The Role of the Holy Spirit in Personal Guidance The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the spiritual journey of individuals, often acting as a guide and mentor in their daily lives. For many believers, the Holy Spirit's presence brings comfort and direction, offering insights that might not be obvious through our own reasoning. This divine guidance isn't just a passive experience; it's an active, lively interaction between you and the Spirit.

The Context of Jesus' First Sermon in Luke The Gospel of Luke offers a special look at Jesus' life and ministry, highlighting His teachings and the important role of the Holy Spirit. One of the standout moments in this Gospel is Jesus' first recorded sermon in Luke 4. Delivered in the setting of His hometown synagogue in Nazareth, this sermon not only kicks off His public ministry but also sets the stage for His mission on earth.

The Vision of the River: Understanding the Symbolism The imagery of the River of God, as described in Ezekiel 47, paints a beautiful picture of spiritual growth and renewal. This vision isn't just a lovely scene; it's a divine message encouraging believers to dive deeper into their faith.

Worship is a fundamental aspect of Christian life, connecting with God, expressing faith, and fostering a sense of community. This article delves into the elements that make worship effective, drawing from the teachings of the Gospel of John and the principles of worship in the church. It emphasizes the need to believe in Jesus Christ, the importance of communal and simple worship, and the transformation of individuals through scripture, spirit, and sacraments.

When Paul runs into some disciples in the city of Ephesus, he kicks off the conversation with, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Did you take God into your mind only, or did you also embrace him with your heart? Did he get inside you?” (Acts 19.2 MSG) And then, a chapter later, he says, “We met on Sunday to worship and celebrate the Master’s Supper” (Acts 20.7). With the Holy Spirit in us, Sunday morning church can be, well, something more.

Is confirmation for you? Read on to learn about confirmation: what it is, what it's for, and whether you should be confirmed. What is Confirmation? Confirmation is a service for those of us who were baptized as infants to make our own, mature and public, decision to follow Jesus with the blessing of the laying on of hands by a bishop. The laying on of hands is for the imparting of the Spirit to serve; to minister as Jesus did. I got confirmed at the age of nine. My reason was clear and simple, I wanted to be an acolyte, wear a red cassock and white surplice, and serve at the altar on Sundays. But that’s not a good reason to get confirmed. A good reason to have a bishop lay hands on you and pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen, empower, and sustain you is for an equipping to do ministry. It’s the way God has always done it.

Pentecost - What’s it all about? I remember my first step. Pentecost: My First Step Okay, here’s the scene: I was the lone clergyman in a rather large New England church. I had spent two years at the post. I was fixing coffee and hard-boiled eggs for our monthly clergy meeting, which was for priests from local churches. You need to know that the eggs symbolized these meetings, which were usually filled with hard-boiled and stale arguments about high and low churchmanship. I heard the speaker mention the Holy Spirit. Seriously, I thought, I spent three years studying in seminary and two years as a curate in this New England church. Why had I not heard of this Holy Spirit before now?

Shall We Shell? My wife Barb is an avid sheller and gifted shell finder. I'm her assistant. Of course, Sanibel is notorious for its shells, but then, we are not in the shell hot zone of Sanibel. We stay at a place called ''Tween Waters. It's between Sanibel and Captiva Islands. That's' not to say the shelling there isn't good. It is...just not as good. Not to grumble, but we have oodles of glass containers, even a rather large one shaped like a fish, all around our home filled with seashells. We even have framed shells on our walls, along with prints of shells framed on the walls. We are beach people. Today, the last day of our five-day vacation together, we walked and talked about how shells remind us of just how great our Creator is.

Dear Members of New Covenant,