“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”- II Corinthians 9:11 (NIV)
Fall – a season of change! Leaves change beautifully: red, orange, yellow; Seasons change brutally: warm, cool, cold. The fact is, change happens! Sometimes it’s beautiful, and sometimes it’s brutal. A lot of that though depends on our perspective. The beautiful changes of leaves are because they are in the process of dying. Yet those brutal changes of seasons, well, they are really about a new beginning. So, how do you perceive change?
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~ Socrates
Fall – a season of generosity! Without your generosity we wouldn’t be the church we are right now… We are changing by leaps and bounds! You can see it, you can hear it, but mostly you can feel it… and it’s beautiful! WFPC is in the middle of Generosity Season. You should be receiving emails telling of how our church and our members have shown generosity to others. There are so many inspirational stories that have been shared, and it is amazing! What’s your story?
“No one has ever become poor by giving.” ~ Anne Frank
Fall – a season of thankfulness! Thanksgiving is just around the corner… a time of gratitude. A reminder for all of us to be thankful for ALL that we have… because even with our troubles, our blessings are always more. Speaking of being thankful, October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Let’s all take a minute to write a note of thanks to your pastors. There will be baskets on the desk in the narthex, as well as in the CLC, to collect the notes and cards. While you are at it, drop a note to our staff members as well. They are the best! You may not see them like you do the pastors, but believe me, they are working very hard to keep things running smoothly here at the church. Let’s show them some love too, because they are AWESOME!
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~ William Arthur Ward
Fall – our season! WFPC is changing, and it is beautiful! Our members are outstanding and overflowing with generosity! We see it everywhere… in the offerings, in the talents of so many, and in the many missions and outreach projects that extend into our community, and out to our world… and we are so very thankful!
We have two pastors who live and love their calling daily by providing each of us a wonderful relationship with God; and we have an amazing staff who work so diligently and lovingly to provide all that we need so we can be the awesome church that we are!
Change is beautiful, it leads to generosity. Generosity is great, it leads to thankfulness. Thankfulness is awesome, it leads to change! Change is beautiful!
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” ~ Maya Angelou
Lord - In this season, we thank you. For changes, because they often open our eyes to things we have overlooked or taken for granted. For generosity, because without your forgiveness we would be so much worse than we already are. For thankfulness, because our blessings do indeed outnumber our problems… always and forever… and it is beautiful. Amen.