A National Prayer

"Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we might use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen."

The Book of Common Prayer

Haiti Prayer Request

Randolph World Mission, a Christ-centered medical ministry that extends spiritual and physical hope to the people of Haiti, is embarking on its summer trip to that country. Leading the teams of doctors, nurses, laboratory specialists, and other volunteers is my friend Tim Randolph. Tim is a medical professor at St. Louis University and has a heart for the Haitian people. Best of all, Tim has a heart for Jesus! Some of the teams will be staying only a few days; Tim will be in Haiti for nearly four weeks. Please pray for Tim and each team member, their families at home, and the task at hand: fulfilling the Great Commission among the people of Haiti. I will update everyone concerning the trip as information becomes available. Thank you for praying.

What's the Problem?

"As a rule, unless people agree on what the problem is, they cannot agree on what the solution is. Unless we can agree on what we believe we are being saved from, we cannot agree on what salvation itself is. For example, if we decide that the fundamental human problem is simply our location, our sense of loneliness in the universe, our sense of inadequacy, or our pathetic levels of self esteem, we will tilt the gospel to meet this perceived need...I hasten to add that the Bible does dare to address the matter of how we are to think of ourselves-matters that bear on self esteem-and it is concerned with justice. Yet on the face of it Paul is convinced that the root problem is our rebellion against God, our fascination with idolatry, our grotesque de-godding of God...We are at the center of the universe. Thus, we end up de-godding God in order to be able to sing with Frank Sinatra, 'I did it my way.' This is the very heart of all idolatry."

D.A. Carson

Compassion International

Established in 1952, Compassion International extends the love of Jesus Christ to hurting and needy children worldwide. Presently, Compassion International (CI) operates in 26 countries, aiding over a million children. CI assists each child with education, health care, safe recreation, and Christian development. Their mission statement is simple:

"In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults."

You may sponsor a child for only $38.00/month. Please prayerfully consider offering sponsorship to a child living in the grip of destructive poverty. This would be a great mission outreach for a Sunday school class, small group, or youth ministry. More information can be obtained at the CI website http://www.compassion.com/ or by calling 1-800-336-7676. Thanks for your time and concern. Blessings!

Yes! It's a Mayberry Monday!

FLOYD LAWSON: "You know, everyone complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it. Calvin Coolidge said that."

ANDY TAYLOR: "No Floyd. It wasn't Calvin Coolidge who said that. It was Mark Twain."

FLOYD LAWSON: "Then what did Calvin Coolidge say?"

Revival!

"Revival means the work of God restoring to a moribund church, in a manner out of the ordinary, those standards of Christian life and experience that the New Testament sets forth as being entirely ordinary. This includes a longing that the Spirit may shed God's love abroad in our hearts with greater power. It is with this (to which deep exercise of the soul about sin is often preliminary) that personal revival begins, and it is by this that revival in the church, once begun, is sustained."

J.I. Packer

Think About It!

"I fear that there are many evangelicals today who believe that God spoke but doubt whether God speaks."

Al Mohler, He Is Not Silent