Blessings to you, loved ones.  My prayer for you this week is for a fresh vision of His love and purpose for you.  Here’s what I see coming up.

We were almost back to full strength last week and that felt good.  Now let’s bring in some ore!  Priscilla showed us an inspiring video to teach us that attitude can make all the difference.  I spoke on the reality that God does punish His children and it is proof that He loves us.  Everything is on the site if you missed it.

After a heavy message I like to provide a little encouragement.  I’ve been thinking about the future of our church.  We have spoken at different times over the past year about what we hope for, but I want to revisit the topic from the perspective of our namesake.

I suspect there have been more sermons about Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) in our congregation than just about any other part of scripture.  The name makes it inevitable.  But I am going to put you through one more, because there’s something I want you to notice that speaks to our future and the “vision” for our church.

For people who aren’t familiar with the Bible, Bartimaeus is just a strange word.  My Uber drivers will often just skip the word and ask me if I’m going to “the temple.”  For those who grew up in Sunday school, he’s known for one thing, being blind.  The KJV even calls him “blind Bartimaeus.”  But here’s what I want you to see.  Bartimaeus is not blind!  He was blind before Jesus healed him, but from then on, he could see.

The story of Bartimaeus is not about a blind man.  It is about a man who can see.  The story of Bartimaeus Baptist Temple is not about people who are disabled.  It is about people who find their hope and healing in Jesus.  I am not saying that we all must be healed.  I believe that God has told me that I will serve him best as I am.  I am saying that if we identify with Bartimaeus, we are identifying with a man whose faith in Jesus led to his healing, and that man continued to follow Jesus.  That which defines us should be our faith in Him, not our disabilities.

We will always be a church that addresses the needs of people with disabilities, but those needs are greater than simple accommodation.  We all have these needs. We need to love and be loved.  We need to find the purpose for which we were created and live it out.  The church should facilitate these greater needs for all people.  In so doing, we will be a shining example of what is possible, and we will spread the Gospel message far ans wide.  This is our ultimate mission.  Join us!

I went to visit Larry S. in his new digs this week and found him in good spirits.  He has found another church that is able to pick him up.  He told me they have an old school bus with a wheelchair lift on it.  The bus can hold several chairs.  I’m excited to hear that another church in the area is doing this and I intend to get more information.  I have a name but between a questionable memory and horrible spelling I don’t want to share it here until I verify it.  We want to see churches everywhere doing this!

Keep praying for each other.  I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Love y’all!

Larry