JEFFREY SWAINSTON, CHAPLAIN
P.O. Box 77
Manton, MI 49663
(616) 405-6921
revjeff82@gmail.com
"COME TO ME, ALL WHO LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST." - MATTHEW 11:28 IN MEMORIAM 2014
Geraldine Bailey - North Adrian #721
Philip Clipfell - Colon #215
James Hazel - Home #129
George Huffman - Home #129
Margaret Wetzel - Home #129
Richard Kelley - Rome #293
Kenneth Murray - Fredonia #1713
Rita Orlowski - Barnard Grange #689
Doris Ely - Lime Creek Grange #712
Marge Wagner - Summit City Grange #672
Gary Hallock - Burns Grange #160
Mary Carson - Burns Grange #160
Dick Wooters - Summit City Grange #672
Alvin Thelen - Capitol Grange #540
Jerry Dennert - Oceana Center Grange #1047
Alice Beebe - Rome Grange #293
Charles Johnson - North Adrian Grange #721
David Armstrong - Adams Grange #286
IN MEMORIAM 2013
Ed Schwartz - Fredonia #1713
Joanie Miller - Fredonia #1713
Eva Grant - Home #129
Esther Pfister - Rome #293
June Ohlman - North Adrian #721
John Baldwin - Oceana Center #1047
Margaret Beardslee - Community #1675
E. Marie Dean - Summit City #672
Eva Grant - Home #129
Ruth Strebbing - Plymouth/Westand #389
Donna Jean Hauri - Studley #1174
Dean Yoder - Torch Lake #1840
Vivian Foor - North Adrian #721
Jody Barnes - Gratiot #1898
Peg Brown - Burr Oak #1350
MAY/JUNE 2024 GRANGE NEWS
Compassion for the Hurting
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Compassion for the Hurting
Babe Ruth, one of the most famous baseball players of all time, finished his career in a slump. According to the legendary story, he was ridiculed mercilessly after one game as he made his way back to the dugout. The fans continued to boo and yell obscenities until a little boy jumped the fence and ran to Babe’s side.
The child threw his arms around Babe’s legs, crying as he fiercely hugged him. Moved by the young boy’s display of affection, Ruth gently lifted the boy up into his arms. As they walked off the field, the man and boy cried together.
This young boy demonstrated the true nature of compassion, he sympathized with the sorrows of another. His example reminds us that a compassionate man does not stand detached from the sufferings of others. Rather, he steps into the world of the hurting and feels the pain and anguish of the one suffering. And he expresses his compassion through sincere concern, through a listening ear, a shed tear.
The world is full of hurting people, many who are longing for a compassionate friend. Are you willing to be that friend?
The world is full of hurting people, many who are longing for a compassionate friend. Are you willing to be that friend?
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
~Romans 12:15~
MARCH/APRIL 2024 GRANGE NEWS
It’s a mixture of sadness, grief, discontentment, loneliness, and maybe even a bit of anxiety when you’re missing someone you love. When you miss someone, that void can’t truly be filled unless they are in your arms, hugging you. But that doesn’t answer the question of how you can get to sleep tonight, when you’re feeling their absence so tangibly.
The answer is simple, but it’s not simplistic. Call to God to fill your void.
He hears you, and He will come to your aid. It may not be in the way you want or expect. It won’t mean a certain loved one will come jetting back to you in the next twenty-four hours. It doesn’t mean that you won’t feel a palpable absence. But when you cry out to the Lord, He is quick to bring compassion and comfort. He will be your refuge, dear friend. He will console you in His perfect, timely, all-knowing way.
We can find comfort in the presence of our God — especially when we are troubled or missing a loved one.
2 Corinthians 1:4 says that the God of all comfort “comforts us in all our tribulation.” Cling to that truth, dear sister or brother. Look for the Lord’s presence today. He can fill that empty, cavernous hole that feels so desperate. Pour out your heart to the Lord; He will sustain you in your most pain-filled moments. He will provide a light in the darkness; He is a reprieve in the pain, a provider to the weary, and a strength to the weak.
God’s Peace
Missing a loved one is a very lonely feeling.
The only thing to really resolve the ache of loneliness is to actually see the person you’re missing. But many times, it’s not that easy. You may miss your mother who passed away last year, your daughter who is away at college, or your spouse on a long business trip. Even though it may not be an easily fixable situation, there is a longing in your heart that cannot be denied.
It’s a mixture of sadness, grief, discontentment, loneliness, and maybe even a bit of anxiety when you’re missing someone you love. When you miss someone, that void can’t truly be filled unless they are in your arms, hugging you. But that doesn’t answer the question of how you can get to sleep tonight, when you’re feeling their absence so tangibly.
The answer is simple, but it’s not simplistic. Call to God to fill your void.
He hears you, and He will come to your aid. It may not be in the way you want or expect. It won’t mean a certain loved one will come jetting back to you in the next twenty-four hours. It doesn’t mean that you won’t feel a palpable absence. But when you cry out to the Lord, He is quick to bring compassion and comfort. He will be your refuge, dear friend. He will console you in His perfect, timely, all-knowing way.
We can find comfort in the presence of our God — especially when we are troubled or missing a loved one.
2 Corinthians 1:4 says that the God of all comfort “comforts us in all our tribulation.” Cling to that truth, dear sister or brother. Look for the Lord’s presence today. He can fill that empty, cavernous hole that feels so desperate. Pour out your heart to the Lord; He will sustain you in your most pain-filled moments. He will provide a light in the darkness; He is a reprieve in the pain, a provider to the weary, and a strength to the weak.
