The season of Lent starts next week with Ash Wednesday. Lent is the name for the period of 40 weekdays (excluding Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It is recognized as a time of penitence and fasting in preparation for the resurrection life of Jesus. The western church has likened this season to Jesus’ time of preparation in the wilderness prior to…

Recently, I heard a piece of advice that really resonated with me. The gist of it is that we need to remember the bright and joyful times of our lives while we go through the darker times, and we need to remember the darker times while we go through the bright and joyful times. The reason is that the Holy Spirit was…

Happy Friday! I kept my commitment again this week! I invited two people to worship at Grace. Both of these people were complete strangers, and I felt a bit awkward. However, both people were very receptive and seemed grateful for the invitation. I have noticed that as soon as people know we are not selling anything, they receive genuine invitations well.  If you…

Last week in my Gracevine article I challenged everyone to invite two people to worship at Grace online or in person. I committed to do this myself. Last Saturday, I realized I needed to keep my commitment. So, I wrote our worship times on some of my business cards and I invited two people, neither of whom I had met previously, to…