Good morning,

May today, this day, be your best day ever. May it be full of peace, joy, love, and especially hope. For, you are each a blessing and gift to everyone one of us. 

Beloved, too often, our world focuses on the negative. We see disparities in the world; injustices on the streets; and health concerns which leave us afraid or worried. These concerns are normal and ones we do have to address. However, if we let them fill our hearts too much or deal with them alone, we will forget that there are also blessings. Blessings like each and everyone of you. So today, I would like to say thank you for all the beauty and joy you bring to not only me, but to everyone in this fellowship. Thank you for your ministry and friendship. Thank you, believe it or not, for even your frustrations and worries. For all of these aspects of you are a gift, because that is how God made you. Perhaps to learn or perhaps to teach, but for whatever the reason for each of your individual  parts, I feel each of your whole and complete personages are a beautiful gift to me and all of us throughout this fellowship. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if we could approach all people – all situations with the same love we feel for one another. 

Sadly, that is not usually the case. The worries and concerns build up and eventually we become overwhelmed, enter survival mode, take flight or start to fight. This reality is the sad truth of our world today. And we see it with people shifting careers, homes, even friendships all for something better. The frustrations of a world gone weird are simply taking their toll on so many of us. Driving people away from one another – instead of bringing them together. But, wouldn’t it be nice?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just stop… breathe….and choose love – first? Thank God and thank one another – first. You know, live as Jesus teaches us to live: with all the Love God has to offer. Wouldn’t it be nice? Yes, beloved, I believe It is nice and the blessing I hope you are able to give to one another this Advent season and Thanksgiving. Simply and deeply – love – for all the other concerns we can deal with together. But to be ready for Christ, we have to love God, love one another, and love ourselves – first; so, we can be one fellowship of God dealing with the concerns of this world – together. I pray these words guide you and offer some peace in these trying times. I hope you remember that you – each and everyone of you – are loved and beloved by God. 

Happy Thanksgiving Beloved and Thank you for being you

Blessings, peace, and especially love,

your pastor, Brian

As always please call (207-350-9561) if you need anything or simply want to talk. Next week, My pastoral care hours are Mon. 8-12, Tues. 12-5, Wed. 8-4 to provide some time for visiting. However, if I am at the church please come in . Many blessings and Love to you all.

Hello Beloved,

May God guide and care for you today and all the days of your life. In the joys and the burdens – the anxiety and the peace – the strengths and especially in our weaknesses. God, hold us in our imperfect beauty which you witness in love. Amen. 

This prayer came to me today as I was thinking about my youth. For, I grew up in a world which said, ‘focus on your strengths.’ ‘Focus only on the things you are good at and then you can excel to be the best.’ Now, I have been 6’4” since the age of thirteen. Can you imagine what everyone in my high school considered to be my strength, in the late eighties? Yes, you guessed it – football. But even though that could have been my strength as everyone else on the team was 5’8” or less, it was not the goal of my life. I knew, even then, that winning football games would not help people. It would not help the greater good. 

In fact, it was not until I became aware of my weakness – reading, that I began to see the possibilities open up. The possibilities of how to help the greater good, and God. The possibilities which came through thoughts, philosophers and yes even a good science fiction novel, or two.

But, this awareness, beloved, is sometimes very difficult as we do not always want to admit where we are weak, even to ourselves. Sometimes, we can be so blind to our weaknesses that we simply do not see them or the solution He has prepared for all of us. And sometimes, we also get so lost in our strengths that we forget that the goal of all humans is the greater good of God. For, life is not about winning the football game, making money, or even promoting a particular identity. It is about God and the Love we feel when come together through the Divine – regardless of our weaknesses or strengths in this world. I pray you will always remember this Truth as Christ does see your weakness and still loves you. I imagine She is sitting there in the bleachers of life, cheering you on in hopes that you will witness and love who you are as well; so, we may all come together in the kin-dom to come. 

May your week be a blessing of self-discovery and love

Your pastor, Brian

As always please call (207-350-9561) if you need anything. Next week, my pastoral care hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8:00– 4:00; Tuesday 10:30 – 6:30. I may be writing from home on Friday but may be at church. If I am in the office, please feel free to stop in to talk. Many blessings and Love to you all, always.

Hello Beloved,

In God’s Loving care and support I pray you are each well. Recently, I was considering this idea of support while watching a fascinating video on new building materials. The walls were being built from these two-foot-wide light weight blocks which almost looked like Legos. The amazing thing is that it only took two people to build a 10’ high wall. One on one side – one on the other. However, this same size wall would have required four people to build and lift into place using standard stick framed construction, back in the day.

Now, this innovation was easily more efficient in the best of circumstances; however, it lacked something very important in those times of difficulty. It lacked teamwork, partnership, and comradery. For each person went about building their part of the wall without any help from the other person. There was no need to rely on the other person because one person could do it alone. Yet, we know that no matter how strong or independent we are individually, people cannot always do things alone. We need partners in life to help us through the burdens and struggles. Partners who we have already come to trust and rely on in the good times, in order to have faith that they will be a partner for us in the difficult times of life. Partners who share in our life – work – and play.

Therefore, I wonder if the innovations of today, like these building blocks, are always helpful. I wonder if they sometimes do more long-term damage to us socially and our ability to create long lasting meaningful relationships. Do they? I am not sure, nor would I wish us to stop looking for the innovative ways to make life more efficient. I definitely prefer the computer over the old typewriters.

Rather, I believe what needs to said is that no matter what ways we innovate, we still need one another to be present and help build our fellowship together. We need to pass each other the bricks and see the structure we build together; so we know how to support one another when or if times become difficult. For, God created the majority of us as a people who need a partner, a team, a fellowship. Let us always consider this truth and never let go of one another in the difficult or the good times, regardless of the innovations which come our way.

May God’s love be with each of you as we live – work – and play together as partners throughout our lives and our faith.

your pastor, Brian

As always please call (207-350-9561) if you need anything. Next week, my pastoral care hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8:00– 4:00; Tuesday 10:30 – 6:30. I may be writing from home on Friday but may be at church. If I am in the office, please feel free to stop in to talk. Many blessings and Love to you all, always.

“Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”  

-Proverbs 3:6 (MSG)

Good afternoon Beloved,

Recently, I saw this cartoon of two people facing each other. In between them was a number on the ground and in speech bubbles they were both expressing their truth. One of them saw a “six” and the other saw a “nine.” Now, the caption underneath was something along the lines of “just because you are right does not mean I am wrong” and I received a little laugh from this common sense truth. But then the reality of the moment set in. The reality of the cartoon faces which were grimacing in anger. The reality of our world which seems to be yelling their truths without listening to other perspectives. And it all became very real for me.

It became a reflection of so many of our conflicts throughout history. A reflection of all the times that people have been arguing over the same point, yet unable to witness the perception of the other.

“In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.”

– Proverbs 3:6 (NRSV)

And this cartoon argument was only about a number, what if it was about something important. Or more to the point, something important to you or me, like the Bible. What if the words in the text were either the inerrant word of God or a group of stories written by some ancient authors? Would the argument become more real, visceral, dangerous? Would the two cartoons start fighting to prove their perspective was right?

Sadly, we do not have to imagine the answer as this reality has happened many times. It is what has caused division after division in the church. People witness the truth of God as they see it and are so sure they are right that proving this truth seems worthy of fighting and sometimes killing over.

“Become intimate with him in whatever you do,
and he will lead you wherever you go.”

– Proverbs 3:6 (TPT)

This passion over our truth being right though does not mean another must be wrong. To explain, I have enclosed three different translations of the same Bible verse. Three different ways to interpret God’s word with a bit of time in-between so you could read them freely. Are any of these interpretations wrong? I do not believe so for they each reveal a glimmer of God’s voice – a smidge of truth – a bit of the whole just like each of us individually only reflect a bit – a smidge – a glimmer of God. To fully hear the voice of God we have to both speak and listen to one another. Just like if we were going to fully understand this proverb, we would need to hear all the ways it is translated to understand the fullness of what God is saying through our scripture.

Therefore, I pray you will take the time every day to both speak your truth for without it, we cannot hear that part of God in you; and, listen to the truth of others for without it, we cannot hear that part of God in them. Beloved, these are the tools of healing created when we love one another. Tools which begin with our lips and ears.

May your week be blessed by all the love God has to offer to everyone.

Your pastor, Brian

As always please call (207-350-9561) if you need anything. Next week, my pastoral care hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8:00– 4:00; Tuesday 10:30 – 6:30. I may be writing from home on Friday but may be at church. If I am in the office, please feel free to stop in to talk. Many blessings and Love to you all, always.

Good afternoon Beloved,

I pray you are well and feel all the Love God has to offer. Love though is not simply a solo activity. Yes, we can love people or things without that thing or person loving us back. It happens all the time. In effect, our Love Challenge is an example of this personal reality. You love someone and have placed their picture on a heart – done. On a side note, I would like to share my deepest appreciation for everyone who has begun placing up your hearts throughout the church; for, it truly is a blessing to witness who and what you each love. I hope everyone will continue to do so throughout the year. Still, this wonderful gift is really only for each other here in our beloved fellowship.

Beyond the doors of our sanctuary, the town of Salem may not know how much we love and care for people. The person walking down the street may have no idea that they are loved and welcomed – here – no matter who they are or where they are on life’s journey. The poor or hungry may not know they have a refuge within our walls; for, we have not always revealed our love of one another beyond us. 

Yet, Divine Love – the love we are called to give and receive requires mutual participation to achieve even a glimmer of the depth and breadth of God’s Love for us. Anyone who has ever been in love – loved a child – or had a pet knows a fraction of this truth. I believe God is calling us to this type of Love. Calling us to be Her hands and feet in the world. Calling us to reveal how much we love all people; so, all people may feel welcomed here in His Beloved Fellowship. Therefore, as we continue to consider what and who we love, let us also consider how we can reveal that love to another person and live into the Beloved Fellowship we are called to become.

May your week be full of God’s Divine Love, always

Your Pastor, Brian

As always please call (207-350-9561) if you need anything. Next week, my pastoral care hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8:00– 4:00; Tuesday 10:30 – 6:30. I may be writing from home on Friday but may be at church. If I am in the office, please feel free to stop in to talk. Many blessings and Love to you all, always.