My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old— things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. Psalm 78 1-4 Jayne and I have richly discovered how St. Andrew’s UMC honors Pastor Appreciation Month. We have been overwhelming inundated with gifts, notes, and cards of appreciation. We are truly grateful for each and every one of them. As we are truly grateful for each and every one of you in this community of St. Andrew’s in Brandon. So, as Pastor Appreciation Month is honored, we feel compelled to turn the wording around to affirm that we, the pastors, appreciate all of you, as well. This community embodies the core of what a church is all about. It has a heart and a mission for Christ into the world. And that is not an easy task in this age. It is an understatement to say that the world has changed. And not just since the pandemic. I was reading an article that said for the first time in history, we have six distinctly different generations living together in the world—the greatest generation, baby boomers, millennials, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z. It’s because we are living longer that we can mix six generations living together at the same time. We have this great opportunity for relating inter-generationally. This article also stated that Gen Y is the first generation of children that don’t need adults for information. Thank you, Google! They can get every piece of information in existence and get it online. Yet the world does not need more information, but the understanding of information. The world needs to know what is truly important and transforming—things like forgiveness, grace, mercy, relationships, and purpose in life. It needs to know what it means to be generous, caring, loving, and compassionate; what it means to be a servant in our society; how to seek justice and care for the poor. This is where the church is responsible—because the church is the bearer of this message and recognizes and proclaims that its source is God through His son Jesus Christ. The local church is the hope of the world. If you think about it, it is a powerful responsibility for St. Andrew’s. Yet this is a church that has shown that it has a heart for the mission. Psalm 78:4 proclaims, “We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, HIS power, and the wonders he has done.” We are called to teach the next generation, and generations to come, how great God is and how great is His love for us—something we cannot discover by Googling it. The article summed it up well when it says that we should not leave the next generation with a higher standard of living, but a higher standard for living. It is a task that St. Andrew’s is more than ready to undertake. #aplaceforgrace

Does your day ever end with the feeling that you did not get everything done? You know, you have list of “to do’s” and you did not finish it. Or maybe your list got longer as the day went on. I don’t think it is unusual to end our days feeling frustrated by what we did not accomplish. What do we do with those feelings? How do we get comfortable with the fact that we cannot fully control our schedules and life often throws a wrench into our plans? There is a story in the book of Mark when Jesus had a particularly long day. He and the disciples began the day with Jesus teaching in the synagogue. While they were there, Jesus had a loud encounter with a man who was possessed. Jesus publicly frees the man of his demon possession and then heads over to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law is ill with a fever and Jesus comes to heal her. Interesting side note, once the woman is healed, she jumps up and makes everyone food to eat. We then hear that news of the healing gets out and by evening, the whole town is at the door wanting Jesus’ help. Let’s turn to the scripture, Mark 1:32-34, “That evening, at sunset, people brought to Jesus those who were sick or demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered near the door. 34 He healed many who were sick with all kinds of diseases, and he threw out many demons.” Did you happen to notice that the scriptures say Jesus healed many? He did not heal all of them. Yes, He did heal lots of them, but not all of them. He could have, but he chooses not to. At some point Jesus probably said, “you all need to go home.” We don’t know for sure, but I honestly do believe Jesus did not feel bad sending them home. I believe He trusted God enough to know that there would be another day tomorrow to continue to work, but He needed to take care of Himself. He understood the importance of a good rhythm to life. The next verse in this passage says this, “Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer.” (Mark 1:35) We need to pattern ourselves from the example of Jesus. We need to all end our days appropriately, without guilt or frustration, trusting God enough that the work can wait until the next day. Then we should care for ourselves by taking some time with God. While this may not be easy to do, consider it a goal, remembering Jesus is always our best example. #aplaceforgrace

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV Buried way back in the Old Testament is a book that we don’t hear much about— the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk lived in a time of great wickedness and corruption among the people of God, the nation of Judah. He saw all the wickedness and corruption in the land around him and wondered why God was not doing anything about it. When would God intervene to do something about this situation? Wasn’t God a just God? But instead of resting on some cursory belief that this was God’s will, Habakkuk went to a special place, the highest place in all the area, the watchtower. And in the place, he said, “God may I have a word with you. I don’t think you’re doing your job right.” Habakkuk wanted answers. When Habakkuk found himself down in the fields, we read that he laments that the fig trees weren’t budding, there were no grapes on the vines, the olive crop had failed, there were no sheep in the pen, and no cattle in the stalls. This isn’t what Habakkuk expected for his life and from God. He was trying to convince himself how God would allow such things. His view of who God is certainly wasn’t showing itself at that time. So, he goes up into the tower to have a word with God. God does answer him. But what did Habakkuk really find up in that tower? I think that the one thing that Habakkuk found in that tower was a true sense that God cared for him and for what he was going through. God wasn’t a distant God who did not care about what was happening to the people. The words that jumped out at me as I read this story were at the beginning of God’s response in chapter 2. God says, “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” You can almost sense the excitement in God wanting Habakkuk to know that Habakkuk would want to get a messenger ready to run and tell everyone. It was comforting to Habakkuk to know that God was there. I am sure that down in the fields where the fig tree wasn’t budding and the stalls were empty, Habakkuk wondered if God was really there. He was lost in his own struggles and pain and wondered where God was. I remember a pastor I knew liked to say, “we go along life like a bug on a masterpiece.” What did he mean by that? Well, imagine a bug crawling around on a masterpiece of art, like Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, hanging in a museum. All the bug can experience is how bumpy the landscape is —the heights and depths of the paint strokes that it must climb up and down over and over. He may wonder, why didn’t they just make this place smooth to make it easier on me? But what that little bug can’t see is the whole picture —to step back from that bumpy terrain and see the masterpiece. It’s so easy to be in the depths of our own fields that produce no fruit and the stalls that seem empty. Sometimes, like Habakkuk, we need to go to the tower, away from all that is pressing us, to face God honestly and openly without fear and have a word with Him. It is at this point that we may truly begin to realize that God has always been there, without us realizing it, sitting in the barren fields with us. #aplaceforgrace

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:12-14 It seems like a very peculiar topic that Jesus talks about in Chapter 14. He is sitting around a dinner table and talking about how to throw a banquet. It seems so peculiar that Jesus seems to be overly concerned with dinner party etiquette. In the verses right before this one, Jesus talks about where guests should sit at the table. The verses after speak about what to do if guests RSVP with regrets. In this Scripture Jesus talks about who you should invite. Why is Jesus so concerned with table manners? Looking at this Scripture it seems pretty straight forward what His point is. Jesus is telling us that we need to show mercy to those people who are outcasts or less privileged—the down-trodden, the oppressed, the ones that are ignored in society. We should show kindness to them by welcoming them into our house, to our table for dinner. The meaning is clear. Yet, I remember what a seminary professor said as he was teaching on this Scripture passage. “It’s all about breaking the cycle of reciprocity. “Breaking the cycle of what?” was my reaction, as probably is yours right now. Reciprocity, in this context, is basically when one does something kind or generous to another, where their sole motive for doing it is knowing that they will receive some benefit from it themselves. It means giving because you know you’re getting something in return. But Jesus said, don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, but when you give a banquet invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And then he adds these words, “And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you.” It also relates to the people who we hang around with. We all want to be around those for which we get a sense of personal satisfaction by being with them. Yet how do we break this “cycle of reciprocity” and reach out to others in our setting, to those on the “front porch,” as we talked about in a recent sermon series? How do we engage with others out of pure, selfless intentions? Jesus had a solution for it. Simply be with people who can’t repay you—those who could never, ever return a favor. Step outside your box and build relationships with someone who you would not normally befriend. Take reciprocity out of the picture. Then the relationship can be totally void of strings attached or “what’s in it for me?” And isn’t it in this same spirit that God offers His love and grace? No strings attached. There is nothing you have to do to gain it. Just accept it in the spirit it is offered—unburdened, unconditional, free of entanglements, of hidden agendas. And you will find that all these things that we perceive as being obligations as a good and faithful Christian become desires of your heart. This is the spirit in which we accept God’s gift of grace. #aplaceforgrace

I had a really honest conversations this past Tuesday night. I met up with a clergy friend from seminary who is presently in a doctoral program. She was bubbling over, talking about the great books she is reading and her renewed love for Scripture. As we talked and got caught up on each other’s lives, we both lamented our shared disappointment that we did not teach our now grown kids our mutual love of the Bible. We joked about our arrogance as young moms not understanding how hard it was going to be to teach our kids about faith and the Scripture. Life was busy and we meant well, but they were grown and gone way too fast. The Scripture that comes to me when I reflect on the practice of teaching kids about faith is this, Luke 12:34. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be too.” What that means is wherever I am investing my time, money, and energy, that is where my heart is. This is not meant to make us feel bad, but rather to help us remember the importance of prioritizing where we do put our time, our energy, and our money. If it is the goal of our hearts to raise kids in the faith, we need to prioritize our goals, not just survive the craziness of parenthood. Long before Gary and I arrived at St. Andrew's there were two intentional practices that really make me proud to be associated with this church. First, I am proud that the elementary kids at St. Andrew's are learning to read their Bibles on Sunday morning. What a gift that is to parents, who are tired and exhausted from COVID, to have help teaching their kids to love Scripture. I am also deeply proud that each year, St. Andrew's gifts our preschool kids with their own Bible, or if they are in their second year, a children’s devotional. You will hear more about the gifting of Bibles to our kids in October. We believe that this is such a bold statement to our preschool parents about the importance we place on the Word of God. (On a side note, let me know if you want to help pay for these Bibles.) There are no perfect parents and I think we all have regrets for things we wish we had done better. I am simply happy to be a part of a church who is willing to invest in the lives of the kids, who like all of us, need a relationship with Jesus. Thank you, St. Andrew's, for having your priorities in the right place. Have a good Friday! Blessings, Pastor Jayne #aplaceforgrace

But you, Lord, are my shield! You are my glory! You are the one who restores me" [Psalm 3:3 CEB] Twenty years ago. September 11, 2001. “Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?” as the Alan Jackson song goes. “Did you stand there in shock at the site of the black smoke rising against the blue sky?” Those of you who were old enough to remember that day certainly cannot un-remember it. Where were you when you heard the news of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center? I had just picked up some senior citizen ladies from the nearby retirement community and brought them to an event at the church, First UMC, Winter Park, where I was an associate pastor. When I got back to my office, Jayne called my office phone, (I didn’t have a cell phone then) and told me to turn on the TV because a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center Towers in New York City. All we had at the church was a television that picked up a grainy signal on one of the broadcast stations—no smart TVs back then. But it was enough to see the horror of that day. Jayne was at home with 2-year-old Natalie and was pregnant with our youngest, Meredith. I just wanted to get home to them. Once I knew the ladies were safe back at the retirement community, I rushed straight home—to find out that a second plane had crashed into the other tower. As we now look back over the 20 years since that tragic day, we not only remember the events of that day—the two towers crashing to the earth, the twisted rubble at the Pentagon, and the smoldering field of the crash of Flight 93 near Shanksville, PA, but we also remember the gut-wrenching emotions we experienced on that day—shock, dismay, panic, anger. The sheer terror that we had come face-to-face with pure evil. Yet, we also remember the heroic acts, those who rose to the occasion amid the danger and performed super-human deeds of bravery and courage. The first responders who ran up the stairs of the building as those escaping the terror were running down the stairs. The passengers on Flight 93 who valiantly subdued the hijackers so that plane would not crash into a populated area, saving hundreds or thousands of lives. The rescuers who searched through the rubble at the Pentagon to find survivors while flames burned all around them. Those that demonstrated the “better angels of our nature.” So, here we are at the crossroads of the 20th anniversary of that tragic day to remember anew. Firstly, to remember and honor those whose lives were lost. Yet we also see that day through the eyes of the crucified Christ. In Jesus, God took the evil, sin, violence, and pain of the world into the very flesh of Christ and died. It is also a time to be reassured that through all the horrors and heroics of that day 20 years ago, we must not forget that Jesus rose triumphantly over death and sin to give us life. Abundant and eternal life. Thanks be to God. #aplaceforgrace #neverforget

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around himself … and jumped into the water. [John 21:7 CEB] New Testament scholars generally agree that the confession, "Jesus is Lord" occupied a prominent place in the churches of the New Testament era. In fact, that phrase is the earliest confession of faith in Christianity. You can say that “lord” is an unfamiliar word in our society today. We typically only hear the word today in religious contexts. Outside of religious contexts the word “lord” conjures up images of days gone by or medieval times of a feudal society, where lords were the ones who were the proprietors of a manor. So, what is meant when we say, “Jesus is Lord?” Well, that is the question we must answer for ourselves. Simply put, when we can say that Jesus is Lord it is to acknowledge that in Jesus all authority exists. Jesus is the supreme authority. At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells His disciples after His resurrection to wait for Him in Galilee. Then He came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus has supreme authority. Yet, what does that phrase mean to each of us? Does Jesus have supreme authority in our lives? For to say so involves a great surrender of control. I like the way that Andy Stanley, senior pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta, puts it. Sometimes all of us, whether we like to admit it or not, treat our relationship with Jesus as, what Stanley says is, a “Backpack Jesus.” He says that we often carry around this “Backpack Jesus” with us. Wherever we go, Jesus is right back there. Then we just take Him out wherever we go and pull Him out whenever we need something. “Thanks for helping Aunt Martha with her surgery.” Then we put Him back in the pack. And not even think of Him anymore—unless we need Him. We put Him away because maybe there’s something going on that we don’t want Him around for. It would be too uncomfortable for Him to see what we are doing so we just leave Him back there. “Jesus, I’m going on a trip this weekend, knowing what usually happens, I think I’ll just leave you back there.” We pull Him out to ask for traveling mercies. But then back in the backpack He goes. We don’t want to have to think about Him this weekend. Don’t want our fun to be impaired by clogging our mind about whether what we’re doing is right or wrong, or if we are dealing with people in a Christ-like way. Or if we are thinking about the poor. “But if something happens when I need you, I know where you are and can pull you out. And I’ll decide when and where I want you to be in my life.” Confessing that Jesus is Lord means trusting Him in all areas of our life at all times. Looking to Jesus for direction in our lives. Professing that Jesus has all there is of us. We totally surrender ourselves to His trusted authority. To confess that Jesus is Lord is to confess that He has the adoration of our heart—authority over our will and all the influence of our lives. #aplaceforgrace #jesusislord

[Jesus said] “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” [John 13:34-35 CEB] We continue our sermon series, “People on the Porch,” this Sunday. Using an illustration by Methodism founder John Wesley, the people standing on the front porch refers to those who have not put their trust in Christ or "entered the front door" of the House of Salvation. The challenge for our church is to look beyond the walls of St. Andrew's to the community around us, to help lead them into the front door—into a life in Christ. But, how do we accomplish this? A big part of the challenge is that it has been a long time for many of us since we were on the front porch. We cannot comprehend or relate to what someone on the outside of the church feels or thinks about Christians, the church, or St. Andrew’s UMC. We, as insiders, know who we are. We are people who experience the grace, love, and salvation offered through Jesus Christ by worshipping together, sharing in the Word, and serving. But what about the people on the porch—how do they see us? Probably not in the same way we see ourselves. What do they think about when they think about a Christian? And is a life in Christ so irresistible, so compelling, so gripping that they want to rush through the door? Have you discovered the new bakery in town called Crumbl Cookies? They have become a nationwide phenomenon for their unique and savory cookies that are indescribable. Each week they rotate the variety of styles of cookies they make. So, each week you will have a different menu of six or so cookies to choose from. They have developed a reputation as being the best cookies ever. They are irresistible. And many people will attest to this, including myself. Our daughters first discovered Crumbl Cookies when they opened a bakery in Lutz. They didn’t think twice about driving 30 miles and waiting for 30 minutes to get a box of these cookies. (There is a location in Brandon now!) When a group of our youth and adult chaperones went to Pensacola for the youth mission trip, a new Crumbl Cookie bakery opened less than a mile from where we stayed. There was always a line out the door and down the street. But they were well worth they wait. The cookies are truly irresistible. So how can we at St. Andrew’s, or any church, make it so irresistible that the porch people will be so willing to walk through the front door? How do we conduct ourselves in such a compelling way that people want to be a part of this community? This is the big question. And though we, being insiders, may have a simple answer to this question, the true task is to try to look at the same question through the eyes of the people on the front porch. I regularly listen to a podcast by an Asbury Seminary professor named Dr. Brian Russell. He always ends his podcasts with the words, “Live by faith, be known by love, and be a voice of hope for others.” That may not describe the whole essence of how a Christian should behave. But if we just followed these words, it would be a good start. If we did live this way, maybe the people on the front porch would find this church irresistible and compelling. And it would be worth making that decision to step through the front door. #aplaceforgrace #thefrontdoor

There is a great Old Testament story about Abraham and some unexpected visitors on a hot afternoon. While most people know that Abraham is considered the Father of our faith, in the Jewish tradition he is also known as the Father of Hospitality. In this story we see that hospitality as Abraham and his elderly wife Sarah frantically pull together a meal for these weary travelers. In the midst of the preparations, Sarah overhears one of the travelers mention that she will give birth to a son in the next year. In my mind, I see Sarah busy kneading the dough for the loaf of bread she is preparing for the guest’s dinner. Women are not invited to sit and talk with these visitors, but they all live in tents, and so everyone—Sarah and probably the servants—are activity listening to the conversation between Abraham and the unexpected travelers. Then Sarah hears this outrageous statement. Sarah has been barren her whole life. She has lived a lifetime of pain, the cultural shame of barrenness, and the disappoint of her reality. She has completed her journey through menopause and any lingering hope of having a child is gone. And then this unexpected visitor utters the impossible. Sarah laughs to herself. You know that laugh. It is the “are you kidding me,” sarcastic laugh that rolls off our tongue when we consider the impossible. It is the same laugh that slips through our lips when we hear The pandemic is over. Bipartisanship is thriving. Racial equality has been achieved. I am out of debt. I have a clean bill of health. My family is all getting along. My marriage is thriving. My job is fulfilling. I have peace. We all have spaces in our lives where we have lost hope. Where our laugh is resigned to a reality we do not want. That is why this is such a great story. It turns out that those thin tent walls allowed the visitors to hear Sarah’s response. They turned to Abraham and asked, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Me give birth? At my age?’ Is anything too difficult for the LORD? When I return to you about this time next year, Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:13-14) It is the same question we all need to ask ourselves. Is anything too difficult for God? A year later Sarah was busy raising her son Isaac. What a great reminder of the power of God over the impossible. #aplaceforgrace #theimpossible

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also." [John 14:1-3 NRSV] This Scripture in the Gospel of John is one that I read quite regularly at funeral services, because it talks about Jesus preparing us a place in His Father’s house and coming back to take us there. The usual interpretation taken to mean that this place that Christ is preparing for us in the heavenly realm is one in which he prepares for us to spend eternity. However, we can look at this Scripture as speaking to us in our present time, as well. In our sermon series during the month of August, we will be looking at John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, and his image of the House of Salvation. The porch is the symbol of the grace that God extends to all people inviting them into a relationship with God. The front door is the symbol of that decision to accept the Lordship of Christ in our lives and receive His gift of grace. And the inside of the house itself is a symbol of the ongoing grace at work in our lives that prepares us and enables us to engage the world around. We can expand on the metaphor of the house to see how God’s loving presence is always with us to give us the comfort and grace we need to navigate our life’s journey. The house we inhabit is a place of comfort—a safe place to share our burdens and challenges, a place where we feel safe enough to share our deepest feelings with God. As we enter the door, we do so in trust—trusting that once we have walked through the door, we are in a place of hope. A hope that we can rest in. Inside this house, within the walls there is an atmosphere of understanding and forgiveness that surrounds the entire scope of the house. We feel at peace that there is a roof over our head— a roof that keeps us safe and secure, even during the storms in our lives. Furthermore, the entire house rests on a foundation of grace—the gift of acceptance through God’s unconditional grace that supports the house. This safe house has a sound footing for which a person going through a difficult journey feels comfortable stepping into—one that would not crumble beneath us at any time. For it is only when one feels free to be open without being judged, to be revealing and be accepted, can we openly allow our woundedness and brokenness to be open to the healing power and grace of God. So, if we look back at this passage in John, we see Jesus saying that there are many dwelling places in His Father’s house. There is plenty of room in the Father’s house, a place that is prepared for us, that Christ takes us. And it is not any stretch of the imagination to compare these dwelling places in our Father’s house to a safe house, where we will find the Father and are in the presence of Christ. Jesus says, “I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also ... I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is in the safe confines of the Father and the presence of Christ that we can be on the journey where we can be made whole in a place that Christ has prepared for us, and be made holy in God’s righteousness. So, we give thanks to God for coming before us to prepare a place for us, here and now, so that we can be on the journey toward wholeness and salvation in Christ. #aplaceforgrace #preparingaplace

God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world. God destined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ because of his love. This was according to his goodwill and plan … [Ephesians 1:4-5 CEB] I’m not very crafty when it comes to being a handyman around the house. Just ask my family. One of the problems is that I am not very patient. I’m working on some project, maybe putting together a new cabinet that we just bought or hanging some curtain rods. I’m in the midst of everything, with parts, tools, and hardware scattered all around me, and I find myself at a point where I need to pound a nail into either the wall or into one of the pieces of the cabinet that I am building. So, I look around through the assortment of tools I have lying at my feet and discover that I can’t find a hammer. So, what do I do? Do I walk to the garage, open the tool chest, and grab a hammer out of the box? Of course not. That would take too much time. I would just grab the next best thing that’s lying within arm’s reach to hammer that nail in. A pair of pliers, why not? A screwdriver, it’ll work, just use the end of it. Any of those things would work. Come on, admit it. How many here have ever used a pair of pliers to try to drive a nail? I know I have. Well by golly it works. It may be a little awkward, you miss the nail a few times, maybe smack your finger, and scratched the pliers. But it got the job done. Yet the smart thing to do was to use a hammer, because that’s what a hammer is designed to do—drive nails into walls. My stepfather was a carpenter and I would watch him drive a 3-inch nail into a 2x4 with at the most three strokes. Try to do that with the blunt end of a screwdriver. A hammer has a fairly clear purpose in life. It was designed to drive in nails. We can ask the same question for ourselves—what is our purpose in life? What am I designed to do? That’s a much more difficult question for us, because basically the question we are asking is “Why am I here?” In the passage in Ephesians, God had us in mind, even before all of creation, to be his adopted children—to be one of God’s own. If we try to be anything other than one of God’s creations, we can exist, rather crudely. Life will be haphazard. We will end up being damaged just like when trying to drive a nail in with a screwdriver. We will be frustrated and dejected by trying to be something we were not made to be. The 4th century bishop, St. Augustine said, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.” Let us strive to live as God made us, God’s vessels of blessings and grace, created for His purposes. #aplaceforgrace #spiritualgrowth

In the last chapter of the book of Matthew (Matthew 28:16-20) one can find the passage called the “the Great Commission.” As recorded in this gospel, it is the final words of Jesus Christ to his disciples commanding them to go into all the world and make disciples. So, what exactly is a disciple? In the first century they were ordinary men that believed in Jesus. To get to know Him better they adjusted their routines, made life changes, risked failure, made mistakes, and often disappointed themselves. And in return for their efforts, they were transformed by God into people of courage, strength, boldness, passion, and peace. They changed from men of obscurity to some of the best examples of spiritual transformation, motivating generations of believers throughout the ages. So how does spiritual transformation happen in the twenty-first century? Like the disciples we must be willing to take the initiative. It is the grace of God that will accomplish the task, but it is our willingness that allows it to occur. Spiritual disciplines are always a good place to start. Some disciplines can only be done in solitude, like personal devotion or personal prayer time. Yet generally, disciplines work best among the community of believers. That is because when we seek spiritual growth together, we are more likely to stay on course and be motivated to take bigger steps and more risks. It is the accountability of other believers that makes us honest enough to see that without the community we are likely to just drift about never moving forward. The author of the book of James says it best, “Those who listen to the Word, but do not do what it says, are like people who look at their faces in the mirror, and after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like.” (James 1:23) There are also many opportunities for ministry at St. Andrew's that will produce spiritually transformed hearts. Of course, you will have to adjust your routine, make some changes, risk failure, make mistakes, and even feel disappointed in yourself. Yet like the disciples, you will not be disappointed. God will do the transforming and you will see more courage, strength, boldness, passion and peace at work in your life. #aplaceforgrace #spiritualgrowth