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
Let’s Not Overlook Joseph of Nazareth
I asked my research assistant—a certain ChatGPT—what the most interesting facet of Joseph’s life might be. She shared a couple of things that didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon but you might still find inspirational...
Key Takeaway from Sunday
If I had to identify a specific take away from
Sunday’s sermon it would probably be this:
The Rest of the Story
I mentioned Russell Conwell in Sunday’s message. He was a famous preacher, educator, and lecturer. His sermon/lecture “Acres of Diamonds” was turned into a book and sold rather well. I used Conwell’s illustrations to talk about sharing the good news of Jesus with those closest to us first—family, friends, coworkers, and church family. The wider world is our ultimate aim, but until you invest in the people God has already put in your life, you are unlikely to have much success.
No One Said It Would be Easy
To love Jesus first is to learn to love all the other people in our lives with greater intensity and less selfishness
What’s Saved Is Often Lost
Here’s the benediction we didn’t have time for yesterday (Sunday, November 3). It’s one of my favorite quotations (portions of a newspaper column). I hope you find it as inspiring as I have
Leftovers Continued…
It’s not just the fact that God is un-impressed by our leftovers, it actually goes deeper than that. In a sense, Jesus is passionately and purposely opposed to anything leftover. To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to work diligently to make sure that in the end nothing at all is left over.
Less Stuff and Fewer Wants
Here’s a point I left off Sunday’s sermon due to time and length. In dealing with an Entitled mindset it is very helpful if you can Reduce Materialism and Consumerism.