Can I be fully open and honest with you for a moment? To whoever takes the time to read this? When it's my turn to write for the paper, I struggle on what I should write. I go through this mindset of usually two questions I have for myself. One, should I write something that will appeal to many people and make people happy and not rock any boats? Or two, should I really write what is on my heart and it might step on some toes but will be true? I always know what I need to do but it's always a wrestling match.

    So here is what I have on my heart to share and I am praying it is both encouraging and convicting...The Word of God, the Bible, says in John 14:6-7NLT 6Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!”

Lamentations 3:21-23 NLT states 21Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:22The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.23Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.24I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!”

Lamentations 3:40-42 NLT 40 Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. 41 Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say,42 “We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us.43“You have engulfed us with your anger, chased us down, and slaughtered us without mercy.

So what is it He gave us: hope and mercies beginning afresh each morning or Him slaughtering us and engulfing us with anger? Because He is both!

Psalm 30:4-5 NLT 4Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.5For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Romans 5:8-118 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

God will take us as we are - imperfect & sinners.  But He does not call us to stay that way. He is calling us to live differently. To stay the way we were is wrong & against His plan. The question we have to ask ourselves is - Does my life look any different since coming to Christ? Church lets wake up, clean up, and do all that God is calling us to. Repentance and love, grace and change, mercy and growth. Not just one but all. It's a new day. Go be the church!