Devotion “Day Of Praise”

Tues, 06/30/20, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 16:3 - "[Jesus said to them, 'You say,] "And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."'"

Here's some Driver's License Test questions: 
A red light means what? 
"Stop", yes! 
A green light means what? 
"Go", yes! 
And a yellow light means what? 
"Floor it!!!" 
Uuuuuh, no, I'm sorry, that's not right. A yellow light means "prepare to stop." And the unwillingness to interpret the sign that is a yellow light as "prepare to stop" has been the cause of many a death.

And that's exactly what Jesus is talking about in today's verse when he says, "You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." The key sign that Jesus refers to is the sign of Jonah. Jesus even tells us what the sign of Jonah is, namely, that just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, so too will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. The sign of Jonah is a sign that testifies to the truth that just as Jonah seemed dead in the whale but he was spewed forth by the whale onto dry land, so too Jesus seemed dead in the grave but he was spewed forth by the Living God into the midst of the living.

So why, then, do so many people, many of whom profess to be Christians, continue to live as if Jesus is still dead and in the grave? Tragically, the unwillingness to interpret the sign that is Jesus' resurrection as "live like Jesus is alive" has been the cause of many a death. In other words, everyday, many a Christian approaches a difficult situation as if Jesus is dead by never appealing to the crucified, risen, and living Christ to do something about the situation and then believing that he will do it and looking for him to do it.

God wants us to read the signs of the times correctly so we can live abundantly. When a difficult situation comes up in our lives, it does not mean that we're done for or that we're supposed to deal with it in our own strength. Instead, when we have a difficult situation, it means that Jesus, who conquered the greatest ever difficulty of an unjust death, is about to show you his mighty power and conquer your difficulty too!!!

Let us be found believing, and may God be praised for his victory over every difficulty in our lives by the power of the risen and living Jesus Christ. Can I get an "Amen!"? Aaaaaaaaamen!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Devotion “Day of Praise”

Mon, 06/29/20, "Day of Praise"

Colossians 1:9-10 - "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

I remember getting tickled once. I drove past a church sign that on two lines read, "Is your life pleasing to God?" And then on the next line, it said, "Zumba - Wednesday 7:30." You can do all sorts of things with the sequence on the sign, but when I first read it driving by, it sounded as if a Zumba exercise class was their suggestion for pleasing God. So I chuckled.

Setting all humor aside, today's verses from Colossians are amongst sixty or so Bible verses that tell us what does and does not please God about our lives. In sum, God is pleased with our lives when we walk with Him and therefore walk in His blessings and from the overflow of blessings, we bear the fruit of sharing Him with others.

Walking with God is not difficult. Walking with God means surrendering to the faithful work of God's Holy Spirit so that we:
1) have faith in Christ, (both in Him personally and in His saving work),
2) listen for Christ's voice (for example, daily Bible reading, prayer, and at least weekly worship), and
3) look for Christ, (for example, look for the many daily chances to serve him by serving other people in WORDS AND DEEDS with God's love).

The result of such a walk with God, according to today's verses, is that we are:
1) filled with Christ and, therefore, his spiritual wisdom and power,
2) increasing in the knowledge of God, and
3) bearing fruit in every good work.
In sum, we are blessed. The result of walking with God is that we are blessed in such a way that we become a blessing to others, a living invitation to Christ for others, and a glory to God.

To bring it full circle, when, through faith in Him, we are a blessing to others and a glory to God, then God is pleased indeed.

Praise God!

Sunday Worship “Day of Praise”

Thank you for joining us! God bless! View this email in your browser 4th Sunday after Pentecost Worship & Updated Prayer List   4th Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, 6/28/2020   Sunday Services Click here to listen to our Traditional Worship. Click here to follow along with the traditional bulletin. Click here to listen to our Contemporary Worship. Click here to follow along with the contemporary bulletin. The children of Christ the King have been learning about the Fruit of the Spirit, and GOODNESS prompted them to share some goodness through a food drive. We will be collecting canned food during each drive-in worship through July 5, 2020. Donations will go to Oak Mountain Missions for distribution. Check out their video! https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2522379368072094 Join our current 13 participants in the next 40-Day SIP Groups of 4-6 people, starting July 1. Mission Challenge 43 has begun! We celebrate the first $1,776 that's been given toward our $4,300 goal! Pentecost Sunday was our 43rd birthday as a congregation in the body of Christ. We celebrate our birthday every year by planting seeds for the good news of Jesus locally, regionally, globally.  WE ASK EVERYONE TO PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER AN EXTRA MILE CONTRIBUTION OF ANY AMOUNT WHICH IS SO APPRECIATED EVEN AS WE SUGGEST $100 PLUS THE NUMBER OF YEARS WE'RE CELEBRATING, SO IT WOULD BE $143 THIS YEAR for this year's recipient of our Mission Challenge 43 which is our local sister school The Renaissance Academy Prep School of Excellence which provides "a college preparatory education in a safe and structured Christian based environment, that will produce achievers who are scholarly and morally sound contributors to the global society." Learn more at www.trapsoeal.org and www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdX7ADp-vAQ LIVE!  Facebook Live Specifically! Our Wednesday 11:45 a.m. midday worship & our Saturday 5:00 p.m. Drive-In Worship are now on Facebook Live! But, IF YOU CANNOT CATCH IT LIVE, then anytime visit www.facebook.com/ctkbham to look, listen, be blessed, and pass it on!   Please join us in stopping to pray EVERY DAY at 7:14 am and 7:14 pm and pray and act in accord with this command of God from 2 Chronicles 7:14 — "...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Spread the word!   June 28th's Most Recent Prayer Requests Joys and Concerns, Specific and General, Congregation and Beyond:   Newest specific concerns (recent weeks further down this page): Joy Dearing; Christy Avery Colantuono, shoulder surg; Tom Avery's fr, Don; Audrey & Bob Hains; Faith Penrod herself, health, & her son, Mike Krantz, salvation, along w/niece Erin & Ryan & neph Devon; Pat Florence & Stan Gillard; Laurie Kinnebrew's frs, Cindy Davis, chemo ovarian, & Wayne Dunnavant, major knee surg; Debbie Fick's dghtr-in-law, Kelsey's grgdad, Papaw; William Flowers; Phyllis & Ron Keener; TF; JL; CS; Gary Grimes, shingles; Dominick Ciambrone's series of mouth surgs; Lyn Franks; Mark & Patsy Scott's travel to TX 7/7; Mel Shinholster; Kathy Stepanski; Pastor Chris's mom, Carol Jane, oral surg; Mike O'Brien's mom, Winnie; JoJo Nagel; Shawn Price's dad, Larry; Ben Abercrombie; Maureen Lynn; Bob Nagel, rotator cuff; Chris Williams, back surg; Alex Jackson; Nan McLean's dghtr, Laine; Pam Nagel, cataract surg; Wisdom for our Council & Ad Hoc Committee for reopening; continued unity and love in our congregation as has been overflowing in Christ   In Hospice Care: Tim Turner's father-in-law, William Edmond   Deaths: Faith Penrod's cousin, Dicky, motorcycle accident, & cousin Marsha's 19 yr old gson, Dylan, glioblastoma brain tumor; Vegter family friend, Todd Decker   Protection for these we know providing medical service (please add/update): Sharon Gray, Mike Remillard, Mitch & Sadie Messner, Lindsay Parsons, Jess Gober, Stephanie Loyacano, Tim Champion's dghtr Shelby, Mike Anglin, Lt Col Don Kosatkas, Kayla Reinicke, Dr. Tim & Kathryn Peters, Parsons fam fr Trey     Joys: John & Beka Owen's baby, Wilder, born 6/22; Rachel Sedlacek & Daniel Yang's wedding last weekend, 6/20! Lynn Headley's new job; Ruth Dunmire's new address 906 Elderberry Lane, Villa Rica, GA, 30180; Healing of Joe Mollica's father-in-law, Claude Rigney! Continued miraculous healing of Ann Dawson's fam, Faith, bad 4-wheeler accident, severe head injuries! Larry Loyacano, Wray Allen, & another continued healing from skin cancer surg Anticipated Weddings: Chelsey Anne Whittaker & Zach Askew, 8/29; Jordie Broadwell & Steven Welch, 10/24; Austin Demsky & Ashley Guidry, 11/21 Anticipated Births: Dawn Talley's fr Rachel due 7/20; Shawn & Kelly Price due 7/25; Ann Dawson's son, Greg & Mandy, expecting son 7/31; Loyacanos' gdghtr Kayleigh & Paul Teegarden, 9/20 Upcoming Baptisms: Joseph Gelinas; Ellie Wahl, Madison Daniel, Leon Silas Jones, Brody Kelly, Teagan Sayers; Bryson; Hannah Rose; Emma Kate; Sophie; John & Beka Owen's baby, Wilder   OUR MILITARY (please add!): Andrew & Christy Colantuono; Lynn & Shannon Whited; Ben Brasher; Loyacano grandson-in-law, Paul Teegarden; Faith Penrod's neph, Devon, Army; Sara Grace Estill's boyfriend, Adam Waller, USMC; Jacob Hovis (Boyd fam); Linda McEachern's neph, Justin Wheeler (Army); Michael Ross; Maizie Nelson's son-in-law, Lt Col Don Kosatkas   Specific Concerns recent weeks (please send updates to Pastor Chris) — Members - The Aughtmans; Eli Carter; Donna Cottone; Dave Demsky; Ruth Dunmire; Melissa Ekstrand; Ashley Fisher; Daphne Foster; Chris George; Shirley Gordon; Gary Grimes; Nancy Hoffman; Kelley Key; Marquita Kirkland; Jeff & Jim Minner; Russell Moore; Ernesto Osorio; The Palaos; Lindsay Parsons; Faith Penrod; Caroline, Nora, Taya, & Sammy Philips; Genelle & Helen Powell; Al Russell; Bo Scott; Peggy Sedlacek; Chuck & Greg Segrest; John Sergeiko; Tara Slater; Dennis Stanek; Kathy Stepanski's work opportunities; Zac Talley; Daddy George Wehby; Our congregation's Wed. 11:45 a.m. & Saturday 5 p.m. worship services on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/ctkbham); Everyone's teamwork to share God's word and reach out to many with God's word and food for the belly in this season.   Family & Friends - Little Charlie & his mom, Julie, badly burned in house fire; Laura Aughtman's fr, Kamil; Lisa Collette; Bruce & Mona Cornell's fr, Phil, & son, Mike & gson, Matt; Philip Dearing's parents; Amanda DeGreen's dad, Bruce; Kim DeGreen's cousin Terry; Benji Dyson's missionary sis in Uganda; Jim Eason; Elana's uncle Charlie; Debbie Fick's sis, Donita, & fr, Anthony; Suzette Fisher's fr, Shirley, liver cancer, & Dolly; Daphne's fr, David Philips; Art Fries' fam, Karen; Gilberts' fr, Hal; Lynn Headley's fam, EJ & Pat; Hoaglund fam fr, Dale; Alex Jackson & fr, Alice Tubbs; Robert & Deanne Johnson's fam, Jimmy; Kasper's frs, Ellie, Tommy & Edwin; Marquita's frs, Ida, Deena & Mark; Jasmine Lewis's dad; Larry Loyacano's 2 ½ yr old fr, Lucy; Gloria Marine (bone marrow transplant); Heather Meredith; Jennifer Minner's fr, Frances; Bradley Moore's fr, John; Ernesto's 9 y/o fr, Destiny; Maizie Nelson's cousin, Nancy; Phyllis Nichols' sis, Sharon & Maurice; John-Michael & Lindsay Parsons' nghbrs, Grants, Lindsay's, mom, Kelly, & John-Michael's mom, Leta; Scot Pitman's son, Arlington; Genelle's fr, Jody; Janice Sagissor; James Scoggins; Stiffler's fr, Johnny; Veta Tortomasi's fam, Jerome; Cathy Troha's frs, Phil & Julia; Tim Turner's 23 yo son, Ryan, st.4 lymphoma & son Tim, faith; George Wehby's frs, Jon, Stan, Scott, Don, & Zack; Wendi Vegter's mom, Sandy; Nikki Wahl's dad, Brad; Pastor Bill White; Rachel Williams   General Concerns requested: For God to continue to reveal himself through all this; The Church in this & every place; All who are vulnerable & isolated; Health care workers in every nation; victory over coronavirus; victory over every illness and disease; the jobless; small businesses; the economy of every nation; the leaders of every nation; Alabama Oncology clinic; the diligence of teachers & students in this different "classroom"   Global Disciplemakers: Terra Nova Academy (Uganda); Our Mexico Mission Team; David Philips (E3 Global discipleship); Joey & Jenese Sammons (Mexico, India); First Priority Global - Benny Proffitt; Hand in Hand Partnership - John Constantine; Philip & Joanna Zeiger (Asia, thru East/West Min.); The Renaissance Academy; Doers of the Word Ministries; Christian Service Mission; our youth, praying on God's call!   +   —————————  +  —————————-   + THE GOSPEL is good news!— Heaven and God's Assurance of Life is a gift of God's grace! Please pray for those who are lost and do not know forgiveness through Jesus and the new life found only in Him and for us to grow in our joy in engaging all people in love with the life-giving word and certain hope of Jesus! I AM ___, and I'm one who imagines ZERO languages without the Bible in their heart language because I'm blessed to know my favorite Bible verse, which is ____.    Copyright © 2020 Christ The King Lutheran Church, LCMC, All rights reserved.  You are receiving this email because you have opted in through the church office.  Our mailing address is:  Christ The King Lutheran Church, LCMC 611 Riverchase Parkway West, Hoover, AL, United States Hoover, AL  35244 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

Devotion “Day of Praise”



Sat, 06/27/20, "Day of Praise"

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." - Psalm 4:8

Kisses on the cheek. A blessing on the forehead. Praying together. The magic words, "Sweet Dreams."

All of these (and more) are treasured bedtime rituals. 

But they're all vain and meaningless and empty, even the prayers, if they're not coupled with 1) a personal relationship with the Lord, 2) calling on the name of the Lord, and 3) claiming the promises of God. All 3 of those elements (relationship, calling, claiming) are implied or explicit in today's verse from Psalm 4:8. 

I remember going through a season of my life (years actually) where I couldn't sleep. Some may call it insomnia, but it wasn't a condition of my body. It was a condition of my mind. I couldn't shut the crazy thing off. 

And then one day, God spoke some ancient and everlasting truth to me, saying, "Hey big guy, ya think you're so smart and strong, but all you're getting is exhausted. How 'bout you let me do the heavy lifting? I know you hold onto all that stuff in your mind because you're worried that it won't get done or it won't get done well enough or it's the wrong thing to be getting done. But holding onto it through the night isn't getting it done. To the contrary, holding onto all that stuff through the night is making you your own worst enemy. And that's the threat to you that I want to defeat. Indeed, I promise, that's the threat to you that I will defeat; namely the threat that you pose to yourself when you think that you can do a better job of bringing peace to projects or conflicts or bedtime than I can. So give it all to me. Put your mind and your fears to rest. I've got you covered. Go 'lie down and sleep in peace'. And oh, don't forget...Sweet dreams."

So now, waking or sleeping, that's what my life is by God's grace and what God wants all our lives to be...a dream, a beautiful unending dream, that just keeps getting better everyday. 

A Sweet Dream indeed. 

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." - Psalm 4:8

Praise God!

Devotion “Day of Praise”

Fri, 06/26/20, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 13:23 - "[Jesus said,] 'As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.'"

Okay, Parents, listen up!

Well, as long as you're somebody who cares about somebody else, then you can listen in too.

Okay, here's what I need to tell you. Ready? This is the information that will make you the best parents ever. Ready? Okay!

Here's the info: My grass is growing!

Yep, that's all the info you need to be super-parents.

Oh, I'm not talking about my regular grass. I mean, it's June and, of course, the regular grass is growing. I'm talking about the four square feet of grass in the triangular area enclosed by the concrete of the curb, the sidewalk, and our driveway. That's the grass that's growing! It hasn't grown in a couple years. 

So how could it have grown when it was totally sun scorched and whatever's-in-concrete fed?  Simple! Good soil! A one dollar and thirty-eight cent bag of good ol' top soil that was waiting in my yard bucket to be used. Sprinkle it in; sprinkle it on; and wow, the grass starts to grow. 

Does this surprise us? It shouldn't. Jesus said in today's Bible verse that whatever is sown on good soil will be thirty, sixty, even hundred times more productive.

So what's this got to do with parenting? Simple. In today's verse, Jesus says that good soil is a person, namely, a person "who hears [God's] word and understands it." It's pretty hard for your child to hear God's word and understand it and bear fruit like Jesus describes , if you're never feeding your child both with God's word and an understanding of it. Feeding a child with God's word and an understanding of it so that, all other things being equal, your child can be "thirty, sixty, even hundred times more productive" has nothing to do with seminary training or serving as a pastor. No! Feeding a child with God's word and an understanding of it so that, all other things being equal, your child can be "thirty, sixty, even hundred times more productive" has to do with time. Your time. Your time to daily read a bit of the Bible to your child. Your time to weekly memorize the simplest of Bible verses. Your time to Google just a little bit of understanding from an internet source like Biblegateway.com. And your time to feed that bit of understanding to your child.

I'm a parent. I know it doesn't take that much time to read God's Word to your child and share a bit of understanding with your child. Even five minutes a day in God's Word with your child is better than leaving them out in the elements to get sun scorched and whatever's-in-concrete fed?

Try it! What do you have to lose? How about a little bit of time...and a lot of anxiety over your children's future! After all, God's word will produce untold spiritual fruit...and that's the growth in a child for which every parent yearns!

Praise God!

Re: Devotion “Day of Praise”

Amen! That's a good Word, Pastor!

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From: Chris DeGreen <pastorchrisdegreen@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 9:26:14 PM
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Subject: Devotion "Day of Praise"

 

Thur, 06/25/20, "Day of Praise"

Luke 24:31 - "And their eyes were opened, and they recognized [Jesus]. And he vanished from their sight."

Where did he go?

In today's verse, when we hear that Jesus, having been raised from the dead, "vanished from their sight," where did he go?

Well, in order to answer that question, we need to remember who "they" were. Yes, Jesus "vanished from their sight," but who were "they"? Yes, they were the ones whose "eyes were opened, and they recognized" Jesus, but who were "they"?

To answer that question, we need to look back ten verses from today's verse. And there in verse 21, we see and hear something very important about "them." After the crucified and risen Christ has joined them on the road to Emmaus, they don't realize that it's Jesus who's joined them, and one of the things they say to Jesus is, "we had hoped." In other words, the crucified and risen Christ came to and walked with people who "had hoped" because they'd lost hope. And after walking with and restoring the hope of these who had lost hope, Jesus "vanished from their sight." So, back to the original question, "where did he go?" Well, he went to some more people who have lost hope.

Have you lost hope?

If you have lost hope, Jesus "vanished from their sight" to come to you!

Ya see, God's word plainly tells us many times that God brings hope into the midst of our grief. God brings hope into the midst of our sorrow. God brings hope into the midst of all that would erode and wash away our hope.

Just like a medical doctor works where there are sick people, so too a giver of hope works where there are people who need hope. The crucified and risen Jesus is a giver of hope.

Why have you lost hope? Why do you need hope? Maybe you're amongst the people who have huddled in a hallway or a basement or a locked room to take shelter from a devastating storm literally swirling around your home or maybe from a devastating storm figuratively swirling around your heart.

For whatever reason you've lost hope and need hope, Jesus is coming to you because that's one of the many things that the crucified and risen Christ does. He brings hope into the midst of our grief. He brings hope into the midst of our sorrow. He brings hope into the midst of all that would erode our hope and wash it away.

Believe, dear friends, and look to Jesus. Believe in the midst of your difficulty that Jesus is with you and so are my prayers that you will find comfort and hope in him today.

Praise God!

Devotion “Day of Praise”

Thur, 06/25/20, "Day of Praise"

Luke 24:31 - "And their eyes were opened, and they recognized [Jesus]. And he vanished from their sight."

Where did he go?

In today's verse, when we hear that Jesus, having been raised from the dead, "vanished from their sight," where did he go?

Well, in order to answer that question, we need to remember who "they" were. Yes, Jesus "vanished from their sight," but who were "they"? Yes, they were the ones whose "eyes were opened, and they recognized" Jesus, but who were "they"?

To answer that question, we need to look back ten verses from today's verse. And there in verse 21, we see and hear something very important about "them." After the crucified and risen Christ has joined them on the road to Emmaus, they don't realize that it's Jesus who's joined them, and one of the things they say to Jesus is, "we had hoped." In other words, the crucified and risen Christ came to and walked with people who "had hoped" because they'd lost hope. And after walking with and restoring the hope of these who had lost hope, Jesus "vanished from their sight." So, back to the original question, "where did he go?" Well, he went to some more people who have lost hope.

Have you lost hope?

If you have lost hope, Jesus "vanished from their sight" to come to you!

Ya see, God's word plainly tells us many times that God brings hope into the midst of our grief. God brings hope into the midst of our sorrow. God brings hope into the midst of all that would erode and wash away our hope.

Just like a medical doctor works where there are sick people, so too a giver of hope works where there are people who need hope. The crucified and risen Jesus is a giver of hope.

Why have you lost hope? Why do you need hope? Maybe you're amongst the people who have huddled in a hallway or a basement or a locked room to take shelter from a devastating storm literally swirling around your home or maybe from a devastating storm figuratively swirling around your heart.

For whatever reason you've lost hope and need hope, Jesus is coming to you because that's one of the many things that the crucified and risen Christ does. He brings hope into the midst of our grief. He brings hope into the midst of our sorrow. He brings hope into the midst of all that would erode our hope and wash it away.

Believe, dear friends, and look to Jesus. Believe in the midst of your difficulty that Jesus is with you and so are my prayers that you will find comfort and hope in him today.

Praise God!

Wednesday worship “Day of Praise”

WEDNESDAY WORSHIP Shade, Kids Food Drive, Congregation Meeting   2 Quick Notes: 1) July 12 Congregational Meeting 2) New vehicle exit procedure for Drive-In Worship for those who need to scoot on.  JOIN US Saturday, 6/27, 5:00pmfor Drive-In Worship with contemporary music OR   Sunday, 6/28, 11:00amDrive-In Worship with traditional music. Welcome to Wednesday Evening Worship Service! Please click here for the worship bulletin for tonight's service.  Please click here to listen and worship with us.        If you missed our Wednesday 11:45am mid-day worship, we recorded it on Facebook Live.  Check out our Facebook page or go to www.facebook.com/ctkbham (This Saturday's 5:00pmDrive-In Worship will also be on Facebook Live) More Shade!!! In order for us to joyfully prepare a shade tent space for you,  a new request needs to be done each week, please.  Please use the following links to submit that request.   Shade for Saturday Service: https://ctkbham.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4e3da226f295ac71ca9a2fe89&id=502d1bd9e1&e=6ba1da3538 Shade for Sunday Service: https://ctkbham.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4e3da226f295ac71ca9a2fe89&id=45548d3cf8&e=6ba1da3538 The children of Christ the King have been learning about the Fruit of the Spirit, and GOODNESS prompted them to share some goodness through a food drive. We will be collecting canned food during each drive-in worship through July 5, 2020. Donations will go to Oak Mountain Missions for distribution. SAVE the DATE Sunday, July 12, 2020 Congregation Meeting  Immediately following the 11:00 a.m.Drive-In Worship Service   MISSION CHALLENGE 43!! Thank you for $1,776 so far! Mission Challenge 43 has begun! Thank you for praying about an extra mile gift toward our $4,300 goal! Pentecost Sunday was our 43rd birthday as a congregation in the body of Christ. We celebrate our birthday every year by planting seeds for the good news of Jesus locally, regionally, globally.  WE ASK EVERYONE TO PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER AN EXTRA MILE CONTRIBUTION OF ANY AMOUNT WHICH IS SO APPRECIATED EVEN AS WE SUGGEST $100 PLUS THE NUMBER OF YEARS WE'RE CELEBRATING, SO IT WOULD BE $143 THIS YEAR for this year's recipient of our Mission Challenge 43 which is our local sister school The Renaissance Academy Prep School of Excellence for Boys which provides "a college preparatory education in a safe and structured Christian based environment, that will produce achievers who are scholarly and morally sound contributors to the global society." Learn more at www.trapsoeal.organd www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdX7ADp-vAQ     Please join us in stopping to pray EVERY DAY at 7:14 amand 7:14 pm and pray and act in accord with this command of God from 2 Chronicles 7:14 — "...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Spread the word! Copyright © 2020 Christ The King Lutheran Church, LCMC, All rights reserved.  You are receiving this email because you have opted in through the church office.  Our mailing address is:  Christ The King Lutheran Church, LCMC 611 Riverchase Parkway West, Hoover, AL, United States Hoover, AL  35244 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

Devotion “Day of Praise”

Wed, 06/24/20, "Day of Praise"

John 11:43 - "When [Jesus] had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out.'"

I love going to Target, ya know the store with clothes and food and stuff.

Generally speaking, people aren't shopping there for extras. They're buying necessities. And because they're buying necessities, there isn't really too much to get excited about. And it shows. 

Boy oh boy, have you seen the look on people's faces while they're shopping for necessities? It's not a happy sight. 99% of the people look like they're the proverbial "this far" from being wrapped in grave clothes and sealed in a tomb. Like Lazarus was in today's Bible verse.

But Jesus had something to say about that. And so do I. Hey, you can join in too, if you want. Jesus said, "Lazarus, come out." Well, actually he didn't say it. What Jesus did was he said it like he meaned it. Yes, meaned it, which, in my experience, is Southern for Jesus said it like he expected it was gonna work. Yes indeed, the Bible says, Jesus "cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out.'" To be sure, Jesus was speaking to his dear friend, named "Lazarus." But since the name "Lazarus" means "God helps me," then we can responsibly say that Jesus was preaching an invitation to "come out of death and come instead to Jesus" to anybody who looks dead and needs God's help. Ya know, anybody who needs to come to life! To abundant life! To stop focusing on how hard life can be (because it can be hard), and focus on the one who can help. Y'all, God helps. And I can see it when I'm focused on him and not on my attitude of I-still-walk-20-miles-uphill-in-both-directions-in-the-snow-to-school. Jesus calls us out of that weary existence into new life.

And I can do that too, when I believe in the strength of Jesus workin' through me. I just pick me out a person who looks spiritually dead at Target (and there are many to choose from), and I shout at 'em in a loud voice.

Like not long before this COVID thing started, I said to this employee, "Where are the greeting cards, please?" And she said, "Come right this way." And the next thing I know she's got me walkin' through the women's delicates. And I shouted out in a loud voice, "Lord, lookee where I am, please get me outta here!" And that employee, she just like instantaneously went from death to life. She started laughin'. And I said, "Well, God tells us to be fools for Christ. And I'm lookin' like a fool, so I might as well sound like one too." And we hugged. And she thanked me for makin' her day. And I thanked her for pointin' me toward the greeting cards. And I greeted some other dead people on the way. Really! And most of them came to life too.

See! You can do that! Anybody can act like a fool. All it takes is a little faith, a little silliness, and the ability to say, "Hey!" I mean, who cares if people think you're a fool? If they don't think that, they'll just think that you're dead, just like them. So who cares if they think you're a fool. After all, that's what the Bible people thought Jesus was when he hollered into something like Dixie Caverns to a man who'd been dead for days and told him to come out. They thought Jesus was a fool for thinking that the dead could come to life.

Well, obviously he wasn't.

And neither are we.

So, see ya at Target or Walmart or some necessities store! I shouldn't be hard to spot. I'm the one lookin' and soundin' like a fool for Jesus Christ! Won't you join me?

Praise God!