Thoughts for Today

Sunday, June 24 at United was one of those days that all pastor's crave. It was a day when God's presence was everywhere and worship was fluid and powerful. All I can say is send the rain! Both services were very well attended. Our focus was a new focus for the summer: NO FEAR! The text that was used was Psalm 23: 1-4 :  1 The Lord is my shepherd;     I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows;     he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3     He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths,     bringing honor to his name. 4 Even when I walk     through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid,     for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff     protect and comfort me. Our focus was particularly in the  area of not having a fear of death, but trusting God, the Good Shepherd as He walks with us through the trials of life. At one point, I mentioned that during a 13 month period of my life, I was with a total of 16 people as the

ARE YOU A DOORMAT? Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek (gentle, humble) for they shall inherit the earth" We have been working through a sermon series called "Staying Positive Under Pressure." Many times when we get under pressure we think that we should just fold up like a tent and become a doormat for others to walk on. In this, we sometimes think we are fulfilling the role of biblical "meekness" and somehow we will be blessed, just like Jesus said in the quoted verse of scripture. I shared an acrostic that is a symbol for the "Meek Club of America"...here it is: "Dependent Order of Really Meek and Timid Souls"? When you make an acrostic of the first letters of its name, you have the word "Doormats." The Doormats have an official insignia—a yellow caution light. Their official motto is: "The meek shall inherit the earth, if that’s OK with everybody!" Here are some takeaways from the message on Sunday at Uni