Outreach Center Network News Letter

April 2017

In this issue:

The Lamb of God - a devotion

Blind Diabetic Resource

Help Learning the IPhone

Lutheran Library for the Blind Goes Independent 

Final Thoughts

Each article will begin with ###. You may move to the next article by searching for this.

### The Lamb of God

The story is told about a little boy who went to Sunday school. Every week, he just looked at the teacher when she said, "You must love Jesus". But the little boy didn't say anything; he was afraid that something would happen to him because of the things he thought.

Love Jesus? The little boy looked up at the picture on the Sunday school wall. It showed a pale young man with a sad expression. Then he looked across to the other wall. There was King David. The little boy liked David. David was handsome and strong-looking. Even as a boy, David had been one tough guy. He killed the giant Goliath with his trusty sling. The little boy wondered if David could whip a heavyweight boxing champion like Spincs or Holderfield. Samson could have. What a fight that would have been!

But Jesus? The teacher said Jesus was meek and lowly and a man of sorrow. And he was the Lamb of God. The little boy did not know what that meant, but it sounded like Mary's little lamb - sissy girl stuff. The teacher also said that Jesus went around telling people not to do things.

The little boy was glad when the Sunday school hour was over. For one more week, he could forget about Jesus and think about super heroes.

When in High School, this little boy now turned teen, wondered if Jesus truly understood people, the world, and life. It came to him that Jesus was a carpenter. Jesus probably built boats, houses, bridges, coffins, tables, and chairs. Since power tools were not part of that era, Jesus would have done all his woodwork by hand, and therefore, he probably had strong muscles. Physically, Jesus was all man.

The little boy turned man, also now understood that Jesus was socially very popular. As a little boy, he thought Jesus went around telling people what not to do. Now he understood that Jesus was a dinner guest in Jerusalem and attended parties and wedding receptions, so much so that his enemies called him a wine drinker and a glutton.

The little boy turned man, working with all kinds and sorts of people, gained a new appreciation for Jesus' organizational abilities. Jesus picked 12 men from different professions and backgrounds and personalities and forged them into a unity that was and is conquering the world.

This young boy, now a man was sent off to fight in a war across the sea. He was exposed to suffering and bloodshed, to hate and violence in ways that he had never imagined before. It taught him much. He saw the truest picture of himself and others. War helped him to see sin, including his own, more clearly than ever before. And he finally saw Jesus. The Word who became flesh did not become some macho hero; he became a suffering servant, a lamb led to slaughter. As a strong and courageous man, Jesus could have resisted the betrayal, the arrest, and the trial. It was not weakness that caused him to endure the shame and pain of crucifixion. It was not nails that kept him on the cross until death came. It was his great love for the world. It was love, pure and unadulterated, in the midst of unspeakable suffering and in the face of death itself. That is the Word which became flesh and dwelt for a while among us.

The little boy from the Sunday school class finally saw Jesus as the Lamb of God. This is our view on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We see Jesus as fully God and fully man at the same time. This Jesus we do love, because he first loved us.

### Blind Diabetic Resource

I received the following email and thought it might be helpful to many in outreach centers.

From: Jerry Munden [mailto:[email protected]]

Subject: The BID Group April 2017 Newsletter - For Blind and Vision Impaired Diabetics

Blind and Vision Impaired Diabetics

, Please see the BID Group Newsletter for April 2017 and join us!

A new website has recently opened especially for

blind and vision impaired diabetics

.  It is called the Blind Independence Diabetes Group or BID Group.  

The BID Group website provides free “living with diabetes and blindness” audio training materials from top medical and blindness professionals.  It offers friendly nationwide peer support groups where blind diabetics, facing the same issues, can learn, laugh, and grow together.

The website is www.bid.northcoastmed.com.

The BID Group works closely with Medicare Bid Winner ADS which can also provide the blind-friendly Prodigy Voice glucose meter to Medicare and private health plan customers.  They sell Prodigy test strips for just $6.87 per box of 50 for people without insurance.   If you want more information about the BID Group call Jerry at 980-253-0949 or to order supplies call Bob at 760-579-7230.

### Help Learning the IPhone

This is another resource I received and am passing on for you to share at the outreach center.

Blind Abilities introduces a new audio series, iPhone 101 <

http://blindabilities.com/bapresents/introducing-a-new-series-iphone-101/ <

Blind Abilities presents a brand new series: Introducing iPhone 101. In this new series, Jeff Thompson and Pete Lane will introduce listeners to the world of the iPhone. While we know there are several different iDevices, including iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch, they’re all similar and possess so many of the same attributes. So, we’re going to keep it simple, and refer to all of those devices as iPhone!

For those who haven’t yet taken the plunge to purchase their first iPhone, we offer information, resources and knowledge to help you make that life-changing decision. For those who have already made the decision, we’ll provide all the information you’ll need to learn and even master your iPhone. This may be the only resource you’ll need for all things iPhone! That’s right, we’ll take you to “iSchool,” We’ll help you overcome your “iPhonaphobia”! So keep it right here as Blind Abilities helps you enhance your

“iPhone-abilities”.

### Lutheran Library for the Blind Goes Independent 

This Library has been around since 1939. It has moved locations many times but always was there to help people who are blind with Christian reading materials. When Lutheran Blind Mission unified with Lutheran Braille Workers (LBW) the Library moved to Florida. It was within the umbrella of LBW. In November of 2016 the Library became independent and is under the management of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, where it is located.

The Library continues to provide Braille and audio cassette books. It is working hard to move   toward the NLS cartridge as well as internet downloadable books.

If you would like Christian reading material contact them at:

Lutheran Library for the Blind

6620 Arlington Expressway

Jacksonville, FL 32277

Phone: 888-215-2455

Email and website: coming soon.

### Final Thoughts

In upcoming issues we can and will look at many of the same topics as well as others. If you have questions, thoughts or suggestions, please send them to me or post them on the blind ministry email list.

Pastor Dave