Announcements
SYMPATHY: to Sue Schmidt at the passing of her mother, Nancy Nicklas, on Monday, July 7, in Oregon. A memorial service will be held in Oregon on Friday, July 25. Details are currently pending for a second service, which will be held in Westminster for friends and family.
SWC REMINDER: There will be NO soul-winning dinner or visitation this Thursday, July 17, due to Vacation Bible School activities.
SOUL-WINNER’S CLUB TRAINING: The next 12-week session for Fall/Winter will begin on Wednesday, August 27, downstairs in the Music Room at 7:00 p.m. Sign up today online through the Church website or at the Welcome Desk.
DIVORCE CARE: is a Christ-centered program that helps people apply biblical principles as they heal from the hurt of separation and divorce. A new session begins on Tuesday, September 9, at 6:30 p.m. in room 202.
From My Heart
We begin our Vacation Bible School and Teen Revival this evening, and we are praying for a great number of children and teenagers to come to know Christ as their Savior. One of our own young men who grew up in the church is doing the preaching for the teenagers. Pastor Matt Trezise, the son of Scott and Sharon Trezise (here in our church), will be coming back to his home church to preach each night. Pastor Matt and his wife serve as the Youth Pastor at Mt. Lake Independent Baptist Church in Oakland, Maryland. Please pray we have a wonderful week with the Lord’s richest blessing.
It saddens our hearts when we think of the loss of life last week from the flash floods in Texas. The death of those precious young lives who were at the Church camp is a tragedy that some folks will never get over. I sure hope you will pray for those families and ask the Lord to comfort their hearts.
The National Sword of the Lord Conference, in Walkertown, N.C., is rapidly approaching. Dr. Smith has me preaching on Wednesday evening again this year, and I am so looking forward to having a part in the program. This will be my 31st time speaking at this great conference of Fundamental, Independent Baptist believers. It is difficult to speak to your peers, and each year I get a little anxious before it is my time to preach. But once I say, “Open your Bible…” I am ready to preach! Pray for Dr. Smith as he runs the Conference, and please pray for me as I speak on Wednesday evening.
I was recently reading the Book of Jonah, and I noticed something about Jonah that I want to share with you. Last week, I mentioned how Israel practiced a pattern in the period of the Judges where they would disobey, then God would discipline them, and then they would repent, and God would deliver them. The “discipline” part of that pattern is never an enjoyable part!
When God called Jonah, and Jonah refused God’s call, he thought he would run from the Lord. God told him to go east to Nineveh, but instead he ran west to Tarshish. Notice this: in 1:17, running FROM God, he ran INTO God. Then in 3:1, Jonah ran TO God; and then in 3:3 Jonah ran WITH God. Running with God is where we all should want to be. There is much running from God, but we really need to be careful running from God because we can run straight into God. Jonah learned quite a lesson at “Whale University” and came out of school running to do what God told him to do at the beginning of the Book.
The end result was probably the greatest revival in all of history! The whole city of Nineveh repented of their evil ways and came to the Lord to seek forgiveness. How often, while running from God, do we run into God? Jonah sure found out the hard way that butting heads with the Lord is not a wise thing to do!
Have a wonderful day and pray for the Lord to speak to your heart!
Pastor Norris
Hospitalizations
Grover Bosley - CHC 418
Maryann Burleson - CHC 309
Evelyn Clemons - JHU 48 ER
Carl Ludwig - Union Memorial 418
JoAnn Manahan - St. Jos. CSU 26
Curtis Skeen - Winston-Salem, NC