Pastor's Message

In southern Alabama is the town of Enterprise, in Coffee County. There they have erected a monument to an insect, honoring the Mexican boll weevil. In 1895 the boll weevil began to destroy the major crop of the county, cotton. In desperation to survive the farmers had to diversify, and by 1919 the county’s peanut crop was many times what cotton had been at its height. In that year of prosperity a fountain and monument were built. The inscription on this monument reads as follows:

“In profound appreciation of the boll weevil

and what it has done as the herald of

prosperity this monument was erected

by the citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County,

Alabama.”

The story reminds me of how God often uses adversity to bring blessings to our lives. Personally, I don’t know anyone who wants to struggle through tough times. But I think we all know that sometimes we simply don’t have a choice. At one point or another we will all experience some type of adversity. All that remains to be seen is how we will respond to our struggles.

This Thanksgiving I pray you have no “boll weevils” in your life. But if you do, I hope you will remember that a boll weevil in your cotton crop may be God’s way of making you a successful peanut farmer. Or as Paul says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”

(Romans 8:28 NIV).

Happy Thanksgiving! –– Pastor Jeff

Try this! If you don’t have all the things you want, then be grateful for all the things you don’t have that you don’t want. Here’s a good example.

Matthew Henry, a famous 17th century Bible scholar, was once mugged by thieves and robbed. Later that evening He wrote these words in his

diary:

“Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second,

because, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third,

because, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it

was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”