May 8

Beloved of Good Shepherd Church,

Grace to you and peace in the Risen Jesus Christ our Lord!

Discernment is the art of making yourself vulnerable to the leading of God so that you might discover what God is calling you to do with your life. Discernment is not always about big life decisions. It is most often simply about what God is calling you to do next.

The biggest obstacle to discernment is me. That is, when I am solely focused on what I want, then my ears tend to close, and I stop listening for the voice and inner nudge of God. 

Years ago I asked a friend what prayer shapes his discernment practice. He said I pray like this, “God help me want what you want. Amen.” It’s such a simple, humble prayer that at first glance it seems too simple, maybe even trite. But it’s far from flippant. Take a deep breath, long inhale, and on the exhale let go of all your ideas of how things ought to be, then say, “God, help me want what you want. Amen.”

I am really excited about the parish hall discernment project we are undertaking. My energy is not coming from my attachment to the outcome. That would be a worried, anxious energy. The excitement that is welling up in me is all about us discerning together what God is calling us to do next. I want us to want what God wants as we walk the spiritual path together.

The foundational point of being the church is to spread the Gospel and to grow in love for God and each other. Is God calling us to build a parish hall to further that work? That’s the question, and I am excited to be on the adventure of answering that question with you! Let’s pray that God will inspire us with His desire for us and our parish. “God, help us want what you want. Amen.”

You can find out more about the parish hall project here - https://www.gslex.org/strategicplan You are invited to join us for an information session on Sunday, May 18th after the 10 a.m. service in the worship space before the parish picnic.

Remember this always - God loves you, and I love you too!

Love is all, 

Hendree+