Greetings friends
Welcome to worship tomorrow from wherever life has taken you this week!
Our Cafe Liberty between 9:45 and 10:15 AM is an uplifting way to connect with friends and welcome our guests with a fresh-brewed coffee or tea. Join us!
Also, two weeks from now, please plan to be with us for Communion in Good Friday (evening) Worship @ 7:00 PM on April 7th as we begin the Easter weekend together at the Lord’s Table, honoring the Lamb of God in gratitude for His cross (Galatians 3:13-14 and John 1:29). See our Events for more information.
One of the most memorable of all openers for a novel are these two statements:
“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.“
So it was that Charles Dickens began comparing the condition of the common man in London with the chaotic revolutionary fervor of Paris in 1859. Though separated by the English Channel, those two cities had much in common and yet the contrasts were sharp.
Relatively speaking, the “good times” were represented by London’s social cohesion and tranquility of the Victorian era.
However, “across the Channel” where anger, animosities and anarchy prevailed, the citizens were apathetic, antagonistic and arrogant. Dickens’ famous novel is a literary treasure for many reasons.
One reason is how vividly the story conveys this basic fact: Attitudes create action and action is the ingredient that shapes the culture, more than anything that people say they believe.
Attitudes can be shaped by many influences (no matter which “city” we’re dwelling in!) but our own inner decisions move the needle in one direction or another more than any external factor.
In a sense, we all have our own “Tale of Two Cities” in which we have to choose which scenario will get most of our attention. Will we receive the good things of God with a grateful heart or focus most of our energies on the hurts, disappointments and struggles that come our way?
In Part 3, tomorrow, of our Open Bible Workshop series, I’m excited to share tools that open new avenues of discovery in Scripture.
God’s Word truly is “ALIVE and powerful” as Hebrews 4:12 says.
One of the ways we tap into its power is by choosing to re-direct our attention to what God says as opposed to what our culture loudly shouts at us. Attitudes we absorb from the culture create roadblocks to spiritual growth.
For example, resentment is such a slippery slope. What starts out as a mild annoyance may be nursed into a major barrier between people who could all benefit from communicating with and learning from one another. Removing that barrier is one of thousands of examples of the benefits that flow from being “washed in the water of the Word.” (Ephesians 5:27)
Good tools are essential in every endeavor that is a high priority in our lives.
For a chef, there are certain kitchen utensils that must be kept easily within reach. Sometimes even shopping for a new blender or a special spatula or some other device stirs up new ideas for great cooking. The same is true for the feast our souls need most.
Above all, the tools we’ll share tomorrow can help anyone who wants to start anew, to revive and refresh his or her quiet time with God.
For our friends who join us in the live stream, here are the links to find the service in real time or at another time in your schedule:
- Watch the live-stream over on our Live page
- Join with us via Facebook Live at https://tinyurl.com/8fk5tywn
- View/Listen to our past services, via Spotify or your favorite podcasting service, on our Past Services page
In His love,
Pastor Joe
Liberty Church
P.O. Box 295
Westminster MD 21158
https://www.libertychurchlive.com/
email: pastoralcare@libertychurchlive.com
Church office: 410.857.4313
Pastor’s cell: 410.596.4096