I hope that you were able to worship with us yesterday during our Festival of Hymns. Music can move us to places deep in our souls like no other medium that I know. I thought the choir, Justin, Heidi, and Laura were remarkable in their worship leadership and I want to thank them.

Gray crafted a sermon which highlighted some of the personal tragedies that are the backdrop of our great traditional hymns. I was incredibly moved by the stories of personal loss and tragedy as well as the faith in God which permeate these hymns.

A common critic of Christianity is that it promotes a type of pie in the sky theology that isn't grounded in the hardships of life. On the contrary, our Festival of Hymns witnessed a faith in a God who meets us where we are in order to save, redeem, and sustain us.

The popular author/speaker Brené Brown has something to say about Christian faith that I want to share:

From the sounds of it Brené would make a good Stephen Minister!

I'm looking forward to seeing you this coming Sunday at our World Communion celebration.

Prayer for Today

Gracious God, may peace flow like a river through our souls and throughout our lifetime so that no matter what our lot may be; whether we are heavy with our sorrows or caught in trials that make it difficult to understand the strain, we will catch a glimpse of your amazing grace and in the stillness of clarity profess, it is well with my soul.