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
April 30 Edition: Change the World with Love
My command to you is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Matthew 13:12
What are Jesus’ Commandments? We often confuse them with the 10 Commandment’s God gave to Moses. Jesus’ are simpler and boil down to one: Love One Another. We use the word “love” a lot – we love cheeseburgers, our homes, our sports teams. The “love” that Jesus speaks of is deep, intimate, and unconditional. This type of love goes on for some couples for decades; one person will give all they have for the other. Jesus is calling for us to share this type of love with one another. Now, at this time in history, more than ever our culture centers around using technology and getting more. Technology was welcomed as important because it was to help us communicate more and work less. Unfortunately, the opposite has happened. We send e-mails instead of talking to each other. People will send messages in e-mails that they could never say face to face. The results can be mean and lonely.
Our culture now has a problem with relationships and communication. We think we have relationships, but many are suffering from separation and not knowing people. We see increased divorce, anger and abuse. Many have a misunderstanding of what relationships should be like. As people of God, it is our responsibility to overcome these distractions. Our relationships must be face-to-face, even when they are difficult. God loves us no matter how “bad” we are (think of the Woman at the Well; she was really “bad”). Jesus did not turn away from her; he met her where she was and changed her by showing God’s love for who she was.
