From Our Family and Music Minister | One of the things that I have learned about myself over the years is that I am a giant creature of habit. In most things, I am not a fan of change. Even though I love technology, I will get in the habit of doing something one way and never change to an easier way for the simple fact I just never think to do it. A few weeks back, I had to set the maps on the car to get to the Atlanta airport. Even though I had driven right past the airport exit several hundred times when I went to school in Atlanta, the few changes they have made from transitioning to the 285 bypass from Interstate 75 are different enough that I don’t recognize them anymore. However, one thing we can count on is that there will be change.

From Our Pastor | “Pray about it.”  How often have you heard that?  How often have you said it?  We believers know our first and most important response to any problem is to pray.

From our Family and Music MInister | If you are of the age where you have been called Ma’am or Sir for several years, you may not be familiar with a social media influencer. A social media influencer is a person who can influence people to buy products through their social media. You would be surprised to know these people can earn thousands of dollars and up for endorsing a product. These people get more money as more people follow them. However, we must be careful from whom we take recommendations because, just like scripture warns, money often skews their opinions as they get more popular.

From Our Pastor | Why follow God?  Face it, He is not honored today.  In fact, He is hated.  Our society is increasingly built on rebellion against Him.  Why swim upstream against such a powerful and swift current?

From our Family and Music Minister | A recent study in a medical journal stated that it could take 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.  The study agrees that the statistics can be inconclusive because it truly is based on the habit and how much time you spend working on it.  I’m sure this is something with which we can agree.  I know I am not the only one with a long list of failed New Year’s resolutions.  In my last article, I talked about having Christ-centered habits, with my first topic on being slow to anger.  This week, I want to dive into what it means to be a peacemaker.  And yes, slow to anger and peacemaker can be very similar, but we are trying to form new habits.

Join us tonight for family night. Supper starts at 6:00 PM, followed by the first night of our study on the life of Joshua. Don’t forget to invite someone to join us. Menu for tonight: Chicken and Rice Casserole, Green BeansRolls, Ice Cream Dessert Truck Loading for Georgia Baptist Children’s Home Georgia Baptist Children’s Home…

From our Family and Music Minister | Many people are born with natural abilities; however, even the best athlete, singer, or hobbyist must put the work in and practice to improve his craft. Likewise, as Christians, we are not going to be a reflection of Christ naturally. We must read God’s Word, understand it, and practice what it teaches. When we study more and reflect on our lives, we will hopefully develop Christ centered habits and put away the sinful ones.

From Our Pastor \ Psalm 118:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord…”  Yet, how often do we fail to thank Him?  We allow worries, fears, and anxieties to distract us from thanksgiving.  This not only robs God of the worship He is due but also keeps us from being able to trust Him in the midst of all those issues.  Thanking God builds our faith and enables us to trust God.

From our Family and Music Minister | Growing up, my imagination and plans frequently outweighed my abilities. After my 3rd grade birthday, where I received nails and wood for my present, I built one of the best forts a kid could have. My friend and I spent all day Saturday in it and were so proud. It was top of the line that it even had a second floor. As we stood on that second floor showing our dads the incredible work, the structure started to move, and within a few seconds, a dozen sheets of plywood and 2×4’s came crashing down in a big pile. I can remember how upset I was at what seemed to be such a colossal failure at the time. 

From Our Pastor | Did you ever think you would see times like these?  Every influencing part of our society (beginning with government) is based on lies, fraud, and tyranny.  These forces represent a far greater threat to our liberty and security than China, Russia, and North Korea.  In fact it is now obvious that those nations pose a threat only because of our enemies within.  In more honest times this was called treason and was dealt with accordingly.