07/24/2019
I ran across something by John Piper, a well known preacher. He says that every day God is doing perhaps 10,000 different things in our lives but you will only be dimly aware of perhaps three of those things. The number is arbitrary but the point is absolutely right. We barely get a glimmer of all that God is doing in us, through us and for us.
Did you know that the northeast side door into the sanctuary has a peephole? The purpose of placement for that peephole is to allow the pastor and groomsmen at the start of the wedding to be able to have a look inside the sanctuary to see where we are in the wedding order. We can take a peek to see how close the time is for us to enter. (Actually any one of the men may look in the peep hole because whoever placed the whole was taller than me! ) When we look into that peephole, at best we can see a sliver of what lies on the other side of the door. We often mistake that “sliver” for the whole spectrum of reality. God knows what He is doing and is NEVER clueless, even when we don’t have a clue.
As we continue to study the story of Joseph as found in the Old Testament, we certainly see a man who certainly had to trust that God was in control throughout many difficult circumstances.
Each day I am working to lean into that strength of God and learning to trust Him more and more. It’s a journey...life is a journey...faith is a journey!!
God is great all the time!!! Pastor Patti
Archived Posts
What just missed the cut for Sunday’s Sermon
Naaman’s servants may actually become one of the hidden gems of the sermon. They say, essentially: “If the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it.”
One of the Longest Benedictions I Ran Out of Time to Share
Maybe you know the story of how Joseph and Mary accidentally left Jesus at the gas station on their way home from Jerusalem. Well, not the gas station bathroom in Jesus’ case. Joe and Mary are far down the road before they realize Jesus isn’t with them...
So many quips and quotes...
So little time to preach
I wonder what Mary and Martha’s phones might look like:
* Martha = the open browser with 27 tabs
* Mary = the single window that matters
* Psalm 46 = God saying, “Close the tabs.”
Quotable Outtakes That Didn’t Make the Sermon This Week
“When you try to control everything, you don’t just exhaust yourself—you quietly replace trust in God with trust in you.” & more
There is a challenge when it comes to preaching the Word of God.
Preachers are called to open up and interpret the word—inspired and written down thousands of years ago—and make it relevant to a very different world. On top of that there’s a degree of persuasion that goes along with the process.
What Jessica Really Meant to Say in Her Sermon…
When Jessica or Rick or a guest preacher takes the pulpit it’s hard for me to write a One More Thing Blog. I can’t share with you what didn’t make it into the sermon because I have no idea, not having written or delivered it.
Jesus Keeps On Ruining Funerals!
I didn’t have anything this last week that didn’t end up in the sermon. No catchy illustrations that didn’t make the cut. No theological insights that slowed down the main point. No one can ruin a funeral like Jesus. Told as I saw it and that was it. So I did some quick research and I thought I’d share just a reminder of what Easter is all about.