Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. James 3:18

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Jn. 14:27

For he himself (Jesus) is our peace. Eph. 2:14

Dear Lord Jesus, it’s the day on our calendars that earned its own dark branding, “9/11.” Other days, in history, stand out as graphic reminders of the pervasive brokenness of the world; but in my lifetime, no day underscores that reality more clearly than September 11, 2001.

I’ll never forget how it felt watching the twin towers of theWorldTradeCentercrumble to the earth. It was chilling, frightful, and surreal. But as I remember that day of terror and trauma, I choose, even more so, to remember you, and to fix my gaze on you, Lord Jesus.

You are the Prince of Peace—the archetypal, quintessential, irrepressible Peacemaker. You’re the one who’s come to make all things new and put all things right; to restore broken things and broken people; to bring new creation delight from old creation decay; to lift the curse on creation and pour out your love into our hearts.

Your death on the cross, to use the image in the James passage, was the ultimate “sowing of peace”. As you died, taking the judgment we deserve, you were planted as the very seed which has secured an eternal harvest of righteousness. Your death was the death of death itself; and the promise, and provision, of eternal life.

Because of you, terror is terrified. Indeed, because of you, one Day there will be no terror or tears; no more brokenness or barrenness; no more heartaches or heartburn; no more human trafficking or even human tooth decay; no more war or aggravation; no more evil or envy; no more poverty or pouting; and no more “not yet,” “not enough,” or “not now.”

Our labors in you, Lord Jesus, are not in vain. Because of you we can, and must, live as peacemakers—sowing the peace of the gospel, with the hope of a guaranteed harvest.

We praise you that your name is Redeemer, Reconciler, and Restorer. We cry loudly, “Maranatha!” Come, Lord Jesus, come! Until that Day, give us all the mercy, grace, and peace we need for this day. So very Amen we pray, with joy and hope.

–from Scotty Smith

The Tuesday Evening Women’s Bible Study will be starting up again on September 10th from 6:30-8:30 PM. We will be meeting every other Tuesday through November 19th in various homes. There will be light snacks at each session. The first session will be at Laura Smoot’s home. Please email her at lauracsmootATgmailDOTcom or call 706-566-4147 for directions.

We will be studying through the book titled “Joy! A Bible Study on Philippians for Women” to continue the church wide study from this summer on this wonderful book of the Bible. The study book will not be needed for the first session.

More detailed information can be found on the CCC website. Please join us if you are able, even if you can only attend some of the sessions.

Hey errbody, Sunday we begin our study of Ecclesiastes. Give a go at reading the first two chapters before Sunday.

“Ecclesiastes captures the futility and frustration of a fallen world.” –Phil Ryken

“In Ecclesiastes, God reveals to us what life is when God doesn’t reveal to us what life is.” –Tullian Tchividjian

“Ecclesiastes teaches a biblical worldview and the goodness of creation.” –Phil Ryken

9:00 & 10:30 with a lunch for students at 11:45

A letter from John Newton to a friend, on prayer (August 15, 1776):

I sometimes think that the prayers of believers afford a stronger proof of a depraved nature than even the profaneness of those who know not the Lord. How strange is it, that when I have the fullest convictions that prayer is not only my duty — not only necessary as the appointed means of receiving these supplies, without which I can do nothing, but likewise the greatest honor and privilege to which I can be admitted in the present life — I should still find myself so unwilling to engage in it.

However, I think it is not prayer itself that I am weary of, but such prayers as mine. How can it be accounted prayer, when the heart is so little affected — when it is polluted with such a mixture of vile and vain imaginations — when I hardly know what I say myself — but I feel my mind collected one minute, the next, my thoughts are gone to the ends of the earth.

If what I express with my lips were written down, and the thoughts which at the same time are passing through my heart were likewise written between the lines, the whole taken together would be such an absurd and incoherent jumble — such a medley of inconsistency, that it might pass for the ravings of a lunatic.

When he points out to me the wildness of this jargon, and asks, is this a prayer fit to be presented to the holy heart-searching God? I am at a loss what to answer, till it is given to me to recollect that I am not under the law, but under grace — that my hope is to be placed, not in my own prayers, but in the righteousness and intercession of Jesus. The poorer and viler I am in myself, so much the more is the power and riches of his grace magnified in my behalf.

Therefore I must, and, the Lord being my helper, I will pray on, and admire his condescension and love, that he can and does take notice of such a creature — for the event shows, that those prayers which are even displeasing to myself, partial as I am in my own case, are acceptable to him, how else should they be answered?

And that I am still permitted to come to a throne of grace — still supported in my walk and in my work, and that mine enemies have not yet prevailed against me, and triumphed over me, affords a full proof that the Lord has heard and has accepted my poor prayers — yea, it is possible, that those very prayers of ours of which we are most ashamed, are the most pleasing to the Lord, and for that reason, because we are ashamed of them. When we are favored with what we call enlargement, we come away tolerably satisfied with ourselves, and think we have done well.

Every 1st Sunday of the month at 6pm—“We must, and, the Lord being our helper, we will pray on.”