January 28, 2026
Happy Wednesday, everyone!
I have missed seeing all your smiling faces (and the unsmiling ones too)! I hate missing church on Sundays, but keeping in mind the safety of our members who come long distances is really important. I would feel terrible if we asked people to put themselves or their families in danger by showing up in person for worship. I hope you were able to tune in online to participate in Pastor Doug’s sermon on Facebook Live! Giving is such an important (and often misunderstood) topic in churches. We humans are basically selfish creatures and we tend to hoard our treasures, not remembering that all that we have is given by God and is to be held (lightly) in stewardship. We should behave more like motivated managers and less like complacent owners, giving generously because we know that all of it comes from God anyway. Folks who do not understand this concept and don’t tithe or even give regularly miss out on so many blessings! If you missed it on Sunday, you should be able to find it on Salem’s Facebook page.
The biggest thing I miss when I don’t get to church is the corporate worship. I love, love, love to sing God’s praises with my church family! Don’t get me wrong – I love when we pray together, I am grateful to put my tithe in the plate as it passes, and the fellowship before, during and after the service is very sweet. And I have already mentioned that Pastor Doug’s sermons are full of insights for mulling over and meditating, and I usually get two pages of notes every week. My small group meets on Tuesday evenings, and we usually go through our sermon notes a second time, comparing and contrasting together. It’s fun to see what jumped out at different people in our group, and it is beneficial, I believe, to go over the points again so the truth will sink deeper into my soul. But our time of worship together is the best time of my week, and is the “frosting” that brings me to church Sunday after Sunday.
You know what I mean by “frosting” don’t you? The concept comes from a worship allegory I heard years ago, explaining that some believers treat church like its cake. They don’t have a daily relationship with their Heavenly Father, so Sunday is all the fellowship/service/ministry/worship/discipleship they get. It is the sum total of their relationship with God, so if it is not a stellar experience they complain afterwards that they were disappointed, or were not “fed,” etc, etc. But Christians who live a lifestyle of worship meet with God every single day for worship, praise, fellowship, prayer, etc. If they only had their relationship with Jesus and church was not available to them, it would be more than enough. Church services would be the “frosting on the cake,” not the cake itself.
I hope coming to worship at Salem is just frosting on your cake! If this is not the case, it’s not too late – you can worship your Heavenly Father today and every day and learn to do it better. Why not ask Him to show you how?
See y’all on Sunday for frosting!
Careen
Worship Songs for February 1:
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty – Shane & Shane – https://youtu.be/O25pj_Nimc4?si=hS3yUro9MppN-0sf
The Lord Almighty Reigns – Keith & Kristyn Getty – https://youtu.be/2TdEZXPuKOo?si=C0Hw_o0FEHBAS2dH
At the Cross – Gaither Vocal Band – https://youtu.be/NeBNnupt3P8?si=N2Tiz5-qK6xQz2tG
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – Lifeway Worship – https://youtu.be/YQqhByJ-CUQ?si=QyOsjPuw7FWjkxct
