The Words of the Goldberg Family
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The Words of the Goldberg Family |
Sun
Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han March 24, 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
God speaks to us in many ways if we are listening for that still, small voice within. Early this morning I decided to visit the little workout room in the apartment community where we live. As I began to open the door to leave the room, the handle came off in my hand! It was a bit of a shock, made more challenging by the fact that the door would not open once the handle was broken.
During the next ten minutes or so many thoughts ran through my mind. I had not brought a cell phone, so calling for help from home was not an option. The situation made me think about people who are held against their will and unable to get out. People in jail cells, who have lost the ability to come and go freely; people who have been kidnapped, like some of our brothers and sisters in Japan, and held in faith breaking situations. I thought about the terrible situation of some young girls who have been taken captive and forced into sexual slavery. How many of us actually confront the reality of what it means to lose our freedom, even for a short period of time, let alone weeks, months and years?
My ten minutes of captivity in the little gym room came to an end when I got the idea to take one of the weight adjustment rods out of the machine and use it to pry open the lock mechanism in the broken door. Holding the latch open, I was able to grip the bottom of the door and tug it open in order to escape.
Reflecting on this little drama of momentary imprisonment makes me think about the value of freedom. What do we do with it? We take for granted the fact that we have freedom of speech, movement, and self-determination. We enjoy freedom of religion, the right to pursue happiness as sons and daughters of God. How often do we use our freedom to help free others?
There are many kinds of prisons. Some have walls and bars, others are made of rigid thoughts and habits that enslave us and steal our joy. We Unificationists might say that True Parents have come and the truth of the Divine Principle has set us free. But, how fully are we practicing these principles? And what kind of witness do we bear in our daily lives that would make others want to join us in living the blessed life we love?
I want to give appreciation to our Japanese brothers and sisters who came to America to serve a nation that was their historical enemy. Let us at least pray for our church members in Japan who are suffering now due to lack of religious freedom.
At the start of this year, Reverend Inose and Mrs. Inose visited us and gave deep internal guidance regarding God's Providence. One of the messages they conveyed was about witnessing. They challenged us with the question, "Do I make a foundation of faith based on the number 40 for the separation from Satan?" We all had the opportunity to do a forty day reading condition from the Cheon Seong Gyeong to start the new year. And it just makes sense to keep doing conditions as we go forward. Just as an experiment I decided to make such a condition for finding a spiritual child after offering a bowing condition for the following 40 days. It was not so much the external action of doing 50 kyung-bae bows each day, but the process of intentionally praying and thinking positively about finding a person to share God's love and truth that made the condition meaningful for me.
At the end of that condition, two Sundays ago, we met a person who wanted to attend the Sunday worship service.
What I learned from this is that in order to see things change around me, I must change internally. So much of our success depends upon our internal attitude.
Please do not be afraid of change or trying new things. Lovin' Life brings many new ideas about how we do education and small groups, even how we share our faith in a natural way. Once you jump in and try it, you will learn new things and have fun.
We are making preparations for a wonderful Easter Sunday experience at Camp Letts next Sunday. Please come along this week to our regular worship service at New Hope and help get ready for what comes next.
God bless you and see you on Sunday.
Pastor Matthew and Marianne Goldberg
Please submit all prayer requests to Mrs. Gay Grow by Wednesday at noon each week.
Pray for health and protection for True Family and all our families.
Please pray for all those who may be struggling with matters of faith or with physical challenges.
Revolutionize your health and live by the powerful principles of God's creation. To live by these principles means eating healthy food. When you eat vegetables which have been nurtured by sunlight, air, and minerals of the earth, you consume the unaltered power of God's creation. You feel more energetic, alert, and fit. All this, and more, will be taught at the upcoming KICKSTART YOU HEALTH RETREAT with Gregg and Elke Noll. March 30 and April 1. Contact Christoph and Karen Wilkening. There are still a few spots available.
On Sunday after service, please join Gregg and watch him prepare a delicious salad with home-made salad dressings, bean dips and pestos. He will explain how to revolutionize your health and how to eat by using God's powerful principles of creation. Meet him in the multi-purpose room and ask him how to lead a healthy life.
Here is a wonderful opportunity to get involved and inherit the joy of giving. We need adults to lead the "Adult Circles" after service on Sundays. Please contact Doug Burton or Libby Henkin to schedule a turn to host a circle.
Would you like to inherit heavenly fortune by serving your church community as a family?
Who will be next "Family of the Week" to serve as greeters for Sunday Service? The job is easy and fun. A Greeter family just needs to meet with Pastor Matt at New Hope Academy by 9:30 am and greet until 10:05.
Become the Family of the Week by doing this. Contact Gay Grow to reserve your spot. Thank you!!
New Hope Chung Pa Korean School will begin on March 4th, 2012. BUT YOU CAN JOIN ANYTIME AFTER THE 4th!! Classes for all ages and levels will be offered.
Do you already know Korean? You can volunteer as a Korean teacher! Stipends will be paid.
For any questions or concerns, please contact Lee.
Getting Back on Track Workshops: The next East Coast workshop is May 31 -- June 3 in New York.
The Shehaqua family is holding their first Shehaqua T-shirt Design Contest with exciting cash prizes! A fresh design is wanted, and you could be the one submitting it. The only element that is required to be part of your design is the words "Shehaqua Family." Everything else is up to you. Express your creativity!
Submit your idea for a Shehaqua Family T-shirt by March 31. All submissions will be presented to a panel of six judges who will choose a winner. Their criteria for judging each design are how much it expresses the spirit of the Shehaqua Family programs, how original it is, and how artistically accomplished it is.
The winner of the Shehaqua T-shirt design contest will get a check of $100. The second- and third-place winner will get a check of $50 each, and the fourth- and fifth-place-winner will each win one of our brand new T-shirts.
Please read the rules at live4joy.org for details.
The White House Internship Program's mission is to make the "People's House" accessible to future leaders from around the nation and cultivate and prepare those devoted to public service for future leadership opportunities.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 1, 2012
Encourage the young leaders you know to apply! Tell them to visit www.whitehouse.gov/internships
IRS Information Technology Recruitment Announcements will be out March-April 2012 onwww.usajobs.gov. The IRS is the foundation for all that our country is capable of, and could be the starting point for a career where your Information Technology skills and experience are put to a greater use -- serving the American public. This is the Agency that enables our nation to achieve more -- and to do that we've developed one of the largest and most ambitious Information Technology organizations in the world. The Modernization and Information Technology Services (MITS) Division of IRS is recruiting to fill IT Specialist of all levels. MITS offers entry-level, mid-career IT professional, IT Project Management, and Supervisory IT positions. Earn while you learn. We offer outstanding training and a wealth of opportunities for growth and advancement on top of our exceptional benefits and pay. Put your IT skills and experience to work from Day One in a challenging occupation. Job Requirements: ? Must be a U.S. citizen
Must be current on Tax
obligations
Must be able to pass a background check
IRS is looking for individuals who are working towards or have completed a degree in the following: Computer Science, Computer Engineering/Architecture, Information Science, Information Systems Management, Operations Research or Engineering, Technology Management For information about the IRS and the careers we offer, visit the IRS Careers Websitewww.jobs.irs.gov <www.jobs.irs.gov/> You will be instructed to first register as a user. You MUST register as a new user even if you already have an account set up through USAJobs. Then you must complete an online application and submit your resume and transcripts – as well as your DD-214 if you are a veteran.
Announcements will be out March-April 2012 on www.usajobs.gov. If you need assistance with the online application process, please contact the IRS Jobs on-line Help Desk at 1- 866-743-5748. Select option 1, and then select option 3. Assistance available M-F, 7 am – 7 pm Eastern time USAJOBS account allows you to create a job search agent to receive email notices for new IRS job announcements and to track the status of your online application. The USAJOBS website is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.usajobs.gov/.