Exodus 16 – 18

 Exodus 18:24-27 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.  Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.

You will never be too wise to where you won’t need to receive instruction . Thank God Moses was humble enough to listen. That humility saved him and those around him from much frustration.

Pastor

 

Exodus 13- 15

 Exodus 14:15-20 The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.  Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

Sounds like they were whining to me .

There are times, the only thing to do in your life is to go forward. If God has given direction, He will make a way for you even when the way looks blocked.

Pastor

Exodus 10 -12

 Exodus 12:21-27 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.  For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’" And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

The blood is still are only hope. The most important thing in the life of any person is to make sure the blood of Jesus Christ is applied to your life. It is are only hope .

Pastor

Exodus 7 – 9

 Exodus 8:16-19 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’" And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

There are many that imitate the things of God. But as God takes the His Body in a deeper relationship with Him, there will be those that will have to confess that the power of His Spirit can not be imitated.

Pastor

Coffee House

Just a reminder that Gateway will be holding a Coffee House this Saturday at 5 p.m. Come and enjoy specialty coffees, homemade desserts, live music and fellowship. Invite a friend!

If you’d like to make a dessert to share, that would be a blessing – you can never have too many sweets.

Exodus 4 – 6

 Exodus 6:2-9 God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.  I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.’" Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

Doing what God asks is usually not the easy road. Moses had everyone angry at him – his wife, Pharaoh and the people he was to bring out of bondage.

Don’t let trouble deter you from doing the will of God.

Pastor

Exodus 1 – 3

Exodus 2:11-15 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, "Why do you strike your companion?" He answered, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known." When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.

I believe Moses had a sense of what he was supose to be for the children of Israel long before the burning bush. I think he got impatient and tried to take things into he’s own hands when he killed this Egyptian.

Waiting for Gods time is often difficult but it is the only way to achieve effective and lasting results.

Pastor

Genesis 49 – 50

 Genesis 50:15-21 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him." So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this command before he died, ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants." But Joseph said to them, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones." Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

There can not be too much said about Joseph. Was it here at this event that he finally forgave his brothers? You can know forgiveness is the right thing and even want to forgive but the difficulty in doing so is the proof of how powerful a force it is in our lives.

When our lives are in the Master’s hand, He causes EVERYTHING to work together for the good. Even when we endure someone’s evil intent toward us. Forgiveness is and will always be the key to being free .

Pastor

You’ve GOT to feel my feet

A big thanks to Maria Pflegl for organizing the recent Gateway ladies retreat.

Friday night was a night of pampering.

First a facial. Then a foot scrub. Cucumber slices on the eyes. You get the idea.

Maria surprised the group by preparing food-based beauty concoctions for us to enjoy. Out came the blenders and yogurt, lemon slices and coffee grounds, wheat germ and applesauce. And with that, we all became kids again, slathering our faces with banana-based goop and feeling our neighbor’s soft hands and feet and commenting, "WOW!, THAT STUFF REALLY DOES WORK!"

It had all the elements of a good slumber party… minus phoning (and hanging up on) boys. It’s just not the same when you’re married to the boy and he’s home watching your two kids.

Looking for some sisterly bonding? Plan your own ladies "beauty shop" night.

Here are some simple recipes to get you started:

Honey Banana Cream Mask (for dry skin)

Mash ½ banana and add 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons of sour cream. Apply to face and let set for about 10 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth. This one tastes good too.

Oat Honey Pineapple Mask (for oily skin)

Take 3 tablespoons of oats and blend in blender until a fine powder. Add in a tablespoon of honey and three big slices of pineapple chopped into small pieces. Blend until a fine paste. Apply with a mask brush and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Invigorating Coffee Scrub (great for the feet and elbows and smells great too… if you like the smell of coffee)

Mix three tablespoons of fresh coffee grounds and 1 tablespoon of salt. Scrub and rinse.

Lemon Head Sugar Body Scrub (this one is so unbelievably great for dry, scaly hands that plague so many of us during the winter.)

Mix ½ cup sugar, 10 drops lemon oil (or ½ freshly squeezed lemon), 1 cup olive, jojoba or almond oil.

NOTE: If you have a food allergy to any of the ingredients, don’t make that recipe. You can still have an allergic reaction putting something on your skin, even if you don’t ingest it.

Genesis 46 – 48

 Genesis 48:17-20 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, "Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head." But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations." So he blessed them that day, saying,

   "By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,’God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’"

What great power were in the words that Jacob spoke over those boys. I believe that we possess the same authority in our day. Be careful what you speak. We ought always to bless and not curse. Some curse their own lives by the constant condemning of your present circumstance. Your life will follow your words.

Pastor

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