When God's Plans Are Not Your Plans

Hello Church,

Engage the Holy Spirit.

Sunday is Pentecost.  It is the day when God gifted the would-be church with His Spirit to comfort and teach and to inspire. It's a big day to celebrate.

As we live into a renewed Summer at Emmanuel--as we look at new kinds of partnerships with schools and animal shelters and retirement communities and food programs, etc--I think it paramount to consider how we go about it.

Engage the Holy Spirit.

As people of routine, we are often dictated by what our routine tells us. For example, today is Monday.  On Mondays I type my blog; find Scripture for Sunday; post on Facebook; and follow-up with any stuff that happened the previous day. (Btw, yesterday was an awesome Sunday.... if you didn't catch it, find it here!  No lie... one of my best Sunday services in a long time).

This Sunday we are also about routine.  For example, we are always invited to wear red on Pentecost Sunday.  We will sing and pray and preach in a linear fashion.... or will we?

Sometimes the Spirit tells you to do something out of the ordinary.  Maybe it is a nudge or push or shove.  Maybe God finds a way to tell you to break your routine and be led by a more spontaneous opportunity.  God's Holy Spirit doesn't always tell you His plans beforehand.  And if He does, we don't always listen.

Engage the Holy Spirit.

We will attempt to do so this Sunday... unless the Spirit tells us to do it a different day...

God is Good,
Pastor Joe