FROM THE DESK OF CHARLES ANDERSON Sunday was a wonderful day for us at Laurel Avenue, wasn’t it? Our worship was uplifting and encouraging. Attendance was up again. Visitors graced us with their presence, which is always a great thing. I will continue to encourage you to make a commitment to be present at each Lord’s Day assembly. It benefits you and blesses the entire church body. Can we count on you? More importantly, can the Lord count on you? We had a really good turnout for our Barbecue Dinner last Sunday. I haven’t heard officially, but it seemed like at least 75% of those who were present for worship stayed for the fellowship meal. And, of course, the meal was excellent as advertised. Consider this: Just as it’s important to come together in worship and praise to the Lord, it’s also crucial that we spend time in fellowship together outside of the traditional worship service. It makes our church stronger and more cohesive as we seek to live a sacred life in an increasingly secular world. TRUTH: In Harper Lee’s Pulitzer-winning classic, Judge Taylor stated, “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.” Although it’s a fictional book, that real dynamic causes many to miss the truth about Jesus. (To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee, 1960, p.146) How to Open the Flow of God’s Blessings —Jack Graham “Great blessings belong to those who fear and respect the Lord and live the way he wants. Yes, the Lord will really bless those who respect him.” (Psalms 128:1,4) Most people from up north probably wouldn’t consider Texas winters to be harsh. But when we moved from Florida to Texas, it was a shock for us. I remember one night that first year after we moved that it got down to 17 degrees. For us, it was unbearably cold! Well, we didn’t know how to prepare for a hard freeze like that. So we neglected to wrap up our water spigots outside and leave our indoor faucets dripping overnight. And the next morning when I woke up and turned on the water… nothing. Our pipes had frozen. After things began to warm up, we were able to turn the water on. But we couldn’t do anything until then because the ice was clogging the pipes. Just as that ice was to our pipes, restraining and choking out the water, sin and disobedience are in our lives, clogging what God wants to do and freezing up the flow of His blessings…when you’re not walking in the Spirit, you can’t receive everything God wants to give you! Whatever is in your life today that’s choking out the abundant life God wants you to have, get it out. Obey God and you’ll open up the channel to receiving His greatest blessings for your life.