Midweek Update #4

In Psalm 34:8, the psalmist says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good." Tonight we are continuing to talk about prayer.  Tonight's topic is GOD IS WILLING.  We will base our study on a story found in Luke 18:2-5.  In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, "Grant me justice against my adversary."  For some time he refused.  But finally he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!"  According to Jesus, this story is not an allegory, where elements in the story stand for truths outside the story.  Instead it is a parable--a short story with a puzzling aspect that forces listeners to think.  This particular parable is a study in opposites.  Take a look at the contrasts.

First, we are not like the widow.  In fact, we are totally opposite to her.  She was poor, powerless, forgotten and abandoned.  She had no relationship with the judge. For him, she was just one more item on his to-do list.  But we are not abandoned; we are God's adopted sons and daughters, Jesus' brothers and sisters.  We are in God's family, and we matter to Him.  So don't tiptoe into God's presence, trying to find the secret of attracting His attention.  Just say, "Hello, Father" and know that He loves to hear your voice.

Second, our loving heavenly Father is nothing like the judge in Jesus' story!  The judge was crooked, unrighteous, unfair, disrespectful, uncaring, and preoccupied with personal matters.  By contrast, our God is righteous and just, holy and tender, responsive and sympathetic.

The psalmist says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).  Don't think you have to figure out a way to wrench a blessing from Him, somehow to trick Him into giving up what He would rather keep for Himself.  God's Word teaches that God loves to bestow blessings to His children.  It's His nature; it's who He is - a giving God, a blessing God, an encouraging God, a nurturing God, an empowering God, a loving God.  God has all kinds of favors and blessings and resources and power that He wants to pour into our lives.  Just take a father's feeling for his children and multiply it exponentially, and you'll know how your heavenly Father feels about you.  No one's voice sounds sweeter to God than yours.  Nothing in the cosmos would keep Him from directing His full attention to your requests.   Is there anything holding you back from making them known to Him right now?  Come tonight and we will study about this more.

Hey, the World Series begins tonight in San Francisco at 6:30 p.m.   Will Jackie be at church tonight?  That is the question.  Knowing Jackie, he will be at church tonight. I know he loves the Lord more than baseball.  And we will need to help Lucie fill sacks for the outreach on Sunday.  Also, I want to meet briefly with the deacons and elders tonight.

Time change is not until Sunday, Nov. 7th, at 2 a.m. when we gain an hour of sleep and move our clocks back one hour. Here is how it works:  The phrase "Spring forward, Fall back" helps people remember how Daylight Saving Time affects their clocks. At 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March, we set our clocks forward and one hour ahead of Standard Time ("Spring forward"). We "Fall back" at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November by setting our clock back one hour and thus returning to Standard Time and gaining one hour of sleep. 

Well, it is less than a month until Nov. 20th which is the Pastor's and Leah's wedding day and only about 58 more shopping days until Christmas.

Hope to see ya all tonight and if not, then on Sunday, that is, if the Lord is willing.  Hey the ball game should be here at Ranger's Ballpark on Sunday.

See ya soon.  Pastor Larry

Midweek Update #3

Way to go Rangers!  3 wins and 1 loss.  Hopefully they will win this next time and take the division. Well, tonight we have a special guest sharing in our Wednesday evening service. Tave' Garza will be ministering at Dayspring tonight.   It is always a joy knowing Dayspring is in good hands when I am away on business.  I wish I could be there to hear Tave' minister.  Guess I should have her speak in the Sunday morning service soon.   Your Pastor has a required banquet to attend at SAGU (Southwestern Assemblies of God University) where I am a Professor.   SAGU is the number one A/G University that produces more than twice the number of A/G credentialed (licensed & ordained) ministers than any other A/G school.  Tonight (Wed. p.m.) is a strategizing meeting where we bring in the Secretaries of our eight Districts who own SAGU.  These men will have input in how we might be able to more effectively assist them in placing our SAGU students within their districts and what we can do to help our students become credentialed A/G ministers and assist them with their exam preparation.   SAGU's eight owning districts are North Texas, South Texas, West Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico/Arizona.  Both the Rocky Mountain District (Colorado & Utah) and GLAD (Gulf Latin American District) also participate in this meeting.  Miss Leah will be joining me tonight since she is Administrative Secretary for Dean Larry Goodrich in the Education Dept. What I like best about the meeting is free food and great fellowship besides preparing our students for testing for their licensed credential exam in March. We become better acquainted with these District Officials and share great discussions in helping our students.

This week there will be the Dayspring Garage Sale on Saturday and Tave' Garza shower on Sunday afternoon.  I hope you enjoyed our new Dayspring Singers on Sunday when they sang, "Oh for a Thousand Tongues to Sing."  I will continue the series on "The 10 Commandments of Marriage" this Sunday.  This will be Commandment #8 --"Thou Shalt Keep the Home Fires Burning."

Plans seem to be coming together very well for the wedding of your Pastor and Leah. We took some casual pictures recently that we are going to use in our wedding invitation, and I have attached them here.  Thought you might enjoy seeing them.  Those were taken in the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens and in the Rose Garden where Leah and I will be married.  Only one month away from today will be our wedding day on November 20, 2010.  You will have to respond to the R.S.V.P from the wedding invitation attached.

Continue to remember Al and Thelma Mathews.  Thelma suffered a stroke and really needs our prayers.  She is undergoing rehabilitation for 100 days and is in the hospital for that purpose.  I know they both appreciate your prayers.  Also continue to remember Roy Swafford who has been in the hospital for the past week. I know he is looking forward to being released and going home.   We are praying for you Roy.

Look forward to seeing each of you this Sunday if the good Lord is willing.   Bless you and see you then.  

Pastor Larry

Midweek Update #2

Can you believe it?  The Rangers have won and beaten Tampa Bay and now we are off to play the Yankees on Friday and Saturday. So, if the Lord returns before this weekend would you be disappointed?  I guess your answer might be determined by how much of a fan of the Texas Rangers you are.   I do love Octobers in Texas with relief from the hot Texas summers.

Tonight we will be dealing with the subject, "Too Busy Not to Pray."  I guess the book I am reading by that title written by Bill Hybels has stimulated some thought on the subject of prayer.   Most people have trouble finding time to pray.  There's church and school and neighborhood and job and friends and recreation.  And then the crises hit!  Time for prayer and medication, I mean meditation. Time for prayer often seems impossible to find.

Prayerless people cut themselves off from God's prevailing power, and the frequent result is the familiar feeling of being overwhelmed, overrun, beaten down, pushed around, defeated.  Surprising numbers of people are willing to settle for lives like that.  Don't be one of them.  Nobody has to live like that.  Prayer is the key to unlocking God's prevailing power in your life. Many Christians today are discovering that prayer does not have to happen on the run.  Often we think we are too busy not to pray.  Tonight we are going to share about God's Presence and God's Power becoming more meaningful than ever before.

God bless you and see each one of you tonight hopefully. If not, perhaps on Sunday and if not then, I pray we see you soon.

Pastor Larry

Midweek Update #1

James 5:17 says Elijah was a man who was subject to like passion as we are.  This means that he was just like us or had a nature like ours. James is teaching on the subject of prayer and brings up the great example of Elijah praying with fervency. James had just stated that the fervent prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Then he said Elijah prayed and it did not rain for three and a half years and he prayed again and it did rain.  Well, you think that he was a great prophet of God and no wonder God answered his prayer.  Actually the scripture is trying to get us to see that we can get our prayers answered just like Elijah because he was a normal person as we are.  In fact, he ran scared when Jezebel said that she was going to kill him. He literally ran away to the desert to hide. He was a man not only of  like feeling and but of similar suffering.   Elijah knew all the frailties of human nature but “in prayer he prayed”, that is, he prayed earnestly and intensely and rain was withheld and later restored.  Earnest and persistent prayer, of course, is essential, whereas halfhearted prayer is self-defeating. However great the results of his prayer, this great effect did not change his essential nature as a mere man, a simple believer.

God wants you to become a person of prayer, who sees specific events & specific people specifically changed in answer to your specific prayers. Powerful, specific praying brings powerful, specific results. Prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven. It’s getting God’s will done on earth.  Perhaps we should not pray "God bless what we are doing" but pray, "God help us to do what you are blessing."  Lord, help us to find and discover your agenda for our lives and our church.

Join us tonight for a time of effective praying and study in His Word. We are praying for each of you that God would meet you at the point of your need.  Bless each one of you.

Pastor Larry