Tuesday

 

Pray for Lee Widas and his family as they face the uncertainties of his future.

Pray for the choir as they practice Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights this week in preparation for their presentations Sunday and Monday. Please also pray for those working on the set this week. Pray lives will be touched thought the music and the videos that go along with it.

 

KneEmail

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” (Philippians 2:10).

Mike Benson, Editor

Emotions

THE OPTIMIST FELL from the fourth floor sill
And as he passed each window bar,
He shouted to the folks below,
“Doing all right so far…!”

How ridiculous! Yet there are preachers across the land that advocate a lot of feel-good religion without a call to commitment or even a call to reality. A preacher was telling a congregation that if they lived right, God would bless them with health, wealth, popularity, and happiness. Tell that to families who mourn the loss of their loved ones. Tell that to a family who loses their home in a fire. Tell that to one who works for years at a job and then gets laid off in a cut back.

Jesus Himself is described as “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” ( Isaiah 53:3). Jesus calls us to have a balance in life. He wants us to be real, not some kind of phony religious nuts who go around with fake, painted-on smiles. The difference between us and the world is not measured by our lack of problems, but rather by the presence of a constant Friend who helps us through them.

In contrast to those who never appear to have a sad moment, there are some who are under the misconception that to be truly humble, we have to put on a sad look and a sad disposition. Jesus specifically warned against trying to get people to feel sorry for us when we are fasting, giving, or praying ( Matthew 6:1-18).

Neither is spirituality the same as feeling guilty all the time. We believe in the awesome power of the cross of Christ to receive remission of sins and inner healing. If we are truly forgiven, why should we mope around acting pathetic? If we have the promise of eternal life in Heaven, why should we live in worry, fear, or doubt?

The key to a fulfilling Christian life is to learn to live appropriately. We must be open and sensitive to the needs and the feelings of those around us. When one member of the Body is hurting, we should all feel the pain. When one member of the Body has cause to celebrate, we should all join in to enjoy the person’s success and blessing. In doing so, we draw closer and closer each day. We become stronger so that we can better endure our hardships, overcome our obstacles, and enjoy our fellowship even more deeply. (Roger Wright)

“Rejoice with those who rejoice,

and weep with those who weep.”

~ Romans 12:15~

The last few days have been full of emotions for me. The emotions have gone from one extreme to another. I’m thankful to have the happy to go with some of the sad.

As we see people in out daily lives, we don’t always know what is going on in their lives and why they sometimes act the way they do. We haven’t walked in their shoes and often wouldn’t want to do that.

Many people carry their burdens without friends, family, or church support. Pray for those around us to always know they can share their emotional load on us. That’s part of our responsibility as Christians. Most importantly, some people don’t know God and can’t take their burdens to Him. Pray we can lead them in that direction.

Anna Lee