Hello brother and sister pilgrims on a journey of faith. We come up on the end of our summer and begin to make plans for what God will show us in this fall season. I'm really sorry the summer is over for once again, my list of things I wanted to do didn't really happen the way I wanted it to. But I did get one or two surprises along the way.
Best surprise in the midst of challenges, we flew to Florida because Elaine's mom is having some health challenges. We did accomplish a lot while we were there, so that was good, and we had an afternoon to ourselves. We ran down to Disney's Buena Vista Marketplace shopping area. From highway 4 we saw a huge hot air balloon floating above the trees from a long way off. Now, I've always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon, but this was totally unexpected. Lo and Behold, the balloon was tethered at Buena Vista Marketplace. And it had a very short waiting line. Elaine took a chance and agreed to go with me.
It rose up 400 feet above the lake, and we could see in all directions, what an awesome view. And it was quite safe. Turns out to be a very great ride and we got some awesome pictures up there. I am thankful that Elaine was willing to go with me. HINT, God can give us a great perspective on life if we connect and focus on God's gift of the Holy Spirit and allow God to lift us up when we pray and gain a view of what may be ahead, or at least a view that tells us that what troubles us so much, is really much smaller than we imagined. So take time to pray and meditate on Scripture a lot more can be seen and understood from that altitude and attitude with God's help.
Our grandson turned six this August and his dad came up with a fantastic party. Andy discovered that Oscar really likes the star wars story now that he has finally seen some of them. Andy discovered that you can invite Star Wars characters in costume to come and visit your party. So.... Darth Vader came and surprised Oscar. It was an awesome party. And... The Darth Vader character is a volunteer and the cost of the visit goes to a charity of your choice, how awesome is that! Great idea and a lot of fun for a party.
Now the fall season is upon us, new schedules, new efforts to try to help people discover what God is doing in our midst, and an invitation to join God's plan, not asking God to bless our plans. There is a big difference. It's not easy sometimes because it can look like the opposite of what we have in mind. But God is able to do far more than we can even imagine! (Eph.3:20) So our journey of faith is to ask God to show us how we ought to go in life, in faith, in service, and adjust our expectations to God's plans, as difficult as that might be.
This fall I've decided to change some things I've done for years, you can teach and old dog new tricks... I've decided to do a series of topics and themes for sermons, as usual, but this time I've divided them up to only once a month. For instance, on the second Sunday of each month, I'm preaching on a section of Colossians, a letter from Paul that most clearly highlights the work of Jesus. On the third week of the month I'm preaching on some of John Wesley's greatest thoughts for our faith. On the fourth Sunday I'm preaching on a HOT TOPIC, something that happens during the month that deserves some sermonic (big word) reflection. I've found a great resource called Wired Word, a weekly lesson for Sunday School and preaching that highlights up to the minute events and situations and provides scripture and study material to go with the topic. I'm looking forward to that part.
On the occasional fifth Sunday we are going to spend time praying and asking for strength to meet the challenges we face and may even pray for healing for those who would be interested. That would happen in September and December this year.
Blessings on your going back to school and regular schedules this fall. Try including something new that will enhance your journey with God. Pray more often or for longer periods of time, worship more often, find a new devotion to help your Bible reading, share your faith with a friend, serve your community or your congregation in a way that will bless others. Happy September everyone!
Pastor Jeff
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