Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Good Morning!

On the road this morning in Miami -- short note today.

Remember about the Fourth of July celebration on Sunday, July 3 at the church.

The new unit for this week is Unit 9 , Marks of a Methodist

Focus Scripture for the Week: Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

Today's scripture: John 3: 22-23

-- in reading the long passage from John Wesley in this unit, this line jumped out at me -- "In retirement or company, in leisure, business or conversation, his heart is ever with the Lord." To me, that is a personal goal that we should we aspiring to.

the scripture choice today I will say is a bit odd, because I don't see how it ties in with, or moves ahead, our lesson for the week. Perhaps it is simply the idea of Jesus and John being about the work of the church, or the fact that they were so many people coming.

-- the long passage from Wesley lays out a very high standard of not just behavior, but of a way of thinking and living, that I think can be discouraging because it is such a high standard. The idea though is that we move towards that standard, steadily and daily -- we shouldn't get discouraged or feel guilty because we can't get there right away.

Today's prayer request: Natalee Holloway and her family.

are more than three weeks into this, and still no resolution. Her mother, in particular, has been under tremendous strain - not just from the disappearance, but from the constant media pressure. Pray for Natalee's safe return, and for continued strength for her family and friends.

Today's class member prayer:

Kyle Findlay

Have a great day.

Jay