Kelli

Kelli with her mother and Dottie

I preached on the second word that will change a family and that is BLESSING. Abraham received the blessing from God and then blessed Isaac who blessed Jacob after Esau his brother sold the blessing for a bowl of oatmeal.

The blessing is a formula of words that express fondness for, confidence in, and recognition of a specific person. I always wanted my mother to bless me, but she was unable to do so. It followed me in life. She was unable to do it because her parents never spoke blessings over her life. Because of that I have tried all my adult life to bless both my adopted and Guatemalan children.

Today a group called The Perfect Gift came and had an activity for ages 3-12.

Kelli who came here at 2 years and left at 16 visited with her mother. Kelli is now 15 years old and in college.

Another name for our Heavenly Father as seen in Jeremiah 16:19, “O Lord my strength and my FORTRESS, and my refuge in the day of affliction.” A fortress was any heavily guarded or fortified place that provided protection from enemy attacks, in Bible times, a defensive wall around a city, with its reinforced towers and gates, was considered the ultimate fortress.

Like Jeremiah we all need a fortress at times. Martin Luther wrote “A Mighty Fortress is our God” and that is true today. God is an ultimate, unshakeable place of safety, protection, and strength against life´s dangers, much like a castle or stronghold.