Tuesday Notes

Church Family, On Sunday morning at First Pres our preacher, Rev. Dr. Jennifer McNutt (one of our all-star Parish Associates), taught us about living in peace with one another. As we studied Romans 12:9-21 she brought us into the over-arching narrative of Paul’s letter to Rome and the theme of…

Church Family, If you have seen a number of “Wishing You Peace” yard signs around town lately, you may be clued in to the theme of the new sermon series we began this Sunday morning. (And if you would like one of those signs for your front lawn, you are…

 Dear First Pres Family,  Most of us have had glimpses of a spelling bee a time or two. A few of us have undoubtedly participated. You probably know the drill: a word is first pronounced, then defined and finally, read in a sentence. The contestant may ask the etymology/origin as…

Church Family, There is a big difference between being grateful and expressing gratitude.  It is one thing to feel thankful; it is something else entirely to articulate that feeling to God. In the passage from Luke 17 that we studied on Sunday morning, ten men were healed by Jesus. Without…

Church Family, What if your doctor told you that she had a prescription to give you that would cause you to sleep better at night? And what if she told you that same medicine would create higher levels of contentment and personal happiness in your life? And what if she…

Church Family, trans·for·ma·tion – tran(t)sfərˈmāSH(ə)n noun. “A dramatic change or metamorphosis” On Sunday morning we saw the complete transformation that faith in Jesus Christ brought to the life of the Apostle Paul. After an encounter with Jesus Christ, Paul’s life changed. And it wasn’t just his doctrine, it wasn’t just…

Church Family, As people of faith, we ask “Why” questions all the time.  For example: Why does our good God allow so much suffering in this world? Why do the wicked prosper? Why hasn’t my prayer request been answered? Why is my job search taking so long? Why are we…

Church Family, About 20 years ago there was a hit Broadway musical called Rent that popularized a song entitled “Seasons of Love” (Note: this is likely the first and last Broadway musical you will find me referencing due to my very limited knowledge of musicals!).  The song begins with the…

Church Family, Really. Hard. Things.  Jesus comforts his followers that his love and presence in our lives will sustain us through the really hard things we endure, and Jesus promises us that following him will cause us to introduce really hard things into our lives.  Isn’t that amazing? Jesus is…