LESSON THEME FOR FEBRUARY:  LOVE   SC Statewide Bible Bowl 2008 is Saturday, February 23rd!  We currently have 82 teams        registered for the event, up from the high 70’s last year.  If you have some time available on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., come and see for yourself what the Bible Bowl is all about.  Your help will be greatly appreciated.   Keep in mind two very important upcoming events:  one for the men of the church statewide     and the other for every member at SAR.                       1.  Carolina Men’s Fellowship - March 7th                       2.  Gospel Meeting at St. Andrews Road – March 8th – 11th   On Sunday morning and Sunday evening, we have been considering a series of lessons entitled:   “The Seven Wonders of the Love of God.”  We have talked about love’s SOURCE, its OBJECT, its DIMENSIONS, its SUPERIORITY, and its FRUIT.  This Sunday we will focus our attention on the final     two wonders:  the PROVISIONS of God’s love and the ASSURANCE of His love.  I hope you have       found this series thought-provoking and faith-building.   Our theme for the March will be HOPE.                       “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and  righteousness.                       I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.                       On Christ the Solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.                       All other ground is sinking sand.”   This is the first verse of song #138 in our song book and  was written by Edward Mote words)   in 1838 and William B. Bradbury (music) in 1863.   Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.  His conclusion included the      following words:                       “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I                        will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and                       the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew,                       and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on                       the rock  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine and does                       not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house  on the                             sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew,                       and beat on that house and it  fell.  And great was its fall.”   May we always be ready and willing to hear God’s word and then do what He asks us to do!      The storms of life will come.  When they do, we will be like the one who built on the firm foundation.    We will have a house, a life that stands.   Our monthly Men’s and Preachers’ Meeting went very well this past Tuesday.  We discussed the ways of Jesus:  how He thought, how He felt, how He acted, and where He went.  John tells us  that   Jesus “became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”  John 1:14).  Brothers Jerry Satterfield (SAR, Columbia), Richard McWilliams (Greer), Brad Frye (Long Creek, Columbia), and Jon Mitchell (Duncan) shared their insights on these subjects with the group.  We meet in the Fellowship Hall at SAR every third Tuesday in the month at 10:00 a.m.   It is so good to meet together for study, fellowship, and for worship.  Studying the Bible       together and discussing God’s word always increases our faith in God.  When we laugh and cry      together, talk about things simple or complex, work and play together, we grow closer as friends and family.  When we worship God together in spirit and in truth, we experience a little bit of heaven.  May we always appreciate the ways of the Christian life!