God of Hope and Joy,
The weekend is upon us and with it many of us find opportunities for rest, leisure and fun. We thank You for respite from workday/school day demands. For those us who are retired, the weekend provides opportunities for connection with family, sports activities and a different schedule. Regardless of our life’s condition, Loving God, we know the weekend also includes the Lord’s Day, when we gather in community to worship You. May that become our priority. It is so easy to step outside the rhythm of faith and fail to celebrate true Sabbath, where worship and shalom sustain us. Please draw us unto Yourself, O God. Make Your ways known to us as we bow before You. This is our prayer in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
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I received the following email from Graham McIntyre:
Member Myrtle Mae Atkinson is still in recuperating mode enduring fifteen weeks of a Chronic, and hard to detect disease, she has been subject to a debilitating situation, we hope and pray new medications will provide her better relief, this is not her only trauma, her eldest son Jeff Gorton age 52, Health is failing at a rapid pace, suffering from cancer, life expectancy is critically short. Please Pray for Her and Family!
May we all pray for Myrtle Mae, her son Jeff, and their entire family.
Bert Sims broke his foot. He is wearing a “boot” and is staying with his daughter, Eddie Lou.
If you haven’t looked at our website lately I encourage you to do so. Gene Heitfeld is doing an amazing job. Check it out at www.centralenid.org
Today is the fourth day of our Fall Prayer Vigil. The small chapel by the offices will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Drop by sometime today to pray. The chapel door off the parking lot by the offices is unlocked. The wooden door into the offices remains locked. Remember, this is a Monday through Saturday event until November 19th.
TODAY IS AN OUTSIDE CLEANUP DAY FROM 9:00 A.M. UNTIL NOON!!!!!!!
Extravagant Generosity: Moving from a culture of fund-raising to a culture of generosity.
The scripture for today is 1 Timothy 5:1-24:
Do not speak harshly to an older man, but speak to him as to a father, to younger men as brothers, to older women as mothers, to younger women as sisters—with absolute purity.
Honor widows who are really widows. If a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn their religious duty to their own family and make some repayment to their parents; for this is pleasing in God’s sight. The real widow, left alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day; but the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give these commands as well, so that they may be above reproach. And whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Let a widow be put on the list if she is not less than sixty years old and has been married only once; she must be well attested for her good works, as one who has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the saints’ feet, helped the afflicted, and devoted herself to doing good in every way. But refuse to put younger widows on the list; for when their sensual desires alienate them from Christ, they want to marry, and so they incur condemnation for having violated their first pledge. Besides that, they learn to be idle, gadding about from house to house; and they are not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not say. So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, and manage their households, so as to give the adversary no occasion to revile us. For some have already turned away to follow Satan. If any believing woman has relatives who are really widows, let her assist them; let the church not be burdened, so that it can assist those who are real widows.
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching; for the scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves to be paid.”Never accept any accusation against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I warn you to keep these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality. Do not ordain anyone hastily, and do not participate in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. The sins of some people are conspicuous and precede them to judgment, while the sins of others follow them there.
Grace and peace,
John McLemore
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