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Weekly Devotional

April 9, 2012

God’s Peace be with you all.

Romans 8:19-28   ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;  ²⁰ for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope  ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;  ²³ and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.  ²⁴ For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?  ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  ²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.  ²⁷ And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  ²⁸ We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

            107!  No, that is not just some random number.  That is the total of yesterday’s attendance!  I told Carrie on the way to church yesterday that we had hit 60, 70, 80, and 90, but that we had never hit 100.  Thanks to all of you, we met that goal yesterday.  And what a fantastic day it was!  We had a baptism and we welcomed 7 new members.  We also had lots of visitors, both local and some from far away (family in town for the baptism).  I hope you all had as much fun as I did getting to meet everyone and to share in this truly special day.  I spoke with a few of you yesterday afternoon, and from what I can tell, everyone is riding on cloud 9.  I also want to inform you that in terms of giving yesterday also set a single-Sunday record for us.  This too is something to be proud of.

            For those of you that are “newish” to our congregation, let me share a big thank you on behalf of those members that have been a part since the beginning.  Whether you realize it or not, your presence is enough to bring about the greatest joy for them in terms of our congregation.  Just 5 years ago, this congregation was averaging between 25 and 35 on a Sunday.  That is a part of our history that we will never forget.  This year we are averaging about 57/Sunday.  The more this congregation grows and interacts the more I see big things in our future.

You all are a blessing to each other, and you are proof to me that God wants this congregation to continue growing and prospering in this little area of South Carolina.  A big thank you to everyone who was involved yesterday, you made each others’ Easter celebration that much more wonderful, and you definitely left a big smile on my face as well.

In our prayers this week: Bobby T., Mike C., Jim A., Ann, Daniel, Charles, and Wendy S.