God's Word in Action: Ask the Pastor BLOG
Welcome to this new resource! At the suggestion of God's Word in Action (GWIA) subscribers, we are expanding this resource to include the opportunity to ask questions of our Pastors regarding their sermons, weekly Bible lessons for Sunday or any other faith/Bible based topics.
To best facilitate the question and answer process and to best share the benefits of all questions and answers with anyone who subscribes, we have choosen an interactive tool called a "BLOG". Short for "web log", the BLOG format allows for you to view the sermon summary from each weekly edition of GWIA and ask questions and view answers.
How to Use the "GWIA - Ask a Pastor BLOG":
- Scroll down the page to find the GWIA edition you wish to ask a question about. Note that the newest week (date) appears on top.
- Click the comments link under the sermon summary to ask your question.
- A new "Post Comments" form is displayed below the edition you want to ask a question about. Note the other weeks are temporarily out of view.
- Type a name. Even though a name is required, "Anonymous" and "Guest" are perfectly acceptable if you wish to ask your question anonymously.
- Type your email address. Also required but will not be publically displayed.
- Skip the Website field as it is NOT required.
- Type your question in the Comments Box.
- Click the "Add Comments" button at the bottom to submit your question. Your question now appears below the related GWIA edition.
- Click the <<back to the blog link to return to the BLOG and close the Post Comments box.
- Questions are reviewed and answered by our Pastors which can take anywhere from an afternoon up to 2 days in the event of questions posted on Fridays or Saturdays.
How to View Your Answer:
- Return to the GWIA - Ask a Pastor BLOG by clicking the Question Button in one of your weekly GWIA emails -OR- by visiting the All Saints home page and clicking the "view the current edition" link in the subscription box.
- Scroll down to view the GWIA edition you asked a question about and click the "Comments" link.
- This displays all the questions and answers posted for this edition.
- Once you have completed your review, you can click the <<back to the blog link and return to the complete list of weekly editions. From here you may choose to view other questions and answers posted for other edition, etc.
Questions about or difficulities with the BLOG:
Contact Bobbie Tomasek at btomasek@allsaintsphoenix.org or Gina King at ginaking@allsaintsphoenix.org
July 16 Edition: Good Things Are Happening...
Matthew 13:18-23 "Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the hear; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.
In this week's gospel, Jesus is explaining to his disciples that even though things aren't going well for them right now and though many people doubt him, his followers should not despair. He explains in the Parable of the Sower that some seeds fall on trodden pathways or on rocky ground or among thorns and they will not thrive, but some seeds will fall upon good soil and they will flourish. In fact, they will exceed all expectations.
We often judge a church's vitality by the numbers -- weekly attendance, baptisms, new members -- and this may be one way to measure, but these numbers really don't reflect how and if lives have been changed. A packed church can be bursting at the pews but empty of spirit. A struggling church may add only a couple of young new members but those members may grow up and be called to go out and live the work of Christ in the world. There is no way to know what great things are happening or how children and adults will be inspired to follow Jesus, because you can't always see it.
Sometimes we may ask ourselves if we are making a difference as servants of the Lord. Are these seeds -- our seeds, Jesus' seeds -- being wasted? The time we spend volunteering, the talents we share with the congregation, the treasure we donate to help others -- are they all in vain? Are the seeds we're sowing ever going to sprout? Are we really making a difference in people's lives? Jesus tells us emphatically that it does matter and that our work does mean something even if we can't see the fruits right now. He is offering us encouragement and urges us not to lose heart. Good things, God's things, are happening, so keep up the good work.
