Blessings to you, family and friends of BBT.  Keep reading to learn what’s coming up.

It has been an eventful week.  Please keep our church in your prayers.  I choose to believe that this time of testing has come to us because god is about to do something big and Satan thinks he can stop it.  But greater is He that is in us!  Pray also for the family of Iris Dillard.  Cathy informed me earlier this week that she passed away.

I was angry earlier this week.  I was ready to call down the fire of God and let it burn!  I pulled out an old sermon that I thought appropriate to the occasion and set about updating it it for the occasion.  But something happened by the time I had finished the introduction.  God completely changed my perspective.  I was ready to talk about tough love and how sometimes we have to do things we’d rather not do for the sake of eventual redemption.  But was redemption really the goal?  That truth remains and I am going to talk about it a little, but God showed me what tough love really means.  Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.  Jesus exhibited it when He died on that cross, having asked that the Father forgive His murderers.

I started thinking about the people in this church.  I am filled with admiration as I realize we’ve got some of the toughest people I know among us.  You’ve experienced suffering, heartache, and betrayal, but you keep on loving.  I can say with a high level of confidence, “great is your reward in Heaven!”  I hope you can come and be encouraged as we find out what tough love really looks like.

I love and appreciate you all.

Larry