Spring has sprung (sort of )!  As we begin this month with Easter can we feel the charge in the air, the beginnings of new life and of change? As the latest debates rage on social media and the news channels, the world challenges us to pick a side and then defend it to the end.  Not exchange ideas, or debate, but choose.  The current mindset seems to be that if you are not with me 100%, you are against me.  But can any real change happen if there is no collaboration, no conversation, no civil discourse, and no agreement?  As I stated before, engaging in thought and prayer over the issues we face is the only way to bring about peaceful resolution to conflict and strife.  The truth that anyone who gardens, ranches, or farms know is this:  You can’t rush growth.  Yelling at rose will not cause it to bloom any faster. Staring down corn will not make it yield its harvest any sooner.  Arguing with a cow will not make it any more productive.  Patience is key in every endeavor of life and when we love someone or something, we can be patient.    Christ said:

“A new commandment I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”(John 13:34-35)

As the body of Christ, Easter People, we are eager for positive change, we pray for peace; we pray for healing, we pray for light to overcome darkness.  Hold on to that energy!  Do not lose heart when difficult times come, rather be patient as Jesus is patient with you.  God loves us so much that he gave to us a Savior who knows our every sin and fault; but continues to patiently love us through our growth in the Spirit.  Let us bloom with the beauty of grace!  Let us produce the fruits of the Spirit! Let us build each other up in faith, to the glory of God!  This is how we change ourselves and the world.  Through loving one another as Jesus has loved us, in spite of our faults and our mistakes.  Happy Easter and may you be blessed with all the gifts of the Spirit!       

Pastor Donnie Holt