WORSHIP
WORSHIP
By GEORGE MASON
BAPTIST PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org
Bible Study 9:15 / Worship Services 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500
Do not be afraid
ROYAL LANE BAPTIST CHURCH / 6707 Royal Lane / 214.361.2809 Christian Education 9:45 a.m. / Worship Service 10:55 a.m. Pastor - Rev. Dr. Michael L. Gregg / www.royallane.org
T i m e wa i ts fo r n o o n e, so p re pa re
WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100
T
he BlackBerry became obsolete last month. Not the fruit — the handheld mobile device favored by technology adopters for a dozen years or so at the beginning this century. Just eight years ago, there were 85 million users worldwide. But the advent of Android and Apple devices took the market by storm. On January 4 of this year, the proprietary platform was turned off, and the BlackBerry was no more. It may be that the BlackBerry company rested on its laurels and didn’t adapt to new technology, thinking it would always be relevant. Like the buggy-whip carriage industry before it that faced the invention of the automobile, that industry forgot it was in the transportation industry, not the horse-drawn wagon business. It may be that BlackBerry forgot it was in the personal communication industry, not the BlackBerry business. I’ve been thinking about the BlackBerry development in light of my announced retirement from the pastorate just two days afterward. It’s a reminder that time waits for no one, and change is the nature of reality. Whether we’re ready or not, time marches on, and sooner or later our time is up. Whether life itself, careers or parenting, life is full of transitions. It’s best if we know that every step of the way and continue to grow day by day. Every seven years or so, cellular mitosis completes a cycle in our bodies making us new people, whether we know it or not. If we understand what’s happening and accept it as the way we are made, we can adapt with the times and thrive through them. Embracing transition with enthusiasm for
Pastor George A. Mason / Worship at 9 & 11 a.m. Sunday School at 10 a.m. / wilshirebc.org
what comes next, rather than regret for what was, is a strategy we are wise to lean into. I am grateful for what has been in my calling. The church I have served has changed over the more than three decades I served it. I changed with it. It’s the same church, yet different. I am the same person, yet different, too. Thank God on both accounts. Someone told me years ago that we should all prepare for the next chapter of our lives before the end of the one we are writing now. Professionally and personally, it’s smart to have something to go to, not just something to go from. I have tried to follow that counsel. I am a minister for life, but I have been a pastor for only a season of it. I have more to do and am excited about what’s next. The poet Robert Browning wrote these memorable lines: “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand who saith, ‘A whole I planned, youth shows but half; Trust God: See all, nor be afraid!” Someone has counted the times the words “do not be afraid” occur in in the Bible in one form or another — 365. Apparently, we need to be reminded at least once a day. GEORGE MASON is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church, president of Faith Commons and host of the “Good God” podcast. The Worship section is underwritten by Advocate Publishing and the neighborhood businesses and churches listed here. For information
BIBLE CHURCHES NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.
214.348.9697 / Sun: LifeQuest 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / Sun: Youth 6-8 pm/Wed: AWANA 6-8 pm
DISCIPLES OF CHRIST EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185
Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel 10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org
E P I S C O PA L ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH / stjd.org
Worship: Sat 5:30 pm, Sun 8 & 10:30 am / Christian Ed Sunday Morning & Weekdays, see calendar on website / 214.321.6451 / 848 Harter Rd.
LUTHERAN CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road
A Welcoming and Affirming Church / Rev. K.M. Truhan Sunday School 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / CentralLutheran.org FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA) / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.
Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org
METHODIST FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH RICHARDSON
503 N Central Exwy / fumcr.com / 972.235.8385 / Dr. Clayton Oliphint 8:45, 9:45, 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Modern LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com
Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee Worship: 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary
N O N - D E N O M I N AT I O N A L LAKE POINTE CHURCH – WHITE ROCK CAMPUS
Classic Service at 9:30 & Contemporary Service at 11:00 am lakepointe.org / 9150 Garland Road
PRESBYTERIAN LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133
8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org 9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional NORTHPARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 11:00 am Sundays on YouTube
9555 North Central Expressway / 214.363.5457 / northparkpres.org / Welcoming Seekers, Thinkers and Doers. NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Sunday Worship 10:00 am Church that feels like church and welcomes like family. PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH/ 4124 Oak Lawn Ave Sunday Worship 9:00 & 11:00 A.M. To all this church opens wide her doors - pcpc.org
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february 2022
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