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It was a daring daylight heist at the world’s most famous museum. At the Louvre in Paris on Sunday, four thieves disguised as construction workers stole eight priceless pieces of the French Crown Jewels. Between them, the pieces are adorned with thousands of diamonds, along with pearls, sapphires, emeralds, and other gemstones. All are from the 19th century and once belonged to French royalty, including a tiara gifted by Napoleon to his second wife, Marie Louise, on their wedding day. The shock is not just in the loss of the jewels themselves, but in the brazenness of the attack on a museum that houses some of the world’s most expensive art.
France’s Interior Minister described the stolen jewels "priceless" and "of immeasurable heritage value." Here’s what I find really odd: None of the stolen royal items was insured, so the Louvre will not be compensated for the loss. Personally, I think this would be a great opportunity for the museum to secure a sponsorship agreement (I can picture it now: “GEICO: Fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more on your priceless art heist insurance!")
Louvre officials have little hope that the stolen items will ever be found. The pieces will most likely be broken apart and sold off in smaller pieces
The heist did highlight long-standing issues with chronic underfunding, which resulted in a shortage of both staff and updated security equipment. Not all of the museum’s rooms had security cameras, and the only exterior camera near the entry point was facing the wrong way and did not capture the thieves' arrival.
The brazen heist on the most visited museum in the world has left France stunned, furious, and even embarrassed. That’s probably not surprising.
But what is surprising is this: while we go to great lengths (albeit, apparently not good enough) to protect priceless jewels and art, we often open ourselves for a more dangerous type of theft – the kind in which we allow the world to hijack our true identity in Christ, leaving us with some other, less truthful, view of ourselves. The world is constantly trying to pull off a heist in your heart, robbing you of your Godly sense of purpose, worth, and belonging, and replacing it with counterfeits: status, approval, image, comfort.
In Galatians 1:10, Paul asks a question that you and I should also be asking: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Your identify comes from God, but we often allow fraudsters to steal it, replacing it with cheap fakes. Our culture will tell us that our identity comes from how we look, or the kind of car we drive, or the job we have, or the neighborhood in which we live. Scripture is full of examples of people seeking their identity in God replaced with expectations of this world. And the truth is, everything we do, everything we think, every decision we make, flows out of our understanding of our own identity – who we really are.
We often allow ourselves to be dictated by the expectations of others. But the question of truth is - Who does God say you are?
Here are some truths I want you to hear about yourself:
There is so much more that God has in store for you -- no matter how much you may have experienced already, and no matter how old you are. There's still more God has for you to be and do!
You have been created by God to bring Him glory. How do we accomplish that? By being the person He made you to be, both as individuals and then collectively as His church.
No one can reach one’s potential without the Father's help or apart from our God-given talents and gifts.
God doesn’t save us because we do everything right – He saves us because He loves us.
While the Louvre had major security shortcomings, how do you and I guard the gallery of our identity? Regularly take inventory of what (who) you are living for. Reinforce your faith by rooting your heart in the unshakable truth of the Gospel: you are loved, forgiven, and eternally secure because of Christ’s work, not your own.
The thieves at the Louvre had power tools and a sophisticated plan. The world's pressure also comes with compelling, loud voices. Paul's question forces us to choose whose voice matters most. Tune out the constant commentary of the crowd and listen for the distinct, affirming voice of the Holy Spirit and the truth of Scripture.
You are a princess or a warrior, even if you feel like a prisoner. You will hear lies about yourself, about your future, and about your identity. What others think of you does not define your worth. They did not give their life to prove your value.
No matter what you have done, you are of worth to God. He cares about you and has instilled dreams and desires in you. So when we feel like others are dictating who we are, may we embrace the truth and realize that our real value and worth comes from God, and not from man.
Friends, I am proud to be your Pastor, and I hope to see you in worship on Sunday. Until then, know that you are loved.
Joe
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Sunday, October 26 • 10 AM Worship Service
Get ready to show your team spirit! In the excitement and anticipation of Tailgate Trunk or Treat later that afternoon, we’re kicking off the day with a little friendly fun during worship. Everyone’s invited to wear their favorite team shirt or jersey—college, professional, any sport, any team!
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Sunday, October 26 • 4-6 pm
Join us and bring your friends, neighbors, and the whole family for a free, family-friendly event for all ages. We'll have a cupcake walk, a costume parade, and of course, plenty of decorated trunks and tailgates where kids can collect candy and treats. There will be delicious tailgate-style snacks to enjoy too! Kids are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite costumes -- and grown-ups can join in the fun, too, if they'd like! There is no cost to attend.
Want to help by decorating a trunk or tailgate? We'd love to have you join in the fun! Click here to sign up! If you have any questions, email Kristen Walton.
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| Sunday Mornings - 9:30-10 am |
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Everyone is invited for refreshments, fellowship, and a gathering time before the service each Sunday from 9:30-10:00 am in the lobby area outside the Fellowship Hall.
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Tanner and I are avid debaters. Not for the purpose of arguing but for the intellectual delight of trying to refine a question until you are left with the truth. One such debate has been whether we should still keep and observe the Sabbath; after all, keeping the Sabbath holy is one of the Ten Commandments, and while Jesus didn’t conventionally observe the Sabbath, He did acknowledge it.
Last week, Tanner and I were able to get away for two nights on a quick trip to Asheville, our first trip away from our kids in quite some time. We went at a leisurely pace and just enjoyed the beauty of the natural world surrounding our mountain Airbnb. But while we were there, we found our conversations always made their way back to God and our faith. We spent more time talking about faith than any other topic; in fact, probably 80% of our conversations centered on these topics.
And I realized maybe this is “in keeping of the spirit of the law” of the Sabbath. That when given the rest and the quiet to reflect on God’s Word, we were actually able grow in our faith and understanding of it. Tanner and I had to strip away the distractions of our daily lives to have the freedom to focus on what matters most.
While we know that Jesus fulfilled the law, and the Sabbath is not prescriptive for salvation, maybe the spirit of the Sabbath is found when we clear away the minutia of this world to open our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit.
It reminds me of this verse from the hymn Be Still My Soul:
Be still, my soul! Your God does undertake
To guide the future as He has the past;
Your hope, your confidence, let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul! The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He lived below.
My prayer for this week is this: that we would make time to embody the spirit of the Sabbath not just on Saturdays as dictated in Mosaic Law, but every day we might find time to give pause to the things of this world to turn our eyes upon Jesus.
--Emily Adams
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KSU Presents
Amhal and the Night Visitors with
Grey Certain and Bethlehem Walk costumes
Bailey Performance Center and the Morgan Concert Hall
October 30. 7:30 p.m.
November 1 2:00 p.m.
Tickets available here.
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Sunday, Nov 9 • 4:00-6:30 pm
Charge Conference
Each year the churches of the Global Methodist Churches in North Georgia have an annual conference in which they approve a few decisions for the following year. All of the nine churches in Cobb and Fulton Counties will have their Charge Conference together on Sunday, November 9 from 4:00-6:30 at Due West Methodist Church (3956 Due West Road, Marietta 30064). There will be various workshops to choose from, and there will be a worship service, along with the "official business." All members are invited to attend.
Click here to register (required).
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| Music Trivia |
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Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, this singer's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" marked the first time the National Anthem made the Top Ten.
If you think you know the answer, send Dr. Joe an email.
Last' Week's Question: "What Christian musician had four top ten pop songs (one of which hit #1 and another reached #2) in 1991?"
Answer: Amy Grant
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“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
– Ephesians 6:18
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At Mountain View, we are a praying church, and we have assurance and confidence that God hears our prayers, whether celebration and joys, or heartfelt cries and pain. We invite you (and encourage you) to pray for the following people and circumstances:
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- Pray for Terry Stockton, who is going through some medical issues.
- for Becky Simpson, who is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
- Pray for Sherman Wood, a new addition to our Mountain View family, who is battling cancer.
- Pray for Katie Kohutek, who is recovering after knee replacement surgery.
- Pray for Paige McDougald (wife of Mark McDougald) who has Stage 7 Alzheimer's.
- Pray for George Carpenter's grandson, Hudson, who will be having a tonsillectomy.
- Pray for the family of Sid Orr.
- Pray for Chad Arnold, who is recovering after being at Kennestone for three days
- Pray for Jim Riley, whose step-father (Paul) passed away.
- Pray for Sue Spann's cousin, Tuffy, who had to have his leg amputated.
- Pray for Allen Lewis, who is battling a lung infection and COPD (he is the father of Amanda Lewis.)
- Pray for Denise and Tyler Butcher, who just announced that Denise is pregnant with their second child.
- Pray for an anonymous prayer request that was submitted on our website: "Please pray for my unspoken prayer request which I cannot put into words - a struggle too personal, but God understands it fully."
- Pray for Jennifer Thompson Pope, who is battling advanced cancer.
- Pray for Lorita Moore, who is recovering from some health issues.
- Pray for Michelle McKinney, who is in Hospice. She is the mother of Kim McKinney.
- Pray for Arlette Reyes, who has been diagnosed with colon cancer (a prayer request made by Anna Landy).
- Pray for Stefanie Larve, who is battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia (a prayer request made by Anna Landy).
- Pray for Sue Spann's daughter, Angela, who is battling cancer, as is her niece, Gloria.
- Pray for Donna Scott, the mother of Tanya Cannon, who is wrestling with health issues and now lives in a nursing home.
- Pray for Pam Johnson, who is bedridden with Parkinson's. She is a friend of Joanne Mazula.
- Pray for Jack Engberg, a friend of Joanne Mazula. Jack is receiving six weeks of prostate cancer treatment at MD Anderson Center in Houston.
- Pray for David Paulson, who was diagnosed with cancer. He lives in South Carolina and is a friend of John Watkins.
- Pray for Sue-Ellen Brogdon, who is facing health issues.
- Pray for Bob Stockwell, who is battling leukemia. Also pray for his wife, Jill.
- Pray for Rev. Hugh Donald Herrin, who is battling Alzheimer's Disease. He is the father of Anne Taylor's caregiver.
- Pray for Emma Kate, the granddaughter of Emily Adams' aunt, as their family faces some difficult issues.
- Pray for Michelle Salmon, who is in Hospice. She is the grandmother of Kristen Woodruff. Also pray for Kristen's mother, Kim McKinney, who is the one caring for Michelle.
- Pray for Robert McKechnie, the father of Joe McKechnie. Robert is battling stage four bone cancer.
- Pray for Sharon Basal, who is now living in the Signature Nursing Home by Kennestone.
- Pray for Anne Taylor's nephew, Kenny Taylor, who is having health issues.
- Pray for Sandra Logan, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Sandra is a dear friend of Dianne Patterson.
- Pray for Tina Gillies (the cousin of Joanne Mazula). Tina has cancer in her colon, liver, and lungs, and has started chemo in Tennessee).
- Pray for Israel.
- Pray for the people of Ukraine.
- Pray for our military - we thank them for serving in harm's way for our freedoms.
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If you would like to share a prayer request with us, please email Dr. Joe at Joe@mv-church.org.
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On August 23 we had our first-ever Rise Against Hunger Food-Packing Event," with 116 people taking part in this fast-paced morning. Here is a three-minute video with footage from this memorable day!
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