Good day Aspen Grove Family,

                I pray you are well. I was able to take June 7^th off for a family vacation to Florida for some much-needed R-n-R! Deacon Kenny Windham filled in for me and did wonderful. His message was titled, “Attitude and Serving Gladly,” coming from the Book Psalm 100.  A short 5 verse psalm that delivers a powerful, universal call to worship, urging all the earth to GOD with joyful gratitude. The foundation of this praise is that the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth and faithfulness endures to all generations. All GOD wants is for us to intentionally want Him as much as He wants us. This psalm commands the whole earth to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, to serve GOD with gladness and to enter His presence with singing. Worshippers are to that the LORD is GOD Almighty, recognize that He is our creator, and that we belong to Him. He calls for us to enter His gates with true Thanksgiving and fill His courts with praises encouraging the blessings of His name. Just for a reminder, praises are not feelings, but it is an expression of faith toward GOD of Mercy, Goodness, and truth. Brother Kenny closed out his message by citing the beloved Psalm 23. The whole congregation spoke highly of this message.

                I was back on the pulpit On June 14^th, preaching a message titled, ““God Has a Plan” coming from the Book of Jeremiah 29:11-14. I parallel this message from Jeremiah to the Israelites, while at the same time describing some real-life events of a young surfing lady from Hawaii. The young lady’s name is Bethany Hamilton. A professional surfer carving up the waves until tragedy struck. While practicing for an upcoming tournament, a Tigershark attacked her, severing her left arm from just below the shoulder. She could have easily gone down the dark spiral from that event, but instead, she went on a mission trip to the far east village that had been ravaged by a tsunami, killing almost half the town. A lot of the survivors were afraid of the ocean after that event, but Bethaney used her skills and determination to help the people get over their fear of the water. I mean after all, she is a survivor from a shark attack. When you think about it, she big plans for being a pro-surfer, but her plans had to change some before making it. The Israelites had been living the high life and put GOD on the back burner. As a result, they were exiled to Babylon for 70yrs. Jeremiah counseled the Israelites to go ahead and start making a living in captivity. They had plans, and being in captivity was not on their agenda… But GOD had other ideas. You see, GOD’s Plan Is Bigger Than Your Pain. Israel thought captivity meant GOD had forgotten them, but GOD was using captivity to remind His people of the proper priorities. GOD’s Purpose Requires Persistence. Israel had to seek GOD in Babylon, and that starts by prayer. Prayer is where defeated people become determined people. Faith led Bethaney back into the water trusting GOD, in that He is still greater than the storm. Some people quit after one tragedy, some quit after one disappointment, and sadly, some quit after one church hurt. But here is a truth nugget for you: God Can Turn Your Test into an awesome Testimony, your mess into a beautiful message, but only if we surrender ourselves to him completely.

                 On June 14^th, I had the honor in preaching to our father’s for Father’s Day with a message titled, "Still Leaving Footprints" from the Book of Psalm 71:17-18. All throughout their lives, fathers have always been busy… working, trying to keep their homes together, ahead of the bills, and their family filled with love, but what often gets left out of the conversation is that… A Father's Influence Never Retires. Fathers have been task by GOD to do something wonderful all throughout their lives, even when they are not as young as they once were. All throughout their lives, fathers have always been busy… working, trying to keep their homes together, ahead of the bills, and their family filled with love, but what often gets left out of the conversation is that they may retire from their job, but they never retire from their influences:          Your children are still watching; Your grandchildren are still listening; & to be honest with you… Your church still needs your wisdom. A Father Leaves More Than Possessions… He Leaves a Legacy. An inheritance is more than money and the reason is because: Money can be spent, Property can be sold, But faith, integrity, and godly character can shape generations to come. A father does a lot of things, but his greatest responsibility… A Father's Greatest Work Is Pointing Others to Christ. We need to pass our faith on to the next generation because our culture is changing rapidly, truth is being questioned, values are being abandoned, and this younger generation needs men who will stand firmly on God's Word and lovingly point them toward Christ. Some fathers today may be raising children. Others are raising grandchildren. Some are widowers. Some have children scattered across the country. Some may even have prodigals they are still praying for, but every father and grandfather here has this opportunity to keep the 6 K’s : Keep leaving footprints; Keep praying; Keep serving; Keep encouraging; Keep shining and Keep pointing people to Jesus. Because until God calls you home, your influence is not over. Our greatest legacy is still ahead of us… So keep leaving footprints for us to follow!

                On June 28^th, I preached a message titled, “The 250th Year of America: Blessed, Broken, and in Need of God” coming from the Book of Psalm 33:12. This year marks a historic milestone—the 250th birthday of the United States of America. For two and a half centuries, God has blessed this nation in remarkable ways. We have seen victories in war, prosperity in peace, advances in technology, and freedoms that many around the world only dream about. But as we celebrate America's birthday, we must remember that our greatest strength has never been our military, our economy, or our government. Our                                          Almighty God. A nation's greatness is not measured by its military strength, economic power, or political influence. True greatness is measured by its relationship with God. The question before us is not, "How great has America been?" but "Will America continue to seek the God who blessed her?" The best way I can think of how to answer that question is like this… REMEMBER GOD'S BLESSINGS ON AMERICA.  He gave us freedom, He gave us churches that preached the Gospel, & He gave us generations willing to sacrifice for liberty. But we also need to RECOGNIZE THE DANGER OF FORGETTING GOD. When morality collapses: Families suffer, Communities weaken, Churches lose influence, & Nations decline.   Honestly, I believe that America's deepest problems are spiritual… not merely political nor social issues. So, how can we fix it? The simplest answer is this… RETURN BACK TO GOD FOR THE FUTURE.  The Bible states in  2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” So you see, the hope of America is not found in a political party, nor is the hope of America is not found in a government program. The hope for America is found in God, and we are in need of a great revival to break out across this land once more.  The future of America will not be determined merely by what happens in government buildings, but by what happens in church houses, prayer closets, and Christian homes.  America needs more than patriotism. It needs true repentance from its ways. America needs more than freedom…it needs to restore its faith back to GOD once more. America needs more than a celebration… it needs truly a heart revival. Revival has always begun when God's people got serious about God. No one knows what the next 250 years may hold. Technology will change. Governments will change. Leaders will come and go, but God never changes. The future of America will ultimately depend upon whether we continue to seek God's direction and blessing.

                I hope and pray that you have been taking it easy during these hot days of summer. I pray that you continue to seek GOD and His Will for your life. Until our next monthly letter, take care of yourselves and remember… GOD loves you!

Sincerely,

 

Pastor Sonny R. Williams, Jr.