Pastor's Letter - July
Pastor’s Letter
July, 2019
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Many of you know that I have been trying the keto diet. It's somewhat similar to the Atkins diet craze that was all the rage back in the early 2000's. One major difference is that there seems to be much more of a focus on eating fat.
As of July, I have fallen off the wagon more than once, but I continue to persevere and get back on track. My biggest weakness? Potatoes. Someone just forwarded me a recipe for potato salad for those following the keto diet. To quote the message, "Brian, this is so similar it's crazy!"
So how do you make a potato salad when you can't eat many carbs? You apparently use radishes. So I went and purchased more Radishes than I've probably ever had eaten in my life total and went to town. I boiled the radishes, drained them, combined onion, eggs, celery, mayonnaise, mustard, celery seed, Worcestershire sauce, and prepared to once again have some "potato" salad.
Let me tell you, whoever decided to say that boiled radishes would make a good potato substitute was a bold faced liar. I proceeded to put the concoction back in the fridge, only later to have Michelle try it, and laugh when she made a sour face and asked what it was, because it truly wasn't potato salad!
So this reminded me of our faith and our time in the 21st century. People desire community, and the church offers a community centered in Christ, where we can come together and acknowledge God's goodness and work it out in the area in which God has placed us.
But we sometimes try to substitute it with other things. Other diversions. Other activities. I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything else but church- but when we try to put other things in the center, it doesn't work.
It makes me wonder if this is why I talk to so many unhappy people. Not so much here at Trinity, but people I meet in waiting rooms, people who I meet while grocery shopping, and other places. When our lives are out of balance and unfocused, we lose sight of the God that formed us and continues to love us. It's like trying to replace potatoes with radishes. It just doesn't work.
So as summer comes to its midpoint, I encourage you to spend some time with the God that loves you and encourages you. I encourage you to center yourself in the presence of that God and let nothing else take its place.
Peace to you on the way,
Pastor Brian