Different Ways to Pray – Many Verses!

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Different Ways to Pray – Many Verses!

Think of prayer as communication with the Divine Creator of the universe. You may find that concept equally terrifying and exciting. The great news is that God wants to communicate with us because, as an expression of His love for humanity, God wants to have a deeply personal, intimate relationship with each of us. With all of that in mind, any sincere prayer is a good prayer. Prayer is NOT a performance to be graded; it is a genuine point of connection.

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Letting God’s Spirit Soak In – Matthew 26:26-28 and John 6:35

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Letting God’s Spirit Soak In – Matthew 26:26-28 and John 6:35

God loves us so much, in such a personal and intimate way, that His Spirit saturates us so that His presence completely merges with and nurtures our presence – not just during communion, but every day – a shared experience with our Creator. God wants the Holy Spirit and our spirit to be living, breathing, growing, exploring, and working together – as one. A shared existence.

When we realize that God’s Spirit is living inside us AND inside everyone we meet, we are more likely to be at peace with ourselves and others. We’re more likely to be able to love ourselves and love others. And in doing so, we are more likely to welcome more people into this universal community of faith we call the Kingdom of God.

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Virtue #8 – Flourishing Churches Work Well with Others – 8 Short Verses

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Virtue #8 – Flourishing Churches Work Well with Others – 8 Short Verses

Working well with others is part of what gives people, organizations, and entire communities the resilience needed to get through tough times. Lord knows we’ve all needed extra resilience these past two years. Locally, we’ve endured massive wildfires, prolonged power outages, and a prison closing. Nationally, we’ve dealt with bitter politics, Covid’s persistence, and now a war involving a nuclear super-power.

We need each other to survive and thrive in every aspect of our lives – mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually. We need to worship together, serve together, eat and drink together, laugh and cry together – just like Jesus did with His friends and His enemies. As we aspire to be a church that flourishes in our community, we must continue working well with others. And by doing so, we will demonstrate and experience what it means to be part of the Kingdom of God.

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2 Corinthians 8:1-14 – Margie Meserve – Happiness is the Joy of Giving

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2 Corinthians 8:1-14 – Margie Meserve – Happiness is the Joy of Giving

Paul’s letter centers on financial giving as a mean of sharing God’s grace. Financial giving can be expanded to include other areas in how we give. There are numerous ways to be good stewards. When we join the church, we promise to contribute our prayers, presence, gifts and service to benefit our faith community.

In 2 Corinthians 9:7 Paul writes, “We all should give what we have decided in our hearts to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” A “cheerful” giver is one who give out of love. The Macedonian churches and the Corinthian church were happy to give all they could, and they did so because they loved God. Giving and serving from love brings happiness. In giving financially and of ourselves we extent God’s blessings and grace to others. Our resources are not infinite, whether it is money or time, but everyone can experience the joy and blessings of generosity; because everyone has something to give.

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