Blog: Forest Lake Talks

Text: Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. 6 The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice;…

August 1, 2023 Dear Friends, This Sunday, August 6th, our summer intern, Katie Pittman, will be preaching in worship. Katie’s last day with us will be August 25th, but she chose to preach this Sunday. Katie is working part time with us this summer before she returns to Queens College in Charlotte for her senior year. She is discerning her gifts, passions, and calling. And whether or not church figures in her paid vocation, I am and will keep on praying that church community will always figure large in her life. Katie has told me that this congregation has been…

Psalm 139:1-6 O Lord, you have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. Devotional: If you’ve ever watched How I Met Your Mother, you know that Marshall…

July 19, 2023 When I heard that the Southern Baptist Convention doubled down on their prohibition of women serving as pastors or in leadership roles where teen or adult males might be present I felt deeply sad. It has taken me some time to assimilate this news. Mind you, it is not new news. I graduated from Furman University when it was solidly Southern Baptist, and the fight was about whether or not students could dance (as if that were really decided on a denominational level!). Yes, I am that old. I am so old that the first woman ordained…

Text: Proverbs 2:6: For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding Devotional: In Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most, Christian theologians and Yale professors Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz discuss the “Question,” which they describe as the following: “The Question is about worth, value, good and bad and evil, meaning, purpose, final aims and ends, beauty, truth, justice, what we owe one another, what the world is and who we are and how we live. It is about the success of our lives or their failure.” (xv) In other words, “What’s worth wanting?” This is a…

Text: Psalm 13: How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I bear pain in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will…

Dear Friends, I received a text from a community member who, while not a member of FLPC, knows this congregation well. And the text began this way: “I continue to be amazed at all the great things coming out of FLPC.” To that I say, AMEN! I am so grateful to be a part of a faith family that is really trying hard to hold to what Christ commands and that works to be faithful even when we may not agree on what that looks like. In fact, I believe that a good part of the fruits of the spirit…

Text: Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Devotional: Pastor, author, missionary, and mother (to our own Adele Wyatt) Sara Covin Juengst knows what it means to change, pivot, and follow God’s call. It’s ironic that I’m reading one of her books, The Road Home: Images for the Spiritual Journey, while we continue to talk during worship for the past several weeks about Abram and Sarai’s call. Abram and Sarai uprooted…

Text: Galatians 5:22-26 (CEB Version) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit. 26 Let’s not become arrogant, make each other angry, or be jealous of each other. Devotional: This particular text above was the one we used in worship at Camp Fellowship last night. During worship, I played a “social barometer” game, which included asking each of the campers to go…

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are…

Dear Friends, Thursday, June 22nd at 10am, Serve and Connect and Richland School District 2 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (a MOU) to formalize a new partnership between these two important organizations. Serve and Connect and RSD2 have outlined common goals like safety for families in our community, and the creation of specific programs aimed at helping students and staff thrive in our schools. There was a press conference held in the RNE Auditorium to announce this partnership, but you know that bad news travels much faster and farther than good news. So, I want to elevate the good news…

Text: Isaiah 43:1-2 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Devotional: There must be others like me during childhood, maybe even now – those who heard John Calvin’s name at church, maybe even mentioned by a preacher,…

Text: Deuteronomy 16:18-20 18 You shall appoint judges and officials throughout your tribes, in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall render just decisions for the people. 19 You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality; and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you. Devotional: In these words from God through Moses, we see two…

Dear Friends, The good news at FLPC is coming in thick and fast. Let me spread some around! First, our very own Katie Pittman began working with FLPC on Monday as our summer intern! Katie grew up at FLPC (daughter of David and Kathy Pittman and granddaughter of Joe and Kathryn Hall), and just finished her junior year at Queens College in Charlotte, NC! At Queens, Katie is pursuing a degree in Art History and Art Leadership and Administration, and she is working on a minor in Interfaith Studies. At Queens, Katie worked with Dr. Adrian Bird – the campus…

Text: Matthew 28:18-20 (CEB version) 18 Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.” Devotional: Long before an arena bore his name, long before the wins piled up, Dean Smith was a little-known assistant coach in Chapel Hill, NC, an understudy of the charismatic Frank McGuire.…