1
Witness the Difference!
Volume #
16
Issue
#5
May 2008
Faith M
atters
FROM THE DESK OF PASTOR MIKE KNAUFF
Senior Pastor
Michael M. Knauff
Associate Pastor
Vacant
Business Manager
Lisa Smotherman, AIM
Preschool Director
Marian Kolker
Pre-K Admin
Shawna Wise
Dir. Of Service Ministries
Cindy Buschagen, AIM
Music Director
Vacant
Organist
Sherrie Bean
Choir Accompanist
Lori Lewis
Director: Sounds of Faith
Donna Chase
Nursery Attendants
Jennifer Havelka
Courtney Buell
Is Your Hut Burning?
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a
small, uninhabited
island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and
every day he scanned
the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually
managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect
himself from the ele-
ments, and to store his few possessions.
But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived
home to find his
little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The
worst had happened---
everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger.
"God, how could you do this to me?" he cried.
Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound
of a ship
that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue
him.
"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his
rescuers.
"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad.
But we
shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives,
even in the midst of
pain and suffering.
Remember, the next time your little hut is burning to the
ground,
it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of
God.
The above illustration was something I
shared at our fall congregational
meeting after the shock of Pr. Joe’s resignation followed
by our music director
Vee Ann’s resignation. We don’t always see God’s gracious
will when our “huts
burn down.” But I’ve learned through the years to trust
that God works things
out for good not evil.
As we prepare for our congregational meeting to decide
our congrega-
tional priorities and our church staffing positions based
on a finite amount of re-
sources we may feel like our hut is burning and everything
we’ve been striving
for is for naught. I’d encourage us to “be not afraid” but
instead to continue to
trust in God and have the faith that God will provide for
us even if and when we
go through hard times.
Remember Joseph who, after being sold into slavery by his
brothers and
being parted from his family for years, responded
faithfully when addressing his
brothers upon their reunion.
“
But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the
place of God? Even though you
intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in
order to preserve a numerous
people, as he is doing today.” (Genesis 50:19-20)
In God’s love,
Pastor Mike
