FaithSpring Church - A United Methodist Congregation

${tag_author}$ Friday, October 26, 2012

One Saturday I was crossing the Arkansas River on the I-430 bridge. Fog blanketed the river to the right, so that I couldn’t see the dam or even the river. I took a quick glance to the west. I could glimpse bits of the island and sandbars there.

The fog’s mystic beauty lifted my spirits. I thought of Genesis 1 talking about the spirit of God was hovering over the waters of the earth. The mist reminded me of God’s presence with me in the midst of the busy day ahead.

Sometimes in life it feels like I’m traveling through a thick fog. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul said that now we see through a glass darkly—often I’m not content with that. I strain to see what’s ahead and figure out where I’m going.

I wondered that Saturday if at times my frantic efforts caused me to miss the spirit of God hovering all around. For trying to see the future exactly, I was missing the beauty of the mystery of God.

Suddenly, my driver’s seat became a holy place, as I marveled that God’s lovely mystery was all around me, each and every day, if I just look.

Jenni

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${tag_author}$ Monday, October 08, 2012

I'm preparing for a trip to upstate New York with my 80-year-old uncle. And believe it or not I'm looking forward to it. He's the last of my mother's family and we have worked together other the lst few years to piece together our families history. He's going to show me all the old (1800s) home places where my grandparents and their parents grew up. The nooks and crannies of our family history that are held in his memory; being passed to me.

I think of the scripture passage

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${tag_author}$ Wednesday, October 03, 2012

"You're not from here, are you?" I had finished a presentation about Imagine No Malaria, an initiative to end death from malaria (which is a treatable, preventable and curable disease - no one should die from it!). I responded as I usually do, "No, I was born in New Jersey, but I've lived in Arkansas more than 30 years." And that got me thinking about how many times over the last 30 plus years I've had someone say that or something similar to me. I'm wondering how long we need to be in a place before we are "from there."

We've all experienced that sense of being outsiders - at school, work, parties. But should we experience that at church, too? Jesus says otherwise.

Jesus taught that we are all united by our Christian faith. Ephesians 4: 4-5 states that we are "one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

If we can begin to see the world as Jesus does, our differences and divisions fade away. We come to believe that the one place on earth where we all belong is church.

In the book, Common Prayer: Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, the authors state: "God's deepest longing is for the church to be united as one body. In Jesus' longest recorded prayer, he prayed that we would become 'one as God is one.' As one old preacher said, 'We gotta get it together, because Jesus is coming back, and he's coming for a bride, not a harem."

God only has one church. And in that church we all belong.

Peace and grace,
M

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${tag_author}$ Wednesday, September 26, 2012

I've been preparing for the spiritual gifts study that starts next week. It's interesting reading because what I thought I knew about spiritual gifts "ain't necessarily so." For instance,

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${tag_author}$ Tuesday, September 25, 2012

As I join the blogosphere on the new FaithSpring website, I thought a great place to start would be the upcoming sermon for this week at FaithSpring. The Scripture focus this Sunday, Sept. 30, includes Mark 9:38-41 and James 5:13-20. What is our responsibility for the problems of other people? How involved are we supposed to be in their lives?

If anyone has some thoughts, I'd love to hear them as we prepare for another great Sunday at FaithSpring!

God Bless.
Brock

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Accepting the Mystery - Pastor Jenni

New York State of Mind. - Pastor Martha

Where do you belong? - Pastor Martha

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Other People's Problems - Pastor Brock

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