“As he (Saul) traveled he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.”
Acts 9:3
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
How often have you found yourself at a “CROSSROAD” in your life? You thought you were headed in one direction only to find out that you ended up going in a different direction. You might have believed you were handling things well or you knew you were in the right, only to find out your trajectory was changed. Things weren’t what you thought and your world was turned upside down. You might have just had a short detour on the road of your life,… OR… maybe there was a time you needed to yield so there was time for another event could take place,… OR… you might have had to do a U-turn knowing you were going in the wrong direction… OR… when you finally found the right way you were able to exit so you could stop.
Saul, later known as Paul, found himself at a “CROSSROAD” in his life. He was sure he knew exactly where he was going. He had a clear purpose… to kill Christians for going against God’s laws. The very first Christian martyr, Stephen, was laid at his feet after he was stoned to death. As he was on his way to Damascus, to, in his zeal, have more Christians put to death, God met him and changed his direction. God made him YIELD to the will of Jesus. God made him take a DETOUR so he could learn what he needed to learn. Paul took a U-TURN of grace that sent him in a better direction and then he was able to experience the JOY of Christ as he took the EXIT from the Torah and fully began living life in Christ.
We are in a world of “CROSSROADS”! Bethel sits at the crossroads. We are at Airport Blvd. and Colfax… we are at the crossroads of the city and more of the farm land, just east of us… we are at the crossroads of older housing and brand new housing… we are at the crossroads of the homeless and those who have homes… and the list goes on.
Those around us are at different “CROSSROADS” in their lives too. Some are not sure if they believe in God or not. Some are struggling with drugs or alcohol. Some are dealing with health issues, whether it is age related, cancer related, other disease related people may not know what to do. Again, the list goes on.
What I do know is that we have the answer for those struggling and the answer is Jesus. We can build new ways to help people find that is the answer for them in their lives as well. Over these next weeks we will be building toward a new “BRAND” and looking to find new ways to invite others in to be a part of the life we have been offered by Christ. The new logo is being finalized and the words on the logo is who we are… our “BRAND”! The words:
BETHEL at the crossroads giving hope
Join us for our PRAYER BREAKFAST, on Saturday, July 19, as we set the tone for our church and for our SERMON SERIES as we clarify our “BRAND”.
In Christ,
Pastor Barb
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