Agape Fellowship - Wednesday, August 17

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Sometimes I get text messages from friends that I have no idea what they are talking about so I ask them "What does IMHO mean?" They will quickly reply "In My Honest/Humble Opinion." I didn't get that feeling when I read this scripture. God is clearly telling me that it is my J-O-B as a Christian parent to impress His commandments on my children. I'm supposed to live the example of a Christian life as well as talk to them about God's commandments. It seems to me that God has covered every aspect of the day with, "when I lie down and when I get up."

To often as our children approach adolescence we tend to see them as that thing that has taken over our baby. Didn't we know that they were going to go through this part of their life? So God tells us in Deuteronomy that we are supposed to prepare our children for this time by talking to them. We aren't supposed to run from them or shake our heads at them, but we should talk to them, when we sit at home, when we're at church, when we're riding down the street, before we go to bed and when we get up in the morning. I don't think that God meant just our biological children. I believe that He wants us to impress His commandments on all of our children.

The youth of Central have been very fortunate this summer. They have traveled the United States learning about themselves and how they can be leaders in mission, the United Methodist Church and the community. On Wednesday, August 17, we will have Agape fellowship which will have a Youth Sharing portion. Come out for a delicious meal and an opportunity to impress the commandments of your hearts on our children.

I wish you peace and blessings.
Michelle

Happy Independence Day

"For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another." Galatians 5:13

Paige and I spend some Saturday afternoons in mother-daughter time at Koinonia cafe. not just because they serve the best turkey sandwich with cranberry relish, but because the place epitomizes all that its name represents. It is truly a community place. The type of community that Jesus talked about, one that is open to all and accepting of all.

Today we celebrate freedom. The day the United States won its independence from the English monarchy. As you celebrate in whatever manner you choose, please remember that as Christians we are free as well. God bought our freedom from damnation for our past mistakes and our future missteps, but please don't use that freedom to do wrong, or focus on yourself. Instead use the freedom of Jesus Christ to love one another and to bring about a community that is open to all and accepting of all as we strive to make disciples for Jesus Christ.

How do we do that? Galatians 5:14 gives us the way, "Love others as you love yourself." When we operate in a spirit of love, we no longer focus on the faults of others, but rather on their strengths. The unity among believers is strengthened and the world sees God's people as the shining example. As an example, we can change what society sees as normal, reinstate morals and values and make love and acceptance of all the everyday thing.