The difference between love and hate, is the difference between fulfillment and emptiness.

As a person, I have always been an avid watcher of the news. As a pastor and a preacher, I feel as though I should have a keen awareness about what is going on in the world. But these days, I seem to be losing my steam… or at the very least… I am losing my interest. Oh, I still watch the evening news… but I do so less passionately.

I am not saying this from the point of view of cynicism or fatalism either. I am actually quite hopeful. I truly do believe, that we will soon be awakened from this dark malaise. I believe that we are far too intelligent and compassionate to continue on this path of deceit and destruction. I think we will soon tire of the division… and I think that we will soon make the choice to purge ourselves of this hate.

But interestingly enough… hate is just as all-encompassing as love. It is just as irrational… and its own peculiar way… it is just as satisfying. Just as lovers thrive on the presence of the beloved… haters revel in their encounters with the object of their hate. Our enemies confirm our darkest suspicions. They add fuel to all of our burning animosities. The mere thought of them, actually makes our hating heart pound.

The difference between love and hate is the difference between fulfillment and emptiness. To love… is to be enriched by the experience. To hate… is to be drained by it. I love my family, because they complete me. I hate our current political climate, because it diminishes me. At some point… we are going to have to make a choice.

Lovers… by losing themselves in their love – find themselves. Haters simply lose themselves. That is a pretty big difference! And that is really not much of a choice.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

It’s not always easy to thank God for January…with the ice and snow it brings, the cold wind that stings your face and maybe even chapped hands and cold feet. And what about when the snow blower doesn’t work or your car doesn’t start or the driveway is covered in ice?

January…we much prefer June, don’t we? June…when winter is gone and the temperature is rising and the shovels are put away. Beautiful June…

But…there truly is much beauty in January and much to give thanks for…isn’t there? So although it may not always seem easy, let us thank God for January…

…for the new life it brings, new opportunities and new starts …for the warmth of friends and family and this community of faith
…for the hope it holds and the gifts it brings

Yes, let us thank God for January…let us thank God for being there, al- ways…even and especially on cold days, in icy struggles, and along wind- blown paths. Let us thank God for strength given, direction shown and hope offered.

Thank you, God, for January!

A most blessed and joy-filled January and New Year to each and every one of you!

Pastor Laura