"Lord, give me a sign!" Have you ever desired for your life’s path to be fully revealed before you? It’d be a lot easier to make the right decision! Sadly, going full speed in what we believe is the right direction usually causes us to hit a few speed bumps along the way. Thankfully, even in times like those, we can still trust in God above our own understanding. Today, we will learn that because of Jesus, "God's direction never needs correction!"

How far would you go to avoid a punishment? No one likes being disciplined. Sadly, we are familiar with an unhealthy understanding of earthly discipline. God promises that His discipline is done not out of anger, but out of love, even promising that His discipline will ultimately lead to a wisdom-fueled peace. Because God loves, He disciplines, and "Godly discipline yields Godly wisdom."

This morning, Pastor Mark and his family are out of town for a family funeral. Thankfully, God provides! Please welcome Pastor Carl Wenck, who will be sharing the Word of God with us. Pastor Wenck served as Senior Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Murfreesboro, TN, for over 20 years. He and his wife Gwen are wonderful assets to our Mid-South District.

How much is enough? So often, our desire to have security can be a never-ending quest with an ever-moving goal post. Thankfully, when we begin to understand the source of all things good, we can realize our calling of being managers of what was never really ours to begin with. This mindset of stewardship allows us to participate in God's great generosity. Audacity in generosity proves a heart that trusts.!

"A wise man leaves an inheritance to his children's children" (Proverbs 13:22). Our greatest inheritance, the gift of wisdom, comes not from us, but from God. Solomon starts his proverbs with a key teaching: wisdom comes not from the acquisition or enjoyment of the things of this world, but begins with the fear of the Lord. When we understand that He is God and we are not, His gift of wisdom soon follows. Let's strive to live in this inheritance and pass it on to the next generation!

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where it could have dire consequences if you took the risk to do what you know is right? It can be real tempting to keep quiet and seek our own preservation. Yet, because God is in control, we can dare to have courage, even putting ourselves at risk if necessary. In times of risk, we can have courage, because God is in control!

The average human attention span has been reported to be around 8 seconds (which is less than a goldfish!) It is safe to say that we are easily distracted. Most of the time, that doesn't mean much. Sometimes, it can prove fatal. Thankfully, Jesus never got distracted from His mission of salvation or now in His loving and leading of us. Thankfully, we learn that even when we often lose sight of Him, that: Jesus holds steady, even in the storm!

"You don't really believe all that Jesus stuff, do you?" How would you respond to such a question? As those in the Church are often asked to defend their faith, we can look to the example of Peter and John in Acts 4. When given the opportunity, the Holy Spirit enabled them to choose faith over their fear, daring to bear witness to the resurrection. They discovered: "Where Jesus Resides, Faith Abides!"

Have you ever had one of those terrible, horrible, no good very bad kind of days? Thomas, a disciple of Jesus, certainly did. In fact, not just one bad day, but an entire week! Defeated by the death of his Lord, Thomas hears the rumors that He has returned, alive again! He is reluctant to believe, instead desiring to see for himself. Thankfully, Jesus does appear to him, and to us, allowing us to know His peace!

Grief can become so numbingly familiar that it blinds us to what is right in front of us. Mary experienced grief like this, unable even to recognize her Lord. Thankfully, He doesn't leave her in this grief. By name, He calls her out of it. He gives her a new perspective and a new purpose for her life, to help others out of their grief and into his joy. Jesus calls us from our grief to a joy beyond belief. And this is truly good news, worthy of sharing!