"Busyness draws out our bitterness." D.J. had some great insight as he preached from Luke 10 on Jesus' response to Mary and Martha, but this line seemed to hurt in the right kind of way. CCC, our leaders believe that busyness might be the biggest barrier to achieving our mission of joining Jesus in going out to make disciples. As a little bit of a teaser.. D.J. talked about the connection between busyness and prayerlessness. I'm pumped to be preaching on prayer this weekend! Thanks D.J.!
Life is precious. Whether it was a couple of shootings within a mile of my home, grieving the untimely passing of Megan's dad Randy, or even the passing of "Chandler" from the tv show "Friends" that Katelyn and I enjoy, they are all a reminder that life is precious. God breathed it into us, he made us for it, and death wasn't part of God's plan. Death is always to be grieved and life is always to be valued.
But we do grieve with hope like we read about in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 thanks to the redeeming love of Jesus that buys our life back from death.
The Embry's return! Mike and Sarah are set to return this week after a season of sowing seeds and encouraging kingdom workers in 3 continents! Would you join me in praying for their travel mercies? While you're at it, pray for re-entry. Coming back into our culture can be far more jarring than we realize. And finally, thank God for their obedience to join Jesus in going out to make disciples.
Praying for trick-or-treaters. One of my favorite verses to pray for people is Psalm 34:8: "Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the one who takes refuge in him!"
Tuesday, as you either host trick-or-treaters, or perhaps knock on doors with your kids, pray Psalm 34:8 for each one: "Lord, help them taste and see that you are good. Help them find refuge in you."
I believe it just might change your neighborhood, our community, and the next generation!
For all you busy people, an extra hour is on the way this weekend! That's right, Daylight Saving Time is next weekend! While we usually celebrate the extra hour of sleep, what if you used this hour in a way that pushed back against busyness? Start resetting your morning routine by giving some of that extra hour to stillness and prayer. Let's fall back on Jesus.
Love y'all. GO BE THE CHURCH!
Blake
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