Announcements
Important!--This
Sunday is the beginning of something wonderful! (I hope!) I'm going
to begin to unfold my vision for where I believe God is leading us
over the next year. This Sunday, I'm going to be talking about God's
kindness. In the coming weeks, we'll unfold how God's kindness is
meant to transform us, but for today, we're just going to focus on
God's kindness.
Men's
Breakfast—The next men's breakfast will be Saturday,
January 19 @ 8.
Playground—The
playground construction will begin either January 21 or 28, weather
permitting!!
Outreach
Committee—Meets tonight, January 10th @ 5:30.
Chili
Cook-off—Wednesday, January 30. See if you can
topple reigning champion Dewey French.
New
Hope News
Sunday
School—This Sunday, the adult class will study
Mark's Gospel.
Prayer
Service—The Sunday night prayer services will
continue in February.
Pray
For:
Darryl
Brock, recovering from shoulder surgery
Mabry
King, as she recovers from surgery
Our
brothers & sisters in Christ at Trinity Presbyterian
All
those dealing with the flu
Pray
for those who do not know Christ.
Links
Keith's
Random Thoughts
I didn't watch the football game on Monday night. Turns out that
they only show the national championship on ESPN, and since we don't
get cable, I didn't get the game. (I kept flipping through the
channels, amazed that such a game isn't on a network while similarly
amazed at The Bachelor. I
have more thoughts on The Bachelor
than what could fit in a single Word document. It may be the most
fascinating thing on television—I have so many questions about it.
Wikipedia tells me that this is the 17th season [17!!!!!] and that
the only relationship to have lasted is the one in which the guy
broke up with the girl who won [Not sure that's the right word, but I
can't think of another] and ended up marrying the runner-up. Going
on The Bachelor
looking for life-long true love seems to be about as wise as starting
a diet on Thanksgiving morning. It might work out, but chances are
pretty slim. I could go on, but I'll spare you...)
Anyway, praise is being heaped on
Nick Saban and the Alabama football team, deservedly so. They're a
heck of a football team, and have proven themselves decisively better
than the other teams they've played. (Yes, I want to see them play
Oregon. I think Alabama wins, but wouldn't it be nice to know that
for certain?) They deserve to be celebrated as a great football
team, one of the best in recent memory.
The thing that gets me is when
people say that this team/dynasty will be remembered forever and go
down in immortality.
I don't know why it is, but it
bothers me. I know it's just hyperbole, but it still gets to me,
even though it probably shouldn't. Three thousand years from now,
nobody is going to know about Alabama's football team. A million
years from now, Spaceman Spiff isn't going to lead tours of
Tuscaloosa and talk about Nick Saban and his reign at the peak of
college football. When we talk about football like this, I think it
reinforces how our priorities aren't always straight—it elevates
football to a level in society that makes it more important than it
is.
It's just a game.
Know what I think will still matter
three thousand years from now? The acts of selfless love we pour out
on others. The time you spent tutoring a child who needed some
academic assistance. The relationship you built with your elderly
neighbor who needs someone to listen. The time you cooked dinner for
a sickly friend. The time you gave money to someone who needed it,
even though it was just $5 that you didn't need.
I think the love we invest in each
other and the world lasts forever. I don't know how, and I can't
explain it metaphysically, but I think that it deeply matters. A
million years from now, the ways in which we imitate the life of
Christ will still matter.
Text
for this Sunday
Psalm
145:8-18
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are
bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their
food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of
every living thing. The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in
all his doings. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who
call on him in truth.
New
Hope on iTunes
Keith's
Blog
& Devotionals
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