Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey everyone!
Yup, I'm back. After 15 glorious weeks of rest, I'm back in the saddle and ready to go. I can't even begin to tell you how healing, rejuvenating, and reinvigorating this time has been for me and my family. I can't wait to share with you more and more as the weeks and months unfold.
By all measures, Meadows is doing great! Portia and the staff led capably in my absence, and our leadership team and guest speakers stepped up in ways that I'll forever be grateful for. I love this church!
I've had this scripture on my heart this week as I look forward to my first Sunday back:
Psalm 100:3-4 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
That last part, the 'enter his gates with thanksgiving' section, I recognize and have heard a thousand times. But I've never tied it to the verse before, which draws upon our connection to God and our community to each other as the pre-cursor, the foundation upon which the following verse is built.
"Know that the Lord, he is God!" -- it doesn't get any more clear than that, does it? Our call to enter his house with thanksgiving and praise is built on our connection to the One "who made us." Connection to Him is the foundation.
But also...
"It is he who made US, and WE are his. WE are his PEOPLE." -- do you see the plurality here? It seems specific, the fact that it's a WE thing, and it's tied to our entering his presence.
David could have easily said, "He made ME, and I am his. I am his person..." God obviously loves David -- and all of us -- uniquely and individually. But he didn't write this psalm like that; he made it plural: WE are doing this as a community, as the "sheep of his pasture."
Connection to Him.
Community with each other.
With that as the backdrop, we "enter his gates with thanksgiving." Pretty cool, right?
And that's exactly the way Meadows has approached this past summer in my absence, and will continue to operate upon my return:
Connected to Him.
In community with each other.
Now...
Who's ready for church this Sunday???
Yup, I'm back. After 15 glorious weeks of rest, I'm back in the saddle and ready to go. I can't even begin to tell you how healing, rejuvenating, and reinvigorating this time has been for me and my family. I can't wait to share with you more and more as the weeks and months unfold.
By all measures, Meadows is doing great! Portia and the staff led capably in my absence, and our leadership team and guest speakers stepped up in ways that I'll forever be grateful for. I love this church!
I've had this scripture on my heart this week as I look forward to my first Sunday back:
Psalm 100:3-4 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
That last part, the 'enter his gates with thanksgiving' section, I recognize and have heard a thousand times. But I've never tied it to the verse before, which draws upon our connection to God and our community to each other as the pre-cursor, the foundation upon which the following verse is built.
"Know that the Lord, he is God!" -- it doesn't get any more clear than that, does it? Our call to enter his house with thanksgiving and praise is built on our connection to the One "who made us." Connection to Him is the foundation.
But also...
"It is he who made US, and WE are his. WE are his PEOPLE." -- do you see the plurality here? It seems specific, the fact that it's a WE thing, and it's tied to our entering his presence.
David could have easily said, "He made ME, and I am his. I am his person..." God obviously loves David -- and all of us -- uniquely and individually. But he didn't write this psalm like that; he made it plural: WE are doing this as a community, as the "sheep of his pasture."
Connection to Him.
Community with each other.
With that as the backdrop, we "enter his gates with thanksgiving." Pretty cool, right?
And that's exactly the way Meadows has approached this past summer in my absence, and will continue to operate upon my return:
Connected to Him.
In community with each other.
Now...
Who's ready for church this Sunday???
________________________________________________
Ladies Connect launched on Tuesday and it was POPPING.
Over 100 ladies in total showed up, around 50 came to the morning session and over 70 in the evening. Wow! Amazing things happening through our Ladies Ministry.
Over 100 ladies in total showed up, around 50 came to the morning session and over 70 in the evening. Wow! Amazing things happening through our Ladies Ministry.
________________________________________________
Wait, you guys did "Sacred Practices"?? What a great idea! Something tells me we might circle back to that at some point in the near future....
________________________________________________
This Sunday, I'm going to conclude -- for real this time -- the series ABIDE.
I haven't had the chance to hear everyone's messages in this series, so if I repeat anything, my apologies. But I wanted to give my concluding thoughts to this tender series and text, and give you an inside look to what God has been doing in me the last 3 months.
I literally CANNOT WAIT to see you all on the walkway!
Pastor Ronnie
I haven't had the chance to hear everyone's messages in this series, so if I repeat anything, my apologies. But I wanted to give my concluding thoughts to this tender series and text, and give you an inside look to what God has been doing in me the last 3 months.
I literally CANNOT WAIT to see you all on the walkway!
Pastor Ronnie
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