7.20- Ten years ago at this very moment we walked into this house and our daughter in law,

 7.20-

Ten years ago at this very moment we walked into this house and our daughter in law, Donna Wishard, has set up a lovely, welcome to Texas table. There was a bottle of bubbly grape juice and some special glasses and flowers and we were loved right into our home. The AC was on and the cable was installed and everything was set up for us to have a great retirement experience living about five minutes from Jeff and Donna.

Our maker has generously given His love to us in so many ways. This warm welcome was just a small part of what he had done for us Texans as we came back home. We had a desire to move to Colorado to work in ministry in 1977.

We had enjoyed the climate and the lovely mountains and the great city of Denver and the Broncos and Rockets and Nuggets, the current NBA champs.

But beyond all the many blessings we had also been blessed with Amy, our daughter and two grandsons, Jared and Jordan and 100’s of great friends many of whom have moved to heaven now as has Sheila. But on this day, ten years later to the very hour I wanted to share this great blessing you all of you my friends who read this.

Have you ever noticed how important it is to be welcomed into a town or a family or a church or a community? Each of us has this opportunity each day. This morning I was welcomed into a Chic Fila for breakfast and I left my roof top open because it was so hot. I didn’t notice that about 6.30am it started raining. Kirsten the manager came over and said, “Mr. Larry, I think that’s your car and it appears to be open to the rain.” I said thanks and a good friend with quick legs and a servant heart ran our and rolled up the roof and windows.

At this meeting we welcomed a new man who was such an encouragement to all of us. You can welcome people and so can I. Just a smile that says good morning or good afternoon can be a welcome. It will change the day of the person you greet.

1Corinthians 13

13 If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may [a]glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.

4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it [b]keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of [c]prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 For we know in part and prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I [d]became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror [e]dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the [f]greatest of these is love.