Irondale Church News

On July 12 I began a series on

Christian Principles for Surviv-

ing in this changing world. Over

these past weeks we have

looked into the Bible to find a

few of the instructions God gave

us to find strength and peace.

Week 1 was on Find-

ing Ourselves in Christ, the idea

that God created every one of

us unique and valuable. We all

face different struggles, unique

to us. How we respond to those

struggles is a part of who we

are. We misrepresent our faith

and the power of God when we

insist that others respond as we

think they should.

It says in Romans

12:2, Do not be conformed to

this world, but be transformed

by the renewal of your mind,

that by testing you may discern

what is the will of God, what is

good and acceptable and per-

fect. (ESV)

This does not mean

we lose our individuality and

move to a collective conscious,

it means we consider ourselves

dead to settling grudges and

alive to grace and forgiveness.

We are all called to

conform our beliefs. We are all

called to accept the sacrifice of

Jesus Christ as the only atone-

ment for our sin and be born

again.

Week 2 we looked at

2 Corinthians 10:4-5, 4For the weapons of our warfare are not

of the flesh but have divine

power to destroy strongholds. 5We destroy arguments and

every lofty opinion raised

against the knowledge of God,

and take every thought captive

to obey Christ, (ESV) There is a battle going

on, a war that is in process right

now. It is a war waged for our

thoughts, a battle between

good and evil. If we fight that

fight with positive thinking or

self-discipline we will lose, be-

cause we will be fighting in our

own limited strength, using our

own life experiences as our

weapons of warfare. Self-discipline is not enough to de-

stroy strongholds established by

over 6 millennium of human

failure. We need Gods inter-vention, Christs forgiveness and the Holy Spirits guidance.

Part 3 was based on

learning to recognize what God

brings into our lives. The value

of the good and the bad, and

how to choose good. 2 Timothy

3:14, But as for you, continue in what you have learned and

have firmly believed, knowing

from whom you learned it. Part 4 was titled You

Are Never Alone. Loneliness is a killer, it kills us spiritually,

figuratively and literally. We are

not quipped to journey this life

alone, we need friends of all

ages around us and we need

Jesus. In John 15 Jesus

teaches us, 12This is my com-mandment, that you love one

another as I have loved you. 15No longer do I call you ser-vants, for the servant does not

know what his master is doing;

but I have called you friends, for

all that I have heard from my

Father I have made known to

you. (ESV) Week 5 was on find a

place of peace. According to

Isaiah 32:18, My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,

in secure dwellings, and in

quiet resting places. (ESV) Our homes, our Church, our prayer

closets need to be places of

peace.

Week 6 was about

using the Bile to help us survive

these changing times. Matthew

7:24 says, Everyone then who hears these words of mine and

does them will be like a wise

man who built his house on the

rock. In order to be built on the rock we need an under-standing of the history, the

framework and the people of

the Bible. We can only attain

that through faithful study.

Part 7 was on Justifi-

cation and Sanctification. How

God justifies us through the

blood of Christ and gives us

grace beyond measure. How

we understand the difference

between the Justification that

God does and the Sanctification

which is our part through obedi-

ence are inseparable. To sur-

vive these days we needs faith

and works!

Week 8 was on

prayer. The message covered

The Lords Prayer in Matthew 6:5-13. It touched on how

when we pray. Often our prayer

changes us and how we view

our situations more than our

prayer changes God and what

He is doing.

If our faith is going to

thrive during these difficult and

changing times we are not go-

ing to be able to coast, we will

have to apply our faith in God

moment by moment every day

for the rest of our lives.

Alone we will fail, but

working together, united with

God, under the blood of Christ,

following the leading of the Holy

Spirit according to the holy

scriptures we will not only sur-

vive we will fly!

-Pastor David

Christian Principles to Survive in this Changing World

Irondale Church is a place of promise to grow and belong

September 2015

Irondale Church News


Pray Always:

Pastor David and Colleen

Community Soup

Irondale Bible Institute

Our outreach and witness

to our community

Busy Hands

People struggling with

illness

Young families and single

parent families

Those struggling with ad-

dictions

Schools: students, staff,

administrators

Missionaries

Homeless, helpless, hope-

less and hungry

Salvation for the lost

Law enforcement profes-

sionals

The military serving at

home and abroad


She rested beside her heavy load alongside the tracks of a dusty rutted path they called a road. Get out of the way my driver called, you see her bandaged leg was thrust out in the road. Calling de-rogatory curses in his na-tive tongue. His words hit there mark, how they stung.

He turned to me with a look of disgust, and said; Theyre everywhere this begging battered hoard. She collected that mess she carries from the city dump, scraps of anything that will burn and she ties it with that tattered cord. Self-righteous indignation and superiority swept across his face, he seemed to relish her disgrace.

Embarrassment and deri-sion sat on his face; her destitute poverty was to him a disgusting disgrace. Her husbands a drunk-ard, her children are ill and thin. They couldnt bathe no soap you see. We kicked them out of our nice community. With a self- satisfied nod he shook his head.

I saw the pain in her care-worn face, struggling in search of something to help sustain the little ones until help would come. I hoped I was the help. I hoped I could be some. All

hope was not gone, each day wearily she went out, suffered taunts and pain from those weaker than herself, I saw strength in her face.

We passed quickly by in his haste to remove this per-son me from the pres-ence of his countrys shame. After all I was a paying fare, a wealthy one he estimated as he re-turned me to my fine ho-tel. His rickshaw style bike fled up the not so gently sloping hill.

I dropped my head as I prayed for Godly wisdom as to what to do. Two victims here, not one but two.

Turn around, I said, in her native tongue.

In fear shocked surprise he turned round his head. He understood English so con-sidered himself important and able to earn his bread. Knowledge passed through him, he knew Id under-stood every curse, every unkind word hed said.

But were halfway up the hill, his fearful voice trilled. Youll be too hot in this tropical sun; I hur-ried as best I could to get you to your air-conditioned rest. Its steep you know and I know you will be in your

comfortable surroundings soon and blessed.

I looked at him he looked at me. My face unwavering he did as was asked. Down the hill we went at a slower pace. His bikes brakes were whining, as they held back his load. With a look of uncertainty on his face we went back down that weather rav-aged road.

We passed her and her cumbersome load, which she now carried up this rutted road. She limped noticeably never lifting her eyes as we passed. Accep-tance in every step the lowest of low with quiet determination she trudged up the hill. Tonight there would be fire to cook their small meal.

The driver was relieved as quickly we passed, uncer-tain now as to my plans, Where to Mam? he curi-ously asked. Go slowly, I said, I am looking for something to lighten her load. Bafflement etched his face deeply as on we did go, passing small farm after farm on this dusty road.

Finally I saw it, just up ahead a sign we had passed that said, Burro for sale. Stop here, I requested, and he com-plied. I quickly stepped

A Heavy Load


Continued p. 4

A Heavy Load, continued down and hurried off to the

farm. A kindly farmer with a

jovial face told me he had just

what I was looking for, a gen-

tle trained beast. He took my

arm.

I need a cart too; do you

have one? I asked. I do,

he replied, its the one the

burro is used to pulling and

the harness is already fitted

for the comfort of this fine

beast. Do you have pro-

duce and eggs and milk as

well? I asked with hope in

my eyes. Why yes, he

quickly replied, enough for a

feast.

I need enough for two fami-

lies, if you please kind sir. In

what seemed just a short

while the cart was piled high

and burro attached. I paid

him his price as my driver

looked on disbelief on his

face. He said, Whats wrong

with you lady, you dont un-

derstand, the drunkard will

sell them all, many have

helped and already given

them a hand.

A hand out is what you give

someone in need, but help is

what you give when you walk

by their side till they are

strong enough to carry their

own load and help others like

themselves learn to carry

their burdens. Each hand

reaching forward till all un-

derstand. Its Jesus who

taught us to love, its His

plan.

Struggling now to just under-

stand, his mouth fell wide

Open as I climbed up on the

cart. Stay close beside me

while I do my part, I in-

structed him as I climbed high

on the load. My so soft lily

white hands held tight to the

reins and with a shake of

them lightly I touched the

back of the beast whose hard

hooves met hot sand.

In moments we overtook her

as she proceeded to limp

along. But on the hot still air

I heard her voice whisper a

song as she went along, My

Jesus I Love Thee, was her

refrain, for me you always

remain the same. By night

you protect me by day you

bear my pain, My Jesus I love

you, youre always the same.

Tears filled my eyes a sister

Id found, I heard her heart, I

felt rather than heard the

sound. She knew, as I, this

world was not her permanent

home and just like me, she

was just passing through till

He carried her home no

longer to wearily roam. The

sweet melody lifted her heart

and she didnt appear to even

hear the approach of the cart.

You see shed already re-

leased her heavy load. It was

in the arms of her Savior.

That is why her weary steps

did not waver. A year or two

earlier a cyclist sped by her

husband and burro on a

steep grade. The burro, with

her husband astride, fled in

fear and stepped over the

side.

Broken and battered the sad

Little beast died; her husband

found dazed many days later,

legs broken and back broken

and covered in flies. His

young wife went to her knees

where she remained till God

answered her pleas. He

awoke and opened his eyes

to the world around him,

unfamiliar and changed,

wracked every day with un-

bearable pain.

He climbed into the bottle

which daily carried him far-

ther away; she climbed into

the arms of God where she

remained safe till this day.

My driver looked from behind

as I drew alongside and I

joined her in song, each

caught in sweet melody as

tears filled our eyes. We

knew this moment had been

appointed by God. The driver

looked on with disdain

I drove slightly ahead and

then pulled to a stop, climbed

down from my perch and

stepped close to her side,

with unspoken words I

handed her the reins. I took

from her back the load that

she carried and gave grain to

the beast, which pulled the

tall load. I told her to climb

up on the cart, then I placed

on my back the bundled load

she had carried. Tears fell

from our eyes.

I motioned forward and we in

unity stepped no more words

spoken except to hear her

say, Youre the one sent.

Much Id been given and

much I could give because

many centuries before

He had been bent be-

neath the load of my sins,

the small sticks I now car-

ried could no way compare

to the weight He had car-

ried up Calvarys side.

A faint path led off to the

left, on the side of the hill

in the rocks a small cleft. A

small hollowed out cave

where her family now

lived. Children ran to greet

her in love, excited voices

at all they saw. Although

all were hungry, they all

fell to their knees. They

thanked God, for His abun-

dant supply and then all

prayed: Lord what would

you have us do, there are

so many like us who have

great need. Help us the

hungry around us to feed.

The driver saw all, he had

not left my side, and he

witnessed such love, now

he fell to his knees and

cried. It was me who ran

your husbands burro over

the side and left him there

to die. Please forgive

me, he begged, and they

came to his side. The old-

est son spoke for all and

said, We already did, we

have been praying for you,

that you would know the

Lord and live in His

strength not your pride.

This world disappeared as

heavens gates opened

wide, another soul saved,

another to which great

love was applied. The

mother turned to her chil-

dren and said, Fill his bike

basket with all it will hold.

We have nothing to fear,

God has supplied. Quickly

they hurried to do her will.

One young son came run-

ning to tell her; Dad is

cold and still. With pain

filled face she spoke, Its

OK God has just taken

him to his resting place.

My heart a mixture of pain

and joy in this sun

drenched place, such ac-

ceptance and love knowing

her loving husband no

longer experienced the

pain of earth. There

awaited the painful time of

separation for herself and

her children from him till

all reached the shores of

heaven. They were now

still enough I could count

them all, there were

seven.

I felt I was intruding on

their private pain, small

and large arms linked in

prayer they knelt beside

him on the cool floor of

the humble home. When

appropriate I told her all

Id brought was hers, to do

with as she chose. I gave

her my name and where I

was staying, offered what I

could, held her and

prayed. They knew this

time was coming and had

already prepared a grave.

My husband and I

searched the tiny town for

a humble home, bought it

and gave her the keys.

Found a doctor to treat her

wounds. We walked beside

her best we could, the spot

was crowded as Jesus

Spirit filled that place. We

were just His arms His feet

His face. Shed be reaching

others with the Good

News: He cares for you,

He loves you, do not de-

spair Hell gladly carry your

heavy load.

Full circle the work of

Gods infinite care, keep

living and giving His love

everywhere. At home,

abroad there is plenty to

spare. It never runs out

it never grows weak. Keep

living to serve Him there is

great need everywhere.

Youll never have to look

far just open your mouth

and speak His peace when

you see the need. Leave

the judgment to the one

whos paid the great price.

A Heavy Load, continued

Page 4 Irondale Church News

You see this sister in the

Lord had only the load on

her back and was glad to

have it as she followed the

small track. Bitterness was

not part of her load, enti-

tlement either, not

weighed down her back.

Judgment and blame, not

part of her pack. She

chose to accept the Peace

of Gods planning, so

weighed down with joy,

shed taught these princi-

ples to her children an ac-

cepted her heavy load.

-by Colleen

So many surround us with

so much need, we dont

have the answers but only

to continue to love as He

loves us. I wrote this little

story several weeks ago,

although I was not going to

put it in the newsletter,

but rather with a collection

of inspirational stories. It

just seems so appropriate

after the loss of Sarah/

Esther many of you tried

your best to meet her

needs only to find your

help being rejected or set

aside. It hurts doubly

when we have tried to

reach someone with help

only to find our hands tied

by their choices and their

mental capacity to accept

help. She has family some-

where and I am sure their

hearts are broken at her

sad passing. Dont give up

just keep on loving as God

gives you opportunity.

Loving without judgment is

a monumental task when

the ones we are trying to

help lash out or hurt us in

our efforts. Just like we

ourselves have done to the

Lord, as He reached for

each of us in our broken-

ness. She at least felt safe

to come here at least occa-

sionally...in her broken-

ness, in her world that

was monumental.

A Heavy Load, continued


The infamous tree has been

trimmed and the profusion of

tree spouts have been

sprayed. Want to do a 'work

day' as soon as it gets a little

cooler. Will put together a

work list and post it for those

who want to do on their own

time schedule. Thanks to all

who help, appreciate it!!!

-Dave E

Exterior

Property

Take Note of

These

Here are a few things we

should remember

There will be no evening

service on September 6, 13

and 20.

September 13: There will

be a Potluck right after

church

October 11: We will have

a special Worship Service

with Marcia Whitehead

from Oregon.

October 18: Chili Cook-Off

November 21: Annual

Harvest Dinner

Loving Without

Judgment

Financial Report

August 31, 2015

General Operations:

Income: $70,204.03

Expense: $71,187.68

Annual Budget: $170,677.00

Budget YTD: $ 78,774.00

On July 18 we had our Church Picnic and Pie Auction-a fund raiser for Youth to go to Bible Camp. We raised $789.00 and the kids who went to camp had a wonderful time! The highlight of the auction for many of us was high school junior Josh Conklin, who baked two cherry pies from scratch and brought them over hot from the oven...those pies went for the highest bids! Josh will be attending culinary school this year, hopefully we can look forward to more tasty treats from this very talented young man.

We went on to have a 3-day Vacation Bible School from July 27-29. Many thanks to ALL who participated and helped put this together! You are too many to name, but you know who you are! It could not have happened without your help!

On August 9, we said see you later, to Barrie and Sue Hay, members of our church since 1975. The Hays have re-tired and are moving to be closer to their grandchildren. We will miss them and their service in worship, childrens ministries and missions. Pastor David presented them with a print of a watercolor of our church by our very own Su Tipton.

Picnic & Pie, VBS and Saying Good Bye


Lately, its been on my heart how messy life can be. And how accustomed people can get to living in the messiness.

Its been a long hot sum-mer. Our soup numbers were down in July and Au-gust, perhaps because who wants to eat soup when its 90 degrees out?

Whats been on my heart for such a long time is how a diagnosis leads to disabil-ity, leads to inactivity and unproductiveness. I hear so often how I cant work because Im disabled. This is because at some point there was a diagnosis that led to a disability diag-nosis and then to disability income. If you have a dis-ability income, you cannot earn money by working because you will lose your disabled status and there-fore your income. So we see lots of people with nothing productive to do because they are disabled. Dont get me wrong. Dis-abilities are real, I get that, but what bothers me is the mindset that comes along with it-the I cant part. God did not create anyone to be purposeless. Every-one has ability. Recently at Community Soup, a dis-abled woman wanted to help. I was getting the bread ready, so I told her she could put the napkins in the bread baskets. We

washed our hands and we put on g loves , and I showed her how to open out each napkin and place it in the basket. Her face lit up as she worked to get each napkin in the baskets. She was so happy to have a job! When she was fin-ished she said, I had the best job ever! Everybody Can Do Something. And that something can be a s o u r c e o f g r e a t j o y !

We dont see a great deal of joy in the people we serve each week, do we. I often wonder, Where is the HOPE? How do we impart HOPE? Hopeless-ness and apathy seem to be a lifestyle for so many. From the very beginning of Community Soup, I have asked myself, Where is that fire in the belly that says, Im not going to take this anymore? I thought everyone had it-that deep inside knowledge that they are valuable and loved and worthy. How does it get so buried and covered over, and how can we help to spark it back to life? How can we show that life can be more than living desperately from minute to minute? In a world where the Name of Jesus is becoming unacceptable, how do we ignite the sparks of Hope in the peo-ple around us?

I used to feel that I was

born with the Curse of Hope. I felt that way be-cause no matter how much I messed my life up, Hope was always there! I hated it for a long time because I had no control over it and I wanted total control over my life. That was my problem. Hope became a blessing when I surrendered my control to the Lord. Its still a strug-gle, but easier to live with because now I know the Source.

Will you pray with me that we can be the City on a Hill of Hope for those around us? Think of those who went before us in his-tory. It seems that there was always a role for the disabled-a place for them and a job they could do. I think of Helen Keller who was deaf, mute and blind, and yet had a prominent place in the world; and also Fanny Crosby who became blind as a toddler, and went on to write beautiful hymns full of vis-ual imagery.

Matthew 5:14 (ESV)14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Everybody Can Do Some-

thing.

-Kim

Messy Soup


Located at 681 Irondale Road

PO Box 959

Port Hadlock, WA 98339

Phone: 360-385-1720

Fax: 360-385-1720

E-mail: [email protected]

Pastor & Wife: David & Colleen Hodgin

Associate Pastor: Troy Norman

Visitation Pastor: Chuck Gadbaw

Elders: Dave Noble, John Jamison, Fritz Gordon, LeRoy Glessing,

Dave Eddie

Council: Colleen Hodgin-Youth, Shirley Gadbaw & Melissa Nor-

man-Fellowship, Mary Noble-Finance, Troy Norman-Worship, Jim

Wilcox-Interior Property, Kim Wilcox-Treasurer

Weekly Schedule:

Sunday: 9:30 Sunday School, 10:30 Worship, Childrens Church & Nursery;

Coffee Hour; 6:30 Evening Bible Study

Monday: 6:30 Bible Study in Small Meeting Room

Tuesday: 4-6:30 Community Soup

Thursday: 11:00 Prayer Hour

2nd Saturday Mens breakfast at Chimacum Caf

3rd Saturday: Busy Hands Quilts for Foster Kids

4th Saturday: Mens Breakfast at IHOP (Irondale House of Praise)

Irondale Church

Irondale Church is a place of promise to

grow and belong

Irondale Church

PO Box 959

Port Hadlock WA 98339

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