Good Morning Church Family,

I thank the Lord this morning for His blessings and goodness in my life. Many of you know I left church last night just before service began. I was experiencing pain and numbness in my left arm and was starting to feel sweaty. Well, after about 2 1/2 hrs in the emergency room I was sent home. They ran an EKG, did blood work, and did an x-ray of my heart. I guess it's good to take precautions and not play around with your health. Thanks to all of you for your prayers. I really do appreciate them. I may be scheduled for a stress test later this week.

We had a wonderful Faith Promise Weekend with our missionaries, Rev. Earl & Norma Morgan. It was encouraging to hear what God is doing in the Middle East through our Nazarene Missionaries. Some really good news is, together as a church, we pledged over $9,000 for World Evangelism. To God be the Glory! We took in 9 new members yesterday also, which now makes our total 30 for the year. To God be the Glory again!! Also, our new College & Careers Ministry called "The Bridge" started yesterday with 6 in attendance. To God be the Glory!!! Great things are happening at South Flint!

For a thought this morning, I was thinking about this being the five year anniversary of 9/11. I will probably never forget that tragic and fateful day. There are things that happen in our life and in the world that we don't always understand. Things that can upset and even hurt. Let me say this morning that God has a purpose in everything. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him, and to those who are called according to His purpose." It may not always seem so! Sometimes, when we are suffering heartbreak, tragedy, disappointment, frustration, and bereavement, we wonder what good can come out of it. But the following verse gives us the answer. Get your Bibles and read it. Romans 8, verse 29 says, "...that we may be conformed to the image of His Son." When we understand that, it takes the question mark out of our prayers. Our lives are not controlled by impersonal forces such as chance, luck, or fate, but by our wonderful, loving God directing everything. Hard times cause transformation in everyone, in one way or another. I pray we would not forget 9/11 and how that turned many people to prayer and thinking about God. My prayer is that many people seek God and not wait until tragedy strikes. One reminder, this coming Sunday is ALABASTER OFFERING SUNDAY. We will have our march and will empty our little boxes at the beginning of the service. Have a blessed week.

Till next time, Pastor Don


P.S. Prayer Requests for the Week
*Cheryl Presley - surgery this afternoon at McClaren Hospital
*Viola Rhoades - in McClaren with a Blood Clot in her lung
*Rev. Jimmy Woods as they prepare for the Memorial Service for Erma. I will pass details along as I receive them.


P.S.S. JOKE OF THE WEEK: THE WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Roger was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary.

Patti was really angry. She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that when I step on it, will go from 0 to 200 in less than 6 seconds.

The next morning Roger got up early and left for work. When Patti woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.

Confused, she put on her robe, ran out to the driveway and brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Funeral services for Roger have been scheduled for Friday.

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