Hi Everyone!
I want to thank everyone for the prayers and encouragement this week. Some of you may not have been aware that I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy a couple weeks ago. The doctor put me on prednisone (a steroid) to try to “knock it out.” The medication has done a number on my blood sugar numbers, and caused me to not feel “right.” But I am on the mend! My smile is a little less crooked, and today I was able to wink my right eye for the first time (just in time to be able to wink at Elizabeth for Valentine’s Day)! I will still be on the medicine for about 10 more days, but my dosage is tapering down. Thank you again for your prayers and support.
On this Valentine’s Day, as I was reading my Bible this morning, I was struck by the fact that my family has decorated our house with multiple hearts. Hearts are everywhere! It is a fitting symbol of the holiday, which focuses on the love we have for one another. And as I read, I couldn’t help but notice (again) how many times the words “love” and “heart” appeared today! There were at least 12 passages, from each of the 4 areas we’re reading from, that included either “heart,” “love,” or both. For example, read Psalm 40 today (especially verses 8, 10-12, and 16) and see what I mean.
Please keep our short-term missionaries in prayer this week: John Joiner is heading to Burundi this Saturday and will be gone 2 weeks. Pray for his effectiveness in the electrical engineering plan for the expansion of a hospital, for his safety, and for God’s work in his heart as a result of the trip. And Ron and Jeanne Whitted are leaving for Haiti next Thursday, the 21st. They have chosen to celebrate their 20th anniversary by serving Christ in Haiti together – pray for many blessings! Each team has a goal of $6,000 to raise for rice and beans to feed the clinic patients and children. If you would like to contribute toward this for the Whitted’s trip and/or for the trip that Mike Kirk, Dave Ezell, and myself are going on in March, please make sure and mark your check “Rice and Beans for Haiti”. Thank you for supporting this!
This Sunday I will be speaking on a familiar and incredibly important teaching from Jesus: the story of the “good Samaritan” in Luke 10:25-37. Please read it prayerfully before Sunday morning, and ask the Lord to reveal to us what He desires, especially as it relates to our ability to Extend the Lord’s Invitation. Think about the question:What kind of a neighbor am I?
People around us are asking (whether they know it or not) — “Won’t you be my neighbor?”
Love From Your Pastor,
Michael