The Bartimaeus Blog 2022.27

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I hope everyone enjoyed the festivities this week or at least got a day of much-needed rest.  With all of the challenges our country is facing, we still have much to celebrate.  I am so thankful to live here!

For those who didn’t make it last Sunday, We always miss you when you’re not with us.  I pray that all is well and that we will see you next time.  I just spoke briefly with Cathy.  They are about to do x-rays and surgery seems likely but we don’t know that for certain yet.  Keep her in prayer.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking about trust.  As I was praying over a family situation, the Lord reminded me of my own teaching that trust has to be given before it can be earned.  WE may deem someone trustworthy by observing their conduct and interactions with others, but we really don’t know until we choose to place some level of trust in them ourselves.  There is always the risk that our trust will be betrayed.

What about trusting in God?  WE know from His word that He is trustworthy.  By His very nature He cannot be otherwise.  Yet, we are still called upon to place our trust in Him.  But what if we have, and it seems He has violated that trust?  The problem lies in our limited understanding.  We can always trust that He will keep His word.  We can trust that He will remain true to His nature.  But we cannot expect that He will conform to our understanding of what that means.  The more we come to know Him, the more we will come to trust Him.  WE must take that first step, and open our hearts.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Trust is integral to any relationship.  When we learn to trust in God, it becomes possible to extend a little trust to others.  We can know that even though they may fail, our lord will never fail.  He is always there to break our fall.

I trust that I will see you on Sunday!

Love y’all,

Larry

The Bartimaeus Blog 2022.26

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Blessings, loved ones.  I sure enjoyed seeing all of you at church last Sunday.  How long has it been since everyone has been able to be there at the same time?  I hope we can keep that up and bring in some more!

On Friday, something happened that few of us dared to imagine possible.  It may well be that  this one decision changed the course of our nation.  We may hope that God’s judgment, so greatly deserved for what we have done, may at least be delayed.  In the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Row V. Wade decision, which invented a constitutional right to abortion.  This does not mean that abortion is now illegal across the country.  It does mean that each state will decide whether and when to permit it.

Needless to say, this decision was not universally applauded.  That is to be expected, but should there be any question on this matter among followers of Christ?  To the degree that it is, I can only conclude that there is a lack of understanding. So, though we have been here before, I want to return to the topic.  We should all be prepared to address this issue with truth and compassion.

The answers to two questions will lead us to a final conclusion for Christians on the matter of abortion.  When does human life begin? What is God’s position on the taking of human life; in particular, innocent human life?  The Bible does contain those answers.  We will begin with Isaiah 1:15-18.

Love you all!

Larry

The Bartimaeus Blog 2022.25

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Well, now Summer is officially here, and it’s letting us know in no uncertain terms this year.  I hope you are all able to stay cool.  I want to publicly thank Priscilla for adjusting her schedule so that she gets the AC turned on in time to cool off the building before we arrive.

 

Linda enjoyed having the ladies at our house yesterday.  I mostly hid out in my office.  🙂  We hope to be able to do things like that more often in the future.

A couple of weeks ago when I was doing research for the message, I ran across one of my favorite psalms.  Psalm 133.  It’s a short one, only 3 verses.  It begins, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!”  I had not planned to stay on this topic, but as I read it, I finally began to see the significance of the similes that David uses in the next two verses, particularly in verse 2.  Unity is a big deal.  We already know this as it is taught throughout the New Testament, but it was not a new concept.  It was always God’s desire.  It is in His very nature.  I’m looking forward to sharing with you on Sunday.

Keep on encouraging and praying for each other.  Cathy will finally learn what her next steps are today.  I have a job interview this afternoon.  Cindy could not join the ladies yesterday due to some complication with her medication.  Priscilla appeared to be in a lot of pain.

Love y’all!

Larry

The Bartimaeus Blog 2022.24

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This Sunday, we will honor our fathers.  We’ll given them cards and gifts, call them on the phone, or visit them if we are able.  At a time when our society is trying to diminish them and treat them as irrelevant, Let us affirm them.   For many of us, they are no longer here, but we can remember the good they brought to us, and we can thank our Heavenly Father.  To those who did not have a good experience with their father I say, open your heart to your Father in Heaven, and let Him heal it.

“See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God…” (1 John 3:1)  It is a love beyond any other.  It is a gift eternal and unequaled.  You have been adopted.  You are a joint heir with Jesus!  You have been saved from sin.  Rejoice in His love!  Take comfort from it.  Spread it around.  His family is still growing!  Come and join us!

Love y’all!,

Larry

The Bartimaeus Blog 2022.23

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Loved ones, my prayer for you this week is that “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)  Every one of us has some reason for anxiety, but we know the Prince of Peace.

At BBT, we believe in prayer.  That’s why we post the prayer requests each week so that everyone can refer to them and others can pray with us.  Prayer was a big part of Jesus’ life and also in the life of the early church.  Prayer helps to align our hearts with God’s heart.  We’re simply talking to Him, and hopefully leaving Him space for Him to talk back.  That is how relationships grow.

The Bible tells us that we should expect an answer, so when we don’t seem to get one, it can cause us to question its truth.  Some passages seem to be pretty clear about what should happen, like the one we’re going to look into on Sunday from James 5:13-20.  What are we missing?

God seems to have a distressing habit of leading me to scriptures that I would rather avoid.  Honestly, this is one of them, because it causes me to face a conflict between what I believe and what I think I should believe.  I bet I’m not alone, so I hope you’ll come and open your heart as the Holy Spirit teaches us all. (John 6:13)

Love y’all!

Larry

The Bartimaeus Blog 2022.22

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Warm greetings to you.  I hope you’re staying cool as we enter the unofficial start of Summer.  We had a pretty good turnout last Sunday.  Thank you again to those who helped make it a success.  Now we just need to bring in more to love on !

This Sunday, we’ll be in Hebrews 12:14-17.  I would say that the book of Hebrews is one of the more difficult reads in the New Testament, but worth the effort.  The author expertly weaves together the stories of the Old and New Testaments and points us to Jesus as the key to it all.  In this chapter, he has just finished explaining the necessity and value of discipline.  Now he goes on to some general advice for Christian conduct within the church.

As I was praying this week about what to say, part of verse 15 came to mine, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.”  what is this root of bitterness?  How can we see to it that it does not spring up?

Remember Cathy today as she finds out what will be necessary for her treatment.  Love on each other this week.  I love you all.

Larry

The Bartimaeus Blog 2022.21

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Join us this Sunday for our 5th Sunday fellowship.  Bring along something to share if you can, but we would love to have you either way.  Let this be a time of healing and forgiveness.

I will be speaking from 1 Corinthians 3:9-17.  The church is not the building.  The church is not the ministry.  The church is not the mission.  The church is God’s people.  We, individually and collectively, are God’s temple.  Jesus Christ is our foundation.  Let us take care that we build on nothing else and build well.  The trial by fire is coming.  Will our work endure?

I love you all dearly.  I hope to see you all there.

Larry

The Bartimaeus Blog 2022.20

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If you missed last Sunday, be sure and check out the recordings.  We were all encouraged by the message brought to us by Brad Urschel, which was as much in his contagious enthusiasm as in what he had to say.  He stand as an example of what we often teach.  Do what you can, and leave the rest to God.  You can find the complete video on our YouTube channel, but the sound is better in our audio podcast.

Brad’s story also helps to illustrate the topic we will cover next time.  He was on the pat to success in the eyes of the world, but what he really needed he could not earn.  God gives it freely to all of us.  We didn’t earn it.  There’s nothing we could do that is good enough to deserve it.  He gives it to us because he loves us.  But now that we have it, what’s next?  Most of us are probably familiar with Ephesians 2:8-9, but we stop short of verse 10.  God gives us grace because He loves us, but he also gives it to us with a purpose.  It is to help us as we go about doing the work that he has planned for us.  When we come to appreciate the value of the gift we have been given, we will do it gladly, and gladly give grace to others.

Keep on praying for each other and encouraging each other during the week.  I spoke to Cathy last night and she got a good report from her doctor visit.  See you Sunday!

love y’all,

Larry

The Bartimaeus Blog 2022.19

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Good morning, friends.  Another one of those special days has come and gone.  I hope you had a chance to bless and be blessed last Sunday.  We missed a couple of folks but it was good to be together and to thank the Lord for our moms.

This Sunday, we have something a little different in store.  In 1983, Brad Urschel was an Olympic hopeful.  Bright and talented, he graduated from Princeton having studied neuroscience.  He had plans to enter medical school.    He had every reason to look forward to a life that the world would call successful, then it happened.  A serious car accident changed his life forever.  But Brad has not given up.  God got his attention after that night, and now he lives to tell “His story.” Find out more at https://www.spiritinbrad.org/

Brad shares his experience in an interactive format.  To insure that he has all the time he needs, we’ll forego the Sunday School session this week.  I hope you will join us to be inspired and encouraged.

Love y’all!

Larry

The Bartimaeus Blog 2022.18

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Blessings to you, loved ones.  Mother’s Day is coming up this Sunday.  If you can, be sure to let your mother know how much you love and appreciate her.  For many of us that is no longer possible, but there are still ways you can honor your mother.  If nothing else, you can be thankful that she gave you life.

Sometimes we question our circumstances.  Usually it’s when they are not what we would wish them to be, but it is just as reasonable to question them when they are good.  God gives us good things for good reasons.  Yes, He does it because He loves you, but He also does it because He wants you to do something good with them.  Consider Esther.  Actually, things didn’t start out so good for her.  Born into a subjugated and scattered people, she lost her parents at an early age and was raised by her older cousin, Mordecai.  Then she is taken away from him to the king’s palace, basically to be a high-class sex slave, albeit with the potential for becoming queen.  She does become queen, but her troubles are not over.  An evil man has hatched a plot to destroy her entire race, and she must risk her life in an attempt to save them.

If you ever thought the Bible was boring, read the book of Esther.  Why not read it this week and then join us on Sunday? By popular demand, we’ll also be having a communion service.  I hope to see you there.

Remember Cathy this week as she prepares for her surgery on Friday.

Love y’all!

Larry