05/25/2019
Memorial Day seems to have diverse purposes as we observe the upcoming weekend.
1. The original purpose was to honor those who died in serving our country.
2. This seems to have expanded to decorating not only gravesites of those who
had served our country but also our other loved ones.
3. The Indianapolis 500 weekend
4. First weekend of summer
5. Open up the lake houses
And maybe you have other purposes for the weekend. I think that no matter the activity of the weekend, I hope you will take some time to remember…
1. Remember those who have served our country so that we have freedoms that
others may not have.
2. Remember loved ones who have impacted your life directly maybe not with
physical flowers on a gravesite but with prayers of thanks.
My mom makes the journey to place flowers on the gravesites of her mother, her father, and her sister each year. The years that I have made that trip with her, I see on her face that she is immersed in memories of them. What a beautiful way to honor the deceased person but also to honor God with thanks for the life that was shared with us.
Wherever the weekend may take you, I hope that you will pause to remember...most importantly remember that God has journeyed this life with you wherever that has been and that God will move forward with you...and in fact is ahead of you.
Have a blessed and safe Memorial Weekend. Pastor Patti
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It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. Wisdom in the Bible is all about listening. Of course it makes sense that wisdom would start with listening to God, to God’s law and commandments, as well as the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
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I reflected a lot on the passage about Zacchaeus because it has been written off as “been there, read that, little guy in a tree.” But it is so rich in getting to the heart of what it means to be saved by grace through faith—to live our lives out of gratitude rather than obligation.
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This last Sunday I had so much more to share than time to share it. The last Emotional Management Technique was to stay present in the process. Just as Jesus stayed with the woman who was judged and found guilty by the angry crowd, we stay by our children and our friends, especially when they need us the most. Here a couple of examples...
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Last Sunday I used one of my favorite benedictions.
It was inspired by a saying from about ten years ago: