October 2020

October 11, 2020

Greetings WC friends,

Miss you. I hope you are well. On this Sunday and during the week ahead may we all make time to remember who we are, whose we are, and what we're about as followers of Jesus. I'm helped in this spiritual practice by reflecting on the "rock solid" eternal promises of God. As we move forward together in both our shared and our own situations and circumstances may we be encouraged by God's promises that provide, protect, and preserve.

Bible Reading:

  • Psalm 119:50

  • Deuteronomy 5:1-21

  • 1 Peter 2:4-10

A Few Thoughts:

David and the other psalmists experienced, and vulnerably expressed, the whole span of human emotion. They walked through significant sorrow and pain-but their stories never end there. They return again and again to a steadfast trust in the faithfulness of God, despite their circumstances. The Psalms are an incredible model of deep faith flowing out of broken lives.

We, too, are living in times of sorrow and suffering. It seems we wake each day to more tragedy, heartbreak, and disaster. It is so tempting to resign to our pain – but, because of God’s deep love for us, our stories do not end here. Scripture is packed full of the promises we can claim as God’s children; promises of healing, strength, provision, peace, protection, and more. We are promised a hope, a future. These promises act as our anchor when the winds of heartache rush in. They are the hope we cling to and the truth that preserve our very lives.

Questions to Consider:

When trouble comes, do you intentionally call to mind the promises of God? If not, how might you start? What promises do you need to cling to this week?

Family Talk:

What does it mean to make a promise? How do you feel when someone keeps their promises to you?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, teach me to keep my eyes centered on You rather than on myself, my anxiety, shortcomings, and suffering. Help me to allow You to give me peace of heart and mind today. May I rest deeply in your promises. Amen.

With Every Blessing,

Whit, Katy, Sarah, and Susannah




October 25, 2020

Dear WC Christian friends,

Sunday night greetings to each of you. I hope you had a good day and took time to hit the pause button in order to thank God for his love, character, rule, will, and ways.

As a church family, we collectively rejoice with Jonathan, Savannah, and Millie on the birth of John Grady. And with Chay and Amanda Lindsey on the baptisms of Anna Grace, Harper, and Everly. And we stand in love and sympathy with Judy Jones on the death of her son Jason. Alive TOGETHER in Christ we move forward in faith, hope, and love.

Tonight, I want to share with you devotional thoughts, from another pastor and author, on these words from the Bible, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:32 (NLT). They connected with me and I wanted to share them with you. Make it a great week.

With every blessing,

Whit

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A lot of things that are true won’t set you free. You can learn how to program a computer, but that won’t set you free. You could read all the latest self-help books, but that won’t set you free either.

The only truth that sets you free is the truth of God’s Word: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NLT). A lot of people can quote this verse, but not everyone acknowledges that it’s talking about the Bible or is even from the Bible.

If knowing God’s Word is the only way to be free, then you’ve got to make reading and studying the Bible a priority in your life. You’ve got to feed your mind on the truth of God’s Word.

The ancient Israelite King David understood how important God’s Word is. There was a time when he had so many enemies that he was actually a fugitive. He was running for his life and hiding in caves. But no matter what happened, he fed himself with God’s truth.

Psalm 119:95 is one of the psalms he wrote during this time, and it says, “Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me, I will quietly keep my mind on your laws” (NLT).

When you look around at things in the world, it’s easy to get discouraged. If you scroll through your news feed, listen to talk radio, or watch the news, you’re going to get down. You’re going to feel hopeless. But when you fill your mind with the truth of God’s Word, then you will have more hope and a better perspective on your life—even when you’re in a crisis and running from your enemies.

“How I love your law! I think about it all day long” (Psalm 119:97 GNT). It might be intimidating to try to think about God’s Word all day long. That’s because it doesn’t come naturally to anyone! You might struggle to think about God’s Word even one time in your day, but you can start somewhere.

Try starting your day with the Word of God. Spend 10 minutes reading the Bible in the morning, and then you can think about what you read throughout your day. And the Holy Spirit will help you recall what you’ve read when you need it in difficult times.