Updated weekly with a devotional from one of our leaders, and opportunities to pray for the needs of our church family.
Let's embrace the rhythm of rest and work that God has graciously provided for us.
That pic is from our recent trip to Italy for the wedding of Justin and Abby Goodenow. What a wedding, what a trip! JoAnne and I had a blast. It was a great reminder about the gift of love and the gift of summer. This week feels like summer is truly here. The days are long, the skies are (mostly) blue and the air is warm. Summer is truly a gift in Michigan and it inspires me to Praise God.
Another Italy trip pic, the wedding took place in the north of Italy in an area full of beautiful vineyards and villages. This picture and this time of year leads me to one of my favorite Psalms of Praise:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
Psalm 19:1-6
I invite you to lift up prayers of praise as you feel led.
The Tower of Pisa is a simple reminder that life doesn't always go as planned. The tower today is a lighthearted reminder of that truth but most of the time we are lamenting, there's nothing easy about it. The architect of that tower, I'm sure, did some serious lamenting over the results. In Sunday's message, I talked about my inability to maintain a good healthy Sabbath rhythm in my life. I was lamenting me, and sometimes that can be the most important lament because it can lead us to repentance and back toward God.
The words of Psalm 19 help us with one of the main ideas from this week's message: that we don't often realize when we are out of step with God. These verses are a beautiful prayer:
But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
Psalm 19:12-13
We pray that the people of the world would find their direction in God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Psalm 19 gives us words to guide us. We pray that the people of the world would recognize:
The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
Psalm 19:7-11
The final picture is of a very old church. This beautiful, simple church in Assissi, Italy has stood and welcomed worshippers for more than 800 years. Through the many years and all the people one truth has remained true:
Our True Hope is found in the love of God that we see so clearly in Jesus Christ. Our Hope lies in surrendering to that love and allowing it to guide us.
We conclude with the last verses of Psalm 19.
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
AMEN!