Our lesson Sunday was one of my favorites from when I was a child. I can remember my Mom reciting it to me. It represents God as a shepherd who is always with us. He protects the sheep and keeps us on a proper path in God’s good name. When we are in distress, God uses his rod and staff to protect us as he uses these to protect the sheep as a shepherd. This reminds us that God is always with us, even in times of trouble. God cares for every one of us and will always be with us.

We had a wonderful craft ready for Father’s Day, but to our dismay, we were missing kids! I enjoyed having Bridget there to help us with our craft. Hopefully, we will see you in church on Sunday. Blessings…

Sunday, we met a wonderful peacekeeper by the name Abigail. Her husband, Nabal, was a man of great wealth; he had 3000 sheep, and a thousand goats. Nabal was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

David sent out ten young men to keep the shearers safe for Nabal. David told his young men to greet Nabal and ask for food in return for their safety. Nabal grew very angry and refused to give them any food for the protection. The young men returned to David to give him Nabal’s response. David said to his men, gird on your sword. Every man girded on his sword; David also girded on his sword. David took about 400 men. But one of the young men told Abigail. When Abigail learns what happened, she quickly gathers supplies and food for David and his men. She then finds David and apologizes on behalf of her husband. Peace is established and David praises Abigail for her good judgement. Abigail’s’ act allows David and his men to experience peace through good judgement.

This story demonstrates the importance of peacekeeping efforts and provides us an example of what not to do if our gestures are not met in friendly ways. We have some exciting plans for Sunday. Hope to see you in church!

We were all prepared to meet Abraham and Lot Sunday. Abraham was a very rich man who was traveling with his family and livestock. Can you imagine traveling with your family and livestock!? He made and broke camp each night. His wife, Sarah, and his nephew, Lot, were with him. Abraham and Lot had so many cattle and possessions between them that the land could not support them both.

Conflicts began to break out between their herdsmen. Abraham and Lot realized that the two groups could no longer travel together. So, for the sake of everyone they made an agreement about how and where they will live in the future. To ensure peace, Abraham gave Lot the choice of two lands. Lot chose the Jordan Valley because it was lush and green. There would be plenty of food and water for his animals. Without complaining, Abraham moved his animals and servants to the drier land.

In the story, we hear God promise Abraham many descendants. Abraham sacrificed the better land for the sake of keeping peace. The story shows us that we can work together if we try. It also shows us that compromise does not necessarily mean loss.

On another note, I purchased 12 caterpillars to release as butterflies with our kids. The little guys had their own schedule in mind and transformed into butterflies a week early. Since they have such a short life span, we released them last Saturday.The butterflies were so happy to be free that they flew across the street and high into my neighbor’s tree. Sunday when I arrived home from church, I noticed one was still flying in their habitat. Yes, you guessed it, he flew away as well! We may have to try this again.

See you in church Sunday

This week, we talked about showing love for others. In our scripture, Paul explains what love should look like for the church and others in the community. He says we should hate evil and cling to what is good. We should love one another like family and show honor to one another. He also said we should serve the Lord enthusiastically. We are to find happiness in hope and stand our ground in trouble. We must celebrate with those who are happy and cry with those who are sad.

Paul calls upon us to bless people who harass us and not curse them. Jesus taught us to treat one another as equals and not to think of ourselves as better than anyone else. We are not to seek revenge on those who have wronged us; we are to show respect for those who believe something differently than us. Most importantly, we are to live in peace with everyone. We are called to love.

We were extremely happy with the wonderful group of kids we had Sunday. They are all aware of the way they should treat others. And they practice this in their daily life at school. Have a wonderful week. See you in church.

Blessings

This Sunday, we talked about the birthday of the church — Pentecost.

Pentecost originated as a Jewish festival — one of the feasts where Jews gathered in Jerusalem. Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit. While the disciples and other followers were celebrating Pentecost, the Holy Spirit arrived, sounding like the wind and appearing like fire.

This was a great mystery. Everyone could understand and speak in different languages. They knew that God was working in their lives in mysterious ways. The exciting arrival of the Holy Spirit attracted a crowd. The Spirit gave them the courage to continue to spread the Good News of Jesus.

God’s spirit continues to empower us and encourages us to do God’s work. The main thing we need to remember is that God is always with us through the Holy Spirit. I hope to see you in church this Sunday! Blessings