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We’re in the midst of our “tie-optional” Sundays, and I know I’ve really been enjoying them. With school out now it’s almost impossible to predict what our attendance will be like from week to week….but I still love it!

• Attendance this morning was back up to what it usually is.
• We had several guests this morning, including some former staff who were back visiting with us.
• My message this morning was from Romans 6, “Dying to Live.”
• I told the story of the 86-year-old Canadian couple who won the lottery. When asked what she was going to buy with the winnings, the wife remarked, “I think I’ll buy some new nylons.”
• One of our youth asked one of our ladies, “What are nylons?” Priceless!
• We have to die to the belief that all that the death of Christ secured for us is a bunch of rules to obey if we want to truly live the life that Christ calls us to live!
• We have to die to the belief that all we have to do is believe (get our get-out-of-hell-free card punched) and then we can live like we want.
• We can’t live concerned only about our nylons while we ignore the spiritual fortune that is ours!
• Catherine nailed it in her children’s sermon: If we say we are a vegetarian, yet we continue to each beef, chicken and pork, are we really a vegetarian?
• Found out one of our members is moving their membership to another church in the area. Always sorry to see anyone go, but if they feel they can better get their needs met there, then God bless ‘em.
• Ran home after the service for a quick lunch, change clothes, pick up Josh from a Scout trip, then return to the church for the Community Prayer Walk.
• Got a big meeting tomorrow morning for the World Changers Project coming up over here July 5-12.
• Norfolk’s World Changers project is this week. Pray for Terrace Crawford as he is the point person for the project.
• We had 20 people show up today for our first-ever community prayer walk in preparation for World Changers in Portsmouth.
• Those 20 represented 6 different churches, which is 20% of the churches in our Association. Four of the six were represented by their senior pastor, one church’s associate pastor was there in addition to the senior pastor, and one church was represented by one of their staff ministers, and the sixth was represented by their Deaconess and a large contingent of members.  This is AWESOME!
• Pray that this project will be the needed jump start, not only in the revitalization of the neighborhood, but in the spiritual restoration of the community.
• The next two weeks are going to be busy. I hope to be able to blog along the way.
• Peace and all good!