Blog:FOREST LAKE TALKS

I was behind a car the other day sporting a bumper sticker that said, “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship.” I could not agree more. The older I get the more I realize that God is not after our outward show and habits. God wants our whole heart and our love, not just outward observance. But the trick is that once we love God, our outward lives change too. Jesus didn’t die on the cross to make you feel guilty about not coming to worship. Jesus died on the cross to free us from sin, guilt, and death. It is all gift and grace. Whether we accept the gift, however, is up to us.

The theme of this fall’s Annual Stewardship is “Community.” When we love God, we are necessarily drawn into relationship and community. When we love God, we SEEK community where we can worship, learn and serve. When we love God, we SEEK ways to love our neighbors and even our enemies. Please take time to read through the stewardship packet you received. What you will read there is impressive. Forest Lake Presbyterian Church does amazing work in our community, and we work hard at caring for each other. But we do all of this as an expression of love for God and in gratitude for what God has done for us. We don’t serve and give SO THAT God will love us. We serve and give BECAUSE God loves us. That makes a big difference.

So, I invite you to prayerfully consider what you will give in gratitude and love for God to support the good work that FLPC does. I trust that if you give proportionally – according to what God has given you – that our church will have enough. What we give is a measure of our relationship with God and the community we find at FLPC. Every gift is important. This Church will not exist without your support. So, please pray and think deeply about what you can and want to give to support this faith community we call home.

All Elders, Deacons, Officers-Elect, and Church Staff (who are members) will make their financial pledges of support this Sunday, October 19th, in worship. Then, the whole congregation will be asked to make their pledges of financial support for 2026 on Sunday, October 26th. Whether you need to put a zero or another number with zeros behind it on your pledge card, do what you do with your whole heart. It really is a relationship. And, from God’s side, the message is not unclear or mixed. YOU are loved. How we respond is up to us, again today.

We are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives. Ephesians 2:10