Announcements
SYMPATHY: to the family and friends of Rick Wunder, who passed away on Sunday, October 22. The funeral was held on Thursday, October 26, in Owings Mills.
SYMPATHY: to the family and friends of John George, who passed away on Monday, October 23. The funeral was held on Friday, October 27, in Taneytown.
THANK YOU: to all my church family for the many cards, texts, visits, and most of all your prayers during my recent surgery and recovery. Special thanks to Pastor Holbrook for his hospital visits. What a blessing to belong to Church of the Open Door! Carl Baker
TEENS ACTIVITY: Our annual Fall Farm Festival (held offsite) will be on Friday, November 3, from 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. The cost is $10 per person or FREE if you bring a pie or cake for the Baking Contest. For more information, see Pastor Josh.
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY: A trip to Players Fun Zone for Grades 1st - 6th will be on Friday, November 17, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The price is $10 and includes pizza. The deadline to register is Wednesday, November 15. Forms to sign up are available at the Welcome Desk. For more information, see Pastor Josh.
DEACONS: Please pick up your packets at the Welcome Desk.
From My Heart
So often in the Scriptures, the Lord will do things that have such a profound impact one cannot help but realize it is more than a coincidence. One such example was unveiled a couple of years ago, when suddenly hyssop began to grow out of the walls of the old city of Jerusalem beside the Eastern Gate. The bushes spelled out (in the Hebrew language) the name of the LORD: JHWH. Now, you might say, “Well, that was just a coincidence!” Yes, but wasn’t it a wonderful coincidence?
In Jerusalem, there are three valleys. Several years ago, a Jewish fellow was flying over the city at an altitude where he could clearly see the entire old city of Jerusalem and noticed these three valleys spell out the name of God: JHWH. Can you imagine it - God stamped His own name on the city, and He commanded us to pray for that city’s peace. I am sure many folks would say, “Well, that is just a coincidence!” I know, but isn’t that an amazing coincidence?
The last time we were in Israel, there was a shop at the Garden Tomb, which sells posters and many other items about Jerusalem, and while looking around in the shop, I saw a poster with a blown-up picture of the entire nation of Israel. The reason for the picture was so folks could see (from right to left - which is how Hebrew is written and read) that there are four mountains from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, and in perfect Hebrew - JHWH can be seen clearly. So, not only did God stamp His name upon Jerusalem, but He also stamped His name upon the nation! Again, you say, “Well, that is a coincidence!” But isn’t that an amazing coincidence You must admit it is quite remarkable!
In John 21 we read how the Disciples were on the Sea of Galilee fishing and had fished all night and caught nothing. When the morning dawned, the resurrected Lord Jesus was on the shore and called out to the Disciples asking if they had caught any fish! They answered no, and Jesus told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. So, they did - and caught so many fish they were unable to lift them into the boat. In verse 11, we find out there were 153 fish in their net.
So, why put the number of fish in the net? Strange, isn’t it? Well, in the Hebrew language, numbers mean something! In Hebrew numerology, 153 when given a letter equivalency, spells out, “Jehovah, He is the God!” Now, you might think that would be just a coincidence, but how many coincidences do you have to have before you start believing that Jehovah God is who He claims to be? What an amazing Book is the Bible! And what an amazing God is the God of the Bible!
Have a great day!
Pastor Norris