Update on Eddie Peters

Victoria would like to let everyone know that Eddie is doing well.  Victoria has said God has been so gracious with Eddie during this whole trial.  I will let her share all the details later, but the Doctors have said he is a very blessed man to be alive according to the word I received from Pastor Doug. 

Victoria thanks each and everyone for all your prayers.  I apologize for the delay today in getting the word out.  This is the first chance I have had to email. 

Keep praying.



Lee

Tim Tebow ad by Focus on the Family debate on O'Reily

Please pray for Eddie Peters today (and Victoria and family)

Eddie has surgery today on his heart and possible other issues as well.  He has a softball sized mass pressing against his heart that they are going to operate on today.  Also, the calcification is worse than expected.  It has completly encompassed his heart and they have to do something about that as well.  They will also try to find the cause of the mass.  Please pray as his surgery is at 1pm today.

Non of this as caught God by surprise.  He knew about all of this before the foundation of the world which was made by Him.  Pray for Peace for the family and a healing for Eddie that will Glorify His Name and for His purpose.

Thank you very much.

SS Text and Thoughts for This week - Ecclesiastes 2.17 - 26; 5.18 - 20 - Wrestling with Work

Unit: Wrestling with Life's Mysteries
Lesson: Wrestling with Work

How many of us struggle with what we do for a living?  Do we ask ourselves "Why we work" and for "What purpose we work?".  Solomon seemed to struggle with some of the same thoughts. 

If all there is to work is earning a paycheck that will be spent within two weeks, then feelings of futility would be expected. Without a biblical world-view we can never know the true satisfaction of working well in God's sight.

Have you ever heard believers say that work is a result of man's fall?

Is that a complete assessment?  Take a look at Genesis 2 and see what you think. Did God give Adam a task (work) before even Eve was created? -  If so, what where they? 

What did work become after the Fall? - See Genesis 3 
 
Many of us struggle with trying to find significance in our work, yearning toward our "true calling." It's great if we find it, but would it be better while we strive toward that goal to also accept what God's hand has given us and use the money we earn to serve His kingdom? Remember: The daily tasks of providing for your family, being a steward of your possessions, and paying your bills on time honors God, too.  Just something to think about.

Lets look at the text and see what God's Word has to say about this very subject.

1. Ecclesiastes 2.17. How is Solomon feeling? Ever feel this way?
2. What makes work grievous and what makes it enjoyable?
3. To what degree do you find satisfaction in your work? What would it take for you to find satisfaction in your work?
4. What job did you most dislike?
5. If you go back and make one different decision regarding your career, what would it be?
6. Other than it is just more fun, what are the benefits of finding a job that you really enjoy?
7. If you could change one thing about your current job- other than the pay- what would it be?
8. What does Solomon really mean by verse 2:24 verse?
9. Ecclesiastes 5.18 - 20. How would you summarize the meaning of life from this passage?
10. Is it easy or hard to accept your lot in life? In what way are you tempted to not accept your lot in life?

Please pray for the lesson as your prepare this week.  God has something for us in this lesson.  I'm not sure for who, but he does.   Pray that we will have the wisdom and discernment to see it with spiritual eyes. 

Please pray for Nana. She is in the Hospital and having Heart Issues.

The Docs just told Regina she was in "aphib" and they are worried about a stroke.  They are about to give her "thinners".

Please lift up Regina and the family.  They are still at the emergency room here in Cartersville.


Sincerely,

Lee Daniel

Praise Report, please read from Victoria

Victoria sent this to me this morning.  (Victoria, I did not ask permission to send this, forgive me if I shouldn't have)

Too many times we take our daily routine in life for granted.  Read Victoria's praise report of thankfulness for the safety of her Husband.


Sincerely,

Lee Daniel
www.hdins.com
770-382-8954 office
770-386-4081 fax

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Peters, Victoria L Civ USAF AFOSI Det 117 <Victoria.Peters@ogn.af.mil>
Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 11:56 AM
Subject: Praise Report
To: Lee Daniel <ldaniel@hdins.com>, mtanner42@gmail.com
Cc: bradley.baker@gbc-cg.org, doug.harris@gbc-cg.org

I have a PRAISE report, very near and dear to my heart.  Yesterday Eddie was on the way home from work unaware that there was a car chase going on.  He was on I75 in the far left lane and was passing a  semi when out of his rear view mirror he saw a dark car coming at him, he estimated around 100 mph, he had no time to go anywhere as the semi was on the right and the guard wire was on the left so he just gripped the steering wheel.  The Mercedes hit him and lifted the back end of his car off the road.  He said it bounced off of him and he saw that the front end of the Mercedes was crumpled and steam was pouring out of it.  Eddie stared pulling off the road and as soon as the Mercedes could get by it screamed on down the road.  Eddie called 911 and reported it and just a few second later the Mercedes hit several more cars.  Eddie was in Mother's little car and the damage to it was really minor, but one thing that really caught my eye was that the gas tank had a significant dent and scrape to it.  With a semi on the right side, oncoming traffic on the left and then just the impact and the gas tank taking a hit, I can only say that by the Grace and the Mercy of our Lord and Savior my husband had not a scratch, the worst thing that happened was his hat was knocked off of his head.

Almost every day I pray for our safety as we travel up and down I75 and I must admit after one prays the same prayer for so long, we tend (at least I do) to take it for granted.   I am so thankful that Jesus Christ does not take my prayers for granted like I pray them sometimes.

Just had to share and give Him the praise.

Your sister in Chirst,

Victoria

Sunday School Lesson for the week - Wrestling with Stuff - How much is enough? - Eccl. 2:4-8; 5:10-16

Unit: Wrestling with Life's Mysteries
Lesson: Wrestling with Stuff
Scriptures: Eccl. 2:4-8; 5:10-16

There is no doubt our country has and is going through a very difficult time economically.  You can't open a newspaper, click on the web or turn on the news and not see reports about the dire job market, and struggling economy.  Many people, some you may know, have lost their very homes.  How does this lesson fit in for us?

At some point in time, the economy will improve and jobs will resurface, but will things be the same anymore....  or should they? 

• We should ask ourselves the question;  How much is enough? 
• Did our desire for more and more lead our entire culture to the path we are on presently? 
• What is the eternal lesson for us?  
• What is the "eternal: aspect of hard work in "this world"?
• Ecclesiastes 5.10 - 16. How much money do you have to have to be happy?
• Does having more money make us happier?
• If money does not contribute to happiness all that much, what does?

Pray specifically for insight and wisdom as we continue to explore Ecclesiastes this month.

Please pray for these Children and Relief

Sunday School Text and Thoughts for this week - Is there really "Injustice" in the world, or is it our lack of understanding of God's Justice?

What do with do with apparent Injustice in our eyes? 

Obviously there is Injustice in the world.  Bad things happen to "Good" and the "Godly" but the question I asked in the subject line of this email was meant to give you pause to think.... 

What is Injustice and what does God have to say about it? ..... or more Importantly What does God have to say about His Justice?

Please study the text below and review some of the commentary.  This week should prove to be a very interesting class discussion.

Wrestling with Life's Mysteries
Wrestling with Injustice
Scriptures: Eccl. 3:16-17; 4:1; 8:2-13

The tone at the beginning of our lesson passage is reminiscent of the psalms of lament and imprecation. Those painfully honest Old Testament writers poured out their hearts to God, revealing thoughts that some today would consider ungodly. Expressing to God our anger over the world's sinfulness doesn't necessarily lend itself to sin. God already knows our thoughts. What makes the difference is the statements that begin with, "But…" As in, "But I still trust You. But I know that You are righteous and holy, and I believe You will set all things right in the end." The presence of wickedness in places of judgment only proves that our world is headed for destruction.

Some things to consider:

• Do you place too much trust in human systems of justice?
• Are you willing to endure a lifetime of dissatisfaction with man's law as you anticipate God's ultimate vindication of His people?
  
• Allowing things to work out according to proper protocols in troublesome situations shows we trust God. It's not easy to let injustice prevail when we have no power to control it, but there's no better time to acknowledge Who really is in control.
• How do you think we believers will feel when, in heaven, we know that final judgment has at last been passed upon the wicked?  or Do you think we will experience feelings about it at all, or will it be that we come under a quiet satisfaction and sense of peace?
  

Really, this is all just conjecture. But consider the joy we feel when a brutal criminal receives a life sentence and understand that even that act of justice can't compare to God's perfect, righteous sentence He reserves for the wicked.

Calling the men of our class and others - aka "The Dumpster Fairies"

Doug approached me a few weeks ago about several things that needed to be done around the church.  One was the clearing out of "outdated and unused material" and "junk" that has accumulated over the years on our campus.

I told him I felt sure with our class and the help of a few others, had enough men that we could make a huge difference in just one day if not completely take care of the project.

I am sending this out to let you know so you can be praying about this and then you will be called on in the very near future (couple of weeks) to help with this task.  We are setting up some guidelines and organizing the day so we can be the most efficient as possible.   The work day will be sometime after Jan 18th.  Please be praying about your roll in this request.  More info will follow.

Thanks

Lee

Wrestling with Life's Mysteries - Sunday School Text and thoughts for the Week

First, thank you so much Steve for standing in for Tommy and I.  Our class is so wonderful and it is very nice to have willing and able Servants of The Lord to be able to step up at a moments notice.  Our class is full of them guys...   Now on to the lesson thoughts,

I know this is longer than usual,  but please read the text and notes below for this week.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As TIME marches on it is so apparent to me God is revealing truth in our lives (my life too) each and everyday through his word (when we go there anyway, hey, I am the chief sinner among sinners)

Please read this TIMEless  (pun very much intended) passage from Ecclesiastes and ponder the thoughts below for this coming Sunday.

Wrestling with Life's Mysteries
Wrestling with Time (The "When" of "Stuff") or The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of What We "go through" during our life on earth.

Scriptures: Eccl. 3:1-14

Human nature causes us to embrace pleasant experiences as "meant to be" and unpleasant ones as mistakes or accidents. We easily assume that good things are supposed to come our way and that bad things should happen to other people. There is enough weak Bible teaching out there to convince many Christians that God wants them to be constantly happy and satisfied. But the reality of life tells us that we should expect both joy and sorrow; the Bible tells us that both come from God's hand. As much as we should face hardship in a trustworthy manner toward God, we should also be willing to weep with other believers as they share their burdens and heartaches with us.

So, what about the struggles and challenges we face as Christian adults;

• If everything is beautiful in God's timing, where is the beauty in your heartache?
• What is He teaching you in the midst of your disappointment?
• If you've ever found yourself able beyond your understanding to empathize with or pray for a fellow Christian over a certain issue, maybe it's time to thank God for that trial He brought you through.

These are questions we should seek answers to in His word.  What does God say to us about these "good and bad times"?

Thanks Lee

* Edited excerpts from Lifeway's lesson for us this week by yours truly :)