Patience

I don't know about you, but I feel like week has been a long month. Yes, I had to think about that before I typed it. Change is hard. Change is stressful. Change is uncomfortable. But do you know another word for change? Growth. When God uses me, when I pray and study and serve, I grow. I get the blessings of growing in my faith, closer to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and close to the people we get to serve. When God uses me, I find that my wants and desires changes.  How I choose to spend my time or express myself changes. Growing means life changes. Change isn't always bad, like not changing can sometimes be. As we go through life, life will change us. We have a chance to decide how. Praying for you all!

A Sure Foundation - Matthew 7

Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount and reminds us all of the choice we face. One house, built on a sure foundation can withstand the attacks coming from the wind, the waves, and the rain. The other house fails. Jesus says the difference between them is the foundation. One has a foundation that is sure, solid, and secure. This foundation comes from hearing the word, believing the word, and acting on it. Our foundational understanding of the nature and character of God the Father, as revealed in the word and God the Son through God the Spirit, will give us either a secure foundation or one that is flawed. Today we begin a new series that will help give us that foundational understand of God as He has revealed Himself to us through His word. We will begin at the beginning, in Genesis 1, and look for clues in the text that show us how our God is different. I hope you can join us for worship this morning!

Focus

Choosing what to think about, controlling thoughts, directing focus, being intentional about our attitude -- these things are hard to do but disciplines worth our investment. The Bible encourages us to direct our attention on what is lovely, noble, true, and right. How do I build my day around living out these principles? What could it drive me to do, for myself or for someone else, that I might not do otherwise? Does the light of the Kingdom shine through my choices, attitude, and speech? Love you all!