Good morning, Hopewell!

Our prayer moment this morning is based on Hebrews 13:15, which says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that openly profess His name.”

I really like this verse because it reminds us that we are called to praise God continually. And if we're honest, that's not always easy. It's easy to praise God when things are going well, when we have good news, when we're happy, and everything seems to be going our way. Those are the easy times to say, "Thank you, God."

But what about when things aren't going well? What about when we're disappointed, when we're worried? When we're waiting for an answer to prayer. That's when praise can become a sacrifice. A sacrifice means we're giving something even when it's not necessarily easy to give. Sometimes praising God is a choice. We may not feel like praising Him, but we can still choose to say, "God, I trust you." We can say, "God, I don't understand what's happening, but I know you're with me." I think that's what makes our praise so meaningful. God doesn't need us to pretend that everything is perfect. He already knows when we're hurting. He knows when we're worried. He knows when we're tired. But even in those moments, we can remind ourselves of who God is. God is faithful. He's good. He loves us, and He's always with us. Sometimes our praise might be as simple as taking a deep breath, and reminding ourselves, God is still with me.

I also love that this verse says, "Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise." It's something we can do every day. So today, whatever you're going through, I want you to think about one thing that you can praise God for. Maybe it's your family or a friend. Maybe it's this beautiful fall day that we're having outside. Maybe it's the changing of the leaves. Maybe it's the cooling of temperatures after a long, hot summer. Maybe it's simply the fact that God gave you another day. And if today happens to be a hard one, that's okay too. You can still say, "God, I don't have all the answers, but I know you are with me. And I choose to praise you."

Let's pray. Dear God, thank You for who You are. Thank You that You are always with us, even when days are hard, when life is difficult. Help us to remember to praise You, not only when things are going well, but also when we're waiting, when we're hurting, or even if we're just unsure about what's next. Give us hearts that choose to praise You every day. We love You, God, and we trust You. In Jesus' name, amen.


Good morning, Hopewell!

Our Prayer Moment this morning is based on Psalm 25:6 which says, "Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindness, for they are from of old."

There may be times when we have said, "I don't deserve this" or "I deserve better." This is usually said in the context of feeling wronged by someone.

Usually when we seek someone's goodwill, we emphasize our own winning traits or accomplishments. Our supervisor, significant other, or family members are barraged with a list of our good actions we have done in an attempt to get them to respond to us in the same way. Often this results in a tug-of-war mentality, basing all we deserve on what we give.

But our relationship with God doesn't follow these rules. God's mercy isn't based on what we've done - it's based entirely on His own goodness.

Instead of justifying his actions to obtain God's favor, the psalmist turns the focus to God's character, His works and His faithfulness in the past.

God's abundant graciousness extends far: from heaven down to earth, where Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sin. We can't be thankful enough for that great act of mercy. It is an act of faithfulness to us that we can never return. It is a reason for humility and thankfulness. God's mercy should completely transform our concept of what we deserve; it should alter us so much that we treat those around us not with expectations of who they should be for us, but instead with grace and love, as God treated us.

Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father, we thank You and praise You today. We remember Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindness toward us. You have given us abundantly more than we deserve or could ever give to You, not because of what we have done, but because of who You are. We are never wronged by You. You are what is right in our lives. Lord God, by Your transforming power, give us this day Your compassion and Your strength to treat students, parents, teachers, administrators, and ourselves as You have treated us. In Jesus' name we pray - Amen.

Good morning, Hopewell!

Our Prayer Moment this morning is entitled “Anticipate with Gladness” and is based on John 14:1 which says “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in Me.”

“Our minds are ill-equipped to handle the thoughts of eternity. Consequently, our Lord takes the posture of a parent. Trust me…Don’t be troubled by the return of Christ. Don’t be anxious about things you cannot comprehend… For the Christian, the return of Christ is not a riddle to be solved or a code to be broken, but rather a day to be anticipated.” (Lucado, When Christ Comes)

During their final meal together, Jesus told the disciples that He was going to be betrayed. He was going to die. He was going to leave them. Jesus said in John 13:36, “Where I am going, you cannot follow, but you will follow later.” This all caused distress and anxiety for the disciples. How could this happen? WHY would this happen?

In chapter 14, though, Jesus gave encouragement. Yes, He was leaving, but He was going ahead of them to heaven. He was going ahead of them to prepare a place for them. In John 14:3, Jesus stated, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”

Just like the disciples, we are often troubled. We can trust, though, that what He says is true. One day He will return for us, and we will be with Him in heaven. Then, there will be no more troubles - no sickness, no tears, no stressful schedules, no arguments, no pain. There are those who fear His return, but as Christians, we can anticipate with gladness the day of His return. What a day that will be!

Let’s pray together.

Heavenly Father, we come before you today with thankfulness that we can trust You. We know from Your Word that what You say will always be true. We thank You that we can trust You with our worries and fears, the things that stress us out, and also the good things that You give us each day. Father, we thank You for Your Son who You sent as our Savior, and we look forward to the day when He will return. Please help us to keep our eyes on Jesus as we go through each day, remembering that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In Jesus’ holy name we pray - Amen.

Our Scripture today is Psalms 89:8 "Lord God All-Powerful, who is like you?

"In The Grip Of Grace" is the title of today's devotion.

This scripture, Lord, "You are powerful and completely trustworthy" brings to my mind David when he confessed the same powerful confidence before Goliath, coming in the powerful name of the Lord of Hosts, with God's grace rather than trusting human strength.

Remember, David was a young shepherd boy at the time. His father had sent him to go take food to his brothers who had joined Saul's army to fight the Philistines and bring him a report of how they were doing. As I think about David, still a young man, how did he have faith in the Lord as God All-powerful? He was a shepherd. He had time alone with God while guarding the sheep. He talked with God and depended and proved God to be all-powerful when he experienced a lion and a bear coming to steal lambs from his flock. He acknowledged, "The LORD rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear, and He will rescue me from this Philistine."

David furthermore refused the armor that Saul offered him, preferring the Lord and His grace alone with five smooth stones.

David had confidence in His God, the All-Powerful. "Who is like You? Lord, You are all-powerful and completely trustworthy."

In Your Grace, let's pray,

Father, we recognize Your unmatched power. We recognize there is no one like You, in power and in might! Lead us in a deeper trust in Your ability to handle any situation we face as teachers and staff at Hopewell High, today and throughout the rest of the week. Your faithfulness is a protective shield around us. We can rely on Your promises and find grace and peace in Your unchanging nature. We worship You today, acknowledging Your greatness in our daily life through our prayer and praise.

We remember God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. We lean on Your mighty power rather than our own understanding to be reliable and trustworthy, mirroring God's character today!

We thank You for the gift of Your Spirit. You hold us together as a family, united as one body in Christ. As members of Your body, give us hearts of love that seek the best and hearts that avoid selfishness that divides us. Help us to work together in Your grace, so that we can serve You more effectively at Hopewell High and throughout our community. Thank You, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Today's devotional is provided by Jill Davison.

Bible Verse:

 Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing songs to God as the other prisoners listened.

A couple of things stand out to me from this Bible verse. First, it was after midnight, a time when most people are either asleep or very exhausted. Another is that Paul and Silas were in prison, confined with no freedoms. Yet they persevered in the midnight hour, praying and singing songs to God. It seems as if their faith was unshakeable. I am sure, though, that many times prior to this there had been fearful situations. And even during this event, as humans, they probably had  fleeting thoughts that their situation was too desperate and definitely undeserving. Yet, in that dark, dilapidated prison they made a choice not to fear and not to complain, but to praise. And they didn’t just praise softly, but so loudly others could witness their fearlessness. Let's face it. Life can be hard. We often have storms in our life. Some are extinguished pretty quickly, but others can cause us a lot of worry, sadness and uncertainty. When storms are around us, remember who is there near to us, to comfort and strengthen us, it’s God. A favorite Bible verse of mine I repeat to myself when I am in a storm is, Psalm 56:3. It says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” I’ll say it again, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” It’s easy to remember and it calms me in those situations.

Prayer:

Father, I praise You for being the God who created us and the God who sees us! I lift up the one listening to this prayer. God, You know them. You know their heart, their worries, and their storms. God, I pray they will not fear but put their trust in You. You love us, God and You are so faithful. I pray that Your presence will be seen and felt throughout Hopewell High School’s halls and classrooms. I pray for the leaders, staff, and students today that they will lean on You during difficult times and any challenging moment that arises today. Father, we all go through storms in life, but help us to remember that You are the calm of the storm. I pray that through Your power, that when storms come our way, we will persevere with faith in the midnight hour singing songs that always praise Your Name. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Good morning!

My name is Landon Horton, and I am the Pastor of Neighborhood Church which meets at Hopewell High School on Sundays. We are grateful to be part of the Hopewell community! You are receiving this email because you received a perpetual flip desk calendar and/or you signed up to receive a midweek scripture and prayer at the faculty and staff breakfast we hosted on August 17th.

We want to encourage you in the middle of your week with a touch from our church to you. Starting next week, these emails will include a link for you to hear our voice(s) and not just read our words. I want you to know that every Sunday during our Sunday morning Bible study we pray for faculty, staff, students, custodians and all their families. Throughout the week, you are on our prayer lists. So, I invite you to send a reply to the emails and share any specific prayer requests. We will join you in praying for those requests!

Currently, we have about fifteen in this group. If you are encouraged by this weekly experience, invite others to join us by telling them about the group. Ask them if you can send their name and email to my email address Lhorton513@gmail.com.

For this morning's encouragement, I am going to refer to today's verse and comments on today's calendar date. If you did not receive a desk calendar, but would like one, please let me know.

TODAY'S VERSE

"In Christ we are set free by the blood of His death, and so we have forgiveness of sins" (Ephesians 1:7)

COMMENT (From Max Lucado)

In Christ, we are truly free -- Free from guilt and legalism -- Free to love and pray to God. We have been forgiven by the only One who could condemn us. We are truly free! The key to our freedom in this verse is found in two words.....IN CHRIST!

PRAYER

LORD, I bow before you and worship you! You are worthy of glory and honor. I praise you because of your steadfast love. You are the God of mercy and grace. In Christ, we have received the gift of freedom. I pray for our Hopewell faculty, staff, students, custodians, and their families that they will know the freedom that is in Christ, not just mentally, but in every aspect of their lives. Specifically, I pray for those who receive this email, that TODAY, in the middle of this week, whether it has been a good week or a rough week, I pray that they will breathe a breath of fresh air and stand strong in the strength and the joy of the freedom they have in Christ! In His Name we pray, Amen!

We love you!

Pastor Landon Horton

Neighborhood Church