No better way to start off the week, then visiting our friends who live outside last Saturday. We had a nice surprise, Gus and a friend joined us. Scott made his way around, checking on our friends, all seem to be doing fine. I had a special time, as my 3 year old grandson joined me at the center to make coffee, helped me mop the kitchen floor and then we went to visit Turner and Smokey. Lane loves trains, so guess what we saw on Turner's train track! Then we visited Smokey and Lane got to turn on and off Smokey's Christmas tree lights! A great morning!
Tuesday evening, the men gathered for Bible fellowship reading from Matthew chapter 15 verses 1 - 20. Jesus says to the Pharisees, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Ouch. We thought we were doing all the right things, but it was for man not for God. Who are we doing things for?
Thursday evening, Peaches cooked up a delicious meal of ham, peas, cornbread and salad, There was a small crowd of community to come and enjoy the evening. Good for us to visit with those that came. Sonotra was there, on his last break from school. He will be graduating from his school the end of January! What an accomplishment!
With school getting back and running Monday, we will continue our Learning to Read program. We can always use your help. Please come and enjoy the time together with the children, each Monday and Wednesday from 3 - 5.
Continued prayers for Ginellen. She continues to be without pain but struggling with her 'appliance". Prayers for all of us to allow God's will to control our lives and the decisions we make. Prayers for safe travel of family and friends traveling home after the holidays.
Jesus asked in Matthew 15 verse 4, "Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?" It is easy for us to get comfortable in our lives. We get up, go to work, come home, eat supper, go to bed and do the same thing the next day. Not much room for Jesus there. Where do we step out in faith in our traditions of life?
It is easy for us to worship the traditions of our lives, because it is easy to do so. We can have traditions in our worship and in our lives. Traditions are good if they bring us closer to God.
Years ago, I was helping in the sound booth at a church. It was time to open the doors for worship. Someone asked were are the bulletins? One person asked another, I thought you printed them up. The other one said, no, I thought you were getting them done. Then they all panicked, no bulletins, there can be no worship! There were always bulletins to hand out, how can we have church without them? How do we know the order to sing, pray, collect the offering, preach? Even though they had been doing the same order of worship for many years, they still needed a bulletin to worship! That was their tradition. Our focus each week can easily take us away from God. Our traditions can become our gods if we let them.
As we begin a new year, let's focus our lives on our God and His traditions. Man has created many traditions. God only has two, lvoe the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul. Lvoe others as you would have them lvoe you. Worshipping God's traditions will bring us closer to Him and to others! Amen!
Hope your new year is full of lvoing God and lvoing others!
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