Rebecca MacIntyre is a novelist and member of the congregation at Lakewood United Methodist Church. She sent me her thoughts on the intersection of the arts and the life of the church and I could not help myself but share it with all of you.

Even in our struggles and overwhelming moments, we are blessed. As blessed people, God expects something of us: to be peacemakers, pure in heart, merciful, and to hunger for justice and righteousness.

It isn't just a gesture we make on Easter and Christmas. Loving God is a life long practice--which means we get better at it the more we do it!

What if we could give ourselves to God instead?

Nothing is more predictable than a pastor talking about money as the end of the year approaches, right?

This month marks the beginning of how we as a church will be looking toward the next year of ministry in 2024.

Forgiveness is vital for our own healing whether or not it leads to reconciliation.

When we get at how we have hurt one another and when we don't avoid the emotional stakes of a conflict, we can transform even painful conflict into an opportunity for healing and true relationship.

The question I am exploring this week is simple but complicated: is suffering in and of itself redemptive, or can suffering be an invitation that invites us to the liberation and transformation God desires for us?

The very first chapter of Exodus can be easy to skip if you want to get into the interesting stuff about plagues and Passover and the Isrealites crossing the Red Sea to escape the Pharoah in Egypt. But by doing so we miss out on this really awesome story of heroism by two women in the very first chapter: Shiprah and Puah.

One of the things that keeps my faith alive as a Christian is that our scriptures are not all convenient and perfect in their telling. Just like how complicated it is simply to be human, the stories of our faith are also complicated!

Peter was inches from the finish line. He did something miraculous, but all of that fell apart when he was distracted by the winds.

This week I witnessed what felt like another miracle at Lakewood UMC.

We are more than victorious. And while we can't solve all of the problems sin creates, we can do the small things that are ours to do.

It seems to me that what we consider weeds are also a human created category. And like anything created by us throughout history, it is and should be subject to change.

If there is one thing that the worlds ways are teaching us it is that people who think or believe differently than us are dangerous. And friends, this kind of thinking might unravel all of us if we do not remember and find peace with the fact that we are called to a welcome that welcomes Jesus and the one who sent him.

Compassionate. Inclusive. Risk-taking. Resilient. There are so many ways to describe the abundance in our congregation!

A turn of phrase is often used when we ask someone to put something complicated in "laymen's terms." This presumes that the word "lay" means something less than "clergy."

As ordained clergy, I have learned over and over in my life just how completely wrong that is!

If you are curious about what our broader denomination is up to, or want to understand more about how our connection works, let me know! I love talking about this stuff. Just email me: ben@lumc.net.

The Great Commission isn't just a command to follow, it is a responsibility we have been given that we must take seriously.