“Preserve me O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.’” Psalm 16:1-2 (NKJV) 

 

“Keep me safe, my God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the LORD, ‘You are my LORD; apart from You I have no good thing.’” Psalm 16:1-2 (NIV) 

 

“Save me, O God, because I have come to you for refuge. I said to Him, ‘You are my LORD; I have no other help but yours.’” Psalm 16:1-2 (Living) 

 

“Keep me safe, O God, I’ve run for dear life to You. I say to God, ‘Be my LORD!’ Without You, nothing makes sense.” Psalm 16:1-2 (Message) 

No matter what is taking place around us, we have a place to run. It is to the LORD. It is a place of trusted refuge. Though the different Bible translations use a few different words, they all say the same thing. They all agree, “In God We Trust.” As we celebrate our nation’s independence this month, may we celebrate our trust in God as well. I am one that believes we have independence today because of our trust in God. I believe better days will come if we return to trust in God.

 

In God we trust is not only a motto but a philosophy of life. “Some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”

Psalm 20:7 Several trust in their own efforts or the efforts of others. We are blessed to get to travel this journey of life together and lean on and into one another, but our greatest trust is in the LORD. As we live in such a way as to bring God glory, let us do so with our complete trust in Him. After all, it is His renown, His reputation, that  matters in the end. We will add to or distract from His purpose in the way we trust and live.

 

The summer has entered with extreme heat. Please take caution as you plan your activities. There is a reason we call it summer casual. We are not telling anyone how they should dress on Sundays, but it is a little warmer in the Worship Center when the outside temperatures rise above 95 degrees. We have our air conditioners running at 80% and are making plans to cover what we can for the summer. I will not wear a jacket again until after Labor Day.

 

God has blessed us with great days already this summer and we are anticipating great days to come. We will have our Family Gathering with ice cream social on Sunday, July 23, at 4:00 in the Family Life Center. If anyone needs to try out some ice cream recipes, I heard the office is     willing to be a test group. There are many days of summer ahead of us but, in reality, we will be into the fall before we know it. Take advantage of our times together as we prepare ourselves to live as God’s representatives every day.

 

For those who are interested, plans are being discussed for taking a trip to the Holy Land in  September, 2024. Further details will be shared as they are secured.

 

Thank you for being such an active faith family. God has given us much to do and you are faithful in your service to the LORD. Thank you for recognizing your blessing and in turn blessing those around us. 

In Christ,