Many people set a goal for the New Year for positive change in their lives. Christians, on Ash Wednesday, set a goal to change our lives. Not to randomly change our lives, but to transform our lives so that we may become more like Christ and so we may glorify God. From Ash Wednesday we march into the season of Lent, focusing 40 days on a practice which will then become a positive discipline in our lives. 

This Ash Wednesday I am thinking about the Scripture from Genesis 3: 19..”.for you are dust and to dust you shall return.” This reminds me that without the breath or Spirit of God moving in us, we are just like ashes--lifeless and worthless. Without the Spirit of God, we are not what the Army slogan in the 1980’s suggested for us, “Be all you can be”. Without the Spirit of God, we will not receive the fruits of the spirit...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control. Oh, we may think that we can manufacture those or discipline those into our lives of our own strength, but the Holy Spirit can do so much more than we can of our own accord. 

I shared with traditional worship this past Sunday and will do the same in contemporary worship on 2/23, the goals and vision for Carmel UMC in 2020. As a United Methodist denomination during these uncertain times, it is difficult to  navigate the issues of sexuality, marriage and status of clergy. There is and probably will be increasing conversations and questions. I will keep you apprised of information as it becomes available. I do so cautiously as there are copious amounts of communication from all viewpoints and the media as well.