, click here. To access a PDF copy from 2017, click here. To access a PDF copy from 2016, click here. To access a PDF copy of all the updates we received prior to 2016 (2013-2015), click here. To check out their website, click here. Don’t forget to check out Sharing Dots for Kids. To sign up for their e-mail newsletter, click here.

Free Estate Planning & Wills: Norm Zimmerman, Trust Director for the Kansas Nebraska Conference, is available by appointment to assist anyone who needs Estate Planning, Wills, etc. For more information contact Norm (e-mail or 402-617-2001).

On-Line Giving Available! Our church offers on-line giving through our website. If you would prefer to give electronically or if you are going to be away and want to stay up-to-date with your giving, click here. Adventist Giving now has an App you can download directly to your smart phone to make the process even easier. For an iPhone, click here. For Android phones, click here.

Our Church E-Mail Newsletter, Directly to Your Computer! If you would like to receive our weekly, e-mail newsletter, directly to your computer, click here and enter your information in the space provided in the lower right-hand portion of our church home page.

Verified Volunteers – Child Protection Screening

In cooperation with the Kansas Nebraska Conference, we are working with Verified Volunteers to provide background checks and on-line education for our church officers and everyone who works with our children. This helps ensure that we have some training to help us recognize and avoid situations that would put our children at risk. In addition to our elected Church Officers, everyone who works with Pathfinders and Adventurers, Children’s or Youth Sabbath School Classes, Children’s Church, and VBS must go through this training and submit to a background check (there is no cost to you). It will take about an hour of your time. These need to be finished ASAP.

Even if you have recently completed this process with Shield the Vulnerable, you need to do this now with Verified Volunteers because the information did not transfer from one program to the other and we are no longer using Shield the Vulnerable due to many problems with their work.

To download a PDF page of instructions and links to help you through this process, click here. To go to the website where you begin this process, click here and then select First-Time Registrant and follow the instructions. For more information, contact Pastor T (e-mail or 402-517-5333).

Prayer Watch

There are several people and concerns that we are praying about, for more information about any of these or to request something to be added to our list, feel free to contact Pastor T. (e-mail or 402-517-5333)

The Holy Spirit – to fill and guide our church

Our Church Leaders (Pastor, Elders, Deacons, Board Members, Sabbath School Class Leaders, Pathfinder/Adventurer Leaders, Etc.)

Raul Calderon, Larry Carter, Ron Egger, Dusty Mayhew, Floyd Morrison, Tom Plant, Darin Stotler, Irvin Surber, Christian Willey, Gary Wilson, & Thaddeus Woolsey (inmates Pastor T. is studying with)

The Lippincott Family

Kevin Klesh (Safety in his work as a Police Officer)

Those dealing with Health Issues: Mary Jane Agan’s father, Al Bakerlis (Diane Harrington’s brother-in-law), Heather Boulais (UC Student), Tanya Callahan (Elizabeth Knutson’s sister), Emma (Mary Jane Agan’s granddaughter), Tammy Gagne, John Hiers, Jane (Mary Jane Agan’s daughter-in-law), Janice (Elma’s friend), Dick & June Klein, Brett Knutson, Reagan Knutson, Ginger Kroeker, Dagny Martinsen, Steve Newton (and family), Melody (Donna & Gary Parker’s daughter), Donna & Gary Parker, Sheila and her brother Paul, Dane Swensen, Donald & JoAnn Swensen (Les Swensen’s father and step mom), Cindy Tice (Elizabeth Knutson’s mother).

Pastors Contact Information

Pastor T – E-Mail: martinsent@gmail.com, Cell Phone: (402) 517-5333

John Roney (Student Pastor) – E-Mail: john.roney@ucollege.edu, Cell Phone: (573) 982-9385

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