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Hours of Operation
The
Child Care Center
is designed for children between the ages of
2 to 5.
We are
open
Monday - Friday from
7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For more information about our facility,
please call us at
(941) 484-4415.
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Does God Still Speak to People? |
A young man had been to Wednesday night
Bible Study. The Pastor had shared
about
listening to God and obeying the Lord’s voice. The young man
couldn’t help
but wonder,
“Does God still speak to people?
After the service he went out with some friends for coffee and
pie and they discussed
the message. Several different ones
talked about how God had led them in different
ways.
It was about ten o’clock when the young man started driving
home. Sitting in
his car, he
just began to pray, “God…if you still speak to people, speak to
me. I will
listen and I will
do my best to obey.”
As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the
strangest thought to stop
and
buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, “God
is that you?”
He didn’t
get a reply and started on toward home but again he thought
about a
gallon of milk. The
young man thought about Samuel and how he didn’t recognize
the
voice of God, and how
little Samuel ran to Eli. “Okay, God, in case that is you
I will
buy the milk.” It didn’t seem like
to hard a test of obedience. He could always
use the milk. He
stopped and purchased the
gallon of milk and started off toward
home.
As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, turn down
that street. “This is
crazy.”
He thought and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt
that he should
turn down
Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and
headed down
Seventh. Half
jokingly, he said out loud, “Okay, God, I will.” He drove
several blocks,
when suddenly,
he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and
looked
around. He was in a
semi-commercial area of town. It wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t
the worst of neighborhoods
either. The businesses were closed and most of the
houses looked
dark like the people
were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something, “Go and give the milk to the people
in the house
across
the street.” The young man looked at the house. It was dark and
it looked
like the people
were either gone or they were already asleep, he started to pen
the door and then sat
back in the car seat. “Lord, this is insane. Those people are
asleep and if I wake them
up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.”
Again, he
felt like he should go and
give the milk.
Finally, he opened the door, “Okay God, if this is you, I will
go to the door and
I will give
them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay.
I want
to be obedient.
I guess that will count for something but if they don’t answer
right away, I am out of here.”
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear
some noise inside.
A man’s
voice yelled out, “Who is it? What do you want?” Then the door
opened
before the young
man could get away. The man was standing there in his jeans
and
T-shirt. He looked like
he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his
face and he
didn’t seem too happy to
have some stranger standing on his door
step. “What is it?” The
young man thrust out the
gallon of milk, “Here, I brought
this to you.” The man took the
milk and rushed down a
hallway speaking loudly
in Spanish.
Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward
the kitchen.
The man
was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man
had
tears streaming
down his face. The man began speaking and half-crying, “We
were
just praying. We had
some big bills this month and we ran out of money.
We didn’t
have any milk for our baby.
I was just praying and asking God to show
me how to get some
milk.” His wife in the kitchen yelled out, “I asked him to send
an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?” The young man
reached into his wallet
and pulled out all the money he had on
him and put it in the man’s
hand. He turned
and walked back toward his car and the tears
were streaming down his
face. He
knew that God still answered prayers.
~ Author Unknown ~ |
Feel the Nails
They pierced My hands and My feet.
Psalm 22:16
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They tell me Jesus died for
my transgressions, that He paid that
price a long, long time ago. When He gave His life for me,
On a hill called Calvary, but there’s something else I want to
know:
Does He still feel the nails every time I fail?
Can He hear the crowd cry, Crucify again?
Am I causing Him pain, then I know I’ve got to change,
I just can’t bare the thought of hurting Him.
Seems I’m so good at breaking promises and I treat His precious
grace so carelessly, but each time He forgives, what if He
relives
the agony He felt on that tree.
Does He still feel the nails every time I fail?
Can He hear the crowd cry, Crucify again?
Am I causing Him pain, then I know I’ve got to change,
I just can’t bare the thought of hurting Him.
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord
~ Song by Ray Boltz ~
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Fellowship of the Unashamed
I am part of the “Fellowship of the Unashamed.” The die has been
cast. I have
stepped
over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of
Jesus
Christ. I won’t look
back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is
redeemed, my present makes
sense, and my future is secure.
I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small
planning, smooth knees,
colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane
talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.
My pace is set,
my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, and my
way
is rough, my companions
few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.
I won’t give up, back up, let up or shut up until I’ve preached
up, prayed up, paid up,
store
up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I must go until He
returns, give until
I drop,
preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He
comes to get
His own,
He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear.
~ An African martyr’s last words ~
Adapted from the book “One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven”
by Mark Cahill
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Funny
Church Hymns
The Dentist’s Hymn -- Crown Him With Many Crowns
The Optometrist’s Hymn -- Open My Eyes That I Might See
The Contractor’s Hymn -- The Church’s One Foundation
The Waiter’s Hymn -- Fill My Cup, Lord
The Tailor’s Hymn -- Holy, Holy, Holy
The Geologist’s Hymn -- Rock of Ages
The Credit Card Telemarketer’s Hymn -- A Charge to Keep I Have
The Politician’s Hymn -- Standing on the Promises
The Shoe Repairer’s Hymn -- It Is Well With My Soul
The IRS Agent’s Hymn -- I Surrender All
The Psychiatrist’s Hymn -- Just A Little Talk with Jesus
The Shopper’s Hymn -- Sweet By and By
The Lifeguard’s Hymn -- Rescue the Perishing
The Criminal’s Hymn -- Search Me, O God
The Paramedic’s Hymn -- Revive Us Again
The Menswear Clerk’s Hymn -- Blest Be the Tie
The Hematologist’s Hymn -- Are You Washed in the Blood?
The Electrician’s Hymn -- Send the Light
The Travel Agent’s Hymn -- Anywhere with Jesus
The Golfer’s Hymn -- There is a Green Hill Far Away
~ Author Unknown ~
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God, Are You
Real?
The little child whispered,
“God, speak to me” and a meadowlark sang.
But the child did not hear.
So, the child yelled,
“God, speak to me!” and the thunder rolled across the sky.
But the child did not listen.
The child looked around and said,
"God let me see you” and a star shone brightly.
But the child did not notice.
And the child shouted,
“God show me a miracle,!” and a life was born.
But the child did not know.
So the child cried out in despair,
“Touch me God, and let me know you are here!”
whereupon God reached down and touched the child.
But the child brushed the butterfly away and walked away
unknowingly.
~ Author Unknown ~
Take time to listen, observe, and be
thankful.
Often times, things are right underneath our noses.
Don’t miss out on your blessing because
it isn’t packaged the way that you expect.
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