12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil. 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he wi
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. - I John 4:16 I have two dogs. I also have a cat, but I’ll write about her some other time. For right now, I want to write about my dogs. One of them specifically. If you’ve never owned a dog, you may wonder why I’m writing about mine for the church newsletter. If you have owned one, though, you know that there are dozens of things that a dog can teach you about the nature of God, the nature of humanity, and the nature of… nature I guess. They teach us about loyalty, and total devotion. They teach us about obedience and disobedience and how the two have outcomes and consequences. They teach us about persistence and endurance. And on top of it all they’re just magnificent creatures that show off the handiwork of the creator. One of my dogs is a husky with white fur and striking blue eyes. He’s a beautiful boy and everybody who meets him will tell you the same. He’s get