Treasure Digest

• "I Love You!"
• Serve and Have the Best Feast Ever!
• Pottery Class
• Turning the Hearts . . .
• Children's Corner - Trumpets Scripture Scramble [See PDF version]
• Share Your Treasures!

"I Love You!"

I'm sitting on my couch, watching my baby daughter play with her toys. She is voraciously chewing on toy after toy, all of six months old. She notices my glance and flashes me a huge grin before grabbing a toy baby doll and staring at its face with delight.

As I listen to her squeals, I am sometimes overcome by what she means, what her presence tells me about God. She is here by His design. She is a tiny yet intensely moving message from Him. My husband and I have watched her transformation from a very tiny and very helpless newborn to a wiggly, squealing, giggle ball. She is just so much fun, and we are constantly overcome by her beauty.

What does she tell me about God? God loves to create beauty. He loves to give us good gifts. She is a gift from Him, practically wrapped up in a big bow, just waiting for us! When God gave her to us, He was saying, "I love you so much I want to give you something beautiful to care for and love."

And isn't that what God is trying to show us in everything that He has made? The world in its expansive beauty. The warmth and life we can receive from healthy and pure relationships with our families and God's people. Mountains, trees, oceans and backyard gardens.

God is writing His love letters to us with everything that grows and everything that flows, astounds and towers over us in nature. He is, in essence, sending us flowers, chocolates and poetry in the everyday pleasures of healthy family life: hugs, kisses and family devotion.

It seems to me that God is a romantic. What beautiful gifts He showers us with! Christ is to be our bridegroom, after all, our fiancé. It is only fitting that He should love us so and create a world of beauty for us to enjoy.

Our new baby is a pinnacle of the beauty I have been blessed to behold in my life. She has opened my heart to a new level of worship for our great beauty-bestowing God. God's message to us in the world He has made is so clear when we choose to listen: "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

— Joy Porter
Cincinnati East, Ohio, congregation

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Serve and Have the Best Feast Ever!

The year was 1986. I was in the one place I had dreamed of visiting, if only once in my life, Africa! I had lots of excess tithe in my pocket, and I had met my future husband! How could my first Feast of Tabernacles ever be topped!

Well, it took 20 more Feasts, but my first dream Feast has been topped. You might ask, "How?" Well, it was topped by serving.

An announcement had been made that ushers were needed for the Jekyll Island, Georgia, Feast site, and since that's where we were headed and my husband and two sons were serving on the parking crew, I decided to offer my services as an usher. How hard could it be? At home on the Sabbath I helped with hymnals anyway. Sometimes I helped with the count.

My family and I arrived ahead of time for the scheduled parking and ushering meetings, which gave us an opportunity to meet the sound crew and Mike and Nancy Fike. While waiting for the meetings to begin, we assisted Mr. Fike with setting up the chairs. Then I helped count out the Holy Day offering envelopes that the ushers would make available the next day. That's when it hit me. I was assisting with God's work! Wow!

While my husband and the boys attended the meeting for the parking crew, I attended the meeting for the ushers. We were given information packets to review, sections of the hall were allocated to each of us and after a few tips from the old-timers, we were told to report for duty that night one hour before services.

One hour before opening night services I had reported for duty. But I started worrying. What did you get yourself into, Faye! You are the biggest chicken you know, and you volunteered to do what? At home a good crowd might mean 80 or 90 people. The Feast? We're talking about over 1,000! Where's the nearest exit?

There was nothing I could do now. I couldn't back out of my duties, so I prayed. "God, give me the wisdom and courage I need to serve your people here at the Feast."

And do you know what? God gave me the courage to do what I was there for—to be about my Father's business.

After the initial shock, I relaxed and did my job of ushering. I passed out hymnals and found seats. By the end of services, I knew I could handle the job and would enjoy it too! I met more people at this Feast than I had in the last 19 Feasts put together.

I made the first move to introduce myself and made new friends. It wasn't just "good morning" and move along. I stayed and we talked. I just plain had a blast!

Twenty years ago I asked the question, "How could my first Feast of Tabernacles ever be topped?" It was topped by serving.

Want to have the best Feast ever? Serve!

— Faye Mongbeh
Miami, Florida, congregation

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Pottery Class

I think that God, as Creator, gave us a need to create with our own hands. This can be expressed in many ways. Some paint or sculpt, some design (objects, buildings, clothing, etc.), some build and some make music.

I find this thought fascinating because God Himself works with His hands. In Genesis 2:7 we are told that God "formed man of the dust of the ground." The Hebrew word for "formed" indicates something being molded.

A few months ago, my wife enrolled our twins in a pottery class in which they learn different techniques of working clay. Anson and Elysia have both enjoyed these classes very much, but I was told they wouldn't be bringing home their pieces until the end of the classes because the pieces would not be completely done until the last class.

God molded the first man in the Garden of Eden and has been seeking to mold men since. Each vessel is unique, shaped by God's hand, refined and put through the fire to make it more valuable and precious.

Isaiah 64:8 tells us, "But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand."

How well are we letting God shape us? Can we glimpse the future beauty we will have after the firing and glazing that takes place to give us our godly touches? I can hardly imagine what God, as the Master Potter, has in store for each and every one of us.

What an exciting time it will be when we all find out—when our class is done!

— Dan Dowd

Pastor of the Milwaukee, Oshkosh and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, congregations

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Turning the Hearts . . .Spending Time With Our Families

Nearly 30 percent of children under age 18 live in a single-parent home—23 percent with their mothers and 5 percent with their fathers. Most single parents didn't choose to rear their children by themselves. Often divorce, death or premarital pregnancy causes a person to become a single parent.

Being a single parent is not an easy task. Having to bear the responsibility for providing food and shelter is difficult enough, but teaching and modeling proper behavior is an additional load for the single mom or dad to bear. Then there is the need to show love and give attention to the needs of each child without the aid of the other parent. For mothers with sons, this is particularly difficult. Male children need the example of a man. While moms can try to play ball or wrestle with their sons, there is still a need for masculine influence. Male family members such as an uncle or cousin or grandfather may be of assistance.

Daughters living with their dads may also need the additional influence of a female from the family to help them be adjusted. In my studies and observations of families, I see the need for daughters to have a mom as an example and a dad as a strength and support in their lives. I see sons needing the example and model of a dad in their lives, while a mom supplies the warmth and support.

God made children to need both. However, when that ideal is not reachable, many single parents do outstanding jobs making sure their loved children get the best they have to offer. Then they rely on support from family and friends to supply what the single parents may lack.

May single parents continue to rely on God to help them carry the responsibility meant for two that has been bestowed on them. God is the Father of the fatherless and will defend single moms (Psalm 68:5).

Please know that God will be there for the children as revealed in this reassuring passage in the Psalms. "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me" (Psalm 27:10).

May God continue to bless all of the single parents in handling the heritage that has been bestowed upon them (Psalm 127:3).

— Gary E. Antion

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Share Your Treasures!

Do you have any short items of biblical wisdom, humor or practical information that you would like to share in this section? Or if you have any suggestions, please contact United News, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027 or mike_bennett@ucg.org.

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