A common struggle for all Christians is the daily battle we face between our old sinful nature and our new nature in Christ. Thankfully we have the spiritual power to make a choice through the Spirit of Christ who lives within us. In other words, Jesus in you!

God is exceedingly great and so is His army.
Ezekiel 37

Someone had to “say” or tell these words of God to the dead. (The exiles in Babylon where not physically dead but felt they had ruined their lives to death.) Through this miracle of the dry bones God showed them hope. That same hope is for you and me today!

July is a really BIG month! It is the crest of the middle of the year. It is a time of: Vacation Bible School; Family vacations; making hay and so on. It is a time for us as a church to take a new beginning.

As we look toward Lent, a season of preparation and pilgrimage, I am reminded of our calling to participate in God’s saving work. All Christians, through baptism, are “called” to a “ministry of servanthood in the world to the glory of God and for human fulfillment.”[1] This diakonia, this servant leadership, is not limited to those who are elders or deacons within the church, but include all Christian leaders as called by their baptism.

The sum of creation is the Theatrum mundi, “The theater of God’s glory.” Praise is both a human and cosmic impulse that results in transformative relationships with the divine. In nature, the songs of the birds and the whispers of the trees share a common story.

Do you think you got enough sleep this past week? Can you recall the last time you woke up without an alarm clock feeling refreshed and not needing caffeine? If the answer to either of these questions is “no,” you are not alone.

In the middle of June, Emma, Judy O’Brien, and I headed over to Helena for Annual Conference. These opening moments were precious. It was the first time our Annual Conference had met in person since the start of the pandemic—it was the first time Emma and I could join our Mountain Sky Fellowship and it was Judy’s first conference.

We live in a world and society that is constantly shifting and changing. We have felt this especially with the war in Ukraine, social division in the United States, and compounding financial constraints stemming from inflation and the pandemic. Our understanding of history plays a fundamental role in our interaction with this ever shifting present.

Last Sunday’s sermon and Wednesday’s teaching were entitled “A Lesson on God’s Economy.” In the days following Sunday’s sermon, I have been asked an important question, “What does economics have to do with God?” Or, put differently, “What does economics have to do with theology?”

As we enter February, winter carries on. It is about this time each year that the charm of snow has long since passed. The novelty of winter nights gives way to the longing for warm summer sunsets. It is a time aptly named “bleak,” for we look around and there are no signs or shades of green.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Goodbye 2021 and hello 2022. For me, this is as much a relief as it is exhausting. 2021 was a challenging year, but I want to pick up some of the good things that have happened over the past year.

First Sunday of Advent- The Hope Candle

O God of all the prophets, you herald the coming of the Messiah by wondrous signs in the heavens and on the earth. Grant us your advent hope so that we, in the company of your saints and by the power of your Holy Spirit, may be found ready to participate in your living work as the coming of our redemption nears, this day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

38 As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Daylight is decreasing and cold weather and snow is just around the corner. November is a month where the  beautiful changing colors of autumn give way to the reality of winter. It is a time when harvest season has  ended, and we prepare for the gray days which are to come. We change our clocks and sunlight becomes ever  more precious.

As we head into October, we look forward to the leaves turning, the day’s getting shorter, and Halloween celebrations. October is a month that embraces scary movies, that encourages our superstitions, and gives us the imagination to see monsters in our closets.

September is here! The last two months have flown by and students are already back in school. We remain in a liminal space at this stage of the pandemic. Escalating case numbers and the rise of the Delta variant has alerted experts and policy makers alike. At Corvallis UMC we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our church and the local community.

An excerpt from Blooms & Blessings: For Your Trials of Life by Kimberly Linquist. Used with permission.

The Belt of Truth 

Perfectly wise and knowing God, I put on the belt of truth. I choose to live a life pursuing the one who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” I seek to embrace humility, grasp honesty, and champion integrity. Expose the lies and the self-deception I have accepted as true. Confirm what is true in me. 

The Bible is not intended to be a mere chronicle of past events but a living communication from God, telling us now what we need for our salvation. It is meant for us to read it not so much as a devotional, but as a living word for us and for our community.

A poem by Kimberly Lindquist