Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Dear Trinity Baptist Church Family, Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. Life can be very frustrating. Our efforts to improve ourself or our relationships or our finances or our community seem sometimes to be sabotaged before we’ve begun. This verse is encouraging to me. One, my efforts are not solely responsible for successes. Somethings are above my pay grade! They are way beyond my ability to fix or improve. Second, trusting God is my foundation for all my labor. Regardless the outcomes, I can rest on the work of the Lord in every situation.
Every morning this week I have said to myself, “Welcome to winter.” Like it or not, it’s here. Then I say, “But God is good and there is work to be done.” These things are not temperature-impacted!
Jean W is improving some. She told me last evening that she had two good sessions in physical therapy yesterday. She is at Harbor Haven and can have visitors, but she is being kept pretty busy with family and therapies. Cards would also be welcome.
Tom G was home this weekend with a nasty ear infection. Last I heard, Nestor’s mom, Norma, was still at Agnesian waiting for a bed in a place where they do the procedure that would help her. And Kathy R is waiting for her blood numbers to go up so she can have her last round of chemo. My niece, Anna, is scheduled to fly from Boston home to Scotland today.
Awana resumes tonight! The adult Bible study at the parsonage will start a new year at 6:45 p.m.
I am going to cancel the Men’s Prayer breakfast scheduled for this Saturday. A dear friend of Lin and I who mentored us as a young couple has passed away. Clarabell Gapinski was 100 years old. Her funeral will be in LaSalle, IL on Saturday and Lin and I are planning to attend.
Jon and Ruth Bergen will be our missionary ministers this coming Lord’s Day. They will give us a report on their ministry in Sunday School and then Jon will be our morning preacher. As is our custom, we will take a second offering for the Bergens in the morning service.
The teens have a Bible study this Thursday evening at Charlie and Brittany’s home. And I believe the young adult study has been put back on the calendar for Friday night at the Brakers.
Love one another.
Embracing Truth, Pastor