Life’s Storm


Love Selflessly Sacrifices

The Academy Award- winning World War II movie Saving Private Ryan tells the story of a young soldier (Private Ryan) whose brothers have been killed in battle. To spare his family the agony of losing all of their sons, the government orchestrates a rescue mission to save him and send him home. The rescue team is led by a no-nonsense army captain who seems to believe that the whole thing is a bad idea.

In the film’s final scene, the captain is fatally wounded while fulfilling his mission. With his dying words, he looks the soldier in the eyes and says, “Earn this! Earn it.” The film flashes forward many decades, and we see Private Ryan as an old man standing at the grave of that captain. You can tell he has been haunted by those words and trying to “earn it” all his life, but he never knows for sure if he has measured up. He pleads with the grave, seeking approval, but he finds none.

Many people believe they have put their faith in Jesus, but they also believe they have to earn what he did for them on the cross. Here’s the good news: when Jesus was hanging on that cross, dying to save you, he did not use his dying words to say, “Earn this.” Do you know what he said instead? He said, “It is finished!”

Did you catch that? It is finished. That means done, complete, sealed, finished! That’s God’s gift of grace. Jesus has done all the work already. You couldn’t possibly earn it even if you tried with everything you had, and God never expected you to.

The Bible says that if you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved (Rom. 10:9). It’s not a duty for you to earn; it’s a gift for you to receive by faith. Reach out to your Savior and love God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. He’s already done all the work, and he did it out of love for you. It is finished.

What’s the greatest sacrifice you’ve made for someone you love? 

Our Daily Bread

The Safest Place

God is our refuge and strength………..Psalm 46:1

As Hurricane Florence was bearing down on Wilmington, North Carolina, with devastating force, my daughter prepared to leave her home. She’d waited until the last moment, hoping the storm would veer away. But now she was hurriedly sorting through important papers, pictures, and belongings, trying to decide what to take with her. “I didn’t expect it would be so hard to leave,” she told me later, “but in that moment I didn’t know if anything would be there when I got back.”

Life’s storms come in many forms: hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, unexpected problems in marriage or with children, the sudden loss of health or finances. So much we value can be swept away in a moment. Amid the storms, Scripture points us to the safest place: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way” (Psalm 46:1-2).

The writers of this psalm were descendants of a man who generations earlier served God but then rebelled against Him and perished in an earthquake (see Numbers 26:9-11). The outlook they share shows humility and a profound understanding of God’s greatness, compassion, and redeeming love.

Troubles come, but God outlasts them all. Those who run to the Savior discover that He can’t be shaken. In the arms of His eternal love we find our place of peace………..By James Banks

REFLECT & PRAY:
O God, the One who is greater than the storm, help me to place every fear in Your hands today and to rest in Your unfailing love.

Credit: Our Daily Bread

The Thing We Should Do First Is the Thing We Do Last!

Have you ever been in a crisis situation with other people where no one knew what to do?  Finally someone says, “Well, I guess we could pray.” Why is it that the thing we should do first is the thing we do last? There have been so many times in our marriage that we struggled with a decision. Finally, one of us will say, “Why don’t we pray about it?” and then we do. 


You know what happens every time? We get an answer. Not just any
answer, but a really good answer. Then Nancy and I will look at each other and say, “Why did we not pray first?” God longs for us to bring our struggles to Him. He is always there and He has the answers that we would never get on our own. The apostle Paul talks about praying all the time and why not? Why not seek the Creator of everything when His ears are just waiting to hear our voice? Today I want you to pray together. You can pray out loud or silently. You can kneel or lie down, stand up or sit down. Just pray one simple short prayer. Pray something like this, “Father, help our marriage to be everything you designed it to be.” That’s it. That’s today’s One Thing.

Today’s One Thing:
Pray something like this together today, “Father, help our marriage to be everything you designed it to be.

DON’T JUST SURVIVE! – Your Marriage Was Meant To Thrive!

If you like these series of tips and want to receive your One Thing Email please sign up at http://awesomemarriage.com/onething  (It’s free!)


The WLCC service is set up to accommodate everyone during the pandemic:
• Sunday Service: Starts @ 9:00 AM Sharp at Old 690 Brewery at 15670 Ashbury Church Rd, Purcellville, VA
We have drive-in service where you can stay in your car, watch the service, and listen to Pastor Ray by tuning your car radio to 1610 AM.
• We also have numerous tables, spaced appropriately, for anyone wishing to attend the outdoor service in a more personable atmosphere.
• In the event of rain we will move under the covered roof portion of the building.
• WLCC continues to stream Sunday Service at 10:00 AM on Facebook and YouTube.

We Continue our Wednesday Evening Study Group online
Join us every week at 7:30 pm for an hour of great discussion.

Western Loudoun Community Church is about being the church — not just some religious exercise. We are about fulfilling the Great Commission and living the Great Commandment.

Come see what all the laughter and joy is about – We’ll save you a seat.
Senior Pastor Ray Cowell