Our Mission is Growing Disciples of Jesus Christ

Happy New Year! I pray that you will grow in God’s grace and in the knowledge and love of the Lord and in the fellowship of God’s people. We all know the cliché about New Year’s resolutions and how they often burn out in the face of our personal inertia.

As Christians, with intentionality, every aspect of our day can be lived in God’s presence and seen through God’s eyes. We sometimes forget about the power of ordinary living.

Living intentionally Christian lives often takes some planning or preparation. On the one hand, being intentionally Christian involves cultivating a mind and heart to love certain values and shy away from things that undermine those values.

Do you think much about the Communion of Saints? The first of November is the Feast of All Saints (giving the name to the night before: All Hallows' Eve, the eve of the feast of all who have been hallowed by God—made holy—made the saints).

The world around us tries to motivate us with fear. What can we do to form and shape our hearts and minds differently? To be free from fear and open to trust? One practical way is in the mindset and practice of Christian Stewardship.

In my previous message, I wrote about the things in our culture that we need to turn off to better form and shape our hearts and minds as Christians and to lead intentionally Christian lives. But what should we turn on? What is the positive alternative? With what should we fill our hearts and minds, and how?

How wonderful it is to be more and more aware of God's generosity!