We are not alone

August 12, 2026

Leadership Notes

     Here’s what I said last Sunday, August 9:

Jesus prays for us. Jesus prays for you. Instead of berating them,

{the disciples}, Jesus promises to give them a humble spirit. So,

by extension, instead of berating us, Jesus prays for us. Jesus

continues to remind us that we are different from the world. We

fulfill our purpose by serving the needs of others. It is such a

positive, uplifting thing when you realize you don’t have to be like

the rest of the culture. You can dare to be different because Jesus

is praying for you.

     This point was highlighted by something that happened in Massachusetts last week. To smiles and applause by a gaggle of ghouls, the governor of Massachusetts signed the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act {how’s that for a euphemism for infanticide?}. Massachusetts joins nine other states…including Michigan…permitting abortion up to birth. Absolute barbarism.

     Praise God for the Care Pregnancy Center of Lenawee. They are a line

of defense against late-term abortion. The same guy also said this on

August 9:

Here’s another way to think about this table talk. Jesus is giving

us a foolproof strategy for living a positive, joyful, contributing

life. We know Jesus prays for us. That helps us protect ourselves

and defend against the corrupting nature of our culture. We’re not

alone. We are not alone.

     We can live positive, life-affirming, joyful lives even in the midst of wickedness. We are not like everybody else. We are different. We aren’t captured by the culture. We are devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Here’s the last word:

We are in the world but not of the world. That’s why Jesus is

praying for us. We are imperfect people. But we have a perfect

Savior praying for us. He will never turn away from us. That’s why

we can always be a positive presence in the beautiful place where

God has planted us.

     I think we can all say “Amen” to that.

     And now, your Moment of Spurgeon:

"The elements of the young embryo were all organized according

to a plan...The Lord grew the faculties, and fashioned the bodily

organs with strict adherence to His own design. Growth is not an

accidental thing, but a development of what God has already

drawn out upon the tablet of His plan."

-      From a sermon on Psalm 139*

     With Much Love and Affection,

                      Richard

Psalm 139:

*13 For you formed my inward parts;    

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;    

my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,    

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,    

the days that were formed for me,    

when as yet there was none of them.