Thursday, June 13, 2013

Hot and Muggy in the Country

     We had a great Sunday at Enola this week (9th) with family and friends gathered together to worship God in spirit and in truth.  I am thankful for every opportunity to meet with my fellow Christians to honor God, remember Jesus, and look forward to another week of Christian living.  We’re so very blessed.   Several of our Enola brethren were out of town grabbing a little R and R.  It’s good to have you back home now.

     Have you driven by the church building late lately?  When you do you will notice something new and exciting; our new sign is now lit up beautifully at night.  Cindi and I stayed late after our evening worship on Sunday to watch it come on at dusk.  Now we can post our church activities and events for the community to see, post thoughtful statements for those who might need encouragement, and generally show and share God’s love with others through simple Scripture texts.   Thank you again to those who worked to get our sign in place and in order.

     This past Sunday we asked ourselves a couple of questions: Do I have a generous heart?  Is God asking too much from me?  Someone asked Jesus about the most important commands of God.  He told those who were listening that God’s greatest command is that every human being love God with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and all their strength.  He said that we should love others as we love ourselves.  Well, do we?  Is God asking too much? Some certainly think so.  You can tell by the way they walk, talk, and act.  May we love God not for the things He has, or for the things He has promised, or for the things we might get from Him.  Let us love Him for who He is, our Father.  This week we had a new addition to our family at Enola.  Ross and Kayla Robinson were blessed with a brand new healthy baby daughter, Marlee Kate.  We all love her.  We love her not for what she can do for us, or for what she might give us, or for any other selfish reason.  We love her simply because she is our family.  Newborn babies are not easy to deal with.  Babies cry a lot.  They can’t take care of themselves at all.  They do not sleep very much at first.  They sometimes smell bad.  They are very expensive from the start.  They cannot do anything for us except be ours.  And that is completely enough.

     This Sunday is FATHER’S DAY.  I’ll be sharing a sermon on the “do’s and don’ts” of fathers.  There is a sign on the right side of highway 64 going into Conway that has Ephesians 6:4 quoted on it.  After the quotation the challenge is this:  Father’s, it’s your job.  Just do it.  I hope you will remember your dad on Sunday, but more importantly remember your Father in heaven, not just on Father’s Day, but every day.  It could be that your dad wasn’t what he should have been or isn’t what he should be.  Know that you have a Father in heaven who is exactly what a father should be.  His word is our lamp and light for life.  He provides for us every day with blessings, opportunities, discipline, and unconditional love.  He also holds us accountable for how we live our lives.  Every dad should learn from Him and do likewise.

     YOUNG AT HEART – We have a very special ministry available to our seniors and their friends.  Every Friday in June and July from 10:00 to 12:30 we meet at the Annex at our facilities north of Enola on highway 107 for a time of fellowship, lunch, and visiting.  Last Friday we had 17.  Everything was terrific.  Thank you to Callie King for coordinating the activities and our lunch together.

     Our awesome Vacation Bible School is on the horizon schedule for July 21-24.  Mark your calendar and plan to be with us every night.  I’ll let you know the theme, times, and plans as soon as we get everything arranged.  VBS is always a wonderful time of Bible study and fellowship.

     Boy is it hot outside.  Please take care of yourself when working outside.  Be smart.  Try to do as much work as you can outside early or late.  Even if you are accustomed to outside work, watch out for dehydration and the signs of heat stroke.  

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