Happy Friday, friends, or whatever day it is by the time you read this.  My prayer for you this week is that you see the people around you through God’s eyes. Read on for this week’s update for BBT.

It was good to have more of our people back last wee.  I hope you heard Priscilla’s heart during the Sunday School time.  All of us have a job to do, and all of us bear some responsibility to prepare our own hearts so that we can come together to focus on worshiping our Lord.  Having said that, no one is saying that you cannot come in with a need.  We are to be a place of healing and restoration, and it is appropriate for that to take place within our service.

In my message I shared with you the results of my study on the Sabbath day.  I think I have only scratched the surface of the meaning behind it, but I hope it helped you as it helped me to better understand its meaning and why it may be that God made it such a serious thing for the children of Israel.  Observance of the day is no longer required, but time set aside to pursue relationship with our Creator certainly is if we truly desire to know Him.

This Sunday, we’ll be in Romans 14:1-12.  Sometimes we seem determined to find fault.  I think many times this is an unconscious defense against the flaws we see in our own character, but whatever the reason, it’s a destructive tendency.  This passage addresses issues specific to the people and time when it was written, but it contains useful instruction for us today that goes beyond the obvious application.  It’s hard to be in unity if we’re pointing out each others’ faults and presenting ourselves as somehow better or more holy.  Obvious sin does need to be confronted, and Jesus gives us the process and the redemptive objective of applying it in Matthew 18, but too often we are the ones committing the greater sin with our criticism.  We may be right, but it is better to be righteous.  We should extend the same grace to others that we have received from God, and that’s a lot of grace.

Pray for Lupe as she continues to recover from her fall.  Priscilla found out this week that she has a broken kneecap and that it has been that way for some time.  The other one is not broken but is in worse shape.  She’s been told to stay off of her feet for several weeks.  This may mean we have no one to run the bus, but we’re still working on that.  Keep her and kimi in your prayers.

This Sunday is also a 5th Sunday, and we’ll be having our fellowship after the service.  Since it’s the week of the 4th we are doing hamburgers and hotdogs.  If you didn’t get a chance last week and want to help with sides, check in with Brenda to see what is needed.  Bring a friend!  See you there!

Love y’all,

Larry