Some Bright Morning, I’ll Fly Away
This Sunday’s worship service will be built around a wonderful collection of hymns, the Word proclaimed and the Word sealed in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Table. I am very eager for the service. Come Sunday morning, you will want to be with us!
The service will begin with Debbie McCowin and John Rackley preparing us for worship with a piano-horn rendering of the old gospel song, His Eye is on the Sparrow. Click Here for Patti Sandy’s version of the song.
Read All About It!
Let me offer a short take on three news items from this past week. They have to do with marriage, fundamentalism and the dark night of the soul.
Marriage
On Wednesday the Post-Gazette reported that the three-month marriage of 84 Lumber founder and local philanthropist Joe Hardy and his 23 year-old wife has come to an end. Read all about it. The unhappy couple reports that their marriage is “irretrievably broken.” No one seems to know the terms of the split, but at the very least, the former Mrs. Hardy should be able to keep the engagement ring and the Porsche she was given before she signed the pre-nuptial agreement.
When Jesus Saw Their Faith: young people in Beaver and a beloved teacher
One of my favorite Bible stories is the story of the paralytic lowered down through the roof by his faithful friends who hope that at Jesus’ word or by his touch their friend might be healed. The Gospel writers tell us that when Jesus saw the faith of the friends he was moved with compassion and forgave the man of his sins and healed his body of its brokenness.
Tuesday night’s community prayer service for Beaver Area High School chemistry teacher Steve Witowich was a marvelous story of the faith of friends. Not much is known about Mr. Witowich’s personal faith or if he had a personal faith. Right now that doesn’t matter much. Steve remains in critical care fighting the ravages of vicious virus.
A Life Saved
Tell me again why we go to Brazil. The bills are in on our most recent trip and the total is just over $20,000 – all raised by our team. Is it worth it? Sure, we hear the stories of the good times and friendships and of the gospel shared in word and deed. But do our Brazilian partners really need a bunch of Americans from Beaver, PA, to do what God is calling them to do? I think so.
Before the Throne of God Above
Above Make Haste to Heal These Hearts of Pain
Lift High the Cross
Before the Throne of God Above
Prayer is an incredible privilege and responsibility of the Christian life. You will be hearing much more about our Brazil Mission Trip, but before all the other stories, is the reality of answered prayer. We know that many of you “prayed us through” our 78-hour trip to Brazil and we believe that prayer saw us safely through the entire trip – including our 17 lost bags on the trip home (they’ve been found and should be delivered to us today!).