"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

It’s Gonna Be a Tough Week

Faith Family,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I continue to give thanks to our gracious God for putting you all in our lives. Your faithfulness and your enthusiasm fill my heart with joy and helps complete my hope in Christ. Every day I look forward to serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ alongside each of you and growing in our discipleship journey together. I pray as God has continued blessings us, may we continue to be a blessing to others.

Sunday evening, I had an opportunity to join many others at Louise Hayes Park to kick off a week that will a roller coaster of emotions.   Kerr Together, along with the committee of wellness and spirituality (I think that is what it is called), led the community in a time of worship and prayer. As I was scanning the crowd, I saw community taking place. People talking with others. Some were praying together, some were crying together, some were sharing life together while all were in an attitude of worship.

We were provided a pamphlet called “Seven Days of Prayer for Kerr County.” Each day directs our prayer focus on a topic of healing with Scriptural references and a song; one can listen to as they enter into the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jim Needham will be sending out the PDF for your prayerful use.

I want us to take a moment and walk together through day 1 – Monday with the prayer focus on Lament. What is a Lament? A lament is a prayer expressed amid pain directed toward God seeking to process the difficulties, and sufferings in life while maintaining one’s faith and trust in God. Most of the time through lamenting, the difficulties, and harsh realities are named by the one lamenting, seeking God’s intervention while affirming God’s sovereignty.
 

The prayer guide shares, “This has been a difficult year for our community and people affected by the tragedy. Amid the pain and suffering, we cry out to God for His strength and power.  The reference takes us to the Old Testament, into the Psalter. Specifically, we read from Psalm 34:17-18, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

As we begin a week that will be tough for many, let us privately and corporately cry out to God seeking direction, comfort, and discernment on how to respond to the activities of the week. Let us fall on our knees and embrace the hope that God has for us. One of my prayers this past Sunday evening was a prayer for God’s direction to help our community to recapture the joy we had prior to July 4, 2025. It is that joy of Christ, and hope of the Holy Spirit that will bring healing and wholeness.

I would invite you to take a few moments and spend some time praying this week. There were so many people affected indirectly, but many were impacted directly. If you know someone who will be struggling because of the tragedy, I invite you to reach out to them and let them know they are loved, on your mind, and prayed over. 

Have a blessed Week!

Pastor Frank