Mt. Carmel No. 1 Baptist Church

We were blessed to have Bro. Doug Hodges bring our messages as we gathered for worship on Sunday. Bro. Hodges and his wife are missionaries in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. They are the parents of Bro. Mark Hodges, pastor of Thorsby First Baptist Church. Bro. Hodges’ request to us as fellow Christians was to pray for God’s direction in their lives as they strive to serve him.

For his morning message, Bro. Hodges used scripture from Deuteronomy 6:1-12. The children of Israel had been wandering in the wilderness for forty years. They began to cry out to God. God heard their cries, answered them and promised deliverance.

God wanted them to prosper, but for prosperity to come, they had to be obedient to his word and not be followers of the world. That still applies to us today. God’s commands are the same for us as they were for the children of Israel. We need to pay attention and take heed to what is happening around us. How are we responding? Are we trying to make God’s command what we want them to be to suit our lifestyle and way of thinking?

This scripture tells us that the Lord our God is one Lord, and we are to love him with all our being. We show our love to him by our obedience to his commands, walking in his way and teaching others—especially our families—about the truths of his Word. In doing this, we also have the promise of God’s deliverance.

Our Sunday evening message was titled “What to Do When the Rains No Longer Come” From 2 Chronicles 7:1-15.

In the scripture, rain is a symbol of God’s blessings. Why is it that God sometimes withholds the rain, his blessings? Sometimes it is to get our attention because it is sad to say we may not be aware that there is a drought in our lives. When we are experiencing a drought in our lives, and it seems as if the window of heaven has been shut, what can we do?

We find the answer in Verse 14: First, we must remember who we are. We are God’s people. We must remember that we are to be humble, and we are to earnestly pray, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways. When we do these things, God promises he will hear and restore us.

Upcoming happenings at Mt. Carmel include a belated back-to-school bash for all ages. It will be held 11 a.m. on Sept. 26. There will be food, fun, games and a movie.

We encourage all to join us on Wednesday evening for our Bible study and prayer time. At this time we are doing a study titled “The 14 Habits of an Effective Disciple.”

There are several in our church who have a special prayer need. One of them is Jennifer Watley and her family. Jennifer’s parents are James and Mary Dean Higgins. At the time of this writing, Jennifer is in Houston and is scheduled to have surgery on Sept. 22.

Others on our prayer list are Minnie Childress, Jenny Hayes, Elladene Mims, Leona Liveoak, Hilda Cary, Gladys Franklin, Ruthie Jean Giles and Tammy Harmon.

Submitted by Louise Liveoak