Again we pause to contemplate the actions of our founding fathers in declaring their independence from Great Britain. People who were by nature law-abiding & peaceful put their names to a document that identified them as traitors to the crown. They risked everything on the very slim chance of surviving their rebellion. If it were simply a matter of money they would have grumbled about their taxes like we grumble about ours. But theirs was a fight over principal, the principal of freedom. The dream was for a nation filled with God-fearing people to determine their own destiny as they looked for guidance from above. In order for such a dream to become a reality it requires a spirit of patriotism that perhaps President Kennedy described best when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask rather what you can do for your country.” In this age of entitlements it would do us well to think about those who were willing to sacrifice all for the greater good. May we, as God’s children, leave more than we take; willingly sacrificing for the greater good. Happy 4th of July.
One good thing I see in the church today is an atmosphere where we can be more honest about the struggles we have and have had against our old nature. I appreciate that one of our own can stand and ask everyone else to pray for them because they are battling an old addiction again. Not that I’m at all glad they are having difficulty but that they know they’re surrounded by brothers and sisters who themselves have struggled or are wrestling against issues and that those believers will pray for and encourage them until they are once again free. As the level of our hypocrisy decreases some not so lovely things about us will be revealed but until they are they will remain hidden and unchanged. If I can bring my obstacles, you can bring yours, we can help each other and seek God for deliverance. I think we will get closer to what God intended church to be when He told us to confess our faults to each other so that we may be healed. The Lord never meant for us to simply mask our base nature; He asks us to overcome it. Like it or not that usually cannot be accomplished in a closet alone; it happens when we enlist others to help us who may well be every bit as flawed as ourselves.
The view out my window is turning greener. It seems like the blossoms only appear for a day; you mean to get around to doing some serious blossom watching but they’re gone
before you get there. So many things disappear while we’re otherwise occupied: the kids grow up, the dog gets old, the furniture sags & wrinkles appear. Why doesn’t fat melt off
when we’re not paying attention or pain go away while we’re busy with other things? Most of the time we have to be paying attention to what is important in order for good things to happen. Otherwise, we just keep missing the things that bring the most pleasure like sunsets, baby talk, evening walks, doggie welcome homes & blossoms. Obviously we can’t stop doing everything else in order to stare at trees all day, but how is that we can live in the middle of such beauty, underneath a spectacular sky, yet be so preoccupied with trivia that we notice none of it? Ah to be able to live in each moment or at least in more of them than we do. More time isn’t possible but improving the way we use it is part of what we are called to as believers in Christ. “Teach me to number my days aright so that I may gain a heart of wisdom.”
I hope that any children you brought with you this morning enjoyed the egg hunt and that you got in on breakfast. We have so many good people around here who have made it their pleasure to serve others. How Christ-like! Jesus said that the greatest kind of love is when one person lays down their life for another. He, of course, laid His life down for us all. Now it is our turn to show that kind of love to others and one of the best ways to do that is to serve them. It is more blessed to give than to receive, maybe that’s why the happiest people I know are givers. They give of themselves; their time, their talents and their treasure in order to bless other people. Conversely, the most miserable people I know are always expecting more for themselves and are constantly disappointed. Others may line up to serve them but that service is never good enough to get them over the obstacles in their life to a place where they feel they have enough to share with people who also need a boost. I suppose we all go through seasons where we’re unable to give as much as we would like to but finding someone else to bless is one of the greatest cures to the blues I’ve ever found. Give the gift of helping someone else today.
I found it interesting that President Obama returned from the conference on Global Climate Change to be greeted by the largest snowfall ever recorded in Washington, DC for a single day. The conference of course was concerned with “Global Warming”. The cameras could hardly pick out the president’s silhouette as he exited the plane in the middle of the storm—two days before the official start of winter. For the longest time scientists feared that we were heading into another ice age, now Global Warming is the driving force behind so much of what governments are trying to accomplish. For thousands of years people have tried to control the weather using everything from human sacrifices to rain dances to salting the clouds. All of these efforts proved to be vain and usually ended up costing innocent people dearly. But now our enlightened society believes we have inadvertently turned up the thermostat and if we do not act decisively and swiftly we will cause the end of civilization. I’m all for renewable resources and a reduction of waste, but stop crediting (or blaming) ourselves for what we cannot control. At least that’s the view from my window.
| 9 AM | Sunday School |
| 10 AM | Morning Worship |
| 6 PM | Evening Worship |
| 7 PM | Evening Bible Study |