“The way I pray is important as words I say”

Greetings from the Springs and I know that all is well with you. USBC just had a very successful church conference that was held Saturday, Feb. 8 and the church is doing quite well. It is hard to go wrong with a leader such as Pastor Robert Terrell at the helm and with a finely trained deacon board that is superior in handling all church matters.
We have a very exciting year planned as we continuously seek God. We have been taught that when we seek the kingdom of God first all things will be added to us. USBC gives God all the glory for how He has blessed this ministry.   
The new church directory will be here soon. I talked with the church secretary Jamie Baker and she stated that she will make her final updates this week and it will go to the printer next week. The copies are normally handed out during a Wednesday Bible study so don’t miss out.
The next event at The Springs will be our Men’s Day/Black History Program, which will be held Feb.24 during the morning worship service. Deacon Leonard Goss and Mother Doris Shepherd are already preparing a wonderful service.   
Sunday, Feb. 9 we were pleased to have Prophet Frederick Collins with us. He drove in from Birmingham, Ala. that morning and what the Lord allowed him to see and share with us blessed our souls. Prayerfully he will be back with us very soon.   
Pastor Terrell’s uplifting sermon for the morning was focused on the text of Philippians 4: 2-7, 19. We know that the church at Philippi was started by a women’s prayer group and that it was the first church started on European soil. After the church began two of the women Euodias and Syntyche were not seeing eye-to-eye and needed some guidance.
Paul the writer of the text asked the fellow helpers in the ministry to help put out the fire created by the ladies. The yokefellows had been idle but they needed to help the women at this point. Paul’s desire was for the people to do more than just know who God was. They needed a personal relationship with the Lord.
With this personal relationship God will change your appetite and your attitude. The church at Philippi needed to rejoice and also have self-control. With a changed attitude you will stop worrying and start living. You won’t be consumed with what tomorrow will bring but you will live for today.
Pastor Terrell tells us to start praying. We must pray with thanksgiving. The correct order is to give thanks to the Lord first and then let our request be made. All of our prayers should be in this manner.
So here is the formula for prayer. Rejoice. Be calm. Stop worrying. Start praying. Give thanks. Make your request known to God. If you pray in this matter then you will have a testimony to share with others about the great goodness of the Lord.
If you have been struggling with how to pray review the guideline that Pastor Terrell explained. Remember the way I pray is just as important as the words I say. Glory Be To God!

Printed in the February 14, 2013 edition