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
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.