Being aware of what someone has done and still forgiving them.
Choosing to keep no record of wrongs.
Refusing to punish.
Not telling what they did.
Being merciful.
Graciousness.
It is an inner condition.
It is the absence of bitterness.
Forgiving God.
Forgiving ourselves.

Blessings!

On Sunday July 11th, Pastor Scott spoke on being content. Whatever we are going through in our lives, we know that we can count on the consistency that God offers us. In my life, I often struggle with being content with where I am and not continually looking to the future. We can take a lesson from Horatio G. Spafford and learn that circumstance has no bearing on our happiness and contentment in life. For those of you who were not here on Sunday, here is his story:

Mr. Spafford was a Chicago lawyer. Him and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known and successful in 1860’s Chicago. However, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords’ only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.The Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer ‘Ville de Havre’ across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: “Saved alone.” On November 2nd 1873, the ‘Ville de Havre’ had collided with ‘The Lochearn’, an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father’s voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. “A careful reckoning has been made”, he said, “and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep.” Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite
woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told “her soul is vexed within her”, she still
maintains that ‘It is well.” And Spafford’s song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers
was. It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those
experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.

Blessings,
Kyle Campbell-Worship Director

History taken from http://www.biblestudycharts.com/A_Daily_Hymn.html

I love to play golf. For those of you who’ve never played it’s a uniquely challenging game that forces players to compete not only with other players, but more importantly, with the course itself. While other sports undoubtedly provide many life lessons, few games better illustrate our struggle with making good decisions and the risk and reward often times overlooked. In the game of golf, many courses are specifically designed to tempt the golfer and reward the risky well executed shot, but what appears so attractive at first glance may ultimately lead to harsh penalties. By surveying the hazards and evaluating the degree of difficulty, the experienced golfer will consider the risk before choosing the shot. For the wise golfer, often the odds of hitting a poor shot are just too great and the best shot is the conservative one while the less experienced player may take the risk, resulting in bad shots and additional strokes. Of course the game is full of difficult choices and even well thought out shots are not always rewarded but the disciplined golfer is always more successful.

Do you survey the hazards before you make decisions? How many times have you said, “I wish I could have a do over?” You know, a second chance, the opportunity to make a better decision and avoid the consequences. In golf we call this a mulligan. We say things like, “If only I had known what was going to happen I would have made a better shot, a better choice.” Sound familiar? Well maybe we would, maybe not, but ignorance or the lack of knowledge isn’t always our problem is it? Sure, there are times in life when our options are limited, but like the game of golf, many times we’re aware of the risk and simply don’t care. We quickly weigh the cost and decide it’s worth it only to regret it later. Other times, we make decisions without ever considering the risk. We get in a hurry or get careless and don’t take the time to make a wise decision and end up learning hurtful lessons the hard way.

Brothers and sisters, to make good decisions we need good direction, we need God’s direction. Scripture teaches us that life is filled with difficult choices and even well thought out decisions don’t always turn out the way we want, but if we want to avoid the hazards of life we need God’s word. The bible tells us in Proverbs chapter 2 that “if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you,” you will be blessed with reverence for God, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, protection, justice and discretion. Without these, how could we possibly make good decisions? We might as well be playing a round of golf in the dark.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105
I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life. John 8:12

In Christ,

John Aldridge
Church Elder

What’s the greatest three minutes of your life? What an interesting question to consider and after almost thirty years of marriage to an incredible lady and the blessing of two wonderful children, many memorable moments come to my mind. Our wedding day, watching the birth of our children, great family times together; but if I allow myself to go back just a little bit further, the answer is easy. It’s June of 1972 and I’m twelve years old sitting at my school desk. The bell is about to ring and the feeling inside is so overwhelming I can hardly contain myself. It finally rings and the only thing racing through my mind is – SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER! The same year that question inspired the lyrics to Alice Cooper’s first number one single by simply communicating what it felt like sitting at my desk. No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers, no more anything. Just an amazing feeling of being free and at twelve years old, three months felt like three years. Close your eyes for just a moment – can you remember? Oh my goodness what a feeling and it was contagious. Every friend I knew felt the exact same way.

How about you? What’s the greatest three minutes of your life? Will you ever feel that way again? Well, while your experience may be different from mine scripture clearly teaches the best is yet to come. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor 2:9. Did you get that? Think about it. Whatever that moment was, that amazing feeling of freedom and joy we’ve all experienced, it doesn’t even come close. It was merely a taste of eternity which is so much better, and will we ever feel that way again? You bet and Jesus knew it. He said that when we lived our lives with this hope we would be contagious, we would be “the light of the world, “and believe me, the world is watching.

Look forward to the amazing – Let’s be contagious

John Aldridge- Elder

Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith.”

Paul declares in the 5th chapter of Romans the believer’s justification as a result of their faith in Christ and the blessings which follow in its wake. Justification is an extremely important truth found in the pages of Scripture and a reality for the Christian to rest in. Some of you may be wondering, “what is justification?” Here is an excerpt from a definition in Stanley Grenz’ Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, “A forensic (legal) term related to the idea of acquittal, justification refers to the divine act whereby God makes humans, who are sinful and therefore worthy of condemnation, acceptable before a God who is holy and righteous.”

We our the defendant(s) inside the courtroom of God; completely guilty of sin and its righteous consequences; however, because of God’s great mercy we can become the friends of God instead of being those opposed to the Creator. Romans 3:23 makes it very clear, “For all have sinned….” , but our justification or pardon comes through the grace of God when one places their faith in Christ. As a result of justification, the believer receives peace with God and hope for the future.

What an amazing truth to ponder and rest in, even when we did not deserve friendship with God, the Creator of all things chose to reach out to us despite our rebellion. Justification is truly a gift from God of amazing and unparalleled mercy, one that is received through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings

Scott

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