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It is hard to dispute how many marriages are not what they could be. Worse, who knows how many relationships are barely hanging on and have become easy targets for Satan. Too many couples wait until they are deep in trouble before seeking help. Anything we can do as a church to help marriages is well worth our effort.

Barry England continues this marriage series through May 14. He has taught on this subject for years at several of the area congregations, and we want our members to hear these good messages as well. While Barry and Tina spend countless hours privately counseling couples in distress, they also strive to be proactive and help couples avoid some of the traps that threaten a healthy, godly marriage. This would be a great time to invite friends and family.

We appreciate those who are not married valuing this teaching - even when the focus does not address their own situation. For those who have recently lost a spouse in death or recently experienced divorce, the timing of these lessons may not be ideal. This focus is not to add to their discomfort, but we also acknowledge this teaching

is urgently needed.

After the focus on marriage, we will present a special message about living single. Marriage is a gift from God, but so is singleness. Yet the world doesn’t always present it

that way. As Christians, we can do better. Mark your calendar for May 21 for this special message. Again, invite your friends and family.

Those who are not married fall into several categories: n e v e r - m a r r i e d , divorced, widows and widowers. Those whose spouse does not participate with them in worship

and church activities may feel as if they are “spiritually single.” Married couples may never fully understand how lonely it can feel to walk alone into a church auditorium or Bible class. Little moments can become huge reminders of their marital state. It is easy for the un-marrieds to feel incomplete, even ostracized in society, but this should not be the case in the church. This lesson will help singles, but it will also help those who are married understand and appreciate living for Christ as a single. And our youth need to understand how to live fully for God, whether or not they ever marry.

t H E W o W m a r r i a G E

WEst sEVEntH praYEr focUs for maUrY coUntY

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

May 2017--Enemies [Jesus told us to love our enemies and pray for them, Matt. 5:43-48]ØAsk God to forgive you personally for holding grudges or judgments, having

an unforgiving spirit, or seeking to get even with someone who wronged youØPray for personal “enemies”--anyone who has spoken words or acted to

harm you, that they are forgiven, and will know Jesus and be savedØPray for those we think are our enemies because of different religious or

political viewsØPray for local leaders who seem to hold prejudices against race, religion, etc.ØPray for corrupt leaders, gang leaders and jail inmates to repent and seek

GodØPray for Muslims everywhere to turn to the true and living GodØPray for Isis fighters to abandon the group and change their lifestyleØPray for the Holy Spirit to change hearts in North Korea, China, Russia, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, Egypt, Libya,

and other middle eastern countriesØPray that Satan’s deception will be uncovered that people may see and know the TruthØ“Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered.” (Psalm 68:1) “Break the arm of the wicked and evil man.” (Psalm

10:15). “Let the wicked fall into their own net while I pass by in safety.” (Psalm 141:10) “Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.” (Psalm 35:4 KJV)

By Marynelle Criswell

By 1941 young Mitsuo Fuchida had risen to be Flight Com-mander of the entire Japanese fleet. Admiral Yamamoto in-sisted on a surprise aerial attack on battleships and carriers at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese felt that America was arrogant, weak and negligent. A fatal blow to the fleet would assure that Japan would be able to retain all their conquered territo-ries from World War I. Meticulous plans were laid.

Fuchida himself flew the lead plane off the carrier Akagi on the morning which was already December 8, 1942, in Japan (December 7 in USA). He watched with satisfaction as mas-sive explosions erupted from dozens of torpedoes. Aircraft fire began to dot the sky and thick plumes of black smoke and red fireballs rose until Fuchida’s vision was all but oblit-erated. His heart blazed with joy. It was Fuchida who sent the message Tora, Tora, Tora (Tiger, Tiger, Tiger)--code for a successful mission.

His plane was purposely the last one back to the carrier. In the middle of the debriefing, his mechanic called him aside. Aircraft fire had struck Fuchida’s plane and showered it with

shrapnel, nearly cutting the elevator cable in two. Had this happened, Fuchida and his plane would have been destroyed. He attributed his close call to the favor of his Japanese gods.

For months afterward Fuchida basked in the adulation of his military peers and the Japanese public. He was viewed as a national hero. All of that pride came to an end in 1945 when America dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

On board the USS Missouri for the signing of the peace treaty on September 2, 1945, Fuchida was astounded to hear General Douglas MacArthur state that the problem of war was a spiritual problem. “It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh. Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.” [We do know that General MacArthur asked the church to flood Ja-pan with Bibles, which the church failed to do.]

While Fuchida did not believe peace was possible, he had expected words of arrogance--not humility--from the Su-preme Commander of the Allied Forces. A later conversa-tion with Japanese who had been in American internment

p r a Y i n G f o r o U r E n E m i E s - p a r t 2

camps confirmed that they had been well-treated--another surprise. Not only that but they told of a young American wom-an named Peggy who brought treats and Japanese books and magazines to them. Her parents had been missionaries in Ja-pan and fled to the Philippines where they were beheaded by Japanese.

Now Fuchida’s confusion and frustration became almost unbearable. On Decem-ber 3, 1948, (his birthday) he was thread-ing his way through a Tokyo train station when a man thrust a pamphlet into his hand. “Read about the Doolittle raider who was a prisoner of war!”

With curiosity he began to read Jake De-Shazer’s pamphlet because he knew about Doolittle’s men and respected them. The following spring he secured a Japa-nese New Testament. He read of the good man being cruci-fied and the words He said, “Father, forgive them - they don’t know what they are doing.” He fell to his knees and began to weep. Now the words and actions of the Americans made sense. Forsaking his ancestral gods, he surrendered to Jesus Christ.

The Rest of the Story - Part 2June 1950. Tokyo home of Jake and Florence DeShazer. Mitsuo Fuchida (former Buddhist warmonger) met Jake DeShazer (former vengeful hater). The two men began a relationship that only God could have orchestrated. In the following years they often preached together in Japan, each asking forgiveness for the horrors they had caused. Fuchida went to America, became an American citizen and worked with the Billy Graham crusades. Reader’s Digest published

his story. He died in 1976 of diabetic com-plications. His children still live in the United States and have provided photos for the book. Now You Know the Rest of the Story.

How important are our prayers for en-emies? How important is forgiveness? Who was praying for the Japanese dur-ing the war? For Hitler’s minions? For Isis and radical Islam now? For political enemies? For gangs in Maury County? God wants ALL the people and ALL na-tions. We must get beyond praying merely to “win the war” and ask God to forgive and save our enemies. God can move mountains when we agree with Him.

Correction to Part 1: Doolittle’s Raiders flew B-25s, not B-52s.

Wounded Tiger (2nd Ed.) by T. Martin Bennett of Franklin is a historical nonfiction novel telling this story, available at Amazon and other book sellers. Plans are in the works for a movie, and it is felt that many Japanese will become Chris-tians as a result of this movie. My friend Neal is a mission-ary to the Japanese and has been involved with this venture since its beginning. His late wife, Mari, wrote the Japanese subtitles. It is presently being translated into Korean and Chinese. Pray this movie will be completed and will bring many Japanese and others to Christ.

Prayer on the Square on May 13, 2017, gives Maury County Christians a chance to pray for local issues as well as world-wide concerns. We will gather at 9:00 a.m. on the Court-house steps and invite you to participate.

p r a Y i n G f o r o U r E n E m i E s - p a r t 2

2017

Sonny has served a devoted 16 years as an elder at West Seventh. He is a committed follower of our Lord and his wisdom will be missed. The good part is that we will not be losing Sonny and Sandy. They will continue to worship with us and will continue to be a vibrant part of our congregation. Sonny and Sandy simply want to take advantage of opportunities to visit grandchildren and take other travel opportunities.

Effective today, April 9, 2017, I am resigning as an elder. It has

been a great honor and privilege for me to have served you these

past 16 years. I am resigning now only because I feel it is the right

time for me and my family.

I deeply appreciate and thank you for the loyal support you have

given me during this time. I love this eldership and every man that

serves this congregation as an elder. I am in full support of these

men and trust their leadership as they strive to get us all home to

Heaven. To our ministers, I love you and thank you for the roles

you fill at this place. I am so very grateful for the love you have

for this church and for our Lord. And to our staff at West Seventh,

you are among the best. I cherish the kindness and patience with

which you have blessed me. May God be with each of you as you

serve this body of believers.

Thank you again, my brothers and sisters, for your love and sup-

port. My prayer for the body here at this place is that we will be

united as we serve our Lord, encourage one another, reach lost

souls, and one day spend eternity in Heaven together.

God Bless you. I love you all.

In Him,

Sonny Lee

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SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAYMAY 2017

Oscar AndradeBrenda MunozCaylea Savage

Sue FoxTony SmithEmmanuel Xala

Mr/Mrs Dale Robinson

Eleanor FoxCarlene Price

Mr/Mrs Randy Davidson

Kynzie Sartain

Mr/Mrs Tommy Hemphill

Vickie CoferCallie Jones

Betty Carrigan Hannah Matzkiw

Mr/Mrs Jason Skidmore

Cyndy GibsonOlivia HowellJody Reed

Mr/Mrs Al Wright

Mr/Mrs Ben HancockMr/Mrs Greg Yokley

Paula Oswalt Marty DeJarnetteVictoria KarkauParker ThomasAnna Beth Wright

Jone LewisPaul Taylor

Robyn GrahamAlec Wright

Mr/Mrs Jon Bennett

Emma DavisSonny LeeAnna Katherine White

Sharon Greene

Mr/Mrs Tod Trulove

Maria AldersonMaggie GrahamMarie Oswalt

Mr/Mrs Ben DilesMr/Mrs Mike Forsthoff

Kelsey Davidson

Mr/Mrs Ivan JonesMr/Mrs John Simmons

Conner WhiteJill White

Mr/Mrs Kerry CouchMr/Mrs Chris Shrader

Lisa PardonDoris Romine

Joe Roberson Jeff White Steve CoferLindsey HowellJan McKeel

Lola-Margaret Hall

Mr/Mrs Cason Shirley

Ramona Ward Chris AllenBetty DerryberryJulie SavageDavid Ward

Charles HubbellKnox Love

Mr/Mrs Jacob Eastep

Emma AndradeCourtney ShiresWanda Smith

Mr/Mrs Tommy EnglishMr/Mrs Bill Jackson

Tennie ChaffinTina EnglandWilliam MurphyJean Worley

Mr/Mrs Ken JacksonMr/Mrs Phillip Young, Jr.

Home Bible Studies

Mother’s Day

Senior Night

Memorial DayOffice Closed

WEST SEVENTH MINISTRIESTo learn more about: Contact:Announcements Porter KingAttendance Jacob LoveAudio System Eric BryantBaby Showers Helen JonesBaptism Preparation Jim CriswellBenevolence Tom Anderson Members Joe Westmoreland Hispanic Alex Quintero Non-members Bill Stevens, Chris ShraderBridal Showers Wanda SmithCollege Ministry Phillip & Brandy Young Joel & Paula OswaltCommunion Preparation John KodattCounseling Barry EnglandDisaster Relief Tommy HemphillEducation Children’s Education Haley Schmidt, James Thomas, Zach Whitworth Lads to Leaders Jacob & Jennifer Eastep John & Beverly Simmons Vacation Bible School Lisa CouchFacility Jason Skidmore, David KirkFamily Ministry Barry EnglandFellowship Meals Jerry & Shirley OakleyFinance/Contribution Count Duane Leach, Zach WhitworthFood Pantry Darrell Trimble, Bob & Sandra JohnsonGreeters Darrel MarlinHispanic Ministry Alex QuinteroHome Bible Studies Jim RobinsonMen’s Ministry David EsslingerMissions Josh HardinNursing Home Communion John SimmonsNursing Home/Assisted Living John SimmonsOpen/Close Bldg HVAC Billy Brooks, Steve McEwenPowerPoint Brad BeasleyPrimeTimers (Senior Adults) Barry England Service George & Shirley Freeland Fellowship Bob & Judy Cofer, Faye KinzerService Station Mike ForsthoffTV/Radio Calvin Jackson, Paul Gibson, Chuck SimpsonTraffic/Parking Billy BrooksVehicle Maintenance Billy BrooksVan Drivers/Scheduling Steve CoferVisitation Mike Greene, John LawWomen’s Ministry Jeanine Denney, Sharon Greene, Beverly SimmonsWorship Assignments Sunday Jeff White, Pat Coleman Wednesday Tommy McEwen Nursery Brenda ColemanTween Ministry Grades 5-6 Ryan & Haley SchmidtUshers Zach KittrellYouth Ministry Grades 7-12 Tucker Vincent, Marty DeJarnette, Jon Bennett, Ivan Jones, Greg Yokley

BIBLE CLASSESSunday 10:30 a.m.

Children’s Classes - See the Information Center for a complete list of children’s classes, teachers, topics and a map of our facilities.

Adult ClassesCollege Age & Galatians Room 212Young Professionals Joel OswaltPhillip Young

Young Marrieds Gospel of John Fireside RoomJim Robinson James ThomasJonathan Davis Homebuilders When Bad Things Happen ChapelWade Denney To Good PeopleBarry England

Adult Class TBA Family CenterRandy Owens

Adult Class Bible Studies AuditoriumPorter King

Adult Class Gospel of John TV Studio Mike Kesler

Hispanic Class Room 307Alex Quintero

Wednesday 7:00 p.m.

Adult Acts AuditoriumJosh Hardin

Ladies’ Class Video Series & Discussion Fireside RoomEmily Lansdell Featuring Andy Stanley & Others

Adult Singing Class Chapel Eric Karkau

Adult Believe Part III T.V. Studio Joel Oswalt

Hispanic Class Room 307Alex Quintero