Thank You

Pray For Our Veterans

We are grateful for and inspired by those veterans who have given their lives for our country.

Loving God, We ask for blessings on all those who have served their country in the armed forces. We ask for healing for the Veterans who have been wounded, in body and soul, in conflicts around the globe. We pray especially for the young men and women, in the thousands, who are coming home with injured bodies and traumatized spirits. Bring solace to them, O Lord; may we pray for them when they cannot pray.

Have mercy on all our Veterans. Bring peace to their hearts and peace to the regions they fought in. Bless all the soldiers who served in non-combative posts; May their calling to service continue in their lives in many positive ways

 Credit: St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Bloomfield NJ

Our Daily Bread

He’s Got This

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:18

Pastor Watson Jones remembers learning to ride a bike. His father was walking alongside when little Watson saw some girls sitting on a porch. “Daddy, I got this!” he said. He didn’t. He realized too late he hadn’t learned to balance without his father’s steadying grip. He wasn’t as grown up as he thought.

Our heavenly Father longs for us to grow up and “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). But spiritual maturity is different from natural maturity. Parents raise their children to become independent, to no longer need them. Our divine Father raises us to daily depend on Him more.

Peter begins his letter by promising “grace and peace . . . through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,” and he ends by urging us to “grow in” that same “grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:2; 3:18). Mature Christians never outgrow their need for Jesus.

Watson warns, “Some of us are busy slapping Jesus’s hands off the handlebars of our life.” As if we didn’t need His strong hands to hold us, to pick us up, and to hug us when we wobble and flop. We can’t grow beyond our dependence on Christ. We only grow by sinking our roots deeper in the grace and knowledge of Him. By Mike Wittmer

REFLECT & PRAY:

Jesus, thank You for walking alongside me as I grow in my relationship with You.

Credit: Our Daily Bread

Thanks to Lyle Dietrich for providing the content for the weekly inspirational bulletin.

An Imperfect Tree

Slat Grobnik, a seller of Christmas trees, was observing a couple who was looking for a tree. The husband was slim and his wife was quite attractive, but they wore clothes that seemed to be bought from the Salvation Army. After passing by several very expensive Christmas trees, they found a pine Scotch tree which was quite OK on one side but had not so many leaves on the other side. They took another tree which was not in a better condition than the previous trees because one of its sides did not have many leaves. The wife whispered to her husband, and the husband asked if both trees could be bought at the price of $3. Slat realized that it would be difficult for him to sell those trees, so finally, he agreed to sell them both for $3. 

A few days later Slat was walking when he saw a beautiful tree in the couple’s apartment. The tree was full and the shape was good. He knocked on the door and the couple explained how they had tied the two trees together with the bare sides touching. The branches of the trees crossed over one another making the trees appear as one. 

“So that is your secret,” exclaimed Slat, “You just took two imperfect trees with flaws that could have been discarded because no one would accept them. But united in the right way, you produced something so beautiful.”

The same goes for a marriage. We could not find a perfect husband or wife. Every one of us has so many imperfections. However, when we can complement and support each other and accept our spouse’s imperfections, we can have a beautiful marriage. 

Prayer: Lord, teach us to accept our spouse’s flaws and help us to complement each other in the family. Amen. 


Technology and Marriage

How does technology affect your marriage? Many people’s minds go in a negative direction when asked that question. I get that. I have addressed the negatives of technology in marriage times in blogs and on the Awesome Marriage podcast. Today, however, I want to focus on how technology can affect your marriage in a positive way.

Think about it. This email you are reading is designed to help you improve your marriage, and we are using technology to get the information to you. I can talk to Nancy anytime, anywhere. That is something we could not do in the first years of our marriage. I can text her “I love you” or a myriad of other things that show I am thinking about her. If I want to see her, we can use FaceTime. I love how today’s technology allows me to connect with my wife and show my love for her in ways that were science fiction not that long ago. Whatever your initial thoughts were when I asked you to think about technology and marriage, consider using technology today to express love to your spouse.
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 @ 10:00 AM at Old 690 Brewery at 15670 Ashbury Church Rd, Purcellville, VA
•We have a 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 have limited indoor seating during inclement weather.
•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.

Wednesday Evening Study Group occurs every Wednesday at 7:30 pm. Join us for a lively discussion. Check your email for the online link to the meeting.

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