A Glimpse of Sunday, May 6 & Building Update

Olympic Training

     We are in another Olympic year with the summer Olympics being held in London this summer. If you have seen the move, Chariots of Fire, you will probably laugh when you compare the training back then to the training that goes on today. One scene of a English hurdler had him and his buddies drinking champagne and smoking a cigarette one minute, and then running in practice the next. Nowadays, serious athletes are not going to drink and smoke if they have any hope of winning their event. Their regimen today is total dedication for years, just to get to the point of qualifying for their particular country to compete, and then they have to go against the top athletes in the world to win.
     We have been looking at how the Apostle Paul handled the balance between the freedoms and rights of a Christian with concern for a fellow Christian. The Christian life is a wonderful life, full of freedom to enjoy all that God has created in the world. But our freedoms need to take into consideration our brothers and sisters in Christ who may not have the knowledge and mature conscience to enjoy these freedoms to the same degree as we do. What to do, says Paul? Be more concerned about your fellow Christian than your freedom. That's what Jesus did when he came to the earth and ministered here among us.
     This Sunday, we are going to see how Paul builds on this approach toward others, and especially see what drove him to train like an Olympic runner in his ministry. His example is a fantastic example for all of us to pattern ourselves after.
     This Sunday is communion Sunday, so we get to gather around as a church family to remember together, what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Health Training

     Last week, I mentioned about some chest pains I had. This past Sunday, I had a half dozen people come up to ask me how I was doing. That is one of the reasons I love this church so much. People care. You may say, "Well, you're the pastor. I would think they would care about you!" Well, I would hope so, otherwise I would probably think they might be eager to see someone new come. :-)   But in reality, I know this concern extends to  everyone else, too. Our people really do care for everyone! That's one of the marks of a healthy church. People love one another enough to care. And I especially experienced that this past week.
     So, for a few of you whom I told I would call my doctor, I want you to know I did. And as soon as the hospital calls me, I will be going in for whatever cardiac tests they determine I should have. I am trying hard not to be too "manly" and just tough it out. A mature Christian should be willing and eager to take advice. So, I certainly want to listen to my brothers and sisters here, especially when some of them are nurses! Thanks for caring! I love you!

The Building Is Progressing

     This past week has seen progress toward the completion. Sheet rock is all up, and the first coats of sheet rock "mud" has been applied. We hoisted the HVAC units onto the roof and they are connected up with the duct work.
     The papers for our line of credit loan were signed, and we drew upon it for the first time this week to pay some bills. I have come to realize that a church building program is very similar to a home remodel job--only bigger headaches and bigger costs. But God is faithful as we look ahead to the future and see ministry happening. We are already planning for a new ministry emphasis on Wednesday nights next year. I can't wait to get going with it. More details about that at another time.
     Enjoy a few pics of the building.

One of the three units that went onto the roof.

See if you can guess which room this is?

The roof drain pipes were boxed in.