Aside from the great blessing in and of itself that fellowship is. We were blessed immensely with 6 powerful sermons. Eld. Tim McCool, and his brother, Lic. Chris McCool were the invited ministers. I was especially impressed with Bro. Chris's gift since it was my first time to hear him, and he's not been among the Old Baptist long. He has a great knack for explaining things in a way that makes them very easy to picture. We heard them each preach twice. We also heard Eld. Gordon Smith and Eld. Jon Mizell preach.

Friday night Bro. Chris began with talking about the experience on the thief on the cross and how he could only be saved by grace plus nothing. Talked about how he asked the Lord to "Remember me." He said that is the cry of every child of God born again, not remember my works, he didn't want him to remember his life of crime and sin. He didn't say remember my words, he didn't want him to remember how he railed on him. He asked him to remember him, himself. He told how that was the cry of the Publican in prayer, of the child who you lay in the crib in a dark room at night, of all who come to see their own worthlessness before God. And he pointed out that God didn't say, "Absolutely not you vile creature" as He had all right to, but He comforted him and promised him that this day he would be with Him in paradise. Bro. Tim followed up with how on the cross Christ went where he had never gone before, by becoming sin. Christ went thrill great physical pain yes, but that was just the serpent biting his heel, the true horror of the cross was that "he became sin for us, he who knew no sin." and that all this time, he still sees that his mother is carried for, he still comforts the cross next time him. There is utter chaos around him, Jews mocking, soldiers gambling, great physical pain, and yet he is going somewhere, and enduring something he had never done before, for each of us. Those two messages were my favorite from the weekend. Song service began with such a fervent spirit that it was obvious that the Lord was with us, and that many prayers had gone up about this meeting.

Saturday morning they again had good messages. Bro. Tim went first starting in I Peter 4:5 "Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead." and II Peter 3:4-9 about how some say that all things continue as they always have and that the Lord isn't coming back. He preached an able sermon about how the Lord isn't "slack as some men count slackness" and that the only reason he delays in coming back is to wait for the last child of God to be regenerated. He talked about the Lord being ready to judge and that we should be in all readiness. Not that we must do such and such to get right and be ready, but like the servant who was prepared for his master's coming (Matthew 24:42-51). Bro. Chris followed him up with the story of the Samaritan woman at the well found in John 4. He talked about how she repeatedly doubts him, and asks him questions. Gary and I have heard several sermons on the woman at the well (oddly enough several all at McClenny) and each person we've heard has had a different take on her, and all brought out insightful points. Bro. Chris in his experience as a prosecutor says he has seen women like this who have had multiple husbands who need a man to define them, who are often beaten and have little to no worth in their own eyes, and he talked about how Christ "must needs go through Samaria." Many would say that she was a Samaritan, a harlot, and not worth his time, but that the Lord goes and brings comfort and hope to her. She came beaten down in the middle of the day, when she wouldn't have to see the other women who would be at the well in the early morning or early evening, but she leaves her bucket (something important in the hot desert, and runs back to the village to report something far more important that there is a man like no other man.

Saturday afternoon Bro. Gordon Smith took as his topic the letter to the Philippian Church and said that it was a warning to us today. Philippians isn't a great doctrinal treatise like Romans or Corinthians, because they Church at Philippi had no great doctrinal errors, but that their problem was that a spirit of pessimism and cynicism had come to roost in that Church. He talked about how that no matter the circumstances and the problems that may surround us in the world, or even in the Church that we should be happy in Christ. That the words joy, rejoice, or rejoiced are found over 20 times in those four chapters, and that we must keep our focus on the joy we have in him always. It was a warning and an encouragement. Bro. Jon Mizel followed up with a sermon on Romans 8. He said we needed a good hardshell topic to complete the meeting. haha. Seriously though he did an able job of expounding the end of Romans 8, and telling us about all the things that couldn't separate us from the Love of Christ, in a quick and succinct manner. Perfect for an afternoon service.

Of course, between and after most every service we talked and visited. We laughed until our

sides hurt, and shared some parenting challenges. The love and fellowship that we all have together brings two verses to mind. "Behold, how good and how pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1) and "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3)