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Welcome to “In His Praise!” There is a children’s song by William A. Kramer that goes like this: “In our work And in our play, God is with us everyday. Therefore I shall never fear For our loving God is near.” There is a lot of good news in this simple lyric. And it’s not just for the young.  This little song reminds us  that no matter where we are and no matter what we are doing  God is always close by. He never leaves us, he always loves us and we have nothing to fear when He is near. Hebrews 13:6 says we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  Romans 8:38-39 reassures us like this:…

Welcome to “In His Praise!” Do you enjoy getting invitations for things?  If you’re like most people it depends on what kind of  invitation it is. A friend might invite you to dinner, a teenager may wait excitedly to receive an invitation to the prom or a business person may  hope for an invitation to join a particular club or civic group. Other times we receive invitations to activities like birthday parties or celebrations of weddings or anniversaries. These events are usually enjoyable and we like sharing the time with others.  Sometimes, though, we get invitations from companies wanting to sell something like a new vehicle or “give” us a credit card. We are bombarded at times with telemarketers “inviting “ us to buy their product. These types of invitations…

Welcome to “In His Praise!” “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers…” Philemon 1:4 Today was Pastor Appreciation Day at East Point C.P. Church and this verse came to mind. It is  a blessing to be have a dedicated, God-called minster in our church. His job is not always easy and I am sure he spends countless hours praying and studying and preparing sermons, not to mention the time spent visiting the sick, counseling the troubled and witnessing to those that are lost.  All this and more for seemingly little or no reward. It can be discouraging, difficult and stressful. But for a truly God-called minster the reward is not found in material things. It is rather found in knowing that the gospel is being…

Welcome to “In His Praise!” The good news today is that we can be sure that God loves us. We can be certain that His people, His creations, are important to Him and that He desires a relationship with each one.  How do we know this? First and foremost, God sent His precious Son, Jesus, to share His love and compassion and then die for the sins of every human being throughout the world, throughout all time!  How amazing is it that the Lord of the universe would consider us such a treasure! We do not deserve any of this love and certainly cannot earn it, but our merciful and loving God gives it freely. He calls to us to be His children and walk with Him everyday. He wants…

Welcome to “In His Praise! What is harmony? We might think of musical harmony; voices or instruments blended so that the sound is pleasant to hear. We might also think of harmonious relationships where everyone is getting along; there is no fighting or discord. We want this kind of atmosphere in our homes, our workplaces, and in our relationships with others. Being in harmony makes life more pleasant and easier. It is good to work toward having harmony in our lives. But most importantly we should be in harmony with God. We can do this by walking close to our Lord, by talking to Him everyday through prayer and studying His Word and by listening for His guidance and direction. A right relationship with God will bring wholeness or completeness…

Welcome to “In His Praise” As the weather has begun to change from summer to fall, I started thinking about changes we see in our lives. It has been said that the only thing we can be sure of is change itself. There is a lot of truth in those words. From the time we are born until we take our last breath, we experience change to some degree. Babies grow into children, children grow into teenager and teenagers grow into adults. Our minds and bodies change all through life. As we learn new things, new talents, and have new experiences our lives transform. We see changes in the world around us too. Some of these are good such as advancements in medicine and health, or improvements in communication. Education…

Welcome to “In His Praise” “Everyone that calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” Romans 10:13.  Isn’t this good news? Isn’t this great and exciting news? Isn’t this THE BEST news?!! It is such a blessing to know that God loves us and sent His precious Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and provide salvation. It is wonderful to know that all we have to do is “believe with our hearts and confess with our mouth that Jesus died for our sins and was raised again to life.” (Romans 10:9)   This blessing is not for a select few that meet certain criteria, but, thanks be to God, it is for everyone and anyone that “calls on the name of the Lord”. God loves us all,…

Welcome to “In His Praise” “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” This wonderful promise comes from Luke 6:38.  When I read this verse I imagine rice being poured into a jar and when it’s full, shaking the jar and packing the rice so the jar can hold even more and then pouring more rice until the jar is overflowing and the rice spills out everywhere. If we think of rice as blessings, that is what God is promising us — to pour out more blessings than we can hold!  God loves us and wants to bless us, he sees the…

Welcome to “In His Praise” The other day God brought to my mind an old song that I learned in the 70’s. It is called “Pass It On”. The first verse goes something like this,  “It only takes a spark to get a fire going and soon all those around can warm up to its glowing.  That’s how it is with God’s love. Once you’ve experienced it, you spread His love to everyone.  You want to pass it on.”  In this time of discord, violence and hatred we may wonder what we as Christians can do to make a change. Watching the nightly news seems to only be discouraging and sometimes depressing. We may even begin to think that this world is a lost cause and feel like giving up.…

Welcome to “In His Praise” A Prayer for Our Schools O Holy God, the time has come for school to begin. As the children begin their studies, we ask a blessing upon them.  Bless all who will teach and interact with our children in the coming days, weeks and months. Give them wisdom to find inspiration for each child. Give them energy, creativity and love that will make their work a blessing to our children. O Lord of Life and Love, bless all school administrators that they may be faithful stewards of the resources entrusted to their care. Make them fair and merciful, able to do their crucial work with a spirit of grace and compassion. O God, bless each parent, grandparent, guardian and caregiver; that each one would seek…