Sermon #1: A Lesson In Trust

Greetings fellow explorers of life. I hope you're having a fantastic Sunday evening (or Monday if you happen to be reading on Monday).

Today I preached my first sermon at Zion Lutheran Church. I trusted the Spirit quite a bit more than I usually do. And I feel good about that. I'm learning to trust the Holy Spirit's movement more every day - in spontaneous prayers and in other tasks that come up during the day that can't be planned for. As one who loves to "plan" I think it's good when things come up that I can't plan for. It reminds me that I'm not in control. I sure love that fellowship hour. I like hearing the silly and highly brilliant things people say; and I'll admit - coffee is really growing on me.

This afternoon we had a council retreat in the woods at Good Earth Village. It was great. We used Romans 12 as the foundational text. Here's my favorite verse: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (verse 21).

It's so easy to get sucked into negative thinking, sadness, depair, jealousy, bitterness, and anger, isn't it? But, I'm refreshed to know that we can CHOOSE not to get sucked in. We can overcome evil with good. It's hard. And we can't do it without God's help and the help of one another. But it IS possible. We can make choices everyday that contribute to the emotional, spiritual, and physical health of ourselves and those with whom we share this planet.

So that's my verse for the week; my goal for the next 7 days. "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." I hope you'll join me - let's spread some seeds of goodness this week.