Claude King's blog

How we treat the people who we love while they are living corresponds to the way we will treat their remains when they die. We love them through and through until the end and beyond. Love never ends, it is eternal. Praise God!

I am grateful to know what it is like to experience forgiveness, acceptance, and abundance. I hope that you have had experiences where you have been welcomed with open arms and given access to a significant measure of provisions, gifts that were consumable and of a benefit to you and others to use both spiritually and in material form and connected to those experiences, the feeling of being forgiven for any past mistakes and failures of word and action.

What do you understand about being tested? How do you feel about meeting a good challenge? Are they both part of an accomplished life? What about our spiritual life, does it need to be tested and challenged to be well-rounded and fulfilled? I believe that many of us think the time of Lent is all about being tested so that we may become the best followers of Christ that we can be.

How do we achieve the community that Jesus was establishing during his public ministry? The actions of those of us who believe in Jesus and seek to realize the words that he preached and taught must point to a standard that is reinforced through practice. Love is the standard that Jesus built all his relationships, preaching, teaching, and his efforts to create and maintain just systems upon to ensure that we all treat one another as God treats us.

We are students for more of our lives than we are teachers because we learn more than we teach. Before we can teach we must learn even more about the subject we are going to teach than we normally would learn if we were seeking to be taught about that subject.

The words that we speak mean something. And, when we speak God's words, they are the ultimate form of human expression. Psalm 119:105 reads, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (NRSV) God's word is a spiritual lamplight to both illuminate your present path so you will not stumble and fall, and to show you where you are going to avoid any danger that may be hidden in the darkness surrounding you.

This is the time when we focus on the appearance and public expression of Christ in this world. We have understood and joyfully celebrated the birth of Jesus on Christmas. Now, we center on how Jesus' presence is made known to the world, not only to the believers in God who watch for Jesus and prepare for his second appearing.

We should be aware that God is calling us into ministry through the numerous ways that the Spirit of God is revealed in and through us. Yes, we can see evidence of God's calling of others in the Bible, but also we can see evidence of God's call of our fellow members of God's family through the spiritual gifts that they exhibit. There are many kinds of spiritual gifts expressed in many ways because God has made us to be the conduits of the various spiritual gifts that God gives for the building up of God's people.

I am looking forward to worshiping and celebrating the balance of Advent and the beginning of the Christmas seasons this year. We have all been filled with great anticipation of a more physically connective Advent and Christmas this year. Even if you may not be a "huggy" type of person, there are other blessed ways to enjoy our family and friends in person when we gather.

In this Advent season, be reminded that we are to act out of love as Jesus did when he promised to return for those who love him. How are we preparing to live as loving children of the One who loves all people equally and act out Jesus' love promise? What happens when we act out of Christ's promise of love for us?