I intend to be on time

On the southern side of Manchester Road, along a brief sliver of Route 66, in the St. Louis bedroom community of Maplewood, Missouri, a retail stroll from door front to door front delights one’s present hunger pang. There, a Southerner can forget good fried chicken after savoring a perfectly oozing grilled cheese, chocolate to make the Swiss jealous, fresh roasted coffee at La Cosecha or a fine balsamic just a few sidewalk cracks away.

The stroll is reminiscent of a good ‘ol pig-pickin’ — don’t think, just eat. The sliver is a gustatory smorgasbord, mid-western style, self-determining and independent. No intuition is needed, just a willingness to pull cash from the pocket.

“So, they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain” (Ezekiel 33:31). God gave these words to the “watchman,” Ezekiel, speaking to the Israelites in captivity. And these words stroll through our lives.

My own life knew captivity, not physically, but by a compulsion always for the next thing. Finished with one goal, the next one was an effort away. Gain is the term used in Ezekiel. Personal rule-making, living faith by omission, I thought, could suffice. I conceptualized “rendering unto God,” but I did not live it. Did I omit God by replacing him? Living suspended, I tried.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? …. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.” (Romans 6:1, 5)

Today’s culture offers a smorgasbord of spiritual ideas mimicking a halfBible theology. Feigning the moral high ground, these ideas allow us to continue in sin, luring us into captivity by the immediacy we seek, falsely believing we can live the righteous life with our own skill. Must we cry to the wrong king?

“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.” (Romans 6:8, 9)

The skilled man held captive by self-determination risks distance from God, from the knowledge he died with Christ. Strolling along, time enables him while judging just the same. Pride does not so entrap the unskilled man. Grace cuts through time, for “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all. For man does not know his time” (Ecclesiastes 9:11, 12a)

These words stroll through my mind, toward my heart. I do not know my hour, but I intend to be on time.

Christ dies no more! Worshippers and clerics pray inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many Christians to be the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ, in Jerusalem. Christian leaders said that they will reopen the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after Israeli officials suspended a plan to impose taxes on church properties in the holy city.

Community Chapel Baptist Church, 3773 Black’s Bluff Road, will host Brotherhood Breakfast Saturday at 8 a.m. with the Rev. Randy Robinson preaching. For more information contact Jerry Jacobs at 706-238-9060. The church will have Old Fashioned Day in the morning service Sunday. This will also be High Attendance Day in Sunday School at 10 a.m. For more information call 706-291-9443.

Covenant Presbyterian Church EPC, 1645 Cartersville Highway, holds Sunday School at 10 a.m. and a traditional worship service at 11 a.m. Communion will be celebrated this Sunday during the worship service. For more information email covenantpresbyterianchurch.epc@gmail.com or visit www.covenantrome.org.

Faith Temple of Jesus Christ O.C.O.G., 542 Branham Ave., will celebrate the pastoral anniversary of Bishop Alex Allen and his wife on Sunday. Guest speakers will be Elder Frances Miller of St. Luke O.C.O.G, Griffin, in the 11:15 a.m. service and Bishop Norris Allen of New Hope Cathedral O.C.O.G. at 3 p.m. Dinner will be served at 1:30 p.m. for more information call 706-6760930.

Greater Mount Tabor Baptist Church, 259 Herring Road, Armuchee, will celebrate their 136th church anniversary on March 11 at 3 p.m. Pastor Cedric Williams and Cedar Grove Baptist Church, Cedar Bluff, Alabama, will be the guests.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 3000 Garden Lakes Blvd., offers free, interactive positive parenting workshops on the first and second Tuesday of each month from 7-8:30 p.m. in the community room. Advance registration is requested if you require childcare. For more information call 706-346-7205 or register at www. BuildingPositiveFamilies.org.

Lovejoy Baptist Church, 436 Branham Ave., will hold spring revival March 12-14 at 7 p.m. nightly. The evangelist will be Pastor Elijah Collins Jr. from New Jerusalem Baptist Church, Snellville. Collins is a native of Rome, the oldest of three children born to Sister Anna Kinney and Elijah Collins Sr.

Lyerly United Methodist Church is selling a cookbook titled “Feeding the Flock.” Cookbooks can be purchased from any church member or by sending $13 to Lyerly United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Lyerly, GA 30730. For more information call JoAnn Mitchell at 706-895-2636.

615 Cleveland Ave., will celebrate their annual Women’s Day program

Photos by Mahmoud Illean,

Associated Press

Pisgah Baptist Church, 5604 Alabama Highway, holds Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. and morning service at 10:50 a.m. Sunday evening services are at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday morning prayer service is held every week at 8:30 a.m. Bible study is held Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. The church will host Brotherhood Breakfast on Saturday at 8 a.m. Mike Southerland will be speaking.

Rush Chapel United Methodist Church, 1225 Rush Chapel Road, holds Sunday School for all ages at 9:45 a.m. and worship services with Pastor Nick Georgian at 10:55 a.m. For more information on additional activities or programs contact the church office at 706-291-7986 or email nick. georgian@ngumc.net.

St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, 42 Ash St., meets for Holy Communion on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. For more information call 706506-1241.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 911 N. Broad St., holds weekend Mass on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in English and 7 p.m. in Spanish. Mass on Sunday are at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. in English and at 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. in Spanish. Friday night parish suppers and bilingual Stations of the Cross continue this week with dinner at 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall (donation requested) and Stations of the Cross at 7 p.m. The meal this evening will be provided by the high school youth group. For additional information on any church activities or programs contact the church office at 706290-9000 or at DeaconNeslin@ smcrome.org.

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 101 E. Fourth Ave., offers Sunday services of Holy Eucharist at 8:30 a.m. in the chapel and 10 a.m. in the church. A service of Holy Eucharist in Spanish is offered Sundays at 1 p.m. in the chapel. Midweek Eucharist services are Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in the chapel. During Lent, Stations of the Cross will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and evening prayer at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Sunday School is on Sundays at

6 Old Rockmart Road, Lindale, will hold their monthly Fellowship Breakfast at 9 a.m. on Sunday. Sunday School begins at 9:45 a.m. followed by worship at 11 a.m. The Rev. Camille Josey will deliver the sermon, “In Denial.” The Scripture readings for this week are Psalm 17:1-7 from the Old Testament and John 18:1227 from the New Testament. The State of the Church Meeting will be shared by members of the Session and the Reverend Camille Josey following the regular worship service. Visit the church’s Facebook page for additional church news, a link to the daily Lenten devotional readings and other information. For more information contact Janet Farr at 706-346-7268.

The North Georgia General Missionary Baptist Association First Saturday Fellowship will be held Saturday at 9:45 a.m. with Pastor Windell Smith at Hopewell Baptist Church, 3527 Airport Road, Dalton.

Third Street Ministries will be giving away clothing to homeless and low-income residents of Floyd County on Saturday from noon-4 p.m. and on March 13 from 2-4 p.m. in the parking lot of Rome First United Methodist Church, 202 E. First Ave.

Transfiguration Episcopal Church, 304 Coker Drive, will celebrate Holy Eucharist Sunday at 11 a.m. Lunch with Lenten program will follow the service. AlAnon will meet March 7 at noon in the Parish Hall. They will have Holy Eucharist on March 7 at 6 p.m. Priest-in Charge is the Rev. Linda Pineo. For more information call 706-234-0197.

Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1941 Shorter Ave., will conduct Sunday School for all ages at 9:45 a.m. and worship with Holy Communion at 11 a.m. The Rev. Greg Lund will preach a sermon titled “Making Room for Life.” A nursery is available.

West Rome United Methodist Church, 1003 Shorter Ave., holds Sunday morning services at 11 a.m. The church will observe the third Sunday in Lent this week. The sermon, “Zeal for God’s House,” comes from John 2:13-22. For more information call 706-234-6214, email wrumc@ bellsouth.net or visit www. westromeumc.org.