01/03/2020
Roundabouts are a way of Life…at least in Carmel, IN
In Carmel, a frequent topic of conversation is roundabouts and certainly most everyone has an opinion. I will admit that I have always looked forward to every new one being completed. I will actually plan my route from here to there thinking about where there are roundabouts.
Maybe roundabouts can help us think about our lives for the new year (can you believe it is going to be 2020?!)
Entering a roundabout…
-Some approach with a watchful eye and carefully judge when to enter the roundabout safely.
-Some see the entry stage as a challenge and aggressively enter the roundabout dashing in and barely missing contact with another car.
-Some actually STOP even though there is not a single car in the roundabout just because they are not sure or they simply prefer a stop sign.
Entering 2020...How will you approach the New Year? With a plan and goals? Just barrel right into the year with no thought or planning? Or will you actually stop and perhaps spend time reflecting and praying about God’s will for your year?
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Exiting a roundabout…
-Some enjoy the ride on the merry-go-round so they go round and round not really getting anywhere.
-Some miss their exit and have to try again
-Some simply exit at the right place and the right time.
Entering 2020...How will you spend the New Year? Living life just as it comes with no purpose or direction? Will you have times of mistake and need to start over again? Will you frequently review your goals and vision and see accomplishment during the year?
Most importantly...look to the center of the roundabouts at least here in Carmel. Yes, those monuments can also say something to us. Those monuments are large and built to stay in place. Remember as you navigate your year that we have a God who is large and will stay with you wherever you go in 2020!!
Navigate 2020 with God in the center of life!!! Pastor Patti
Archived Posts
One Final Scene About Scrooge
There was one more scene in Dickens’s novel that reveals something of what has happened to Scrooge over the years. I did not have time to share it on Sunday, but I believe it reveals a great deal about the regrets in Scrooge’s life....
What Jacob Marley Would Do,
If He Could Do It…
I thought about using the following for a benediction—since Jacob Marley was warning Scrooge about the danger of loving money and what it could buy. Ends up with the Cantata and everything else going on, I didn’t have the time. So here is what you might have heard if the sermon itself was 5 minutes shorter!
A Confirming Word on Old King Herod
I just want to echo what Rick said in his fine sermon yesterday (Nov. 23). Herod was a ruthless tyrant and skilled politician. When the Magi don’t report back to him, he decides to kill all the male children of Bethlehem under the age of 2. That’s one paranoid dude.
Power Without Conscience?
I ran out of room for this vignette in Sunday’s sermon. Remember the quote that could be the headline for Ahab and Naboth: “All that’s needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” The following reinforces that truth.
The Cars Are Looking for A King
I don’t have a thing to add to Pastor Jessica’s excellent sermon this last Sunday. The fable/parable she shared has been one of my favorites for all the lessons she pulled from it in her message. I was playing around with my friend Chat GPT and after several abortive attempts, we came up with the following modernized version of Judges 9:7-15.
The Lost Benediction
Depending on the length of the sermon, I try to add a little something extra in my benedictions. This week I wrote up a benediction but then realized we’d be singing and waving our umbrellas to some New Orleans jazz.
Change of Focus This Week
Instead of sharing with you about yesterday’s sermon I’d like to invite you to do some background reading for next Sunday’s “Only Murders in the Bible.” Seeing that it is All Saints Day this Sunday, we are going to look at the very first Christian martyr, Stephen.