AUGUST 2011 EDITION

Can you feel it? Do you sense it? It is just a whisper, a promise, a teaser for now; but we know it is coming. It always does. Relief is at hand. Fall is coming! Hooray! As I have said in past newsletters, I love autumn. It is my favorite time of year.

The air today was drier, unless you are one of my friends in Florida or Houston. But maybe even there the humidity may have dropped to 80%! It has been noticeably less hot.(Notice I did not say" cooler") One night last week, we turned off the A.C. and just ran the wonderful attic fan (a great invention, I might add!) Fresh air! What a concept!

Oh, I know. I looked at the ten day forecast predicting days in the mid-nineties and nights in the seventies, but I have faith that better days are just around the corner. The Bible, in Hebrews, Chapter Eleven, says, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." I have faith that fall is coming soon. It always has. I am sure of what I hope for (that the daytime high temperatures will slowly drop from the nineties to the sixties) and certain of what I do not see (that the leaves will turn red, orange and gold).

Faith in the dictionary is defined as:
(1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof
(2): complete trust

I would like to say that I am a man of faith in God. However, under the definition of "complete trust", I begin to question myself. Do I have complete trust in Christ as my Savior and Lord? I am reminded of a character named Little Faith, in John Bunyan's classic work, "Pilgrims Progress."

"Little Faith is robbed by Faint Heart, Mistrust, and Guilt, and loses all his spending money. His journey is made more difficult, and with much complaining, but he does not sell his inheritance, and he continues on the way. Guilt can still waylay us, even though our sins have been forgiven. It can interfere with our walk with God if we let it fester. Remember what Christ did for you and claim that forgiveness again. If you have been holding out from God on some disobedience, confess it and get right with Him. If you're holding resentments against someone else, forgive it and let it go."

"And one more thought: Having just a little faith doesn't condemn you -- it may make your Christian discipleship a bit more difficult for you (and for those around you), but it doesn't mean that God doesn't love you any less, or is concerned for you any less. That love is great, marvelous, and steadfast. It is not dependent on the size of your faith." (From Sparknotes Literature Study Guide authors)

This is an encouragement to me. Do I have complete trust? Not yet. However, I do not think of myself as Little Faith. Maybe you could call me Growing Faith. What would you call yourself?








MINISTRY NEWS

Like the sign I saw once, "On this date in history nothing much happened. "There were no earth-shaking events (unless you take into account the earthquakes in Colorado and the East Coast at the time of the writing of this newsletter!), no dramatic conversion stories, no calamities, just, as the Christian author, Eugene Peterson, puts it, "A long obedience in the same direction"

I continue to meet individually with men on a daily basis for counseling and encouragement.

Our Friday Morning Men's' Group continues to meet as we have for sixteen years. The move to Marietta Country Club seems to be a good move. Our attendance has been strong and steady.

Here are some things our Friday Group is working on for the fall:

• We are planning a golf outing for wounded soldiers from
Fort Benning and Fort Gordon, in conjunction with the
Wounded Warrior Project.
• We will be working with Province Communities on the upkeep of
the New Salem Cemetery on Stanley Road.
• We have been in touch with Habitat for Humanity to join with
other groups on a build later this year.
• We have scheduled a Big Canoe Golf Retreat for November 18-20th.

Thanks to the faithful partnership of many of you, as well as some strong cost-cutting initiatives, and, of course, God's gracious provision, the ministry seems to be on sound financial footing for now.