03/27/2019
Have you ever had a day or moment when you felt like there were so many things coming at you that you clutched your head saying “I can’t take this anymore?” Life can make so much noise that you cannot think and the noise is all you hear.
Walking in church on Sunday reminded me of this kind of noise. A security alarm was stuck...ringing and ringing and ringing. We had a key to silence it but that only lasted a couple of minutes. Just not enough!!! After the majority of people left the church building, I silenced the alarm once again. Pastor Aj said to me “The silence sounds SO good and silent.”
Sometimes we live our lives with continual blaring noise and even forget how wonderful the silence is. We forget how relaxing, yet energizing the silence can be. Maybe that is something that you need to add to your life of faith. As we are talking about “Dangerous Prayers” on Sundays leading up to Easter, just maybe you could step away from the noise and into the silence with God. In my message Sunday, I shared about the Jewish practice of covering your head with a prayer shawl (called a tallit) understanding that a quiet place with God has been created. I sometimes think of that as a private tabernacle. If you are a mom or dad, imagine what a family member may say if they came upon you in a quiet room, sitting on the floor, with a covering over your head. I know--your family would probably tease you about that!!! Mom or Dad has lost it!!! But imagine the example you are setting for them and the benefit for you.
I believe we will lose our minds and souls if we don’t take moments to ground ourselves in God and to renew our souls! Why not try? Let me know what you discover!
Blessings, 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.