Changing Seasons

The first day of fall was yesterday, and it got me thinking. The seasons are changing, and it is a good time to settle back into a schedule and to come back to church. We have missed you and hope you know that we care. We would love to see you again. Now that we have hopefully gotten away from the extreme heat and long dry weather we can now get together. Fall is also a great time to reflect on our stewardship. How are we using the gifts that God has given us in our lives? Whether it be financially, our talents or our time? Everything that we have we have been given by God for the building up of his kingdom here on earth. That means that we do not own anything as we cannot take it with us. How are we using it for the good of others?

Do our lives attract others to Christ or distract them from Christ? We are beginning October, the month that usually brings the cooler, fall temperatures and we start thinking about the holidays, beginning with Halloween and running through the beginning of the new year. It is a time that you get busy with planning and preparing for everything that is coming up so fast. We all get nervous, and our schedules get hectic with everything that we must get done. It is easy to put our faith on hold and focus on the tasks at hand. Our lives become running from one thing to another. Know that God understands that, and he wants you to know that He is a place you can come when you feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Spend some quiet time in prayer and watch what God can and will do in your life. It is when we take time for God that we will accomplish more and be more rested.
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For some reason we think that if we work harder, pray harder or go to the faith gym then we are going to work on our faith muscles and then we will have faith enough to move mountains. But if you look at Jesus, he lived his relationship with God his father and it was not that he had to work harder, He just loved him and lived out that relationship in everything that he did and said. We need to learn that we need to experience Jesus, so we know what we are sharing with others. It is not getting better faith, or stronger faith muscles, it is just living out our relationship the way that God has called us to live. God generously gives us the gift of faith, so that we can share it with those around us. Make sure that you are focusing on the important things this fall and that Jesus and your faith take a priority in the business of life. If we are too busy for God how do we expect God not to be too busy for us. May this fall season bring you a renewed faith and better understanding of the call that God has for you and your family. Thank you for your dedication and faithfulness.

In Christ’s love,
Rev. Stephen W. Barch