![]() Many times when we enter into the new year, we begin with great intentionality. We have goals we’d like to accomplish, places we’d like to visit, and people we want to spend more time with. Now that we are a month in, how is your intentionality? I know personally that I do well with a new habit for 3 or 4 weeks and then it begins to peter out. While it may feel like you have failed when your intentions didn’t come to fruition, it is instead an opportunity to begin again. In Lamentations 3:22-24 it reads, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in Him (ESV).’” The Lord has promised you unended mercies each and every morning whether your intentions for the previous day were met or not. He gives you a new day to begin again and go back to your intentions you previously set. He has provided another chance to work on your goals. Before I started at Peace in 2020, the congregation was intentional about creating a vision statement of where the direction should go. Five years later, this vision has remained and it reads: A Family Encouraged, A Community Embraced, Everyone Saved. This vision is still our intention for Peace and what we want to strive towards with the help of the Holy Spirit. While the vision is something that is talked about within the church leadership, it is also a vision for every member at Peace! Each person at Peace has the opportunity to take intentional steps–with the help of the Holy Spirit–to encourage those around them, to embrace their neighbors and community, and to share the love of Jesus so that all may know that Christ died to forgive their sins and give salvation. Our yearly intentions along with our vision set at church may not be a habit because we lose track of our “why” and our goals. This is when we need to be reminded of Lamentations once more–God’s mercy hasn’t ended because I wasn’t as disciplined in these areas as I should be. In fact, God gives the promise that there is another day to begin again and to work towards our intentions. As we are a part of the Peace family, how can we work towards our vision again in 2025? When we look at “A Family Encouraged”, is there a Connect Group you could be a part of? Is there a ministry team that you can volunteer with? When looking at “A Community Embraced”, which of your neighbors could use an encouraging conversation? Is there a neighbor you don’t yet know? Lastly, when looking at “Everyone Saved”, am I sharing Christ with those around me with my words and actions? Is there someone who needs the love of Jesus through clothing or food? Our intentions are an incredible gift that the Lord can use to help us accomplish many good things. While they don’t save us or change how much God loves us, they are good ways to help our neighbor! If you are feeling down with unmet intentions of January, remember that God’s mercies are new every morning and a new month is beginning. Great is the Lord’s faithfulness to you! -Cami Hamer, Director of Discipleship
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![]() Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. Malachi 3:10 I once had someone tell me that all the church does is ask for money. As I was considering this statement, I continued to see multiple places where money or possessions or riches are talked about in the Bible. In fact, in the parables of Jesus, money and possessions are the most common images that He uses! This shouldn’t be a surprise. Then, like now, money was needed to provide the necessities of life. Then, like now, people put their trust in their wealth instead of the one true God. When Deb and I were first married, we were members of a church that was undergoing its first building campaign. We were excited to be part of the campaign, but Deb was wrapping up college, and I had only been working a couple of years. There were months when we were struggling to pay bills at the end of the month, and there were definitely times when we couldn’t do what we wanted to do. We took another look at our budget and after prayerful consideration, we decided that we could pledge $65 a month towards the building project. It would be difficult, but we would make this three-year commitment work. An interesting thing happened during those three years. Even though our income did not go up drastically and even though we still struggled at times with our finances, God continued to provide. The window of heaven opened up to give us contentment with His provision. The blessing we received was a deeper faith in our God – a trust in Him to provide for us as we gave first to the Lord. God was at work, renovating our lives and leading us to place our trust in Him more than in the things of this world. Throughout our lives, by the work of the Holy Spirit, He has continued to help us grow in our trust in Him. During this next month, I encourage each of you to prayerfully consider how He might be challenging you to step forward in faith to join in our “Renovating Lives: So All Might Believe” campaign. Our hope is that through the changes to Peace that this renovation project entails, this place will be where lives are renovated by the power of the Holy Spirit for the next 60+ years! Deb and I have made a sacrificial pledge towards this project. We pray you will consider doing the same so more lives might be changed! In His Peace, Pastor Cory ![]() For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24 We all have a memory of the best Christmas gift ever. For me it was a BB gun (no, not a Red Rider, a Daisy. And no, I didn’t shoot my eye out!) I had always used my brother’s hand-me-down BB gun, and always wanted one for my own, and on that glorious Christmas eve I finally got it! That was the best until about 15 years later, on a Christmas Day when Deb said “Yes” to my proposal, and I received a gift of a fiancé! That gift still hasn’t been topped! Actually, there IS a gift greater than even that one. Over 2000 years ago the Father sent His only Son into this world to be my Savior (and yours, too)! That gift of forgiveness, life, and salvation wrapped up in swaddling clothes was the greatest gift the world would ever know. He is the gift we need the most, even though we often do not recognize it. This Christmas, you can give that greatest gift of all time. Invite your friends and family to worship with you. Give them the opportunity to hear the life-giving message of forgiveness and hope found in Holy Child. Sing with them the Christmas songs which spread that message of hope. Listen to the Christmas story from Luke 2 of God’s own Son proclaimed by angels, worshipped by shepherds, and placed in a manger by His parents. Let the Christmas message open hearts to believe, mouths to sing, lives to live the love of God flowing through us. Give others the gift of Jesus this year. In His Peace, Pastor Cory ![]() Right after Easter, I told someone in my church that I wished that I could go to sleep and not wake up until the beginning of Advent. Not because I was tired, rather because I was not looking forward to this election cycle. As I write this, the election is just a few weeks away, and the division and the negativity that I was worried about is even greater than I was expecting about back in April. So, how are we, as Christians, called to handle and election like this? First and foremost, we remember that the Lord is in control. He is the one in whom we place our trust because in Him and His Son there is salvation. This salvation won’t come through the next or any other president of our great country. So no matter who ends up being elected, don’t put your trust in that person, but continue to trust in our God. Second, as Christians we are called to “let love be genuine” (Romans 12:9), to “never be wise in our own sight” (vs. 16), and to “never repay evil for evil, but give thought to what is honorable in the sight of all” (vs. 17). What would it look like if we followed these instructions as we interacted with others during this election season? What if we sought to understand instead of be understood, to genuinely love others instead of labeling someone as a hater, to do what is honorable to everyone instead of repaying evil with evil? Our Savior did just that. He understood his fallen creatures’ need for redemption. He genuinely loved others to the point of going to the cross and then forgiving those who placed Him there. He did what was honorable, repaying evil with good – sins with forgiveness and death with life. Please do your duty as a citizen of this country – VOTE! But remember to put not your trust in a son (or daughter) of man, but in THE Son of Man, Jesus Christ, in whom there is full and free salvation. In His Peace, Pastor Cory ![]() Pastor's Note: The following information is from our Nebraska District LCMS. I am in full agreement with it, and strongly urge you to consider what it says when casting your vote. God calls us in His Word to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, to speak for the unborn, to protect life and not promote death. The ballot for the November 5th election will include two initiatives concerning life, both requiring our response. It is important to vote on both initiatives. Some have asked why we recommend they vote in favor of ballot initiative 434 when it does allow for abortion to occur before 12 weeks. We hope you will take the following into consideration: The state constitution currently does not have actual protection for life. It has been the practice of the legislature to interpret it as such, but 434 will add pro-life language to the constitution. 434 establishes a 12-week ceiling on abortion, but not a floor. The upper limit leaves room for future legislation to protect life from the moment it starts. This means that 434 will “hold the line” with the current 12-week abortion ban and leave room for further action in the future. We encourage you to vote YES on Initiative Measure #434. It’s critical to recognize that the current language of our state constitution provides zero protections from abortion. It leaves the issue totally up to the Nebraska Legislature. At the very least, Initiative 434 provides some basic constitutional protection from abortion. 439 represents a tremendous and radical shift in state policy on abortion and parental rights. There is much concern that if 439 is enacted, it will be much harder to return any protections for life to the state constitution. The polls of the public opinion shared by the Nebraska Catholic Conference show how close this initiative is to passing: Protect Women & Children publicly released a poll back in the spring showing that the abortion measure (Initiative 439) had 54% support among the general public. We encourage you to vote NO on Initiative Measure #439! Again, it is important to vote on both initiatives. Every person should vote their conscience, but with both initiatives on the agenda, whichever receives the greater majority will be the one placed into the constitution. The danger of pro-life voters voting no on both would likely give the advantage to 439. For a more detailed treatment on this topic you may wish to read: https://www.lincolndiocese.org/op-ed/legislative-update/18196-vote-no-on-both-is-wrong-harmful The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod believes that abortion is contrary to God’s Word and “is not a moral option, except as a tragically unavoidable byproduct of medical procedures necessary to prevent the death of another human being, viz., the mother”. (Source: LCMS FAQ) ![]() So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10 This is a month of great opportunities! First, we are quickly coming upon the opportunity to be able to participate in something people in other nations only dream about - the opportunity to vote for the people we want to lead our country, state, and city, and to vote for issues that directly affect us as we live our lives in this great country. Yet, how are we to vote? How much (or little) do we allow our Christian faith to affect our votes? How should our personal preference and benefit interact with our personal faith during this election season? This month Vicar Joel and I will lead the congregation in a Bible study “Vote Like a Christian” which explores God’s Word to help guide us as we seek to fulfill our Christian vocation as citizens of this great country. This study will be held on Sunday, October 6th, 13th, and 27th, at 10:30 in the Fellowship Hall. I strongly encourage ALL voting adults (and Middle and High School youth) to join us in this study. And no, we will NOT tell you how to vote, but how to think like a Christian when you do vote. And yes, questions and discussion are encouraged! Another opportunity we have this month is to participate in the parish planning study as we examine if we want to participate in the renovation project and capital campaign, and what that might look like. The final report will be presented to the leadership on October 16th, with a presentation to the board on October 20th after service in the Fellowship Hall. Once again, we encourage you all to attend this meeting to hear first hand the results of the report and recommendation of the church board! These are beyond the regular opportunities we have to receive God’s gifts in worship, to study His word at Refuel and Connect Groups, to do good through our mission gifts and support, and to serve in many different ways here at Peace and in our community! Take advantage of these opportunities to be a part of Peace this month! In His Peace, Pastor Cory ![]() Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:17-18 Right after Easter, I told someone I wish I could sleep through the beginning of November. Not because I was so tired from the rigors of Holy Week and Easter, but because I was already tired of the upcoming election and all the politicking that happens with it. And now, after both conventions and with two months remaining until the elections, I am ready to turn off the news (which has become more about opinions and less about the facts), stay off social media, and live a peaceful life in ignorant bliss. But that’s not good either. As Christians living in this great country, we are given the opportunity to vote for those whom we think will best lead our country for the good of all people. And at this point in history, there is a huge difference in the direction people think this country should go, in order to do that. Both sides are unwilling to even consider working with the other side. So, what are we to do? Remember the verses posted above, especially the part that says, “give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.” That doesn’t mean I should ignore politics (as though I could, even if I wanted to), but it means that if we discuss politics with others, we are to do so in a way that is honorable. No name calling. No lies. No distilling fear of what the “other side” wants to do. Remember, that every person is a person created and loved by God, even those with whom we disagree us, and even those who do not behave honorably back to us. “Honorable politics” seems a lot like an oxymoron. But for us Christians, it is what we are called to do! In His Peace, Pastor Cory ![]() From July 20-24th, Pastor Cory, Cami, and Kristy Lantis headed to New Orleans for the National LCMS Youth Workers Conference. While at the Conference, Pastor Cory and Cami presented on Team Ministry within the church for both staff and volunteers. There are times in the church that we all seem to forget that though we have differing opinions, we are on the same team--Team Jesus. Our big take-away from leading the session and hearing input from people across the country is that there are 5 key things to having a successful team in the church. The 5 are: prayer, being in the Word, shared purpose, communication, and different gifts. As we continue to be a family encouraged at Peace, keeping our focus of being on "Team Jesus" is key. We encourage you, within the ministries you are a part of here, to look at the 5 keys of a successful team. How is your team doing with the 5? In what ways can the 5 be improved on your team? What pieces of the 5 are you already doing well? We are excited to be a part of Team Jesus along with our Peace Family and hope that you are too! |
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January 2025
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