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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"Finding Strength in Community"
January 1, 2009
I had my conversion experience in the winter of 1994. I was lost and I
couldn't seem to get myself together. I went to check out a local gathering
of like minded folks with two of my friends, We were struggling to start
over. We had all traveled down a road that led us to disappointment and
disillusionment. I was at my heaviest weight and eating everything in sight.
But then I walked through the door of the meeting place and Holly shared
the good news that changed my life forever. That was my first encounter
with Weight Watchers.
I lost sixty pounds that spring. Holly inspired me as she did so many others.
She preached as well as any preacher I had heard on a Sunday morning. No
she wasn't preaching the Gospel, but she touched a chord in so many of us.
She understood what we were going through. She had walked the walk that
all of us were beginning. She gave us hope with her own testimony. We
saw her and knew that we could be transformed as well. She made us
believe in ourselves.
Fifteen years later and I am back at Weight Watchers again. The man who
inspires me today is one of Holly's disciples. He speaks of her when he
shares the fact that he has lost 130 pounds and kept it off all this time. Marc
Sherrin is a changed man. Today he is helping hundreds of others to believe
in the innate power they have to control their future. He wants us to
succeed. He has been where we stand today and he wants to help us cross
over to find a new life.
What Marc does isn't very different from what we do in the church. We
share our experiences and encourage one another. We get together every
week to be inspired and come away empowered to be the person we were
meant to be. There is power in being together. Rick Warren says in his
book, The Purpose Driven Life, that we were created to be in community
as part of God's family. The truth is that we can't be what God wants us to
be on our own. We need each other. We need the encouragement that
comes from being together. Together we can claim the victory.
As we enter a brand new year, I want to invite you to come back to
church. Come and walk into the new year with others who know what you
are going through. Come face the difficulties, the challenges, the
disappointments as part of the community of faith. Let the priests, ministers
and rabbis inspire you and share God's hope for you. Then we can celebrate
the blessings when they begin to roll.
God bless. Happy New Year. See you in Church. Cal.
January 1, 2009
I had my conversion experience in the winter of 1994. I was lost and I
couldn't seem to get myself together. I went to check out a local gathering
of like minded folks with two of my friends, We were struggling to start
over. We had all traveled down a road that led us to disappointment and
disillusionment. I was at my heaviest weight and eating everything in sight.
But then I walked through the door of the meeting place and Holly shared
the good news that changed my life forever. That was my first encounter
with Weight Watchers.
I lost sixty pounds that spring. Holly inspired me as she did so many others.
She preached as well as any preacher I had heard on a Sunday morning. No
she wasn't preaching the Gospel, but she touched a chord in so many of us.
She understood what we were going through. She had walked the walk that
all of us were beginning. She gave us hope with her own testimony. We
saw her and knew that we could be transformed as well. She made us
believe in ourselves.
Fifteen years later and I am back at Weight Watchers again. The man who
inspires me today is one of Holly's disciples. He speaks of her when he
shares the fact that he has lost 130 pounds and kept it off all this time. Marc
Sherrin is a changed man. Today he is helping hundreds of others to believe
in the innate power they have to control their future. He wants us to
succeed. He has been where we stand today and he wants to help us cross
over to find a new life.
What Marc does isn't very different from what we do in the church. We
share our experiences and encourage one another. We get together every
week to be inspired and come away empowered to be the person we were
meant to be. There is power in being together. Rick Warren says in his
book, The Purpose Driven Life, that we were created to be in community
as part of God's family. The truth is that we can't be what God wants us to
be on our own. We need each other. We need the encouragement that
comes from being together. Together we can claim the victory.
As we enter a brand new year, I want to invite you to come back to
church. Come and walk into the new year with others who know what you
are going through. Come face the difficulties, the challenges, the
disappointments as part of the community of faith. Let the priests, ministers
and rabbis inspire you and share God's hope for you. Then we can celebrate
the blessings when they begin to roll.
God bless. Happy New Year. See you in Church. Cal.
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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