Greetings Holy, Healthy and Happy People of God,

As I write this eNote to our faithful and devoted community of radical followers of Jesus Christ, I am trying to reclaim the ways to a sacramental life.  Another way to say this is I am trying to reclaim a simplistic life which reflects a life of joy and peace.  In a world where tragic, chaotic and unexpected evil continuously happens, we need a defensive practice and it comes to us through a disciplined and simplistic life.

Often, we are kept from living lives marked by the joy and peace of our heavenly Father because of our continual pursuit for more.  Humanity’s first sin was pursuing more than God intended for us, and the enemy continues to entice us with that temptation today.  A core (distorted) value of the world is more: more money, more fame, more friends, more success, more happiness, more possessions, more of anything, because we feel dissatisfied with our lives.  We are constantly grabbing for that which will never fully satisfy in the present or lead us to a lifestyle of continual satisfaction.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:12,

“For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.”

Simplicity is a God-given discipline that prunes the dead branches of waste that effectually deplete us of the energy, time, and provision with which God has blessed us.  When we make the decision to stop pursuing more, we step in line with the Spirit and place our trust and faith in God rather than our own understanding.

We desperately need transformation and training in the discipline of simplicity.  In order to experience joy and peace that transcend circumstances and position ourselves through faithfulness to receive more of what God longs to give, we must offer our time, energy, and money to God and follow the guidance of his Spirit and word.

One of the primary means for a sacramental (or simplistic) life is a life of prayer.  When we pray, it releases our personal desires for more and shifts our attention to God and God’s will for us.

Hear the W.O.W., the Words of Wisdom: “Simplicity is a discipline worth pursuing.”

As always, remember, God’s will for us is good, we must do the rest!

Pastor Stephen