Greetings from Pastor Rob

Greetings, People of God!

Do you ever struggle with temptation? (Is the Pope Catholic?) This morning I was mulling this over in Hebrews: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Heb. 4:15.  Whatever that thing is that has you sweating temptation bullets, Jesus can empathize. He can help. He was tempted in all the ways you and I are... but he didn't give in. When we are usually tempted, we feel like we're either moving away from God or we should. The next verse counters that false perception: Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Temptation is the time to draw near to God, not run away.  Jesus understands what's happening—he was there at one time—so he can empathize and help. Mercy and grace are there for the taking. Take advantage!

What's Goin' On...

*This is the weekend of the Women's Retreat! Have fun, ladies. Pray for those husbands at home with children... :-)

*The huge Awana rummage sale is May 15-16. Hang on to your spring cleaning stuff and bring it by the Wednesday evening or Thursday before that. 

*The All Church Campout will be Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25. See Bud M or Doug C for info. 

*Showers of Blessings is looking for scented candles for their Mama Comfort Bags. Drop them at the donation station back by the KidZone room. 

*If weeding is your spiritual gift, come on by the church when you can and check out the gardens in front of the church and facing the river around the deck. It'll take a village to keep up on those weeds!

This Sunday...

Ace and Ambassadors on tap as usual at 9am. Rick continues his study on what a church is and when you might leave one. In the service, Steve C leads in worship and I'll be speaking on 1 Corinthians 4:1-5. It's an interesting passage on judging and judgment. It seems some skeptics know only one verse in the Bible, and that's where Jesus says, "Judge not lest ye be judged." 

When is judging bad? And when is it good? Come on down and check it out. 

See you Sunday?

Pastor Rob

p.s. "Successful acupuncture is a jab well done."