Beloved Church Family,
I have never been more excited about a month of my ministry than I am about this one. Oftentimes, people feel like the church can help explain God and can be a warm and welcoming place to go each week, but it can’t really help with our everyday struggles. I don’t believe that’s true, but I understand why a person would feel that way. However, this month we are seizing the opportunity to get hands-on with what is the most influential thing in our lives besides God, our marriages. A married person sees their spouse more than any single other person, they spend more time benefitting from their love and suffering from their sin than any other person. No other relationship is more influential.
Because the world is broken, marriage is often not an act of love, but an act of mere survival. Marriage hurts, it is painful. But I am also convicted that it is worthwhile, that it is worth fighting for, and that marriage can be the best gift anyone has ever received. But it takes an attitude adjustment and it takes work.
This month, Central Baptist Church will be pouring wisdom and clarity and love into our marriages. There will be a four-week sermon series, Sunday school series, and evening activity series. I beg you all to be involved in all of the events and to invite people to come to church for this series. I can’t stress this enough.
Sunday school will begin in the sanctuary each week at 9:30, then break out into small groups. The time of corporate worship begins at 10:45 each week in the sanctuary also. There will be Sunday evening activities, including a fun night for adults on September 13 at 6 pm. There will also be a date night with free child care at the church on Saturday, September 19 from 6-10 pm. Make sure and plan a date for that evening with the one you love.
Also, each week, text or e-mail questions you’d like answered in the sermon to me at 940.481.0221 or joseph@cbcitaly.org. We will talk about issues such as unrealistic expectations, family finances, communication skills, what the Bible says about love and marriage, and how to connect to counseling and other resources. Whether you are single, married, divorced, widowed, or anything in between, this series is designed to build up marriage as a sacred act. I’m excited to join you in this journey we all share as we explore marriage with fresh eyes through the month of September.
In His Love,
Bro. Joseph