June 2010! School is out for the summer! Hurray for our students and teachers! You have made it through another year. The summer months mean a few less students down town and a few more students on the highways and around town. Watch carefully for our children as they enjoy their summer.

Speaking of summer; Our Vacation Bible School at St. Andrews Road is just around the corner scheduled for July 11th through 15th. Mark your calendar and get ready for an awesome VBS this year. You won’t want to miss a single night.

Last weekend was “Memorial Day” weekend. We all remembered our family and friends who have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our nation and our allies. Our family got together on Monday for a special “cook-in” (It rained most of the day at our house.). We prayed for the families of those who died in the battle. Even now our soldiers are scattered across the globe protecting the rights of others to live in freedom and in peace. I’m so sorry that there must be war in order to obtain and maintain peace. What a dilemma!

Our Sunday morning lesson series “Faith to Victory in Christ” continues this Sunday with another lesson from Lazarus. Last Sunday we considered all the people who needed to believe in Jesus Christ: Thomas and the disciples, Martha, Mary, and all the people who watched as Jesus prayed to His Father and ours then commanded Lazarus to rise from death and come out of that tomb. This Sunday we will consider three of the most powerful statements in the Bible:
Jesus wept (John 11:35).
Lazarus, come forth (11:43)!
Loose him, and let him go (11:44).

Sunday evening at SAR is a very special time of worship and study. Jesus is our Shepherd (Psalm 23). All the promises of Psalm 23: green pastures, still waters, restoration, paths of righteousness, His presence, comfort, peace, plenty, goodness, mercy, and an eternity in His house are conditional to our submission to His Shepherding.

Jesus is also our Provider (John 10:9-10). He provides health, healing, help, hope, happiness, and heaven. If we reject His provision, He still provides. He provides hardship (Hebrews 12:5-11) and if we continue to rebel against Him, He provides hell (2 Thessalonians 1:7-12). Please! If you are in rebellion to God…if you have yielded to sin…if you have made the wrong choices…if you have believed the lies of Satan and his followers…if you have thought about obeying but have not obeyed the gospel…if you have now realized that there could be another way to live…Don’t wait any longer. A gospel preacher named Ananias came to Damascus to speak to Saul (Acts 9:6), he laid out the following plan straight from God:
“And now why are you waiting?
Arise and be baptized,
And wash away your sins,
Calling on the name of the Lord.”
Saul followed the plan and his life was forever changed.

Sin does so many terrible things to us. Read Psalm 51 and see what David wrote about sin! Sin makes our souls dirty. Sin dominates our minds. Sin dishonors God. Sin depresses our hearts. Sin diseases our bodies. Sin destroys our testimony. Sin defiles our spirits. Sin leads to death. The Holy Spirit spoke through Paul when he wrote in Romans 6:23; “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Don’t die. Live!!