Southwest Drive United Methodist Church
Friday, September 10, 2010
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

From your Pastor

 
 
 
"For what it's worth"
 
       I suppose for hundreds, even thousands of years, people have looked up at the stars in the night sky and marveled at the handiwork of our Heavenly Father. I often do, and remember the Apostle Paul writing, “From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20 HCSB)
       Having made a nuisance of my building projects from time to time, I’ve learned not only to do my very best, but to invest something of myself into the work. I know God must have done that as well. He put Himself into the work of creation, and it continues today. The universe grows before us, as we discover what He has already made. To us, mere people, the expanse of space is limitless in scope, and detail. It crushes the imagination to think in terms of hundreds of millions, even billions of light years in distances. Yet, our modern telescopes reveal the celestial heaven’s endlessness in all directions. Objects so far away, even under the extreme power of these devices, multiple whole galaxies and billions of stars appear as only specks in the distance.
       As a youth, I marveled at the electron microscope. It revealed details about cells and other structures unimaginable before. New processes since have continued to advance knowledge about biology, chemistry, and physics revealing objects so small in comparison to the atom, that the object would be a tennis ball in the center of the earth.
       Yet in all this majesty, all this infinite detail, all this glorious revelation of Himself, God still so passionately cares about each of us, and wants to live in relationship with each of us, He planned for His Son, Jesus, to die so that we might gain reconciliation with Him. And all those stars in the night sky say this, “If you or I were the only person ever on the whole of the earth ever to sin, He wouldn’t have changed a thing.” In other words, you are more precious to Him than anything in all creation, save Jesus, in whose name we find eternal salvation. Have you thought about how much YOU mean to God? He is always thinking of you.
 
In His grace and peace,   
 
Roy
 
Memory verse for September, 2010
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (HCSB)
 
Fall Sermon Series
August 29th begins a sermon series I call “Ten Simple Rules.” It is a 13 week commandment by commandment study of the Ten Commandments, and a few other key verses. It will conclude November 21st.
 
Ten Simple Rules
God’s Basic Rules for Living A Life of Faith
 
Week      Sermon Title/Theme/Text/Date
         0.        “Ten Simple Rules”
                    The Heart of God
                    Ex. 20:1-17; Deut. 5:1-22
                    August 29, 2010
 
         1.        “I AM the LORD Your God”
                    The Greatest Commandment
                    Ex. 20:2; Lev. 19:18; Deut. 5:6, 6:5
                    September 5, 2010
 
         2.        “None Before ME!”
                    The Only Righteous God
                    Ex. 20:3; Deut. 5:7
                    September 12, 2010
 
         3.        “No Carved Images”
                    The Idols We Make
                    Ex. 20:4-6; Deut. 5:8-10
                    September 19, 2010
 
         4.        “The Holy Name”
                    Reverence for Things of God
                    Ex. 20:7; Deut. 5:11
                    September 26, 2010
 
         5.        “The Sabbath Day”
                    The Holiness of Rest
                    Ex. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15
                    October 3, 2010
 
 
         6.        “Honor Your Parents”
                    Your Channel for Blessings
                    Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16
                    October 10, 2010
 
         7.        “Do Not Kill”
                    The Value of Persons
                    Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17
                    October 17, 2010
 
         8.        “NO Adultery”
                    The Value of Purity
                    Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18
                    October 24, 2010
 
         9.        “No Thievery”
                    Appreciating Work
                    Ex. 20:15; Deut. 5:19
                    October 31, 2010
 
      10.        “No False Witnesses”
                    The Value of a Truthful Witness
                    Ex. 20:16; Deut. 5:20
                    November 7, 2010
 
      11.        “You Shall Not Covet”
                    Appreciating YOUR Blessings
                    Ex. 20:17; Deut. 5:21
                    November 14, 2010
 
      12.        “Love Your Neighbor”
                    Love Begins in God
                    Ex. 20:2; Lev. 19:18; Deut. 5:6, 6:5
                    November 21, 2010
 
(PS – being something of a computer nerd, I some-times start counting where computers start, zero.)
 
 
my email:     royckeith@yahoo.com
                 royckeith@hotmail.com
 
 
Here are some of my favorite websites:
 
Insight for Living: Charles R. Swindoll - www.insight.org
 
In Touch Ministries: Charles Stanley - www.intouch.org
 
Focus on the Family: Dr. James Dobson - www.focusonthefamily.com
 
Wallbuilders: Dr. David Barton - www.wallbuilders.com
 
Texas Nationalist Movement - www.texasnationalist.com