The Pastor's Perspective

       Have you ever found yourself so caught up in an argument that you completely forgot why you started in the first place? Or maybe the fight escalated, things were said and a friendship was broken. Then time went on and you some how forgot exactly why the fight started in the first place?        Or have you been so consumed with a project or some hobbies that you lost track of time and missed an important appointment?       It is incredibly easy to lose our way in the noise of life. Whether it’s a disagreement with a neighbor, a political debate, or a personal failure, our focus tends to drift toward the "noise" rather than the "Signal." With all the distractions in life it is easy to get lost.  The Danger of a Divided Gaze      Maintaining focus is a universal struggle. In fact, according to a 2023 study by the American Psychological Association, approximately 27% of American adults report that ...

    You know your preconceived ideas about someone or some group has a big impact on how you treat them.  Think about it: if you believe a person is a world-class expert, you listen to them with rapt attention. If you think they are a deceiver, you meet every word with suspicion . Sometimes its what they are wearing that can affect the way you treat them or it might be their accent.      Sometimes, however we can be surprised when our preconceived and sometimes ignorant ideas and notions are challenged. Sometimes if we will wait and listen we may just find that the expert is not all that reliable or that person you might have though was not all that bright may very well be brilliant. You see sometimes what we need most is a change in perspective.       In the 16th century, most people believed children born deaf were "simple-minded" and incapable of learning or even receiving salvation . But a Benedictine monk named Pedro Ponce de Leon ...

  When was the last time you paused, took a deep breath, and simply said, "Thank you, Lord, for saving me"?       If you have been saved for a while the answer to that question might be a bit embarrassing, but not surprising. Truth be told the longer a person is saved, the more likely it is for the excitement of your salvation to be just as thrilling as it once was. Its a rare thing to see someone who has been saved for several years to still have the same passion, drive and enthusiasm that they had when they first received the gift of salvation for themselves.   In the hustle of our daily routines—juggling work, family, and endless to-do lists—it is easy for the miracle of our salvation to become "old news." We know we are saved, we know Jesus died for us, and we know our eternity is secure . But has the wonder of that reality faded into the background? Has the fire you once had when you first were saved cooled down to a simple smoldering ember? Well ...