Rev. Andrew's Adventures

Earlier this month at UMC of Rancho Cordova where I am a member, our new Pastor, Jo Ann challenged the congregation to press on, not looking behind at what 2015 was and to press forward in 2016.  Pressing on is something we must do, through the good times and the bad times.  In Philippians 3: 12-16, the Apostle Paul writes 12  Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; [ g ]  but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13  Beloved, [ h ]  I do not consider that I have made it my own; [ i ]  but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  14  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly [ j ]  call of God in Christ Jesus.  15  Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you.  16  Only let us hold fast to what we ...

Happy New Year, or at least while it's still relatively fresh in our minds!!  Here we stand three days on the other side of the threshold of a new year as we have said our farewell to 2015 and hello to 2016.  I always view the world in artistic terms and see each new day, each new week, and each new year like that of a fresh canvas.  Just like each episode of the late Bob Ross's The Joy of Painting, the artist would always begin with a blank canvas and so too can we start anew as this year unfolds. It was also a new day at The United Methodist Church of Rancho Cordova this morning, as Pastor Tina has moved onto retirement and we welcomed Pastor Jo Ann to our congregation.  It has been a strange feeling leading into this, as I have had to say farewell to two other beloved colleagues this past year, but as Pastor Jo Ann reminded us this morning, we need to press on and keep looking ahead.  Change is a constant in life, whether we like it or not.  But tha...