In our Sunday morning series “When Bad Things Happen to God’s People,” we’ve faced the fact that life hits us with some painful things that we can’t understand. I remember when I was at Auburn University and decided to pursue a future in the field of teaching science, but I had one big hurdle I had to get over and that was physics! I some how had escaped taking physics in high school. I had opted instead for marine biology in my senior year at Sarasota High School.  And the only reason I passed pre-calculus with trigonometry is because my teacher was also my football coach!  So, I had never taken physics and I didn’t have the math background to take it. But I had to get through it in order to pursue my goal.

My physics professor was Asian and, as I like to say, I learned more Chinese than I did physics. Every day, after filling up three chalkboards with numbers and symbols, that brilliant man would end class with a smile and the same words, “You no understand?  You go home and study and you understand!”  Well, I went home and studied, and I still didn’t understand.  But I didn’t drop out of school, and I didn’t ditch my major.  I persevered and finally got my degree in Secondary Science Education.  And oh, by the way, by the mercy of the good Lord and that professor, I made C’s in Physics.

Life is like that.  We can’t quit because painful things happen to us, we don’t understand. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

We had a good month in February with 380 in Bible Study.  We enjoyed such events as the R. A. Racer Derby on February 3rd, Upward Games on Friday and Saturdays with the Awards Night on Sunday, February 24th, and The Canopy, a worship event for women on February 28th.

March is filled with some great opportunities:

•Our BIBLE EMPHASIS WEEKEND will take place on Saturday, March 2, 2019. Our guest speaker for the event is Andy Cook, founder of a unique ministry called “Experience Israel Now.” Andy makes the Land of the Bible come alive to us through his virtual video presentations of the history, geography and archeology of the Holy Land.    

•We begin our GENERATIONS FOLLOWING FAITH-RAISING CAMPAIGN on Sunday, March 3rd through the end of the month. This will be five Sundays of encouragement and challenge as we look to the future together and seek to discern and follow God’s will for our church.

•Steve Levinson will be with us for a CREATION SEMINAR on Sunday evening, March 10th at 6:30 in our Sanctuary.

•We will continue to sell tickets to the Priscilla Shirer Simulcast “Going Beyond Live” that takes place on Saturday, April 6th.

March is going to be a great month!   COME EXPECTANTLY!