Hello, Crossroads Family !
Did you know that the middle chapter of the Bible is Psalm 118 ? There are 594 chapters that precede Psalm 118 and 594 chapters that follow it. The middle verse of Psalm 118 is verse 15 :
Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” (Psalm 118:15, NIV)
Someone has compared the shouting described in that verse to eating at a restaurant where there are many televisions positioned around the room and people watching different ball games. Suddenly, you hear a shout go up from one corner of the room where people are watching a game and their team has scored. Throughout the week, we hear shouts of joy and victory going up in different places among the people of God. That’s encouraging, even if it’s not happening right now in our own corner of the room. It will eventually — the Lord’s hand does mighty things.
Psalm 118 tells of a person who was delivered from a desperate situation. It really speaks of the Lord Jesus when it says, “I will not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord” (v. 17), and “Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar” (v. 27). You might be encouraged by reading Psalm 118 today.
A Few Notes …
- We welcome Mark Tice officially as a new member at Crossroads. What a blessing it has been to have Mark among us. Pray for Mark, that God would bless him and continue to use him as He already has.
- If you were not in church last Sunday, contribution statements for your 2024 taxes were on the refreshment table. Be sure to pick up your statement. Thanks to Donna Rodriguez, Stacey Wilson, and Diane Knoche for help with the organization of finances in the church !
- I look forward to our worship this Sunday morning at 10:00 ! Ladies, don’t forget the women’s Breakfast & Bible Study this Saturday morning at 8:00. Women’s Abound Conference in Joplin : Friday and Saturday, February 21-22 (Contact Erin Townsend to sign up or for more information). Next men’s Recharge group : Thursday, February 27, at 6:30 pm. Next Sunday morning Bible class for 8-13 year-olds : Sunday, February 23, during the sermon. A new semester of Immerse begins Wednesday, February 19, at 7 pm.
- Let’s pray for our members recovering from surgery, for family members, and for those who need healing or growth in their marriage or in family relationships. Let’s keep the children of Crossroads in our prayers, for those in our church making important decisions, and for opportunities to share the Gospel with those around us. Let’s keep up the spirit of our Day of Prayer & Fasting from a week ago last Monday !
Dr. Terry Powell, former professor at Columbia International University, has an interesting blog entitled “What If I Had Only One Year to Live.” You can access it here. He includes some insightful questions that could help us now, even if we anticipate many years ahead. As we ask ourselves challenging questions and prompt ourselves to take actions on things that may have lain dormant for years in our lives, we grow in Christ and become more useful to God !
I hope to see you this Sunday !— Tom
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