How do you love God?

And another thing!

Dear Friends,

I have two sets of recommendations for you this week, both of them incomplete. Feel free to choose all of the above or none of the above as your options, but pray about the whole thing first, will you?

In the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), we see two different forms of loving God. Martha is all about doing what needs to be done, where Mary is at rest at the feet of Jesus. Both are good things. One of the things about the Christian life is living with one foot in each of these.

Your life may be full of things that have to get done. If not, here are some ideas:

• Children’s ministry teacher/assistant

• Technology team

• Choir member

• Ministry Team member for Stewardship, Tech, or something that pulls your heart

• Volunteering at a place that’s important for you

• Calling that friend you’ve been meaning to check in on

Your life may be full of time spent with Jesus. But, if you’re looking for ways to expand that, try these:

• Attending a prayer group, Sunday School class, or Bible Study at Zion

• Reading a devotional, like Christ in our Home or Our Daily Bread

• Using a prayer app like Common Prayer or Abide

• Try Centering Prayer, where you just sit with Jesus

• Read your Bible (hint: start with the gospels)

• Mindfully breathe in the Holy Spirit as needed throughout your day

If you’re interested in Brother Lawrence, his book Practicing the Presence of God is a classic. You should be able to pick it up used online or borrow it from the library.

If you read this far, you need to know one more thing! Even our desire to do good is pleasing to God. If you try something new and it’s not for you, that’s fine. If you lose focus, it’s better than not trying. The effort is never wasted. God already loves you, the real you, all the time.

Pastor Emily