"Bits from Bob" for January 14, 2021 - St. John United Church ...
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“Bits from Bob” for January 14, 2021
St. John United Church of Christ
301 S. Market Street, New Athens, IL 62264
(618) 475-2947, stjohnucc@att.net
Bob Koch, Pastor and Bit Scribe
This Day in History
1501 Martin Luther enters the University of Erfurt, aged 17
1690 Clarinet invented in Nürnberg, Germany
1699 Massachusetts holds day of fasting for wrongly persecuting "witches"
1784 Continental Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris,
ending the War for Independence
1943 Franklin D. Roosevelt is first president to travel overseas by air
1952 "Today Show" premieres on NBC
1954 American Motors Corporation formed
Marilyn Monroe marries Joe DiMaggio
1956 Little Richard releases single "Tutti Frutti"
1967 20,000 attend Human Be-In, San Francisco
Sonny and Cher release single "Beat Goes On"
1970 Diana Ross and the Supremes perform their final concert
1972 Margrethe II of Denmark becomes the first Queen of Denmark since 1412
1979 President Jimmy Carter proposes Martin Luther King's birthday as holiday
1981 FCC frees stations to air as many commercials an hour as they wish
2019 National Safety Council says that, for the first time, Americans are more likely
to die from an opioid overdose than in a car accident
2020 Ken Jennings wins Jeopardy "Greatest of All Time" tournament
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora fired for stealing signs from Houston Astros
We’ll walk through 2021 with devotions written by Joshua Dubois. Dubois writes a regular column for The Daily Beast and teaches at
New York University. He also founded Values Partnerships, which advises leaders in government, business, and the nonprofit sector
on faith-based partnerships and religion in the public sphere.
January 14, 2021 “Fire a Blessing”
You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to
rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
—Matthew 5:43- 45 (NIV)
Every time your enemy fires a curse, you must fire a blessing, and so you are to bombard back and forth with
this kind of artillery. The mother grace of all the graces is Christian good-will.
—Henry Ward Beecher, Life Thoughts
Grace toward one another is our weapon. Time after time, battle after battle, we respond with it. The enemy
will win some rounds, but when we respond with God's grace, we have already won the war.
Dear Lord, every time my enemy fires a curse, help me to fire a blessing. Let me respond always in grace, and thereby
overcome. Amen.
Bad Dad Jokes
Did you hear about the actor who fell through the floorboards?
He was just going through a stage.
What do you call a pile of cats? A meow-tain.
How many lips does a flower have? Tu-lips.
What do elves do after school? Their gnome work.
Which hand is better to write with?
Neither. It’s better to write with a pen.
Why did the belt go to jail? Because it held up a pair of pants.
Today’s Links
How about a peek inside America’s most expensive home? Hey, it’s for sale!
Sad news from across the pond. The Tower of London's 'queen' raven Merlina is missing.
Looking for a new career? A 37-year-old Tokyo man rents himself out to other people "to do nothing.”
A 6-ton potato is one of Idaho’s hottest Airbnb locations. Find out more here.
Scientists think they’ve found the world’s oldest piece of art—a 45,500 year old pig.
Here’s Joni Mitchell singing, “Both Sides Now” on The Mama Cass Show in 1969.
Announcements for This Week
Zoom worship is at 9:15 AM each Sunday. Log in using this link and meeting ID
815 064 120. You can also dial in at (312) 626 6799 and log in with the meeting ID.
2020 has complicated a lot of things, including how to get envelopes out to all of
you. They’ll be available at 8 AM worship. Otherwise, feel free to stop by the church
office to pick yours up, or let us know you’d like them mailed. If you aren’t interested in
using envelopes in 2021, the church office would appreciate knowing that, too.
Please also be sure to return your commitment cards for 2021 to the church office. They’re really important as
church leadership continues the process of finalizing the budget for next year.
Bible study resumed last night. The next meeting will be January 27 at 7 PM and cover Acts 17. We'll meet
February 10 after that and then...Lent starts with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 17. We'll talk as a class about what
kind of schedule to follow after that. Sessions will be on Zoom, at least for the winter months. Follow this link
and log in with meeting ID 846 9061 3289.
If you have a written or financial report to turn in for the annual meeting booklet, please do so as quickly as
you can. Thanks!
Our annual meeting will be held January 31 immediately after the 8 AM service. Zoom worship will start at
9:30 AM, rather than at 9:15 AM that week. Please note the time change.
I need a volunteer to run meals out to school once a week, on Thursday, for the “Blessings in a Backpack”
program. If you’re interested, please call or text me at 6194028013. Thanks!
The pecan tree behind the church is scheduled to come down January 22, weather permitting. Any members of
the church interested in taking home a load or two of firewood should bring their trucks and chainsaws and be
ready to help themselves.
Today’s Prayer Concerns
Please pray for all those battling COVID, as well as for the
healthcare professionals fighting the virus on the frontlines. Please
also hold in prayer all mourning the deaths of loved ones, including the
families of David “Red” Lehr and Debbie Volner, both of whom passed
into God’s care last week, as well as the family of Betty Deutschmann.
Congrats to local resident Helen Schneider on her 100th birthday!
Joe Behnken is out of ICU and no longer on a ventilator, but
remains hospitalized. Please pray for his continued recovery.
Lela Torrens is still hospitalized with non-COVID health issues.
Sue Kosarek is home, but needs prayers for recovery and strength.
Kim Hughes asks our prayers for her niece Sabrina, facing surgery
for degenerative back disease.
Melinda Milligan asks that we pray for her sister Donna, receiving
physical therapy at the New Athens Home for the Aged following a fall
in her home.
Please hold my cousin David Mehrtens in prayer as his battle with cancer continues.
Please continue to pray for Tom Kohnen and Sandy Cummins, both on transplant waiting lists, as well as for
Kim Juenger, who is still contending with a number of health issues.
Donna Reuss asks our prayers for her cousin, Angie Van Buren, who is still in the hospital.
Please pray for the residents, staff, and administrators at all nursing homes, especially those at the New
Athens Home for the Aged, as well as at the Freeburg Care Center, currently battling a COVID outbreak.
Pray for the safety of the teachers, administrators, and students at area schools, as well as at our own
New Beginnings Daycare.
Here are the folks on this week’s congregational prayer calendar: Cheryl and Richard Klein, Alan Klein,
Cole Klein, Barb Knewitz, Charles Knewtz and Janet Knewitz, Darlene and Bill Knippel, Cathy and Bob Koch,
William Koch, Rosemary and Norman Koenigstein, Amy and Tom Kohnen, Mallory Dawson and Haley
Kohnen, Loren Kolditz, Kay and Tom Kolditz and family.
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