Kraig Lowell Pullam

Sunday in Review

God be praised for a great Lord’s Day!

Our weekend began with a very powerful and encouraging time with our church family and guests at our 2nd annual prayer breakfast. The event is purposefully internal, with our members encouraged to invite their friends and family.  Our time together exceeded our first year, to my pleasant surprise.  My wife, D’Ani, spearheaded this event.  Simply put…she not only knows the expectations of her pastor; but she simply knows how to get things done, and people involved.  I am looking forward to God continuing to use her for great things in God’s work, particularly in the areas of empowering women and in prayer.

Here’s the outline for Sunday’s message.

Title: Feasting in Famine

Text: Genesis 26

C.I.T. (Central Idea of the Text): God’s blessing on your life is not the absence of problems, but the grace to handle your problems righteously.

I. Know that God is concerned about where you are (vv. 1-6)

II. Know where Nowhere Leads (vv. 7-17)

a. Listening to Bad Advice
i. Don’t listen to people who’ve never been where you’re going.
ii. Don’t listen to people who don’t know where they’re going.

b. Having no Real Direction

c. Following the Wrong Path
i. Following the Path of Least Resistance
ii. Following the Path of Sin

d. Turning Away from God’s Way

III. Know Where Faith Goes

a. There Must be a Dedication to the Will of God
i. A Place of Surrender
ii. A Place of Sacrifice

b. There Must be a Detachment to the Way of Man
i. Separation from Earthly Pleasures (v. 25)
ii. Concentration on Eternal Possessions

c. There Must be a Dependence on the Word of Life
i. We will face resistance (vv. 15-21)
ii. We can find refreshment (vv. 22-24)

Though I am disappointed in the overall delivery of the message, I realize it is primarily the fault of my lack of preparation for the message and its delivery  that being said, I am thankful for those who made decisions following the message.

We held our annual church meeting following our morning worship.  Overall, the meeting went well, serving as a time to both evaluate ourselves and encourage us as we move ahead.  It is a difficult endeavor to transition a 140+ healt old congregation who has experienced the challenge of the times and rocked by storms in her recent history.  I am convinced more than ever that the best days for Mt. Salem are ahead; and I am encouraged to know that our people are excited about what is to come!