[m-m-online] July 3rd Update

[Minister to Minister online]

CONGRATULATIONS . . .

MILTON AND PEGGY TURNIPSEED (Secretary-Lutheran Foundation of Texas) 
Granddaughter, Makenna Grace Turnipseed, born June 29, to David and 
Michelle (Michelle, Youth Minister, Bethany) Turnipseed.

WILLIAM AND KARIN SCHATTE (Redeemer School, Austin) on the birth of 
Grace born on Sunday, July 2.

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PASTORS

Undecided
Edwin Nichlas, Our Savior, Plantation, Florida to Grace, Orange

Retirement
David Clifford Johnson, Hospice Chaplain

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LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES FLOOD ASSISTANCE
Dear Friends,

LSS staff members have been in contact with Lutheran congregations to 
see if members had been affected and would be in need of emergency 
assistance grants. One pastor was aware of a family "whose house had 
been under water and will probably lose everything." He also shared that 
while safe, many of his members had been trapped by water and he 
anticipated others having significant damage.

The secretary at another congregation said that while their church 
building was OK, they were aware of many members who had experienced 
flood damage, had been trapped by water and were without electricity. 
They will be providing LSS staff with more specific information as it 
becomes available.

This situation follows flooding in north Texas where many were affected. 
One congregation, Faith Lutheran Church in Gainesville, operated a large 
thrift store that had four to five feet of water pass through it. 
Everything in the store was destroyed. Following last week's flooding, 
LSS Disaster staff provided emergency assistance grants to 
individuals/families in need and contacted congregations for the names 
of others needing help.

LSS has begun receiving phone calls asking "How can I help?" First of 
all, please say a prayer for those affected by this tragedy. I would 
also like to ask you to prayerfully consider being a special friend and 
make a gift to help in LSS's efforts. To do so, please go online at 
www.lsss.org and click on the link at the bottom of the page. You can 
also send contributions to:
LSS Disaster Response
P.O. Box 140767
Austin, Texas 78714

LSS will continue to assess the needs of these communities and determine 
in what other ways we can respond. We will provide additional 
information as it becomes available. Once again, thank you for your 
partnership in providing help, healing and hope in the name of Jesus Christ!

Dr. Kurt Senske
Chief Executive Officer
LSS

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RETREAT FOR PRAYER AND SPIRITUALITY - OCTOBER 1-3, 2007

“Jesus often withdrew to pray.” Those words hit me in a new way this 
past year. I’ve been in the district now for about seven years and every 
year I considered going to the prayer retreats but I always seemed too 
busy. Finally, during my Bible reading in preparation for a Bible study 
on prayer, I came across this verse, Luke 5:16: “But Jesus often 
withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Then the prayer retreats came to 
mind.

I decided that if Jesus knew that He needed to withdraw for prayer and 
often, then I certainly needed to do that too and even more so! I 
therefore resolved to make it to this past year’s prayer retreat, and I 
am certainly glad that I did. My only regret, of course, is that I did 
not start going to the retreats sooner. I fully hope to make it every 
year from now on, and I strongly encourage you to attend as well!

For us as Lutherans, prayer might not be a sacrament or a “means of 
grace,” but I do know that as I spend time in Word and prayer, I am 
being blessed by God through His Spirit and His Word. And I can 
guarantee that you won’t regret going to the prayer retreat because you 
too will be blessed by your time away from the regular grind and spent 
instead focused on Bible reading and prayer.

By the way, Jesus not only practiced this Himself, He also recommended 
it for His disciples--Mark 6:31a, “And he said to them, ‘Come away by 
yourselves to a quiet place and rest a while.’” See you at the Prayer 
Retreat in October!