O Rock of All Creation,
Hours turn into days, days into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and years into a lifetime. We are blessed with the gift of time, O Lord. Forgive us when we do not use our hours in ways that honor You. May the storehouse of our blessings be filled as we bless others. May the value of our years be measured, not by what we acquire, but by what we have given away. May the tribute others offer to us be the result of our loving, our peacemaking, and our compassionate response to human need. You are our God. We thank You for the gift of time. May the image others see in us, through the years, be a reflection of You. In Jesus name we pray. AMEN.
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We just concluded a busy weekend at Central Christian Church. May this week be filled with opportunities for our members and friends to share the Peace of Christ with others.
There were 70 people in attendance at the “Does God Exist” study yesterday evening. The group meets again next Sunday at 6:00 p.m.
Bob Emery is having hip replacement surgery in OKC today. He checks in to the McBride Clinic this morning at 7:30 a.m. Please pray for Bob and Sandra. I will see him this afternoon.
The Stewardship Committee meets tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room. The Faith leader group meets at 6:30 p.m. in Room 109.
Paul Sprat’s funeral will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning at Anderson-Burris Funeral Home. Please pray for his daughters, including our own Paula Redding.
We have a number of prospective members who are on the cusp of membership. Our current members need encouragement to be faithful in worship. We need to be diligent in bringing guests and prospective members to worship and other church activities. Our fall stewardship program will shortly be underway, and the holiday season with its varied activities is just ahead. This is the time to bathe our church in prayer. As a result I am initiating a Fall Prayer Vigil. Beginning this Wednesday, October 5th, you are invited to come to the small Prayer Chapel next to the offices at a time of your choosing between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. There may be others there or you may be alone. You can stay for the length of time that best suits you. Soft, contemplative music will be playing. Candles are available to be lit, and a unique “prayer guide” will be available. You can come on your way to work, at lunch time, after work, or any time during the day. This vigil will continue Monday through Saturday for 40 days, concluding on November 19th, the Saturday before Thanksgiving Sunday. Please take the time and make the effort to come to the small Prayer Chapel for special prayers during this vigil.
The scripture for today is 1 Timothy 1:1-11:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my loyal child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach any different doctrine, and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies that promote speculations rather than the divine training that is known by faith.
But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. Some people have deviated from these and turned to meaningless talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions. Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately. This means understanding that the law is laid down not for the innocent but for the lawless and disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers, fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
Grace and peace,
John McLemore
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