To God's Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
Life is frail! We all have, or will experience this as we grow older. This week the celebration of life for a 17 year old, as well as other deaths in the previous weeks have reminded me again of the fact that life is but a breath. There is much to learn when we contemplate the reality and pain of death. We learn to love those who are grieving as we grieve with them, we learn that eternity is a lot longer than the temporary, we learn to be more tender, and to have more courage...and the two top lessons that we need to learn over and over again...1. To live with no regrets as much as possible. I heard those words out of a grieving fathers mouth, I have no regrets, and want that for my own life, and for yours no matter what the future holds. In the frailty of life, take time today to share love with those closest to you, to heal broken relationships, and to choose peace. Life is short, and we learn in understanding our own frailty to live carefully with those we love. Give an extra hug, an extra, "I love you", today. 2. The frailty of life also teaches us to be prepared for the eternal by having a right relationship with God. We do this by His grace, and through faith, and then living in light of eternity. Your life matters, how you live, and how you share with others in love the wonderful grace of a loving heavenly Father! We truly have a good Shepherd (Psalm 23; John 10), and as we choose to rest in Him, let us learn from what is happening around us.
This week, as in almost every week I have been reminded again of the frailty of life, and in this, encourage you to live with no regrets and be ready for eternity. We are gathering tonight (Tuesday) to pray for the Selje family, if you would like to join us it is at 7:00, in the upstairs Sunday School wing. Tuesday 7:00 Prayer
We are slowing down for summer, as we start to wind down many of our programs. Sunday School has come to an end, and we rejoice in all that was taught this year to people of all ages (HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR TEACHERS). AWANA has also come to a close, and we praise God for all who are serving with Pastor Stu in our kids ministries! Growth Groups are also slowing down, so encourage you to use the slow down in programs to build relationships and rest, and start to think about where God would have you serve next year. We would love for all of our people to be in Growth Groups, so if this is something you want to pursue next year, please talk to Pastor Les, and we will seek to get you connected in as soon as possible.
Sunday Is Coming:
Please prepare your hearts so that the Spirit of God can use you to bless others, and you can grow in your ability to live life to the Praise of His glorious grace.
Title: Don't Be Unaware: This Means War: Part 1
Text: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11
We are in a spiritual battle, and this is sometimes hard to remember in our current cultural setting.
How can we become more aware that every day life is a spiritual battle?
This text states that we are not ignorant of his designs (Satan's), do you think that this is true of your life?
What do you think his battle plan is?
How can we learn to engage in spiritual warfare with confidence?
How can you avoid the two unbiblical extremes of thinking the demonic realm is outside of God's Sovereignty, or irrelevant?
I would covet your prayers this week, as I seek to love God and others during the valley's and peaks of life.
Seeking to make the most of every opportunity in God's love,
Your servant,
Pastor Rob