Dear Church Family,
One of the things I enjoy about living here in Doral is watching all the airplanes coming down into Miami for a landing. I often wonder where this or that airplane is coming from, who’s on board, and why they’re coming here. I constantly marvel at how those heavy metal containers (aka airplanes!) manage to stay in the air without crashing.
Of course, sometimes they do. Crash that is. In 1984, an Avianca Airlines flight crashed in Spain en route to Colombia when the pilot took the wrong approach into Madrid, clipped the side of a hill, then another, before hitting the ground and exploding.
Cockpit recordings indicate that the pilot was not precisely aware of his position and he did not properly respond to the ground-proximity warning system. The computer synthesized voice warned: “Pull up, pull up, pull up, pull up”… to which the pilot is heard saying “Bueno, Bueno” or “Ok, ok” in English. Basically, he dismissed the warning and persisted in trying to land over the wrong terrain for his approach. Ignoring the warning ultimately caused the plane to crash—and the loss of 181 lives.
If you think about it, that story illustrates the way God intended our conscience to work as a reliable warning system as well as how dangerous it can be to not listen to it. On the other hand, is our conscience an infallible guide? Should we always listen to our conscience? Does our internal warning system always work? Well, that depends…
Join me this Sunday as we explore the popular notion of “Just let conscience be your guide.” We’ll talk about how to make sure our conscience is getting the guidance it needs to serve us well and how to know when we can trust it.
Worship in English is at 9:30 AM. The Spanish service is at 11:30 AM. All are invited!
ICYMI – Watch my message from last Sunday based on Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 7 where he said, “Do not judge.”
Student Teacher Housing – We have MLC student teachers coming from October 15 until December 21. Please contact Ryan Loberger if you would be willing to host one (or more) of the student teachers during this time. We still need two more host homes.
Public School Confirmation Class – This class is for anyone from our church ages 7th-9th grade who doesn’t attend DSA. Our class is a two-year curriculum. A student can start at any time whether in 7th grade, 8th grade, or 9th grade. Whenever they start they would go through two years of Confirmation Class before being confirmed. Please let me know if you or your child is interested in participating this year. We haven’t yet chosen a day or time for the class to begin. We will wait to see who is participating so we can get your feedback.
Blood Drive – Sunday after church. Visit the OneBlood truck set up in the parking lot.
Church Choir – If you enjoy singing in a choir for church, your next opportunity to do so will be on September 23rd. The choir will rehearse in the high school music room at 10:45 AM (following English service) on September 9th and at 8:45 AM (prior to English service) on September 16th and 23rd. Contact Charis if you have any questions or would like to see the music in advance.
Building His House – is the name of our plan to build a Worship Arts Center to the glory of God that would give our church a more visible presence in the community, more dedicated space for expanding ministry programs, and ample room to grow as we anticipate the Gospel to continue changing lives.
Update: After church on September 2nd we will have a brief presentation sharing with you the latest update regarding our plans and where we are at in terms of potentially getting a loan from the bank.
Coming Up…
Pastor Carl’s Retirement Celebration – September 9th. Find out more info by visiting our event page on our website. To RSVP for the reception and dinner at 4:30 PM please use this link. This is your last chance to register before we open up registration to all the school families. Also, please consider this a friendly reminder that we are gathering funds for a special gift for Pastor Carl and Connie. See our event page to donate online or use an envelope on the info table at church. Thanks!
Get to Know Us Sunday – September 16th. One bilingual worship service at 10:30 AM in the High School Gym. Special potluck welcome reception to follow for all new Divine Savior Doral campus employees (hired or called). Who are you planning to invite?
Starting September 20th…All Pro Dad’s Days! Team up with other dads and kids for a free breakfast once a month before school starts from 7-8 AM in our High School Commons. Who is it for? Any dads and their kids ages K-6th grade (your child doesn’t have to be a student at DSA). Seating is limited so don’t wait. Find more info and RSVP on our All Pro Dad chapter website for Divine Savior Doral. Email me with any questions.
This Sunday’s Playlist – Check out the YouTube videos, sing along ahead of time, and help fill God’s house with praise on Sunday. Gathering Song: My Lighthouse. Forgiveness Song: Speak, O Lord. Hymn of the Day: O Word of God Incarnate – CW279. Communion Songs: Jesus, Messiah. Draw Near. Sending Song: Doxology.
Changing Lives with Jesus,
Pastor Ben
