2 Timothy 1.7 (CEB)
God didn't give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled.
 
Discernment is a process in which we intentionally name what/where God is moving and how we might, knowing our gifts and graces, respond faithfully, joyfully, and committedly. Grounded in scripture, prayer, and reflection, we become a community that is purposefully shaped by God.

The Bible study material “A People of Salt & Light: Jesus’ Model for Community” explored various aspects of the Biblical vision for community. I am inviting us to respond a step further and apply Jesus’ teachings to LPCC. Specifically, thinking what God is calling us to in the next 5 years.
​
1. Read: Matthew 5:13-16
2. Answer:

• What do you think it means to be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world?”
• If a community is dramatically formed by what it does, what are some of the works (what LPCC does) that currently shape our congregation? What kind of witness do these works present to the world?
• Considering your hopes and dreams for the future, what are some ways that you can envision La Porte Community Church faithfully living for the world?

Please bring your answers with you to Worship next Sunday as we go with Abraham on his next adventure with God no matter the age!
​
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Brian

Hebrews 11.8 (CEB)
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out without knowing where he was going.
 
We begin a new series this week in Genesis drawing from the life of Abraham.  Even in the New Testament, he is considered a person from whom we might learn a thing or two.  First,    Abraham responds to God’s call to leave everything that he knew: friends, family, and country to go where he was not sure, even at the age of 75.  Second, at 99 years old, God told him that the world would be blessed through his lineage, but he had no kids.  Third, Abraham, at 100, has a son and anyone cannot help but laugh at the impossible becoming possible.  Moreover, Abraham is asked to take his long sought after son to be a sacrifice to a God who does not want human sacrifice and discovers anew that the “LORD will provide.”
 
Each instance of Abraham’s life we find, “where God leads, God provides.”  Stepping out in faith is not easy or straightforward at any age.  Responding in faith is sometimes an act of the will believing that God keeps God’s promises to love and be with us throughout all of life.  Like    Abraham, we must step out in faith, trust that God is leading us, and all the while living, laughing, and loving God and each other.
 
Please join me these next several weeks as we learn from Abraham that it takes faith to have faith no matter our age.