November Devotion: At My Right Hand
Late this summer, we made a special purchase for our family. Our son Jordan simply loves riding. He enjoys car rides and train rides and amusement park rides. One thing that we’ve wanted to have him experience is bike rides. Because of his autism, though, he is not able to ride a bike on his own. We have been looking around for a bike that was suitable for his needs for quite some time now. We finally found one (the one pictured above) from a very special company. Worksman Cycles is the only company left that makes its bicycles completely in the United States (they have plants in New York and North Carolina). Their specialty is making bikes that street vendors use in peddling (pun unintended) their wares. They also manufacture the above side by side tricycle that we purchased for Jordan.
Ever since we purchased it, Jordan has been enjoying it greatly. Because of the unbelievably great weather we have had this autumn, we have been able to go on a great many bike rides together. The highlight was definitely the trip that we took up to Peninsula State Park in Door County (also pictured above). He was grinning from the moment we got on the trail to the moment I packed the bike back in our van.
As I take my bike trips with Jordan, I notice how he rides without fear despite the fact that we are often travelling very close to fast moving vehicles. That’s because of two things. 1) He is having the time of his life riding in the open air. and 2) He knows that he can trust me to keep him safe from the traffic.
Riding with Jordan has often brought to my mind the passage from Psalm 16:8: I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. This is one of the things for which we can give thanks in this month of Thanksgiving. We can rejoice that God is at our right hand at all times guiding, guarding, and protecting us. With him at our right hand, we can always rest secure and be confident that God will use all things to help guide us to him and his forgiveness every day of our lives.
–Pastor Joel Lillo
Joint Reformation Service at Fox Valley Lutheran High School
A Joint Reformation Service will be held on Sunday, October 31 at 4:00 pm in the Fox Valley Lutheran High School auditorium (5300 N. Meade Street, Appleton). Guest preacher is Rev. Mark Jeske, senior pastor at St. Marcus Lutheran Church in Milwaukee and content contributor for Time of Grace. All Federation members are invited to celebrate our gospel heritage restored to us in the Reformation of the 1500’s. We are saved by Grace alone, by Faith alone, and according to Scripture alone. Light refreshments and fellowship will follow the service. Please join us for this special worship opportunity!
St. Paul’s Women’s Group
We will be having the first meeting of the St. Paul’s Women’s Group since the beginning of the pandemic on Monday, November 1, at 1:30 PM. It will be a great time for Bible study and fellowship. We plan on meeting each first Monday of the month at 1:30 PM on a regular basis. This month, we will be discussing the cornucopia, a possible Christmas fellowship at church, and Christmas decorating.
Return to Grace Movie
Return to Grace chronicles the real life story of the seismic upheaval that rocked the western world in the early 1500s. Narrated by Hugh Bonneville (Downtown Abbey), the film brings to life the great adventure story of Luther’s struggle.
500 years ago, Martin Luther triggered a seismic upheaval that rocked the western world-with an impact that continues to reverberate to this day. This entertaining new film follows the great adventure story of Luther’s life, packed with political intrigue, kidnappings, secret hideouts, and life-or-death showdowns. At the same time, it’s a story about the most important questions of life. “Who am I?” “What is my purpose?” “How do I get right with God?”
We will be showing this movie to remember the work of Martin Luther on Monday, November 1, at 6:30 PM at church in place of our midweek worship service.
Time to Fall Back
Saturday, November 6, marks the end of daylight Savings time for this year. Please remember to set your clocks back one hour before you go to bed that evening or you will end up coming to church one hour early next Sunday.
Veterans Day Events
The students who make up the FVL Band will present a special concert for our veterans. This concert includes patriotic music, inspirational readings, and heartfelt thanks from the students. This concert will be presented twice on Thursday, November 11. The first concert is at 10:00 AM at St. Paul’s in Appleton.
The second is at 1:30 PM at Bethlehem in Hortonville. All are invited to come and enjoy this concert. Veterans are encouraged to attend.
Also on November 11, the students of Fox Valley Lutheran High School will host the veterans of our area for a breakfast event.
This will take place from 8:00 to 10:30 AM in the FVL commons area. We thank the students of FVL for remembering our veterans. Of course, we join with them in thanking our veterans for their service to their country.
You are welcome to stop by any of these events and thank veterans for their service to their country.
WELS National Choral Fest at New Ulm
The 2021 WELS National Choral Fest will take place November 12-14 at Martin Luther College under the theme “One Faith, One Hope, One Lord.” Twenty-one WELS Lutheran High Schools from around the nation will participate. The choirs from Fox Valley Lutheran High School will participate in this event as well.
Pops Concert
Please join us in person at Martin Luther College on Friday, November 12 at 7:00 pm CST or online via our Livestream.
Sacred Concert
Please join us in person at Martin Luther College on Sunday, November 14 at 2:00 pm CST or online via our Livestream.
The website for the livestream is: https://www.welsfinearts.org/2021-wels-national-choral-fest
Culture and Cuisine Event at Fox Valley Lutheran High School
You can find out a little bit about the international students who are currently attending FVL on Saturday, November 20 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM at their Culture and Cuisine event. You will be able to sample foods from about a dozen countries around the world in the FVL commons. After you’re done doing that, you can waddle over to the FVL auditorium for a special presentation.
In this presentation, you will hear several international students talking about their homelands and their experiences attending school at FVL.
There is also a special display of honor given to the host families who are taking care of these special students throughout the year. It might even inspire you to get involved in this program in the future.
FVL Schools & FVL Band Concert
The students of FVL will be presenting their Fall Band Concert on Sunday, November 21 at 2:00 PM. This concert will also features music from the FVL Schools Band Program (middle school band). It is amazing to see these young musicians take their first steps toward playing before an audience.
Thanksgiving Song Service
We will be having our Thanksgiving song service on Wednesday, November 24 at 6:30 PM. This year, our theme is A Thanksgiving in Wisconsin. We will be looking at several things that make living in our state special and how they are worthy of giving thanks to our God. All are invited to join us for this special song service.
