It was great to have Pastor Stuart, Jendy, and their family back with us after five weeks in Guatemala.  Stuart took the opportunity last Sunday to share some reflections from his time in Guatemala.  Here is a link to his talk.  This Sunday we will hear from the team we sent to Guatemala in June.  Please come to hear encouraging, uplifting, and challenging stories from their mission.

Since I wrote last week about individual identity and responsibility found in the collective view of the church, I wanted to address this issue from a kingdom perspective.

The ways of the kingdom of God run counter to the ways of man (actually, it’s probably the other way around).  Jesus said that the greatest in the kingdom is the servant of all, and that kingdom leaders are not to lord it over their fellow believers.  So, what does it mean to be a kingdom-style servant leader (I believe this is God’s will for all Christians.)?  It means to love.  It means to care about other people enough to do something, even if it is inconvenient.  

So why do I keep going on about this?  Because Jesus also said that if you try to save your life you will lose it.  I believe spiritual growth happens when we look beyond ourselves and love.  Jesus set the example and gave us the Holy Spirit as our guide.  Ours is to listen, love, and lose our life that we may be found in him.  Let’s continue to love.

Grace and peace,

Brook