Blessings to you, fellow citizens.  This Sunday will be on Independence Day, and we’ll be celebrating accordingly.  I hope that you would agree with me that we are richly blessed to be living in the United States of America, but there’s a citizenship that’s much more important.  Most of all, I pray that you are a citizen in the kingdom of Heaven.

We celebrate freedom, and well we should.  But what do we mean by freedom? Do we really have a right to it?  Some don’t think so.  Our founders thought we did.  What makes us free? Is it the law, the society we live in, or something greater?

If we exclude God from the picture, there’s really no such thing as freedom.  We’re all just machines running out our programming.  Of course, then one has to believe that something as complex as a human being can grow out of nothing with no intelligence to direct the process, but that’s another conversation.

Jesus summed it up in one phrase, “the truth will set you free.”  We can argue over the foundation of the United States.  We can debate what is good and what is bad about it.  Some things are true and others are not, but none of it is significant unless we get a hold of the only truth that really matters, the truth of Jesus and His word.  As we celebrate our freedom this weekend, let us consider the true source of freedom.  We will focus on John 8:31-36.

We will have a fellowship after services.  Please bring something to share if you are able.

I do have some good news to report.  We were able to work out the insurance issues on Monday and they should be able to begin repairs on the building next week.  We are receiving a wonderful blessing.  I’ll give credit where it’s due once we have finalized everything with a vote this Sunday.  The air conditioning in the fellowship hall is already fixed.

Remember Ruth and Cathy in your prayers.  We missed them last Sunday.  Priscilla does need the gall bladder surgery and has a hiatal hernia. Further testing is needed to learn if there are greater concerns.  I don’t know if we will see her Sunday or not with the amount of pain she is experiencing.  Remember Kimi also.

Love y’all!

Larry