From the Pastor --2012, January, February, 2012
A Friendly Home Open to All Grow, Serve, Love!
February 2012
This is the time to be HOLY! HOW?
This is the beginning of the year of 2012 and this is the time to see what we really want for this year in…. . . MY SPIRITUAL LIFE. Maybe we already set goals for this year, secular goals, and it is good, however the most important is our SPIRITUAL LIFE. Remember that everything comes from God, so in those goals that you have, God also will be part.
This is the time to be HOLY! Maybe you will say Yes!! This is the time to be Holy, however how we can see how Holy are we?
- Coming to church every Sunday doesn't make you be a holy person. Remember that the wolf & lambs are together, who are we?
- We all have talents, yes ALL, and maybe we thought that if I want I will serve God through this talent or talents…. . . please, don't forget that the talents that you have belong to God, where is/are your talents? Are you serving God through them…. . . yes! no!
- Time, this is good excuse for us. I can't come to the services (Sunday & Tuesdays) because I don't have time, I'm busy, I'm tired, I need the time for me. . . Don’'t you know that each day has 24 hours and each service is just a hour, how we can say No to God's services, yes the services are God's services, the people who lead this are just servants by the Glory of God.
- Please listen the Message of God, in other words focus on the Word of God. Please don't put attention to the devil words. Please don't be the devil's messenger (unintentional or intentional) into the church. We have to be careful! We are called to be HOLY.
- Please don't change the message, remember “"one Lord, one faith, one baptism"” Ephesians 4:5. There are false people around of us, who want to confuse our congregation with new and false interpretations. Therefore read the Bible, pray, fast, praise the Lord and be ready! Now is the time.
- This is the message for us: BE HOLY!! Who? We all are called to be holy, be part of the Kingdom of God here in the earth and one day right there in the heaven. . . alleluia!
- Are you on the Lord's side? Are you sure about your answer? This is what the word of God says: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
This is the mirror that we all have to see every day, no what we think or what other said, the most important is the Word of God, the fruits of the Spirit in our life. . . be holy, be holy member, members who make possible that Immanuel UMC be a holy place, a healthy church for and by the Glory of God.
How to be a Holy Person? Say YES! to God, follow him, do his will.
Sing: There are sweet sweet spirit is this place (your heart, your mind, everywhere) and I know that it is presence of the Lord. Amen
Pastor Anita Lang
January 2012 (back to Top)
A Friendly Home Open to All Grow, Serve, Love!
Do you remember this picture? YES? NO? Well this picture was part of one of the booklets in the Spiritual Retreat in November in our church...IMMANUEL!
A group of Immanuel's members worked with the information that came from you about Mission & Vision; our Statement is:A Friendly Home Open to all
Grow, Serve, Love
What does Friendly Home mean to you? To me? To the community? To GOD?
Friendly home is a warm place, where the first thing that you should see and feel is LOVE... and through that LOVE comes: respect, acceptation, comprehension...a place where everybody puts their talents, time, prayers, resources, to help this Friendly Home stay open! A friendly home, where the presence of the Lord makes that place open to all. Open to all? Yes! Open to all--everybody is welcome in Immanuel Church; everybody should be treated the same, and everybody has a place in this Friendly Home.
Grow, Serve, Love? Well, it not just to come to this Friendly Home; we are called to Grow--to be transformed into a new creature. Serve!! Of course, we have to serve and serve with a pure heart, with enthusiasm and love...Love! Love is compassion, it is to be merciful, to be careful with people around us, especially in: Immanuel UMC "A Friendly Home, Open to all, Grow, Serve, Love!"