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 Dear Friends in Christ,  

Trust is in short supply in the States, it would seem.  Conspiracy theories are everywhere in the news. That, too, was the case in many of the early Christian churches.  If you remember, the Corinthian church was always squabbling.  Many of our principles for dealing with disagreements in the church come from Paul’s efforts to help the churches come to peace.  Paul’s key axiom was to always care for the weakest in the community.  In Colossians that idea is expanded in the third chapter in this beautiful exhortation: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other, just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name o0f the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  

Here at Lord of Life we have so much on which to base our trust.  Brothers and sisters in the Holy Spirit, Lord of Life is a faith community calling upon God in prayer.  When disagreements in perspective arise, as they always will because we are human, we seek each other out in private and discuss the matter. We make decisions publicly so as to avoid misunderstanding.  We cultivate a culture of listening to one another and avoid the troublesome word, ASSUME. We encourage creative asking of questions. In Christ, we can model for the world what trust looks like.  Fundamentally, our hope is built on nothing other than Jesus’ love.  Trusting in Jesus, we are a new creation.