Brothers and Sisters,
Sunday was strange indeed for us all. It was not our usual rhythm that we all long for but was fruitful nonetheless (see Facebook for the Livestream or click here for the video or just the audio). In the face of all this uncertainty, we, the church, can still be what God has made us; a group of diverse believers who depend on each other to thrive and survive spiritually. Don’t underestimate your role in our life together, especially now. Call, text, email, or video chat one another and share burdens, joys, fears, then read God’s Word together and PRAY! We are better together!
Let me make you aware of a few things that will help keep you connected this week:
- As always, keep checking Facebook and our news blog, but if you did not know, we have a podcast on iTunes and Spotify. As of right now, just our sermons go to those podcasts, but with our new reality, we are exploring other ways to make use of a regular podcast (who knows everything is day to day).
- For your listening pleasure and a way to remind you of the great truths about God, click this link and listen to a suggested playlist to help keep your thoughts on the Lord.
- We will resume Disciple-Makers this Wednesday at 6:30 pm through Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/907781272). Many of you already participate in this class, but if you do not, now is a great time to join. All are welcome. If you don’t know what it is, let me explain. Disciple-makers is designed to help equip and encourage a follower of Christ to fulfill their responsibility of making disciples. It is a course that covers a variety of foundational beliefs, extremely practical ways to read scripture with believers and non-believers, and the ins and outs of how we change. In essence, it is designed to help us read our bibles well, which is essential for followers of Jesus. So join us as we continue to talk about practical ways to read our bibles.
- On Friday at 7 pm, we are having a prayer gathering through Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/701628681). God has given us a wealth of help in his Word and Prayer. So make time to join us on Friday to pray.
Let me end with this encouragement. The essential thing you can do each day is to read God’s Word. If you have struggled with a consistent pattern of reading God’s Word, now is a great time to begin to develop that rhythm. Don’t beat yourself up over inconsistency. A failed attempt is much better than no attempt at all. We will continue to provide resources to aid you in reading scripture like this PDF that has a few simple questions to guide your reading. Reading God’s Word will make a tremendous difference in how we respond to uncertainty. Like I said on Sunday, uncertainty does not often reveal answers, but it most certainly reveals clarity. Clarity on what is most important, clarity on where our trust lies, clarity on where we should pour our energy. God is faithful, and we are reminded of that in His Word and prayer. Let this scripture from Lamentations 3:22-24 wash over you today:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan