HEAVEN

SCRIPTURE

We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.

~2 Corinthians 5:4-5, MSG

QUOTE

Earth has no sorrow that heaven can not heal.

~Thomas Moore

God’s presence fully manifested, no sin, no temptation, no Satan, no sorrow, no death, no guilt and no anxiety. Wow, I can only imagine!  William Franklin Graham says, “Heaven will be the perfection we have always longed for. All the things that made earth and unlovely place will be absent in heaven.” The late great Dr. Vance Havner said, “The fruit trees of heaven bend over the walls; if you’ll look up, you can pick a little fruit now.” The gift of the Spirit is a foretaste of glory divine and so is worship. I agree with both: it is great to have heaven to look forward to and what a blessing to get a foretaste here on earth. Dallas Willard’s last words to his grand daughter were: He said, “Give’m heaven.”

• TODAY WE PRAY FOR FAMILY.
• Senior Adult luncheon today and I hope I get to be there: down in my back.
• No deacon’s meeting Sunday.
• Don’t forget our Brownie Blitz Sunday Evening.

God’s Pleasure

SCRIPTURE

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

~Revelation 4:11, NLT

QUOTE

God is not proud…He will have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to Him.

~CS Lewis

Unthinkable it would seem, God created for His pleasure and to add to the mystery, He decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.  God’s mysterious plan is revealed in Christ and this is the plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. This plan is to fulfill God’s own good pleasure.

So God is not a miserable unhappy God, He is a God who delights in His creation and takes pleasure in seeing us grow and mature into the likeness of Christ. Paul said, “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Imagine you and I bringing delight to God. Jesus passion was to please or to bring pleasure to the Father and He did: twice God spoke from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

How do we please the Father? We love what He loves. He loves Jesus, faith, obedience, sacrificial giving, kindness, mercy and praise just to mention a few. It is not impossible: you could make God smile today.

• TODAY WE PRAY FOR THOSE FACING TRIALS. My uncle [the only survivor of my daddy’s generation] had surgery last Thursday and he had has a difficult time. He is 89 years old and the surgery was a success but he is having trouble getting his strength back. Lift up a prayer for Floyd and Lucille Bailey.
• Consistency is not our strength anymore: after that fantastic crowd last Wednesday, we dropped back to normal. The school having a game on Wednesday evening doesn’t help. There is no reason for us to be so unfaithful to the LORD’s work. It light of His goodness to us; you would think we would be more conscientious about serving Him.
• No Deacon’s meeting this Sunday. We begin at 9:15 with LCBS, worship at 10:15, Visitation at 4:30 and Celebration at 6:00.

LIFE

SCRIPTURE

“For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

~Matthew 12:50, NASB

QUOTE

Everybody needs Jesus.

~Ya’akov

Life is about love, relationships and family. In order to teach us how to live and to love, the Heavenly Father placed us in two families. First there is our biological family and then there is our spiritual family. The first is temporary and the second is eternal. Living in relationships seems to create some problems because each of us has flaws. We all sin, we make mistakes, we yield to temptation and we do and say hurtful things. It is impossible to live in a family where there is no pain, no disappointment and no problems. We don’t seem to understand that another’s failure is an opportunity for us to show them the kindness, mercy and love of Christ. In any relationship there is going to be some conflict: if there is no conflict, it is most likely a one sided relationship which is not a very good relationship. A lot of conflict rises from unmet needs and unfulfilled expectations. When you expect any human whether it be spouse, parent of friend to meet all your needs, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. There are some needs that only JESUS can meet. Unhappy people are those who expect mere humans to meet their needs.

• Today we pray for the …Peace on earth sounds good to me. I am tired of violence and hate; I am ready for the Kingdom of Christ where the lion will lie down by the lamb.
• Supper tonight at 5:30…AWANA at 6:15 and the GATHERING AT 6:30. Tyler will be with us tonight and then his work is carrying him out of town. Let’s all show up and show him our appreciation.
• Kane is home but cannot have visitors….Sorry about that!
• Keri saw a doctor in Huntsville yesterday: they are changing her meds and hoping for better results.

LOVE

SCRIPTURE

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love {agape} will last forever!

1 Corinthians 13:8, NLT

QUOTE

Gravitation can not be held responsible for people falling in love.

~Albert Einstein

One of the weaknesses of the English language is that we have only one word for love whereas the Greeks had four: eros is romantic or erotic love; philia is affectionate regard for a friend; Storge is the affection we have within the family–parent loving child or child loving parent but the word that Paul uses in I Corinthians 13 is agape. It is a divine love, a love from above. It is not natural, it is supernatural. It is an unconditional love. For the sake of time, I want to talk about the two loves in the scripture and quote. Einstein is talking about eros and Paul is talking about agape.

Not every marriage in our culture begins with eros but that is how the great majority get started. Daddy referred to courting as “sparking” and it was right on the money. Eros is the combustion caused by the sparks. Eros is like a roaring fire and it you are not careful, it can get out of control. But to keep any fire going, you have to kindle it and sometimes is it gets down to stirring the embers, putting dry kindling on it and fanning the flame. Erotic love is an emotional trip. It is exciting and rejuvenating. It can make old folks feel young.

THREE THINGS ABOUT EROS YOU MUST REMEMBER: [1] Eros is highly conditional; it is a need love and it must be nurtured or it will die. [2] Agape is eternal and eros is temporal. [3] Erotic love may meet a need but it will not meet all your needs. It is woefully insufficient when it comes suffering and hardship. Long story short, for any marriage to endure long term, we need to move from eros to agape.

There is no good news for the shallow minded who jump from one relationship to another looking for a new erotic high. If you are one of the many who exalts personal happiness over the happiness of your children let me tell you what your future holds. You will grow old and die lonely. You cannot get to the moon in a sports car. You can get to the moon, but you have to have the right vehicle which would be powered by a Saturn V. Eros cannot get you to the kind of happiness you desire because it lacks the power to do so. In the end you will fail miserably short and you will regret not doing the right thing.

• TODAY WE PRAY FOR TEACHERS who are excited about next week which  is SPRING BREAK.
• Clarification: I do know that several members read the blog but your names are not revealed to me unless you are a follower. Jason or someone who knows more about it than I do can tell you how to be a follower. He does not look for the blog, it automatically comes to him. I think through his email but I am not sure. Most of you follow on Twitter or Facebook but there is another way. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to tell you to do it and you may not want to.
• We are aware that some will be gone this Sunday but we did not have another date due to Easter and the things that surround it. Our VISITATION IS STILL ON…Mandy and I are working on assignments. It will be a cookie and brownie blitz and the visits will be ministry related. Everyone can go out, even the children. Report time at 6:00 and then Pizza.
• The Wednesday night schedule is full…supper at 5:30, AWANA at 6:15 {they had 100 last week, Shohn found three more that were not counted} and the GATHERING AT 6:30. Next week {March 25} we do not meet.
• MARCH 29th is the egg hunt at 5:00 and fellowship at 6:00. We may do burgers and dogs. We are going to wait until we get a weather forecast before we decide.
• I think Kane is coming home for a few days and Keri as appointment in Huntsville today.

A Rose Among Thorns

SCRIPTURE

Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?

~Matthew 26:40, NLT

QUOTE

There is something so pure and frank and noble about Jesus that to doubt His sincerity would be like doubting the brightness of the sun.

~ Charles Edward Jefferson

Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ’s 3-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these three philosophers who have to rank among the greatest in history. I have been in Matthew 26 for a month or so: yesterday we were in the Garden of Gethsemane and last night we walked through the mock trial at the palace of Caiaphas. Jesus shines like a diamond on black velvet: He is noble, everyone else is ignoble. He is pure and the rest or polluted. Jesus is sinless, all others in this human drama are sinful and hopelessly depraved.

Run through the list of characters in Matthew 26: Peter’s denial, Judas betrayal, the disciples fleeing in fear, the rabble that the priest sent to arrest Jesus with their torches and clubs, Caiaphas the high priest [what a joke], the teachers of the law, the Sanhedrin, temple guards, the false witnesses, and the servant girl who taunted Peter. There is not one noble, upright person in the list. Everyone in Matthew 26, other than Jesus, deserves death and hell. Yet Jesus voluntarily took the blame for our sin. He took the abuse, the rejection, the condemnation and the death which we deserve. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

• Hey, I found out we have 49 followers, not 19 and as we mentioned before, only two of them attend our services so the blog is a bit of a recap of yesterday’s messages. I writing this on Sunday night and I am tired so a rerun for Jason. Sorry about that!
• TODAY WE PRAY FOR MISSIONARIES AND MINISTERS: Remember Joe David as he travels [Seminary in Birmingham]. Remember our four Asian Missionaries who read the blog. Speaking of M’s, Ken B is coming home some time this Summer. We look forward to seeing him.
• GREAT DAY yesterday {March 15}. Check our facebook page, Beth and others were going to post the pics. We had one baby dedication and three precious baptisms: Ellie Mae Tucker, Bree Tyson, and Libby Jones. The house was not full but with the children coming in for the baptisms, it was close. Best crowd in a long time and we had a great crowd last night. What about the praise and worship yesterday morning? Wow! Double Wow! Haley and Charity knocked in out of the park and then David and Tyler hit another out with the invitation. I didn’t want to leave for the baptism because I was enjoying the music.
• Continue to pray for our Youth, Keri and Kane. I think Kane is going to get to come home for 10 days.

A Blip Or A Trend

SCRIPTURE

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

~2 Timothy 3:1, NASB

QUOTE

This is not a blip on the radar, it is a trend and the trend is one of decline.

~Ed Stetzer

Every preacher knows how to spin the numbers which makes some people want to get rid of numbers all together. Why do Baptist count nickels and noses? Is it an ego trip? Numbers should represents names and names represent people; plus we have no way of gauging progress without keeping a record of numbers. Preachers naturally want to be positive, if for no other reason, for their own sake. I am as bad, possibly worse, than the rest. We had close to 200 last Wednesday night and I got excited. We had 97 in AWANA and 10 in the nursery. If we have 400 in worship today, I will really get excited but what about some harsh reality.

Southern Baptist don’t attend church as regularly as they once did: the national average is at 37%. When I was a young man, it was 50% but no more. We are also baptizing fewer people. In the U.S. we have a population of 318 million and it is projected to go to 400 million in the next couple of decades. Not only are we not keeping up with the population growth rate, we are going in the other direction. Four researchers[Christian Smith, David Olson, George Barna and Christine Wicker] have Evangelical Christians at 7-9% of the population. They are claiming that Evangelicals are under the illusion that we are a majority or at least in the 40% area. I don’t recall making such claims or hearing my brothers make such claims. We are a minority and we have always been a minority. We have always been like salt: it doesn’t take much salt to change the flavor of things.

Whereas I think Christine Wicker is going to the extreme on the negative side, I do confess, there is a problem and I know beyond any doubt that we are in a moral decline just like Judah in the days of Isaiah and later Jeremiah. We desperately need REVIVAL. I certainly disagree with the Calvinist who say we are in the early stages of a reformation. Every pastor knows I am telling the truth, the number of faithful attenders is declining at an alarming rate. Our core is shrinking. Convenience, not commitment is the rule of the day.

• TODAY we pray for SENIORS. Our Seniors have had a rough winter but today is supposed to be beautiful. Maybe our Seniors will be able to get out.
• Big Day planned {God Willing}: Gideon Offering, Baby Dedication, three Baptisms, Haley and Charity duet. This is a line-up that will be hard to beat.
• The Comments in the blog are in connection with John Dickerson’s book THE GREAT EVANGELICAL RECESSION. I read only a portion so I don’t have an evaluation. So far, it has been very disturbing.
• I don’t know if I mentioned this in the Tuesday blog but we had 19 request for prayer concerning cancer and I found out yesterday that we need to make it 20. I visited J.W. and Sandra Blackwood and Sandra is battling cancer. I thought she was in remission. They usually come by the office weekly and I had not seen them lately. Please pray for Sandra.

EXTRA/EXTRA

I got this in an email from Linda Green…I do not know the source but I pass it along…it is interesting and disturbing!

When we get 100,000,000, that’s one hundred million willing Christians & Jews  to BOND together, voice their concerns and vote, we can take back America with God’s help. Become one of the One hundred  million…Then let’s get 200 million. It can be done just by sending this email to your  friends. Do the math. It only takes a single willing heart and a fed up SOUL. God Bless America and Shine your light on Her!

In 1952 President Truman Established one day a year as a “National Day of Prayer.”

In 1988 President Reagan Designated the first Thursday in May of each year as The National Day of Prayer.

In June 2007 (then)  Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Declared that the USA “Was no  longer a Christian nation.

In 2009 President Obama Canceled the 21st annual National Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House under the ruse of “not wanting to offend anyone”

HOWEVER… On September 25, 2009 From 4 AM until 7 PM, A  National Day of Prayer FOR THE MUSLIM RELIGION Was Held on Capitol  Hill, inside the White House. There were over 50,000 Muslims In D.C. that day.  PRESIDENT OBAMA PRAYS WITH THE MUSLIMS!

I guess it doesn’t matter if “Christians & Jews”  were offended by this event We obviously don’t  count as “anyone” anymore. Now President Obama is encouraging schools to teach the Quran for extra credit, while at the same time, they cannot even talk about the Bible, God, pray, or salute the American Flag. The direction this country is headed should strike fear in the heart of every Christian & Jew, especially  knowing that the Muslim religion believes that if Christians & Jews cannot be converted, they should be annihilated.

Self-Destruction

 

 

SCRIPTURE

The very look on their faces gives them away. They display their sin like the people of Sodom and don’t even try to hide it. They are doomed! They have brought destruction upon themselves.

~Isaiah 3:9, NLT

QUOTE

The world has lost the power to blush over its vice; the Church has lost her power to weep over it.

~Leonard Ravenhill

For more than 50 years, Isaiah the prophet preached to the nation of Judah and gave counsel to kings. He surrendered to the call the year king Uzziah died. Then he gave counsel to Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah and Manasseh. Jotham was not a bad king and Hezekiah is in the top three behind David and Josiah. Ahaz and Manasseh are the two worse kings in Judah’s history and may rival the evil of the kings of Israel. In short, Isaiah witnessed the moral decline of a nation. He faithfully prophesied Judah’s doom but not one would listen. Isaiah said, “Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the Lord and refuse to obey him.” Manasseh was so outraged with Isaiah’s prophecy that he had him put in a hollow log and sawn in half.

It is not rocket science, the law of retribution is woven into the fabric of the universe. What ever a man sows, he reaps. No one can escape the consequences of sin. By nature, Sin is deceptive and destructive; it is anti-Christ and anti-man. No one would embrace sin if they were not deceived about it’s nature. If we saw sin the way God sees it, we would run from it in horror. We not longer flea from sin, we flaunt it. The gays say they are proud but they should be ashamed. Their consistent rebellion against God has damaged their moral compass. They cannot discern right from wrong thus they glory in their shame but they are not alone; unholywood, Washington D.C. and the media are singing the same tune.

• Today we pray for Students.
• Normal Schedule Sunday…Deacons at 8:15, LCBS at 9:15 and Worship at 10:15 and 6:00.
• Haley and Charity are singing Sunday: Only 3 weeks until Easter.

LCBS LESSON PREVIEW

POWER LIKE NO OTHER

Icebreaker: What forms of power get your attention? [F-5 Tornado, Hurricane, Lighetening, etc]

INTRODUCTION

Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” [John 16:33] Because we live in a sin cursed, broken and fallen world we are going to have some bad days but has Christians we learn not to derive our peace and happiness from circumstances but from out relationship with Christ. There are a lot of problems that can be overwhelming. Cancer is a giant and so is divorce and the death of a loved one. It is easy to feel intimidated by the larger than life problems. I could be wrong in my thinking, but I see the presence of the incarnate Christ as a huge factor. When Jesus walked the earth, nothing intimidated him, not even death. We are going to be with Him at our death or His return and then once again, nothing in His world will intimidate Him or us. Our hope is to get to His world. As John Newton said, “We are living in the land of the dying but we are going to the land of the living.”

SCRIPTURE: Mark 4:35-41, NLT

³⁵ As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” ³⁶ So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). ³⁷ But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

³⁸ Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

³⁹ When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Jesus told His disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side,” but they did not receive His word as prophecy and when the storm blew up, they feared for their lives. There is an old hymn that we do not sing anymore called Peace, Be Still. I love the chorus….The winds and the waves shall obey His will, peace be still, peace be still.  Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea or demons or men or whatever it be no water can swallow the ship where lies the Master of ocean and earth and skies.  Now I know that no boat is going down if Jesus is in it and they came to realize this truth as well. I always say: the storms are nothing if Jesus is in your boat. It would be bad to be in one without Him.

Jonah was sleeping through a storm and the captain had to awaken him but Jonah had been rocked to sleep by carnal security. Jesus could sleep in a storm for a different reason, He had perfect peace. You cannot sleep if your are anxious. Jesus had a perfect calm on the inside while on the outside, there was a raging storm. The disciples panic, wake Jesus and He calms the storm and gives them a light rebuke.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How do you typically respond to bad situations: to the unexpected storms that appear suddenly without warning?
2. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without the Heavenly Father being aware, can you and I get caught in a storm without His awareness?
3. How many ways can you interpret a person sleeping through a crisis? [Indifference, a death wish, crazy, totally unafraid]
4. How much do our feelings have to do with reality? [The disciples felt in danger, but were they really: looking back, they wasted their energy worrying]
5. Do we always see the hand of God at work in the moment?
6. Does Jesus always calm the storm?
7. What do we do when Jesus does not calm the storm?
8. When life seems out of control, who has lost control?
9. Jesus was resting on a cushion; what is your cushion?
10. We cannot cling to our fear and to Jesus: we have to let go of something. Which is harder, letting go of fear or trusting Christ?
11. Make a list of your problems: how much anxiety is being generated by these problems. What do you think Jesus would say to you…Perhaps the same thing He said to His disciples, “Do you still have no faith.”
12. What could you do to help a friend who is in a storm?

Dedicated To Our Faithful Missionaries

SCRIPTURE

Happy are those who think about the poor. When trouble comes, the Lord will save them. The Lord will protect them and spare their life and will bless them in the land. He will not let their enemies take them.

~Psalm 41:1-2, NCV

QUOTE

Give me a heart for the poor, for the needy, for a lost world.

~Hudson Taylor

Hudson Taylor

James Hudson Taylor was a British missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM) (now OMF International). Taylor spent 51 years in China. The work he began was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country who began 125 schools which directly resulted in 18,000 Christian conversions, as well as the establishment of more than 300 stations of work with more than 500 local helpers in all eighteen provinces.

Hudson Taylor was not appointed by the IMB with the support of millions of Baptist; he went to China without any visible means of support. People thought he was crazy but in reality, he was a man of faith who believed in an awesome God. Over and over he claimed Philippians 4:6,  Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. He told prospective Missionaries: “If you do not believe God speaks truth in His word, don’t come.” He quoted Psalm 84:11, For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Then he would say, “If you don’t intend to walk uprightly, stay at home.” Regarding today’s verses in Psalm 41, Taylor believed that God would protect and provide for those who gave consideration to the poor. I love the third promise, He will not let our enemies take us.

I am currently reading Taylor’s 30 day devotional called “Spiritual Secrets.” I am challenged to say the least.

• Today we pray for FAMILY. There is an orchestrated attack on the family which is built on the husband/wife/dad/mom relationship.
• Our printer is down: don’t look for any bulletins Sunday. I put a good 30 minutes into the Pastor’s Page and all for naught.
• Uncle Floyd’s [89] surgery was overwhelming success. They expected him to be in surgery 6 hours and he was out in three. I got there at 11:00 am and the doctor was talking to the family. I took the scenic route coming back: I wouldn’t advise it: took me an extra hour and a half. I did find a place that I did not know existed. Some day when I don’t have anything to do, I am going back {Lord willing}.
• Today March 13, which begins at 9:00 pm on March 12 in terms of blog posting, is my daddy’s birthday. He would have been 104. He was 15 years older than Uncle Floyd. Daddy was 16 and Uncle Floyd was between 1-2 when Granddaddy was killed at the age of 37. This is also the week that Mother was promoted in 2010. Time flies down here but in heaven, there will be no time. In heaven you can’t be late or early; you can be young or old but we can be happy because we will be with Jesus.

THE VINE

SCRIPTURE

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

~John 15:5, NLT

QUOTE

Abiding in Christ means allowing His Word to fill our minds, direct our wills, and transform our affections.

~Sinclair Ferguson

The Vine is the whole, not a part; it is roots, stem, branch, leaf and fruit. Jesus is all in all: He said, “I AM the Vine.” He did not say, “I am the roots, or the stem: He said, “I AM the Vine, the whole. We the believers are the branches and we abide in the vine like the eye abides in the head and the body. What use would an eye be a part from the body? The eye is abiding in the body and works naturally in conjunction with the body. If you are in Christ, rest in Him like the eye rest in the body. Jesus put the emphasis on I AM not you are. Only Christ can produce fruit.

Prayer

Lord, bend that proud and stiff necked I,
Help me to bow the head and die;
Beholding Him on Calvary,
Who bowed His head for me.”

• TODAY WE PRAY FOR THE WORLD.
• The GATHERING tonight at 6:30. Super at 5:30 and AWANA at 6:15.
• Haley and Charity are singing Sunday.
• SENIOR ADULT FELLOWSHIP March 20 {Soup, Salad, Sandwiches and Sweets}
• SPRING BREAK March 23-27 [No mid-week services]
• Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday March 29
• Sunrise Service April 5.
• Next Communion Service April 12.

Surface Judgments

SCRIPTURE

The Stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.

~Psalm 118:22

QUOTE

Examine the contents, not the bottle.

~Talmud

The only thing worse than making a surface judgment is to be the victim of one. What are we to do when we suffer from a superficial evaluations? There are times when you do nothing. Jesus never defended Himself. Although He was very misunderstood and totally rejected by many, He never made it a personal issue. Psalm 118:22 is quoted three times in the New Testament to show that human misunderstanding has no influence on the truth and certainly no power to thwart God’s purpose.

Mother’s often quoted the proverb, “You don’t judge a book by looking at the cover.” The years have taught me that mother was right about surface judgments and many other things. I have learned that first impressions mean very little. Some years ago, a friend came to me with an apology. She said, “My first impression of you was that you were an arrogant jerk but since I have gotten to know you better, you are not arrogant…. just a jerk.” Actually, she did not say it in those exact words but I read between the lines. This same thing happened to me three times in less than two years. Am I a victim or a jerk?

I’m kidding: She said, “I judged you without knowing you and I was wrong.” I thanked her for the apology and then confessed being guilty of the same transgression.

• TODAY WE PRAY FOR TEACHERS.
• Clara was praying for a flood yesterday, she didn’t want to go to school. She wanted more snow but Shohn told her that snow was probably out of the picture, so she started praying for rain. If we get a flood this week, we will know Clara caused it.
• We got enough for three more houses which leaves us needing four. Let’s get her done this Sunday!
• Haley and Charity are singing Sunday. They have yielded to the pressure. I can’t wait!
• SENIOR ADULT FELLOWSHIP March 20 {Soup, Salad, Sandwiches and Sweets}
• SPRING BREAK March 23-27 [No mid-week services]
• Next Communion Service April 12.
• New watch coming out April 24. My Garmin Vivofit does steps, miles, calories, and tracks. For $50 additional bucks, I could have gotten one that does heart rate. They have them that do BP and email now but the new one will do everything. You talk to it instead of using a key pad. I wonder if they will have one that understands red neck? The cost $1,000 so I will not be getting one.