Grace To You

February 26, 2025

Leadership Notes

     I love how many times I get to begin these notes with a quote from one of Paul’s New Testament letters. Here’s the one I always feel deeply:

“To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi {Tecumseh},

with the overseers and deacons:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus

Christ.

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every

prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of

your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I

am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it

to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel

this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you

are all partakers with me of grace.”

     These words beautifully describe my thanks for your prayers. And also for what a special church you are.

     And now an update. I am slowly moving back into the swing-of-things. The pneumonia kicked my rear-end {I hope I’m not being too blunt}. On the positive side, the tests/doctor exams related to the pneumonia revealed gallstones. First thing I thought, when I heard “gallstones,” was that’s something old grandparents get. And then I realized…

     Anyway, there is a possibility the gallbladder is going to have to be removed laparoscopically. I’m told the recovery process should be week or less. We’ll keep you posted as things develop. I suppose that’s enough boring medical updates for now. Through all of this, as I think about Covenant Church, there’s no place on earth my wife and I would rather be.

     And now…I’ve waited three weeks to do this…YOUR MOMENT OF SPURGEON:

“The sun shines out of the heavens upon wax and softens it, but

at the same time it shines upon clay and hardens it. The sunlight

of the gospel shining upon hearers either melts them into

repentence or else hardens them into greater obstinacy. You

cannot be hearers of the gospel without its having some effect

upon you.”

     I thank God daily for the positive transformational effect the gospel is having upon all of us.

     With Much Love and Affection,

Richard