Preacher Paul's Blogs

This Sunday we will reflect on one of Jesus' familiar teachings: "I am the light of the world," and the call to let that light shine through our lives. Together we will explore what it means to receive the light of Christ and to reflect that light through love, mercy, compassion, and faithful discipleship in our everyday lives.  This week, I invite you to ponder these questions:  Where is Christ calling your light to shine in your daily life?  How can someone catch a glimpse of Christ through your words and actions this week?

This Sunday, our Summer Destinations series takes us to a house on Straight Street in Damascus, where Ananias is sent to meet Saul, the very man he has every reason to fear. In “Brother Saul,” we will see that Saul was certain he was serving God, while Ananias was certain Saul did not belong. Yet God interrupts both of their certainty and calls Ananias to welcome Saul as a brother before Saul has done anything to earn that welcome. This story asks us to consider whether we are doing the work of Jesus or simply protecting our own need to be right.  I invite you to ponder these two questions this week as you read Acts 9:1–19:  Whose work are you doing, Jesus’ work or your own?  When you decide who belongs, whose best interest do you truly have at heart: another person’s or your own?

  This week we continue our Summer Destinations journey with Abram in Genesis 12:1-9 and a sermon titled “Destination: TBA.” Most of us like to know where we are going before we begin a trip. We want the route planned, the reservations made, and the details settled. Yet God called Abram to leave everything familiar and begin a journey without knowing the final destination. Abram stepped forward, not because he had all the answers, but because he trusted the God who called him. Along the way, Abram discovered that faith is not always about seeing the entire road ahead.  Sometimes faith is simply trusting God enough to take the next step. As you read this week’s scripture and prepare for worship, consider these questions:  Where might God be calling you to take a step of faith without knowing every detail?  What promise of God helps you keep walking when the road ahead feels uncertain?

This week we continue our Summer Destinations sermon series with a journey to a place no one aboard Paul’s ship wanted to visit: a shipwreck on an unfamiliar shore. In Acts 27:41-44, we discover that after days of storms, the ship carrying Paul and two hundred seventy-six people broke apart, but God was still at work. The ship was lost, the cargo was lost, but not one person was lost.  Sometimes our lives feel the same way. The things we trusted to carry us may fall apart, and we may find ourselves holding onto the broken pieces that remain. Yet this story reminds us that God’s grace is often found in those very pieces, carrying us safely through the storm.  As you read Acts 27:41-44 this week, consider these questions:  What are the “broken pieces” God has used to carry you through difficult seasons?  Where might God’s grace be at work in places you never expected?

  This Sunday we continue our Summer Destinations: Places Where We Meet God sermon series as we journey with Jonah. Trapped in the belly of a great fish, Jonah discovers that God's grace reaches even into the darkest and most hopeless places. Yet the story does not end with Jonah receiving mercy. It challenges us to ask whether we are willing to celebrate that same grace when God extends it to people we struggle to love or forgive. Join us as we reflect on Jonah 2:1–2, 9–10 and are reminded that "Deliverance belongs to the Lord." As you prepare for worship, read Jonah 2:1–2, 9–10 and consider these questions:  Have you ever been grateful for God's grace in your own life while finding it difficult to extend that grace to someone else?  Is there a person or situation where God may be inviting you to show the same mercy you have already received?