Sunday Night Rewind - 2/28/16

*  A big crowd packed the house at New Calvary Baptist Church this morning.  It's a thrill to see this place filling up the way it is. 

*  I preached on "The Power of the Tongue" out of James 3:1-12.

*  This was my outline:
vs. 1-2, 7-8 :  Identify The Struggle.  It's a hard thing to control the tongue, and we need God's help to do it.

vs. 3-6 :  Realize The Power.  It's important to know our words make a significant impact on other people.

vs. 9-12 :  Make The Choice.  It's time to decide if our speech will be constructive or destructive.

*  I especially liked this quote by Publius:  "I have often regretted my speech; never my silence."

*  At the close of the sermon, I shared this:

Only A Word
"Only a word of anger
but it wounded a sensitive heart.
Only a word of sharp reproach
but it made the teardrops start.
Only a hasty, thoughtless word, sarcastic and unkind
but it darkened the day before so bright, and left a sting behind.

Only a word of kindness,
but it lifted a heart of its grief.
Only a word of sympathy,
but it brought one soul relief.
Only a word of gentle cheer, but it flooded with radiant light
the pathway that seemed so dark before, and it made the day more bright."

(I'm not sure who that, but I loved it the first time I read it, and I had to share it with our church family today.)

*  Christopher is one of our youth here at the church.  At the conclusion of this morning's service, he let the congregation know he has asked Jesus Christ to be his Savior and Lord.  LC, one of our adults, has done a fine job of mentoring and encouraging him. 

*  Here is a picture of LC and Christopher:

*  I'm real happy for Christopher.  And I appreciate LC taking the time to work with him.  It's exciting to see this taking place.

*  Tonight's 6:00 service was a special one that I won't soon forget.  The Ark singers, who are from Ukraine, blessed us with awesome music.  It was a worshipful time that we all enjoyed.

*  It was interesting to hear about how Russia's invasion of Ukraine left their homes, community, and church destroyed.  And yet, these guys are continuing to God's work passionately.  I was inspired by their story.

*  I was glad our church family gave over $400 to them tonight.  

*  To learn more about their ministry with Slavic Missionary Outreach, check out their website by clicking HERE.

*  It was great to see my brother, Condy, and his family this weekend.  He's here preaching a revival in a neighboring community, so we've been able to visit some with him.  He, Anna, and the kids seem to be doing really well.

*  Did you read what Max Lucado (who is one of my favorite writers) posted on his blog about this presidential campaign season?  Regardless of where you stand politically, you really ought to read this.  Powerful and true.  To read if for yourself, just click HERE.

*  Lara and I made a quick trip this weekend to visit our Katie who is close to finishing her freshman year of college.  I'm sure proud of her.  She's doing well and working hard.

*  That's it for now.

*  Plenty of new blog posts will be up this week, and I hope you get a blessing out of them.

*  Good night, and God bless you.