That's Gonna Leave a Mark -- May 25, 2012

Two years ago, I was at a getting a haircut at SuperCuts.  My stylist asked where I live.  When I told her Liberty Park, she and a couple other stylists chuckled.  When I asked what was funny, they explained that they viewed Liberty Park as Birmingham's Lake Wobegon.  You know, Garrison Keiller's quote of "Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average".  Through the stylists' dealings with other Liberty Parkers, our little area seemed like utopia to them.

The last time I looked, our 35242 zip code was the fifth wealthiest in the state of Alabama.  So life for us should be close to perfect, right?

Is your life perfect?  I'll answer quickly that mine is definitely not.  And a quick glance of the prayer list on the church's website shows needs that can't be fixed by just having a few bucks in your pocket.

Our class isn't immune either.  We have folks that are going through some difficult times with their health.  And I know there are other needs that people don't want to make public.

So where does that leave us?  Should we just hang our heads and begin an intense bout of naval-gazing?

Here's the bad news:  We live in an imperfect body in an imperfect house with an imperfect family, hang out with imperfect friends, and do all of this in an imperfect world.

But here's the good news:  We serve a perfect God who works everything in our lives to His perfect plan.

We finish our unit on leaving "A Lasting Legacy" this week.  Our lesson is entitled "Marked By Love".  The focus of the lesson is showing the love of God to others.

Our Bible passages come from 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Acts 17:1-4, and 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10.

One place we can show love is serving in Vacation Bible School June 4-8.  This is the biggest outreach our church has to the Liberty Park community.  Nothing is greater than teaching a child about the love of Jesus.

Please help if you can--even if it's only for one day.  This includes the guys, too!

If you are traveling this Memorial Day weekend, be safe; we want you back next week.  If you're in town, I'll see you at 9:50 a.m. Sunday morning.

And remember, "We always thank God for all of you, remembering you constantly in our prayers." (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

Finish Friday strong.  Enjoy Saturday with your family.  See you Sunday!

Loyally yours,

Darren Bayne

“The time is always right to do what is right.”  Martin Luther King Jr.