Thursday, February 10, 2011
1954 Sunday School Addition
Friday, February 4, 2011
Pastor's Penpoint - "CROSS Our Heart" - February 2011
Well it is no secret that February is the month of love. Interesting that many tend to think about love only in terms of romance, smooches and being with your "Sugar Booger". But as believers in Christ, we know there is much more to love than that. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for romantic love ... and am truly blessed to enjoy a wonderful marriage that includes hand holding and sweet nothings that make my heart go pitter pat! But our hearts need to be equally drawn to others - and love them greatly, as we see in 1 Corinthians 13:13: "Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
Here at Mt. Olivet, we certainly have a heart to reach out in love to our fellow man. Mission trips to Honduras, Kentucky, Sierra Leone and local mission projects - all point to a love that extend not only our thoughts but our actions and time in making certain our sisters and brothers are aware of how they are loved. We serve as the extension of Christ's love to these folks in a very real and seen way.
In addition, we strive to help those whose names we may never know or faces we will never see. These are the folks that we help with care packages to Kentucky, donations to the two food pantries we support, kids we sponsor in WRE and those that will be the beneficiary of our "Hearts for Hunger" mission's fundraiser the first Saturday of this month.
Likewise, our love extends to those who are facing difficult situations in life that require prayer. We are always eager to pray for others facing sickness and death, those shut-in and not able to attend church, dealing with relational and work related issues, not to mention financial and personal catastrophes. The love that is incorporated in prayer for one another is as it says in James, "powerful and effective!"
But Scripture also reminds us that love ... true God type love, includes real, meaningful and measurable love for those we dislike, disagree with and in any other form ... are considered our enemies. I heard it said once the opposite of love is not hate - but pride. That is being unable and unwilling to set aside our own agendas, bruised egos or feelings of superiority to truly love ALL of God's children. Pride you see is contrary to God's nature.
So this month of love ... smooch your "Honey-Bunny", hug your kids, pray for those in need, serve those who cannot do for themselves .... and love deeply and fully your enemies. After all, we were all at one time the enemy of God and that's what he did for us. This God love covers us. But don't take my word for it. Let's give scripture the last word ... "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8.
CROSS my heart,
~Pastor Todd
Here at Mt. Olivet, we certainly have a heart to reach out in love to our fellow man. Mission trips to Honduras, Kentucky, Sierra Leone and local mission projects - all point to a love that extend not only our thoughts but our actions and time in making certain our sisters and brothers are aware of how they are loved. We serve as the extension of Christ's love to these folks in a very real and seen way.
In addition, we strive to help those whose names we may never know or faces we will never see. These are the folks that we help with care packages to Kentucky, donations to the two food pantries we support, kids we sponsor in WRE and those that will be the beneficiary of our "Hearts for Hunger" mission's fundraiser the first Saturday of this month.
Likewise, our love extends to those who are facing difficult situations in life that require prayer. We are always eager to pray for others facing sickness and death, those shut-in and not able to attend church, dealing with relational and work related issues, not to mention financial and personal catastrophes. The love that is incorporated in prayer for one another is as it says in James, "powerful and effective!"
But Scripture also reminds us that love ... true God type love, includes real, meaningful and measurable love for those we dislike, disagree with and in any other form ... are considered our enemies. I heard it said once the opposite of love is not hate - but pride. That is being unable and unwilling to set aside our own agendas, bruised egos or feelings of superiority to truly love ALL of God's children. Pride you see is contrary to God's nature.
So this month of love ... smooch your "Honey-Bunny", hug your kids, pray for those in need, serve those who cannot do for themselves .... and love deeply and fully your enemies. After all, we were all at one time the enemy of God and that's what he did for us. This God love covers us. But don't take my word for it. Let's give scripture the last word ... "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8.
CROSS my heart,
~Pastor Todd
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