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Sunday, September 5 - Worship Service
9:30 AM
- Fellowship
10:30 AM
Monday, September 6 - Labor Day - Office Closed
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| 2 Timothy 1:13-14 - “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.  Welcome to First Presbyterian Church of Independence Iowa!
Sunday was a perfect day. The heat and humidity finally broke. The sun was shining. But instead of enjoying being outside I found myself glued to the television watching the PGA Championship golf tournament. Without question it was one of the best tournaments I have seen in the last 10 years and Tiger Woods was nowhere in sight. It was played on Whistling Straits, a beautiful golf course, right on Lake Michigan, about an hour north of Milwaukee. But on this day we would not find ourselves talking about a challenging golf course or how a group of talented golfers battled until the end. We find ourselves talking about a two shot penalty.
Dustin Johnson came to the final hole of the tournament leading by one stroke. He hit his drive way right into the crowd. When he arrived at his ball he found it lying on a sandy patch of ground that had been trampled by the crowd. The crowd around him was so thick he barely had room to swing his club. He hit his second shot short and left of the green. From there he chipped onto the green and two putted. He bogeyed the hole tying him with two other golfers. He thinks he is heading for a playoff. Not so fast. As Dustin exits the 18th green a rules official informs him that the sandy patch he hit from was actually a bunker and that because he had touched the sand with his club prior to hitting the ball he had broken a rule and had been assessed a two stroke penalty. It never occurred to Johnson or anyone else that this was a bunker. Johnson found himself outside looking in on the playoff to determine the winner of the season's last major tournament.
This whole thing really bothers me. The rules were clear that any sandy area should be played as a bunker. No one is denying that Johnson broke the rules, including Dustin himself. The area had obviously been trampled by the crowd, which made it hard to distinguish what the area was. Likely a lot of golfers would have made the same mistake Dustin made. So here's what bothers me. Each group playing on Sunday had a rules official with them. The rules official said nothing to Dustin regarding the area where his ball had come to rest. The only time we hear from a rules official is when he has broken a rule. Granted Dustin could have asked for a ruling. But it seems to me that in this case the PGA was more intent on catching someone breaking a rule than it was on helping a golfer play within them. In this case why couldn't the rules guy been more proactive and helpful?
It occurs to me that this is how a lot of Christians approach their religion. They seem to enjoy pointing out how people break the rules, but don't seem to do anything positive to help. For instance, I am aware of churches that speak out loudly against homosexuality, but yet are remarkably silent about the adultery going on in their midst. I am aware of churches that control their members to the point of making them dress a certain way, but seem unconcerned when their actions fail to match their appearance. When a church is focused on rules and who has broken them it can create an oppressive situation. It's not right. It's not fair. And how does pointing out the mistakes and failings of others make anyone's life better?
Jesus commented on the rules people of his day, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." As followers of Jesus our focus needs to be on helping people and not making their lives any tougher. Our focus needs to be on loving people and not telling them how they have screwed up. The people I know understand life is tough. They are aware of how they have messed things up. What they need is a little help and support so they can move farther on.
Pastor John
| First Presbyterian Church
115 6th Avenue NW
PO Box 188
Independence, Iowa 50644 Telephone: 319 334 3523
Fax: 319 334 4134
Sunday • 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship • • 6:00 PM High School Fellowship   CHOIR NEWS Choir practice will resume this September 8th at 7:00pm and September 12th will be the first Sunday back in the loft. New members welcome! SUNDAY SCHOOL KICK OFF - SEPTEMBER 12TH This year’s kickoff will correspond with the football season kickoff again this year so please wear your favorite team colors, shirt, or jersey to church. Bring a game to share or just come for some fun & games!!! A potluck will begin at 11:30 a.m. so please bring a tailgating dish to share. Drinks will be provided by our Church Life Committee. ADULT TRIVIA NIGHT - SEPTEMBER 19TH Sunday, September 19, at 6:00 pm Trivia returns! Put a team together of 5-8 people. (If you don't have a team, we can find you one, just notify the office.) Wayne Seward will be our Quiz Master for the evening. We are asking each person to bring a snack to share (a snack potluck of sorts). Coffee and lemonade will be provided. We ask that each person also bring a $5 donation for HOT (Help Our Teachers). All the money raised will go to support classroom teachers with needed supplies. Questions? See Eric Smith or John Klotzbach. ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL - SEPTEMBER 19TH Beginning September 19 Pastor John will begin preaching a series: Nurturing Discipleship: 5 practices for thriving churches. After worship, pastor will also lead the Adult Sunday School class in a discussion of the topic. There is a study book for the class. Cost is $7. If you wish to participate, please sign up at the table in the Friendship Area. |
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