Good News!

Church family,
It's not everyday that a scary and potentially tragic story ends in such an incredible and amazing way!  According to the Elk Valley Times, sometime yesterday Tyler Campbell, the nineteen year old missing since Saturday evening, was found alive and well near Ardmore, TN.  After totaling his truck he was eventually able to dig out, and climb out of the ravine towards safety and rescue after almost three days.  He is now recovering at Huntsville Hospital.  Prayers have been answered!

Our "Forty Days of Prayer" officially came to an end with yesterday's election.  I want to thank you for each moment you spent with our Heavenly Father bringing before him petitions for our nation, our leaders and the election.  Someone asked me yesterday if this meant we can stop praying now.  She was being fascetious, of course!  And the answer, obviously is absolutely not!  Praying for our country and its leaders is the responsibility of every Christian.  It ought to be something we do constantly... all the time... regardless of who is in the White House or which party is in control.  Christians pray.  It is what we do.  We can make our voices heard by participating in the political process (as most of you probably did this week.)  We can campaign and we can encourage... but there is nothing more powerful and more meaningful we can do than to pray!

It is my hope that if you were not already in the habit of it, this reminder to pray for our country each of the last forty days has created in you a habit... a good habit.  And that you will continue this practice forward.  Our President faces difficult challenges.  He needs prayer.  Our local governments face challenges as well.  They need our prayers, too.  Our country will face many issues in the days ahead.  Pray.  The church, too.  Christians are losing our voice in our world, partly because of our compromise with the world in many respects.  Pray that the kingdom would grow and be blessed... God's kingdom.  That ultimately is the government (i.e. kingdom) which is our first concern.

God bless,
Jim