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Trust in the Lord

More than ever I am reminded of the Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

As we navigate these days dealing with the COVID-19 virus, it is easy for us to get caught up in all the news and information and become afraid. It is hard for me being such a ‘people person’ to keep my ‘social distance,’ but we need to follow instructions that our leaders have given us so we can control the spread of this virus. This is new for us, but we know it is time to be smart and once this is over, we can once again be back to our schedules that we did enjoy.

It is easy for us to fall into the trap of letting our fear control us in times like these. We need to remember that we must be people of Faith and not of fear. We know that God is going to take care of us and lead us through these trying times. Our Faith is stronger than any virus and we need to lean on God and draw closer to him more than ever before. Our prayer life and our Bible Study need to be our focus as we move forward. It is also a time when we must look for creative ways to stay in touch with our church family and friends. Let’s make it a habit of calling those in our Sunday school classes and check on them. When you are calling your friends and classmates and you find out a need, please let us know. We do have limited hours in the church for safety purposes, but you can always reach me on my cell phone (334-538-1136). We are sending out the “LifeLine” prayer list every day by way of email. Our contact information is on that sheet and we want to know when there is a need. Yes, it is hard for us to do ‘Church’ as we are accustomed to, but we are trying to keep you informed and connected with your church. Remember if you have a need, please let us know so we can help.

Many have asked about getting their tithes and offerings to the church when we are not meeting.   There are several ways to continue your tithe. First you can mail your offering. If you have access to a smart phone or computer there is online giving. If you need help with setting up an online gift, please call me and I would be glad to help you with that process. If you have the Church Life App on your phone, it is easy to make your online gift there. Our church is open every morning Monday- Friday from 8:30 until noon and you can drop your offering off at the church. If it is after those hours, the Outreach Prayer box on the Green Ridge Road side of the church, by the drive through, is a drop box and it is LOCKED. You can drop your offering in that box, and it is secure. That box is checked every day. We appreciate your faithfulness to our church. If you are not able to use any of these methods, feel free to call and we will pick up your offering from your house.  

This is a time to be safe, but it is also a time to stay connected with your church. We are here to help, and we want to make sure all of our church family has what they need for these trying times. I heard it said yesterday by one of our local pastors that “This is today but this is not a new normal.”  We want to be safe and we want to look forward to when this is over and we are back to Worshipping together.

Sunday Worship and Wednesday Bible study are available on Facebook at their regular times. (Eastern Hills Baptist Church). They can also be view from our church web site www.ehbconline.com.

Pastor Dan

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FOCUSED

One of the casualties of aging to which I find myself a victim is the dimming of the eyes.  Ecclesiastes 12 counsels the young person to remember God, their Creator, in their youth before the aging process takes over and various faculties, as listed in verses 1-7, are diminished.

Clear eyesight when we are young may be something we take for granted. However, as we age the realization that our vision is not as sharp as it once was takes hold. “Readers” become standard fare for all intricate tasks. Our once keen laser sharp focus is now blurry and in need of help to restore its youthfulness. That restoration is found through glasses or some sort of rejuvenating surgery. Especially in the early stages of this degenerative eye problem we may be able to fake it and get by, but eventually we must relent and do something to correct the problem.

There is a parallel between physical and spiritual vision. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” was written in the early 20th century. The hymn writer, Helen Lemmel, was strongly influenced by the artist and later little-known missionary, Lilias Trotter. Miss Trotter started off as an aspiring artist but early on felt a call from God to reach the lost. She began her ministry by rescuing prostitutes from the streets of London. Later she went to Africa, without missionary funding, and served for over forty years. While there she penned a poem that would greatly influence the writing of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”  The poem was entitled “Focused: A Story and Song.” 

The poem centers around focusing one’s attentions fully and completely upon God. She writes that Satan knows that if a person uses all their powers of concentration on being led by God’s Spirit, they will have a great intensity and impact upon those to whom they are called to minister. Lilias Trotter, writing in a more formal use of the English language than we are accustomed, shares some timeless insights which could very easily have been written today but with a different accent. She writes: “Never has it been so easy to live in half a dozen good harmless worlds at once—art, music, social science, games, motoring, the following of some profession, and so on. And between them we run the risk of drifting about, the ‘good’ hiding the ‘best’ even more effectually than it could be hidden downright frivolity with its smothered heartache at its own emptiness.”

The “good” hiding the “best” leads us to emptiness.  Could this be true of us today especially as American Christians? Have we sought the “good” while missing the “best”? The chorus of the hymn, which we will be singing in worship this Sunday, says it best.

                Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,                                                                                                                                        And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Keith Pate

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