I Can't Breathe!

Several years ago, the world watched as three gray whales, icebound off Point Barrow, Alaska, fought for survival. They could find a hole in the ice the provided breath temporarily. These gray whales were battered and bloody hanging on for any hope of getting out of the frozen prison. Their only hope would be to transport them five miles past the ice pack to open sea. Rescuers began cutting a string of breathing holes twenty yards apart in the six-inch-thick ice.

For eight days the rescuers coaxed the whales from one hole to another for five miles. Along the way, one of the three vanished and was presumed dead. Nevertheless, with the help of Russian icebreakers, the two surviving whales swam to freedom.

The Christian life must be lived out in a world frozen over with greed, selfishness, and hatred. John's command to Christians is, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the word--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father, but the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17). How do we survive in the frozen sea of evil and worldliness?

We worship! I believe that worship, for the believer, is a string of breathing holes the Lord provides for his people. Battered, bruised, and bloody from a world cold and indifferent towards the things of God, we rise for air in corporate worship. The corporate worship is the place where we can catch our breath and breathe again. It is the place where we can be loved and encouraged until the day the Lord shatters the ice cap of this world forever.

Come catch your breath this Sunday!

Thoughts About Sunday!

Sunday's worship services were tremendous. Most people who attended the 11:00 would say that the presence of the Lord was tangible. Why was Sunday so powerful? Why did God's Spirit show up in a special way?

The service was Christ-centered. We shared testimonies of people sharing their faith. Believers were baptized. The gospel was read and preached, and the Lord's Supper was observed.

The word of God was read corporately. I believe that God's word is powerful, especially when the congregation reads it aloud.

The People felt freedom in worship. I witnessed an unhindered congregation expressing their worship with their voices and their bodies.

I pray First Southern has many more Sundays soon where God's presence and power are observable and tangible.