Traveling with the Schroeders -- Curwood Castle, Owosso, Michigan

A castle in Michigan?  Yes, indeed, there is!

The Schroeders were on the road a week ago in Owosso, Michigan.  Owosso boasts that it has a castle which was built by resident and author James Curwood (1876-1927).  The Curwood Castle was built along the bank of the Shiawassee River for the sole purpose of being a writing studio.  While not large, it is unique.  The rooms are small, but the living room is very nice.  I suspect that Curwood came here to escape as much as to write.  He ended up writing dozens of books, most (if not all) western themed.

Here are some photos.

Piercing Questions from Hebrews

I was reading through the letter to the Hebrews this week for my personal devotions.  The letter was written to a group of Christians who were suffering for their faith.  They were weary of the persecution, and they were being tempted to withdraw from Jesus and return to their synagogues.  That would have been familiar, easy, and safe.  They would have been spared from further persecution.  Some had already turned back, so that trail had been blazed for anyone else who wanted to follow people out of the Christian faith.

The writer to the Hebrews, therefore, pours out an impassioned plea that the faithful remain faithful.  He details how Jesus Christ is superior to Old Testament worship and ways.  He is the fulfillment of all prophecy.  He is the guarantor of all the promises.  He was faithful to the saints of the past who had trusted in the promises of a Savior to some, and some of those saints also suffered persecution for the faith.  The Hebrews who were being written to were not alone.

To abandon the faith, a person needs only to do one thing--forsake the Church.  God's people gather together to hear the word and to receive the sacraments.  They offer each other mutual encouragement, consolation, admonition, and prayers.  To intentionally remain away from this gathering almost guarantees the loss of faith.  (Those who are sick, deployed, or homebound do not stay away intentionally.  They have no choice.)  With this in mind, the writer to the Hebrews asks these piercing questions which we all do well to ponder so that we do not become weary, lazy, or negligent.

Therefore, we need to pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.  For if the message that was spoken through angels was valid, and every transgression and disobedient act received a just punishment, how will we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2:1-3)

How much greater punishment do you think will be deserved by the person who trampled the Son of God underfoot, who considered insignificant the blood of the covenant, by which he was sanctified, and who insulted the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:29)

See to it that you do not refuse to listen to the one who is speaking.  For if those people did not escape when they refused to listen to the one who spoke God’s message on earth, how much less likely is it that we will escape, if we turn away from the one who spoke God’s message to us from heaven? (Hebrews 12:25)

Update from Good Shepherd (October 14, 2021)

Greetings!

REGULAR SCHEDULE

Divine Services are at 10:00 AM on Sundays, in person and on Facebook Live. Share our services and invite friends to tune in.

Sunday School and Adult Bible Class are Sundays at 8:45 AM. 

          Our Adult Bible Class will study the book of Daniel.  The tentative schedule can be found here.

Bible Matters, a discussion group, meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.  The schedule of discussion topics can be found here.  

CLICK HERE for a calendar of events and meetings.

NEW WEB SITE DESIGN!!!

Thanks to Lindsey Casmer who has redesigned our web page!  Check it out and have a look around.  Click here.

TRUNK OR TREAT
         Trunk or Treat is THIS SUNDAY, October 17 from 3:00-5:00 PM. If you will be decorating your car and handing out candy to our guest, please make sure that you are ready to go by 2:45 PM. For all who are participating in our event, we hope you can stay around for a group supper of Subway Subs.

LONG-RANGE PLANNING MEETING
          On Sunday, October 17 after church, we will have our monthly Long-Range Planning meeting. The main focus is to determine a vision for what we want our congregation to look like in three years, five years, and/or ten years. Once we have a goal in mind, we can take the steps necessary to get there. The steps will be delegated to the committees we have. All are welcomed and encouraged to be a part of the Long-Range Planning meeting and the committees that will follow up to see that our plans are put to work. Planning great things only goes so far. We need our members committed to doing them and praying that God will bless them. If you have question about the Long-Range Planning committee, please speak to Rob Skrycki.

LITURGY SUNDAY

          On Sunday, October 24, Good Shepherd will observe Liturgy Sunday.  This service will include an explanation of each part of The Common Service which much of the Christian Church has used for centuries.  This regular and repeated use might cause us to become bored.  But our boredom likely results from not understanding the origins and the wisdom of our liturgy.  If you have ever wondered why we do what we do, this service will benefit you greatly.

REFORMATION CELEBRATION

          On Sunday, October 24, a celebration of the Lutheran Reformation will be held at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Westland.  It will include Vespers, a meal, and a presentation on a facet of the Lutheran Reformation.  Details can be found here.

OFFICE HOURS
          Office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – Noon.
          The pastor will be in his office unless a meeting has been scheduled elsewhere (consult the weekly schedule). The pastor is also available by appointment. Call or text (248-719-5218). You may also email (welsnovi@aol.com), but the response may be slower.

GOOD SHEPHERD ON YOUTUBE

         Feel free to share the videos.  For other services, do a search for "Good Shepherd Novi."  The service from Sunday, October 10 is here: (1) Good Shepherd Novi - Divine Service - October 10, 2021 - YouTube

         Bulletins for services can be downloaded from here (scroll down): 

http://goodshepherdnovi.org/worship

DO YOU LIKE US?

Look for Good Shepherd on Facebook.  Then “LIKE” us for updates and other postings.  Be sure to share posts with friends.

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We desire as many as possible to rejoice in the Gospel which we proclaim and confess.  Share the information from our weekly email blast, links to our web page, and even to the pastor's blog to let others know that we have a space in our congregation for them!

In Christ,

Pastor Schroeder

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REGULAR SCHEDULE

DIVINE SERVICES -- Sundays at 10:00 AM (also on Facebook Live )

Sunday School and Adult Bible Class are on Sundays at 8:45 AM. 

Bible Matters meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. 

GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
www.GoodShepherdNovi.org

PASTOR SCHROEDER’S BLOG
www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com

Octoberfest and Luther Lecture

Our Saviour Evangelical Lutheran Church

(33333 Warren Road, Westland)

invites you to a

Reformation Celebration

Sunday, October 24

5:00 PM             Vespers


5:30 PM             Bratwurst Dinner


6:30 PM             Luther Lecture

This year’s 

Luther Lecture will be:

"Temporal Authority:  

To What Extent 

It Should Be Obeyed"

          "God has subjected them to the sword so that, even though they would like to, they are unable to practice their wickedness, and if they do practice it they cannot do so without fear and with success and impunity....If this were not so, men would devour one another." 

— Martin Luther

          We hope that all guests of our Reformation celebration will gain a greater appreciation for the confessors and the confession of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. A free-will offering will be taken to offset meal expenses.

          In order to be sure that we will have enough food for all who attend, please RSVP to revguypurdue@yahoo.com no later than October 17. Be sure to include how many will be in your party.

A GOD-LIVED LIFE: Private Devotions

           We are in a series of sermons with a Stewardship emphasis. Stewardship, ultimately, is about our entire life. We use what God gives us to his glory and for the good of our neighbor. Over the next few months, we will consider the various ways we use the gifts God gives us as is God-pleasing.

          Each month, I will be sending out an email to further encourage what we pondered on the first Sunday of that month. In this way, the thoughts do not perish by that Sunday evening, but each one can give intentional consideration how he or she may put into practice what was proclaimed as a God-pleasing way to serve him.

          For the month of October, we continue to consider what it means to have A Life of Being a Disciple.

A GOD-LIVED LIFE: A LIFE OF BEING A DISCIPLE

Week #2      Private Devotions

            Psalm 119 includes this prayer: “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your word.  With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!  I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.  Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!  With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.  In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.  I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.  I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word” (Psalm 119:9-16).

            The Scriptures urge us, repeatedly, to ponder and to meditate on the word of God.  It is through the Bible that God speaks to us.  He reveals his truth for our encouragement, comfort, strength, direction, and hope. 

            When we take time for private devotions, it is not just that we are taking time for Jesus.  Far better, it is that Jesus is taking time with us.  He speaks to us, and we get to consider carefully what he wants us to know and to do.

            I suppose we could view this as just another thing to cram into an already busy day.  I will bet your children don’t feel that way about the time they want to spend with you.  You are not an item to be checked off a list.  They want your attention and affection.  How much more does your heavenly Father desire this!  And what a blessing to have a heavenly Father with whom we can spend our time.  He will never find it inconvenient or say he is too busy for you.  So, rather than just plow through a devotion just to say you got it done, intentionally set aside time to spend with the Lord in his word.  Read a little and ponder a lot. 

Some thoughts to consider while pondering: Why does the Lord say this?  What is he telling me about himself?  What is he saying about me?  What direction is he giving?  What promise is he making?

There are many forms of private devotion.  You can read portions of the Bible.  You can use a devotional book and read what others have gleaned from the verses you are considering.  You can get your devotional resources in hard-cover, in paperback, online, or in an app.  If you would like some suggestions for particular devotional materials, speak to your pastor.

A couple of recommendations.

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever -- a daily (Mon-Fri) 15-mintue podcast.  It is a verse-by-verse Bible Study by Pastor William Weedon (LC-MS).  It is a confessional, Lutheran commentary.

Meditations -- a daily, short devotion based on one of the lessons from the previous Sunday.  Written by WELS pastors.  Booklets are at church.  Online subscriptions are found at the link.

YouTube -- Martin Luther College Sunday (October 10, 2021)

Here is the service from Sunday, October 10, 2021.  Our guest preacher was Prof. David Scharf from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota.  We gave our attention to the need for more Lutheran pastors and teachers.

City of Novi: The Watertower

Below is s video about the City of Novi's watertower.  If you've been here, you've almost certainly seen it.  Nice job, City of Novi!