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MONDAY, AUGUST 5TH
registration today from 1 P.M. to 7 P.M. in the
Junior-Senior High School Building.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Happy Birthday, Thelma Moorhead!
Happy Birthday, Kyle Lundy
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 6TH —
Adair-Casey Community Schools has student
registration today from 9 A.M. until 12 noon and
from 1 P.M. to 3 P.M. in the Junior-Senior High
School Building.
Happy Birthday, Sheryl Richter
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7TH —
AUMW retreat at Anita Park 9:00 A.M.
Meet at the church for a ride at 8:30 A.M.
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• SPRC meeting at 7PM at CASEY U.M.C. •
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 8TH —
• IOWA STATE FAIR BEGINS •
Happy Birthday, Dean Heckman!
Happy Birthday, Robert Larson!
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 9TH —
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Happy Birthday Don Slayton!
Happy Birthday Dorothy Oaks!
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 10TH —
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Happy Anniversary, Sam and Sherry Carney!
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Pastor Melodee will be gone August 10th & 11th
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 11TH —
• KAREN BENTON WILL BE SPEAKING TODAY
AT BOTH CHURCHESCOLOR: GREEN
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
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ISAIAH 1:1-20
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Isaiah addresses the Southern Kingdom, Judah,
as "Sodom and Gomorrah" offering a word of
judgment and a call to genuine repentance
instead of just more religious ceremonies. The
texts we see here dramatically and poetically
convey the core themes of his message and
ministry.
Hosea prophesied primarily in and about Israel,
the "Northern Kingdom," whose capitol was
Samaria, which fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC.
Isaiah was likely a near contemporary of the
Northern prophets, but his primary audience
was the kingdom of Judah (the Southern
Kingdom),
which survived the Assyrian onslaught but was
eventually overtaken in ca 587 - 586 BC by the
Babylonians. This is part of why we see such a
difference in the capacity for hope between
Hosea, on the one hand, and Isaiah on the other.
late for the Southern Kingdom if they are willing
to repent and change their ways.
God is clear what they must do. People must
stop harming each other and start caring for one
another. "Stop doing wicked things. Learn to do
what is good. Seek justice. Rescue those being
treated unjustly. Decide cases in favor of
orphans, and make very sure widows are treated
right. Get your act together, then we'll can talk.
MESSAGES OF JUDGEMENT
QUIT YOUR WORSHIP CHARADES
1 The vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw
regarding Judah and Jerusalem during times
of the kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz,
and Hezekiah.
2-4 Heaven and earth, you're the jury.
Listen to God's case:
"I had children and raised them well,
and they turned on me.
The ox knows who's boss,
the mule knows the hand that feeds him,
But not Israel.
My people don't know up from down.
Shame! Misguided God-dropouts,
staggering under their guilt-baggage,
Gang of miscreants,
band of vandals—
My people have walked out on me, their God,
turned their backs on The Holy of Israel,
walked off and never looked back.
5-9 "Why bother even trying to do anything with
you
when you just keep to your bullheaded ways?
You keep beating your heads against brick walls.
Everything within you protests against you.
From the bottom of your feet to the top of your
head,
nothing's working right.
Wounds and bruises and running sores—
untended, unwashed, unbandaged.
Your country is laid waste,
your cities burned down.
Your land is destroyed by outsiders while you
watch,
reduced to rubble by barbarians.
Daughter Zion is deserted—
like a tumbledown shack on a dead-end street,
Like a tar paper shanty on the wrong side of the
tracks,
like a sinking ship abandoned by the rats.
If God-of-the-Angel-Armies hadn't left us a few
survivors,
we'd be as desolate as Sodom, doomed just
like Gomorrah.
10 "Listen to my Message,
you Sodom-schooled leaders.
Receive God's revelation,
you Gomorrah-schooled people.
11-12 "Why this frenzy of sacrifices?"
God's asking.
"Don't you think I've had my fill of burnt
sacrifices,
rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Don't you think I've had my fill
of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
When you come before me,
whoever gave you the idea of acting like this,
Running here and there, doing this and that—
all this sheer commotion in the place provided
for worship?
13-17 "Quit your worship charades.
I can't stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special
meetings—
meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand
one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
You've worn me out!
I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion,
while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
I'll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I'll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you've been
tearing
people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evil doings
so I don't have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
Work for justice.
Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Go to bat for the defenseless.
LET'S ARGUE THIS OUT
18-20 "Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out."
This is God's Message:
they'll be snow-white.
If they're red like crimson,
they'll be like wool.
If you'll willingly obey,
you'll feast like kings.
you'll die like dogs."
That's right. God says so.
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PSALM 50:1-8, 22-23 (UMH 783)
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
The sacrifice God desires is thanksgiving and
upright living.
AN ASAPH PSALM
shouts, "Earth!"
welcomes the sun in the east,
farewells the disappearing sun in the west.
From the dazzle of Zion,
God blazes into view.
Our God makes his entrance,
he's not shy in his coming.
Starbursts of fireworks precede him.
4-5 He summons heaven and earth as a jury,
he's taking his people to court:
"Round up my saints who swore
on the Bible their loyalty to me."
6 The whole cosmos attests to the fairness of
this court,
that here God is judge.
7-15 "Are you listening, dear people? I'm getting
ready to speak;
Israel, I'm about ready to bring you to trial.
This is God, your God,
speaking to you.
I don't find fault with your acts of worship,
the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer.
But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,
or more and more goats from your herds?
the wild animals on all the mountains.
I know every mountain bird by name;
the scampering field mice are my friends.
If I get hungry, do you think I'd tell you?
All creation and its bounty are mine.
Do you think I feast on venison?
or drink draughts of goats' blood?
Spread for me a banquet of praise,
serve High God a feast of kept promises,
And call for help when you're in trouble—
I'll help you, and you'll honor me."
"What are you up to, quoting my laws,
talking like we are good friends?
You never answer the door when I call;
you treat my words like garbage.
If you find a thief, you make him your buddy;
adulterers are your friends of choice.
Your mouth drools filth;
lying is a serious art form with you.
You stab your own brother in the back,
rip off your little sister.
I kept a quiet patience while you did these things;
you thought I went along with your game.
I'm calling you on the carpet, now,
laying your wickedness out in plain sight.
22-23 "Time's up for playing fast and
loose with me.
I'm ready to pass sentence,
and there's no help in sight!
It's the praising life that honors me.
As soon as you set your foot on the Way,
I'll show you my salvation."
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HEBREWS 11:1-16
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen." Here the writer
remembers the faith of Abraham as a sign of the
faith of all who seek a homeland.
Faith in What We Don't See
this trust in God, this faith, is the firm found-
ation under everything that makes life worth
living. It's our handle on what we can't see.
The act of faith is what distinguished our
ancestors, set them above the crowd.
3 By faith, we see the world called into
existence by God's word, what we see created
by what we don't see.
4 By an act of faith, Abel brought a better
sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he
believed, not what he brought, that made the
difference. That's what God noticed and
approved as righteous. After all these centuries,
that belief continues to catch our notice.
5-6 By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death
completely. "They looked all over and couldn't
find him because God had taken him." We know
on the basis of reliable testimony that before he
was taken "he pleased God."
And why? Because anyone who wants to approach
God must believe both that he exists and that he
cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
7 By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry
land. He was warned about something he
couldn't see, and acted on what he was told. The
result? His family was saved. His act of faith
drew a sharp line between the evil of the
unbelieving world and the rightness of the
believing world. As a result, Noah became
intimate with God.
8-10 By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to
God's call to travel to an unknown place that
would become his home. When he left he had
no idea where he was going. By an act of faith
he lived in the country promised him, lived as a
stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did
the same, living under the same promise.
Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen
city with real, eternal foundations—the City
designed and built by God.
11-12 By faith, barren Sarah was able to become
pregnant, old woman as she was at the time,
because she believed the One who made a
promise would do what he said. That's how it
happened that from one man's dead and
shriveled loins there are now people numbering
into the millions.
13-16 Each one of these people of faith died not
yet having in hand what was promised, but still
believing. How did they do it? They saw it way
off in the distance, waved their greeting, and
accepted the fact that they were transients in
this world. People living this way make it plain
that they are looking for their true home. If they
were homesick for the old country, they could
have gone back any time they wanted. But they
were after a far better country than that—heaven
country. You can see why God is so proud of
them, and has a City waiting for them.
———————————————————————
LUKE 12:32-40
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
This week’s reading begins with a word of
comfort to those who have heard the warning
about being greedy. "Don’t be afraid, little flock.
Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom!"
Letting go of the way of desiring more and the
endless acquisition can be fearful.
Jesus teaches: Your real values are where you
put your money. Be ready always to receive the
bridegroom from the wedding banquet. When
you spread your treasure to all who need it, you
show your heart is fixed on the kingdom of God.
29-32 "What I'm trying to do here is get you to
relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you
can respond to God's giving. People who don't
know God and the way he works fuss over these
things, but you know both God and how he
works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-
initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your
everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be
afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends!
The Father wants to give you the very kingdom
itself.
33-34 "Be generous. Give to the poor. Get your-
selves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in
heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from
embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It's
obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure
is, is the place you will most want to be, and
end up being.
WHEN THE MASTER SHOWS UP
35-38 "Keep your shirts on; keep the lights on!
Be like house servants waiting for their master
to come back from his honeymoon, awake and
ready to open the door when he arrives and
knocks. Lucky the servants whom the master
finds on watch! He'll put on an apron, sit them
at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his
wedding feast with them. It doesn't matter what
time of the night he arrives; they're awake—and
so blessed!
39-40 "You know that if the house owner had
known what night the burglar was coming, he
wouldn't have stayed out late and left the place
unlocked. So don't you be slovenly and careless.
Just when you don't expect him, the Son of Man
will show up."
……………………………………………………………
Happy Anniversary, Doug and Suzie Morgan!
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• 1896 - Harvey Hubbell received a patent for the
electric light bulb socket with a pull-chain.
• 1941 - The Atlantic Charter was signed by U.S.
President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill. The Charter stated
the ideal goals of the war: no territorial changes
made against the wishes of the people;
restoration of self-government to those deprived
of it.
• 1992 - In Bloomington, MN, the Mall of America
opened.
• 2003 - In Kabul, NATO took command of the
5,000-strong peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.
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MONDAY, AUGUST 12TH —
• 1676 - "King Phillip's War" came to an end with
the killing of Indian chief King Phillip. The war
was an armed conflict between Native American
inhabitants of present day New England and the
English colonists.The war lasted for two years.
• 1877 - Thomas Edison invented the
phonograph and made the first sound recording.
1898 - Hawaii was annexed by the U.S. Hawaii
was later given territorial status and was given
Statehood in 1959.
1898 - The Spanish-American War ended with the
signing of the peace protocol. The U.S. acquired
Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
• 1981 - IBM unveiled its first PC.
• 1998 - Swiss banks agreed to pay $1.25 billion
as restitution to World War II Holocaust victims.
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 13TH —
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• 1521 - Present day Mexico City was captured
by Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez from
the Aztec Indians.
• 1792 - French revolutionaries took the entire
French royal family and imprisoned them.
• 1784 - The United States Legislature met for
the last time in Annapolis, MD.
• 1846 - The American Flag was raised for the
first time in Los Angeles, CA.
• 1889 - A patent for a coin-operated telephone
was issued to William Gray.
• 1907 - The first taxicab began working on the
streets of New York City.
• 1942 - Walt Disney's "Bambi" opened at Radio
City Music Hall in New York City, NY.
• 1961 - Berlin was divided by barbed wire fence
to halt the flight of refugees. Two days later
work on the Berlin Wall began.
• 1994 - It was reported that aspirin not only
helps reduce the risk of heart disease, but also
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14TH —
A-C FOOD PANTRY IN CASEY U.M.C. IS OPEN
TODAY FROM 9 A.M. TO 11 A.M.
Be sure to tell anyone you think might benefit
from this service. It exists for our community.……………………………………………………………
• 1248 - The rebuilding of the Cologne Cathedral
in Cologne, Germany, began after it was
destroyed by fire.
• 1848 - The Oregon Territory was established.
• 1880 - The Cologne Cathedral in Cologne,
Germany was completed after 632 years of
rebuilding.
• 1896 - Gold was discovered in Canada's Yukon
Territory. Within the next year more than 30,000
people rushed to the Yukon to look for gold.
• 1935 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
signed the Social Security Act into law. The act
created unemployment insurance and pension
plans for the elderly.
• 1941 - The U.S. Congress appropriated
approximately $83 million to construct the
Pentagon. The building was the new home of the
U.S. War Department.
• 1969 - British troops arrived in Northern Ireland
to intervene in sectarian violence between
Protestants and Roman Catholics.
• 1992 - The U.S. announced that emergency
airlifts of food to Somalia would begin. The action
was being taken to stop mass deaths due to
starvation.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 15TH —
……………………………………………………………
Happy Birthday, Brody Moore!
Happy Birthday, Tyler Carney!
Happy Anniversary, Gary and Cindy Lundy!
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• 1057 - Macbeth, the King of Scotland, was
killed by the son of King Duncan.
• 1877 - Thomas Edison wrote to the president of
the Telegraph Company in Pittsburgh, PA. The
letter stated that the word, "hello" would be a
more appropriate greeting than "ahoy" when
answering the telephone.
• 1911 - The product Crisco was introduced by
Procter & Gamble Company.
• 1914 - The Panama Canal was officially opened
to commercial traffic as an American ship sailed
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
• 1945 - The Allies proclaimed V-J Day a day after
Japan agreed to surrender unconditionally.
• 1947 - India became independent from Britain
and was divided into the countries of India and
Pakistan. India was under British for 200 years.
• 1994 - The U.S. Social Security Administration
became an independent government agency. It
had been a part of the Department of Health and
Human Services agency.
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 16TH —
……………………………………………………………
Happy Birthday, Janice Sheeder!
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• 1777 - During the American Revolutionary War,
the Battle of Bennington took place. New
England's minutemen routed British regulars.
• 1861 - U.S. President Lincoln prohibited the
Union states from trading with the states of the
Confederacy.
• 1923 - Carnegie Steel Corporation put in place
an eight-hour workday for its employees.
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 17TH —
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY FUNDRAISER
AT 5X80 COUNTRY CLUB - STARTS AT 5 P.M.
……………………………………………………………
• 1790 - The capital city of the United States
moved to Philadelphia from New York City.
• 1815 - Napoleon began serving his exile when
he arrived at the island of St. Helena.
• 1835 - Solyman Merrick patented the wrench.
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MONDAY, AUGUST 19TH —
A-C SCHOOLS BEGIN
IOWA CONFERENCE OF THE
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The Iowa Annual Conference of The United
Methodist Church exists to encourage our
communities of faithful people who live out the
love of Jesus as instruments of God’s grace,
peace, and justice. We are lay people and clergy,
churches of all sizes, ministries and programs,
all connected by the Holy Spirit into one body –
the Iowa Conference – in order to live out our
mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for
the transformation of the world.
In all parts of the Iowa Conference, God calls
us to a season of resurrection. “I am about to
do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you
not perceive it? I will make a way in the
wilderness and rivers in the desert”
(Isaiah 43:19 NRSV).
God is calling us to be reborn as a conference
so that we will grow our number of
communities of faith and Christian disciples,
develop hundreds of new leaders for God’s
transforming work, and intentionally focus
resources on our common mission. Every step
of the way, God is leading us outside of our
churches and into our wider communities to
build relationships with new people, reaching
out especially – as Jesus did – to persons living
on the margins of society.
This future is exciting, but it also asks us to take
bold steps of faith, together, as we love and
serve our neighbors. As United Methodist
disciples in Iowa we acknowledge that we are
fully dependent on God’s grace.
God Bless and Keep You,
Donna K
