Yesterday we worshiped
at First United Methodist Church, 135 Decker Drive, New Castle, PA 16105,
724.658.5577, www.firstumcnc.org, Rev. Maryann Long, Pastor.
Scripture
– Luke 8:26-39 CEB
Jesus
and his disciples sailed to the Gerasenes’ land, which is across the lake from
Galilee. As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a certain man met him. The man
was from the city and was possessed by demons. For a long time, he had lived
among the tombs, naked and homeless. When he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell
down before him. Then he shouted, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son
of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!" He said this because
Jesus had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many
times it had taken possession of him, so he would be bound with leg irons and
chains and placed under guard. But he would break his restraints, and the demon
would force him into the wilderness.
Jesus
asked him, "What is your name?"
"Legion,"
he replied, because many demons had entered him. They pleaded with him not to
order them to go back into the abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the
hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. Jesus gave them
permission, and the demons left the man and entered the pigs. The herd rushed
down the cliff into the lake and drowned.
When
those who tended the pigs saw what happened, they ran away and told the story
in the city and in the countryside. People came to see what had happened. They
came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone. He was sitting
at Jesus’ feet, fully dressed and completely sane. They were filled with awe.
Those people who had actually seen what had happened told them how the
demon-possessed man had been delivered. Then everyone gathered from the region
of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave their area because they were overcome
with fear. So he got into the boat and returned across the lake. The man from
whom the demons had gone begged to come along with Jesus as one of his
disciples. Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return home and tell the story of
what God has done for you." So he went throughout the city proclaiming
what Jesus had done for him.
Bob’s
thoughts:
I was
impressed on the way in when I found signage at the entrance walk from the
parking lot but I wish there had been a sign as to which doors to use. It’s
embarrassing to try the set that’s still locked but not marked. Jan could be
seen through the other doors and a pleasant woman came and let us in.
The
great crosses outside were an added treat. The original building is ranch-style
and the design of the newer sanctuary is impressive.
There
is good signage and a sizeable kitchen and social area in the older part of the
building. We were a little early getting in for the service which gave a number
of people opportunity to welcome us.
This
one of the most interestingly designed worship spaces I have seen. The blend of
materials, odd angles, mix of new and ancient stained glass is truly wonderful;
I should have taken a video to share. There is a great cross suspended which
cast a shadow I liked as much as the cross. God’s house is ready to welcome His
people.
We
were talking on the hour drive from Economy about churches we have visited and
people we have met. The pastor filling in at this service will serve some of
these yoked churches at his next appointment.
From
the message: sometimes the transforming power of Christ is overwhelming and
sometimes, like me, it takes a while. I thought I was a Christian, albeit not a
very good one, but after 50-some years, Christ claimed me (probably out of
sympathy to my family’s prayers). But when it happened, I was completely
overwhelmed.
When someone
is transformed by Christ, we need to stay close and encourage and teach them.
The pastor offered my favorite evangelism plan: “Tell your story.” One-on-one
witnessing works; it is a personal invite to Christ.
I
have wondered for some time, thinking back to when Christ claimed me, whether
we mentor new Christians or discourage them. We come to Christ with zeal and as
Christians we try to dampen that. Shouldn’t the exuberance of Palm Sunday or
Pentecost still be part of us?
It
was unfortunate the piano drowned out most of the prayer.
Jan’s
thoughts:
We
arrived with a bit of time to spare and were greeted by several people almost
immediately and then by others after we sat. One of the ladies who greeted us
also let us know the pastor was on vacation.
This
building was larger than I expected, and beautifully designed. The sanctuary
especially was an expert mixture of various designs tied in with contemporary
rectangular blocks of stained glass and featuring a huge traditional-style
genuine Tiffany stained glass window. It was all truly striking.
The
signage was plentiful and I noticed many decorative touches.
The
message was presented by Rev. Brandon Moore who was pleased to announce that as
of July 1 he would be the pastor for three yoked congregations, Shannopin,
Glenwillard, and Little Hill. He pointed out three questions coming from the
story about the demon-possessed man in Luke 8:26-39:
1
– Jesus granted a request from a legion of demons;
2
– He also granted a request from a town full of unbelievers;
3
– He did not grant a request from the healed man who then believed.
The
reasons, the preacher stated, were:
1
– Jesus permitted the demons to enter the pigs because it was not yet time for
them to be sent into the abyss;
2
– Christ left the town at the request of the people because His mission was to
the Jews;
3
– He told the man to stay in the town and witness about what Jesus had done for
the man because He knew some in that town would come to believe in Him as a
result.
Like
the man who had been possessed, if we have been transformed, we are given the
mission of proclaiming God’s mercy to not-yet-believers.
An
even more arresting point he made was, “Human solutions to spiritual problems
will ultimately fail.” He gave a couple of examples of conditions it seemed God
meant to grow someone that were “fixed” without the spiritual application
allowing complete and permanent success. I have thought long and hard about
this and was surprised to identify several cases of this in my life. This
concept has changed my perspective on some of the struggles and afflictions in this
world.
We
appreciated the time and conversation of those members who gave us some of the
history behind the Tiffany-made stained-glass window.
Our
prayer for this church:
Father,
we pray You will continue to bless and guide this church and its leaders. Please
equip and inspire this congregation to take Your message to their neighbors and
the world. Encourage them to tell their story. Amen.
Yesterday we worshiped
at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 2147 Ridge Road Ext., Ambridge, PA 15003,
724.266.1169, www.christoursaviors.org, Rev. Jill E. McGregor, Pastor.
Scripture
– ESV
Proverbs
8:1-4, 22-31 –
Does
not wisdom call?
Does
not understanding raise her voice?
On
the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the
gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
"To
you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man.
"The
Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work,
the
first of his acts of old.
Ages
ago I was set up,
at
the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When
there were no depths I was brought forth,
when
there were no springs abounding with water.
Before
the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth,
before
he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world.
When
he established the heavens, I was there;
when
he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when
he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its
limit,
so
that the waters might not transgress his command,
when
he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then
I was beside him, like a master workman,
and
I was daily his delight,
rejoicing
before him always,
rejoicing
in his inhabited world
and
delighting in the children of man.
Psalm
8 –
O
Lord, our Lord,
how
majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the
heavens.
Out
of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of
your foes,
to
still the enemy and the avenger.
When
I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the
moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what
is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet
you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and
crowned him with glory and honor.
You
have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you
have put all things under his feet,
all
sheep and oxen,
and
also the beasts of the field,
the
birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever
passes along the paths of the seas.
O
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Romans
5:1-5 –
Therefore,
since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but
we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and
endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not
put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
John
16:12-15 –
"I
still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the
Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not
speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will
declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will
take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine;
therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
Bob’s
thoughts:
It
has been some time since we last worshiped here and it took a while to realize
what was different: there were some children in worship. It seemed so much more
alive with them there…I felt Christ was welcoming them to come to Him. I often
feel Christ’s Presence in worship but don’t always know why; today the children
with their smiles breathed life into the congregation.
A
question was raised in the children’s message: can you get oranges from an
apple tree? It brought back pleasant memories from my childhood.
There
were two dump sites near where I grew up. One was used mostly by a hinge
company, and we would dig through the sawdust piles to find brass hinges to
take to the scrap yard. On the side of the dump was a large yellow delicious
apple tree that was easy to climb from which we brought tons of apples home to
Mom. But back to today’s message. There was a tree that someone had grafted
others into, so we picked pears, apples, and plums from the same tree.
On
the opposite dump there was a gnarled old peach tree that always reminded me of
the fig tree that Christ cursed. It produced large, juicy fruit. When our son
was killed it was like my memory banks were erased, so I am thankful for this
inadvertent jog to a pleasant memory.
There
was a contemporary song I didn’t remember ever hearing that I enjoyed, “Come,
Join the Dance of Trinity.” The well-developed message on the Trinity was
explained and supported biblically.
I
sense exciting things coming for this church and pastor and I look forward with
hope and optimism.
Jan’s
thoughts:
It’s
been way too long since we last worshiped at this church…8½ years to be exact. The
pastor is a friend and greeted us warmly, as did many others. The pastor serves
this church and another Lutheran congregation nearby so I was glad we’d arrived
early and had time to catch up before worship.
I
was also glad for the open windows and fans and that the humidity was
reasonable.
I
appreciated the order of worship printed in the bulletin as it provided all the
liturgy in an easy-to-follow format.
Most
churchgoers are familiar with the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed; today
we read the Athanasian Creed. If you would like to learn about how God can use
one person, I’d suggest reading up on the work of Athanasius and his defense of
the divinity of Jesus Christ and later of the Holy Spirit. I sure learned a
lot.
The
pastor lamented the current shortage of pastors and then thanked all the
fathers and father figures present with the reminder that we can’t have enough
good men in the lives of children. Amen to that.
As
it was Trinity Sunday, the untitled sermon focused on the Holy Spirit, hence
the reading of the Athanasian Creed. She stated that humans in general find it
difficult to explain the Trinity due to limitations of our language, but the
concept is Scriptural and worth consideration. Martin Luther preached about the
Trinity more than any other reformer.
The
pastor characterized the Trinity: The Father is the Speaker, the Son is the
Word, and the Holy Spirit is the Hearer, and stated that the Trinity is indeed
a mystery, but one we can trust.
I
was grateful to participate in Holy Communion.
Our
prayer for this church:
Lord,
we pray Your continued blessing on Your church and that their hearts are always
open to Your leading. Amen.
Yesterday we worshiped
at Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church, 3916 Bakerstown Road, Gibsonia, PA
15044, 724.473.3449, www.graceingibsonia.org, Pastor Jeff Stivason.
Scripture
– ESV
Exodus
16:1-36 –
They
set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the
wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the
second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole
congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died
by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and
ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill
this whole assembly with hunger."
Then
the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for
you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I
may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when
they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather
daily." So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "At
evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has
heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble
against us?" And Moses said, "When the Lord gives you in the evening
meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard
your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not
against us but against the Lord."
Then
Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the people of
Israel, 'Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.'" And
as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they
looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the
cloud. And the Lord said to Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the
people of Israel. Say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the
morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord
your God.'"
In
the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay
around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the
wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the
people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For
they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread
that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded:
'Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an
omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his
tent.'" And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some
less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing
left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as
much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave any of it
over till the morning." But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part
of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with
them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but
when the sun grew hot, it melted.
On
the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all
the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them,
"This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a
holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil,
and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'" So they
laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink,
and there were no worms in it. Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a
Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you
shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be
none."
On
the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And
the Lord said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments
and my laws? See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth
day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no
one go out of his place on the seventh day." So the people rested on the
seventh day.
Now
the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white,
and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Moses said, "This is
what the Lord has commanded: 'Let an omer of it be kept throughout your
generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the
wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'" And Moses said
to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before
the Lord to be kept throughout your generations." As the Lord commanded
Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. The people of Israel
ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the
manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (An omer is the tenth
part of an ephah.)
John
6:41-59 –
So
the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, "I am the bread that came down
from heaven." They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose
father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from
heaven'?" Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. No
one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise
him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be
taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the
Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the
bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and
not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of
this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life
of the world is my flesh."
The
Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his
flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no
life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my
blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in
me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the
Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the
bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died.
Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." Jesus said these things in
the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
Bob’s
thoughts:
We
both chose blindly from three churches that we had mapped and chose/were guided
to the same one.
We
were early enough to talk to some people and were warmly greeted, especially by
the young children, which made my day.
We
had selected from mainline churches thinking they would celebrate Pentecost,
but again this year we were the only ones wearing red. I was also disappointed
that a mainline church didn’t have a cross anywhere. The mullions in the
windows satisfied that for me. There were a lot of children at this service, so
I felt right at home.
An
oddity for me was that people sang much louder without instrumental
accompaniment. Frequently the words are drowned out or not sang loud enough to
be heard.
From
the message: “We think we know where others should be in their walk,” we know
Jesus. Much like in Christ’s time on earth, people knew Joseph and Mary so how
could Christ be who He said He was?
A
good point raised by Christ is, why didn’t they know? They had the
Scriptures and prophecies, they ought to have known.
It is
always hard to guess if the congregation needs multiple examples or repetition
to get the message; I thought the message was understandable and I think the
congregation got it.
Jan’s
thoughts:
We
arrived early enough to look around some and watch a couple of little ones play
while the adults set up coffee. The kitchen/fellowship area was spacious and
looked new. We observed some architectural drawings on display but did not
examine them closely.
Several
people welcomed us and a couple took time for conversation, which is always
appreciated. I was a little surprised that Pentecost was not observed.
There
was hardly an empty seat in the sanctuary, and many children of all ages joined
in the worship service.
The
music was started by one voice but after that the rest of the voices blended
with volume and harmony. There were no instruments of any kind, and it sounded
marvelous. It’s an interesting change of pace to sing from the Psalter.
The
pastor presented the sermon entitled The Bread of Life, which told the
story in John 6:41-59 in the context of Exodus 16. In both Scriptures, God gave
the Bread of Life: in Exodus it was manna and in John it was Christ.
Our
prayer for this church:
Father,
we pray Your church welcomes You as the Bread of Life and shares Your message.
Amen.
Yesterday we worshiped
at Community Life Church, 1104 Pittsburgh Pike Road, Butler, PA 16001,
724.287.3303, www.clcbutler.org,
Steve & Mamie Ogle, Pastors.
Scripture
–
1
John 1:7-8 –
But
if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship
with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. If
we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the
truth.
Proverbs
18:24 –
The
man of many friends (a friend of all the world) will prove himself a bad
friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs
27:5-6 –
Better
is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse
are the kisses of an enemy.
Proverbs
15:32 –
Refusing
constructive criticism shows you have no interest in improving your life, for
revelation-insight only comes as you accept correction and the wisdom that it
brings.
Proverbs
15:4 –
When
you speak healing words, you offer others fruit from the tree of life. But
unhealthy, negative words do nothing but crush their hopes.
Proverbs
25:20 –
He
who sings songs to a heavy heart is like…vinegar poured upon soda.
Proverbs
12:25 –
Anxious
fear brings depression, but a life-giving word of encouragement can do wonders
to restore joy to the heart.
Proverbs
6:32 –
He
who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit
than he who takes a city.
Proverbs
27:17 –
As
iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Hebrews
10:24 –
Let
us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.
Proverbs
27:9 –
Oil
and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend’s counsel that
comes from the heart.
Proverbs
20:18 –
Plans
succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.
Proverbs
1:7 –
The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and
instruction.
Proverbs
13:20 –
Walk
with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
Psalm
1:1-3 –
Blessed
is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of
sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of
the Lord. And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season,
whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
Proverbs
22:24-25 –
Do
not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, lest
you learn his ways, and find a snare for yourself.
Proverbs
20:1 –
Much
wine makes people mock, liquor makes them noisy, and everyone under their
influence is unwise.
Proverbs
24:1-2 –
Don’t
be envious of evil people, and don’t try to make friends with them. Causing
trouble is all they ever think about; every time they open their mouth someone
is going to be hurt.
Bob’s
thoughts:
We go
to worship without expectations but we were genuinely overwhelmed by the
greeting and hospitality from this church. We were offered coffee and snacks,
rest rooms were identified, and the location of child care and sanctuary. We
learned a little of the history of the church and their current building. We had
an enjoyable time before we ever got to worship. My legs gave out early and I
sat through most of the service. While seated I could only see the cross on the
banner, but the back wall was painted blue with white ping pong balls covering
except a void to form a cross.
When
there is a sermon outline, I always try to fill in the blanks early, but before
long the light was too dim to read the small print.
There
was a welcoming speech but I couldn’t hear much over the music. Later there was
prayer and the music was more muffled.
There
were two screens with readable words and good contrast, best of all the words
were in sync with the music. One of my favorite lines from a song was part of
worship: “When death was arrested and my life began.”
There
was a moment for stewardship which brought to mind some favored statements:
“You cannot out-give God – try it.” We have been in tight spots financially,
but never once did God fail us. When I was just learning about tithing, I faced
a dilemma: I had run out of bird seed but also needed to buy food for my
family. I felt I was letting God down by not continuing to feed His birds. I
gave in and bought the bird feed and the money was there to feed my family.
When we turned to God, we were given a car, we were given a house, our needs
were met. Try to out-give God.
The
message was part of a series on relationships, today’s was on Godly Friendships.
There are many who will tell you what you want to hear, and some will tell you
the truth that you need to hear. Always seek the truth. I’ve had the advice of
fools and the counsel of godly people; go for the good stuff.
I enjoyed
talking to a number of members and wish I could have met more. I was thankful
for the pastors’ time after the service.
I think
the pastors could do an interesting message in a he said/she said format. Just
a sentence or two, maybe a dialog. I remember years ago, two men doing a dialog
from the pews and ending with them in the lectern and pulpit. Not a lot stays
with me, but this was powerful and they could talk about things that are hard
to preach.
Jan’s
thoughts:
We
arrived in good time and were warmly greeted at the door by three ladies who
then showed us around and took time for conversation. They made sure we got
some refreshments and introduced us to some other folks. We were welcomed
before, during, and after worship, and many people took the time for
conversation.
I
was beyond blessed when I encountered a woman who used to work in the same
building I did – an hour away! She and I have both moved on, but the Lord
reunited us here!
For
14 years, this congregation worshiped at a school building and only within the
last couple of years moved into this building that had been vacated by a
special needs school. It has plenty of room and is beautifully decorated with
an uncluttered feel.
We
found seats at the back of the worship area and still had a clear view of the
projection screens. The dark-colored rear wall of the worship platform was
decorated with what looked like ping pong balls in an even, square pattern
except for the cross-shaped space in the center. The musical worship was led by
a drummer and two guitarists, one acoustic and one electric.
There
were two things I couldn’t help but notice, both having to do with the words on
the screens. First, I really enjoyed the vibrant backgrounds on the slides,
they were fantastic. And second, the timing of the slide changes was perfect.
Each slide was advanced as the last 2-3 words were sung, giving the
congregation time to read the first 2-3 words on the next slide, so we were
able to avoid a lag.
The
sermon series is called Resurrecting
Relationships and this was Part 6:
Godly Friendships. It was presented tag team style by the married
co-pastors. In defining an authentic relationship, she named the traits of
vulnerability, transparency, honesty, and humility. She also spoke of
co-dependency, which causes feelings of “don’t trust, don’t talk, and don’t
feel,” none of which go away until they are dealt with. The shallow,
superficial relationships continue because we still wear our masks.
The
church is planning a summer full of events with the goal of helping members get
to know each other and drop their masks. I applaud their courage and pray for
their success.
The
pastors presented an excellent, Scripturally-based list of 8 Traits of a Godly Friend:
1
– A godly friend is in a living relationship with Jesus and the Word of God.
2
– A godly friend tells us the truth even if it hurts.
3
– A godly friend uses kind insight speaking gently, using encouraging, calming
words.
4
– A godly friend helps the soul to stretch.
5
– Godly friends offer wise counsel.
6
– Godly friends are not fools.
7
– Godly friends have self-control.
8
– Godly friends will shun evil.
A
quote I appreciated: “Words are free. It’s how you use them that may cost you.”
As
someone who is a work in progress, I am striving to be a more godly friend.
Our
prayer for this church:
Lord,
we praise You for leading us to Your church and letting us get to know Your
people there. We pray You continue to bless them in all their relationships,
especially with You. Amen.
