Well, another day has gone and another day has come, and God has been faithful yet again to His promises. Remember these things, dear friends:
- The Lord knows all there is to know about you (Psalm 139).
- God is your refuge and strength (Psalm 46).
- God goes before you (Deuteronomy 31).
- He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).
If all I did was try to convey the amazing love our Father has for you, it would be time well spent. Church family, rest in this, enjoy this, and walk in this: God’s love never fails.
We’re all thankful another couple has recovered from COVID—Scott and Robin Adkins. Thank the Lord! I’m also thankful Glenda Cumbee is past her quarantine time from COVID. However, she has very little strength. Today she told me she was able to take the recycle bin to the curb and felt good about that. Ask the Lord to help her regain her strength. Glenda mentioned today how thankful she is for so many of you that have reached out to her during this time. That makes me very thankful for you all.
Tomorrow night I start teaching the book of Romans for you all. If you haven’t been on Wednesday nights, tomorrow is a good time to start. I’ll be teaching the book verse by verse, phrase by phrase. I have some Scripture journals for Romans for free that you can use to take notes in.
Romans is the longest letter in the New Testament. It might also be the richest. You’ll see tomorrow night how Paul writes. It’s a grammarian’s dream (or nightmare?). For (mostly) normal people like me, that means I go slowly to try to savor all the richness of this portion of God’s Word.
I know most of you will be receptive to the Hsieh family and Pastor Chris as they become part of our family soon. Pastor Chris’ growth group for teens begins on October 3. We will have a time of dedication for his ministry and blessing on he and Kathy during the Lord’s worship service on that day as well. After the service, we’re planning on having Yates donuts and cider during a meet and greet time.
Normally you all would give a “pounding” for a new pastor because in times past, pastors have moved here from out of state. In the case of Pastor Chris, they already live here and don’t have the same level of needs. So, in place of a “pounding,” I encourage you to bring a card and a gift card for the Hsieh family on October 3 to welcome them to our church family, and to make a point to introduce yourself to them so they can start putting names with faces.
Also, please commit to pray for Pastor Chris regularly from now on. While Pastor Chris is focusing on starting a ministry to teenagers, he is also helping share the load as a “normal” pastor. So, in a sense, I hope you won’t see him any differently than you see the role I have among you. The Lord has used your prayers for me more times than I’m aware of. I need them very much, and so will he.
My heart is filled with thankfulness to Christ Jesus because of His faithfulness to the Father’s plan, His ministry for us before God’s throne, and His power that fills us individually and when we gather. I look forward to that tomorrow night.
A servant of Jesus Christ,
Pastor Jacob
Pastor Jacob’s Blog 