Sunday, December 7, 2008

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving holiday last week. I was out of town at Sarah and Sam's in Indiana, along with Beth and Leah. We all had a good time together for a few days. The Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful, thanks to Sarah doing most of the cooking this time. And here you can see Nicholas is thrilled with so much food on his plate: Here are a few others from the day:

I slept through the "Black Friday" early morning sales, but Beth, Sarah, and Leah were out there in the midst of it all. I don't know if you were out as well, and experienced long lines in which to wait. If you did, I hope your response wasn't like this guy I read about at a bank:

With only two tellers working at the bank, the line I was standing in was moving very slowly. As I waited, I began to fill in my withdrawal slip. Not sure of the date, I turned and asked the woman behind me.
"It's the fifth," she replied.
A man from the back of the line advised, "Don't write it in yet!"

This Sunday we will have our regular line up of services beginning with Adult Bible Fellowships and Sunday School at 9:30 AM. This is a great time of learning for all, and a special place to gain that sense of "belonging" in church that everyone desires. We can help you find "your place" if you have not been to an ABF before or for awhile.

In our 10:45 AM service worship is the key and purpose for which we gather. Good songs, a time to give, and exhortation from God's Word make for a great time of worship to God together. I plan to share some things God has recently impressed on my heart from Psalm 41 and approach it from the standpoint of "Beating the Holiday 'Blues' Before They Start." Often these "blue" feelings come during and after holiday times, but we don't have to give in to them. In this Psalm of David we are given several several steps to take to avoid these down times. Verse 11 was key to me, because I often pray for and desire that I am living a life pleasing to God. As I considered this verse and the others around it, they gave me a sense of how God evaluates me and shows His pleasure in me. I hope this will be a help to all who come to hear.

Our evening service and ministries are at 6:00 PM with AWANA for kids, our Student Ministries, and our service for Adults. These are fun and informal times together, and the adult group that gathers truly learns, interacts, and enjoys the fellowship with one another. We will look at Hebrews 2:14 - 18 as we consider the importance of Jesus coming to earth as "one of us." This is what Christmas is all about and I hope this time will form a basis for our thoughts this month.

Before all this happens, remember that tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 6) we will be enjoying our Annual Adult Christmas Banquet together at 6:00 PM. From a quick glance at the list, it looked like we had somewhere between 45 - 60 signed up to attend. And if at the last minute you find that you can attend, but didn't sign up, give Jeff Sheldon a call - I think it will be OK (you can eat my food.) The cost is $14.50 per person, and don't forget a cheap, but meaningful gift for the fun exchange.

This Monday from 6:00 to 8:00 PM we begin our Upward basketball evaluations for kids age 4 - grade 6 who are going to play in this program this year. We will have a duplicate evaluation time on Thursday as well if you can't make it on Monday. Be sure to fill out and bring with you the registration form on the lobby table display.

Also on Monday at 7:00 PM our Ladies Ministry is meeting to make and prepare Christmas cookies to distribute to our local businesses. We have done this for at least two years now, and each time we are welcomed and thanked greatly. This is just one of those special things we do for our neighbors in the name of Jesus, so please pray that we will have a good effect for Christ in their lives.

And don't forget that we offer a time of sharing, prayer, and brief Bible study on Weds. at 7:00 PM and Thursday at 11:00 AM. I call these times "intimate" because we share as much as we feel comfortable sharing for prayer and then pray with friends in small groups. Give this a try if you haven't lately, I think you will be blest for the effort you make to attend.

Put our Christmas programs on your calendar for December 21. The Kids' program will be in the morning, and the Adult presentation in the evening at 6:00 PM. More on this next time.

It was the Greek Philosopher, Plato, (by the way, he didn't invent the store chain) who said, "Mankind will never see an end of trouble until... lovers of wisdom come to hold political power, or the holders of power... become lovers of wisdom." (from "The Republic") In our current troublesome times these days, may we all turn Plato's words into our own prayer to the Lord.

God bless you, I look forward to having you join our blessings this Sunday!

Pastor Don Workman

www.faithbaptiststreetsboro.org