We got the week off by visiting our friends on Saturday. Doing the best they can in these conditions most seem to be ok. The most important thing on their minds is trying to stay warm and dry. We try to take blankets with us each week to hand out, socks, gloves and stocking hats are always in demand. Hot coffee and hot chocolate is welcomed.
Monday and Wednesday we returned back to our after school activities. With the end of the fall semester fast approaching some of our Centenary students will be missing in action this coming week. If you have an hour or so, come by and join us. Also, a couple of our students will not be able to join us this spring, so we could use a hand with our children. Let Lisa know, if you can help us out.
Tuesday evening, we gathered for our men's Bible fellowship. Matt reading from Matthew chapter 7, starting in verse 7 - 23. Ask God for what you need, living by the most important rule, the way to Heaven is hard and people know you by your actions. We talked about God wants a relationship with us but we need to make the first move, have you?
Next time you come by the center, please walk through the gardens. Walked around with Rickey Wednesday afternoon and it looks amazing. Don't forget to go into the greenhouse. Rickey has plants growing in there, starting to look like what the greenhouse is intended to look like. Amazing things happening in the garden.
Thursday evening, with the rain, colder temperatures, made for a miserable night but our community came. Our friends Heather, Derrick and Richard continued a Christmas tradition of reading about the birth of Jesus and singing hymns during the readings. We realized, they did the same thing last year, a year all ready! TJ cooked up a meal fit for a king. We had lots of help from some students from Northwestern. With all the bread we have been receiving everybody got loaves to take home in their bag of groceries.
Continue to lift up William. He got to see him Tuesday evening and he looked great. He is continuing to stay strong in his battle with his addictions. Many of the guys Tuesday evening said, if he falls they are going to shoot him! Pretty cool, the guys taking a part in William's battle. Tim was under the weather this week with a cold. Prayers for my wife as she continues to recover from her surgery. One of the doctors we saw at clinic Thursday, said it would take at least 2 weeks before she started feeling better. She is on her second week. Pray warm thoughts for our guys living outside. Pray for our college students as they prepare for their finals.
Santa will be arriving Thursday December 19th for our evening meal. The children, young and old enjoy meeting our friend. Our first time having a Christmas Store will opening Saturday December 21st. Please come and lend a hand.
It was brought up on Tuesday evening, if we don't show Jesus to the world who will? Being a follower of Christ takes action on our part. Growing up in church, I attended church every Sunday. Went to Sunday School. Showed up on Wednesday nights for supper. I heard about Jesus from the preacher, learned Bible versus from the Sunday school teacher, but never "knew" Jesus. Being a follower of Jesus is such much more.
It seems, we have grown up in a society, where if we attend church each week, we have done our part of being a Christian and we are good for another week. I never heard or wasn't listening, from our preacher or our Sunday school teachers, ask, search and knock. Being a Christian required me to be assertive and go to God. Start a relationship with Him. Just sitting in church would not, will not make me a good Christians.
As it was mentioned Tuesday, Satan is busy walking around the earth, evil is everywhere, if we don't take the lvoe of Christ into the world, then evil will run rampant. The world needs to see crazy folks like us, because there are so few of us. The fruits of your ministry needs to be good, not show evil. It does no good to lvoe the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul inside the walls of the church and not take it to the streets.
In the last part of our reading, the church people were saying to Jesus, we did all these nice things for you, we followed the rules, we wore the right clothes, Jesus says to them, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants, get away from me, I never knew you.
Let us ask, let us search, let us knock, knowing that everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, everyone who knocks the door will be open. Jesus is waiting on us to take that first step. Jesus wants that relationship with us. It is up to us.
Then take that indescriable joy, peace, compassion that comes over you into the world and do to others what you want them to do to you! Amen
Try to stay warm and dry this week. Many blessings of joy and peace to all, in the coming week. A celebration of the birth our savior is fast approaching!
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