Remembering
- by: Paul Hussey 08/15/08
A MOMENT IN GOD'S WORD
Read Ezra 3:10-13.
I REMEMBER WHEN. . .
"I remember when we ran fourteen hundred in Sunday School," lamented one saintly lady as she read the current statistics that showed over a thousand fewer people. The sadness hung on her words like a bleak, grey haze in the sky that blocks the sun's rays. Depression pressed down on her memories like the oppressive weight of a day with high humidity and no sunlight.
People often lament the loss of memory as they grow older. They get angry when they cannot recall someone's name or remember where they put their keys. Yet, perhaps there is mercy in a faulty memory. Perhaps an accurate memory of better days in the past is really an obstacle that prevents changes that must be implemented.
The Israelites who returned to Jerusalem and began to rebuild the Temple under the direction of Zerubbabel wept when they saw the foundation laid. They remembered the splendor and grandeur of Solomon's Temple that was destroyed when the Babylonians invaded the capital city. Some of these Israelites struggled to share the joy of their co-laborers who shouted for joy at the construction of the foundation for their house of worship. The weeping and shouting all sounded alike.
Has the joy or the success of the past wrapped its tentacles around your ankles preventing you from making a necessary change for your future? Some churches remain captive to "the way we used to do it" thinking that someone labeled as "the seven last words of the church." Some Christians want to constantly live in a past mountain-top experience when it was easy to exclaim, "God is good-all the time!" Some non-Christians as well are mired in the memories of a booming economy and expensive vacations. But the journey of life is always marked by detours of change. Sometimes the old road will not get you where you want to go. You may have to take a detour that you do not necessarily want. How will you respond? You can complain about the loss of the old way or you can be happy and enjoy the new scenery. Reclaiming the way you used to travel is seldom a real possibility.
A MOMENT IN PRAYER
Felix Sapp will have surgery on Monday to remove a lymph node. Pray for a surgery without complications and a quick recovery.
A MOMENT IN SERVICE
This week some volunteers will help Anne Thompson move to a new apartment. One or two ladies will be needed to help Anne pack some personal items. If you can assist, call the church office.
A MOMENT IN TIME
Wednesday, August 20 is the beginning of the new church year with the various age groups. The night is called First Baptist Tailgate Party. Men will cook hamburgers and hot dogs and the pastor will have the regular Message Remind.
Mark your calendar now. We will be traveling to Gatlinburg, TN, October 26-31, 2008, for the Gatlinburg Celebrators Conference. David Jeremiah will be the primary speaker. Supporting him will be Will Graham, Mark Lowry, Dennis Swanberg, and George Beverly Shea.