TEARS. There are SO many kinds of tears! And we saw lots of them fall earlier this week as our 10-year old granddaughter realized that her hours with us were drawing to a close. Her dad and mom and one of her brothers had just spent the past few days with us on part of their vacation, and what a great time we had together! We packed as many fun things into those hours as we could! The thought of separation instantly filled Lindsay’s eyes with tears that she couldn’t contain – and they flowed freely down her cheeks and dropped to her cute summer top leaving wet spots where they splashed. Or if Grampa or I were close by to hold her and comfort her – we were moistened with the same kind of wet marks! Our hearts went out to her. When you love someone, it hurts to be separated. It’s painful – and it’s easy for the tears to come. You see, we love looking around and seeing those we love close by. We love knowing that we enjoy many of the same fun things and seeking out adventures together. Most of all, we love that we all have a heart for the things of God and can share so naturally what is most important to us! It just feels good to be together – to be able to do things together – to have that physical closeness! But that isn’t where God has called us to be all the time. They are where God wants them … and we are where He wants us. That’s where the closeness of the heart relationship in being family comes in! Though distance separates us, we are as close as ever because we stay connected and nurture the love that God has given us to share. Then when we are together we just pick up where we left off the last time we talked. We don’t have to wait until we literally see each other to carry on our relationship … it can be a frequent blessing for all of us! I have a feeling that God’s heart would be so moved if we shed tears over missing Him … if tears flowed because we couldn’t be with Him as much as we wanted to … if our cheeks were wet with teardrops because we longed for more connection with Him. I believe those emotions would be the springboard to a great revival in our lives that would change how we walk with God. We would be drawn to His Word more often than to the TV. We would give up eating if need be to have time to feast with Him – if there were no other time available. We would seek to know what pleases Him most, and would naturally be involved in doing what He enjoys. Isn’t that what “Thy will, not mine be done” really means? It’s not just about major decisions like career choices or major purchases like buying a home or a vehicle, though seeking God’s perfect will is very important in those arenas of our lives. It’s as much about spending time with Him, seeking His ways, and following hard after Him and His will on a daily basis! I’m reminded of our grandson in the Mall of America – with his very own stash of money. And before Wade ever looked for something for himself, he was on a mission to purchase a very special handbag that his girlfriend had expressed interest in. He purposefully strode into that exclusive store, opened up his cell phone to the site with the photo of that purse, and I saw the employee nod her head as if affirming, “yes, we have it.” She moved in a direction, removed the handbag from the display, and they proceeded to the register. Soon he came out with a beautiful box tied with ribbon … all tucked in a classy gift bag. Mission accomplished! Only then did he move on to other stores to search for clothing for himself – at only the best sale prices. I was so touched as I saw in his heart a desire to give the best, putting himself and his desires after her. That is definitely a picture of someone seeking to please someone they love. We do that for people … can we not do it for our God?! By faith, God helps us attain to levels in our relationships that we could on our own only hope for. With God, anything and everything is possible! Family relationships, marriage relationships, friendships, business relationships, and best of all, our God relationship … they all take the shape of connection and closeness, favor and trust. All that leads to a bond that cannot be broken. The strength of our relationships only add to the beauty of them! What a gift from God ~ relationships! Back to the word, ”separated”. It is a harsh, ominous word. And it’s the deepest cry of God’s heart – that we will never be separated from Him, especially for all of eternity. Being separated … being apart … not being connected. That’s a horrible feeling for one day, much less for days without end. Feeling Lindsay’s pain of temporary physical separation in between our visits – may we take the message of Christ to our world, so that others will never experience the pain of final separation from God for eternity!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
- WHAT A GREAT TIME we are experiencing through this new series of messages that Pastor Doug is preaching on Sunday mornings! Last Sunday was no exception as we searched out Genesis 3 and focused on “Seeking Wisdom” – which is a part of the final answer to the “Two Words to Change the World” – but not THE answer! Stay tuned for what is to come ~ and don’t miss even one of these special messages!
- BELATED ANNIVERSARY WISHES go out to Matthias and Liz who celebrated on July 20th! May God continue to bless your lives and your love that God has given you to share!
- SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS to Eva and family on the recent arrival of her new little grandson … details to come! May God bless all of you!
- LOOKING AHEAD . . .
- THIS SUNDAY, JULY 24TH: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP in the House of the Lord … come expecting divine blessings in your life as you honor God and put HIM first! Pastor D will be preaching from I Samuel chapter 17, and we will be discovering what two more words could be as we think about changing our world in this sermon series! Will you discover what they are before the final message? Be sure to bring your Bibles along, and bring some friends with you, too! They’ll be blessed and challenged, all at the same time!
-11:15 A.M. – KINGDOM CONNECTION – with time devoted for fellowship and lifting each other up in friendship and prayer as we share our hearts with each other!
- NEXT SUNDAY, JULY 31ST: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP with part 5 of our series taken from II Samuel, chapter 11. We’ll continue to move forward in this series, “Two Words to Change the World” – with the storyline taken from Andy Andrews' newest book titled, “The Final Summit” – and everything being based scripturally on the Word of God! Do you think you’ve found the “two-word” answer yet? Stick with us and you’ll see! As believers, we all need to be about being part of the solution to the ills of this world!
- FOLLOWING WORSHIP, all of our youth will be joining up for lunch (bring your own money!) … then we will head out to do some miniature golfing, then to the park for some Frisbee golfing and more fun out in the sun! Your tickets for golfing will be paid for! Everyone … invite a friend to come along with us!
- OUR MINISTRY EVENT flyer is being fine-tuned pending come finalizations of dates and special guests. We will print it as soon as possible and distribute it for your own use and for outreach purposes!
- PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES . . .
- DO YOU EVER FEEL OVERWHELMED at all the prayer requests that you are aware of? We could spend hours on our knees lifting up almost everyone … because we all have needs, don’t we? Yet, what a privilege it is to come before our Lord, asking, believing, and claiming all that He has for each one, in His Name and according to His will! This week, let’s remember Julia & her mom, Tina & her mom, Mary, Hazel, Jimmy & Nancy, Larry & Gloria, Josh & Sarah & family, Kay, Roger, Eva, Johnny & Cherry, Ernie & Audry, Gerard, Justin as he serves overseas on our behalf, Cierra with her summer jobs, our nation, and God’s perfect will concerning our church building! We serve an amazing God who can do ANYTHING!!! How we praise and thank our God!
- REMEMBER . . . “The stronger the winds, the deeper the roots, and the longer the winds, the more beautiful the tree.” ~ Chuck Swindoll
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
