Midweek Update #13

Last night was the President's State of the Union Address.  He said, "We do big things."
It was the closing theme of President Obama's State of the Union speech. This idea of "We do big things," was evidently an idea meant to serve as both a reminder of the enterprising spirit that has long propelled America through tough times as well as an optimistic assurance that the country is up to the enormous challenges it now faces.
It's also a pretty good summary of what the president himself was up to as he spoke to the nation on Tuesday night.  The speech came at a critical juncture in his presidency. He has begun to recover from the depths of voter dissatisfaction he hit last fall, but he faces a newly empowered GOP determined to stop many of his initiatives as the 2012 campaign gets underway.
With both sides jockeying for leverage ahead of what promises to be a brutal battle over the budget and government spending, the president had one over-arching goal as he took the podium: to convince a still-skeptical public that he has a strong plan to spur job growth and the economy, all while seeking to reframe the debate away from one narrowly focused on reducing the deficit and towards the need to invest in the future and maintain America's competitive strength.
The Bible tells us to pray for those in authority, and our responsibility is to do that whether we are Democrat or Republican.
Last Sunday proved to be interesting in having Arnie interpret in Spanish.  I had a lot of positive comments about the service.  Pray as we continue to follow the Lord's leading as he directs us in this new year.

I look forward to seeing each one of you tonight as we share a time of prayer and praise and study in the Word.

Continue to pray for Thelma Mathews who is in Arlington Memorial Hospital and Bennie Green who is getting better after being sick with a cold for over a week.

Pastor Larry

Midweek Update #12

Here it is again in the middle of the week. Look forward to seeing you this Wednesday evening or at the latest by Sunday morning. You know, the Christian life is the normal way of life. God has given each one of us a free will, and we can choose to worship God or not. The decisions we make today determine our destiny. We will all live eternally in heaven or in hell. Our time on earth compared to eternity is such a short time.
Man's day has been numbered at 70 yrs. old. If we live longer than that, it is the wonderful grace of God. One of the 10 Commandments states, "Honor your Father and Mother". It was one commandment given with a promise of longevity of life when it is obeyed. I know my grandmother lived to be 106 yrs. of age. Guess she must have respected her parents a lot. The key to her longevity was surely not what she cooked with.
"Lard." Does anyone cook with lard today? Probably another reason she lived so long was that she was raised and spent most of her life on the farm eating fresh produce and everything for food was produced on the farm.

Looking forward to spending a time in the Word tonight and praying for various needs. At the end of our time together tonight we will spend a few minutes looking at some of our planned activities for 2011 and seeing if you have any ideas to add to our annual calendar. Leah and I will look forward to hugging each one of your necks or shaking your hand or at least having a meaningful conversation.
Bless you and look forward to seeing you soon.

Blessing,
Pastor Larry

Midweek Update #11

I am hearing great reports about Wayne and the Men’s Breakfast and the good turn out plus Gertie and Buddie’s Life Groups last Sunday night and the good turn out there.   I think we had a little bit more snow than you all.  We almost did not make it home on Sunday after church.  The road was really piling up with snow and the traffic was creeping along at 10 to 15 miles an hour as we approached Waxahachie.

Glad that weather is behind us and also glad the first week of school is completed. Last weekend was very busy here at SAGU.  I really enjoy spending time with each of you and don’t like to miss opportunities for fellowship and worship.

I am looking forward to Sunday morning. I believe the Lord has given me a special message for then.   Looks like we are having a three-day weekend as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day on Monday.  He sacrificed his life for the cause of freedom of religion and freedom of individuals to live a normal life.   His famous statements were “I have a dream” and “Every man is created equal.”

Thank God for the freedoms we have in America and for the wonderful country in which we all reside.  

Midweek Update #10

Thank the Lord for 60-degree weather for the next few days until the cold spell comes through next week. So let's enjoy this while we can.  That is what is wonderful about living in Texas.  You can have 60 or 70 degrees anytime during the winter and usually once a week  or so.

I am looking forward to seeing you all tonight.  We are going to look at one of the most powerful chapters in the the Bible: Hebrews Chapter 11, the Faith Chapter of the Bible.   There are 40 verses in Hebrews Chapter 11.   The very first verse makes such a bold statement,  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen."  The N.I.V. states, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Then, the Message states, "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.  It's our handle on what we can't see."

I heard someone say that faith is like a 6th sense.   Faith is often beyond realm of reason.   We talk about a leap of faith.  Tertullian, the great church leader, said, "Faith is understanding's step and understanding is faith's reward."  I like that.

Faith is believing in something that we do not have in the present but hope for in the future.  Often faith is mentioned along with hope in the scripture.   Hope comes first, followed by faith. "Now faith is substance of things....hoped for...." I like the rest of the verse that says, "And evidence of things not seen."  Wow, that really strikes me.  Faith is substance and evidence.  That means you can get a handle on it.  Also, faith is NOW.  "Now faith is."   Well, that is just the way I reflect about that lst verse.

So many great saints of God are mentioned as examples of faith in Hebrews 11.  I know you will enjoy our time together tonight. I look forward to a good discussion of this chapter with you tonight. See ya then and bless each one of you in this New Year.

Pastor Larry