Balance - February 2023 Newsletter

 Now that we are all about a month into this new year - let’s take a moment and assess: how are you doing? Have you gotten off track? I hope you don't feel like everything's gone off the rails! But this is only the second month of the year, let's get back on track and keep going together. 

This year, I decided that I would come up with a word for the year - sort of a focus. Maybe you’d like to do that too, or you already have. The word I’ve chosen for 2023 is BALANCE. With the word, it coordinates with a Bible verse - 2 Peter 3:17 - which says, “My dear friends, you have been warned ahead of time! So don't let the errors of evil people lead you down the wrong path and make you lose your balance.” 

We all have influences around us, and that’s what makes our community so great. But as we get out beyond our walls, there are wider ranges of what people believe. So to be true to your faith, make sure you are testing what you are hearing against what the Bible says. Discernment is a practice that takes time to master, but it can help lead you to deeper faith, and joining with other believers as a person of peace. 

What is a “person of peace”? When the apostles were sent out through the great commission in the New Testament, Jesus taught his disciples to look for someone who was “worthy” or “people of peace” - as in, someone who would help spread the gospel when they came upon a new village or town. They were to stay with that person of peace until it was time for them to move on. This isn’t actually a reference to someone who has been baptized, or is a Christian - just someone who is open to the Gospel message. It’s in the openness that people can see how God is already working in their lives. 

At the time when this letter was written, Nero was the emperor of Rome and he was a very unethical leader, within already unsteady political climate. So, just like now, there are people who feel emboldened to teach and preach compelling lessons, but are void of the Spirit of the Lord. The true believer grows more and will not be put off balance when pushed. The fence of biblical knowledge will protect them from falling with “secure footing”. 

Even when we feel like our footing is secure, false teachers may come around and try to persuade us to climb up and over that fence. But, staying with what we know and having understanding of God's word, that extra structure of community may have the difference between staying and going off-balance and falling. 

Join me, among other things, of trying to live this year in balance. May we find balance in all aspects of our lives. May the balance help you achieve the joy, hope, and love we all find in Jesus Christ. 

Pastor Dan

PASTOR’S PICKS: 

Listen: SEU Worship - Heart Cry - this album came on my radar recently and I've been listening to it nonstop. The worship music fills me with hope and faith, and the lyrics gave me goosebumps. FAVORITE SONG: Monday Morning Faith

Watch: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - this movie is a few years old, but it is one of my favorites. I love the original short story, but it is really brought to life. It's the story of an ordinary clerk at a magazine who lives in his head until he is forced to live out those adventures on the outside. Almost a transformation that Christ turns us inside out! 

Read: the Deeply Formed Life by Rich Villodas. Rich is the pastor of a church in Brooklyn, NY, and this book gives a different look at spiritual practices that Christians can use to grow and expand their ideas of what a faithful life looks like. Check it out, it's available at the County Library.