This past Thursday I officiated my second funeral in the past two weeks. Last Sunday I received a call from a member of our congregation that his mother, whose health had been declining, passed away. On Wednesday I led a family service for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and then on Thursday she was laid to rest. The last couple of weeks have been quite busy and at times quite difficult but I have been blessed to be there for these families and to assure them of the hope held out in the gospel for all who repent and have faith in Christ.
Saturday morning the junior high basketball team had a rematch against the only team we've lost to so far this season, our sister town, Turtle-Lake. Again we jumped out to an early lead but then gave it back and in the second half we were never up or down by more than a few points. The game ended up going into overtime and we were able to squeak out the victory 37-34. I am enjoying working with these kids and seeing them develop the basketball skills, love for the game and grow as young men. Please pray for me ongoing coaching and leading of these boys.
After the game on Saturday my wife and I drove down to Bismarck for our every other week securing of provisions and to celebrate Valentine's Day. We planned on having a nice lunch at the recently opened Olive Garden. But when we arrived a few minutes after noon the wait was already 50 minutes! So we drove across the street and had Taco Bell for our romantic lunch. Before you jump to conclusions you need to understand that my wife loves Taco Bell and since the nearest one is 50 miles away we rarely get to eat there so she did not mind at all. Then we saw the movie "Marley and Me" and thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it but bring some tissues with you as it's a tearjerker. We ran the rest of our errands and picked up a pizza.
On Sunday I finished the current adult Sunday School series entitled "Maximizing your Bible Reading." Next week one of our elders will take over teaching the class through 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Titus and I will work for a couple months with the high school class. I excited about this since they just started a series through Romans so that should be a lot of fun. I also led a service at the nursing home this Sunday and afterward had the opportunity to share the gospel with a woman whose health is declining and desired some pastoral counseling.
By God's Grace, Jeff
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