From the Pastor

I recently took the plunge, and purchased satellite radio for my car. I wanted to hear certain stations that I could listen to regularly without static and interference. It is also something that I can use on long trips, because now I will get reception for a desired channel from the beginning of a trip to the very end. I have already pre-programmed my device with different channels for sports, news, and of course, music.

 Among my favorite music stations are the decade channels, — channels that play only the music of a given decade. And so, I have programmed channels on my satellite radio that play music from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. And in honor of my Dad, I also have the Frank Sinatra station ready to go! 

 Isn’t it amazing how music has the power to replay our lives within the span of a single song? How is it that a four minute tune, with its rhythms and sounds, can take us tospecific places and events from our past? There are songs in our minds that act as a cable wire, transporting us back in time, and connecting us to things like, high-school, college dating, to where we lived, our first job, to a vacation, or to dinner at a favorite restaurant. We can picture in our minds a stage of life, and what we were doing when a particular song was popular. Music has that uncanny ability to touch something deep at the core of our living. It is like a faithful friend who shows up at the just the right time, and in just the right way, to warm our hearts and soothe our souls. 

 This Sunday, as we continue our summer sermon series on the Fruit of the Spirit, I am going to be talking about the fruit of Faithfulness. Faithfulness is more than just a gut-it-out determination to stay the course. It is really that our lives are deeply anchored in God – because, God is faithful. Psalm 117:2, the music channel of the Bible, says, “For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” May this song play in our hearts and bring us joy as we journey down the road of life with our faithful God.

 Pastor John

Quote of the Week

 “God is not a deceiver, that He should offer to support us, and then, when we lean upon Him, should slip away from us.”

 St. Augustine

Saint Augustine of Hippo was a Roman African, early Christian theologian and philosopher from Numidia whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy.