Feeling Appreciated

Josanne and I both want to say a huge thank you for showing your appreciation to us. Thanks for the cards, gifts, and the reception yesterday after our worship service. It was nice to come back to after our vacation.

We had a nice vacation overall. The house where we were staying had not been affected by Hurricane Ian, but many of the houses around there had been to some extent. The mountains were peaceful and relaxing. Some of you have heard that our Jeep decided it wanted to take an extended North Carolina vacation. The check engine light came on as we were climbing to the summit of Mount Mitchell, so we left it behind to be worked on. We hope to be able to get it back sometime this week. Thanks also for praying for Bethany—that was a scary ordeal. She’s at home now, but still recovering from the effects of the medicine she received.

Freedom! That’s the title of our new sermon series which began yesterday from the book of Galatians. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. . .” (Galatians 5:1, NIV). That’s the theme verse of this series. What does it mean for us to experience freedom in Christ as Christians?

I mentioned Hurricane Ian. Those in South Carolina were not affected nearly as badly as the folks in the Fort Myers and Sanibel Island. The destruction is overwhelming and it’s going to be along rebuilding process. Mennonite Disaster Service is already making plans for a response—click here to read about it. At the same time, the flood relief efforts in Eastern Kentucky and elsewhere continue as well. You can read about MDS’s response by clicking here.

Even though we see things like this that make us feel overwhelmed, we remember that God is still on his throne and we can place our trust in him.

God bless,

Brian

Scripture readings for next Sunday Galatians 2:11-21—Why does Paul rebuke Peter’s hypocrisy? Why is it important?

Jeremiah 23:9-32—How does this passage criticize hypocrisy?

Matthew 23—How does Jesus describe the hypocrisy of the Pharisees here?

Psalm 26—What does this psalm teach about avoiding hypocrisy?