Religion

Godspeaks

“It's hard to stumble when you're down on your knees.”

-God

Prayer For This Week...
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness
and to seek your direction and guidance." "We know Your Word says,
"Woe to those who call evil good," but that is exactly what we have
done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have
rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn
and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it
justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called
it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We
have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it
freedom of expression. We have ridiculed t he time-honored values of
our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and
know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!"
-Paul Harvey

Bulletin Board Briefs

• The RFB Kids choir of First Baptist Church of Rincon will present
the musical, Pirates of the 'I Don't Care'-ibbean on Sunday, May 4 at
6:00 p.m. at the church.
    Pirates of the "I Don't Care"-ibbean is a kids musical about
storing up treasures in heaven. A company of pirates who have been
cast off by their leader, spend their days thinking they have no
value and no purpose. Similar to Dorothy traveling to Oz, a boy named
Andy shows up unexpectedly where the pirates live, and reminds the
pirates that they really do matter. Narrated by two witty angels, the
musical has a lot of fun reminding kids to anchor themselves where
true treasure lies.
    There will be a church-wide fellowship after the musical in the
Memorial Chapel. The public is invited to attend. For more
information, consult the church web site at www.fbcrincon.com or call
826-5536.

• The Suwannee River Boys with a Destinee will be in concert on
Saturday, May 17th, 6 PM - 8 PM at Trinity Chapel UMC, 10th & Butler,
Tybee Island. For more information, please call 786-6377.

• 5th Annual May Day for Missions
Bethesda United Methodist Church will host May Day for Missions on
Saturday May 3, 2008, from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. This is a “Family
Fun Day”, complete with free games and food. There will also be an
auction and a yard sale, with all proceeds going for missions.
Bethesda United Methodist Church is located on 3608 Midland Road.
Please call 728-3332 for information. Everyone is invited to join the
fun!

• Divorce Recovery Group: “Don't go through divorce… grow through
divorce.” God cares for you and so do we. Divorce Recovery Group
Fridays at 7 pm at Rincon First Christian Church located on Highway
21, northbound between Adams/ Pevey Realty and the Coastal Bank.
Refreshments will be served. Call Glen at 912 826-1240 for more info.

MY ANSWER
By Billy Graham

Q: Three months after my divorce, I rushed into another marriage
because I was so lonely, but it was a big mistake. I won't go into
the details, but the marriage is over now and hopefully, I've learned
something. Please warn people to be very careful before they remarry.
I wish I had. - Mrs. R.F.

A: Over the years, I have received many letters like yours, and their
story of shattered dreams and broken hearts always saddens me. Many
admit they ignored the warnings of others, or they let themselves be
carried away by their emotions. The Bible says, "A simple man (or
woman) believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his
steps" (Proverbs 14:15).
You say that you hope you have learned something from this
experience, and I trust you have. But let me ask you this: What do
you think God is trying to teach you through this experience? He may
have several lessons for you - but the most important one is to put
Him and His will first in your life.
You see, God loves us and wants what is best for us - and that's why
we can come to Him and seek His will about every detail of our lives.
Did you pray about your decision to remarry, honestly seeking His
will about this important decision and asking Him to guide you? The
Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).
Learn from your past - but don't be bound by it. Instead, begin a
new life today by asking Christ to take away your sins and come into
your life. Then ask Him to guide you in the future, both in small
things and big things. Christ can heal your past and guide your
future as you learn to trust Him in everything.

(Send your queries to "My Answer," c/o Billy Graham, P.O. Box 1270,
Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit the Web site
for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: www.billygraham.org.)

THE BRIDGE
There was once a bridge which spanned a large river. During most of
the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river
paralleled with the banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on
both sides of the bridge.
But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the
bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing a train to
cross it. A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river
where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into
place as the train crossed.
One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the
day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming
twilight and caught sight of the train lights. He stepped to the
control and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance
when he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position,
but, to his horror, he found the locking control did not work.
If the bridge was not securely in position it would wobble back and
forth at the ends when the train came onto it, causing the train to
jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a
passenger train with many people aboard.
He left the bridge, turned across the river, and hurried across the
bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever switch
he could hold to operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the
lever back firmly as the train crossed. He could hear the rumble of
the train now, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to
apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the
pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this
man's strength.
Then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control
shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. "Daddy, where
are you?"
His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His
first impulse was to cry out to the child, "Run! Run!" But the train
was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in
time. The man almost left his lever to run and snatch up his son and
carry him to safety. But he realized that he could not get back to
the lever.
Either the people on the train or his little son must die.
He took a moment to make his decision.
The train sped safely and swiftly on its way, and no one aboard was
even aware of the tiny broken body thrown mercilessly into the river
by the onrushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of
the sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long
after the train had passed.
They did not see him walking home more slowly than he had ever
walked: to tell his wife how their son had brutally died.
Now if you comprehend the emotions which went through this man's
heart, you can begin to understand the feelings of our Father in
Heaven when He sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and
eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to
tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died? How does He feel
when we speed along through life without giving a thought to what was
done for us through Jesus Christ?
When was the last time we thanked Him for the sacrifice of His Son?

By Joseph Vogel and passed along by www.christianvoices.org.