Back To Touchstone Fellowship

Barb and I enjoyed being at Touchstone Fellowship again on Sunday. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this congregation is looking for a minister. This week was a bit different in that I not only preached, but the Bible Class time was a question and answer session to give the congregation an opportunity to ask us any questions they had on their hearts. If this had been twenty years ago, this would not have been something I would have looked forward to. I can only imagine the questions that would have been ask back then. They asked about church growth, would they be allowed to do a lot of the work? (I am thinking, have I died and gone to heaven?) One teenager ask how I would deal with the teens as an individual or group if I felt they were doing something wrong. Great questions from all that were present. They are planning to wrap up their search and interviews in the very near future and we should know something be for to long. From there we went to our Care Group. Great food and fellowship, and a super way to cap off a very long, be very rewarding day. In our devotional time we looked at the 51st. Psalm. David had been confronted by Nathan the prophet after his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband that David had arranged. If you have ever wondered why God would call David a man after His own heart, this is a good place to see the heart of David First of all David realized that his sin involved more than Bathsheba and Uriah, it was against God Himself. (V:4). Second he pleads not only for the forgiveness of his sin, but he asked God to not remove His presence from him. (V:11) David spend allot of time in the presence of God. That fellowship had been broken by this sin, and David knew it and longed to have it back. Thirdly David also realized the true intent and purpose behind the sacrifices God requires. (V17) Something was to take place in a persons heart when he brings a sacrifice before God. ] David’s sin was real to him, just as real as God Himself . His repentance and remorse are genuine and his desire to change was as well. I love the Psalms. Sometime I pray them to the Father. David speaks the thoughts that are in my heart from time to time. So I just pray his Psalm. What a wonderful, great, powerful and awesome God we serve. "I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psa. 9:1NIV