Good morning and welcome!

Before I relate the message today, I just want you to have a mental picture of where I am and what I’m blessed to see as I listen to the message from BCBC. (Bear Creek Bible Church)

I’m on my bed in the motorhome, where I can have peace, semi-quiet, and a view out my right window of the calm, serene pond. The water gently moves in the slight bit of breeze and the tall grasses sway as well. Its absolutely mesmerizing -kind of like those moving images on your screen savers.

The season it isn’t total quiet is because we have dogs.

I have a husband who doesn’t attend with me and insists on the tv being on, which I can hear, as you can imagine. If my earbuds were working, I could tune some of this out, but alas, they aren’t wanting to connect anymore.

Yet despite all of this, I’m blessed to be able to hear the message and then relate it to you.

I hope you all realize, that as believers, you should then spread the message to others if you feel so compelled. I only hope my interpretation is a good enough one to want to share. That’s why I provide the verses used so you can verify it.

Today’s message comes from Paul’s letter to the Colossians verses 1: 3-8.

The First Step to Getting Along Better With Others

We need to be thankful for the others in our lives.

We need to thank God for their transformation in becoming believers.

We need to thank Him for those who lead them to Christ.

We need to thank Him for the miraculous wonders He has done in others.

Its a miracle to watch the transformation in real time; through the work of missionaries, to the fixed broken marriages, all brought to them by the Gospel!

For one example: today I watched as the church aided in the commissioning of new Nationals that had previously lived in Russia, had been with BCBC for 6 years, giving up their lives to come here, now prepared to follow God due to the call they felt to go and serve Him in Germany where they will minister to Russian and Ukranian people. That’s a miracle!! They were so emotional in their goodbyes, proving how much BCBC meant to them. They studied to become missionaries at seminary which BCBC helped them do. Now, here they go again, uprooting their lives to go to spread the word in Germany.

That’s the kind of thing that faith does. We should be thankful for these people and what their transformation did in their lives.

I’m doing what I can to become a disciple by sharing the message with you. You are my “small group” as we should all be involved in some kind of group so we can have fellowship, learn from each other’s feedback, and share with each other the way that God is working in our lives.

In the same way, I pray that I am providing a service that is pleasing to God, by sharing the message with you. I know that you are thankful by your honest feedback and helpful comments.

We should all be involved in some kind of outreach, which I pray I’m also doing as I contemplate making my blog (just Sundays) reach more people by social media. However, if each of you reading also shared with others -since my blog has a small following -that would be awesome too!

We should be thankful when we witness those who are models of faithfulness. I can’t tell you how much of a change I’ve come to feel in myself as far as not stressing or feeling anxious about things. It took a long time. I became a believer long before I was even married, but was baptized soon after in a Christian Church in Haltom City, Texas.

Did I feel a profound change right then and there? No. I was already a believer, so for me this was another step in my walk. It was sort of ceremonial. It took me finding my brother’s church and hearing something specific to change my heart. To make me want to learn and share and know for a fact, that my name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. To know and believe in this thing called faith.

Faith: Believing in that its true, even when you can’t see it. Before faith, your spirit is asleep, after faith its awakened and your whole perspective changes. You want to walk the walk. You strive to live a life that’s most pleasing to God, because you want to be by His side for eternity.

So the next time someone is on your nerves, acts in a way you may not like, or is impossible to bring to the Lord, just rest and be thankful for them. Give them time to make their own transformation. Don’t be anxious about it, be kind and gentle with them. I know from personal experience that its hard to make people (sometimes in your own family) believe what you do. Pray for them. Pray for God to change their hearts.

My own children struggle. I can’t do anything more than pray and watch. I can uplift them, keep a positive attitude, and slowly guide them toward believing just by example. They all know I am studying the Bible and am so exited about it, and have come to expect me to pray for them. We all love each other and wether they believe or not, they are growing and I believe that it will happen. I’m already seeing the changes and the maturity in their lives by the decisions that they are making. Its Gods work not mine, but He is working through me because I believe and I pray for that.

And I feel the same about each and every one of you. I am thankful for you!

Forgive me if I rambled a bit today, and thank you for being here, to hear my interpretation of the message. Thanks in advance for whatever comments and other feedback you give me. Have a blessed Sunday.