Back to School

NOOOO!! Say it is not so!  This is way too early!  We are not ready for school and for college!

It seems as if summer just got started and we are already talking about going back to school.   

I really am old school; I think school should start the first Tuesday after Labor Day.

The life lesson is very simple; here comes the calendar, ready or not!

We have to get ready on Sunday evening so we can jump up and go to work and school on Monday.  We make plans for Christmas and Thanksgiving.  They are all on our calendar.  Ready or not, we have appointments to keep.  We can dread April 15, but tax day shows up.  Don’t forget birthdays.  Yes, they keep coming, even if you are “39” or “49” and holding!

The truth is that back to school is just a step towards our ultimate joy, seeing Jesus.  It is a tiny reminder on our calendar of life.  We have an appointment to keep.

If you have children or grandchildren you have heard about what the children need to start school.  It is clothes, shoes, backpacks, school supplies and more.

Church family, they also need our extra love, our calm assurances over the new school year and our prayers!  Don’t forget prayers and compassion for the teachers.

Celebrate back to school with your Trinity Family as we pray the new school year off to a great start!

You are loved,

Pastor Ralph

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They Continued in Prayer

Every day we live, we understand more and more the need for prayer.  This growing awareness helps us to know that we must pray even more now than in the past.

C.H. Spurgeon was saved at the age of 16; he surrendered to preach when he was 19 years of age. Only 8 years later, over 6,000 people were coming to hear him preach in the “Tabernacle”.  Mr. Spurgeon said that he waited on God, He got alone with God, and he studied the Word and then prayed.

The first church was born in prayer.  When the government of Jerusalem said not to preach in Jesus’ name, His followers met together and prayed!

When King Herod had killed James then put the Apostle Peter in prison, they prayed.   Acts 1:14 states that they continued in prayer, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren.”

Whatever the problem, no matter the situation, the church prayed; then they continued in prayer!

Psalm 55:17, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and   He shall hear my voice.'”

Luke 18:1,”…that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

The answer for our families, our church and our problems will not be found in the efforts of men.  We need the supernatural presence and power of God.  This comes only by prayer.

James 5:16,”…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

We must be united in our mission, connected in our vision and welded together in fervent prayer.

“God, please save our lost family members!  God please touch our church with the fire of revival!  God please grant me faith to claim the promises of your world!”

We must continue in prayer!

You are loved,

Pastor Ralph

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PAYING FORWARD

You can be a blessing with your life’s estate.  You can pay it forward for the cause of Christ and our church.

Many of us have experienced the surprise and blessing when we drove up to the drive-through window to pay for our purchase and the bill was already paid! Someone in line in front of you or me paid for our coffee or burger.  That person in the front was giving a gift to the person to follow.

In the life of a church we can witness the same blessing on a much larger scale.  It is called estate planning.  You can plan to use your estate to bless the church, and to be honored and remembered after you are already in Heaven.

God has given to us many “things” to be stewards over in our lifetime.  We own cars, trucks, RVs, boats, real estate, stocks, bonds, and many times the house we live in.  We can add to that our personal items, our cash, checking accounts, certificates of deposits and savings accounts.   We are blessed people!

Attention to our stewardship now gives us the opportunity to plan how our material things will be used after we are enjoying our new home!

Our church financial team can assist you with these future preparations.  In this way you are voting to keep the church preaching and teaching the Word of God for years to come by including Trinity in your estate planning.

We can be faithful in our planning for those who are coming after us.  I Corinthians 4:2, Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

II Corinthians 9:8, And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Thank you for being faithful and thank you for caring and sharing.

You are loved,

Pastor Ralph

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God Abundantly Pardons

For the past few days there have been calls and texts concerning God’s grace.

Our services and even the Jubilee were special times of knowing that we are forgiven and God’s grace is real.

Isaiah, chapter fifty-five, speaks of the fact that we can seek the Lord and call upon the Lord.  In that same chapter, verse seven says:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

Remember the story of the Prodigal Son?  He was in a far country and had sinned against God and his father.  He begins to remember the love and kindness of his father, “My father is good and kind, even to his hired servants.”

Father, I am not worthy to be your son!  Is there grace and mercy for me? Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?

The father runs to greet the son as he travels the road from sin.  That is grace in action!  The father, just like God the Father, abundantly pardons.

We are so blessed!

You are loved,

Pastor Ralph

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Friends and Fellowship

What an exciting time we have had this month! We have seen Trinity Baptist in action!

Children’s camp, teen camp, youth conference, the Primitive’s Homecoming and the 52nd Land of the Sky Jubilee were all in the past few weeks.  We are blessed to have so many opportunities to serve the Lord and to enjoy some time of fellowship together.

To all of our volunteers, thank you so much for your time and personal sacrifices you make to serve the Lord and our church family.   You are an example of, “In honor preferring one another.”  God bless your heart of caring and sharing!

We have been blessed with many visiting friends and families.  Thank you for taking a moment to look around your seating area for a new face.  Please take time to introduce yourself, shake a hand and welcome them to Trinity Baptist.

We never know who may have an emotional or spiritual need, or who may just need  someone to talk to or a friend that can help them pray about a special need.

We are so blessed to have God and each other.  Let’s work and pray to show the love of Christ and the hope presented in our fellowship.

You are loved,

Pastor Ralph

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