Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Yesterday ended our 2012 Prayer Emphasis Week. It has
been a powerful week of prayer.
The week climaxed with our first All-Night Prayer
Meeting. It started Friday night at 10 PM and went through Saturday morning at
6 AM. What a time!
Thanks to all of our staff and volunteers. It was a long
week. But you made it happen!
Saturday afternoon, I spoke at the Christian Educations
Conference for the Progressive National Baptist Convention. I spoke on the
Personal Develop of the Christian Educator. Thanks to Pastor Streeter for the
invitation and opportunity.
We held a rally during out Bible Study Fellowship (Sunday
school) hour. The new groups were introduced. And we prayed for the BSF
workers. More than 450 new people have signed-up for a BSF group over the past
two weeks. We are in store for a serious space problem. Praise God!
I am grateful for all of our guests who joined us in
worship yesterday.
Praise God for the brother who was baptized yesterday.
The song of preparation was Yolanda Adam’s “Just a Prayer
Away.” The young lady was only scheduled to sing it at 8 AM. But I asked Roger
(our Minister of Music) to have her stay for our 10:15 service. I cannot get
that song out of my system now.
I did a little bit of Albertina Walker’s “I Can Go to God
in Prayer” with the choir during the 10 AM service. I love that old school
Gospel music!
I preached a message from Matthew 6:5-8 that I simply
labeled, “When You Pray.”
In this passage, Jesus gives two simple but profound instructions
about how not to pray:
1.
Do not pray like the hypocrites (6:5-6).
2.
Do not pray like the Gentiles (6:7-8).
This is now what I planned to preach. But I trust it was
helpful to the congregation.
Praise God for those who were saved and added to the
church.
I plan to start preaching through the Epistle of 1 John
this coming Sunday. I intend to begin with a message on 1 John 1:1-4. I am
really looking forward to it.
The New York Giants defeated the NFL champion Green Bay
Packers. Impressive.
The 49ers defeated the red-hot Saints Saturday. It will
be a crime if Jim Harbaugh does not will the Coach of the Year this season.
The beat-you-up Ravens manhandled the upstart Texans. But
I predict you will see the Texans in the mix again next season.
The Patriots whipped the Broncos like they stole
something this weekend. No more Tebow-Mania until next season.
I had no problem with any of these teams going to the
Super Bowl!
