Top of the List

I have a "to do" list for each day. For one thing, if it isn't written down, I tend to forget to do it. So when it's important, I write it down. Most days, the list just happens. I write things down as I realize they need to get done. Even though the order is more or less accidental, I still work my way down the list, from top to the bottom. That's not a great way to prioritize my life. I have learned if something is really important, I make sure to put it at the top of the list.

What's at the top of your list when you pray? When you pray for those who are important in your life, what do you ask God to do for them? This week, in Ephesians 3:16-17, we will find out what was at the top of the list on Paul's prayers for his fellow believers. It might not be what you think.

See you Sunday!

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How Do You Pray?

I'm a big believer in what the scripture tells us to do when Paul writes, "Pray always."

Ephesians 6:18

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. That pretty well covers it. I figure whatever situation I'm in, it's a good time to pray. This week, we will take a look at the importance of prayer in our life, especially prayer that hallows God's name, reading from Ephesians 3:14-15.

See you Sunday!

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Don't Worry

We've all heard the advice: Don't Worry. For most of us, that only makes it worse. It's like telling us not to think about chocolate chip cookies. The more you try not to think about chocolate chip cookies, the more you think about them. You can probably smell them right now.

Telling us not to worry does much the same. It only makes us think more about the worry. The Bible gives much better instruction. In this week's message from Ephesians 3:12-13, we will see that the scripture tells us to replace our worry with prayer.

Hope to see you Sunday! (I'll bring the cookies.)

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Rx

On a regular basis, a child will ask me for a band aid. It might be for a pesky mosquito bite, for a scraped knee or elbow, or sometimes, I look closely and can't see anything, although I am ASSURED there is a 'boo-boo' there. And so, I do my best to keep plenty of band aids in stock! All I can offer the kids is a sympathetic word and a material cover-up, wrapped in paper and an occasional small treasure to try and take their mind off their hurt.

We all have hurts in life....some are pesky annoyances, some are real hurts, and some are quite deep. And SOME people's hurts don't show to the naked eye. Sometimes we try to take care of our hurts with life's band aids....we act tough like we can handle it, we cover it up with a gruff exterior, we try to take our minds off it by being a workaholic, or countless other things that we think are remedies.

Jesus is the only one who truly has the remedy for our hurting hearts and souls. He does cover them, but it is with His mercy, love, and grace, and His cover brings about healing, if we will only allow it. He truly understands because He's been there. What a wonderful promise...."The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."  Deuteronomy 33:27

Why Did I Come In Here?

We've all had the experience. We are in the middle of a busy day. We walk in a room in our house, on a mission to complete the next task. Then something interrupts us: the phone rings, the doorbell sounds, somebody left trash in the floor and we have to pick up after them. We take care of the interruption and then ask the question, "Now ... what was it I came in here to do?"

Life can be that way sometimes. Rushing through the business of everyday, interrupted by the challenges life throws our way, suddenly we stop and ask, "What was it I was supposed to be doing?" Often, it's not forgetfulness, but a real sense of dismay; the more we try, the harder it seems to understand our purpose in life.

Why do we do the things we do? This week begins a message series from Ephesians designed to help everyone understand that God has a plan and purpose for your life. We will start by looking at Ephesians 3:10-11 where in no uncertain terms the scripture tells us that God has a plan.

Hope to see you Sunday!

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Try It Before You Buy It

KY3 has a repeating news segment called "We Try It Before You Buy It." News reporters purchase products advertised to make your life easier, and try them out. Sometimes the products are as advertised, sometimes - not so much. My personal favorite so far: the HD Night Vision Wrap-Arounds, some glasses advertised to vastly improve your night vision. Although they apparently don't improve your night vision, they do make you look like you had a starring role in the "Back to the Future" movies. (Click Here to see the News report - even if you don't have the glasses)

Sometimes things don't quite live up to their promises. God always does. In this week's message from 2 Kings 7:16, we will discover that we can always take God at His Word.

Hope to see you Sunday!  

The Other Space Race

During the 1950's and 60's, the United States and Russia were in a competition to see who could get into space first. Those who lived through that era can remember the nightly news broadcasters sounding like sports reporters for ESPN, relating accounts of the latest satellite or astronaut.

Less known was the race to drill to the center of the earth, probably because that competition was slightly less successful. While the Voyager 1 spacecraft has reached the outer limits of our solar system, some 10 billion miles away (give or take a few billion), the deepest hole dug into the earth is currently 7.5 miles (the Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia) which eclipsed the previous record (the Bertha Rogers hole in Oklahoma). The digging stopped because of temperatures in excess of 356 degrees Fahrenheit. Apparently, drills don't tolerate that temperature well. Though the 7.5 miles was the deepest anyone has ever dug, it is slightly short of the center of the earth, some 4000 miles.

This means we know more about the outer reaches of our solar system than we do about the earth underneath our feet. The truth is, the more we learn, the more we realize we don't understand. No wonder that Paul writes:

Romans 11:33

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

In this week's message, some soldiers learn that God's power is greater than they could possibly imagine - and so is his mercy (2 Kings 6:18-23). I hope we can all learn this same important truth.

See you Sunday!

Listen to this message at http://www.nationalheights.org/messages.html