Our concert this Saturday night, unfortunately, will be postponed. Our performer is ill and unable to attend. Please pray for Nicholas’s quick recovery. Announcements about a future date will be coming soon.
Most of the stuff on the internet about the Bible is from conservative sources.
Ever notice that?
I came across this: “When we are born again, we are adopted into the family of God.”
Adopted!
Where from? God made us. Did he give us to somebody else after that?
The writer goes on to say, “Before we are adopted, we are enemies. When we accept Christ, we become children.”
Now, that explains it! That’s why we Christians can be so mean to Jews, Muslims, and Hindus. They are not children of God!
God didn’t adopt them!
Just us!
Only we are God’s children. Those other folks are still enemies.
We are really somebody.
They are—not so much.
The writer continues: “When we are born again, God treats us differently—as family.”
Wow! Did he say that?
Somebody. please, pick my teeth up off the floor. This writer is willing to contradict a central tenet of Jesus’ teaching: God treats everyone the same.
God “sends the rain on the just and the unjust.”
God “is kind to the ungrateful and to the wicked.”
God loves all of us.
As we are.
And we are all God’s children. Natural born. No adoption necessary.
The church is not an exclusive club.
It is not a gathering of the saintly saved.
It is, rather, a gathering of people who know that God loves all humankind.
Every person on earth benefits from God’s grace.
God’s love covers all, excludes none.
And the little song got it right: “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
The service for Ronnie Sullivan’s mom will be this coming Monday in Abilene. I know we will have some people going. The love of all of us will be with Ronnie and her family. The flowers this Sunday will be in memory of Ronnie’s mom.
It’s a “We-bring Sunday.”
I did not bring my pigs in a blanket last Sunday. (I’ve been on the slow side lately.) But I will bring them this Sunday.
Food and fellowship at 10:30.
Jason—this sermon title will not change: “The Grace We Need”. Paul got an encouraging word from the Lord. We can use it also.
I sent three sermon title changes to Jason last week. Don’t know what was wrong—just couldn’t settle.
We will have some music celebrating the 4th of July this Sunday, and a moment of thanksgiving, but my sermon is not a July 4th sermon.
We missed Mary last Sunday—home sick.
And we missed Blake and Shannon.
Hope to see you this Sunday.
I’m ready for worship.
I’m ready to be lifted by God’s grace.
I want to sing.
And give thanks.
And feel a bit of joy.
Come. Let us gather.
And praise the Lord.
God Bless—MB
Hello, dear church!
I missed being in church with you Sunday and I will not be with you this coming Sunday either. I will be in Abilene for the funeral. I am not sure I can stand being away from you for this long! I watched the service last week and will do so again this Sunday. Thanks to all of you who have sent cards, phone calls, and texts. And to Veta for the wonderful dinner and dessert! You spoil us and we are so very grateful for you. It is very hard to lose someone you love. I know many of you have experienced this kind of loss more than once in your lives. I take great comfort in knowing that my church has my family in its prayers and holds space for us in this time of grief. You are all a blessing from God.
REMEMBER OUR CONCERT THIS SATURDAY NIGHT: DOOR’S OPEN AT 6:30 pm. The music starts at 7:00 pm. We will have light refreshments after so that you may visit with each other and with the performers. Nicholas and Cassandra have planned a wonderful performance for us. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Please pray for Carol Bennett. She is the proud owner of a brand-new knee! Surgery was 6/25 and she will be out for a few weeks.
I received an email today from Marilyn Thomas. Marilyn wants to donate a Yamaha baby grand piano that belonged to her late husband. If you are interested in owning this marvelous instrument, please call me or text me and I will give you Marilyn’s contact information. If I don’t hear from anyone, I will share the information with the Central Texas Conference. We have to find a home for this beautiful piano and honor the memory of Marilyn’s husband.
There are no words for how much I miss you, Mary
Our bible story for the week was about Esther, who lived with her older cousin, Mordecai. The King chooses Ester to be his new queen and brings her to the palace to live. Queen Esther is Jewish, but her husband the king does not know this. The king’s helper, Haman, doesn’t like the Jewish people. So he tricks the king into making a law that will have all the Jewish people killed.
Mordecai convinces Queen Esther to intervene with the King to save her people. Esther approaches the king and tells him that she is a Jew and that Haman wants to kill all her people. She begs the King not to allow this to happen. The King is upset with Haman. The King doesn’t want Esther or her people to be killed, so he makes a new law to keep Queen Esther and her people safe. As an elite woman, it would have been easy for Queen Esther to remain silent and allow her people to be killed, but Esther put her own life at risk to save and bring peace to the Jewish people. Sometimes it is hard to be a peacemaker in difficult circumstances; but with the help of God, we can all do this.
It was a little late for Father’s Day, but we took this opportunity to show Dad how much he is loved. Each one glued small stones around a heart made of wood and wrote “Dad, you rock!” on the heart.
Hope he loved it! See you in church on Sunday. Blessings