The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want.… The Lord is our shepherd… the joy available to all who place the weight of life on our heavenly father is beyond what we can hope for or imagine. That being said, most of us have had seasons that seem to lead us to believe otherwise.
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“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:28-34 (NIV)
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I can remember it like it was yesterday. I think almost everyone who attended Sunday school during the sixties and seventies has a memory of the high tech presentation systems used to etch memories in the minds of the young people who never missed a week. In fairness to this generation, attendance was not high because of the quality of storytelling but rather the willingness of a parent to use soap or the back of their hand to quickly put an end to any attempt to present an alternate to the fast paced drama that would unfold on the felt board every Sunday morning. We were told they were parables but we cared more about pulling the hair of the girl in the row in front of us or throwing a paper airplane at the teacher’s head. The felt board was a marvel of modern artistry but the stories got old really quick.
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We all have things we want to change about ourselves, things that we believe would make life better. From the shape of our nose to the contents of our wardrobe, from our home to the car we drive, at some point every one of us has thought that external changes will make internal struggles subside. It is the basis of all marketing: do this and make life better. What if we changed what changes us? What if the eternal influenced the internal which in turn changed the external? What if you/your church made 2023 a year of renovation, not a makeover but instead strip everything back to the footings and rebuild stronger and better than ever before?
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I am stuck in a holding pattern. Even though I have been here before it doesn’t get any easier. The same worries overwhelm me as I face the fact that I am not far from running out of fuel! There have been a few midair refuelling opportunities but it has been a long time since I have landed anywhere. Things remain up in the air; no contact with the tower and no permission to land. I remain in a holding pattern, playing the waiting game, a game I always seem to lose even though I play it so well.
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I see no need to attend church. I know it sounds crazy coming from a pastor but the truth is I have trouble giving a good reason to show up every Sunday let alone throughout the week. I am referring to the congregation of course, if I don’t show up I won’t have a job.
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