Brothers, please make an effort to come and hear Bill Breen this Sunday  morning at Brotherhood Breakfast.  As many of you know Bill and I have had many similar struggles in our lives and Christ is the process of setting him free from many of them.

Late last year, Bill voluntarily went into the Arms of Mercy Men’s Shelter in Greenville, MS, under the watch care of Bro. Major Hogue and fine people of Arms of Mercy.  Since he has been home, Bill has been doing great, faithfully involved in church and meeting with me regularly to grow spiritually.

As part of his discipleship, he has been asked to testify at Brotherhood this Sunday morning, followed by a time of questions.  Please come and hear this dear brother of ours and support him.

Please be on the lookout for a new ministry that we are looking into provided by Lifeway Christian Resources.  The ministry is called “Transformational Church” and it could be a direction we may pursue for 2013/2014.  Several copies of the book have been given to our leadership.  They will read it, make comments in it and then will be asked to pass it on to someone else.

We will continue this book swap for a few months and then come together at some point to discuss the contents of the ministry and see if this is a direction we believe God may be taking us.  Dr. Kiely Young with the Jackson, MS, office has applied Transformational Church to the Sunday School structure, so this may be something that could greatly benefit us.  However, as I always say, “If we don’t go together, we are not going to go.”

So we will go slow, read, pray and do our best to discern if this is where God is taking us.  Be looking for a copy of the book floating around, read it, and then pass it on to someone else.

When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. ² He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, ³ where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. ⁴ He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. ⁶ But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

⁷ On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. ⁹ Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” ¹¹ Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹² The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Notes w blanks – February 20, 2013 – Acts 20, 1-16

Everyone, please make plans to come and hear Susan Jones, wife of Salt Jones, both IMB Missionaries to Calgary, Alberta, Canada with the Mandarin speaking Chinese people.  Salt recently had knee replacement surgery, so he will not be able to make it, but Susan plans to come and share with us about how God is using them to reach the Chinese people for Christ.  She will speak for about 30 minutes and then allow time for questions and fellowship.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life^, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Pew Notes John 1, 1-5, part 2