Let me ask you a simple question. "Are you who you want to be?" Perhaps another way to ask this is to say, "Are you still growing?' Or, "Is God finished with you?" If honest, I think each of us would say that we're still growing, and, no, we are not exactly who we want to be - yet. We are still growing, changing, and becoming more like Jesus Christ (hopefully!) as the years go by (2 Cor.3:18; I John 3:1-3). I ask you these questions as sort of an invite to come join us for my new preaching series on Genesis. When I look at the cast of characters there - Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc., none of these "heros" of the faith were really all that heroic. That is, they were all sinners in process of change. As I introduced the series last week (1/23), I gave the congregation two words that characterize the stories in Genesis - the words obstacle and advance. I also suggested that these words, obstacle and advance characterize our lives as well. That is, things seem to go all right for a while. But wait long enough (!) and guess what will happen? Obstacle. Whether the obstacle is from within (our sin, stubbornness, emotional wranglings, etc.) or without (being sinned against, losing a job, relational issues, etc.), life at times can be brutal, and our "advances" rarely go unchallenged or unabated. Sometimes our obstacles, like Abraham and Sarah's, can last for decades. Of course that's not what you will hear from a "feel good" preacher. But, it's the truth. So, if this is true, if life can give us long stretches of hardness, how then do we "advance"? Abraham found his shield and reward (Gen. 15:1) in a God who keeps His promises. While I will not go into great detail here, I want to encourage you that God can be counted upon. While His timetable is not always ours (think "wait"), He loves us and always does what is best for His kids. That's one big thing I learn from Genesis. His promises never fail. For us, the Apostle Paul tells us that "whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident." (2 Cor.1:20-21 The Message). In part, and back to my opening question, this means that even if we are not yet who we want to be, Jesus is Who we need. He'll never fail you or forsake you. And, He loves you every step of the way in this process of change, this life we live for Him. I hope you come and worship with us soon, hear some encouragement from Genesis, and, connect with God's people here.

P.S. In a few weeks Pastor Funk will be starting a series of his own. I'll/he'll tell you more about it soon.