All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it.

It's mission week, and what an incredible week it's been already. On Tuesday night, volunteers from our youngest kids to the greatest generation came to pack well over 400 sandwiches for kids who receive Smart Lunches over the summer. The very next morning, a half dozen youth showed up to help me load the bus and make the delivery to Mountain Park UMC in Stone Mountain. And after this, several more joined us for Bible Study, as we discussed the ways we can be believers and serve our city in a modern Corinth.

In addition to our mission workers, many came and walked the Labyrinth and prayed for our mission teams this week and those traveling soon on the youth mission trip to Mexico. There are so many ways to pray and go and serve. Those prayers mean the world to our mission teams and they connect us as one body.

Today, our team visited Hands of Christ. They unloaded landscaping supplies, did outdoor beautification projects and indoor cleaning. Our volunteers worked hard to make Hands of Christ feel like home for all who visit. And tomorrow, our teams will head to Dreamweavers to do more beautification and sorting of clothes. I hope you'll join us. And then more will head to the Atlanta Food Pantry on Saturday. You can still sign up to help. And if your family volunteers ANY where this summer or in the months to come, post your pictures on social media with #JCPCgiveGoLive so we can follow your adventures in serving too and share them.

Prayer for Today

Lord, make me your hands and feet. Send me to serve. Help me build your kingdom in love. Amen.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV

Yesterday afternoon, we gathered in The Great Hall to begin a time of prayer using the prayer labyrinth. We are doing this during Missions Week to pray for those missions supported by Johns Creek Presbyterian Church. But before we prayed, Jamie Traylor, one of our elders, led about eight of us in a time of preparation and transition. It was a ritual to acknowledge that we were moving into a time of prayer. Jamie provided each one of us with a handbell to ring as we walked around the labyrinth three times, in honor of our triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Then we each entered into a time of prayer. Each of us did it in the way he or she chose. Some walked slowly around the labyrinth, following the ancient path imprinted on the floor. The gently curving lines have a way of guiding one deeper in reflective prayer as it calms your soul. Some of us sat in the chairs and prayed for the different mission partners supported by our church. We also prayed for our mission teams - especially the Youth Mission Team heading out to Mexico this Sunday. Among their tasks will be to build a home for a family in need of one.

I think we live in a ritual-starved culture. We have very few rituals which carry meaning. Rituals like the prayer walk are one way of doing something with others. Rituals remind us of things that have great meaning in our lives. Without significant, well-conceived rituals such as prayer and worship, we sometimes find ourselves drawn to less healthy rituals to fill the void. For example, instead of genuine fellowship and community, we can drift into tribes. But, God invites us to tear down walls that divide us. Remember that God so loved the whole world, that God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn it, but to save it!

Prayer for Today

Lord, help us to find ways to pray throughout this day so that every aspect of life can become a ceaseless prayer. We ask this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with celebration! Come before him with shouts of joy! Know that the Lord is God- he made us; we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep of his own pasture. 

-Psalm 100:1-3

The writer of this Psalm was mostly likely a young shepherd, David. He was probably sitting on the rocky terrain outside the desert and looking over the land. Over this land there were animals scattered that would have provided food and a living for his family. The sheep required great care and protection. A typical day for a shepherd included counting, watching, listening, and even defending. Taking care of sheep requires constant, focused attention. Sheep are incredibly valuable and worth every effort. Consider what the shepherd may have been thinking about when he wrote this Psalm. It is a prayer of thanksgiving. David was realizing how God, our shepherd, must feel about each one of us, his sheep.

This afternoon, from 3:30-8:30 p.m. you have an opportunity to spend some time in prayer and reflection using a labyrinth in the Great Hall. I would invite you to experience the labyrinth as a time of renewal, prayer, and a way to lift up the sheep we care for through our mission partners locally and internationally.

As you go through your day, consider how much God loves you and seeks to take care of you. In return, how can we care for others?

Prayer for Today

Caring and Loving God, You count each one of us and notice us as we wander through our days seeking attention, care, and protection. Thank you for these gifts and the way that you value us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I hope that you fathers out there had a memorable Father's Day! I saw the following phrases in a print ad that really caught my eye; "Don't just get Dad a Tie, Spend the Whole Day with him! He was your original ride-share. Now say thanks by planning a day with Dad."

This ad is so clever and I especially like that the word whole was used. The ad said "spend the whole day with him!" It could have said spend the entire day with him; but it didn't. Why use the word whole?

What does the word whole mean to you?

At our most recent caring team meeting we were discussing the upcoming worship services on Sunday, June 30. We are planning a different type of worship experience which is called a healing and wholeness service.

One of our members asked the question; "what does the word whole mean exactly?"

When I think of wholeness my mind goes to the Hebrew wordshalom. I was taught that meaning was peace, completion, harmony, and wholeness.

I think most of us desire shalom in our lives. The prophet Isaiah paints a beautiful image of the peace, harmony, wholeness, and completion of shalom this way:

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra's den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. -Isaiah 11:6-9

Hey I have an idea. Let's extend Father's Day to include worship on Sunday, June 30. Why not spend the whole day with God?!!!

Prayer for Today

Father, I thank You for the gift of Your Spirit and the privilege of prayer. Help me to lean on Your Spirit in moments when I don't know how to pray. Amen.

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

-Romans 8:26

While traveling in Asia, my iPad (containing my reading material and many work documents) suddenly died, a condition described as "the black screen of death." Seeking help, I found a computer shop and encountered another problem-I don't speak Chinese and the shop's technician didn't speak English. The solution? He pulled up a software program in which he typed in Chinese, but I could read it in English. The process reversed as I responded in English and he read in Chinese. The software allowed us to communicate clearly, even in different languages.

At times, I feel like I'm unable to communicate and express my heart when I pray to my heavenly Father-and I'm not alone. Many of us struggle sometimes with prayer. But the apostle Paul wrote, The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.  -Romans 8:26-27

How amazing is the gift of the Holy Spirit! Better than any computer program, He clearly communicates my thoughts and desires in harmony with the Father's purposes. The work of the Spirit makes prayer work!

Prayer for Today

Father, I thank You for the gift of Your Spirit and the privilege of prayer. Help me to lean on Your Spirit in moments when I don't know how to pray. Amen.

Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself as an example of those who believe.

-1 Timothy 4:12

Where in the world is Pastor Brian this week?  It's week two of the summer and I'm with our middle school youth at the Great Escape.  It's been an incredible week to learn and grow and have way too much food and fun and silly games.  We have had a wonderful time in worship all week, and yesterday, the band leading worship joined us for a visit to the Aquarium.  Our kids got a backstage pass to getting to know young people who have committed their lives to serving others and spreading God's love.

Each week, the Great Escape hosts hundreds of kids, many of whom are friends of our church kids or new to church and faith in some way.  Mid-week, they're encouraged to make a commitment in their home church or group to deeper faith or a profession of faith.  As Presbyterians, our process for this step is confirmation.  So on that night, we go out after worship for tacos and talk about our process, our questions and curiosities, and how they'll be able to undergo that process soon.

I hope you'll be praying this week for our amazing kids and leaders.  This time is holy.  It's fun and gross and hard, but it's also holy.  It builds memories and community, but especially faith.  Ask our young people about the trip and encourage them to keep going.  You are their family of faith.

Prayer for Today

Lord, help me give challenge and support to our young people growing in faith and to say yes when and where I'm needed to support their ministry.

Water is found in many places in scripture, including in tears. John 11:32-36 reminds us that Jesus experienced weeping, "When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

When you hear difficult news of a tragedy or loss I am often overcome with emotion and questions. Are there places in your life of hurt or sadness? What are the tearful places? Change? Transition? Gratitude? Loss?

I would invite you to take a moment to identify some of the parts of your life where there are tears. Listen to them and then place them before God.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." -Romans 8:26

Prayer for Today

Holy Spirit, thank you for praying for us when we can't. Thank you for praying for us deeply and meaningfully. Hear our prayer... In Jesus' name. Amen.

Water is found in many places in scripture, including in tears. John 11:32-36 reminds us that Jesus experienced weeping, "When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

When you hear difficult news of a tragedy or loss I am often overcome with emotion and questions. Are there places in your life of hurt or sadness? What are the tearful places? Change? Transition? Gratitude? Loss?

I would invite you to take a moment to identify some of the parts of your life where there are tears. Listen to them and then place them before God.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." -Romans 8:26

Prayer for Today

Holy Spirit, thank you for praying for us when we can't. Thank you for praying for us deeply and meaningfully. Hear our prayer... In Jesus' name. Amen.

"Don't ever miss the chance to show your babies the moon!" she said. Before our mid-week prayer service began, a group of us talked about the previous night's harvest moon. The full moon was striking, as it seemed to sit on the horizon. Mrs. Webb was the eldest voice in our conversation, a gray-haired lover of God's grand creation. She knew my wife and I had two children in our home at the time, and she wanted to help me train them in a way worth going. 

Don't ever miss the chance to show your babies the moon!

Mrs. Webb would've made a good psalmist. Her brand of attentiveness is reflected in David's description of the heavenly bodies that "have no speech . . . . Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world" (Psalm 19:3-4). Neither the psalmist nor Mrs. Webb had any intention of worshiping the moon or the stars, but rather the creative hands behind them. The heavens and skies reveal nothing less than the glory of God (v. 1).

We too can encourage those around us-from babies and teenagers to spouses and neighbors-to stop, look, and listen, for declarations and proclamations of God's glory are all around us. Drawing attention to the work of His hands in turn leads to worshiping the awesome God behind the whole show. Don't ever miss the chance.

Prayer for Today

Dear God, help us to slow down and notice the work of Your hands right now.  Help me to encourage others to do the same.  If we stop, look, and listen, we'll see creation declaring God's glory.  Amen.

"Don't ever miss the chance to show your babies the moon!" she said. Before our mid-week prayer service began, a group of us talked about the previous night's harvest moon. The full moon was striking, as it seemed to sit on the horizon. Mrs. Webb was the eldest voice in our conversation, a gray-haired lover of God's grand creation. She knew my wife and I had two children in our home at the time, and she wanted to help me train them in a way worth going. 

Don't ever miss the chance to show your babies the moon!

Mrs. Webb would've made a good psalmist. Her brand of attentiveness is reflected in David's description of the heavenly bodies that "have no speech . . . . Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world" (Psalm 19:3-4). Neither the psalmist nor Mrs. Webb had any intention of worshiping the moon or the stars, but rather the creative hands behind them. The heavens and skies reveal nothing less than the glory of God (v. 1).

We too can encourage those around us-from babies and teenagers to spouses and neighbors-to stop, look, and listen, for declarations and proclamations of God's glory are all around us. Drawing attention to the work of His hands in turn leads to worshiping the awesome God behind the whole show. Don't ever miss the chance.

Prayer for Today

Dear God, help us to slow down and notice the work of Your hands right now.  Help me to encourage others to do the same.  If we stop, look, and listen, we'll see creation declaring God's glory.  Amen.