(the) Mission Matters

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.  – Psalm 100:4-5 We’ve entered the autumn season, and a month where we celebrate Thanksgiving. A week from today we’ll be taking time […]

As we come to the end of September with our missional focus this month on prayer, I have a confession to make – I still don’t really know exactly what prayer is. Is it a time to ask God for stuff? Is it something to help connect me with the Creator? Is it something I’m supposed

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough”. Meister Eckhart Sometimes I feel sorry for myself. I wonder why things aren’t going perfectly for me. I wonder why I’m sick. I wonder why there’s so much pain in the world. I wonder why, why, why…

 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Jesus (Mark 11:24) To me, prayer can be confusing and fraught with questions. Is God listening? Why is there so much pain and suffering when I repeatedly ask Him to bring healing to the

“The art of gentleness toward ourselves leads to being gentle with others” (Brennan Manning) When writing this last ‘Mission Matters’ of the summer, I looked up the definition of ‘gentleness’.  According to one dictionary, to be gentle means to be “considerate, kindly, and tender”. I love that. ‘Gentleness’ is also one of the 9 fruits

Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  (Colossians 3:12) When developing the ‘Mission Focus-THHS Year at a Glance’ calendar, it was a no-brainer that August needed to be about patience, gentleness and grace.  Even though we are still in holiday mode, we start realizing

I’ll start with the definition of ‘joy’ that I’ve been using all month long and will likely use for the rest of my life. “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined

“Why is everyone hungry for more? “More, more,” they say. “More, more.” I have God’s more-than-enough, More joy in one ordinary day”  (Psalm 4:6-7 The Message) I’ve really enjoyed spending time this month reflecting on our July missional theme of Joy. When I think about this topic, I inevitably find myself wondering what the difference

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship theLord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. (Psalm 100: 1-2) The famous Salvation Army song repeats over and over: “Joy! Joy! Joy! There is Joy in the Salvation Army!” But what does ‘joy’ actually mean? Are we meant to be happy all the

“I wait patiently for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope” (Psalm 130:5) I may very well watch a little too much TV. That’s my confession for today. Lately, I’ve noticed that the number of lotto ads has significantly risen. Promises of wealth and freedom packaged in warm and