Persevering Through Trials by J.C. Ryle
Would you have perfect peace in life? Then lay hold on this doctrine of perseverance. Your trials may be many and great. Your cross may be very heavy. But the business of your soul is all conducted according to an “everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure.” (2 Sam. 23:5.)
All things are working together for your good. Your sorrows are only purifying your soul for glory. Your bereavements are only fashioning you as a polished stone for the temple above, made without hands. From whatever quarter the storms blow, they only drive you nearer to heaven. Whatever weather you may go through it is only ripening you for the garner of God. Your best things are quite safe. Come what will, you shall “never perish.”
A family visited my church this morning. They’ve visited several churches the last few months.
The mother told me what stood out was how many people at our church spoke to them.
That seemed odd to me. I asked, “is that unusual?”
She said in all the churches they’d visited, hardly anyone had spoken to them. Several churches in just a couple of months. Hardly anyone spoke to them. But this morning they met and spoke to several different people.
She actually started crying. Clearly this was a pain point for her. I couldn’t tell if they were tears of pain or joy. Maybe both. Either way, they clearly felt at home simply because people were friendly and talked to them.
By the time I’d met them, they’d already been invited to a small group by someone else.
Hospitality is real ministry. Talk to people at church. The little things matter.
.@ucpsnc board member Gary Sides proposes this calendar, saying it's better for HS students to be in sync with community colleges and take exams before winter break. Supt @AGHoulihan says it's "widely if not unanimously" supported by the public. ...
@anndosshelms@UCPSNC@AGHoulihan Makes a ton more sense to have Christmas break between semesters. My HS did this shift and we lost a few weeks one summer, but better for the rest of the years.