From Our Pastor | Why should we follow God?  Most of those around us don’t follow Him.  The world is becoming increasingly hostile toward God and those who live for Him.  The risk of losing friends and even employment is greater than any other time in our lifetime.  Why follow God?

From Our Family and Music Minister | One of the duties I inherited when I got my driver’s license was taking my grandmother on errands or appointments, especially if they were out of town. So one afternoon, after we had finished everything we had to do, Gammy wanted to try the new Ruby Tuesday that had opened in Tifton. The rest of the family decided to meet up with us, and I went in, asked for a table, and got a pager where they could notify me when our table was ready. And so it began. Not after every 5 minutes or so, but after every 1 to 2 minutes, my grandmother would ask me how much longer until we got a table. She even doubted my ability to understand how the restaurant pager worked. Finally, after a long 8 to 10 minute wait, she was ready to go elsewhere and let us know that she had never waited that long to be seated at a restaurant. My response to her was “Gammy, that is because you eat in Ashburn all the time where everyone knows you, and you get preferential treatment. Nobody knows you in Tifton, so you will have to wait like everybody else.” She did not find that comment very amusing, and it did not help that my dad couldn’t stop laughing.

From Our Pastor | Throughout God’s Word we see the hostility between God and man’s system that ignores and rebels against God.  The Bible refers to this system as the world.  It is under Satan’s control (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).  Satan uses the world to cool, tempt, and destroy the Christian (1 John 2:15-17).

From Our Family And Music Minister | As children, we were all raised differently.  For example, some children were raised to work as soon as possible, while others could focus on getting an education. Some children grew up with internet access with tons of resources, while some had to figure out the microfilm reader at the public library.  Unfortunately, some children were born into families with difficulty putting supper on the table, while others never worried about their basic needs being met.  Yet, no matter our circumstances or situation, we all have the same heavenly Father, and no matter where our beginnings, we can all have the same eternal home.

From Our Family and Music Minister | From roughly sixth grade on, my responsibility was to clean the house while my parents were at work. Of course, my dad and I would do it together if he was off, but generally, the workload fell to me. So, as my mother and sister headed off to open up her clothing store, I would get started. I would usually do good for about thirty minutes; then, for some reason, I would get distracted by something else. I would procrastinate so much that all of a sudden, I would have to rush to finish the house before my dad got home. I, for some reason, would even procrastinate more when I knew he had a funeral or something else that would make him come home later.

FAMILY NIGHT STARTS BACK ON JANUARY 11TH We hope you have enjoyed the wonderful time of teaching and fellowship. We greatly appreciate all the work the hostess committee has done to provide weekly meals. Start planning who you can invite to Family Night in the new year. You are the hands and feet of Christ.…

From our Family and Music Minister | I hope you could make it to our Christmas program this past Wednesday. If not, you missed a treat. I was so pleased with the choir, and I am thankful they gave their time to help lead our congregation in worship. Even though I enjoy learning new Christmas songs, I still love singing arrangements of the older songs that have been around for hundreds of years. This Christmas Eve, one of my favorite hymns, “Silent Night”, will turn 204 years old.

From Our Pastor | When we read about the wisemen in Matthew 2, we usually just think of them as participants in the birth of our Lord.  They come looking for the child, talk to Herod, find the Child, worship the child, talk to Herod, find the child, worship the child, and then return home.  We put their figures in our Nativity Scene even though it was months before they saw the Child.

From our Family Minister | Have you ever been heading on a trip when suddenly you came upon a dreaded detour sign? How well you know the area can depend on how well this sudden news is received. Suddenly you can be filled with uncertainty, anxiety, or even fear of the unknown before you. Nevertheless, you have to proceed to get to your destination. Unfortunately, we will have the same types of detours in our life. Some detours are just a few bumps in the road and detours that completely change our plans and fill us with fear.