Let's not repeat the past...

It is hard to believe that 2017 is here already! Where has, the time gone? As I sit here thinking back on the events that transpired over the past year and I look forward to the things yet to unfold over the course of the next; I am reminded of just how great our God is.

Paul did the same in Galatians 4. He steps back from his criticisms of their weakness and addresses them as brothers. Galatians 4:8-31 can be quite difficult for us to grasp yet it bears no less importance for us to understand. In this passage, we see several warnings, warning the churches to be wary of what they do and who they follow as things might not always be as they appear. The Judaizers he warns them in 4:17 are “enthusiastic for them” but not for any good reasons. Have you ever known someone who was very excited? Someone who seems very passionate about your well-being, about your beliefs? Yet, the more you learn about them you realize that they never really had your best interests at heart, they were looking out only for themselves and the things that concerned them?

This is what was going on in the relationship between the churches in Galatia and the Judaizers. Paul encourages his brothers in Galatia that it is good to be excited, it’s good to be passionate, but make sure your passions are in the right place. We should be enthusiastic for the truth.

Something else key that we see in this passage you have to back up a few verses to see it laid out for us. Looking at 4:9-11 Paul says: “But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? You observe special days, months, seasons, and years.  I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted. "

What on earth is Paul talking about? He is again expressing his bewilderment at their proclivity to wander. The Galatians were repeating the same mistakes, they were falling back into the same pattern however Paul here is addressing the Jewish special days, the elements of the Jewish faith.  The Christians in Galatia weren't Jews they were Gentiles, and yet Paul is calling these Jewish traditions “weak and bankrupt elemental forces” wow… That is a bit harsh, but it is true none the less. 

Now hear me on this, the observation of the special days, the traditions, the seasons in and of themselves are not the problem. It is the reason why they were attempting to adhere to them. They were pursuing these things with the goal of gaining favor with God. They went from pursuing pagan traditions for closeness to God to following the One True God, to following Jewish traditions... same mistakes, different approach... 

Think about it like this, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, these are all important dates and seasons on the modern Christian calendar each year. Now if you were to approach any of these days or seasons with the mindset that by observing them you are gaining God’s favor you are falling into the same deception that the Galatians were in the first-century church. Take this a step further, though. Think about your daily walk. Your prayer time, your bible study, your trips to church to worship, your service at church or in the community. If you do any of these things for any other reason than to give glory to God, if you do them with the hope to make yourself more favorable in God’s eyes you are doing them for the wrong reason, and you have repeated the Galatian's mistakes.

It's not the day or the action it's the intent. Remember, God’s favor in you is not found in your performance for him. God’s favor for you is a result of the presence of Christ in you, made possible by Christ’s performance for you.

Embrace that with me this year as we grow together in our walk.

Remember it is:


Sola Gratia (saved by grace alone)Sola Fide (through faith alone)Solus Christus (in Christ alone)Sola Scriptura (according to scripture alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone) 

Sons of God

This time of year, much is made of the coming of the Christ Child and rightly so. We celebrate the birth of Jesus as we should because without the arrival of Christ mankind has serious a problem, we cannot be made right before a righteous God.

Galatians 3:26-4:7 is an amazing Christmas passage because it not only talks about the purpose of Christ’s journey it brings us into that picture. Take a look -

…for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise. Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. Instead, he is under guardians and stewards until the time set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elemental forces of the world. When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Notice something the Paul does not describe us here as sons and daughters of God; nor does it describe us as more gender-neutral children of God. We see that elsewhere but this text is expressly referencing sons, and there's a reason behind that.

This isn’t a male vs. female issue either, it is not that Paul is being chauvinistic and simply ignoring the ladies in the room.

Paul has a purpose, and that is to ensure his readers knew that the ground was equal at the foot of the cross. If you think about it, more it was common in the first century, and still is very common in many cultures around the world that it is the son who receives the inheritance in a family.  

If you look back over the rest of Galatians 3 what did you see illustrated? The promise carried from Abraham to Moses to Christ. How? It was carried by an heir. Abraham's son Isaac, son Jacob, and so forth.

So, when we get to Galatians 3:26-4:7 and Paul is talking about adoption and sons, he's talking about receiving an inheritance that would be reserved for a son.

Now I’ve heard many bloggers and authors attempt to pervert this passage in recent days, but the truth of what Paul is saying is that “it doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter what your gender is, it doesn’t matter what your socioeconomic status is, it doesn’t matter what your ethnic identity is.

All that matters is this, that you are, in Christ, a son; and as a result of being a son, in Christ, you receive an inheritance.”

The pure and simple fact here Paul is being counter-cultural here because he is saying that every follower of Christ has the same rights and privileges in the family of God. Those of a son. Does not matter if you are a man or a woman, does not matter if you are rich or poor if you have placed your faith in Christ Jesus you have the rights and privileges of a son, Paul is saying that we're all in this thing together.

This is not something that is just automatic, we are not just universally sons of God. This is a privilege that we can enter into because God sent His Son so that we might receive the position of sons.

This is what we see illustrated in Galatians 4:4, "When the time had fully come, God sent his Son..." You get on later, it says, "So we might receive the full rights of sons."

What an incredible promise for us to study on Christmas morning!

I hope to see you this week in worship! If you can’t make it be sure to log on to Facebook and stream the service.

Merry Christmas! 

What's the Purpose?

One of the joys of having young kids is you are always being asked why. Why this or why that. How does this work? Why do I have to brush my teeth? Why do I have to eat my vegetables? Sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming. 

This time of year we are always talking about things like what is the purpose of Christmas? Or what is the purpose of Advent? 

The last few weeks the Apostle Paul has offered three arguments revealing the shortfalls of the Law. This week Paul offers the real purpose behind the law.

Paul starts off asking a question which I imagine was purely rhetorical in nature. He asks those in Galatia "Why then was the law given?" He knew that they knew the answer but to be certain they were all on the same page he follows it up with an explanation. 

The law was given because of sin. Sin prevented Man from having a right relationship with God, and God needed the means of making man aware of his sinfulness in which they would understand the sheer impossibility of being justified on his own. 

Paul further explains that the law was not given to give life but to reveal the confining nature of humanity on our own apart from God. Paul states that the law in a sense is our "guardian until Christ" meaning that the law is our tutor or our teacher, a legally appointed overseer, authorized to train (bring) up a child by administering discipline, chastisement, and instruction.

Why then was the law given? To reveal our need for a savior to be born and to point us to him that we might be justified before God.

Hope to see you Sunday!

Galatians 3:19-26
"Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator. Now a mediator is not for just one person, but God is one. Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law. But the Scripture has imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

Do you have a ticket to ride?

As I was in preparation for this week, I came across this illustration that fit so aptly in regards to the debate between faith and works to ascertain salvation.

I’ve heard it often said that “It doesn’t matter what you believe; it’s how you live that counts.”

Adoniram Judson Gordon, a Baptist preacher in the 1800's and founder of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, encountered this philosophy one time as he talked with a fellow passenger on a train. The man believed he could get to heaven by his good works. Pointing to the conductor who was making his way through the coach, Gordon asked his new friend, “Did you ever notice how carefully he always examines the ticket but takes no pains whatever to inspect the passenger.” The man immediately caught the significance of the question. He had just been saying that God was interested only in what we do and not in a “little bit of theological scrip called faith.”

“You see,” continued Gordon, “the passenger and the ticket are accepted together. If he doesn’t have one or has the wrong one, he will be asked to get off the train—no matter how honest he might appear to be. Just as the ticket stands for the man, faith stands for you.”

It doesn’t matter how many good deeds you do over the course of your life. In the end, if you don’t have faith the conductor won’t allow you to get on the train bound for glory.

This is what we see in the message that Paul taught in Galatians. Paul’s message echo’s what is shown throughout the rest of the Bible.

We see a lot in this week’s passage, take some time before Sunday to read it and come ready to explore its importance to our faith!

Galatians 3:15-18

Brothers, I’m using a human illustration. No one sets aside or makes additions to even a human covenant that has been ratified. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Christ. And I say this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not revoke a covenant that was previously ratified by God and cancel the promise. For if the inheritance is from the law, it is no longer from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.

Redeemable Value

I have some very special collections in my office. If you come to see me, you will see my books dating back to the mid-1800's. All the Orange and Blue makes it evident where my sports allegiance lies. But there is one collection that you might miss upon first glance, and that is my
Coka-Cola bottles. In my travels on mission trips, one of the things that I always look for to bring home with is a glass bottle (or in the case of Cuba an aluminum can) of locally bottled Cola. 

Something you notice when you start looking at the glass bottles (even plastic bottles nowadays) is the detail that they provide. You get the product name and manufacturer of course. They also include the nutritional value, ingredients, often the bottling location. But there is usually one more little tidbit of information. How much that bottle is worth in redemption value to the manufacturer. 

My foreign made Cola bottles are printed in Creole, Thai, and Spanish thus it 's hard to know what their redemptive value is, however, the water bottles on my desk each are worth .5 cents each. Not very much but if you were able to collect enough of them you might be able to buy an ice cold coke. 

 In Galatians 3:13-14 Paul pens these beautifully powerful words:

"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written: Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith."

This is of critical importance. Because just as those bottles have a redemptive value, you and I also have a redemptive value. What is your life worth to God you might ask? 

His Son. 

It's that simple. 

Your life, my life, the eternal lives of all those who have believed as Abraham from the beginning of time till the Lord comes back to claim His bride share the same redemptive value. 

The life of His one and only Son. 


This was a price that Jesus readily paid to redeem you to the creator that you might share in the eternal blessings of dwelling in the presence of The Most High.


Knowing this should significantly impact the way in which we live our lives.  The question you have to answer is has it? 

See you Sunday!

Something to be thankful for...

As we come off the Thanksgiving holiday many people have asked the question around the table of "what are you thankful for?" Many of the answers surely included family, new jobs, new loves, new toys, the list could be endless.

In Galatians 3:6-9 Paul reminds us of something very old that we should always be thankful for. 

Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, then understand that those who have faith are Abraham’s sons. Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and told the good news ahead of time to Abraham,saying, All the nations will be blessed through you. So those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.

Our source of justification is rooted in the covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis 17 when he promised that ALL the nations would be blessed through him. Simply put, if we have faith in God, we have access to the same blessing of Abraham. 

If that isn't something to be thankful for this year I don't know what is.

How will you thank Him today?

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks to you, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. 

Let our souls bless the LORD, and let all that is within us bless his holy name; yes, let our souls bless the LORD and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 75:1; 103:1-2)

Sometimes being wrong looks better than being right...

Last week in worship we laid the foundation for JUSTIFICATION. The idea that it is the gracious act of God by which God declares a sinner righteous.

If you remember the emphasis is on the act of declaration, on the judge declaring something just or unjust, righteous or unrighteous and that this act is a point in time, not a process.

This week starting in Galatians 3:1-5 we see three important lessons illustrated:

1) Every error is the distortion of some truth
2) The cross is the central truth of Christianity
3) The highest truths are spiritually discerned

The Galatian believers had fallen into a trap; they were as Paul stated "hypnotized" with their adherence to this false gospel narrative which the Judaizers had brought up and convinced them of.

Paul was absolutely correct in calling them "foolish," they had allowed men to come in and change the gospel message from one of Christ alone to one of Christ plus all this other stuff. We must guard or hearts and our minds such that we too do not fall into the same deceptive trap of Jesus plus.

The church in Galatia fell into this trap because they wanted to be looked upon favorably by the men who had come up from Jerusalem. They wanted to in a sense for others to look at them and declare just how holy or just how righteous they appeared to be. But that feeling of self-justification and in seeking that peer-justification is what caused them such trouble in the first place. Our justification is found in Christ alone. Not in our peers, not in our Facebook feeds, not in ourselves, but in Christ alone.

This week we have the joy of baptizing a young man who has come to the understanding that his faith and his salvation is found in Jesus alone. Not Jesus plus good works, not Jesus plus good behavior, not Jesus plus following Jewish laws or traditions. His faith is grounded in Christ Alone.Where is your faith grounded?

See you Sunday!

You foolish Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified? I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh? Did you suffer so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? So then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? 

Galatians 3:1-5

Christ in Conflict

Galatians 2 is an amazing chapter. In it, we have been presented the truth that it is only through faith in Christ that we are accepted before God.  There is something else which we learn from the interactions in the text; that is the proper way to handle conflict within the church. 

Conflict was brewing when Peter came to Antioch. Paul, rather than mumbling about it, or griping to Barnabas or his other disciples chooses to deal with the problem directly. Paul opposed Peter to his face in dealing with the hypocrisy which Peter was exhibiting. This picture is one of right belief with wrong behavior. In actuality, this is one of the most dramatic and tense episodes in all of the New Testament. A little context will help to explain. 

For centuries the Jews had kept strict dietary laws and other commandments which were intended to keep the Jews and the Gentiles from intermingling and the Jews becoming corrupted by their idolatry and immorality. This is why the religious establishment was shocked when Jesus ate with the tax collectors and sinners in Mark 2:16. For Peter, however, the change took place in Acts 10. Peter had a vision in Acts 10 in which God revealed to him that "God does not show favoritism, but in every nation, the person who fears him and does righteousness is acceptable to Him." 

Fast forward to Galatians 2, Peter has seemingly forsaken this understanding for the sake of appearances. He isn't teaching a contrary message, but he isn't living out the message he was claiming. His actions and his words weren't matching up. 

Enter Paul into the conversation. Paul deals with the problem by reminding Peter of the Truth He already knows. Paul demonstrated obedience to Scripture and love towards Peter by helping him to see the error in is actions. 

We need to strive to do the same. When we see someone who is not living the life that they claim they are we should address the problem directly with love. 

However, before you jump into a confrontation, study to know the truth, study to understand the truth and not just to construct a good argument from Scripture.

It is said that scripture is sharp as a two-edged sword. However, some who use the knife are surgeons and others are butchers.

We should all seek to be surgeons when it comes to using God's Word. 

See ya Sunday!  

From Terrorist to Evangelist: God didn't give up on Saul and He won't give up on you!

Wow, is the only thing that I can think to say and that's not even close to being sufficient when reviewing the life and works of a missionary by the name of Paul. When you see the scope of Paul's work, the letters he wrote, the churches he planted, the men and women whose lives were changed forever because of his faithfulness. I'm not sure there has ever been a more effective or a more prolific missionary for Christ than his servant Paul.

A man like this must surely have walked in close connection with Christ on earth right? Surely he was a part of Jesus' inner circle.

Not a chance. We know this based on the personal testimony we see here in Galatians 1:11-24 and the account in Acts 9 of a man by the name of Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul, an up and coming Pharisee, a pupil of the well-known Hebrew scholar Rabbi Gamaliel. 

Saul followed in his teacher's footsteps with his passion for the Torah, and his understanding and reverence of Yahweh.  This passion is why we are not surprised to see a young Saul with the coats of those stoning Stephen laid at his feet in Acts 7:58 and then are introduced to Saul the Persecutor in Acts 8. Saul was in his mind being obedient to the Holy Scriptures and as a result protecting the church. 

Having the completed picture we know better, we see Saul for the legalist that he was. That was until God got a hold of him. 

In Acts 9 Saul had a confrontation with Christ (who had already ascended to heaven at this point) while on the road to Damascus. Following this life changing experience Saul, whose name was changed by God to Paul dedicated his life to the spread of the good news of Jesus rather than the persecution of the followers of Christ. 

What does this all mean for us today? Well for starters it goes to show it doesn't matter who you are or what you have done God can still use you. 

Paul, before his conversion to Christianity, was a killer of Christians. He was by definition a terrorist. A religious extremist. But God brought him out of that life into a new life. God can do the same for you today! God wants to do the same for you if you would let him! Will you heed his call in your heart?

Hope to see ya Sunday! 

No Other Gospel...

Paul in this week's passage used some very powerful choice words in speaking with the churches in Galatia. In part two of his salutation, he offers a warning against a false gospel.

 According to Barna Research “One of the most frequently used phrases in Christian circles is "the gospel." What is amazing is that very few adults can actually define what this term means. It could either refer to its literal translation, "good news;" or to the perspective that salvation is available only through the sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ and a person’s acceptance of Christ as their savior.

Among born-again Christians, only 60% correctly identified at least one meaning of “the gospel.” We see that the problem goes even deeper though in that we are facing a Biblically illiterate culture. Research shows fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. Finally, 60 % of Americans can't name even five of the Ten Commandments. These are but a handful of the stats that are out there. 

This week we start to see the core of this letter in that the people at Galatia have turned away from the life-changing truth of God’s word to a false gospel. 

Paul’s message for us is that the real gospel stands alone, it doesn’t need any additions because it alone is what guides us to saving faith in Christ. The gospel alone is what brings about life change. Thus perverting or distorting the gospel is proven detrimental.

Paul is telling the churches if anyone including himself comes in and preaches a new gospel drag them out by their hair and let them be damned. Ouch...

Then he begins the transition to the next paragraph in verse ten which happens to be one of my favorite passages. Such wise words to live by.

Check it out for yourself – Hope to see you Sunday!

Galatians 1:6-10 

(6) I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— (7) not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah. (8) But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! (9) As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!

(10) For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.

The Freedom of Grace

Short post this week as we are getting ready to start a new series working our way through the book of Galatians. Over the next 15 week's we will be looking to redefine everything using the gospel of Jesus Christ as our cipher. As we lay our foundation this week in Galatians 1:1-5 we see some critical information needed for us to construct the filter which we will use in living our lives. 

"Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia.

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. To whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

(Galatians 1:1-5)

In these first five verses, we see our author (Paul, an apostle). We recognize the authority by which he writes (not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father). We see Paul's Associates  (all the brothers who are with me). We also see the audience (the churches of Galatia). Verses 3-5 provide further insight with Pauls asperation (Grace to you and peace) and Christ's sacrifice (who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age). Finally, the need for our submission to God's sovereignty in our salvation (according to the will of our God and Father).

Who would have thought there would be that much packed into these five short verses! We will be digging in with more detail this Sunday. I hope you will join us as we walk this journey together! 

See you Sunday! 

Faith that Prays

This week we close out our 12 week series in the book of James looking at James 5:13-20.

I love how James starts off this section, keep in mind he knows exactly what they are going through so these questions are more rhetorical in nature – James is saying if you are suffering? PRAY! Are you happy? PRAY! Are you sick? PRAY!

James is reminding us that our first response should always be God, upward…

Prayer is not measured by its length—it is measured by its depth. It has been said that faith moves mountains, but prayer moves God…

Unfortunately, all too often He is not our first response… we seek to find comfort from other people, or we try to take things into our own hands… Think about it... You should be so in love with God that your first instinct in the good times and the bad is to call out to him... 

For many Christians, the extent of their prayer life is at the dinner table. “Good food, Good meat, Good God, let’s eat...” And you know what the devil doesn’t mind those types of prayers, because they go nowhere. Just empty words uttered in ritual...

If we want to be effective-if we want to experience something powerful…it comes through prayer.  And James says, stop and pray! The person you need to talk to is God!

“The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” (James 5:16b)

You know when you are just madly in love with someone and you have good news, and you want to tell them… or if you’ve got bad news, you want to tell them first… That’s the idea behind what James is saying… the idea that God is supposed to be the very center, the core of your life…

Simply put, if I’m going through a trial, I should come before Him, before anyone else… and if things are great I am to just immediately burst out in praise because I realize it all came from Him… When it comes to trials and difficult times, we often tend to throw in the towel before we throw up our prayers.

Isn’t it amazing that our prayers can move the heart of God who created the universe?

…so let’s talk about prayer… See ya Sunday! 

Concerning Patience

We live in an on demand society... Want to watch a certain movie? Not to worry, open up any number of streaming services, pay a few bucks and you have your movie... No movie rental store, no need to have a huge stack of VHS or DVDs laying around...

Likewise, want to research a topic? Just pull out the phone, pick up the iPad, or open the computer up and ask Siri or Google depending on your preference... In 10 minutes on the computer you can amass more data than you could in a week in the library...

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking these things... None of these things are problems on their own but what they and numerous other things just like it have cost us is the ability to wait. We have lost the discipline of patience....

James addresses the need for patience in this weeks passage 5:7-12... He gives us two little words that bring us so much trouble... "be patient..." 

Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Brothers, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!

Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Now above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. Your “yes” must be “yes,” and your “no” must be “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.

Twice in verse 7, once in 8 and 10 and then verse 11 talks about enduring which comes as a result of patience it is pretty clear what the theme of these four verses is... Our need to "be patient" until the Lord comes....  

James gives us three great examples in the farmer, the prophet, and the Lord's servant Job. Hope to see you on Sunday as we will spend time looking at each of these in more detail. 

However, I want to leave you a nugget to chew on til then...  In each of these pictures of patience we are called not just to wait upon the Lord but also to honor the Lord in what we do while we wait.

What are you doing while you wait?   

See ya Sunday!