Scripture
– Jude 1:17-20 NIV
But,
dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.
They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow
their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow
mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
But
you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and
praying in the Holy Spirit,
Bob’s
thoughts:
We
tried to worship here recently but got behind a state snow plow moving slowly.
Today we were early enough to talk to a man at the door, and he caught up with
us after the service and introduced us to the pastor.
I
always think when we park in a spot reserved for visitors, that someone will
notice. I did feel welcome by the smiles I got from some of the children.
There
was an interesting cross in front of the drum surround. We worshiped in the
social hall and there was a traditional service in the sanctuary at the same
time.
I enjoyed
the harmony of the praise team but wished we could have heard the females sing
a little on their own. The projection screen is up high and I thought it would
have been nice to project the children’s message up there. It’s always more fun
if you can see the children.
The
message was about keeping yourself in the love of God, and the pastor’s
comments about well-worn Bibles caused me to remember some Bibles.
My
favorite was an older friend who lamented to me that he and his wife tried to
read the Bible together before bed but the language made it hard to understand.
I gave them a modern version and in the few years before God took them Home
they never failed to thank me. It is most humbling to help a friend late in
their life.
I
remembered the woman in a Bible study whose Bible was a loose-leaf notebook and
anything she didn’t like, she removed. Another who showed me her beautiful
Bible that she had never opened. My Bible that I use most is probably less than
20 years old. When the duct tape that I repaired it with wore through, I
covered it with aluminum tape used to hold part of a wing on airplanes and is now
protected by my late son’s Bible cover. The most amazing thing to me is every time
I read through the Bible, it changes to meet my needs at that time.
Jan’s
thoughts:
Having
been out late (for us) last night, we opted for the 11:00 service this morning.
We arrived early enough to chat with a gentleman just inside, find seats, and fix
a cup of coffee. We also looked around some and noticed terrific signage.
This
contemporary service is held in a fellowship hall with a relaxed set up: some
chairs in rows interspersed with large round tables with chairs. There is also
a traditional service at 8:30 as well as 11:00 in the sanctuary, so three
services each Sunday. As is usual with a multi-service church, only a few extended
greetings…people generally assume they don’t know visitors because they attend
another service.
We
anticipated loud music so chose seats near the back, but the volume was just
fine and the music was excellent.
The
announcements were presented via a narrated video, which I found interesting.
We
were pleased to be able to pray for seven members of the congregation
comprising the Romania Mission Team. They will leave Wednesday to spend 10 days
serving the Lord in Romania.
The
message, Keep the Romance Alive, referred
to our romance with the Lord and was paralleled with the romantic relationship
with a spouse. The pastor noted that the same sort of routine and taking-the-other-for-granted
that sometimes happens in marriages can happen in our relationship with God. He
recommended spending one-on-one time with God regularly, talking with God about
the deep things in our heart, and listening for God’s response.
I
am convinced this is great advice for any important relationship, and if we want
to deepen our connection with God, this is the way.
Our
prayer for this church:
Lord,
we thank You for Your living word and all the blessings that come from it.
Amen.
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