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Pastor’s Note
I hope you will take the time to consider utilizing the resources related to mental health shown in this month’s newsletter. Be it a small group discussion about one of the sermons on the various emotions, or the community health needs focus group, the way we approach this season can have a significant impact on…
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Pastor’s Note
Only a year ago, I used the September Newsletter as a means of communicating the danger of isolation, and the importance of being aware of just how much precarious situations can create stresses on our mental, physical, and spiritual health. What a difference a year makes…NOT! If anything, this past year has given cause to…
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Pastor’s Note
Every now and then, a story will speak to me on multiple levels. Here is such a story, shared by inspirational writer and speaker, John O’Leary (www.johnolearyinspires.com): A small drip coffee and a blueberry muffin. This was the order placed at a Starbucks by a gentleman named Jim. Jim didn’t seem like he had many…
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From the Pastor
Monster-sized salads, mouthwatering sandwiches, and portions as big as the employees’ spirits. In other words, not your ordinary restaurant. Those are the words that describe an Indiana eatery appropriately named, Out of the Ordinary Restaurant. (I can almost see some of you Googling it right now. By the way, it should be on or near…
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Pastor’s Note
An article written some five years ago by a major business resource says the difference between who you are and who you want to be is nothing more than mindset. That sounds like really good news…and really troubling news! I guess Henry Ford was right – whether you think you can or think you can’t…
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Roger Ross, Director of Congregational Excellence for The Missouri Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, recently wrote a book entitled, Come Back – Returning to the Life You Were Made For. In the book, Ross references something called a “Cynicism Spiral” – a spiral of emotions whose end result is being stuck in cynicism.…
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Pastor’s Note
Recently, I read a statement that said this: What many church leaders are about to face is this truth: Unchurched people aren’t looking for Christendom. They’re looking for Christ. Some may ask, “What’s the difference?” To that, I would advise you to ask someone—a friend, family member, or even a stranger—who does not go to…
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Pastor’s Note
Adaptation or Innovation. Which will it be? One year ago our world was delivered a proverbial punch in the gut. Businesses, schools, public gathering places, and yes, churches, were closed. For a while it seemed as if everyone just climbed into a bunker, determined to wait it out. And those businesses, institutions, and churches that…
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From the Pastor
The day we have been waiting for has come – the day of the vaccine! It’s just that – as with most anything in life – the announcement and the reality are somewhat mutually exclusive. Yes, there is a vaccine; no, it is not as widely available as many had hoped. So what do we…
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Pastor’s Note
It was just about 1 year ago that I asked this question: What space am I willing to seek in finding God’s purpose for me in 2020? It was a reference to the “space” we allow in our lives in order to grow as followers of Jesus Christ. Little did any of us know what…