Pastor’s Note 7/2/2021

Posted on Jul 2, 2021 in Devotions, HomePage, Uncategorized | 0

It’s almost July 4th and for me, that always feels like it means that we are in the middle of all that summer has to offer. For some that means that we are preparing for vacations, for others it is a time to BBQ and enjoy time outdoors. Some of us want to enjoy some time at the beach others want to lounge by a pool. 
 

Summer Reads’

It also can be time when you pick a book or two to read. I thought I would make a few suggestions of books that you may want to read. Now these aren’t all books that I have read (although I have read some of them). Several have been recommended to me, others are on my bookshelf waiting for me to crack open. 
 
Here is a short list of books that you may want to read this summer:
  •  A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society by Eugene Peterson This is a classic book by noted pastor and author Eugene Peterson. In a society that is obsessed with quick and instant solutions Peterson uses the Songs of Ascents (Psalm 120-134) as a prescription for fighting against quick fixes and calling us to discipleship that is a journey with Christ.
  • Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr. This is a great book that can help Christians become like Christ and is a great help for Christians at any stage of their journey. I like the Mulholland defines spiritual formation as “the process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.”  
  • Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. This book is a classic that uses allegory to share about how to become sure-footed in our faith even as we face life’s rockiest moments.
  • How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice by Jemar Tisby This book is on my list to read and was recommended by several of my friends as I sought to learn more on how to move beyond discussions about racism to understanding and implementing some tools to fight against it.
  • one thousand gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp This book was on my wife’s bookshelf and I know that it is recommended by her as a book that helps you engage in a life that is transformed by God’s joy.
  • Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behingd Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist Another book that was on my wife’s bookshelf but I have loved reading Shauna’s other writings and her words are helpful as we seek to live meaningful lives that are connected to God and to others.
  • The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley This is another book on my “wish list” of books to read. The author writes about some simple daily and weekly habits that can help to transform our lives and faith.
Let me know what you read and if you have any other recommendations for me to read. 
 
Happy reading and I will see you this Sunday.

Pastor’s Note 6/20/21

Posted on Jun 24, 2021 in Devotions, HomePage, Uncategorized | 0

This Sunday marks the first day of summer and with that comes a season of change. With COVID restriction being lifted it means that many of us will be taking vacations and changing our routines, but even with all the different directions we may be going, it will be good for us to stay connected as a church family.

This summer I want to encourage you to join me as we pray together as a church family.

For the next 12 weeks of summer, I want to invite you to pray three times per day:

  • In the morning when you awake, a Prayer of Relinquishment.
  • At mid-day (at 12:12pm, so we can remember, The Lord’s Prayer.
  • In the evening, an adapted Prayer for Unity that Jesus prayed in John 17.

 

You can receive a copy of these prayers at church or they will be posted on our social media pages and on our website. Each of these prayers are a jumping off point for other prayers. It is my hope that we would be praying that God would be moving in our lives and in the lives of people that we know.

So grab a prayer sheet (or two) and place it where you will be reminded to pray.

The when or where of your praying isn’t important, the important thing is to pray! I hope that you will join me in praying these prayers this summer and let’s see what God has in store for us and for our church.

God bless and I am looking forward to praying with you this summer.


Pastor’s Note 6/24/21

Posted on Jun 24, 2021 in Devotions, HomePage, Uncategorized | 0

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of
mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree
planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in
the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to
destruction. Psalm 1:1-6
 
NEW SERIES
Last Sunday we started a new sermon series entitled, “God’s Greatest Hits” as we take a deep dive into the Psalms, the spiritual
songs, poems, and sayings of the Hebrew people. It has sometimes been called “God’s Hymn Book” and down through the
ages, in both Jewish synagogues and Christian churches, the words from the Psalms have been used as aids to worship God.
The great thing about the Psalms is that they provided words that allow us to praise God, to adore God, to give thanks to God, to complain to God, and to lament to God. So whether we are ready to praise God because of His creation or ready to complain to Him because of our circumstances, the Psalms give us words (and permission) to do so.
 
JOIN US
I will admit though, reading the Psalms can be difficult. It takes time and effort (at least for me it takes time and effort) to study the Psalms and glean insights from them. Sometimes the words can be difficult to understand, especially without the context from which they were written. So let me invite you join us as we work our way through the “hits” from God’s songbook.
 
PS If you missed last week’s sermon you can watch it on our website, our LCPC Church APP, or YouTube channel (here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUTg1MH260M&t=948s) and if you aren’t a subscriber to our YouTube channel, be sure to sign up.

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