THE Pastor's corner for october, 2022

REFLECTIONS FROM PASTOR KIM

Dear Pastor,
I've been in the church my whole life. I'm not sure there is anything I don't know.
Sincerely, The Rest of Us

"Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,”
Proverbs 1:5

So, let's pretend we DID know everything, Proverbs still advises us to seek guidance, to figure out what all that knowledge means and what to do with it. We just chatted on Sunday, September 18th about how even though we long for perfection, in this lifetime we will never quite reach that goal.

What does that mean when it comes to knowledge? There is a phrase that is worded something like 'knowledge is power.' Think on this for a bit. We can know all there is to know, but have we comprehended what we know? Do we understand the things we cram into our brain, or do we just "know" them? Perhaps that's where we all come up short?

I know I am certainly guilty of thinking, "Well, I know that!" Know what? Every. Single. Time. I. Say. That. I. Am. Proven. Wrong. Sheesh! See, when I get to thinking I've got the world by the tail and can lay out a plan to solve the problems of that world, God goes, "Hey, Kim! Hold up there a second. What about. .. " UHG! I detest that God knows me better than I know myself!

Remember, God knows our laying down and our rising up. God knows our faults that we won't acknowledge and the gifts we won't acknowledge, as well. God is there before our crazy thoughts take hold, and when our pride and our prejudice take over our common sense. God is front and center in walking with us, even when we choose not to seek understanding and God's will, but our own understanding.
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Unfortunately, the church many of us grew up in does not look the same as it did in the fledgling years of our faith lives, but God is still here. The years that very near the whole community was in church on Sunday morning or at every activity. That doesn't make the church today or tomorrow wrong, it just makes it different, but God is still here. Our communities look different, our lives look different, the expectations of schools and community events looks different. We've also been trying to erect healthy boundaries and expectations, both of ourselves and of others. So much is different! God is still here!

Yet, so much is still the same! God is still here!

"I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who
is to come, the Almighty.”  Revelation 1:8

Do not give up! Different is not bad, it's just different! Together we can seek God's Will for Oakland UMC, the community of Oakland and the surrounding communities. We don't know it all, but together maybe we can learn to understand God's plan for us today and tomorrow. Let hope rise eternal in our hearts, our homes, and our communities. To God be the glory, for God is still here!

Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey!
Pastor Kim