Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church

Last Thursday morning’s rains brought a special blessing to LCPC. A rainbow settled right on top of the church’s sanctuary, and it was amazing to see the pictures (thanks Mark Tombazian). Now there wasn’t a pot of gold anywhere at church and no leprechauns were sighted but it does cause me to pause and think. Does God have something special for us to do?

My first thought is of course He does! He wants us to be blessing to Lakeside, and it comes as each of us lives out what we have been learning in our sermon series on the fruit of the Spirit. Each week we have learned about a different fruit that the Holy Spirit is developing within us. We as disciples of Jesus are to display love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in our lives and as we do this, we will be a blessing to the people that we encounter.

So, go and live out the fruit of the Spirit and be blessing to the people that you meet in your life.

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food

until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are

and to dust you will return.”

Genesis 3:19

Ash Wednesday was yesterday and it marked the beginning of Lent, a forty plus day journey to Holy Week, ending on Holy Saturday, the Saturday before Easter.

I don’t know what your Lenten practices will be. Some of you will fast from something (i.e. no chocolate, no sugar, no meat), some of you make add something (i.e. read the Bible daily, memorize scripture) or you may think of acts of service that you can do for others.

One of my favorites Lenten practices is to follow an online devotional from the Biola University Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts. Here is a link to the Lenten Project:  https://ccca.biola.edu/lent/2026

I hope that you will have a meaningful journey with Christ this Lenten season.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Are you a patient person?