I'm writing a little early this week because I'm leaving for home on Wednesday and will be spending Friday in the car driving back to Illinois. I am so excited to be Jersey-bound, even if it's only for a couple of days. It will be the first time my whole family is together since last Christmas, so that's really, really making me pretty stoked. With me living in Illinois and my younger brother living in North Carolina, it's hard to find time to get all five of us together (my sister still lives at home with my parents). So I am VERY thankful for Thanksgiving this year :)
My post this week comes from a combination of the sermon I preached yesterday and something a fellow pastor said to me when I was installed here a couple of weeks ago. The night before my installation* service, she called me to ask me to send her an email about my long term and short term visions for my ministry at this church. In the course of my correspondence to her, I mentioned that I didn't like the image of pastor as shepherd, since Christ is our shepherd. She delivered my charge** during the service and called out this image, which I used in my sermon yesterday and wanted to mention in my blog today because it really spoke to my heart.
Christ is the shepherd. Think of the pastor as the Shepherd's staff. The shepherd uses the staff to steer the sheep when they're veering off the path. Sometimes the shepherd has to pull the staff back and let the sheep roam. Sometimes the sheep will bounce off guardrails and sometimes they'll even fall off the path completely. This is where the sheep dogs come in.
Leaders and caregivers in the church are the sheep dogs. They are the ones who help search for the sheep and who help make sure the sheep are going where they're supposed to go. The sheep dogs are important because they are another set of eyes for the shepherd. The shepherd knows each sheep by name, but the sheep dogs function as extra eyes and hands (well, paws) for the shepherd.
I love this image. I love it because it makes everyone in the flock accountable for something. The theme in my ministry right now is that we are all walking together to grow in Christ. As the body of Christ here on Earth, we're called to take care of each other and lift one another up. My message yesterday was to encourage the members of the church to use the body for what it was intended, and to contribute to the body. The beauty of my fellow pastor's image was her remark that sometimes the rolls change. Sometimes a person is a sheep dog doing the leading, and sometimes a person needs to be the sheep and seek help being kept on the path.
Christ is the good shepherd. God chose us because God created us in love, and Christ rules over us. Christ the King Sunday (which was yesterday) is about realizing that as we walk on this path of life, we're not doing it alone or in control of where the path leads. We can decide which paths we want to take, at some level, but at the end of the journey, we all end up where we are supposed to be.
I wish you the very happiest Thanksgiving and pray for traveling mercies for those who are traveling. May you find rest and comfort with your loved ones. :)
Yours in the Peace of Christ,
Pastor Becki
*In the Presbyterian church, new pastors who have been previously ordained are installed into the church to which they have been called. The service is essentially a wedding service between pastor and new congregation, each taking vows to support each other and trust each other.
**In the installation service, someone gives a charge to the new pastor and then a charge to the congregation that encourages. My charge was to see myself as the staff, but also to not be afraid to make mistakes.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
On the subject of my post about facebook...
Wow, guys, so sorry. Just saw the post published and it's SUPER LONG. If you're following my blog, get a sandwich first, and then read it, lol.
But please do read it. It's regarding a subject that I'm passionate about: Christ and culture.
But please do read it. It's regarding a subject that I'm passionate about: Christ and culture.
For lack of a better title: "Facebook"
Note: This blog is written in response to an article on cnn: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/18/pastor-facebook-is-encouraging-adultery/?hpt=C2
I read this and had to respond, because I've been thinking a lot lately about the relationship between church and social network sites. I'm thinking this is an area I'd like to explore more deeply because we're in a digital age and as part of the generation that is addicted to social networks, I know the reality that if the church doesn't find a way to be relevant, it will die.
I've heard pastors say that it's not up for the church to be relevant. A pastor I know talked about this in a sermon one time, and he said that the message of the Gospel is always relevant and the church cannot just change itself because people decide it has to change. Personally, I think this pastor is missing the point of church. I agree with him insofar as the message of the Gospel is always relevant.
BUT, and this is a huge BUT, the church as an institution must find ways to connect to Christ's followers or it will die. I considered using the term "cease to exist as we know it" but I think "die" better captures what I'm trying to communicate. In a digital age, and in order to reach a generation that knows nothing but technology, the church has to find a way to be a part of the digital age. The reality that churches today must face is that if the church doesn't speak up and bring itself into this conversation, other voices will rise up ahead of her and drown her out.
In his book "Gospel According to Peanuts," Robert Short explains why the church must be in conversation with the arts. He states, "Whenever the Church becomes too dull or narrow in using the gift of its spiritual perception, it is guilty of the same charge Christ laid to the Pharisees and Sadducees: 'You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.' (Matt. 16.3)" (Short 14).
He also states, "If the Church fails to use the divine imagination gives to it, to see the unseen, to see "sermons in stones and good in everything' to see 'that all that passes to corruption is a parable,' as Karl Barth has put it, will constantly be embarrassed by a world capable of far more imagination than the Church itself" (Short 28).
I like that statement, a gentle reminder that if the church doesn't step it up in the digital age, it will be "embarassed by a world capable of far more imagination than the Church itself." There's gospel truth in that statement. As a pastor, my task is to find a balance between upholding traditions of the faith and leading the church as it discovers new traditions. The message of God's love and Christ's grace is timeless. How we tell that story is not so timeless. The Church must discover ways to tell the story in a language God's people can understand.
Does my church need to jump on the Facebook bandwagon? Should I even have a Facebook page if I'm a pastor? I would encourage my church to have a Facebook page. It's great for announcements and to show this generation and the next that as a church, we know we have to find ways to reach people in the digital age. As a pastor, I am responsible with my Facebook profile. I don't post anything up there that I wouldn't want my congregation to see. There are no pictures, notes, or comments from friends that put my values in question.
I do not agree with the NJ pastor's ultamatim for his congregation (that church leaders delete their facebook account or be removed from their positions). With great technology comes great responsibility. A more positive form of action could be to offer interactive seminars with your congregation. Sit down with them and talk about it. If you make something a forbidden fruit, it makes it much more attractive. If you give someone the tools they need to make smart decisions about the technology available, it allows them to make informed decisions about what they do. What happens from there are the choices a person makes and we live with those choices. We deal the consequences of our actions. That's part of what being an adult is about.
I will say, on record, that I can appreciate what the pastor is trying to do. He is trying to protect his flock. I've heard it said the best way to prevent pregnancy and STD's is to just not have sex. The best way to make sure your facebook page doesn't lead to adultery is to not have a facebook page. I can support that. But I also support a person's right to decide to have Facebook (and have sex, but that's a blog entry for another day...this one is getting long enough). People are going to get on Facebook and they're going to do stupid things (like the cheerleader who got suspended for putting up a picture of herself with a beer bottle). Eventually, people will learn their lessons, even if they have to learn them the hardway.
In the meantime, I'm keeping my Facebook profile and I'm updating my blog once a week. So, fellow pastor in NJ, I understand where you're coming from, but I disagree with your course of action as being the only solution to the problem. I still think the relationship between the Church and social web networking is an area I want to dig deeper into. We live in a digital age. The Church exists in a digital age. There is no escaping that, and personally, I don't think we should try.
Wishing you peace of Christ,
Pastor Becki
ps: As a side note, I think the comments on the article that say the pastor is insane are uncalled for. He is a pastor trying to find ways to protect his flock. I may not agree with his methods, but as pastors, it's what we do. It is not "things like this" that give religion a bad name. It is people that are ignorant enough to let Facebook destory their marriages that give people the fuel they need to make such ridiculous claims.
pps: As an extra side note, I've gotten into "Glee" recently and this past week's episode had a comment from a character that I thought was interesting. The character, a gay kid, was at dinner with his gay friend and another character from the show and he said that if people want to outlaw gay marriage because it "ruins marriage," we ought to outlaw divorce as well. In the spirit of Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," maybe we ought to outlaw Facebook as well.
**Short, Robert. "The Gospel According to Peanuts" (Westminster John Knox Press/Louisville, KY), 1999 ed.
I read this and had to respond, because I've been thinking a lot lately about the relationship between church and social network sites. I'm thinking this is an area I'd like to explore more deeply because we're in a digital age and as part of the generation that is addicted to social networks, I know the reality that if the church doesn't find a way to be relevant, it will die.
I've heard pastors say that it's not up for the church to be relevant. A pastor I know talked about this in a sermon one time, and he said that the message of the Gospel is always relevant and the church cannot just change itself because people decide it has to change. Personally, I think this pastor is missing the point of church. I agree with him insofar as the message of the Gospel is always relevant.
BUT, and this is a huge BUT, the church as an institution must find ways to connect to Christ's followers or it will die. I considered using the term "cease to exist as we know it" but I think "die" better captures what I'm trying to communicate. In a digital age, and in order to reach a generation that knows nothing but technology, the church has to find a way to be a part of the digital age. The reality that churches today must face is that if the church doesn't speak up and bring itself into this conversation, other voices will rise up ahead of her and drown her out.
In his book "Gospel According to Peanuts," Robert Short explains why the church must be in conversation with the arts. He states, "Whenever the Church becomes too dull or narrow in using the gift of its spiritual perception, it is guilty of the same charge Christ laid to the Pharisees and Sadducees: 'You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.' (Matt. 16.3)" (Short 14).
He also states, "If the Church fails to use the divine imagination gives to it, to see the unseen, to see "sermons in stones and good in everything' to see 'that all that passes to corruption is a parable,' as Karl Barth has put it, will constantly be embarrassed by a world capable of far more imagination than the Church itself" (Short 28).
I like that statement, a gentle reminder that if the church doesn't step it up in the digital age, it will be "embarassed by a world capable of far more imagination than the Church itself." There's gospel truth in that statement. As a pastor, my task is to find a balance between upholding traditions of the faith and leading the church as it discovers new traditions. The message of God's love and Christ's grace is timeless. How we tell that story is not so timeless. The Church must discover ways to tell the story in a language God's people can understand.
Does my church need to jump on the Facebook bandwagon? Should I even have a Facebook page if I'm a pastor? I would encourage my church to have a Facebook page. It's great for announcements and to show this generation and the next that as a church, we know we have to find ways to reach people in the digital age. As a pastor, I am responsible with my Facebook profile. I don't post anything up there that I wouldn't want my congregation to see. There are no pictures, notes, or comments from friends that put my values in question.
I do not agree with the NJ pastor's ultamatim for his congregation (that church leaders delete their facebook account or be removed from their positions). With great technology comes great responsibility. A more positive form of action could be to offer interactive seminars with your congregation. Sit down with them and talk about it. If you make something a forbidden fruit, it makes it much more attractive. If you give someone the tools they need to make smart decisions about the technology available, it allows them to make informed decisions about what they do. What happens from there are the choices a person makes and we live with those choices. We deal the consequences of our actions. That's part of what being an adult is about.
I will say, on record, that I can appreciate what the pastor is trying to do. He is trying to protect his flock. I've heard it said the best way to prevent pregnancy and STD's is to just not have sex. The best way to make sure your facebook page doesn't lead to adultery is to not have a facebook page. I can support that. But I also support a person's right to decide to have Facebook (and have sex, but that's a blog entry for another day...this one is getting long enough). People are going to get on Facebook and they're going to do stupid things (like the cheerleader who got suspended for putting up a picture of herself with a beer bottle). Eventually, people will learn their lessons, even if they have to learn them the hardway.
In the meantime, I'm keeping my Facebook profile and I'm updating my blog once a week. So, fellow pastor in NJ, I understand where you're coming from, but I disagree with your course of action as being the only solution to the problem. I still think the relationship between the Church and social web networking is an area I want to dig deeper into. We live in a digital age. The Church exists in a digital age. There is no escaping that, and personally, I don't think we should try.
Wishing you peace of Christ,
Pastor Becki
ps: As a side note, I think the comments on the article that say the pastor is insane are uncalled for. He is a pastor trying to find ways to protect his flock. I may not agree with his methods, but as pastors, it's what we do. It is not "things like this" that give religion a bad name. It is people that are ignorant enough to let Facebook destory their marriages that give people the fuel they need to make such ridiculous claims.
pps: As an extra side note, I've gotten into "Glee" recently and this past week's episode had a comment from a character that I thought was interesting. The character, a gay kid, was at dinner with his gay friend and another character from the show and he said that if people want to outlaw gay marriage because it "ruins marriage," we ought to outlaw divorce as well. In the spirit of Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," maybe we ought to outlaw Facebook as well.
**Short, Robert. "The Gospel According to Peanuts" (Westminster John Knox Press/Louisville, KY), 1999 ed.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Musings with Grandfather
Not my grandfather. Our grandfather. As in, grandfather of the Presbyterian Church, John Calvin. I say grandfather because I think it's more accurate to call John Knox the father, but even Knox had to get his musings from some place.
I digress.
Reading Calvin in seminary was a chore. A burden, even. The problem was that when they assigned a Calvin reading, to call it "A Reading" was being generous. It was never fewer than 150 pages. I started to have a motto: "Seminary is about learning to balance what you have to read and what God will forgive you for not reading." If I didn't get to all my Calvin, I suspect Calvin was okay with that. And often I didn't get to all my Calvin because every class in seminary thinks they are you only class, so they assign you a ton of reading.
Now that I'm out of seminary, I've been seeking council with John Calvin. I wouldn't say I'm reading him for fun, but as my sermons lean towards the more theological themes, I've been spending a little bit of time reading up on what Calvin would say about things. The interesting thing I've found is that I'm more likely to finish my reading assignments now that Calvin isn't an assignment. I just finished reading Book 3 of his Institutes and I'm kind of enamoured with it. I don't agree with every detail Calvin utters, but I can get behind him theologically on most of his points. I've even located a few things he says that have a touch of humor and a pastoral flare: not something I expected from Calvin. I have a newfound respect for Calvin and my regret now is that I don't have my seminary buds to talk it out with.
People who haven't been through seminary or who aren't connected to the Presby church just don't get Calvin.
In my sermon last week, I talked about how just because we are chosen by God doesn't mean we get a free pass to do whatever we please (a fact Calvin and Luther would get behind). Our task as God's chosen ones is to praise God by doing God's work. We don't work for salvation; we work BECAUSE of salvation. Calvin made a comment his section on election of his Institutes that I thought summed up beautifully how we ought to think of election. He said:
"What did Christ wish to have us learn from this but to trust that we shall ever remain safe because we have been made His once and for all?" (III.xxiv.6).
I thought that was a beautiful sentiment. Election isn't supposed to scare us. God doesn't want us to go through life stressed about whether or not we're going to Heaven. God doesn't want us to live life in fear, but in peace of mind that whatever happens, God is in our corner with open arms. We don't have words to express the gravity of what Christ did on that cross, but God did give us hearts that can be open to receive that grace that He offers so freely.
God chose us as first fruit, Paul says in 2 Thessalonians. If the first fruits are so incredibly important -- so important that Abel's first fruits were an acceptable offering where Cain's measly seconds were rejected -- how much more incredible is it that God calls US as first fruits?! God delights in us: fallen human beings who can never seem to get it right. This all powerful God, who can have anything he wants, chooses US! That ought to create in us such joy and such comfort. That's why I love what Calvin says. What else does Christ want us to do but rejoice in the fact that God has hand picked us to be His own?
Grace is pretty amazing, isn't it?
Peace of Christ,
Pastor Becki
I digress.
Reading Calvin in seminary was a chore. A burden, even. The problem was that when they assigned a Calvin reading, to call it "A Reading" was being generous. It was never fewer than 150 pages. I started to have a motto: "Seminary is about learning to balance what you have to read and what God will forgive you for not reading." If I didn't get to all my Calvin, I suspect Calvin was okay with that. And often I didn't get to all my Calvin because every class in seminary thinks they are you only class, so they assign you a ton of reading.
Now that I'm out of seminary, I've been seeking council with John Calvin. I wouldn't say I'm reading him for fun, but as my sermons lean towards the more theological themes, I've been spending a little bit of time reading up on what Calvin would say about things. The interesting thing I've found is that I'm more likely to finish my reading assignments now that Calvin isn't an assignment. I just finished reading Book 3 of his Institutes and I'm kind of enamoured with it. I don't agree with every detail Calvin utters, but I can get behind him theologically on most of his points. I've even located a few things he says that have a touch of humor and a pastoral flare: not something I expected from Calvin. I have a newfound respect for Calvin and my regret now is that I don't have my seminary buds to talk it out with.
People who haven't been through seminary or who aren't connected to the Presby church just don't get Calvin.
In my sermon last week, I talked about how just because we are chosen by God doesn't mean we get a free pass to do whatever we please (a fact Calvin and Luther would get behind). Our task as God's chosen ones is to praise God by doing God's work. We don't work for salvation; we work BECAUSE of salvation. Calvin made a comment his section on election of his Institutes that I thought summed up beautifully how we ought to think of election. He said:
"What did Christ wish to have us learn from this but to trust that we shall ever remain safe because we have been made His once and for all?" (III.xxiv.6).
I thought that was a beautiful sentiment. Election isn't supposed to scare us. God doesn't want us to go through life stressed about whether or not we're going to Heaven. God doesn't want us to live life in fear, but in peace of mind that whatever happens, God is in our corner with open arms. We don't have words to express the gravity of what Christ did on that cross, but God did give us hearts that can be open to receive that grace that He offers so freely.
God chose us as first fruit, Paul says in 2 Thessalonians. If the first fruits are so incredibly important -- so important that Abel's first fruits were an acceptable offering where Cain's measly seconds were rejected -- how much more incredible is it that God calls US as first fruits?! God delights in us: fallen human beings who can never seem to get it right. This all powerful God, who can have anything he wants, chooses US! That ought to create in us such joy and such comfort. That's why I love what Calvin says. What else does Christ want us to do but rejoice in the fact that God has hand picked us to be His own?
Grace is pretty amazing, isn't it?
Peace of Christ,
Pastor Becki
Friday, November 5, 2010
Humanizing the Divine
I just finished reading a book called, "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" by Christopher Moore and as a pastor who sees the world through a theological but often secularly theological (does that make sense?) lens, I have to tell you: this is a great book.
The disclaimer that Moore himself offers up is that the work is pure fiction with some tidbits of fact sprinkled in. He did his research, but the plot itself is still a work of pure imagination. Brilliant imagination, but imagination nonetheless. You have to read this book through that lens, otherwise you find yourself wondering how God doesn't strike some people down with lightening bolts.
But the book is fantastic. It's the story of Christ's life told through a completely different set of eyes: A guy named Levi who is called Biff who grew up with Jesus (in the book he's called Joshua based on how the name is pronounced bibically). Biff is sort of like the ying to Christ's yang. Where Christ is humble, Biff is over the top. Where Christ is saddened and needs to be alone, Biff is ready to punch someone in the face and make everything right again. Biff likes wine, he likes women, and he likes fun. But he loves Joshua, so where Joshua goes, Biff goes. The story includes the two of them traveling to find each of the three wise men that came to find Christ in Bethlehem. I highly recommend the book. It's a great read. It made me laugh, and there were points it actually made me sad.
But at the end of the book, I felt something else. I felt strangely comforted by the story. Even though I know it is a work of fiction, there was something remarkable about seeing Christ through a purely human lens. The book makes no bones about the fact that Joshua (Jesus) is God's Son, but there's something innocent and wise about seeing Christ as the kid and teenager that we miss in scripture.
We often wonder why the only stories we have of Jesus before he was 30 in our scriptural canon are the story of his birth, the story of his blessing in the temple, and the story of how his parents had to go back and find him in the temple with the teachers of the law ("Didn't you know I had to be in my father's house?"). I've also been reading a lot of John Calvin lately and he would say that if it's not included in our canon, it's not important for us to know.
And I say canon specifically becauses there are non-canonical gospels out there that have other stories of Jesus' youthhood.
We place a high emphasis on Christ the Divine for good reason: He is the Son of God, come down from heaven to die in our place so that we might have eternal life. Christ is evidence of God's grace and the amazing and unfailing love He has for us. Christ is the reason we can get up in the morning and say, "Thank God I'm alive." It's so important for us to recognize Christ the Divine, but we cannot do so at the expense of recognizing Christ the Human Being.
John 1:14 states, "And the Word became flesh and lived among us." There's something powerful about that statement. It doesn't say the Word stayed lofty in Heaven and reigned over us like a king reigns over his subjects. In terms of royal theology, yes we believe that Christ died and reigns over us. But the Word became FLESH and lived AMONG us. Christ was one of us. Jesus felt what we felt. He knew human emotion. He knew what it was like to be hungry, sad, tired, thirsty, angry, joyous. The beauty of who God is as God is wrapped up in our knowledge that Jesus lived among us, as one of us, and that Jesus still lives in each of our hearts.
Did Jesus do some of the things that Moore suggests he did? Probably not. But we don't know because there is no record of Christ's youth. Scripture is a lot more giving of its information about Christ as divine. I like to think that as a youth, Jesus had some of the same problems we have as youth. Maybe Jesus had acne. He probably realized one day that he had body odor. It's an interesting thought, yes?
Being reminded that Jesus is fully human as well as fully divine was an important revelation for me this week. It made me want to spend more time getting to know this Jesus on a personal level. It made me want to learn more about what I believe and open myself up to all the possibilities that Christ has to offer. Sometimes I get into this mode where I'm so involved in the path I'm on, that I close myself off to the wonders that Jesus presents before me. I'm not saying Moore's book changed my faith for better or worse, but it made me want to pause and see Jesus for who is he and always will be in a way that I haven't done in a while.
We affirm that Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine. Let us remember that as we walk with Him in friendship and in love.
Peace and Blessings to you,
Pastor Becki
The disclaimer that Moore himself offers up is that the work is pure fiction with some tidbits of fact sprinkled in. He did his research, but the plot itself is still a work of pure imagination. Brilliant imagination, but imagination nonetheless. You have to read this book through that lens, otherwise you find yourself wondering how God doesn't strike some people down with lightening bolts.
But the book is fantastic. It's the story of Christ's life told through a completely different set of eyes: A guy named Levi who is called Biff who grew up with Jesus (in the book he's called Joshua based on how the name is pronounced bibically). Biff is sort of like the ying to Christ's yang. Where Christ is humble, Biff is over the top. Where Christ is saddened and needs to be alone, Biff is ready to punch someone in the face and make everything right again. Biff likes wine, he likes women, and he likes fun. But he loves Joshua, so where Joshua goes, Biff goes. The story includes the two of them traveling to find each of the three wise men that came to find Christ in Bethlehem. I highly recommend the book. It's a great read. It made me laugh, and there were points it actually made me sad.
But at the end of the book, I felt something else. I felt strangely comforted by the story. Even though I know it is a work of fiction, there was something remarkable about seeing Christ through a purely human lens. The book makes no bones about the fact that Joshua (Jesus) is God's Son, but there's something innocent and wise about seeing Christ as the kid and teenager that we miss in scripture.
We often wonder why the only stories we have of Jesus before he was 30 in our scriptural canon are the story of his birth, the story of his blessing in the temple, and the story of how his parents had to go back and find him in the temple with the teachers of the law ("Didn't you know I had to be in my father's house?"). I've also been reading a lot of John Calvin lately and he would say that if it's not included in our canon, it's not important for us to know.
And I say canon specifically becauses there are non-canonical gospels out there that have other stories of Jesus' youthhood.
We place a high emphasis on Christ the Divine for good reason: He is the Son of God, come down from heaven to die in our place so that we might have eternal life. Christ is evidence of God's grace and the amazing and unfailing love He has for us. Christ is the reason we can get up in the morning and say, "Thank God I'm alive." It's so important for us to recognize Christ the Divine, but we cannot do so at the expense of recognizing Christ the Human Being.
John 1:14 states, "And the Word became flesh and lived among us." There's something powerful about that statement. It doesn't say the Word stayed lofty in Heaven and reigned over us like a king reigns over his subjects. In terms of royal theology, yes we believe that Christ died and reigns over us. But the Word became FLESH and lived AMONG us. Christ was one of us. Jesus felt what we felt. He knew human emotion. He knew what it was like to be hungry, sad, tired, thirsty, angry, joyous. The beauty of who God is as God is wrapped up in our knowledge that Jesus lived among us, as one of us, and that Jesus still lives in each of our hearts.
Did Jesus do some of the things that Moore suggests he did? Probably not. But we don't know because there is no record of Christ's youth. Scripture is a lot more giving of its information about Christ as divine. I like to think that as a youth, Jesus had some of the same problems we have as youth. Maybe Jesus had acne. He probably realized one day that he had body odor. It's an interesting thought, yes?
Being reminded that Jesus is fully human as well as fully divine was an important revelation for me this week. It made me want to spend more time getting to know this Jesus on a personal level. It made me want to learn more about what I believe and open myself up to all the possibilities that Christ has to offer. Sometimes I get into this mode where I'm so involved in the path I'm on, that I close myself off to the wonders that Jesus presents before me. I'm not saying Moore's book changed my faith for better or worse, but it made me want to pause and see Jesus for who is he and always will be in a way that I haven't done in a while.
We affirm that Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine. Let us remember that as we walk with Him in friendship and in love.
Peace and Blessings to you,
Pastor Becki
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