A hot flaky biscuit smeared with creamy butter and drizzled with sweet honey topped off with a tall glass of ice-cold milk is a great way to start the morning. What happens when I reach into the fridge and we’re out of milk? Disappointment immediately overcomes me. While this seems trivial, it made me think of our recent readings in the old testament as part of our Grand Sweep of the Bible. Are we a grumbling and mumbling people? Do we realize that God chose us for His glory? Are we ever content?

Days leading up to that memorable summer day in 1969, we stood outside with Pops in the dark looking up at the moon through our Sears & Roebuck telescope only dreaming of what it would feel like to walk on the moon. These moonwalkers were far above the highest clouds, past the splendor of the stars, and beyond the heavens. The telescope made it appear we could reach out and touch the heavens. I remember our youngest brother asking, “does God live on the moon?”

How many times do we believe we know better than God? We negotiate with God on what decisions we will let Him make for our life. We attempt to do the rest on our own without ever fully believing His sovereignty or relinquishing our own will and spirit to have complete faith in Him. Our faith is only as good as we genuinely believe that God first had faith in us.

Planting a church is a difficult endeavor. Perhaps you were one of the early pilgrims at AUMC who set out each Sunday to unload a trailer full of tables and chairs in the Oaks Elementary school cafeteria to bring church to the new burgeoning community. Arising from modest starts AUMC developed its own church building and later the beautiful campus we enjoy today. Many a saint and sinner have contributed to the growth of AUMC.

After reading Genesis, we cannot help but realize what a precious gift we have been given with this place we call our home, Earth. As Christians believing in the resurrection of Christ Jesus we know it is our temporary home. Yet there is no excuse if we do not treasure this sustainable gift and be responsible stewards. Our prize is heavenward, but our legacy is how we leave this world. Do you cherish the resources we have been given by our maker? How might you look at nature a bit differently if you realize each creature also has a plan within God’s masterpiece?

Have you ever read a Bible passage or listened to a sermon and walked away disappointed and believing that you did not gain anything significant? Perhaps it just felt ordinary, unmeaningful and uninspiring. Could you be the reason that something you read in the Bible just did not resonate or create a sense of wonderment? Have you lost that astonishment for God?

Onomatology is the study of names - the meaning or origin, cultural connotations and the reason we are given certain names. Naming is quite important for it assigns an identity. It has personal meaning. It highlights our uniqueness. It creates a connection.

God is a change agent. He started with this formless void of darkness we call our earth. For God, change is an opportunity for new creation. God is always saying, “Let there be.” He speaks into our life a continuous and sweeping motion of conversion and transformation by way of “His Spirit” or “Ruach Elohim” (Hebrew translation). How can we doubt the power of God to transform us? After all, didn’t He create the heavens and earth?

Packages and their postage hold up to all the elements - rain, sleet, snow, and perhaps a stamp’s most formidable enemy, the humidity of South Texas in hurricane season. While our letters are sorted, piled, twisted, and tossed, the stamp remains. It is that kind of perseverance I am praying for as the school year and The Grand Sweep begin. So, what helps us to persevere?

The response you give to someone calling you or reaching out to you really matters and speaks loudly. Three small words placed sequentially have a tremendous impact in meaning.