From Pastor Zeke Page 1 From the Desk of Pastor Zeke Reorienting Life 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Often times, if I’m honest with myself and others, I run on anxiety. In ministry there are always things left undone. In my entire life of ministry, I cannot ever remember leaving church with the assurance that everything is complete and good. Such is life not just in church but in all things. Honestly, running on anxiety is not a very Christian attribute. It is something I am always working on. These verses from 2 Corinthians are ones that I strive towards. Understanding life, through the lens of faith, can transform your perspective. The call of Christ is one which denies the human view of life to be the ultimate concern. Faith believes there is always more at play. We have this great advocate, we know as the Holy Spirit. It is the presence of God as plentiful in our lives as the very air we breathe. In 2019, I am challenging our church and each of you to not operate from a place of fear, rather, to operate from a place of hope and gratitude. I believe that we are at our very best when decisions and directions are made from a place of hope and gratitude. This is not a new orientation of church and life. It is, a place from which I believe we can thrive as a church. I invite you all to be in prayer for our church and its leaders. Likewise, I invite each of you to do some personal inventory work. Spend some time making two lists. First, what are you truly grateful for. Second, without working out all the details, dream and hope for our church. Invite God to align our church with God’s own will. I believe these are our next steps for our church. I believe this holds the potential to transform our vision and hope for our church. I also believe, this is how we reorient church and life. Yes this takes work but what in life that is worth much doesn’t take work? Come join us, together we can experience the world anew. - Keep the Faith Strong, Rev. Zeke Note: Our theme for 2019, is that we will “keep Jesus the main thing”. This is something all of us can remember and something all of us can strive towards. Wesley UMC Newsletter February 2019
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