Greetings Family,

An excerpt from Sarah Young’s devotional – “Jesus Calling”:

“Every time you affirm your trust in Me, you put a coin into My treasury. Thus you build up equity in preparation for days of trouble. I keep safely in My heart all trust invested in Me, with interest compounded continuously. The more you trust Me, the more I empower you to do so.“ (Sarah Young, page 11)

For this week (March 11th through March 17th), we beseech you to pray and meditate on these scriptures.

Prayer Themes and Scriptures

• Believe, God has the answers
  • Lamentations 3:22-23 (NRSV) ²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; ²³ they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
• Believe, God has the answers
  • Psalm 100:2-3 (NRSV): ² Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. ³ Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
• Believe, God has the answers
  • Psalm 27:14 (KJV): Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
• Believe, God has the answers
  • Habakkuk 2:3: “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”
• Sunday School Lesson (03/17) – Calling the Lost
  • Luke 15:11-24 (NRSV): ¹¹ Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. ¹³ A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. ¹⁴ When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. ¹⁷ But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ²⁰ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. ²¹ Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²² But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

Please come join us (in Sunday school) as we wrestle with and discuss this week’s lesson

As we continue seeking the will of God and His discernment through the processes of prayer and meditation, we invite you to not only incorporate our Scripture & Meditation Focus into your daily life via the weekly newsletter insert, but also the entire archive on the Church website (Allen-Temple.org; click Pastoral Transition on the top blue bar of the home page), but to also join us at our Thursday Pastoral Transition Prayer Hours in the Sanctuary. The Prayer Hour will be followed by Thursday Evening Bible Study. Dates and times are:

Pastoral Transition Prayer Hour Schedule
Thursday, March 21 – 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Thursday, April 4 – 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Thursday, April 18 – 6:30pm to 7:30pm

God Bless!!!