From the Baton of the Music Director

Let Your Faith be Stronger Than Your Fear

Music has a way of expressing what cannot be expressed otherwise, and where it is impossible to be silent. The music for Lent is meditative with glimmers of hopefulness. Each musical piece lends itself to reflect the season and the trials and tribulations of life’s journeys. This Lenten season, the text, Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy) Christe Eleison (Christ have mercy), is featured in many pieces. God has a way of making His way known and perfect for what is offered musically.

God’s faithfulness is everlasting. Thanks be to God that His faithfulness to us does not rely upon our faithfulness to Him; God’s steadfast love is not diminished by our circumstances. God does not promise that each day will be sunny and bright in green pastures beside still waters. God does promise, however, to be with us every step of the way – yea, even in the valley of the shadow of death. Despite the anxiety, fear, grief, longing, loss, and pain that chase us, God is always with us. Let Your Faith Be Stronger Than Your Fear encourages us to hear the voice of the Holy calling to us through the trials and challenges of this life, gently but powerfully saying, “Do not be afraid. I am with you.” I pray that the music and the lessons for the season will uplift you as it inspires a deeper hope and a greater love of God and neighbor.

For the season of Lent, we put Alleluia away and go deep inside...

Jennifer Sheldon

Director of Music and Worship



From the Organist's Chamber

In late February, the Carillon de Cristo handbell ensemble procured three new additions to our bell arsenal: they are three very large bells, made of aluminum, and their pitches/range are known as C2, G2, and Bb2. Bells this size used to be made of bronze (well, some still are) like the rest of the bells, but the Malmark manufacturer grew wise and learned how to make a similar-sounding bell out of the much lighter aluminum metal for this dauntingly low range.

They look and sound really impressive and will add so much depth to our sound. Be sure to compliment the ringer’s Herculean strength when you see him or her ring…just don’t give away the fact that you heard that the bells are actually quite light!

Dr. Jeremy Peterman

Organist and Handbell Director

🎼 Get to Know Your Choir

Myrna Witt



It was getting toward the end of the Depression when my parents, Carl and Lena, came to California from Oklahoma to have jobs as field workers. My mother disliked the movie "Grapes of Wrath" because of how people from Oklahoma were portrayed. My father had been in the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked in the Gilbert, Arizona area as a cowboy. One of the things he did was order a Gibson guitar from a Montgomery-Ward's catalog and joined a western swing band. My parents were the reason I learned and loved music.

I was born in the small town of Delano, California on December 25, 1941, located in the Central Valley. Then we moved further north to Manteca, near Stockton. This is where I grew up, went to church, school, took piano lessons, and became a well-rounded citizen.

Music has been a part of my life since I was very young. When I was six years old my parents bought me an upright piano so I could take lessons from Miss Mary Lou Moore. I stayed with her until she went back to school and I began lessons with Mrs. Lee who was quite strict. My mother would work in the kitchen while I went through my lessons everyday. I was raised on a farm and went to the Castle Elementary School out in the country for five years; then came Manteca Union High School and Stockton College. I was asked by the high school music director, Leroy Darling, to play for my graduation; it was to be the first movement of the "A Minor", Greig Piano Concerto. During that time I was also learning how to accompany singers and instrumentalists and taking voice lessons.  

I graduated from Stockton College and met my dear Bob Witt; we married and moved to the San Francisco Peninsula. It was a very busy time for us because he started night law school. He commuted to San Francisco through four years of school and then passed the bar, while I was at home taking care of our home and our son, Mark. Bob went to work for Hexcel Corporation as their in-house lawyer until 1982, and then was asked to take over the European operations. We moved to Paris for two years which was an incredible adventure. By the time we returned, Mark was grown and had become a musician too.

We lived in Orinda, California for over 30 years, I taught piano during that time, we had musical events, went to the San Francisco Symphony and other performances, and Bob was on the board of the San Francisco Conservatory. Music was always at the center of our lives. After Bob passed in 2014, I moved to Arizona in 2018. I have never regretted it because my family is here. La Casa de Cristo is a wonderful choice to continue the joy of music. Jennifer Sheldon, Dr. Jeremy Peterman, and Factotum Jim Jimieson are marvelous staff to keep our music going. If I could name a favorite hymn, it would be the beautiful "All Creatures of Our God and King." All of the Alleluias have always given me a lift.  

As we pray into each passing day, the LORD is so very present in our petitions, our requests, our desires, and praise. He is the One who keeps us steady through the uneasiness of this lifetime. His nearness is evident to others by how we respond to the stressors in our lives (Philippians 4:5); are we gentle and peace-filled or anxious and frenzied? I contemplate these past several months and consider the faithfulness of God to carry me and my family through much. He has truly ‘kept’ me firm. The nearness of Jesus has been palpable in my life. Unmistakably JESUS! 

In fact, the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth speaks this message of God’s ‘keeping’ encouragement… 

He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:8-9.

This fellowship with Jesus, through prayer, is real for us now as we are privileged to open our Bibles and commune with our living Savior! Each of us is walking the heavenward path toward our faithful Father. His promise to keep you and me firm to the end, has never sounded sweeter to me. Are you hungry to experience His ‘firm-keeping’ presence in your life?

If you are a woman and not yet connected with a 6-week Lenten small group, please accept my invitation here to join LA CASA | WOMEN, Tuesdays, March 11-April 15. We are providing a morning AND evening opportunity to join in. I’d love to help you find belonging in one of these groups opened just for you! 

With love,

XOXOX

Paula Webb

Director of Women's Ministry

As we head into March, our kindergarten through 5th graders begin our new series called “Cast and Crew-Everyone Has a Part to Play.” 

This got me thinking about what is MY part in the church. I have the privilege of being on campus for many different activities that take place here. I get to personally observe people serving God in mighty ways. 

Over the years, it has been a great gift to see how God uses people here at La Casa de Cristo. One example that comes to mind is that in our La Casa Kids program as well as VBX, we do a LOT of crafts. I am creative and can create a craft no problem, but doing the tedious tasks to prepare for the craft is NOT my forte. Did you know that we have groups on our campus that LOVE to and are WILLING to serve in craft preparations? Each month they serve by helping prep crafts for our kids. We truly couldn’t do it without them! 

There is also another amazing group who sew Bible covers for our 3rd grade Bible program, Operation Bible. Their gift of sewing serves to help our kids make their Bible their own by decorating the cover for their Bible. 

God uses us in mighty ways and there is TRULY a part for everyone! 

Maybe you love hospitality and want to help in preparing for memorial services for those who have lost someone. Do you have an outgoing personality? You would be PERFECT for greeting people as they come into worship. Do you LOVE to hold and care for babies? The nursery can always use loving hands. 

There are SO many pieces to the puzzle that help to hold La Casa de Cristo together and it requires US to use the gifts He has given us.

I challenge you to think about this: What is YOUR part in the church? How can you use the gifts that God has given you to serve Him? 

I pray that you will take a few moments to think of a new way you can serve Him. 

Staci Medina

Director of Children's Ministry



The book of Malachi was explained to me this way:

“It is a book filled with a series of disputes. God starts out by saying something or claiming something. Then Israel would disagree or question God. Then God would respond and offer the last word. This happens six times! In the first three, God exposes Israel’s corruption and in the last three, He confronts their corruption.” Bible Project, copyright Aug. 4, 2016

Even after the exile, Israel’s hearts are as hard as ever!

I am not writing this to give everyone a lesson on Malachi, but something a high school kid recently said to me made me think of digging deeper to the answer I gave her.

She felt that over the years, people have been becoming meaner or closing off their hearts. I explained that I did not think that was necessarily true; people have always been selfish. The difference is it is in our faces 24/7 with social media. I continued to explain people in the Bible had hardened hearts. I first thought about the book of Judges, 21:25. "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Everyone put his or her own needs first, even if it meant hurting others.

It was later when I thought of Malachi. The last three verses, 4:4-6: "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction."

God redeemed Israel and then they betrayed Him through their rebellion and hard hearts, breaking the ways of God.

This book tells the truth about selfishness, but also reminds us about His promise.

I am teaching the Middle School girls to be the light; if someone hurts you, do not hurt them back. If we can learn to soften our hearts, we can be the change God wants us to be. We have to be willing to be different from what you might be seeing.

God tells us in Ezekiel: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

If you are one of those people who think people’s hearts have gotten hardened over the years, remember they have been hardened for a long time. We can do our part to help soften them.

Thank God for His promises and keep on believing His truths.

Suzan Scudder

Director of Middle School Ministry

Gout

You may go to bed feeling fine but then wake up in the middle of the night feeling like your big toe is on fire. It’s so bad that you can’t even have a bedsheet covering it.

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in the U.S. Gout is characterized by sudden and severe attacks of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth and swelling in joints. It usually affects one joint at a time...typically the large joint of the big toe. But other joints of the feet, hands, arms or legs may be involved.

To understand gout, you need to understand uric acid. This waste product dissolves in blood and is filtered by the kidneys. From there, it enters the urine and leaves the body. But sometimes the body produces too much uric acid or the kidneys don’t filter it enough. When uric acid builds up in the blood, it can form tiny crystals in a joint or surrounding tissue. The crystals are sharp and needlelike and trigger the immune system, resulting in intense inflammation.

Risk factors for gout include high levels of uric acid, kidney disease, obesity and genetics. The main source of uric acid is the body’s naturally occurring purines – compounds that form uric acid when metabolized. Men develop gout more often than women do, however, the risk of gout increases in women after menopause.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) can quickly relieve pain during a gout flare and reduce inflammation. Other options include Colchicine and corticosteroids. Once flare is controlled, your care team may prescribe a drug to limit future episodes. Outside of taking medications, losing excess weight provides the biggest benefit in improving the severity and frequency of gout attacks. It may help to avoid or eat less of certain foods that have high purine levels. These include organ meats and seafood such as sardines and shellfish. Alcohol can increase uric acid production. In general, eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and drink plenty of water. Cut back on saturated fats. Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products. These are linked to reduced uric acid levels. 

Blessings...

Jean Knowling, R.N.

Parish Nurse