Pastor's Weekly Update

JULY 27, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

While there are still so many kind people in our world, it sure seems like there are less of them these days.  I was watching the local news recently and five of the first six stories were all involved with some senseless murder, crime, or other act of violence.  It added a whole new meaning to the newsroom saying, “If it bleeds, it leads”.  There are a lot of stories involving a lot of bleeding these days.

But a lack of kindness can take on lots of different forms that don’t involve things that are so dark.  Sometimes, we simply don’t say thanks when it is appropriate, or we miss opportunities to do good when they present themselves. Sometimes we say things about people that are just plain mean.  We can fail to show kindness by commission and omission.

If we want to show people the love of Jesus, we have to stand out from the crowd, and one of the best ways to do so is to show kindness.  Lots of it.  Lavishly and lovingly. That’s something Jesus did for people regularly and it's what His followers do as well.

I need to be more kind sometimes and I want my acts of kindness to be intentional more so than random.  Maybe you do, too.

On Sunday, I want to help us learn how to live out this fifth fruit of Spirit.  I hope you’ll be at Lakeshore as we understand what kindness is and how it works in our everyday lives.

Our world really needs it, and so do we.

Warmly,
Vince