Pastor’s Ponderings
“What Lies Ahead?”
Imagine if sometime in late 2019 someone told you how 2020 would unroll. You wouldn’t have believed them. Remember the good old days of impeachment and the State of the Union speech being ripped up? All of that seems to be a distant memory now.
We worshipped together, then we worshipped apart, and now we are worshipping together again, and there is a huge difference between the two experiences. We have been back together about eight weeks, and the attendance is so great that we are moving to a second service.
Beginning Sunday, July 5, Calvary will again have an 8:30am service, but it will be a little different. We will have very little, if any, congregational singing. We will also require masks of everyone in the early service. If you don’t want to wear a mask, please do not come to that service (masks will be available if you do not have one).
Sunday school at 9:30 and a second service at 10:30 will continue as before, but we will be cutting back a little on congregational singing in the late service, too.
But what lies ahead? Will we have to move services back to online only if things get worse (for all the news about “covid spikes” the media is mysteriously missing the fact that deaths have fallen dramatically and are still falling)? Will we ever feel “normal” again? Will even one case of covid-19 ever be attributed to rioters?
Here is what I do know! I know that God saw all of this would happen before He created the world. I know nothing has taken Him by surprise. I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know Who holds my hand!
This is a time for prayer. Pray for the President and Vice-President. Pray for the (not quite) Supreme Court. Remember members of the House and Senate when you lift your petitions. Pray for our country. While this is not the most difficult time in our history, it certainly ranks near the top.
Pray for our church family, your own family, and for Cleburne and surrounding towns. Pray for our local elected officials and school administrators as they decide about the coming school year.
So many people are having to make decisions (including myself) that will only be made once in their lifetime (I certainly hope we never see anything like this again).
Pray for yourself, that you will remain focused on Jesus Christ. And keep your eyes on the eastern skies as we remember that “redemption draweth nigh.”
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I must share a little humor. It seems that several numbers were sitting around a table one day, when 13 stood up and said, “I am the single worst number! I am bad luck and frighten many people.”
Not to be outdone, 666 stood up and said, “You have nothing on me. I’m the Mark of the Beast and just saying my name frightens everyone.” They argued back and forth for awhile until a third number stood up. Everyone immediately knew this number beat them all, and all argument ceased.
It was 2020.
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A reminder of some upcoming dates: Sunday morning, July 5, in both morning services, we will hear from Lt. Col. Mark McDaniel. He is the 10th Air Force chaplain liaison, and has served in Iraq. He has spoken at the Pentagon and is considered an expert in the field of PTSD. This Sunday is also God and Country Day.
Tuesday night, July 7, at 7:00pm we will have the West Coast Baptist College singers in our midweek service (note that it will be Tuesday, NOT Wednesday). We have hosted them several times and they are always a blessing.
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I don’t have a date or details ironed out, but soon we will begin relational discipleship. This is different from regular preaching or even Sunday School. It involves a small group (usually 4-6 people) meeting once a week to learn both basic and advanced lessons. It is relational because we want our friendships at Calvary to grow deeper along with our knowledge. It is also practical as we mix in the “how-to” of ministry. Keep this in your prayers, and look for further announcements in the near future!
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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:
1) Courage
2) Wisdom
3) Strength
4) Victory
5) Vision