Connections 3-16-25

March 16, 2025

“My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you…” ~ Isaiah 26:9 (NIV) ~

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

While everybody else decorates themselves in clover, consumes great quantities of green beer and participates in noisy parades, let’s take a moment to consider the legacy of this great man of God.

Patrick was an original, to be sure. The late W.A. Criswell, long-time pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, once preached a sermon he called St. Patrick Was a Baptist Preacher. Now, “Baptist Preacher” might be a bit of a stretch but Patrick was certainly a great model to follow.

After spending six years in Ireland as a teenaged slave, he was finally able to escape and return to England. But something had happened to him in Ireland: He had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

Upon his return to England, he continued to study Christianity until God called him back to Ireland, where he established churches, schools, and monasteries, and led thousands to faith in Jesus Christ.

with Pastor Terrell

Here’s a popular excerpt from his book Confessions.

I was sixteen years old and knew not the true God. But in that strange land, the Lord opened my unbelieving eyes; and although late, I called my sins to mind and was converted with my whole heart to the Lord my God, who regarded my low estate, had pity on my youth and ignorance, and consoled me as a father consoles his children.

The love of God increased more and more in me. The Spirit urged me to such a degree that I poured forth as many as a hundred prayers in a day.

And even during the night, in the forest and in the mountains, where I kept my flock, the rain and snow and frost and sufferings which I endured excited me to think after God. The Spirit fermented in my heart.” Confessions

Blessings on your week. May we have the same passion for the God we serve, and the ministries to which we’ve been called! This coming Sunday morning in both our in-person and streaming Worship Service we will be looking at Ruth’s Story of Redemption. Chapter 3 is all about CALCULATED RISKS!

Pastor Terrell

P.S. Our Week of Prayer for both our International and NorthAmerican Missions will be this week, March 16th through the 23rd. Our STEP INTO THE STORYAll-Church Prayer Event will be this coming Thursday, March 20th in the Fellowship Hall at 6 p.m. I am really looking forward to this event!