07/12/2019
I may have shared this before but when one of my daughters was young and we visited my Grandma Napier, she must have shared that she was worried about something. Driving in the car on the way home, we saw my daughter in the back seat repeatedly moving her arm as if throwing something behind her. I asked why and she informed me that Grandma had told her to take her worries and just throw them away. She did not need to carry them around.
I think there is some wisdom in that interaction. I was reminded in a devotion I read this week that we can direct conscious thoughts. We can reject negative or sinful thoughts. When we do this we can then stop those thoughts from controlling our minds and will be able to find ourselves instead truly aware of the presence of God. I agree with this as I sometimes say to folks that it is truly a mind game...telling our mind that we are not going to go there. Instead we choose to turn our mind to God.
We have launched a summer sermon series surrounding the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis. This upcoming Sunday I will be sharing about his time in jail and his unjust imprisonment. We know that his heart was right with God. Joseph knew God in his heart but he would need to know God in his mind. He would have to choose what he thought about God in his life and in those circumstances.
I think that we often talk about the transformation of our hearts and giving our hearts to God. However, I am NOT certain we talk as much about the transformation of our minds and giving our minds to God. I know that God desires this of us.
“To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” Luke 1:79
Rev. Patti Napier
Archived Posts
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.
You Might Be Thinking It’s All About You If…
In working on Sunday’s sermon I asked my computer’s AI if she/he could come up with a few suggestions in answer to the above: "You Might be thinking it’s all about you, if…."
Prayer Changes Things
Here is a transcript of the prayer I prayed at the end of yesterday’s sermon.
Optimism, Faith, and Hope:
Practical Steps For Increasing All Three
Here are some practical, spiritual, and relational ways to grow faith, hope and optimism:
Listening Heart
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.
Here are some quotes that
didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon.
(But it doesn’t mean that they don’t offer real insight into the power of risk over the fear of failure...)