NorthStar Church Blog

When you think of traditional church ministries, running does not usually come to mind. Choir or Worship Band, yes. Children’s Ministry, yes. Outreach and benevolence, yes. Discipleship and Bible Studies, yes. But running? Since when is running a spiritual pursuit?

The answer– since God made runners.

God is pleased with us whenever we are doing the things that He designed us to do. Some of us are gifted musically, some are artistic, and still others are gifted with the ability to speak, cook, counsel, or teach. And judging by the number of people who have become part of NorthStar’s “Blazing Stars,” many of us also enjoy walking or running!

Whatever abilities God has given you, use them for his glory! Of course He’s happy with you when you’re praying, reading the Bible, tithing, etc…But He’s also happy with you when you’re doing what He designed you to do and enjoying his creation. He delights in every detail of our lives (Psalm 37:23), not just the ones we usually associate with being “spiritual.”

When we use our gifts and abilities (whatever they are!) with an attitude of praise, God is pleased. To stifle them would be to reject His workmanship. So whatever it is he has designed YOU to do–Just do it!

This Sunday is what we’re calling “Back to Church Sunday.” With school back in session, we’re settling into our routines and getting back into the groove at church.

Along with school comes busyness! Practices, games, homework and conferences manage to keep us running around the clock, leaving us with little time for relaxation, let alone quality quiet time spent with God.

Today is October 1st. There are 31 days in October, and there are 31 “chapters” in the book of Proverbs. Why not discipline ourselves to spend a few minutes a day reading through a chapter of Proverbs each day this month? We will be sure to find some peace in the midst of busyness if we spend time with God, the One who never rests.

Talking about giving is uncomfortable. No one ever talks about how much they give, just like no one ever talks about how much they make. But I think not talking about giving robs people of knowing about one of the most sincere forms of worship we have.

Before I came to NorthStar I never really knew much about tithing; giving 10% of your income to God. I thought it was one of those Old Testament rituals like slaughtering male goats or offering flour mixed with olive oil on an altar. I didn’t really think ordinary people (i.e. not rich people) gave that much in this day and age…I mean, who does that? So for many years I put my ten dollars in the offering envelope and sent it on its merry way. Even though I had a good job I actually thought that was a lot! But when I look back now I think God must have been thinking, “Are you kidding me? After all I’ve done for you? You pay Time Warner more than that!”

The Bible talks about people honoring God with their lips while their hearts are far away…I think that’s where I was. I could sing all the worship songs telling God how much I loved Him, trusted Him and wanted to give my life to Him, but was I sincere? It’s easy to say we trust God but do we really when our real trust is in the balance of our bank accounts? God wants all of us, not just the parts that are easiest to give.

Along with some of our friends at NorthStar, my husband and I made the decision a few years ago to start tithing. We thought, “Are we really going to put our money where our mouths are? Do we really trust God?” He says, “test me in this…” so we did and we haven’t stopped since.

But over the course of a few years the tithe started to feel like a bill…we pay God just like we pay everybody else and it stopped being an act of worship or a sacrifice. So we decided to up the tithe to 12%. I’m horrible at math and when I figured out how much that was I was kind of nervous. But we did it for a couple months and God was faithful in providing for us. I was happy to do it. For some reason this past month was harder. Between vacations and other large expenses it just seemed like so much. I kept looking at the amount and thinking, “Really? Is that what you really want? This is a real sacrifice…Are you really going to make sure we’re ok?” But I do want Him to know we trust Him, and so I prayed and then clicked “Pay Now” on the electronic payment.

About 15 minutes later I got an answer from God. My husband came home from work and said his company is going to start a kind of reloadable money card program to be used as gift cards or debit cards on all kinds of practical things like groceries and even gas…And the good news was they were going to give them to the employees preloaded at various amounts starting at $25. His was for $500.

Yes Really, God said.

Donald H. Mostoller, 63, Manchester, formerly of Meyersdale, died July
27, 2009 at home. Born Nov. 16, 1945, in Friedens, a son of Harry and
Grace (Zerfoss) Mostoller. Preceded in death by parents; son Timmy; half
brother Eugene Pugh; and step-grandchildren Billy and Mya Maust.
Survived by his wife of 8 years, the former Judith Yoder; children:
Melissa married to Michael Borgel, Clifton Park, N.Y. and Jody married
to the former Teri Friedline; Ballston Spa, N.Y.; stepchildren: Susie
and Joe Ludden; Bill and Brenda Maust; Kim and Kevin Bender; and Brian
and Renee Maust; grandchildren: Libby Mostoller and Mya Borgel;
step-grandchildren: Jason, Jamie, Misty, P.J., D.J., Brian Jr., Ashlee,
and Kody; 18 step-great-grandchildren; brother of: Martha married to
Alan Wackerling, Plantation, Fla.; Emma married to Harold Pile,
Friedens; Ronald married to the former Marge Simpson, Somerset; and
Richard married to the former Dorothy Pletcher, Friedens. Also survived
by mother-in-law Edith Yoder, Meyersdale. Graduate of Somerset High
School and a Vietnam era Air Force veteran. He was an equipment operator
for Coleman/Fleetwood, retiring in 2007. Member of Mountain Valley Bible
Church, Berlin. He was an avid hunter and fisherman; a huge Steeler fan
and a NASCAR fan. Family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday
at the Deaner Funeral Home, Stoystown, where a service will be held at
11 a.m. Friday, Pastor Tim Shivler officiating. Interment Friedens
Lutheran Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be
given to Judith Mostoller, 300 Highland Ave., Manchester, PA 17345 to
assist with funeral expenses.

We welcome the newest addition to the NorthStar family! Emily Grace Schreiner…beautiful baby daughter of Matt & Jen!

Have you ever read our bulletin? How about the part that says NorthStar is “a church for people who have given up on church?” Did you know that 3 of the biggest reasons people give up on church are:

1. Boring, irrelevant sermons.
2. Church members are unfriendly, “cliquey”, unwelcoming to visitors.
3. Worry about the quality of a church’s childcare.

The good news is we can do something about it!

1. We can leave the burden of preaching non-boring, relevant sermons to Pastor Roscoe.
2. Be friendly to visitors! Spend the first 3 minutes after every service talking with people you’ve never seen or never met. Make a pact with your closest friends to do this so they’ll know you’re not ignoring them!
3. Support our children’s ministries through volunteering or prayer.

WE don’t want to be the reason people give up on church!

June 18 was a big day in the history of NorthStar Church. On that day at 2pm, we closed on the land which will become our future home.

On Sunday, July 12 we will be holding a special service on our land at the corner of Rt. 146A and Ashdown Roads. This will be a humble, simple service in which we will dedicate the land for God’s use through our church and focus on all that He has done for us.

For all who plan to attend we ask that you bring your own chair, a picnic lunch and anything you might need for your children as there will be no children’s ministry. After the service we’re planning on taking a group photo to commemorate this historic day in the life of our church.

Greater things are yet to come for our community, for our lives and for our church as we continue to lay foundations for our future!

If suddenly you were to stop following Jesus…would your friends and family notice any difference?

On those rainy, good for sleeping-in Sunday mornings, would your neighbors be surprised to see your car still in the driveway?

Would your family think you finally came to your senses because you stopped giving away 10% of your income to the church?

Would your refrigerator be more stocked than it is now since you wouldn’t hesitate to splurge on groceries like you used to when you wanted to have more to give?

Would you drink more than you do now?

Would you maybe still go to church (since that is what “good” people do..) but definitely not serve with children or change diapers while others get to sit back and relax?

Would you swear more?

Would you start caring more about what people think of you than what God thinks of you?

Would you still give to charity…just as long as it didn’t impinge on your standard of living?

Would your friends wonder why you stopped talking about Jesus so much?

Would you treat your spouse worse? Start looking elsewhere for affection? Maybe even decide to throw in the towel on your marriage?

Would you spend less time with your kids?

Would more of your time and thoughts that used to be consumed with Jesus be freed up so you could follow your dreams?

Would you stop loving people who couldn’t love you in return…or even those who had done you wrong or were perhaps smarter, more attractive, richer, or more popular than you?

Would you stop thinking about Heaven and focus only on today’s to-do list, the here and now or this summer’s vacation?

Would you stop living by faith and make sure your life is structured so that you don’t have to?

Or would they notice no difference?

…I am grateful that God’s grace covers our imperfections….but may we test ourselves often, strive to be obedient, and grow to be more like Christ every day!

Like many other Americans last night, I was feeling pretty stupid. Sure, I have a pretty good education and worked pretty hard in school, but after spelling only four words right while watching the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee, I started to wonder where these words have been all my life. What have I been doing with my time that has kept me from even hearing them before, let alone be able to spell them? Surely there must have been at least one there that I should know?

As it turns out, there was. The very last word…

Kavya Shivashankar won the bee with the spelling of “Laodicean”. Although I didn’t spell it right, this was one that we should all try to be familiar with, so that we can avoid falling into the Laodicean trap!

In the book of Revelation, Christ instructs John to write a message to seven named churches in Asia Minor. One of them was the church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-16). In it, he accuses the church of Laodicea of being “lukewarm”, “neither hot nor cold” and because of that, He instructs them to turn their hearts toward Him again. Today, the negative term Laodicean is used in the English language to refer to those neutral or indifferent in matters of faith.

The city of Laodicea was wealthy, and what the Laodiceans could see and buy had become more valuable to them than what is unseen and eternal. This type of wealth and ease can make us feel confident, but with that confidence we can become complacent…lukewarm toward our relationship with Christ. The letter to the Laodiceans should remind us all to draw close to God through confession, service, worship and studying his Word. Pray for help in reigniting your zeal for Him, and avoid the Laodicean trap!

Now don’t you feel smarter?

As a child, I loved “Little House on the Prairie”. I watched the show, read the books and wrote to all the main characters requesting autographed pictures. Back then, I was fascinated by the horses, the swishy skirts, long braids and sunbonnets. Now I have two girls of my own that I have brainwashed into becoming “Prairie” fans, mostly so that I have an excuse to watch it all over again. I still do like the swishy skirts and horses, but as an adult I am also appreciating the wisdom of Charles Ingalls (aka “Pa”, played by Michael Landon on TV). It seems “Pa” always knew just what to say, how to handle any problem, and how to conduct himself in any situation. I appreciate his character so much I even joked that I should watch all 207 episodes to write down all of Pa’s words of wisdom. Maybe it would be a best seller…chocked full of child-rearing tips, financial advice, self-help and motivational quotes. I’d be rich for sure…think of how much I could contribute to our Foundations for the Future capital campaign!

Well, any good author needs to do some research first. One of the most important tasks is finding out if any other such book already exists. Imagine my disappointment when I found out it does exist, and it is a best-seller. It was written thousands of years ago, well before the birth of Charles Ingalls. You may even have a copy at home!

It is called the Bible. Unfortunately, even though many of us may own one, we may also read it as rarely as we clean behind the refrigerator. We think of it as a collection of outrageous stories, irrelevant rules and ancient history. In reality, it is a treasure chest of wisdom-the ultimate self-help book, parenting guide, and financial advisor. It is the way God speaks to us. It is a living book, applicable to every circumstance we will ever encounter on this earth. We weren’t given the Word just to know more about God, we were given it to change our lives.

As you grow as a Christian you will want to read the Bible and learn more about what God has to say to you. You will want to feed on the Word. If you apply what you read to your life, you will see the power of the Bible to transform you, to help you make that Great Exchange of ordinary living for extraordinary life.

I am sure that Charles Ingalls had some God-given wisdom, but I also know that he and his family were Christians who read the Bible faithfully. Pa had “hidden the word” in his heart (see Psalm 119:11) and he applied it to every aspect of his life. I am thankful that the same source of wisdom is available to me if I just open my Bible, even though I guess I won’t be making my millions any time soon.