Three Things

Earlier this month, we started a new sermon series at St. Luke’s, “Music That Changed the World.” We have been looking at important songs throughout history that have meant so much to our culture and other cultures in the world. There’s no doubt that music speaks to our soul in a way that is just different from spoken language.

What does it mean to deny yourself? In Matthew 16:25, Jesus said to His Disciples if any man would come after me, let him deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me for whoever tries to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it for what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul.

I had a great mom. I know everyone is not as lucky, but I was truly blessed. My mom was there to love and encourage me. She was an amazing lady. She taught my brother and I the “Golden Rule,” and she was constantly reminding us to treat others the way we wanted to be treated.

We are bombarded with messages and promises for a quick fix to a happier life. And what so many people are discovering is that what we need is already inside each of us. I don’t know where things stand in your life at the beginning of 2017, but I do know that with each new day we are gifted, God gives everyone a chance to make it our best day and even our best year, yet.

I am really looking forward to 2017! There is so much possibility, a blank slate awaiting us with every new year.  At St. Luke’s, we are calling 2017, “The Year…

There is so much inspiration we can draw upon, leading up to the birth of Jesus. After learning that she has become pregnant, Mary goes to see her cousin Elizabeth. She provides Mary with incredible encouragement and kindness. God used Elizabeth to encourage Mary and I believe he still uses us today to encourage people in our lives.

The Season of Advent begins on Sunday! The Advent sermon series planned this year is titled, “The Roadmap to Bethlehem,” and I wanted to give you a glimpse into the treasures I believe we can uncover when we look at this journey together.

Election Day is finally here and I have just three things I want to share with you. 3 things that each of us can commit to doing to continue to make a positive difference, regardless of who becomes our next President of the United States of America.

To be human is to mess up and make mistakes. We hurt one another, whether intentionally or unintentionally through snarky Facebook comments, text messages, email and even in person. Still, God offers us unconditional love and acceptance through grace.

There is a growing amount of research to support the idea that our mindset and emotional state greatly impacts our reality. In other words, it’s exactly what we read in Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinks, so he is.”