I have been back in Seattle for a month now and back at church for a couple of weeks. It’s nice to be home.
Beginning the end of June, we will be entering into a series of messages on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. This book is a treasure for souls like ours! When Paul wrote to Philippi, he was concerned for them to continue to grow in faith, hope and love. His strategy was to encourage the socks off of them by telling them how powerful it is to belong to Christ, to be in the grasp of God’s grace and to live joyful lives of hope.
I don’t know about you, but I need to seek out and get encouragement pretty regularly. Life isn’t always smooth, and it’s never perfect. Most of us are subject to deep disappointments, failures of nerve and difficult passages to navigate. The normal stuff of life can get us pretty down and, if you are like me, you can become subject to self-doubt and disconsolate feelings. How do we get out from under our circumstances and get back on top of things? Well, again, if you are like me, we need encouragement. As Council President, Steve Geelhood, and I often remind each other: “It takes ten attaboys for every you-jerk” that we receive in this world. Philippians is a gigantic attaboy from God for you and me that we can draw from daily.
Hopefully, as we work on studying and reading Philippians together, we will find ways to open our lives to one another and offer encouragement. Encouragement to live and love well. Encouragement to believe in the unique person each of us is. Encouragement to rally as a faith community around the challenges of change, growth, resources and goals.
I encourage you to join me for a refreshing look at the Word of God this summer. Let me know how you are doing and if the messages and discussion are helpful.
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