Friday’s Word

An Unseen Presence

On 9/11, the center of impact on Building Two of The World Trade Center was the 81st floor. Only four people who worked above that floor survived.

Ron DeFranco was one of them. But he says he did not make the descent through fire, smoke, and darkness alone. An unseen presence was with him.

When he hit a wall of debris blocking the stairs, he crouched on the floor to get under the smoke. He was in despair.

A voice said, “Get up!”

It was insistent.

The voice addressed him by name and told him he could do it.

All the way down he felt pushed, guided, sometimes even lifted.

“An angel led me through the fire,” he said.

Moments after he made it out, the building came down.

Another person buried under the rubble that day saw Christ standing before him. He knew he was safe.

These stories are told in John Geiger’s bestseller, The Third Man.

(Not a good name for this kind of experience, but it has a history.)

I shared with you recently the story of popular singer M.I.A. (her stage name).

She was in an isolated place with no phone service and was so ill she believed she was dying.

Then Jesus appeared to her, silently loving and encouraging her.

M.I.A. was Hindu and didn’t like Christianity.

But she was faced with a new reality.

She said, “When you need help, it is Jesus who comes to save you.”

Accounts like these are too numerous to ignore.

How do you deal with them? Do they fit your theology?

Do they lift you or trouble you? Let me know.

My e-mail is below.

revmaxb@tx.rr.com

Max’s Corner

Vacation

As I write this, it is late Monday, and I am getting ready to leave.

Mary will be holding down the fort—and lifting your spirits with her preaching.

I do want to remind you of the upcoming concert on Saturday the 14th at 6:00 p.m.

Blake will do much of the singing.

Cindy Wheeler will fix a great meal for everyone.

Do plan to attend.

And bring a friend, if you have one.

I’ll be watching Sunday.

Love to all.

Mary’s Corner

Peace and blessings to all,

THE PLAYGROUND IS COMING! Construction plans have been moved up to WEDNESDAY September 27th. We will have a ground-breaking and a prayer at 12:30. Join us if you can; we will video the event and post it to our website. I am so very excited to see the beginning of this year’s long project. I am also so very grateful to everyone for their prayers and their contributions to the project. It is exciting to think about the way this is all coming together.

I wonder if you have considered this week how very loved we are and how precious we are to God. We spend so much time feeling so many emotions, but have you spent any time this week feeling loved? God does not hold resentment toward us or make lists of our shortcomings. God is not sitting at a chalkboard tallying our sins. We are loved and we are forgiven.

Thanks to all of the folks who helped make the St. Matthew Women United luncheon so much fun. I am grateful for your commitment to the fellowship of our family.

Join us Sunday.

My love to all, Mary

Kids’ News

The last few weeks we have been discussing God’s creations. He created the earth and all that was in it including Adam and Eve, Adam’s helper in the garden. After that, God created the idea of the world and then, like an artist, made the creation come alive. God saw that all that was created was beautiful. God gives a blessing to all living things to reproduce. God sees that all living things are good and wants to continue creation. God imagined a diverse world where each and every living thing was important. Encourage your children to create a world of beauty and to always look for beauty in the world around them.

God made many promises in the Bible; for the next few weeks, we will journey with Abraham and Sarah. One day God spoke to Abraham and told him to leave Haran where he lived with his family. He wanted him to take his wife Sarah. They were both quite old at this time and had no children. God promised Abraham three things: 1. God would provide Abraham with new land, 2. God would give Abraham many descendants, and 3. Abraham’s family would be a blessing to other people. God’s promises alone are blessings. Abraham and Sarah traveled through areas in the Canaanite mountains; this area would be the homeland of their descendants. This journey was very hard for Abraham and Sarah, due to their age, but their willingness to follow God demonstrates their great faith and hope in the future that God promised them. We will continue our travel next week; see you in church! Blessings,

ANOTHER NOTE—Several have asked me if I have talked with Robert and Kaylee Rushing and Julie Ann since their move. I was home alone last Sunday when Robert gave me a call and brought me up to date. I was delighted to learn that on his last grade card, he received all A’s. Kaylee received A’s as well. Julie Ann is doing well in second grade. They all seem to be doing well, but they still miss our church and all you people. Robert says he misses you. I gave him our love and hope to see him soon!