Declaring & Teaching – Jesus is Lord!
James 1:1-8
James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways
Well how about a little news first, anyone ready for a BBQ? 
There will be the annual church cleanup in the Grove, Sanctuary, and Church grounds in general on Saturday, April 9 at 9:00 AM. There will be a little something for everyone to do either inside or out, just show up and have some fun and fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Since we need to make sure the grill is ready for Easter Breakfast we might as well put some burgers and dogs on it to make sure it really works. Bring gloves and your favorite garden tool if you would like.
Here are some thoughts someone had on Covid, āGood and bad news can coexist. Progress isnāt like flipping a switch. Someone who points out progress who is rebutted by someone pointing out setbacks might not be arguing ā theyāre probably just choosing to look at different parts of the world.ā
On Sunday, April 24 at noon there will be a Votersā Meeting with a potluck. We will be discussing and voting on Jennifer Gatkeās expanded role in youth ministry and the change in status from a contract employee to a regular employee including an updated budget proposal that closely reflects the level of effort she has been providing. We will also distribute copies of the current rules, rates, and burial planning information for our Cemeteries and determine if greater oversight and planning are required for the long term, including succession planning for the sextons for that Glorious Event when one of them goes to be with the Lord. It would be nice for the Church Secretary to inventory our documents and help record our standard procedures for what is necessary for our cemeteries to operate.
āWhen emotions swing from one side to the other it can be tempting to not trust either. But sometimes itās fine to have conflicting emotions because two opposite things can be true at the same time.ā
Other thoughts on a paradox:
- This is not possible and possible, depending on the sense you think of.
- Yes, it is most certainly possible but highly improbable that you could do it.
- No. What was the second question again?
- Iām in two minds about how to answer this.
- Of course, itās possible? just ask any woman, especially working mothers! I realize that, as a male, the questioner may not have experienced this phenomenon, but my brain usually deals with many more than two things.
Well some of these are humorous and others are intriguing, but what happens when the subject is a deeply spiritual issue like giving to the church? What happens when leaders disagree on how to communicate about the gifts we have received? Being a leader in the church is difficult, everyone brings their stuff and we all do the best we can to do what we believe the Lord is leading and calling us to do.
Jamesā message is clear in providing guidance on how we should ask and seek answers from the Lord. I will close with this, I have heard it said that FAITH and FEAR can not exist in our beings at the same time and we need to choose one, I choose FAITH.
May God richly bless each and everyone member of our congregation, both old and young. I pray that all find a place to be fed spiritually in both our worship services and many bible studies that are offered on a regular basis. Chuck Gollnick has proposed a new book for the Saturday menās group. We hope to get it started back up shortly.
Blessings,
So back to our scripture for the month, is it possible to think of two things at once? I had this question recently as it relates to a church matter and did an internet search to see what I would find. What is a Paradox? It refers to saying two opposite things at the same time “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”
Tim Grace