THE HEIGHTENER

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you." -James 4:10

VIEWPOINT

In Rebuilding Your Broken World, Gordon MacDonald suggests a series of questions to help develop accountability and invite feedback. If we desire to grow, we should consider these questions honestly.

1. How is your relationship with God right now?

2. What have you read in the Bible in the past week?

3. Where do you find yourself resisting God these days?

4. What are the specific tasks facing you right now that you consider incomplete?

5. What specific things are you praying for in regard to yourself?

6. What habits intimidate you?

7. How are you doing with your spouse? Kids?

8. If I were to ask your spouse about your state of mind, state of spirit, state of energy level, what would the response be?

9. If Satan were to try to invalidate you as a person or as a servant of the Lord, how might he do it?

10. Are you sensing spiritual attacks from the enemy right now?

11. Where are you financially right now? (Things under control? Under anxiety? In great debt?)

12. How is your church attendance?

13. Are there any unresolved conflicts in your circle of relationships right now?

14. What challenges do you think you're going to face in the coming week? Month?

15. What kind of time have you spent with anyone who is a non-Christian this month?

16. Are you being tempted? Dealing with fantasies? How are your entertainment choices strengthening you spiritually?

17. What three things are you most thankful for?

The Bible uses the metaphor of light and darkness to describe living for God and living in the world. There is only one sure way to overcome darkness – add light. When you add light to darkness the darkness leaves, always. Having a spiritual mentor to help keep us on track is a bright light to a Christian. God never designed "lone-ranger" Christians; we need people in our lives to challenge us, encourage us and help us be like Jesus. Proverbs 27:17 says it well, 'As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Who is sharpening you?

Summer

Quotations to stir heart and mind.

SUMMER AFTERNOON — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. Edith Wharton, A Backward Glance

TIME IN THE SUMMER does not seem to move; instead, time collects, or perhaps it might be better said to pool. One of the spiritual lessons of summer is just that: to allow time to pool. To halt in our headlong rush. To be fully in a particular time. To stop long enough to see what lies around us, rather than to be always merely glimpsing. Gary D. Schmidt, Susan M. Felch, editors, Summer: A Spiritual Biography of the Season

THE BEST TEACHERS to help us enjoy summer are little children. They do not yet work in offices. They do not own calendars with tasks crying out to be done. I love to see the parks fill up with young life each summer. . . . I am joining them for a day, lest I grow old before my time. . . . As a child, I was quite successful at living life fully, because I had not yet learned to live by the calendar. I lived by heart. Macrina Wiederkehr, in The Circle of Life

THERE'S ONLY ONE sure way to tell the weeds from the vegetables. If you see anything growing, pull it up. If it grows again, it was a weed. Corey Ford, in Look

A CHILD WHO GATHERS in summer is prudent, but a child who sleeps in harvest brings shame. Proverbs 10:5 (NRSV)

ALONE in my new garden, kneeling over a bed filled with rich, dark brown topsoil . . . I scooped up a handful of soil and took in its earthy, almost aphrodisiac smell. Ahh. I love the smell of earth. No perfume ever invented by man has matched the smell of rich, loamy soil. William Alexander, The $64 Tomato (Compiled by Richard A. Kauffman)

We are thankful to announce that Bobby Elam was baptized into Christ last Friday after a long period of prayer, study and soul searching. He realized it was time to express his faith and commitment to Christ and we are thankful for that.

Thank you so much for all that you have done for us since Bradley's arrival. We appreciate the visits, the pretty plant and flowers, the delicious food, and most importantly all the prayers that brought him to us safely. We are happy to have SO many caring people around us. Thanks for everything.

You all did such a wonderful job preparing a great VBS for the kids! Shallyn truly loved being there everyday with all the skits, crafts, class dinner and games! We definitely look forward to next year! Thanks so much!

The sympathy of the congregation is extended to Melody Koppe and her family in the death of her mother, Margaret Delk, on Sunday. A memorial service will be held later.

Also, we extend our sympathy to Alexa Coggin in the death of her grandmother. Funeral services were last Friday. .

There is an updated one page membership list available on the table in the foyer.

Continue to remember Kay Buckner, Susan Carson, Nell Peters, J. W. Raines, Paul Smith, Richard Smith and Geneva White.

THOSE TO SERVE - July 20, 2008
Welcome	Chris King
Song Leader	Jimmy Pulliam
Opening Prayer	Keith Bearden
Lord's Table	*Phil Hamby
	*Steve Putman
	David Hamby
	Chris Greenwald
Scripture Reading	Jim May
	Psalm 89:1, 2
Closing Prayer	Greg Cannon
Welcome -PM	Chris King
Song Leader	Jimmy Pulliam
Opening Prayer	Jim Warren
Scripture Reading	Josh May
	Psalm 92:1, 2
Closing Prayer	Romeo Brinkley
Communion Preparation	Joyce Shelton
Nursery Attendant	Melanie King Sandy Wisenbaker

Bible School	70
Worship AM	116
Worship PM	45
Wednesday Bible Study	64
Contribution	$ 3,078.12