Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You have heard the saying; I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?

As Christians, we all know that the good news is Jesus and the life he lived for us, for each and every one of us. It's good news because this life we have in Jesus is a life received in love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope for a future that God alone can provide no matter where our shortcomings and flaws have taken us. The good news we have in Jesus is a gift to be honored and cherished and to be put into good use. And here is where the bad news surfaces: we continue to practice behaviors and habits that run contrary to the life we have been taught to live in Christ Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds the church that the grace and mercy of God is insurmountable, the effects received in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are eternal. and "each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift" (4:7). The good news we receive and have in Jesus represents a new opportunity, a new way of living that can cast aside the devastating effects of hard hearts, darkened thoughts, greedy practices, corrupt and delusional desires, a mean-spiritedness that leaks into every crevice of life. The bad news comes not from God in Christ Jesus but from our failure to enact a way of life that is consistent with the ways we have been taught by Christ Jesus. As Paul notes: the practice of every kind of impurity "is not the way you learned Christ!" (4:20).

The good news we have as Christians will always be connected to our life in Jesus and that which we receive through his grace and mercy given to us. But this good news can quickly turn bad in the here-and-now when, for whatever reason, we take part "in the unfruitful works of darkness" (5:11). For the Apostle Paul, the issue always comes down to whether we are Christian in name only or that we have "learned Christ" and, therefore, "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us" (5:1).

As a former Bishop of the Church eloquently noted, "This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word. For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts."

The riches we have in Christ are boundless (3:8), conveying to us "the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:11), for which we receive "boldness and confidence through the faith of him" (3:12). But let us not let these riches we have in Christ fail to come to fruition in our lives by engaging in thoughts and practices that reflect hardened hearts and mean-spiritedness, and by re-erecting the dividing walls of hostility (2;14) that Christ himself has broken down. As the musician Crowder has sung: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal."

May our thoughts and actions truly reflect that we have indeed "learned Christ!". Christ's presence in our lives does not render the church (or any of us) passive; we are to be Christ for one another "working properly" in the name of truth and love (4;16). We are in person and community the good news of Jesus!

Blessings and peace!   Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You have heard the saying; I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?

As Christians, we all know that the good news is Jesus and the life he lived for us, for each and every one of us. It's good news because this life we have in Jesus is a life received in love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope for a future that God alone can provide no matter where our shortcomings and flaws have taken us. The good news we have in Jesus is a gift to be honored and cherished and to be put into good use. And here is where the bad news surfaces: we continue to practice behaviors and habits that run contrary to the life we have been taught to live in Christ Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds the church that the grace and mercy of God is insurmountable, the effects received in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are eternal. and "each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift" (4:7). The good news we receive and have in Jesus represents a new opportunity, a new way of living that can cast aside the devastating effects of hard hearts, darkened thoughts, greedy practices, corrupt and delusional desires, a mean-spiritedness that leaks into every crevice of life. The bad news comes not from God in Christ Jesus but from our failure to enact a way of life that is consistent with the ways we have been taught by Christ Jesus. As Paul notes: the practice of every kind of impurity "is not the way you learned Christ!" (4:20).

The good news we have as Christians will always be connected to our life in Jesus and that which we receive through his grace and mercy given to us. But this good news can quickly turn bad in the here-and-now when, for whatever reason, we take part "in the unfruitful works of darkness" (5:11). For the Apostle Paul, the issue always comes down to whether we are Christian in name only or that we have "learned Christ" and, therefore, "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us" (5:1).

As a former Bishop of the Church eloquently noted, "This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word. For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts."

The riches we have in Christ are boundless (3:8), conveying to us "the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:11), for which we receive "boldness and confidence through the faith of him" (3:12). But let us not let these riches we have in Christ fail to come to fruition in our lives by engaging in thoughts and practices that reflect hardened hearts and mean-spiritedness, and by re-erecting the dividing walls of hostility (2;14) that Christ himself has broken down. As the musician Crowder has sung: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal."

May our thoughts and actions truly reflect that we have indeed "learned Christ!". Christ's presence in our lives does not render the church (or any of us) passive; we are to be Christ for one another "working properly" in the name of truth and love (4;16). We are in person and community the good news of Jesus!

Blessings and peace!   Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You have heard the saying; I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?

As Christians, we all know that the good news is Jesus and the life he lived for us, for each and every one of us. It's good news because this life we have in Jesus is a life received in love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope for a future that God alone can provide no matter where our shortcomings and flaws have taken us. The good news we have in Jesus is a gift to be honored and cherished and to be put into good use. And here is where the bad news surfaces: we continue to practice behaviors and habits that run contrary to the life we have been taught to live in Christ Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds the church that the grace and mercy of God is insurmountable, the effects received in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are eternal. and "each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift" (4:7). The good news we receive and have in Jesus represents a new opportunity, a new way of living that can cast aside the devastating effects of hard hearts, darkened thoughts, greedy practices, corrupt and delusional desires, a mean-spiritedness that leaks into every crevice of life. The bad news comes not from God in Christ Jesus but from our failure to enact a way of life that is consistent with the ways we have been taught by Christ Jesus. As Paul notes: the practice of every kind of impurity "is not the way you learned Christ!" (4:20).

The good news we have as Christians will always be connected to our life in Jesus and that which we receive through his grace and mercy given to us. But this good news can quickly turn bad in the here-and-now when, for whatever reason, we take part "in the unfruitful works of darkness" (5:11). For the Apostle Paul, the issue always comes down to whether we are Christian in name only or that we have "learned Christ" and, therefore, "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us" (5:1).

As a former Bishop of the Church eloquently noted, "This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word. For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts."

The riches we have in Christ are boundless (3:8), conveying to us "the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:11), for which we receive "boldness and confidence through the faith of him" (3:12). But let us not let these riches we have in Christ fail to come to fruition in our lives by engaging in thoughts and practices that reflect hardened hearts and mean-spiritedness, and by re-erecting the dividing walls of hostility (2;14) that Christ himself has broken down. As the musician Crowder has sung: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal."

May our thoughts and actions truly reflect that we have indeed "learned Christ!". Christ's presence in our lives does not render the church (or any of us) passive; we are to be Christ for one another "working properly" in the name of truth and love (4;16). We are in person and community the good news of Jesus!

Blessings and peace!   Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You have heard the saying; I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?

As Christians, we all know that the good news is Jesus and the life he lived for us, for each and every one of us. It's good news because this life we have in Jesus is a life received in love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope for a future that God alone can provide no matter where our shortcomings and flaws have taken us. The good news we have in Jesus is a gift to be honored and cherished and to be put into good use. And here is where the bad news surfaces: we continue to practice behaviors and habits that run contrary to the life we have been taught to live in Christ Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds the church that the grace and mercy of God is insurmountable, the effects received in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are eternal. and "each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift" (4:7). The good news we receive and have in Jesus represents a new opportunity, a new way of living that can cast aside the devastating effects of hard hearts, darkened thoughts, greedy practices, corrupt and delusional desires, a mean-spiritedness that leaks into every crevice of life. The bad news comes not from God in Christ Jesus but from our failure to enact a way of life that is consistent with the ways we have been taught by Christ Jesus. As Paul notes: the practice of every kind of impurity "is not the way you learned Christ!" (4:20).

The good news we have as Christians will always be connected to our life in Jesus and that which we receive through his grace and mercy given to us. But this good news can quickly turn bad in the here-and-now when, for whatever reason, we take part "in the unfruitful works of darkness" (5:11). For the Apostle Paul, the issue always comes down to whether we are Christian in name only or that we have "learned Christ" and, therefore, "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us" (5:1).

As a former Bishop of the Church eloquently noted, "This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word. For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts."

The riches we have in Christ are boundless (3:8), conveying to us "the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:11), for which we receive "boldness and confidence through the faith of him" (3:12). But let us not let these riches we have in Christ fail to come to fruition in our lives by engaging in thoughts and practices that reflect hardened hearts and mean-spiritedness, and by re-erecting the dividing walls of hostility (2;14) that Christ himself has broken down. As the musician Crowder has sung: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal."

May our thoughts and actions truly reflect that we have indeed "learned Christ!". Christ's presence in our lives does not render the church (or any of us) passive; we are to be Christ for one another "working properly" in the name of truth and love (4;16). We are in person and community the good news of Jesus!

Blessings and peace!   Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You have heard the saying; I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?

As Christians, we all know that the good news is Jesus and the life he lived for us, for each and every one of us. It's good news because this life we have in Jesus is a life received in love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope for a future that God alone can provide no matter where our shortcomings and flaws have taken us. The good news we have in Jesus is a gift to be honored and cherished and to be put into good use. And here is where the bad news surfaces: we continue to practice behaviors and habits that run contrary to the life we have been taught to live in Christ Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds the church that the grace and mercy of God is insurmountable, the effects received in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are eternal. and "each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift" (4:7). The good news we receive and have in Jesus represents a new opportunity, a new way of living that can cast aside the devastating effects of hard hearts, darkened thoughts, greedy practices, corrupt and delusional desires, a mean-spiritedness that leaks into every crevice of life. The bad news comes not from God in Christ Jesus but from our failure to enact a way of life that is consistent with the ways we have been taught by Christ Jesus. As Paul notes: the practice of every kind of impurity "is not the way you learned Christ!" (4:20).

The good news we have as Christians will always be connected to our life in Jesus and that which we receive through his grace and mercy given to us. But this good news can quickly turn bad in the here-and-now when, for whatever reason, we take part "in the unfruitful works of darkness" (5:11). For the Apostle Paul, the issue always comes down to whether we are Christian in name only or that we have "learned Christ" and, therefore, "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us" (5:1).

As a former Bishop of the Church eloquently noted, "This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word. For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts."

The riches we have in Christ are boundless (3:8), conveying to us "the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:11), for which we receive "boldness and confidence through the faith of him" (3:12). But let us not let these riches we have in Christ fail to come to fruition in our lives by engaging in thoughts and practices that reflect hardened hearts and mean-spiritedness, and by re-erecting the dividing walls of hostility (2;14) that Christ himself has broken down. As the musician Crowder has sung: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal."

May our thoughts and actions truly reflect that we have indeed "learned Christ!". Christ's presence in our lives does not render the church (or any of us) passive; we are to be Christ for one another "working properly" in the name of truth and love (4;16). We are in person and community the good news of Jesus!

Blessings and peace!   Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You have heard the saying; I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?

As Christians, we all know that the good news is Jesus and the life he lived for us, for each and every one of us. It's good news because this life we have in Jesus is a life received in love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope for a future that God alone can provide no matter where our shortcomings and flaws have taken us. The good news we have in Jesus is a gift to be honored and cherished and to be put into good use. And here is where the bad news surfaces: we continue to practice behaviors and habits that run contrary to the life we have been taught to live in Christ Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds the church that the grace and mercy of God is insurmountable, the effects received in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are eternal. and "each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift" (4:7). The good news we receive and have in Jesus represents a new opportunity, a new way of living that can cast aside the devastating effects of hard hearts, darkened thoughts, greedy practices, corrupt and delusional desires, a mean-spiritedness that leaks into every crevice of life. The bad news comes not from God in Christ Jesus but from our failure to enact a way of life that is consistent with the ways we have been taught by Christ Jesus. As Paul notes: the practice of every kind of impurity "is not the way you learned Christ!" (4:20).

The good news we have as Christians will always be connected to our life in Jesus and that which we receive through his grace and mercy given to us. But this good news can quickly turn bad in the here-and-now when, for whatever reason, we take part "in the unfruitful works of darkness" (5:11). For the Apostle Paul, the issue always comes down to whether we are Christian in name only or that we have "learned Christ" and, therefore, "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us" (5:1).

As a former Bishop of the Church eloquently noted, "This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word. For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts."

The riches we have in Christ are boundless (3:8), conveying to us "the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:11), for which we receive "boldness and confidence through the faith of him" (3:12). But let us not let these riches we have in Christ fail to come to fruition in our lives by engaging in thoughts and practices that reflect hardened hearts and mean-spiritedness, and by re-erecting the dividing walls of hostility (2;14) that Christ himself has broken down. As the musician Crowder has sung: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal."

May our thoughts and actions truly reflect that we have indeed "learned Christ!". Christ's presence in our lives does not render the church (or any of us) passive; we are to be Christ for one another "working properly" in the name of truth and love (4;16). We are in person and community the good news of Jesus!

Blessings and peace!   Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You have heard the saying; I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?

As Christians, we all know that the good news is Jesus and the life he lived for us, for each and every one of us. It's good news because this life we have in Jesus is a life received in love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope for a future that God alone can provide no matter where our shortcomings and flaws have taken us. The good news we have in Jesus is a gift to be honored and cherished and to be put into good use. And here is where the bad news surfaces: we continue to practice behaviors and habits that run contrary to the life we have been taught to live in Christ Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds the church that the grace and mercy of God is insurmountable, the effects received in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are eternal. and "each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift" (4:7). The good news we receive and have in Jesus represents a new opportunity, a new way of living that can cast aside the devastating effects of hard hearts, darkened thoughts, greedy practices, corrupt and delusional desires, a mean-spiritedness that leaks into every crevice of life. The bad news comes not from God in Christ Jesus but from our failure to enact a way of life that is consistent with the ways we have been taught by Christ Jesus. As Paul notes: the practice of every kind of impurity "is not the way you learned Christ!" (4:20).

The good news we have as Christians will always be connected to our life in Jesus and that which we receive through his grace and mercy given to us. But this good news can quickly turn bad in the here-and-now when, for whatever reason, we take part "in the unfruitful works of darkness" (5:11). For the Apostle Paul, the issue always comes down to whether we are Christian in name only or that we have "learned Christ" and, therefore, "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us" (5:1).

As a former Bishop of the Church eloquently noted, "This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word. For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts."

The riches we have in Christ are boundless (3:8), conveying to us "the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:11), for which we receive "boldness and confidence through the faith of him" (3:12). But let us not let these riches we have in Christ fail to come to fruition in our lives by engaging in thoughts and practices that reflect hardened hearts and mean-spiritedness, and by re-erecting the dividing walls of hostility (2;14) that Christ himself has broken down. As the musician Crowder has sung: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal."

May our thoughts and actions truly reflect that we have indeed "learned Christ!". Christ's presence in our lives does not render the church (or any of us) passive; we are to be Christ for one another "working properly" in the name of truth and love (4;16). We are in person and community the good news of Jesus!

Blessings and peace!   Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You have heard the saying; I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?

As Christians, we all know that the good news is Jesus and the life he lived for us, for each and every one of us. It's good news because this life we have in Jesus is a life received in love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope for a future that God alone can provide no matter where our shortcomings and flaws have taken us. The good news we have in Jesus is a gift to be honored and cherished and to be put into good use. And here is where the bad news surfaces: we continue to practice behaviors and habits that run contrary to the life we have been taught to live in Christ Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds the church that the grace and mercy of God is insurmountable, the effects received in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are eternal. and "each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift" (4:7). The good news we receive and have in Jesus represents a new opportunity, a new way of living that can cast aside the devastating effects of hard hearts, darkened thoughts, greedy practices, corrupt and delusional desires, a mean-spiritedness that leaks into every crevice of life. The bad news comes not from God in Christ Jesus but from our failure to enact a way of life that is consistent with the ways we have been taught by Christ Jesus. As Paul notes: the practice of every kind of impurity "is not the way you learned Christ!" (4:20).

The good news we have as Christians will always be connected to our life in Jesus and that which we receive through his grace and mercy given to us. But this good news can quickly turn bad in the here-and-now when, for whatever reason, we take part "in the unfruitful works of darkness" (5:11). For the Apostle Paul, the issue always comes down to whether we are Christian in name only or that we have "learned Christ" and, therefore, "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us" (5:1).

As a former Bishop of the Church eloquently noted, "This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word. For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts."

The riches we have in Christ are boundless (3:8), conveying to us "the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:11), for which we receive "boldness and confidence through the faith of him" (3:12). But let us not let these riches we have in Christ fail to come to fruition in our lives by engaging in thoughts and practices that reflect hardened hearts and mean-spiritedness, and by re-erecting the dividing walls of hostility (2;14) that Christ himself has broken down. As the musician Crowder has sung: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal."

May our thoughts and actions truly reflect that we have indeed "learned Christ!". Christ's presence in our lives does not render the church (or any of us) passive; we are to be Christ for one another "working properly" in the name of truth and love (4;16). We are in person and community the good news of Jesus!

Blessings and peace!   Pastor John

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You have heard the saying; I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?

As Christians, we all know that the good news is Jesus and the life he lived for us, for each and every one of us. It's good news because this life we have in Jesus is a life received in love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope for a future that God alone can provide no matter where our shortcomings and flaws have taken us. The good news we have in Jesus is a gift to be honored and cherished and to be put into good use. And here is where the bad news surfaces: we continue to practice behaviors and habits that run contrary to the life we have been taught to live in Christ Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds the church that the grace and mercy of God is insurmountable, the effects received in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are eternal. and "each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift" (4:7). The good news we receive and have in Jesus represents a new opportunity, a new way of living that can cast aside the devastating effects of hard hearts, darkened thoughts, greedy practices, corrupt and delusional desires, a mean-spiritedness that leaks into every crevice of life. The bad news comes not from God in Christ Jesus but from our failure to enact a way of life that is consistent with the ways we have been taught by Christ Jesus. As Paul notes: the practice of every kind of impurity "is not the way you learned Christ!" (4:20).

The good news we have as Christians will always be connected to our life in Jesus and that which we receive through his grace and mercy given to us. But this good news can quickly turn bad in the here-and-now when, for whatever reason, we take part "in the unfruitful works of darkness" (5:11). For the Apostle Paul, the issue always comes down to whether we are Christian in name only or that we have "learned Christ" and, therefore, "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us" (5:1).

As a former Bishop of the Church eloquently noted, "This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word. For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts."

The riches we have in Christ are boundless (3:8), conveying to us "the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:11), for which we receive "boldness and confidence through the faith of him" (3:12). But let us not let these riches we have in Christ fail to come to fruition in our lives by engaging in thoughts and practices that reflect hardened hearts and mean-spiritedness, and by re-erecting the dividing walls of hostility (2;14) that Christ himself has broken down. As the musician Crowder has sung: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal."

May our thoughts and actions truly reflect that we have indeed "learned Christ!". Christ's presence in our lives does not render the church (or any of us) passive; we are to be Christ for one another "working properly" in the name of truth and love (4;16). We are in person and community the good news of Jesus!

Blessings and peace!   Pastor John