A Note From Our Pastor
Galatians 6:7b-10 A man reaps what he sows. Whoever
sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap
destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the
Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in
doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if
we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let
us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to
the family of believers.
I was on vacation recently and I used much of my time
away to work on my gardens. I love gardens. I love
beautiful flowers. I especially love watching a vegetable
garden grow and harvesting fresh food. I planted some
bean seeds and just a few days later I witnessed tiny bean
plants popping out of the dirt. It brought me so much joy!
New life was growing from simply planting a seed!
Honestly, working on the garden was a lot of hard work.
Much more than usual. The reason was that I hadn’t
planted a garden since coming to Rome, and frankly, I had
neglected it. There were weeds and roots everywhere. It
was quite a mess. It made me sad to look at it, and it
seemed like an overwhelming project. But I realized that if
I wanted the joy and satisfaction that the garden brings, I
would need to start. I knew that the blessing of a harvest
would be worth it.
Our faith can be the same way. If we aren’t careful, things
in our lives can distract us and we can find ourselves
neglecting our faith. Once we are out of the habit it can be
difficult to start again. But if we want the joy and
satisfaction that God gives us through practicing our faith,
we need to start again. Growing in our faith requires us to
be intentional, consistent, and purposeful. We remember
the joy, satisfaction, and blessing we receive from God and
make our faith a priority. If we consider our faith-life like a
garden, it must be maintained if we are to bear fruit.
It’s summertime, and sometimes during the summer
months people will fall out of the habit of practicing their
faith consistently. There are often many activities and
vacations, and I hope everyone has a wonderful and
enjoyable summer. I also hope that no matter what is going
on we all continue to make our faith a priority. I want to
encourage everyone to still worship, serve, give, connect
with faith family, study Scripture, and pray. Ministry will be
continuing throughout the summer, so consider serving
when you can. If you are out of town, you could worship
with our church family online- live or later. If you attend
another church in your travels, bring back a bulletin from
their service- I would love to see it! Most importantly, stay
connected to God and our church family. Especially pray
for our church family and our ministries. May we all
experience the blessing of a beautiful garden of faith and
a harvest that nourishes our souls and makes a kingdom
impact.
Peace,
Pastor Sherry
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