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Dear Friends,

As we enter the time in which we are all back in the fall routine, I would like to take this time to address some of those questions of faith that you may have. Please take time to send me those questions so that I can answer them here in the upcoming columns.

The first question that I would like to address is the concept of predestination. Predestination is the doctrine that God in His sovereignty chooses certain individuals to be saved. This was made a prominent theme with the writings of John Calvin, the father of Presbyterianism. In his foundational work, the Institutes of Christian Religion, Calvin argued that God exerts His will over every area of His creation. He argued that since God has willed some to be saved, God also willed some to be damned. His quote from the Institutes to acknowledge this is, “nothing happens but what God has knowingly and willingly decreed.” In essence, Calvin has given all the responsibility for choosing salvation on God.

September 2023 Newsletter

Dear Friends, As we have neared the end of the season of Lent, I hope that this season of the church year was a blessing to you. We here at St. Andrew talk about being intentional about our faith. During these last forty days, we have looked at ways to deepen our faith. We have looked at fasting and prayer, meditation, and Scripture study. As we complete our journey and seek to live in the resurrected community, we need to look at other spiritual disciplines that can enhance our journey together.

April 2023 Newsletter

Dear Friends, As we have now entered Lent, may this season of the church year be a blessing to you. We talk here at St. Andrew about being intentional about your faith. Here are some ways that you can focus on your faith during this next forty days.

–Fasting and Prayer. In our world today that is all about giving into our desires, we have lost the power of self-control. Fasting is a means by which we gain self-control in our lives. Fasting can be anything from fasting from food to fasting from something that eats up too much of your day. Fasting from food or other items such as videos can involve fasting for a period of time such as a morning to a day. It can also involve fasting from a specific food such as chocolate or dessert or fast food. While fasting, when the hunger pangs or desire hits, use that moment to pray. While praying, God will be the center of your thoughts which m

 

March 2023 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Rooted in Love, Grounded in Grace, Growing for God

As we enter the fourth month of the new year, we need to remind ourselves of words that affirm. There can be many places where we read or have heard words that pain our heart. So it is very important for us to hear and listen to words that affirm great spiritual truths.

One of the greatest statements that I have ever heard, we celebrate at this time of the year-“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.” (Luke 24:6) Or how about this statement of life, “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were…Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” (John 20: 19-20). [Read more…] about April’s Newsletter