Pastor Brian's Blog

We feel anxious.  We live with uncertainty and disappointment.  Yet our faith in God can help us deal with the tension.  With all our hearts, we turn to God who is gracious and merciful.   Starting on Ash Wednesday, March 6, Pastor Brian will lead a new series called “With All My Heart.”  In this series, we will hear the prophetic invitation to turn to God and reflect on how God’s immeasurable grace has brought us this far.  We will direct our attention toward blessing God as our response to God’s blessing.  We will seek to understand the difference between God’s way and our way.  We will remember that God promises good things and provides us what we need to restore our souls.  We will find that when Jesus enters our hearts, we find opportunities to serve him as witnesses to the risen Christ. March 3 – Holy Communion Feeding Others John 21:15-19 March 6 – Ash Wednesday Returning Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 March 1...

The most important thing, according to Jesus, is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…[and] your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 1 One of the distinguishing aspects of a Methodist view on Christian faith is that faith isn’t just about what you think or do.   It also affects how you feel.   John Wesley emphasized “ a religion of the heart.” For example, Wesley recalled how his heart felt “strangely warmed” after realizing that Christ’s forgiveness applied to him personally.   The forgiveness of sin is general and particular.   God forgives all sins but also my sin and yours. The movie A River Runs Through It describes Methodists as “Baptists who can read.”   We combine our love for God with an emphasis on critical thinking.   From a Wesleyan perspective, faith in Christ integrates belief, action, and feeling. We don’t always get it right.   Sometimes we ignore our authe...