The Shadow

It's cold outside! The snow here in our part of Eastern Kentucky has our bones quivering. It always feels good to wrap up in a warm blanket, sit in our favorite chair, eat our favorite food, and just relax while time allows. The "Psalmist" knew about warmth and where to find it. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psa. 91:1. The loving arms of God is a great place to rest in. Have you ever felt like you wasn't as warm and cozy with God as you should be? When is the last time you dwelled in your secret place? Do you have a secret place? Alone time with God is critical to Christian growth. There are so many things that distract us during our everyday activities, so to have a place and time where you can be alone with God will be beneficial.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:6 how to have that alone time, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Christ lets us know how important it is to have a place where we can be alone when we pray to God. Moses would go on the mountain away from the people so he could talk to God in private. It got him away from all the stress and complaints that the people would bring him. Your hiding place to talk with God will give you that warmth that you've been looking for. It allows for an intimate time with the Father and he will overshadow you with his love. How will you stay warm this winter?

Announcements from the Pulpit

You may have noticed that we haven't uploaded any podcasts recently. The computer at church is finally up and running and we will have more services to bring to you in the future. Tonight's message was about the faults of the Pharisees in Matthew 23. They wanted people's compliments, cared about the outward appearance, placed unnecessary burdens on the church, and taught one thing, but lived another. We can learn from their behaviors, as it was a guide to "what not to do". I hope you all have a blessed night and I want to leave you with our Announcements from the Pulpit:

1. Continue prayers for Billy Joe Fields, Clifford Halcomb, and Ralph Hall. 
2. Church service for Wednesday, October 31 has been moved to Tuesday, October 30 at 6:30 pm.
3. Puppet Show at Cloverlick Freewill Baptist Friday, October 26.  
4. Sunday, November 4 is our monthly Tri-City nursing home service at 4:45 pm. No 6:30 pm service at the church on that day.  
5. Sunday November 11 is Veterans Day! Puppets With a Purpose will be performing at our 6:30 pm worship service.  
6. November 16-18 at 6:30 pm is our annual Thanksgiving Jubilee. There will be no night service on the 18th.  
7. We understand that there will be a lot of people out of town for Thanksgiving so service for Wednesday, November 21 has been cancelled. 
8. Thanks everyone for their continued support and for you lifting me up with your prayers. God bless you all.

Continuing On....

Tomorrow we will resume "The 20 Blessings of Christ". We are working our way down the list to understanding what God has already blessed us with and being able to give thanks for those blessings. Most times, we think that are blessings should have a monetary value, but His blessing consist of what money can't buy and gives a greater satisfaction to our lives and a purpose. I can't wait for tomorrow. See you there! Sunday School at 10 am and Worship Service at 11am. The men will meet for prayer at 10:45 am in the Juniors Sunday School room.

My Thoughts

We had a wonderful turnout and a blessed time at the church retreat this weekend. We started out with a documentary on the Occult and finished with smores, singing and preaching around the campfire. The message was from Psalm 35. The message was centered around David's experiences and how it seems you can be as nice as possible to people, but that doesn't mean that you'll get the same response back. We woke up Sunday morning at Mt. Moriah and had an enormous breakfast of biscuits and gravy, eggs, sausage, bacon, etc. Afterwards we met in the tabernacle for Sunday morning worship and preached about unity and the importance of working together (Eccl ch. 4). Needless to say, we had a wonderful time and look forward to doing it again next year.
If you are looking for a home church you ought to try us out. It's important to find a place to worship and be established in what you believe, and to be happy and feel at home in the place you choose. I hope peace finds you wherever you are. God bless.

Retreat This Weekend

I am so geared up right now for our church retreat tomorrow at Mt. Moriah. Remember that our Sunday morning service will be held at the camp. God has laid a few messages on my heart for this event and I'm so excited to see what God brings to us this weekend. This retreat is to help foster your growth, realize there is help, and find peace within the household of faith. Sometimes we need to get away and help build up the Body of Christ to strengthen the house of God. If we are not strong, encouraged, excited, and steadfast we become of no effect to the lives within our community. Hopefully you are as excited as I am and looking forward to our time together. I love you all, but remember that most of all, God loves you. God Bless.

Wednesday Night Hint

Some of you really like getting hints about the message God has lay on my heart, so I will continue to post these hints. The Bible teaches us that there are 3 that bear witness in heaven and 3 that bear witness in earth. Are they different? Are they the same? We'll talk more tomorrow night at 6:30. God bless.