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Written by Terrance Gattis, a contemporary pastor and the chaplain for Habitat for Humanity.

While speaking about love, Mother Teresa offered these words: “Love cannot remain by itself — it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.” Mother Teresa’s words remind us that love is not a noun, but rather a verb. Love is not measured by what we say. It’s measured by the actions we take and the service we render… The practice of putting God’s love into action is what Habitat [for Humanity]’s mission is all about. When we bring people together to build homes, communities and hope, not only are we helping God’s people by providing decent places to live, but we are also responding to the love that God has shown us by putting His love into action.  I was recently in Hendersonville, North Carolina, to speak at a prayer breakfast that was hosted by our Henderson County affiliate. I was blessed to see the new community that the affiliate has constructed, a community of 114 families and 400 children that includes parks, playgrounds and walking trails. When reflecting upon all the great work that this affiliate has accomplished, one can easily hear the words as recorded in the book of Hebrews: “God will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.”

God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. [Hebrews 6:10]

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Written by Julian Linnell, a contemporary pastor.

Throughout history, the traditions of Lent have been based in community. For the first Christians, Lent was an occasion to ready themselves for Holy Week and Easter through repentance and fasting. New believers were prepared and instructed for baptism. Believers who had been separated from their community due to notorious sins were offered the opportunity to be reconciled. The entire fellowship of the church was impacted as the gospel was preached and lived out through repentance, forgiveness, faith and pardon. It would have been unthinkable to do this alone. Likewise, there are contemporary reasons for why our journey through Lent is most impactful when undertaken as a community. It can be easy for many Christians today to focus exclusively on celebration and success. While Jesus’ victory over sin, death and Satan should always be central to believers, lament, suffering and injustice also mark our spiritual journey. Through the Holy Spirit, believers in one place can learn, identify and empathize with believers in many other parts of the world, sharing in their suffering. Observed in local and global community, Lent can provide a corrective to a thin Christianity that isolates believers from complexities that are inherent to life on earth, as well as from the meaning of the cross. 

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ… If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. [1 Corinthians 12:12, 26]

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Written by Ruth Grendell of the Village Church.

Upon arriving on the church campus, I see and feel the Spirit of Jesus in the beauty of the plants and flowers lovingly cared for. I see His work on the church patio as we greet each other and learning about the outreach projects. I see Jesus at work in my world when I visit the children’s study room as they share their projects, tell me what they have learned about Jesus, and when they are chosen to light the candles in the sanctuary that morning. I see Jesus in the custodians as they work hard behind the scenes, always with smiles & joyful hearts (and big hugs!). As I enter the sanctuary I’m reminded and amazed by the technical expertise the Media Ministry provides which enhances the services and programs throughout the campus. As the ushers greet me His Spirit is felt there too, and as I walk through the aisles to my favorite pew. He works through Susie and others who play the organ or the piano, through the beauty of the music the choir sings, and through the joyful performances of The Bell Ringers. His Spirit is present as the speaker reads the scriptures, and as we observe & participate in baptisms, and in taking communion. His Spirit speaks to the congregation through the Pastor’s sermon. His Spirit is felt throughout the week in the fellowship of Bible Study and Academy Class, and as I look forward to returning to church the next Sunday.

The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer. [2 Samuel 22:4]

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Written by Robert Barron, a contemporary Catholic bishop. This is an excerpt from his book “Lenten Gospel Reflections.}.

[In the] Gospel, some Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign. And Jesus replies, “No sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah,” who was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, foreshadowing Jesus’ death and Resurrection. Jonah was called by God to preach conversion to Nineveh, which is described as an enormously large city. It took, they said, three days to walk through it. I can’t help but think of Nineveh as one of our large, modern cities, a center of all sorts of worldly activity and preoccupation. What would its conversion look like? A turning back to God as the only enduring good. After hearing the word of Jonah, the Ninevites “proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth” (Jonah 3:5). What is the purpose of these ascetic practices? To wean people away from an attachment to worldly pleasures. Go beyond the mind that you have. Repent. Live as though nothing in this world finally matters. And you will be living in the kingdom of God!

This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.  [Luke 29-30]

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Written by Sarah Young, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “40 Days with Jesus: Celebrating His Presence)

Taste and see that I am good. The more intimately you experience Me, the more convinced you become of My goodness. I am the Living One who sees you and longs to participate in your life. I am training you to find Me in each moment and to be a channel of My loving Presence. Sometimes My blessings come to you in mysterious ways: through pain and trouble. At such times you can know My goodness only through your trust in Me. Understanding will fail you, but trust will keep you close to Me. Thank Me for the gift of My peace, a gift of such immense proportions that you cannot fathom its depth or breadth. When I appeared to My disciples after the resurrection, it was Peace that I communicated first of all.  I knew this was their deepest need: to calm their fears and clear their minds. I also speak Peace to you, for I know your anxious thoughts. Listen to Me! Tune out other voices, so that you can hear Me more clearly. I designed you to dwell in Peace all day, every day. Draw near to Me; receive My Peace.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. [Psalm 34:8]

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Written by Susan Besser of the Village Church.

In the late 1970’s my two ‘tweenagers’ were very fond of the Bee Gees, The catchy tune “Stayin’ Alive” caught on in our home and soon I was singing the refrain along with my kids. “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive”. Only I sang the words as “Stay in the light, stay in the light”. Have you ever been in a truly dark place? I was eleven when my father and I drove into the desert outside of Las Vegas to watch the above ground detonation of an atomic bomb. We left home at three in the morning and headed for Frenchman’s Flat where we parked, stepped out of the car and peered into the inky black of a moonless night. Without a sound, a flash lit up the desert sky. The mountains, sage brush, our car all perfectly visible as if someone had switched on a light in a dark room. It looked like high noon in the desert. I was awestruck. Then it was dark again and a slow rumbling sound shook the ground, and the distinctive mushroom cloud rose in the distant skyline. When we live for Christ, we will glow like light, showing others what Christ is like. The world needs our light. Stay in the light.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. [Matthew 5:14-16]

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Written by Julie Riddle, a contemporary writer and editor.

Some of us may not be able to see the stars between all the buildings and streetlights. Others of us may see stars so often that we don’t think to look up and gaze at them with wonder anymore. When was the last time you looked up at a sky full of stars and marveled at the Creator who made them? Abraham looked up at those stars thousands of years ago, and God Himself spoke. God promised Abraham a family of descendants that would outnumber the stars. Even more than that, One in Abraham’s line would make the children of Abraham the children of God. In Jesus, born in the line of Abraham, all who believe in God are numbered with Abraham’s descendants—and there are more of us than there are stars in the sky. So the next time you look at the stars, think of God, who had the power and creativity to make them. And also think of all  your brothers and sisters in Christ, who are so many they would outshine the heavenly bodies with the light of God’s Word to a darkened world.

Look toward heaven, and number the stars. [Genesis 15:5]

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Written by Rich Villodas, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Narrow Path.”

Jesus looks into the eyes of his ragtag community and says, “You are the light.” Of course, Jesus is the light. In John 8:12 he says, “I am the light of the world.” But remarkably, he gives his students the same title. In the same way the moon reflects the light of the sun, Jesus is the light, inviting his followers to reflect his brilliance in a dark world. Our light might not shine as bright, but he knows that a little bit of light goes a long way. Like salt, light has many purposes. One of its primary purposes is to scatter darkness. Light helps us see. It makes things visible and reveals what would otherwise remain hidden. Light helps people find their way, especially to God. What a sacred calling!

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” [John 8:12]

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Written by Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), a Danish philosopher and theologian.

You have loved us first, O God, alas!

We speak of it in terms of history

as if You loved us first but a single time,

rather than that without ceasing.

You have loved us first many times

and everyday and our whole life through.

When we wake up in the morning

and turn our soul toward You –

You were there first – You have loved us first;

if I rise at dawn and at that same second

turn my soul toward You in prayer,

You are there ahead of me, You have loved me first.

When I withdraw from the distractions

of the day and turn my soul toward You,

You are there first and thus forever.

And we speak ungratefully as if

You have loved us first only once.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins … We love because he first loved us. [1 John 4:10, 19]

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Written by Nina Pope of the Village Church.

There are 5 of them, full of charm that delights the heart, individual and unique in their gifts and talents, yet as a group cohesive. There is a clear sense of each personality with a visible affection and concern one for the other. They range in age from teen to elementary grades to a nearly three-year-old. They are our five grandsons. On a recent holiday weekend, they gathered in San Diego, the memory of which still warms the cockles of my grandmotherly heart. Miles separate their households so the opportunity to gather is limited, but when it arises, it is roughly equivalent to an occasion of state. The three-year-old is enchanted with the older cousins who lavish attention on him chatting, laughing, playing indoors or out. Activities almost always involve some version of building or other creative play. Noise and motion combine as different cousin combinations group, re-group then go on to the next exchange or activity. It is rather like a happy kaleidoscope where each distinctly colored piece brings its beauty to join in the fun of the moment, pauses, then whirls anew into a different, happy collaboration with a luster all its own. On and on, the kaleidoscope of personalities emerge, share their gift, then continue into a new array and experience. Palpable fun and affection bond these cousins. The true joy for the surrounding adults is watching the enduring relationships develop despite the miles that separate their daily lives. My heart swells as I see a reflection of God’s love acted out on the family stage. God is all around us in ways minute and great. The blessings are plentiful and are ours for the savoring. NOTE: There is also a treasured granddaughter in the mix who was unable to join recently but who also brings her unique contribution to the kaleidoscope.

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. [Psalm 127:3]

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