Good Morning Church,

Your pastor is moving a little slow today. Maybe I stayed up too late last night. Anyway, greetings in 2007. This is new territory for all of us so we must surely look to God for His guidance and direction this coming year. Susan and I wish you a prosperous and blessed 2007. May you live well, laugh often, and love much.

I was wondering on this first day of the new year what some of your new year's resolutions are? You know, things like I'm going to start eating healthier. I'm going to start saving money systematically. I'm going to give God more quality time. I'm going to start exercising regularly. I'm going to be a faithful church attendee. Believe it or not, I found a website this morning called www.hiaspire.com. You can type in your new year's resolution and they will send you monthly or weekly reminders to help you keep your commitment. So, if you need some help, you may want to go to www.hiaspire.com. I read about many different resolutions; everything from being more organized, to saving more money, to being a better person. You might find it interesting.

On this first Monday in 2007, my aspiration is to do what the Apostle Paul told the Philippian believers to do. "But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead." You are reading the words of a man who had a single purpose. He had one aim, one ambition, and one thing he desired -- to forget the things of the past. For you it may be failures, past sins, or even a tragedy. But it also might be attainments, successes, and spiritual triumphs. 2006 has come and gone, so today we need a focus. We must reach and stretch forward to the things God has for us. And that is being victorious for Him. No good runner ever looks behind him. You can lose the race doing that. You must keep your focus, run as hard as you can, and persevere to the end.

I don't know about you, but that's my plan for 2007. Do you have a plan? My prayer is that you will walk close to God, and follow His leading into 2007. Will you run with me?

Till next time, Pastor Don

P.S. We could use your help at the church with taking down our Christmas decorations on Tuesday night. We will start at 7pm, and if we get a good group of helpers, we should be done by 8pm.

JOKE OF THE WEEK; YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS ONE

After twenty years of shaving himself every morning, a man in a small Southern town decided he had enough. He told his wife that he intended to let the local barber shave him each day. He put on his hat and coat and went to the barber shop which was owned by the pastor of the town's Baptist Church. The barber's wife, Grace, was working, so she performed the task

Grace shaved him and sprayed him with lilac water and said, "That will be $20."

The man thought the price was a bit high, but he paid the bill and went to work. The next morning the man looked in the mirror, and his face was as smooth as it had been when he left the barber shop the day before. Not bad, he thought. At least I don't need to get a shave every day.

The next morning, the man's face was still smooth. Two weeks later, the man was still unable to find any trace of whiskers on his face. It was more than he could take, so he returned to the barber shop.

"I thought $20 was high for a shave", he told the barber's wife, "but you must have done a great job. It's been two weeks and my whiskers still haven't started growing back."

The expression on her face didn't even change, expecting his comment. She responded, "You were shaved by Grace. Once shaved, always shaved."
 

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